B HXDP Admin Guide 5 5

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.
5
First Published: 2023-08-22
Last Modified: 2023-12-21
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CONTENTS
Full Cisco Trademarks with Software License ?
PREFACE Communications, Services, Bias-free Language, and Additional Information xv
CHAPTER 1 New and Changed Information for this Release 1
New and Changed Information for this Release 1
CHAPTER 2 HX Storage Cluster Overview 3
Cisco HX Data Platform Overview 3

Storage Cluster Physical Components Overview 3
HX Data Platform Capacity Overview 5
Understanding Capacity Savings 6
Storage Capacity Event Messages 7
HX Data Platform High Availability Overview 8
Storage Cluster Status 9
Operational Status Values 9
Resiliency Status Values 10
HX Data Platform Cluster Tolerated Failures 10
Data Replication Factor Settings 11
Cluster Access Policy 12
Responses to Storage Cluster Node Failures 12
HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview 14
HX Native Snapshots Overview 14
CHAPTER 3 Logging in to HX Data Platform Interfaces 17
HyperFlex Cluster Interfaces Overview 17
Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

iii
Contents
Guidelines for HX Data Platform Login Credentials 18

HX Data Platform Names, Passwords, and Characters 19
AAA Authentication REST API 22
Logging into HX Connect 22
Logging into the Controller VM (hxcli) Command Line 23
Changing Storage Controller Password 25
Logging Into Cisco HX Data Platform Installer 25
Recovering the root password for the SCVM 26
Recovering the admin password for the SCVM 26
Accessing the HX Data Platform REST APIs 28
Secure Admin Shell 28
Guidelines and Limitations 29
Information About Consent Token 29
Diag User Overview 29
CHAPTER 4 Monitoring HX Storage Clusters 31
Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters 31

License Compliance and Feature Functionality 31
Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters with HX Connect 32

Dashboard Page 32
Activity Page 34
System Information Overview Page 35
Nodes Page 39
Disks Page 40
Audit Logging with HX Connect 42
Enabling Audit Logging 43
Configuring the Remote Syslog Server 44
Disabling Audit Logging 45
Deleting Audit Logging Server Configuration 46
CHAPTER 5 Managing HX Storage Clusters 47
Changing the Cluster Access Policy Level 47

Rebalancing the Cluster 47
Checking Cluster Rebalance and Self-Healing Status 48

iv
Contents
Handling Out of Space Errors 49

Moving the Storage Cluster from a Current vCenter Server to a New VCenter Server 50
Unregistering a Storage Cluster from a vCenter Cluster 50
Unregistering and Removing EAM Extensions 51
Removing HX Data Platform Files from the vSphere Client 53
Verifying HX Cluster is Unregistered from vCenter 53
Registering a Storage Cluster with a New vCenter Cluster 54
Renaming Clusters 55
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate 55
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on a vCenter Server 55
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on an ESXi Host 57
Reregistering a HyperFlex cluster 58
Recreating a Self-Signed Certificate 58
Boost Mode 59
Configuring Boost Mode 59
Disabling Boost Mode 60
UEFI Secure Boot Mode 60
Enabling Secure Boot Mode 61
hx_edge.py Script Fails after ESXi Redeploy on Auto Secure Booted Node 62
Catalog Update 63
Catalog Update: HX Installer 64
Catalog Update: Cluster Creation using HX Installer 64
Catalog Update: Cluster Expansion using HX Installer 64
Catalog Update from the HX Installer Settings 65
Catalog Update: HX Connect 65
Cluster Catalog Upgrade using HX Connect 65
Catalog Update: Intersight 66
Catalog Upgrade using Intersight 66
CHAPTER 6 Preparing for HX Storage Cluster Maintenance 67
Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview 67

Serial vs. Parallel Operations 69
Checking Cluster Status 69
Setting a Beacon 69

v
Contents
Verify vMotion Configuration for HX Cluster 70

Maintenance Modes for Storage Cluster Nodes 71
Entering Cisco HyperFlex Maintenance Mode 72
Exiting HXDP Maintenance Mode 73
Creating a Backup Operation 74
Shut Down and Power Off the Cisco HX Storage Cluster 78
Power On and Start Up the Cisco HX Storage Cluster 80
Restoring the Configuration for a Fabric Interconnect 82
Configure PCI Passthrough After Changing vNIC or vHBAs 84
CHAPTER 7 Managing Encryption 85
SED Encryption 85
Self-Encrypting Drives Overview 85
Verify if the HyperFlex Cluster Is Encryption Capable 85
Configuring Local Encryption Key 86
Modifying Local Encryption Key 86
Disabling Local Encryption Key 87
Secure Erase an Encrypted Disk 87
Remote Key Management 88
Configuring Remote Encryption Key 88
Generating Certificate Signing Requests 89
Configuring a Key Management Server Using CSRs (Certificate Signing Requests) 90
Generating Self-Signed Certificates 91
Configuring a key management server using SSCs (Self-Signed Certificates) 92
Restart Encryption 93
HyperFlex Software Encryption 94
Enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption Workflow 94
HyperFlex Software Encryption Guidelines and Limitations 94
Install HX Software Encryption Package: Clusters with 1 - 12 Nodes 95
Install HX Software Encryption Package: Clusters with 13+ Nodes 95
Backup Encryption Key of HyperFlex Software Encryption 96
Secure Disk Erase for HyperFlex Software Encryption 97
CHAPTER 8 Managing Datastores 99

vi
Contents
Managing Datastores 99
Adding Datastores 100
Editing Datastores 101
Unmounting Datastores 102
Deleting Datastores 102
Encryption Support for Datastores 103
Recovering from Partially Unmounted Datastores 104
CHAPTER 9 Managing Disks 105
Managing Disks in the Cluster 105

Disk Requirements 106
Replacing Self Encrypted Drives (SEDs) 108
Replacing SSDs 110
Replacing NVMe SSDs 111
Hot Swap NVME Drives in M5 and M6 Servers 112
Replacing Housekeeping SSDs for Cisco HX Release 5.0(2b) and Later 113
Replacing or Adding Hard Disk Drives 115
CHAPTER 10 Managing Nodes 117
Managing Nodes 117

Identify Node Maintenance Methods 119
Searching by DNS Address or Host Name 121
Changing ESXi Host Root Password 122
Reinstalling Node Software 122
Changing Node Identification Form in vCenter Cluster from IP to FQDN 123
Replacing Node Components 124
Removing a Node 126
Preparing to Remove a Node 127
Removing a Node from an Online Storage Cluster 129
Removing a Node from an Offline Storage Cluster 131
Removing a Compute Node 134
Reuse a Previously Removed Node Within the Same Cluster 134
CHAPTER 11 Expand Cisco HyperFlex System Clusters 137

vii
Contents
Cluster Expansion Guidelines 137

ESXi Installation Guidelines 138
Prerequisites When Expanding M5/M6 Clusters 138
Mixed Cluster Expansion Guidelines - Cisco HX Release 5.5(x) 139
Steps During Mixed Cluster Expansion 139

Prerequisites for Adding a Converged Node 140
Preparing a Converged Node 141
Adding a Converged Node to an Existing Cluster 141
Prerequisites for Adding a Compute-Only Node 145
Preparing a Compute-Only Node 147
Verify the HX Data Platform Installer 147
Apply an HX Profile on a Compute-only Node Using UCS Manager 147
Install VMware ESXi on Compute Nodes 148
Adding a Compute-Only Node to an Existing Cluster 149
Resolving Failure of Cluster Expansion 153
Logical Availability Zones 154
CHAPTER 12 Managing HX Controller VMs 159
Managing Storage Controller VMs 159

Powering On or Off Storage Controller VMs 159
Disabling HA VM Monitoring in HX Controller VMs 160
CHAPTER 13 Managing Ready Clones 161
HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview 161

Benefits of HX Data Platform Ready Clones 161
Supported Base VMs 162
Ready Clone Requirements 162
Ready Clone Best Practices 163
Creating Ready Clones Using HX Connect 163
Creating Ready Clones Using the HX Data Platform Plug-In 165
Prepare to Customize HX Data Platform Ready Clones 166
Creating a Customization Specification for Linux in the vSphere Web Client 167
Create a Customization Specification for Windows in the vSphere Web Client 167
Configuring Ready Clones Using Customized Specifications 168

viii
Contents
Managing Virtual Machine Networking 168
CHAPTER 14 Managing HX Native Snapshots 169
HX Native Snapshots Overview 169

Benefits of HX Native Snapshots 170
HX Native Snapshot Considerations 171
HX Native Snapshots Best Practices 174
HX Native Snapshot Time Zones 175
Creating HX Native Snapshots 175
HX Native Snapshots using ESXi 7.0 U2 177
Scheduling HX Native Snapshots Overview 177
Scheduling HX Native Snapshots 178
Setting the Frequency of HX Native Scheduled Snapshots 179
Deleting HX Native Snapshot Schedules 179
Reverting to an HX Native Snapshot 180
Deleting HX Native Snapshots 180
CHAPTER 15 Managing Virtual Machine Disaster Recovery 183
HX Disaster Recovery Overview 183

Replication and Disaster Recovery Requirements and Considerations 184
Admin Role Requirements 184
Networking Requirements 184
Cluster Requirements 188
Replication Network and Pairing Requirements 189
Replication and Disaster Recovery Virtual Machine Considerations 191

Storage Replication Adapter Overview 193
Data Protection Terms 194
Best Practices for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery 195
Protecting Virtual Machines Overview 197
Data Protection Workflow 197
Configuring the Replication Network in HX Connect 199
Test Local Replication Network 203
Editing the Replication Network 203
Replication Pair Overview 205

ix
Contents
Creating a Replication Pair 205

Test Remote Replication Network 208
Editing a Mapped Datastore Replication Pair 208
Removing a Peer Cluster 210
Deleting a Replication Pair 210
Creating a Protection Group 211
Quiescence Overview 213
Editing Protection Groups 214
Deleting Protection Groups 214
Protecting Virtual Machines with an Existing Protection Group 215
Protecting Virtual Machines with a New Protection Group 216
Protecting Individual Virtual Machines 217
Unprotecting Virtual Machines 219
Disaster Recovery Overview 220
Configuring the Recovery Settings 220
Compatibility for Disaster Recovery Operations 222
Testing Virtual Machine Recovery 222
Recovering Virtual Machines 224
Recovering Virtual Machines in Protection Groups 225
Planned Migration 226
Planned Migration for a Single vCenter Deployment 227
Migrating Virtual Machines in Protection Groups 227
Disaster Recovery and Re-protect 228
Protecting Virtual Machines After Disaster 229
Removing Protection from an Auto-Protected Cluster VM 230
Replication Maintenance Overview 230
Pausing Replication 231
Resuming Replication 232
Replication Page 232
Local Virtual Machines Page 236
Remote Virtual Machines Page 239
Prepare to Protect Virtual Machines Alert 241
Configure or Edit Replication Network Dialog Box 242
Prepare Group Recovery Dialog Box 246

x
Contents
Recover VM on This Cluster Dialog Box 246

Test Recovery Parameters Dialog Box 246
Protected Virtual Machines Tab 247
Protection Groups 250
Replication Pairs Tab 252
Recovery Settings Dialog Box 260
CHAPTER 16 Managing Storage Replication Adapter 263
Storage Replication Adapter Overview 263

Configuring Storage Replication Adapter 263
System Requirements 263
SRA Compatibility Matrix 264
Windows Site Recovery Manager (SRM 6.1 through SRM 8.3) 264
Installing a Site Recovery Manager for Windows 264
Installing a Storage Replication Adapter for Windows 265
Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance (SRM 8.4 and later) 265
Deploy the Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance 265
Installing a Photon OS Storage Replication Adapter 266
Setting up SRM Environment 266
Pairing Sites 266
Configuring Mapping 266
Refreshing Storage Replication Adapter 267
Adding an Array Manager Pair 268
Mapping Datastores on Cisco HyperFlex 268
Discovering Devices 269
Creating a Protection Group 269
Creating a Recovery Plan 269
Executing SRA Workflows 270
Testing a Recovery Plan 270
Testing the Recovery Plan Cleanup Task 271
Executing a Recovery 271
Executing a Reprotect Task 272
Troubleshooting SRA 272
Troubleshooting: Using Windows SRM Log Files 272

xi
Contents
Troubleshooting: Using the SRM Appliance Log Files 273

Troubleshooting: Location of the VMware Virtual Center 273
Troubleshooting: Name of the VM 273
CHAPTER 17 Managing Users 275
Managing Cisco HyperFlex Users Overview 275

User Management Terms 276
Audit Logs for AAA Accounting 277
Creating Cisco HX Data Platform RBAC Users 277
Assigning Users Privileges 278
CHAPTER 18 Managing iSCSI 279
HyperFlex iSCSI Target Service Overview and Supported Use Cases 279
HyperFlex iSCSI Best Practices 280
iSCSI Configuration Overview 280

iSCSI Scale and Support 280
iSCSI Network Page 281
Creating an iSCSI Network 281
Editing an iSCSI Network 283
Deleting an iSCSI Network 283
iSCSI Initiator Group 283
Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group 284
Editing an iSCSI Initiator Group 285
Deleting an iSCSI Initiator Group 285
Linking iSCSI Initiator Group with Targets 285
Unlinking an iSCSI Initiator Group 286
iSCSI Target Page 286
Creating an iSCSI Target 287
Editing an iSCSI Target 288
Deleting an iSCSI Target 288
Linking iSCSI Targets 288
Unlinking an iSCSI Target 289
iSCSI LUN Page 289
Creating an iSCSI LUN 290

xii
Contents
Editing an iSCSI LUN 291

Deleting an iSCSI LUN 291
Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Windows) 291
Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Linux) 292
Cloning an iSCSI LUN 292
Limitations for the HX Windows Agent 293
Prerequisites for the HX Windows Agent 293
Installing HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN 294
Installing HX Windows Agent (with Pre-Installed Dependencies) for iSCSI Clone LUN 295
Uninstalling HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN 295
iSCSI HX Windows Agent Logs 296
Editing the Location of Service Logs 297
Accessing Cloned LUN(s) on Destination Target 297
CHAPTER 19 Cisco HyperFlex HTML Plugin for VMware vCenter 299
Cisco HyperFlex vCenter Plugin 299

Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin for VMware vCenter 300
Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Prerequisites 300

Using the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin 300
Install and Register the vCenter HTML5 Plugin 301
Verifying the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Installation from the vSphere Client 303
Uninstalling the HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin 304
Upgrading the HTML5 Plugin 304
Navigating the HTML5 plugin 305
Cluster Management 307
Managing Users and Access to HX Clusters 307
Discover the Registered HX Cluster 307
Rename Cluster 308
View the HX Cluster Summary 308
View Cluster and Datastore Performance Charts 314
Disks 316
Nodes 317
Network 319
iSCSI 321

xiii
Contents
HX Datastore Management 327

VMs 332
Events 335
Alarms 336
Tasks 338
vCenter: HyperFlex Plugin Embedded Actions 339
vCenter Server Actions at the Host and Cluster Level 339
vCenter Server Actions at Virtual Machine Level 346
vCenter Server Actions at the Storage Level 351
Cisco HyperFlex Remote Plugin for VMware vCenter 352
Install, Register and Upgrade the Remote Plugin 353
Remote Plugin Installation and Registration 353
Uninstalling and Unregistering the HyperFlex Remote Plugin from vCenter 356
Upgrade the Remote Plugin Application 356
Encryption Support 357
Remote Plugin Encryption Support 357
Generate Support Bundles 357
Plugin Support Bundle Generation 357
APPENDIX A Appendix 359

Creating VLANs for HX Servers 359
Creating MAC Address Pools 360
Configure the vSwitches 361
Migrating vMotion Networks to Virtual Distributed Switches (VDS) or Cisco Nexus 1000v (N1Kv) 363

xiv
Communications, Services, Bias-free Language,
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xv
Communications, Services, Bias-free Language, and Additional Information
Communications, Services, Bias-free Language, and Additional Information

xvi
CHAPTER 1
New and Changed Information for this Release
• New and Changed Information for this Release, on page 1

The following table provides an overview of the significant changes to this guide for this current release. The
table does not provide an exhaustive list of all changes made to this guide or of all new features in this release.
Feature Description Release/Date Added Where Documented
HX Remote Plugin for Introduced the HTML 5.5(1a) Cisco HyperFlex Remote
VMware vCenter remote plugin Plugin for VMware
vCenter, on page 352
ESXi Support update Starting with 5.5(1a) 5.5(1a) HX Native Snapshots

ESXi versions starting Overview, on page 14
6.5, 6.7, and 7.0.U1 are
not supported.
New guide for HyperFlex - 5.5(1a) This guide.

Release 5.5(1a)

1

2
CHAPTER 2
HX Storage Cluster Overview
• Cisco HX Data Platform Overview, on page 3
• Storage Cluster Physical Components Overview, on page 3
• HX Data Platform Capacity Overview, on page 5
• HX Data Platform High Availability Overview, on page 8
• Storage Cluster Status, on page 9
• HX Data Platform Cluster Tolerated Failures, on page 10
• Responses to Storage Cluster Node Failures, on page 12
• HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview, on page 14
• HX Native Snapshots Overview, on page 14
Cisco HX Data Platform Overview

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform (HX Data Platform) is a hyperconverged software appliance that transforms
Cisco servers into a single pool of compute and storage resources. It eliminates the need for network storage
and enables seamless interoperability between computing and storage in virtual environments. The Cisco HX
Data Platform provides a highly fault-tolerant distributed storage system that preserves data integrity and
optimizes performance for virtual machine (VM) storage workloads. In addition, native compression and
deduplication reduce storage space occupied by the VMs and VM workloads.
Cisco HX Data Platform has many integrated components. These include: Cisco Fabric Interconnects (FIs),
Cisco UCS Manager, Cisco HX specific servers, and Cisco compute only servers; VMware vSphere, ESXi
servers, and vCenter; and the Cisco HX Data Platform Installer, controller VMs, HX Connect, vSphere HX
Data Platform Plug-in, and hxcli commands.
Cisco HX Data Platform is installed on a virtualized platform such as VMware vSphere. During installation,
after specifying the Cisco HyperFlex HX Cluster name, and the HX Data Platform creates a hyperconverged
storage cluster on each of the nodes. As your storage needs to increase and you add nodes in the HX cluster,
the HX Data Platform balances the storage across the additional resources. Compute only nodes can be added
to increase compute only resources to the storage cluster.
Storage Cluster Physical Components Overview

Cisco HyperFlex storage clusters contain the following objects. These objects are monitored by the HX Data
Platform for the storage cluster. They can be added and removed from the HX storage cluster.

3
Storage Cluster Physical Components Overview
• Converged nodes—Converged nodes are the physical hardware on which the VM runs. They provide
computing and storage resources such as disk space, memory, processing, power, and network I/O.
When a converged node is added to the storage cluster, a storage controller VM is installed. The HX
Data Platform services are handled through the storage controller VM. Converged nodes add storage
resources to your storage cluster through their associated drives.
Run the Cluster Expansion workflow from the HX Data Platform Installer to add converged nodes to
your storage cluster. You can remove converged nodes using hxcli commands.
• Compute nodes—Compute nodes add compute resource but not storage capacity to the storage cluster.
They are used as a means to add compute resources, including CPU and memory. They do not need to
have any caching (SSD) or storage (HDD) drives. Compute nodes are optional in a HX storage cluster.
When a compute node is added to the storage cluster, an agent controller VM is installed. The HX Data
Platform services are handled through the agent controller VM.
Run the Cluster Expansion workflow from the HX Data Platform Installer to add compute nodes to your
storage cluster. You can remove compute nodes using hxcli commands.
• Drives—There are two types of drives that are required for any node in the storage cluster: Solid State
Drive (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD). HDD typically provides the physical storage units associated
with converged nodes. SSD typically supports management.
Adding HDD to existing converged nodes, also adds storage capacity to the storage cluster. When storage
is added to a HX node in the storage cluster, an equal amount of storage must be added to every node in
the storage cluster.
When disks are added or removed, the HX Data Platform rebalances the storage cluster to adjust for the
change in storage resources.
Adding or removing disks on your converged nodes is not performed through the HX Data Platform.
Before adding or removing disks, review the best practices. See the server hardware guides for specific
instructions to add or remove disks in nodes.
NVMe Caching SSD's slot information is unavailable from HX-Connect for all AF server PIDs except
for the All-NVMe server PIDs. Please refer to UCSM management console for NVMe SSD slot
information.
• Datastores—Storage capacity and datastore capacity. This is the combined consumable physical storage
available to the storage cluster through datastores, and managed by the HX Data Platform.
Datastores are logical containers that are used by the HX Data Platform to manage your storage use and
storage resources.
Datastores are where the host places virtual disk files and other VM files. Datastores hide the specifics
of physical storage devices and provide a uniform model for storing VM files.

4
HX Data Platform Capacity Overview
HX Data Platform Capacity Overview
Note Capacity addition in a cluster through the addition of disks or nodes can result in a rebalance. This background
activity can cause interference with regular User IO on the cluster and increase the latency. You must note
the time duration for the storage capacity at the time where performance impact can be tolerated. Also, this
operation may be performed in urgent situations that may warrant capacity addition.
In the HX Data Platform the concept of capacity is applied to both datastores and storage clusters. Values are
measured in base-2 (GiB/TiB), but for simplicity and consistency are labeled as GB or TB.
• Cleaner―A process run on all the storage cluster datastores. After it completes, all the storage cluster
datastores total capacity should be in a similar range to the total storage cluster capacity, excluding the
metadata. Datastore capacity listed typically will not match the HX storage cluster capacity. See the
Cisco HX Data Platform Command Line Interface Reference Guide for information on the cleaner
command.
• Cluster capacity―All the storage from all the disks on all the nodes in the storage cluster. This includes
uncleaned data and the metadata overhead for each disk.
The total/used/free capacity of cluster is based on overall storage capacity and how much storage is used.
• Condition―When the HX Storage Cluster enters a space event state, the Free Space Status fields are
displayed. The Condition field lists the space event state. The options are: Warning, Critical, and Alert.
• Available Datastore capacity―The amount of storage available for provisioning to datastores without
over-provisioning. Generally, this is similar to the cleaned storage cluster capacity, but it is not an exact
match. It does not include metadata or uncleaned data.
The provisioned/used/free capacity of each datastore is based on datastore (thin) provisioned capacity.
Because the datastore is thin provisioned, the provisioned capacity (specified by the administrator when
creating the datastore) can be well above the actual storage.
• Free Capacity, storage cluster―Same as available capacity. For the storage cluster, this is the difference
between the amount available to the storage cluster and the amount used in the storage cluster.
• Free capacity, datastore―Same as available capacity. For all the storage cluster datastores, this is the
difference between the amount provisioned to all the storage cluster datastores and the amount used on
all the storage cluster datastores.
The amount used on the whole storage cluster is not included in this datastore calculation. Because
datastores are frequently over provisioned, the free capacity can indicate a large availability on all the
storage cluster datastores, while the storage cluster capacity can indicate a much lower availability.
• Multiple users―Can have different datastores with different provisioned capacities. At any point in
time, users do not fully utilize their allocated datastore capacity. When allocating datastore capacity to
multiple users, it is up to the administrator to ensure that each user’s provisioned capacity is honored at
all time.
• Over-provisioning―Occurs when the amount of storage capacity allocated to all the datastores exceeds
the amount available to the storage cluster.

5
Understanding Capacity Savings
It is a common practice to initially over-provision. It allows administrators to allocate the capacity now
and backfill the actual storage later.
The value is the difference between the usable capacity and provisioned capacity.
It displays zero (0) value, unless more space has been allocated than the maximum physical amount
possible.
Review the over provisioned capacity and ensure that your system does not reach an out-of-space
condition.
• Provisioned―Amount of capacity allowed to be used by and allocated to the storage cluster datastores.
The provisioned amount is not set aside for the sole use of the storage cluster datastores. Multiple
datastores can be provisioned storage from the same storage capacity.
• Space Needed―When the HX Storage Cluster enters a space event state, the Free Space Status fields
are displayed. Space Needed indicates the amount of storage that needs to be made available to clear
the listed Condition.
• Used―Amount of storage capacity consumed by the listed storage cluster or datastore.
HX Data Platform internal meta-data uses 0.5% to 1% space. This might cause the HX Data Platform
Plug-in or HX Connect to display a Used Storage value even if you have no data in your datastore.
Storage Used shows how much datastore space is occupied by virtual machine files, including configuration
and log files, snapshots, and clones. When the virtual machine is running, the used storage space also
includes swap files.
• Usable Capacity―Amount of storage in the storage cluster available for use to store data.
Understanding Capacity Savings

The Capacity portlet on the Summary tab displays the deduplication and compression savings provided by
the storage cluster. For example, with 50% overall savings, a 6TB capacity storage cluster can actually store
9 TB of data.
The total storage capacity saved by the HX Data Platform system is a calculation of two elements:
• Compression—How much of the data is compressed.
• Deduplication—How much data is deduplicated. Deduplication is a method of reducing storage space
by eliminating redundant data. It stores only one unique instance of the data.
Deduplication savings and compression savings are not simply added together. They are not independent
operations. They are correlated using the following elements where essentially the number of unique bytes
used for storage is reduced through deduplication. Then the deduplicated storage consumption is compressed
to make even more storage available to the storage cluster.
Deduplication and compression savings are useful when working with VM clones.
If the savings is showing 0%, this indicates the storage cluster is new. The total ingested data to the storage
cluster is insufficient to determine meaningful storage savings. Wait until sufficient data is written to the
storage cluster.
For example:
1. Initial values

6
Storage Capacity Event Messages
Given a VM of 100 GB that is cloned 2 times.

Total Unique Used Space (TUUS) = 100GB
Total Addressable Space (TAS) = 100x2 = 200 GB
Given, for this example:

Total Unique Bytes (TUB) = 25 GB
2. Deduplication savings
= (1 - TUUS/TAS) * 100
= (1 - 100GB / 200GB) *100
= 50%
3. Compression Savings
= (1 - TUB/TUUS) * 100
= (1 - 25GB / 100GB) * 100
= 75%
4. Total savings calculated

= (1 - TUB/TAS) * 100
= (1 - 25GB / 200GB) * 100
= 87.5%
Storage Capacity Event Messages

Cluster storage capacity includes all the storage from all the disks on all the nodes in the storage cluster. This
available capacity is used to manage your data.
Calculating Cluster Capacity

A HyperFlex HX Data Platform cluster capacity is calculated as follows:
(((<capacity disk size in GB> * 10^9) / 1024^3) * <number of capacity disks per node> *
<number of HyperFlex nodes> * 0.92) / replication factor
Divide the result by 1024 to get a value in TiB. The replication factor value is 3 if the HX cluster is set to
RF=3, and the value is 2 if the HX cluster is set to RF=2. The 0.92 multiplier accounts for an 8% reservation
set aside on each disk by the HX Data Platform software for various internal filesystem functions.
Calculation Example: <capacity
disk size in GB> = 1200 for 1.2 TB disks <number of capacity
disks per node> = 15 for an HX240c-M6SX model server <number of HyperFlex nodes> = 8
replication factor = 3
Result: (((1200*10^9)/1024^3)*15*8*0.92)/3 = 41127.2049 41127.2049 / 1024 = 40.16 TiB
Note This formula for calculating cluster capacity does not apply for Large Form Factor (LFF) clusters.

7
HX Data Platform High Availability Overview
Error Messages
Error messages are issued if your data storage needs to consume high amounts of available capacity, the
performance and health of your storage cluster are affected. The error messages are displayed in vCenter
Alarms panels, HX Connect, and HX Data Platform Plug-in Alarms and Events pages.
Note The event and alarm details provided on vCenter and HX Connect are not always a 1:1 relationship. When
reviewing messages in HX Connect, it is a best practice to also review the events and tasks in vCenter.
Note When the warning or critical errors appear:

Add additional drives or nodes to expand capacity. Additionally, consider deleting unused virtual machines
and snapshots. Performance is impacted until storage capacity is reduced.
• SpaceWarningEvent – Issues an error. This is a first level warning.

Cluster performance is impacted due to increased cleaner activity to reclaim the space as fast as possible.
The effect on throughput and latency depend on the workload and how much read and writes are being
performed.
Reduce the amount of storage capacity used to below the warning threshold, of 76% total HX Storage
Cluster capacity.
• SpaceAlertEvent – Issues an error. Space capacity usage remains at error level.
This alert is issued after storage capacity has been reduced, but is still above the warning threshold.
Cluster performance is affected.
Continue to reduce the amount of storage capacity used, until it is below the warning threshold, of 80%
total HX Storage Cluster capacity.
• SpaceCriticalEvent – Issues an error. This is a critical level warning.
Cluster is in a read only state.
Do not continue the storage cluster operations until you reduce the amount of storage capacity used to
below this warning threshold, that is, 100% of the available disk space.
• SpaceRecoveredEvent - This is informational. The cluster capacity has returned to normal range.
Cluster storage space usage is back to normal.
HX Data Platform High Availability Overview

The HX Data Platform High Availability (HA) feature ensures that the storage cluster maintains at least two
copies of all your data during normal operation with three or more fully functional nodes.
If nodes or disks in the storage cluster fail, the cluster's ability to function is affected. If more than one node
fails or one node and disk(s) on a different node fail, it is called a simultaneous failure.

8
Storage Cluster Status
The number of nodes in the storage cluster, combined with the Data Replication Factor and Access Policy
settings, determine the state of the storage cluster that results from node failures.
Note Before using the HX Data Platform HA feature, enable DRS and vMotion on the vSphere Web Client.
Storage Cluster Status

HX Data Platform storage cluster status information is available through HX Connect, the HX Data Platform
Plug-in, and the storage controller VM hxcli commands. Storage cluster status is described through resiliency
and operational status values.
Storage cluster status is described through the following reported status elements:
• Operational Status—Describes the ability of the storage cluster to perform the functions storage
management and storage cluster management of the cluster. Describes how well the storage cluster can
perform operations.
• Resiliency Status—Describes the ability of the storage clusters to tolerate node failures within the storage
cluster. Describes how well the storage cluster can handle disruptions.
The following settings take effect when the storage cluster transitions into particular operational and resiliency
status states.
• Data Replication Factor —Sets the number of redundant data replicas.
• Cluster Access Policy—Sets the level of data protection and data loss.
Operational Status Values

Cluster Operational Status indicates the operational status of the storage cluster and the ability for the
applications to perform I/O.
The Operational Status options are:
• Online―Cluster is ready for IO.
• Offline―Cluster is not ready for IO.
• Out of space—Either the entire cluster is out of space or one or more disks are out of space. In both
cases, the cluster cannot accept write transactions, but can continue to display static cluster information.
• Readonly―Cluster cannot accept write transactions, but can continue to display static cluster information.
• Unknown―This is a transitional state while the cluster is coming online.
Other transitional states might be displayed during cluster upgrades and cluster creation.
Color coding and icons are used to indicated various status states. Click icons to display additional information
such as reason messages that explain what is contributing to the current state.

9
Resiliency Status Values
Resiliency Status Values

Resiliency status is the data resiliency health status and ability of the storage cluster to tolerate failures.
Resiliency Status options are:
• Healthy—The cluster is healthy with respect to data and availability.
• Warning—Either the data or the cluster availability is being adversely affected.
• Unknown—This is a transitional state while the cluster is coming online.
Color coding and icons are used to indicate various status states. Click an icon to display additional information,
such as reason messages that explain what is contributing to the current state.
HX Data Platform Cluster Tolerated Failures

If nodes or disks in the HX storage cluster fail, the cluster's ability to function is affected. If more than one
node fails or one node and disk(s) on a different node fail, it is called a simultaneous failure.
How the number of node failures affect the storage cluster is dependent upon:
• Number of nodes in the cluster—The response by the storage cluster is different for clusters with 3 to
4 nodes and 5 or greater nodes.
• Data Replication Factor—Set during HX Data Platform installation and cannot be changed. The options
are 2 or 3 redundant replicas of your data across the storage cluster. Production clusters should always
use RF3. RF2 should be reserved for use in labs and demos.
Important Production clusters should be set to Data Replication Factor 3.
• Access Policy—Can be changed from the default setting after the storage cluster is created. The options
are strict for protecting against data loss, or lenient, to support longer storage cluster availability.
Cluster State with Number of Failed Nodes

The tables below list how the storage cluster functionality changes with the listed number of simultaneous
node failures.
Table 1: Cluster State in 5+ Node Cluster with Number of Failed Nodes, HX Release 4.5(x) and later
Replication Factor Access Policy Number of Failed Nodes
Read/Write Read-Only
3 Lenient 2 --
3 Strict 1 2
2 Lenient 1 --
2 Strict -- 1

10
Data Replication Factor Settings
Table 2: Cluster State in 3 - 4 Node Clusters with Number of Failed Nodes HX Release 4.5(x) and later.
Replication Factor Access Policy Number of Failed Nodes
Read/Write Read-Only
3 Lenient or Strict 1 --
2 Lenient 1 --
2 Strict -- 1
Cluster State with Number of Nodes with Failed Disks

The table below lists how the storage cluster functionality changes with the number of nodes that have one
or more failed disks. Note that the node itself has not failed but disk(s) within the node have failed. For
example: 2 indicates that there are 2 nodes that each have at least one failed disk.
There are two possible types of disks on the servers: SSDs and HDDs. When we talk about multiple disk
failures in the table below, it's referring to the disks used for storage capacity. For example: If a cache SSD
fails on one node and a capacity SSD or HDD fails on another node the storage cluster remains highly available,
even with an Access Policy strict setting.
The table below lists the worst case scenario with the listed number of failed disks. This applies to any storage
cluster 3 or more nodes. For example: A 3 node cluster with Replication Factor 3, while self-healing is in
progress, only shuts down if there is a total of 3 simultaneous disk failures on 3 separate nodes.
Note HX storage clusters are capable of sustaining serial disk failures, (separate disk failures over time). The only
requirement is that there is sufficient storage capacity available for support self-healing. The worst-case
scenarios listed in this table only apply during the small window while HX is completing the automatic
self-healing and rebalancing.
3+ Node Cluster with Number of Nodes with Failed Disks
Replication Factor Access Policy Failed Disks on Number of Different Nodes
Read/Write Read Only
3 Lenient 2 --
3 Strict 1 2
2 Lenient 1 --
2 Strict -- 1
Data Replication Factor Settings
Important Data Replication Factor cannot be changed after the storage cluster is configured.

11
Cluster Access Policy
Data Replication Factor is set when you configure the storage cluster. Data Replication Factor defines the
number of redundant replicas of your data across the storage cluster. The options are 2 or 3 redundant replicas
of your data.
• If you have hybrid servers (servers that contain both SSD and HDDs), then the default is 3.
• If you have all flash servers (servers that contain only SSDs), then you must explicitly select either 2 or
3 during HX Data Platform installation.
Choose a Data Replication Factor. The choices are:

• Data Replication Factor 3 — (Recommended Usage:All production environments) Keep three redundant replicas
of the data. This consumes more storage resources, and ensures the maximum protection for your data in the event
of node or disk failure.
• Data Replication Factor 2 — (Recommended Usage:Non production labs and demos) Keep two redundant replicas
of the data. This consumes fewer storage resources, but reduces your data protection in the event of node or disk
failure.
Cluster Access Policy

The Cluster Access Policy works with the Data Replication Factor to set levels of data protection and data
loss prevention. There are two Cluster Access Policy options. The default is lenient. It is not configurable
during installation, but can be changed after installation and initial storage cluster configuration.
• Strict - Applies policies to protect against data loss.
If nodes or disks in the storage cluster fail, the cluster's ability to function is affected. If more than one
node fails or one node and disk(s) on a different node fail, it is called a simultaneous failure. The strict
setting helps protect the data in event of simultaneous failures.
• Lenient - Applies policies to support longer storage cluster availability. This is the default.
Responses to Storage Cluster Node Failures

A storage cluster healing timeout is the length of time HX Connect or HX Data Platform Plug-in waits before
automatically healing the storage cluster. If a disk fails, the healing timeout is 1 minute. If a node fails, the
healing timeout is 2 hours. A node failure timeout takes priority if a disk and a node fail at same time or if a
disk fails after node failure, but before the healing is finished.
When the cluster resiliency status is Warning, the HX Data Platform system supports the following storage
cluster failures and responses.
Optionally, click the associated Cluster Status/Operational Status or Resiliency Status/Resiliency Health in
HX Connect and HX Data Platform Plug-in, to display reason messages that explain what is contributing to
the current state.
Review the table and perform the appropriate action.

12
Responses to Storage Cluster Node Failures
Cluster Number of Entity Failed Maintenance Action to Take

Size Simultaneous
Failures
3 nodes 1 One node. The storage cluster does not automatically heal.
Replace the failed node to restore storage cluster health.
3 nodes 2 Two or more disks on two a. If one cache SSD fails, the storage cluster does not
nodes are blocklisted or automatically heal.
failed.
b. If one HDD fails or is removed, the disk is blocklisted
immediately. The storage cluster automatically begins
healing within a minute.
c. If more than one HDD fails, the system might not
automatically restore storage cluster health.
If the system is not restored, replace the faulty disk and
restore the system by rebalancing the cluster.
4 nodes 1 One node. If the node does not recover in two hours, the storage cluster
starts healing by rebalancing data on the remaining nodes.
To recover the failed node immediately and fully restore the
storage cluster:
a. Check that the node is powered on and restart it if
possible. You might need to replace the node.
b. Rebalance the cluster.
4 nodes 2 Two or more disks on two If two SSDs fail, the storage cluster does not automatically
nodes. heal.
If the disk does not recover in one minute, the storage cluster
5+ nodes 2 Up to two nodes. If the node does not recover in two hours, the storage cluster
storage cluster:
If the storage cluster shuts down, see Troubleshooting, Two

Nodes Fail Simultaneously Causes the Storage Cluster to
Shutdown section.
5+ nodes 2 Two nodes with two or The system automatically triggers a rebalance after a minute
more disk failures on each to restore storage cluster health.
node.

13
HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview
Cluster Number of Entity Failed Maintenance Action to Take

Size Simultaneous
Failures
5+ nodes 2 One node and One or more If the disk does not recover in one minute, the storage
disks on a different node. cluster starts healing by rebalancing data on the remaining
nodes.
If the node does not recover in two hours, the storage cluster
If a node in the storage cluster fails and a disk on a different
node also fails, the storage cluster starts healing the failed
disk (without touching the data on the failed node) in one
minute. If the failed node does not come back up after two
hours, the storage cluster starts healing the failed node as
well.
storage cluster:

HX Data Platform Ready Clones is a pioneer storage technology that enables you to rapidly create and
customize multiple cloned VMs from a host VM. It enables you to create multiple copies of VMs that can
then be used as standalone VMs.
A Ready Clone, similar to a standard clone, is a copy of an existing VM. The existing VM is called the host
VM. When the cloning operation is complete, the Ready Clone is a separate guest VM.
Changes made to a Ready Clone do not affect the host VM. A Ready Clone's MAC address and UUID are
different from that of the host VM.
Installing a guest operating system and applications can be time consuming. With Ready Clone, you can make
many copies of a VM from a single installation and configuration process.
Clones are useful when you deploy many identical VMs to a group.
HX Native Snapshots Overview

HX native snapshots are a backup feature that saves versions (states) of VMs. VMs can be reverted back to
a prior saved version using an HX native snapshot. A native snapshot is a reproduction of a VM that includes
the state of the data on all VM disks and the VM powerstate (on, off, or suspended) at the time the native
snapshot is taken. Taking a native snapshot to save the current state of a VM gives you the ability to revert
back to the saved state.

14
The following methodologies are used in the administration of HX native Snapshots:

• Support for HX native Snapshot in the vSphere client plug-in for HTML 5 was introduced in plugin
version 2.0.0. For more information, see Snapshot Now, on page 346.
• Support for Schedule Snapshot the vSphere client plug-in for HTML 5 was introduced in plugin version
2.1.0. For more information, see Schedule Snapshot, on page 349
• The vSphere “Manage Snapshots” function can revert to a specific HX native snapshot, or delete all
snapshots.
• Cisco HyperFlex Connect can create on-demand and schedule HX native snapshots.
• The HyperFlex command line user interface can create HX native snapshots.
• HX REST APIs can create and delete HX native snapshots.
• Significant changes in Cisco HXDP Release 5.5(x):
• ESXi versions 6.5, 6.7 and 7.0 U1 are not supported.
• VMware VAAI snapshot workflow is used instead of the Sentinel Snapshot Create workflow.
For additional information about VMware snapshots, see the "Overview of virtual machine snapshots in
vSphere (KB 1015180)" on the VMware Customer Connect site.

15

16
CHAPTER 3
Logging in to HX Data Platform Interfaces
• HyperFlex Cluster Interfaces Overview, on page 17
• AAA Authentication REST API, on page 22
• Logging into HX Connect, on page 22
• Logging into the Controller VM (hxcli) Command Line, on page 23
• Logging Into Cisco HX Data Platform Installer, on page 25
• Recovering the root password for the SCVM, on page 26
• Recovering the admin password for the SCVM, on page 26
• Accessing the HX Data Platform REST APIs, on page 28
• Secure Admin Shell, on page 28
• Diag User Overview, on page 29
HyperFlex Cluster Interfaces Overview

Each HyperFlex interface provides access to information about and a means to perform actions upon the HX
Storage Cluster. The HX Storage Cluster interfaces include:
• HX Connect―Monitoring, performance charts, and tasks for upgrade, encryption, replication, datastores,
nodes, disks, and VM ready clones.
• HX Data Platform Plug-in―Monitoring, performance charts, and tasks for datastores, hosts (nodes), and
disks.
• Admin Shell command line―Run HX Data Platform hxcli commands.
• HyperFlex Systems RESTful APIs―Enabling authentication, replication, encryption, monitoring, and
management of HyperFlex Systems through an on-demand stateless protocol.
• For the most accurate read of performance, refer to the HX Connect Cluster Level performance charts.
The other charts may not present the complete picture due to the manner in which storage is distributed
in HyperFlex and consumed in the VMs via the datastores.
Additional interfaces include:

• HX Data Platform Installer―Installing HX Data Platform, deploying and expanding HX Storage Cluster,
and deploying stretched clusters.
• Cisco UCS Manager―Tasks for networking, storage, and storage access, and managing resources in the
HX Storage Cluster.

17
Guidelines for HX Data Platform Login Credentials
• VMware vSphere Web Client and vSphere Client―Managing all the VMware ESXi servers in the vCenter
cluster.
• VMware ESXi ―Managing the individual ESXi host, providing host command line.
Guidelines for HX Data Platform Login Credentials

hxcli commands prompt for login credentials.
The Admin Shell password for the predefined users admin and root are specified during HX Data Platform
installer. After installation you can change passwords through the hxcli command line.
When a user attempts to login with wrong credentials for 10 successive times, the account will be locked for
two minutes. If the failed login attempts were made through SSH, the error message will not indicate that the
account is locked. If the failed login attempts were made through HX Connect or REST API, the error message
during the 10th attempt will indicate that the account is locked.
Component Permission Username Password Notes

Level
HX Data Platform root root Cisco123 Important: Systems ship

Installer VM with a default password of
Cisco123 that must be
changed during installation.
You cannot continue
installation unless you
specify a new user supplied
password.
HX Connect administrator User defined through User defined

or read-only vCenter. through
vCenter.
Predefined admin or root As specified

users. during HX
installation.
Admin Shell User defined during HX As specified Must match across all nodes
installation. during HX in storage cluster.
installation.
Predefined admin user. Support for SSH to the
Strong secure admin shell is limited
password to the user admin.
required.
Use the hxcli command
when changing the
password after installation.

18
HX Data Platform Names, Passwords, and Characters
Component Permission Username Password Notes

Level
vCenter admin [email protected] SSO enabled. Read only users do not have
default. access to HX Data Platform
As configured.
Plug-in.
SSO enabled.
As configured,
MYDOMAIN\name or
[email protected]
ESXi Server root SSO enabled. SSO enabled. Must match across all ESX
servers in storage cluster.
As configured. As configured.
Hypervisor root root As specified Use vCenter or esxcli

during HX command when changing
installation. the password after HX
installation.
UCS Manager admin As configured. As configured.
Fabric Interconnect admin As configured. As configured.

Most printable and extended ASCII characters are acceptable for use in names and passwords. Certain characters
are not allowed in HX Data Platform user names, passwords, virtual machine names, storage controller VM
names, and datastore names. Folders and resource pools do not have character exceptions.
Passwords must contain a minimum of 10 characters, with at least 1 lowercase, 1 uppercase, 1 numeric, and
1 of the following characters:
ampersand (&), apostrophe ('), asterisk (*), at sign (@), back slash (\), colon (:), comma (,), dollar sign ($),
exclamation (!), forward slash (/), less than sign (<), more than sign (>), percent (%), pipe (|), pound (#),
question mark (?), semi-colon (;)
When entering special characters, consider the shell being used. Different shells have different sensitive
characters. If you have special characters in your names or passwords, place them in a single quote,
'speci@lword!'. It is not required to place passwords within single quotes in the HyperFlex Installer password
form field.
HX Storage Cluster Name

HX cluster names cannot exceed 50 characters.
HX Storage Cluster Host Names

HX cluster host names cannot exceed 80 characters.
Virtual Machine and Datastore Names

Most characters used to create a virtual machine name, controller VM name, or datastore name are acceptable.
Escaped characters are acceptable for virtual machine, controller VM names, or datastore names.

19
Maximum characters―Virtual machine names can have up to 80 characters.

Excluded characters―Do not use the following character in any user virtual machine name or datastore
name for which you want to enable snapshots.
• accent grave (`)
Special characters―The following special characters are acceptable for user virtual machine or datastore
names:
• ampersand (&), apostrophe ('), asterisk (*), at sign (@), back slash (\), circumflex (^), colon (:), comma
(,), dollar sign ($), dot (.), double quotation ("), equal sign (=), exclamation (!), forward slash (/), hyphen
(-), left curly brace ({), left parentheses ((), left square bracket ([), less than sign (<), more than sign (>),
percent (%), pipe (|), plus sign (+), pound (#), question mark (?), right curly brace (}), right parentheses
()), right square bracket (]), semi-colon (;), tilde (~), underscore (_)
Username Requirements
Usernames can be specific to the HX Data Platform component and must meet UCS Manager username
requirements.
UCS Manager username requirements.
• Number of characters: between 6 and 32 characters
• Must be unique within Cisco UCS Manager.
• Must start with an alphabetic character.
• Must have alphabetic characters (upper or lower case).
• Can have numeric characters. Cannot be all numeric characters.
• Special characters: Limited to underscore (_), dash (-), and dot (.)
Controller VM Password Requirements

The following rules apply to controller VM root and admin user passwords.
Note General rule about passwords: Do not include them in a command string. Allow the command to prompt for
the password.
• Minimum Length: 10
• Minimum 1 Uppercase
• Minimum 1 Lowercase
• Minimum 1 Digit
• Minimum 1 Special Character
• A maximum of 3 retry to set the new password

20
To change a controller VM password, always use the hxcli command. Do not use another change password
command, such as a Unix password command.
1. Log into the management controller VM.
2. Run the hxcli command.
hxcli security password set [-h] [--user USER]
The change is propagated to all the controller VMs in the HX cluster.
UCS Manager and ESX Password Format and Character Requirements

The following is a summary of format and character requirements for UCS Manager and VMware ESXi
passwords. See the Cisco UCS Manager and VMware ESX documentation for additional information.
• Characters classes: lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, special characters.
Passwords are case sensitive.
• Character length: Minimum 6, maximum 80
Minimum 6 characters required, if characters from all four character classes.
Minimum 7 characters required, if characters from at least three character classes.
Minimum 8 characters required, if characters from only one or two character classes.
• Start and end characters: An upper case letter at the beginning or a number at the end of the password
do not count toward the total number of characters.
If password starts with uppercase letter, then 2 uppercase letters are required. If password ends with a
digit, then 2 digits are required.
Examples that meet the requirements:
h#56Nu - 6 characters. 4 classes. No starting upper case letter. No ending number.
h5xj7Nu - 7 characters. 3 classes. No starting upper case letter. No ending number.
XhUwPcNu - 8 characters. 2 classes. No starting upper case letter. No ending number.
Xh#5*Nu - 6 characters counted. 4 characters classes. Starting upper case letter. No ending number.
h#5*Nu9 - 6 characters counted. 4 characters classes. No starting upper case letter. Ending number.
• Consecutive characters: Maximum 2. For example, hhh###555 is not acceptable.
Through vSphere SSO policy, this value is configurable.
• Excluded characters:
UCS Manager passwords cannot contain the escape (\) character.
ESX passwords cannot contain these characters.
• Cannot be the username or the reverse of the username.
• Cannot contain words found in the dictionary.
• Cannot contain the characters escape (\), dollar sign ($), question mark (?), equal sign (=).
• Dictionary words:

21
AAA Authentication REST API
Do not use any words that can be found in the dictionary.
AAA Authentication REST API

Cisco HyperFlex provides REST APIs to access resources in storage cluster. The AAA Authentication RES
API provides a mechanism to authenticate a user and exchange the provided credentials for an Access Token.
This access token can be used to invoke other REST API calls.
A rate limit is enforced on Authentication REST API (/auth): in a 15 minute window, /auth can be invoked
(successfully) a maximum of 5 times. A user is allowed to create a maximum of 8 unrevoked tokens. Subsequent
call to /auth will automatically revoke the oldest issued token to make room for the new token. A maximum
of 16 unrevoked tokens can be present in system. In order to prevent brute-force attacks, after 10 consecutive
failed authentication attempts, a user account is locked for a period of 120 seconds. Access Tokens issued are
valid for 18 days (1555200 second).
Note HxConnect makes use of /auth call for login purpose and the limit applies there also.
Logging into HX Connect

Cisco HyperFlex Connect provides an HTML5 based access to HX Storage Cluster monitoring, and replication,
encryption, datastore, and virtual machine tasks.
About Sessions
Each login to HX Connect is a session. Sessions are the period of activity between time when you log into
HX Connect and when you log out. Do not manually clear cookies in a browser during a session, because this
also drops the session. Do not close the browser to close a session, though dropped, the session is still counted
as an open session. Default session maximums include:
• 8 concurrent sessions per user
• 16 concurrent sessions across the HX Storage Cluster.
Before you begin
Important • If you are a read-only user, you may not see all of the options described in the Help. To perform most
actions in HX Connect, you must have administrative privileges.
• Ensure that the time on the vCenter and the controller VMs are in sync or near sync. If there is too large
of a time skew between the vCenter time and the cluster time, AAA authentication will fail.
Step 1 Locate the HX Storage Cluster management IP address.

Use fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the management IP address, rather than individual Storage Controller VM.

22
Logging into the Controller VM (hxcli) Command Line
Step 2 Enter the HX Storage Cluster management IP address in a browser.

Step 3 Enter the HX Storage Cluster login credentials.
• RBAC users―Cisco HyperFlex Connect supports role-based access control (RBAC) login for:
• Administrator―Users with administrator role have read and modify operations permissions. These users can
modify the HX Storage Cluster
• Read only―Users with read only role have read (view) permissions. They cannot make any changes to the
HX Storage Cluster.
These users are created through vCenter. vCenter username format is: <name>@domain.local and specified in the
User Principal Name Format (UPN). For example, [email protected]. Do not add a prefix such as
"ad:" to the username.
• HX pre-defined users―To login using the HX Data Platform predefined users admin or root, enter a prefix local/.
For example: local/root or local/admin.
Actions performed with the local/ login only affect the local cluster.
vCenter recognizes the session with HX Connect, therefore system messages that originate with vCenter might
indicate the session user instead of local/root. For example, in Alarms, Acknowledged By might list
com.springpath.sysmgmt.domain-c7.
Click the eye icon to view or hide the password field text. Sometimes this icon is obscured by other field elements. Click
the eye icon area and the toggle function continues to work.
What to do next
• To refresh the HX Connect displayed content, click the refresh (circular) icon. If this does not refresh
the page, the clear the cache and reload the browser.
• To logout of HX Connect, and properly close the session, select User menu (top right) > Logout.

All hxcli commands are divided into commands that read HX Cluster information and commands that modify
the HX Cluster.
• Modify commands―Require administrator level permissions. Examples:
hxcli cluster create
hxcli datastore create
• Read commands―Permitted with administrator or read only level permissions. Examples:

hxcli <cmd> -help
hxcli cluster info
hxcli datastore info

23
To execute HX Data Platform hxcli commands, log into the HX Data Platform Storage Controller VM
command line.
Important Do not include passwords in command strings. Commands are frequently passed to the logs as plain text.
Wait until the command prompts for the password. This applies to login commands as well as hxcli commands.
You may log into the HX Data Platform command line interface in the Storage Controller VM in the following
ways:
• From a command terminal
• From HX Connect Web CLI page
Only direct commands are supported through HX Connect.
• Direct commands―commands that complete in a single pass and do not require responses through
the command line. Example direct command: hxcli cluster info
• Indirect commands―multi-layered commands that require live response through the command line.
Example interactive command: hxcli cluster reregister
Step 1 Locate a controller VM DNS Name.

a. Select a VM > Summary > DNS Name.
b. From vSphere Web Client Home > VMs and Templates > vCenter server > datacenter > ESX Agents > VVM.
c. Click through to the storage cluster list of controller VMs.
Step 2 From a browser, enter the DNS Name and /cli path.
a) Enter the path.
Example
# cs002-stctlvm-a.eng.storvisor.com/cli
Assumed username: admin, password: defined during HX Cluster creation.

b) Enter the password at the prompt.
Step 3 From a command line terminal using ssh.
Note Do not include the password in a ssh login string. The login is passed to the logs as plain text.
a) Enter the ssh command string.

b) Sometimes a certificate warning is displayed. Enter yes to ignore the warning and proceed.
---------------------------------------------------------
!!! ALERT !!!
This service is restricted to authorized users only.
All activities on this system are logged. Unauthorized
access will be reported.
---------------------------------------------------------
HyperFlex StorageController 2.5(1a)# exit
logout
Connection to 10.198.3.22 closed.]$ssh [email protected]

24
Changing Storage Controller Password
The authenticity of host '10.198.3.24 (10.198.3.24)' can't be established.

ECDSA key fingerprint is xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
c) Enter the password at the prompt.

# ssh [email protected]
HyperFlex StorageController 2.5(1a)
[email protected]'s password:
Step 4 From HX Connect—Log into HX Connect, select Web CLI.

Note Only non-interactive commands can be executed from the HX Connect Web CLI.
Changing Storage Controller Password

To reset the HyperFlex storage controller password post-installation, do the following.
Step 1 Log into a storage controller VM.

Step 2 Change the Cisco HyperFlex storage controller password.
# hxcli security password set
This command applies the change to all the controller VMs in the storage cluster.
Note If you add new compute nodes and try to reset the cluster password using the hxcli security password
set command, the converged nodes get updated, but the compute nodes may still have the default password.
Step 3 Type the new password.

Step 4 Press Enter.
Logging Into Cisco HX Data Platform Installer

Next, you install the HX Data Platform software.
Note Before launching the Cisco HX Data Platform Installer, ensure that all the ESXi servers that are in the vCenter
cluster that you plan to include in the storage cluster are in maintenance mode.
Step 1 In a browser, enter the URL for the VM where HX Data Platform Installer is installed.
You must have this address from the earlier section on Deploying HX Data Platform Installer. For example
http://10.64.4.254
Step 2 Enter the following credentials:

• Username: root

25
Recovering the root password for the SCVM
• Password (Default): Cisco123
Attention Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot
continue installation unless you specify a new user supplied password.
Read the EULA. Click I accept the terms and conditions.

Verify the product version listed in the lower right corner is correct. Click Login.
Step 3 The HX Data Platform Installer Workflow page provides two options to navigate further.
• Create Cluster drop-down list—You can deploy a standard cluster, or a Stretched cluster.
• Cluster Expansion—You can provide the data to add converged nodes and compute nodes to an existing standard
storage cluster.
Recovering the root password for the SCVM

The only option to perform a root password recovery is using Linux single user mode.
Contact Cisco TAC to complete this process.
Recovering the admin password for the SCVM

For HX 4.5(2c) and HX 5.0(2x) and later, you can recover the Storage Controller VM (SCVM) Admin
password, by using SSH from the ESXi host with the RSA key and running the recover-password command.
You will need to contact TAC to complete this process.
Before you begin

Contact TAC to support the Consent Token workflow.
Step 1 Log in to the ESXi host using SSH.

Step 2 For ESXi 7.0 and 8.0, SSH to the Storage Controller VM for which the password has to be recovered, from ESXi using
the host_ecdsa_key command.
Example:
[root@ucsblr625:~] ssh admin@`/opt/hxtools/bin/getstctlvmip.sh "Storage
Controller Data Network"` -i /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
The authenticity of host '10.21.24.89 (10.21.24.89)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:OkA9czzcL7I5fYbfLNtSI+D+Ng5dYp15qk/9C1cQzzk.
This key is not known by any other names
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes

Warning: Permanently added '10.21.24.89' (ECDSA) to the list of known hosts.
HyperFlex StorageController 5.5(1a)

26
Recovering the admin password for the SCVM
This is a Restricted shell.

Type '?' or 'help' to get the list of allowed commands.
Step 3 Run the recover-password command. A prompt appears requesting Consent Token.
Note Contact TAC to help provide the Consent Token.
a) Enter Option 1 to Generate Challenge.

b) Copy the Consent Token.
c) Enter Option 2 to Accept Response.
d) Enter the Constent Token.
e) Enter the new password for admin.
f) Re-enter the new password for admin.
Example
admin:~$ recover-password
Consent token is needed to reset password. Do you want to continue?(y/[n]):
y
------------------------------------
1. Generate Challenge
2. Accept Response
3. Exit
------------------------------------
Enter Option:
1
Generating Challenge.....................................
Challenge String (Please copy everything between the asterisk lines exclusively):
**************************************BEGIN TOKEN*****************************************
2g9HLgAAAQEBAAQAAAABAgAEAAAAAQMACL7HPAX+PhhABAAQo9ijSGjCx+Kj+Nk1YrwKlQUABAAAAGQGAAlIeXBl
cmZsZXgHAAxIeXBlcmZsZXhfQ1QIAAlIWVBFUkZMRVgJACBhNzAxY2VhMGZlOGVjMDQ2NDllMGZhODVhODIyYTY2NA==
***************************************END TOKEN******************************************
------------------------------------
1. Generate Challenge
2. Accept Response
3. Exit
------------------------------------
Enter Option:
2
Starting background timer of 30 mins
Please input the response when you are ready:
Gu4aPQAAAQEBAAQAAAABAgAEAAAAAQMBYnlQdnRGY1NiNkhtOUlyanlDQVJic0ZXYnp3MVpzdm1pcVh3ZzJLSlZZSVl
yeXBydU9oejVQWkVXdlcvWWdFci8NCnBrVFVpS1d0dVRlczZ6TkdITXl0T3dNaFhaT2lrM3pKL1M5cDJqR0xxcGFOY1
Ruc05SVFNybCtQeGwvK1Z1b1gNCjBHYVVxcExXdUhtUUc0UG9ZU2FBL0lwelRFYzlaRmFNeUFmYUdkOThMSmliZnl2UF
c2d0tNY1FCM3lPWmRjU1ENCklGeWZJTVpKL1RWd1lOaERZT001dXQveHZxUU1HN1hTbjdXb2R4Wng2NVNqVktWK2lId
FMyZzdxZUIzc3R2TEgNCld1VWNYS3lWdFdOaXRiaHBvWUIwT1J0N2l3dHlrSkcyWldWbnk4KzZIUUNJbW9xdnFoSU91S
kk4aElsWWNNaUENCnlEbEpkQ0wwcHVObSswNVVyTWM0M1E9PQ==
Response Signature Verified successfully !
Response processed successfully.
Consent token workflow is successful, allowing password reset.
Enter the new password for admin:
Re-enter the new password for admin:
Changing password for admin...
Password changed successfully for user admin.
After using the recover-password command to change the password, passwords will no longer be synced on all nodes.
You will need to use hxcli security password set to change and sync the password again on all nodes.
Step 4 To sync the password on all nodes, run the hxcli security password set command from any node, and enter the new
password.

27
Accessing the HX Data Platform REST APIs
Example
admin:~$ hxcli security password set
Enter new password for user admin:
Re-enter new password for user admin:
admin:~$
Accessing the HX Data Platform REST APIs

Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series Systems provide a fully-contained, virtual server platform that combines all three
layers of compute, storage, and network with the powerful Cisco HX Data Platform software tool resulting
in a single point of connectivity for simplified management. Cisco HyperFlex Systems are modular systems
designed to scale out by adding HX nodes under a single UCS management domain. The hyperconverged
system provides a unified pool of resources based on your workload needs.
Cisco HyperFlex Systems RESTful APIs with HTTP verbs integrate with other third-party management and
monitoring tools that can be configured to make HTTP calls. It enables authentication, replication, encryption,
monitoring, and management of a HyperFlex system through an on-demand stateless protocol. The APIs allow
for external applications to interface directly with the HyperFlex management plane.
These resources are accessed through URI or Uniform Resource Identifier and operations are performed on
these resources using http verbs such as POST (create), GET (read), PUT (update), DELETE (delete).
The REST APIs are documented using swagger which can also generate client libraries in various languages
such as python, JAVA, SCALA, and Javascript. Using libraries thus generated, you can create programs and
scripts to consume HyperFlex resources.
HyperFlex also provides a built-in REST API access tool, the REST explorer. Use this tool to access HyperFlex
resources in real time and observe responses. The REST explorer also generates CURL commands that can
be run from command line.
Step 1 Open a browser to the DevNet address https://developer.cisco.com/docs/ucs-dev-center-hyperflex/.

Step 2 Click Login and enter credentials, if needed.
Secure Admin Shell

Starting with Cisco HX Release 4.5(1a), limiting access provides the following:
• Controller VMs from outside the clusters through remote root access over SSH is disabled.
• Admin users have limited shell access with only restricted commands available. To know the allowed
commands in the admin shell, execute priv and help or ? commands.
• Access is only available through local root Consent Token process.
• Logging into the root shell of a controller, for troubleshooting purposes, requires Cisco TAC to be
involved.

28
Guidelines and Limitations

• Remote root access over ssh to any controller VM from outside the cluster is disabled. Only nodes part
of the cluster can SSH as root to other nodes over the data network.
• If an ESX node is put in Maintenance Mode (MM) during or before consent token generation, the token
will not be available on that SCVM and the sync utility will have to be invoked after the node exists MM
and the SCVM is back online.
• If a root capable user exists in an HX Release 4.0(x) or earlier cluster, delete it before starting an upgrade
to HX Release 4.5(1a). If the root capable user is not removed, the upgrade will not proceed.
Information About Consent Token

Consent Token is a security feature that is used to authenticate the system network administrator of an
organization to access system shell with mutual consent from the administrator and Cisco Technical Assistance
Centre (Cisco TAC).
In some debugging scenarios, the Cisco TAC engineer may have to collect certain debug information or
perform live debug on a production system. In such cases, the Cisco TAC engineer will ask you (the network
administrator) to access system shell on your device. Consent Token is a lock, unlock and re-lock mechanism
that provides you with privileged, restricted, and secure access to the system shell.
For Secure Shell limited access, it is necessary for the network administrator and Cisco TAC to provide explicit
consent. When logged in as admin, there is the option to run diagnostic commands as admin or request TAC
assistance to request a root shell. root shell access is only intended to troubleshoot and fix issues within
HyperFlex Data Platform.
Once TAC has completed the required troubleshooting, it's recommended to invalidate the consent token to
disable the root access.
Diag User Overview

Starting with HX 5.0(2a), a new "diag" user for the HyperFlex command line interface, HX Shell, is introduced.
This account is a local user account with escalated privileges designed for troubleshooting. Log into HX Shell
remains restricted to the "admin" user account, and you must switch-user (su) to the "diag" user by providing
the diag user password and passing a CAPTCHA test. When using the "diag" user, please note the following:
• Has more relaxed privileges than the admin user, but is more restricted than the root user
• Uses bash as the default shell, easing limitations of the lshell
• You can only access it by running ‘su diag’ from admin shell. Direct ssh to diag is blocked.
• After entering the password for diag, a CAPTCHA test appears. You will need to enter the correct
CAPTCHA to enter the diag shell.
• Write permission is limited to a pre-defined set of files for the diag user
Any command that would cause changes to the system software are blocked for the "diag" user. The default
list of blocked commands include:
• sudo

29
Diag User Overview
• apt-get
• li
• dpkg
• apt
• easy_install
• setfacl
• adduser
• deluser
• userdel
• groupadd
• groupdel
• addgroup
• delgroup
The following is sample output for the diag user command.
This is a Restricted shell.

Type '?' or 'help' to get the list of allowed commands.
hxshell:~$ su diag
Password:
____ ____ _ _ _ _
| ___| _ |___ \ | \ | (_)_ __ ___ _ / |
|___ \ _| |_ __) | _____ | \| | | '_ \ / _ \ _| |_ | |
___) | |_ _| / __/ |_____| | |\ | | | | | __/ |_ _| | |
|____/ |_| |_____| |_| \_|_|_| |_|\___| |_| |_|
Enter the output of above expression: -1

Valid captcha
diag#

30
CHAPTER 4
Monitoring HX Storage Clusters
• Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters, on page 31
• License Compliance and Feature Functionality , on page 31
• Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters with HX Connect, on page 32
• Audit Logging with HX Connect, on page 42
Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters

This chapter describes the monitoring content available through the following HX Storage Cluster interfaces:
• Cisco HX Connect
• Cisco HX Data Platform Plug-in
• Storage Controller VM command line
License Compliance and Feature Functionality

Beginning with Cisco HXDP Release 5.0(2a), full feature functionality and configuration changes require a
valid Cisco HyperFlex Software License. HX Connect users with expired or insufficient licenses at the end
of the evaluation or the grace period after the license compliance date, view a prominent countdown banner
that alerts the user to the license compliance need and provides a link to the license renewal page until the
license expiration is remedied.
In the event a license passes both the license expiration date and the grace period countdown, the current
configurations will operate as expected with limited information. Renewing the license allows a user to resume
full feature functionality, and make configuration changes. For details and examples of the banners, see the
License Compliance and Feature Functionality section of the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Ordering and Licensing
Guide.
To review the Cisco End User Agreement (Cisco EULA), see https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/legal/
cloud-and-software/end_user_license_agreement.html

31
Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters with HX Connect
Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters with HX Connect

The Cisco HX Connect user interface provides a view of the Cisco HX storage cluster status, components,
and features, such as encryption and replication.
Key monitoring pages include information about the local Cisco HX storage cluster:
• Dashboard―Overall Cisco HX storage cluster status.
• Alarms, Events, Activity―See the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Troubleshooting Reference Guide for
details.
• Performance―Charts for IOPS, throughput, latency, and replication network bandwidth.
• System Information―HX storage cluster system-related information, including node and disk
information, and access the HXDP Maintenance Mode.
See the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Troubleshooting Reference Guide for generating support bundles,
Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview, on page 67 for entering and exiting maintenance
mode, and Setting a Beacon, on page 69 to set a node or disk beacon.
• Datastores―Status and tasks related to datastores.
• Virtual Machines―Status and tasks related to protecting virtual machines.
Additional Cisco HX Connect pages provide management access:

• Encryption―For data at rest disk and node encryption tasks.
• Replication―For disaster recovery VM protection tasks.
The Upgrade page provides access to HX Data Platform and Cisco UCS Manager firmware upgrade tasks.
Dashboard Page
Important If you are a read-only user, you may not see all of the options available in the Help. To perform most actions
in HyperFlex (HX) Connect, you must have administrative privileges.
Displays a status summary of your HX storage cluster. This is the first page that you see when you log into
Cisco HyperFlex Connect.
UI Element Essential Information

Operational Status section Provides the functional status of the HX storage cluster and application
performance.
Click Information ( ) to access the HX storage cluster name and status

data.

32
Dashboard Page

Cluster License Status section Displays the following link when you log into the HX storage cluster
for the first time or till the HX storage cluster license is registered:
Cluster License not registered link—Appears when the HX storage
cluster is not registered. To register a cluster license, click this link and
provide product instance registration token in the Smart Software
Licensing Product Registration screen. For more information on how
to get a product instance registration token, refer the Registering a
Cluster with Smart Licensing section in the Cisco HyperFlex Systems
Installation Guide for VMware ESXi.
Beginning with HXDP Release 5.0(2a), HX Connect users with expired
or insuffecient licenses will be unable to access certain features or have
limited feature functionality, for more information see License
Compliance and Feature Functionality .
Resiliency Health section Provides the data health status and ability of the HX storage cluster to
tolerate failures.
Click Information ( ) to access the resiliency status, and replication

and failure data.
Capacity section Displays a breakdown of the total storage versus how much storage is
used or free.
Also displays the storage optimization, compression-savings, and
deduplication percentages based on the data stored in the cluster.
Nodes section Displays the number of nodes in the HX storage cluster, and the division
of converged versus compute nodes. Hovering over a node icon displays
that node's name, IP address, node type, and an interactive display of
disks with access to capacity, usage, serial number, and disk type data.
Performance section Displays an HX storage cluster performance snapshot for a configurable

amount of time, showing IOPS, throughput, and latency data.
For full details, see Performance Page.
Cluster Time field System date and time for the cluster.
Table Header Common Fields

Several tables in HX Connect provide one or more of the following three fields that affect the content displayed
in the table.

Refresh field and icon The table automatically refreshes for dynamic updates to the HX Cluster.
The timestamp indicates the last time the table was refreshed.
Click the circular icon to refresh the content now.

33
Activity Page

Filter field Display in the table only list items that match the entered filter text. The
items listed in the current page of the table below are automatically
filtered. Nested tables are not filtered.
Type in the selection text in the Filter field.
To empty the Filter field, click the x.
To export content from other pages in the table, scroll to the bottom,
click through the page numbers, and apply the filter.
Export menu Save a copy of the current page of table data. The table content is
downloaded to the local machine in the selected file type. If the listed
items are filtered, the filtered subset list is exported.
Click the down arrow to select an export file type. The file type options
are: cvs, xls, and doc.
To export content from other pages in the table, scroll to the bottom,
click through the page numbers, and apply the export.
Activity Page
Displays a list of recent activity on the HX storage cluster allowing you to monitor the progress of VM
operations, Cluster upgrade/expansion, enter/exit maintenance mode, and recovery jobs.

Activity list Displays a list of recent tasks including the following details:
• ID
• Description
• VM power on/off/suspend status
• Task status:
• In Progress
• Success
• Failed
For failed VM-power operations, the Existing State and
Required State fields are also included.
• Date and time stamp

• Progress bar
An expanded list shows the task's step name and status.

Click the circular icon to refresh the content and fetch recent activity.
The page refreshes automatically every 2 minutes.

34
System Information Overview Page

Recovery list Displays progress of all recovery-related jobs (for example, migration,
recovery, test recovery, re-protect) including the following details:
• ID
• Description
• Task status:
• In Progress
• Success
• Failed
• Date and time stamp

• Progress bar
An expanded list shows the task's step name and status.

Click the circular icon to refresh the content and fetch recent activity.
The page refreshes automatically every 2 minutes.
Expand All / Collapse All button Toggles the view of the job list to display top-level task information or
task details.
You can also expand and collapse individual tasks.
The following table specifies which Snapshot operations create an HX Task in the Activity Page.
Table 3: Snapshot Operations that create an HX Task in the Activity Page
Operation HX Task Creation in Activity Page
Ready Clone from HX plugin No HX task created.
Ready Clone from HX Connect HX task added to the Activity page.
Scheduled Snapshot task creation from HX Plugin No HX task created.
Scheduled Snapshot task creation from HX Connect HX task added to the Activity page.
Snapshot creation from Schedule Snapshot HX task added to the Activity page.
Snapshot now from HX Plugin No HX task created.
Snapshot now from HX Connect HX task added to the Activity page.

Displays HX storage cluster system-related information, including node and disk data, and provides access
to HXDP Maintenance Mode.

35
HX Storage Cluster Configuration Data

Displays the basic configuration information for this HX storage cluster.
HX storage cluster field Name of the storage cluster.
Cluster License Status section Displays the Register Now link when you log into the HX storage cluster
for the first time or till the HX storage cluster license is registered:
Register Now link—To register a cluster license, click this link and
provide product instance registration token in the Smart Software
Licensing Product Registration screen. For more information on how
to get a product instance registration token, refer the Registering a
Cluster with Smart Licensing section in the Cisco HyperFlex Systems
Installation Guide for VMware ESXi.
Note To register a cluster license, you can also choose Register
Now from the Actions drop-down field.
License section • License Type—Displays Evaluation, Edge, Standard, or Enterprise

as the HX storage cluster license type.
• License Status—Displays one of the following as the HX storage
cluster license status:
Beginning with HXDP Release 5.0(2a), HX Connect users with
expired or insufficient licenses will be unable to access certain
features or have limited feature functionality, for more information
see the License Compliance and Feature Functionality
• In compliance
• License expires in <n> days. Cluster not registered - Register
Now. (This status appears only for Evaluation type license)
• License expired. Cluster not registered - Register Now. (This
status appears only for Evaluation type license)
• Out of compliance - Insufficient license
• Authentication expired—This status appears when HX is
unable to communicate with Cisco Smart Software Manager
or Smart Software Manager satellite for more than 90 days.
Note To refresh license certificate or renew license authorization,

choose the respective options from the Actions drop-down
field.

36
HX storage cluster status field Provides functional status of the HX storage cluster.
• Online—Cluster is ready.
• Offline—Cluster is not ready.
• Read Only—Cluster is out of space.
• Unknown—Transitional state while the cluster is coming online.
vCenter link Secure URL to the VMware vSphere associated with this HX storage
cluster. Click the link to remotely access the vSphere Web Client .
Hypervisor field Hypervisor version installed on this HX storage cluster.
HXDP Version field Installer package version installed on this HX storage cluster.
Data Replication Factor field Number of the redundant data replicas stored on this HX storage cluster.
Uptime field Length of time this HX storage cluster has been online.
Total Capacity field Overall storage size of this cluster.
Available Capacity field Amount of free storage in this cluster.
DNS Server(s) IP address for the DNS server(s) for this HX storage cluster.
NTP Server(s) IP address for the NTP server(s) for this HX storage cluster.
Controller VM Access
Use Actions to access the controller VM using SSH as an administrator and perform actions such as Enable
Controller Access over SSH, Disable Controller Access over SSH or register your license.
Note Actions to enable or disable SSH can only be performed by domain users, and not local users. Domain users
are users in VC (ESXi).
Disable Controller Access over SSH Secure Shell (SSH) is disabled by default.
Register Now Register your license.
Re-register vCenter Re-register your license via vCenter
Check Secure Boot Status Verify your Secure Boot Status

37
Disk View Options

Customize your Disk View display. Use the check box list to select and deselect the fields that appear in the
Node Data section.
Disk View Legend

To display the Disk Legend icons and descriptions, click on Disk View Legend.
Node Data
Displays data about individual nodes in this HX storage cluster. To see this information in tabular format, go
to the Nodes page.

Node Name of a node on this cluster.
Model Physical hardware model number of this node.
Disks Number of caching versus persistent disks in this node.
Node status • Online

• Offline
• In Maintenance
• Healthy
• Warning
HXDP Version HyperFlex Data Platform version installed on this cluster.
Type • Hyperconverged
• Compute
Hypervisor Status • Online

• Offline
• In Maintenance
• In Progress
Hypervisor Address IP address for the management network to this HX storage cluster.
Disk Overview Graphic representation of the number of disks in use for each node, the
usage type and number of empty slots.
Note A disk outline with a red icon indicates a disk that is not
recognized and requires a Catalog Upgrade.
For nodes with disks, you can place your cursor over a disk to view an interactive display of information
including the following.

38
Nodes Page
Disks

Slot Number Location of the drive, for example Slot Number 2.
Type of Disk • System

• Cache
• Persistent
Disk State • Claimed

• Available
• Ignored
• Blocked
• Ok to Remove
• Unknown
Locator LED Activates a physical light on the host to help locate a disk; options are
On and Off.
Capacity Total disk size.
Used / Total Capacity (Persistent Amount of the disk used versus the total disk size.
Disks only)
Serial Number Physical serial number of this disk.
Storage Usage (Persistent Disks Percentage of disk storage used.

only)
Version Version of the disk drive.
Disk Drive Interface The disk drive interface type, for example SAS or SATA.
Nodes Page
Displays data about all of the nodes in this HX storage cluster in a table. Each column can be used to sort the
data.

Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode Select a node to access this button.
button
Opens the Confirm HXDP Maintenance Mode dialog box.
Exit HXDP Maintenance Mode Select a node to access this button.

button
After you complete any maintenance tasks, you must manually exit
HXDP Maintenance Mode.

39
Disks Page

Node column Name of a node in this HX storage cluster.
Hypervisor Address column IP address for the management network of the Node referred in the Node
column.
Hypervisor Status column • Online—Node is available.

• Offline—Node is not available.
• In Maintenance—The running (and powered off) node is
disconnected from the host.
• In Progress—a backup job is in progress.
Controller Address column IP address for the HX storage controller VM of the Node referred in the
Node column.
Controller Status column • Online—The connection between the VM and the disk is available.
• Offline—The connection between the VM and the disk is not
available.
• In Maintenance—the connection between the VM and the disk is
powered off from the host.
Model column Physical hardware model number of this node.
Version column HyperFlex Data Platform installer package version installed on this
node.
Disks column Number of disks in the node.

Click the number to open the Disks page filtered by the selected node
name.
Disks Page
Displays data about all of the disks in this HX storage cluster in a 7-column table. Each column can be used
to sort the data.

Node column Name of the node where the disk resides.
Slot column Location of the SED drive. This identifies the drive for maintenance procedures.
Capacity column Total disk size.

40
Disks Page

Status column • Claimed—State when a disk is The following states can be ignored:
recognized and in use.
• Invalid
• Available—Initial state for a newly
• Normal
added, data-at-rest capable disk.
Also, a transitional state when disks • Removed—State when an SED
move into one of the other states. disk is removed after using the
Secure Erase option.
• Ignored—State when a disk is not
being consumed by the cluster; for • Time out
example, the HX controller VM
system disk, a disk with other data • Unknown
(valid file system partitions), or a
disk where the IO is failing.
• Blocked—State when a disk is not
being consumed by the cluster due
to either a software error or an IO
error. This could be a transitional
state while the cluster attempts to
repair the disk, if the disk is still
available, before the state transitions
to Repairing.
• Ok To Remove—State when an
SED disk was securely erased using
the Secure Erase option and can
safely be removed.
• Repairing—State when a blocked
disk is currently being repaired.
• To Be Removed—State when a disk
is scheduled for RMA.
Encrypted column • Enabled—Encryption is configured for this data-at-rest-capable disk.

• Disabled—Encryption is not configured for this data-at-rest-capable disk.
This occurs when a new disk is present, but the Key has not yet been applied.
• Locked
• Unknown
Type column • Unknown

• Rotational—Hybrid drive
• Solid State—SSD drive

41
Audit Logging with HX Connect

Usage column • Unknown
• Cache
• Persistent
Turn On Locator LED Select a disk to access the radio buttons.

and Turn Off Locator
Activates or deactivates a physical light, or beacon, on the host to help locate the
LED radio buttons
disk.
(Optional) Secure erase This button in visible only if your HX storage cluster is encrypted using local-key
button encryption.
Select a disk to access the button.
Enter the encryption key in use on the cluster, click Secure erase, and then click
Yes, erase this disk to securely erase the local encryption key.
Audit Logging with HX Connect

Audit logging implies storing all audit logs to a remote syslog server. Currently, each controller VM stores
audit logs, but these logs are not stored indefinitely. The logs are overwritten based on the retention policy
set for the controller VM. By configuring a remote syslog server to store audit logs, you can ensure that the
logs are retained for a longer period of time.
Following are the audit logs that you can export to the remote syslog server:
• REST-related logs
• /var/log/springpath/audit-rest.log
• /var/log/springpath/hxmanager.log
• /var/log/springpath/hx_device_connector.log
• /var/log/shell.log
• /var/log/springpath/stSSOMgr.log
• /var/log/springpath/hxcli.log
• /var/log/nginx/ssl-access.log
After you enable audit logging, these logs are exported to the remote syslog server. If the logs from the
controller VM are not pushed to the remote sylog server, or if the remote syslog server is not reachable, an
alarm is generated in the HX-Connect user interface. However, HX Connect does not monitor the disk space
available on the remote syslog server. The HX Connect user interface will not display an alarm if the disk on
the remote syslog server is full.

42
Enabling Audit Logging
Attention • Only an administrator user can enable audit logging.

• Logs from the compute-only nodes and witness nodes are not pushed to the remote syslog server.
After you enable audit logging, you can choose to either temporarily disable audit logging, or you can choose
to delete the audit logging server configuration details.
Enabling Audit Logging

Before you begin
• Configure the remote syslog server. You must have the server details such as the server IP, the port
number and certificate files to enable audit logging in HX-Connect.
• To configure an encrypted connection between the controller VM and the remote syslog server, you must
generate a self-signed certificate or a CA-signed certificate and a private key for the syslog client in the
controller VM.
• Configure the remote syslog server to categorize different types of logs into respective files.
Step 1 Choose Settings > Audit Log Export Settings.

Step 2 Check the Enable audit log export to an external syslog server check box.
Step 3 Complete the following details:
Syslog Server Enter the IP address of the syslog server.
Port Enter the port number for the syslog server.
Connection Type drop-down list Choose TLS or TCP as the connection type. The default and recommended
value is TLS. The TLS connection type is for encrypted transport over TLS.
The TCP connection type is for unencrypted transport over TCP.
Client Certificate Click Choose to search and locate a certificate file that must be stored on the
controller VM. This certificate creates a TLS connection between the controller
VM and the remote syslog server. A TLS connection ensures that the log files
are encrypted.
You must upload either a user-generated self-signed certificate or a CA-signed
certificate.
Private Key Click Choose to search and locate a generated private key file to be stored on
the controller VM. This key creates a TLS connection between the controller
VM and the remote syslog server.
Choosing a certificate and private key for the syslog server ensures that the log
files are encrypted. The certificate for the syslog server can either be a CA
certificate or a self-signed certificate.

43
Configuring the Remote Syslog Server
Are you using a self-signed Check this check box if the syslog server uses a self-signed certificate.
certificate?
Click Choose to search and locate the self-signed certificate for the syslog
server.
Step 4 Click OK.
Configuring the Remote Syslog Server

Prior to enabling audit logging, you must create a configuration file on the remote syslog server to categorize
different log files into separate files. You could create a file titled hx-audit.conf in the
/etc/syslog-ng/conf.d directory.
Following is a sample of the configuration file to establish an encrypted connection with the syslog server:
## Audit Logging Configuration ###
source demo_tls_src {
tcp(ip(0.0.0.0) port(6515)
tls(
key-file("/etc/syslog-ng/CA/serverkey.pem")
cert-file("/etc/syslog-ng/CA/servercert.pem")
peer-verify(optional-untrusted)
)
); };
filter f_audit_rest { match("hx-audit-rest" value("MSGHDR")); };

filter f_device_conn { match("hx-device-connector" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_stssomgr { match("hx-stSSOMgr" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_ssl_access { match("hx-ssl-access" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hxmanager { match("hx-manager" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hx_shell { match("hx-shell" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hxcli { match("hx-cli" value("MSGHDR")); };
destination d_audit_rest { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/audit_rest.log"); };

destination d_device_conn { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hx_device_connector.log"); };
destination d_stssomgr { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/stSSOMgr.log"); };
destination d_ssl_access { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/ssl_access.log"); };
destination d_hxmanager { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hxmanager.log"); };
destination d_hx_shell { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/shell.log"); };
destination d_hxcli { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hxcli.log"); };
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_audit_rest); destination(d_audit_rest); flags(final);

};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_device_conn); destination(d_device_conn);
flags(final); };
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_stssomgr); destination(d_stssomgr); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_ssl_access); destination(d_ssl_access); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hxmanager); destination(d_hxmanager); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hx_shell); destination(d_hx_shell); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hxcli); destination(d_hxcli); flags(final); };
########################

44
Disabling Audit Logging
Following is a sample of the configuration file to establish a TCP connection with the remote syslog server:
#######################
## Audit Logging Configuration ###
source demo_tls_src {
tcp(ip(0.0.0.0) port(6515)
); };
filter f_audit_rest { match("hx-audit-rest" value("MSGHDR")); };

filter f_device_conn { match("hx-device-connector" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_stssomgr { match("hx-stSSOMgr" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_ssl_access { match("hx-ssl-access" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hxmanager { match("hx-manager" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hx_shell { match("hx-shell" value("MSGHDR")); };
filter f_hxcli { match("hx-cli" value("MSGHDR")); };
destination d_audit_rest { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/audit_rest.log"); };

destination d_device_conn { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hx_device_connector.log"); };
destination d_stssomgr { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/stSSOMgr.log"); };
destination d_ssl_access { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/ssl_access.log"); };
destination d_hxmanager { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hxmanager.log"); };
destination d_hx_shell { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/shell.log"); };
destination d_hxcli { file("/var/log/syslog-ng/hxcli.log"); };
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_audit_rest); destination(d_audit_rest); flags(final);

};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_device_conn); destination(d_device_conn);
flags(final); };
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_stssomgr); destination(d_stssomgr); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_ssl_access); destination(d_ssl_access); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hxmanager); destination(d_hxmanager); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hx_shell); destination(d_hx_shell); flags(final);
};
log { source(demo_tls_src); filter(f_hxcli); destination(d_hxcli); flags(final); };
########################
Disabling Audit Logging

You can choose to temporarily disable audit logging. By doing so, the remote syslog server details such as
the server IP and the port, that you previously configured are retained in the system. You need not enter the
server details again when you re-enable audit logging at a later time. You will only need to upload the certificate
and private key files to enable audit logging.

Step 2 Clear the Enable audit log export to an external syslog server check box.
Step 3 Click OK.
Audit logging is disabled.

45
Deleting Audit Logging Server Configuration
Deleting Audit Logging Server Configuration

As an administrator, you can delete the remote syslog server configuration details from the system. When
you do so, the system does not push server logs to the remote syslog server. To enable audit logging, you will
have to provide the server details again.

Step 2 Click Delete.
Step 3 In the Confirm Delete dialog box, click Delete.
The remote syslog server details are deleted from the system.

46
CHAPTER 5
Managing HX Storage Clusters
• Changing the Cluster Access Policy Level, on page 47
• Rebalancing the Cluster, on page 47
• Handling Out of Space Errors, on page 49
• Moving the Storage Cluster from a Current vCenter Server to a New VCenter Server, on page 50
• Unregistering a Storage Cluster from a vCenter Cluster, on page 50
• Renaming Clusters, on page 55
• Replacing Self-Signed Certificate, on page 55
• Boost Mode, on page 59
• UEFI Secure Boot Mode, on page 60
• hx_edge.py Script Fails after ESXi Redeploy on Auto Secure Booted Node, on page 62
• Catalog Update, on page 63
Changing the Cluster Access Policy Level

Step 1 The storage cluster must be in a healthy state prior to changing the Cluster Access Policy to strict.
Step 2 From the command line of a storage controller VM in the storage cluster, type:
# stcli cluster get-cluster-access-policy
# stcli cluster set-cluster-access-policy --name {strict,lenient}
Rebalancing the Cluster

The storage cluster is rebalanced on a regular schedule. It is used to realign the distribution of stored data
across changes in available storage and to restore storage cluster health. When a new node is added to the
existing cluster, the added node(s) take on new writes as soon as it joins the existing cluster. The Cluster
automatically rebalances if required (usually within 24 hours) and the new node may initially show less storage
utilization than the existing converged nodes if the overall storage utilization is low. If the current storage
utilization is high, and once the new node is added to the cluster, data is rebalanced onto the new node drives
over a period of time.

47
Checking Cluster Rebalance and Self-Healing Status
Restriction The following workflow should only be performed by Cisco TAC. If you have the need to manually rebalance
a cluster, contact TAC for assistance.
Note Forcing a manual rebalance can cause interference with regular User IO on the cluster and increase the latency.
Therefore, the HyperFlex system initiates a rebalance only when required in order to minimize performance
penalties.
Verify rebalancing status from the storage controller VM.

a) Enter the following on the command line:
# stcli rebalance status
rebalanceStatus:
rebalanceState:
cluster_rebalance_ongoing
percentComplete: 10
rebalanceEnabled: True
b) Reenter the command line to confirm the process completes:

rebalanceStatus:
rebalanceState: cluster_rebalance_not_running
This sample indicates that rebalance is enabled, and ready to perform a rebalance, but is not currently rebalancing
Checking Cluster Rebalance and Self-Healing Status

The storage cluster is rebalanced on a regular schedule and when the amount of available storage in the cluster
changes. A rebalance is also triggered when there is a change in the amount of available storage. This is an
automatic self-healing function.
Important Rebalance typically occurs only when a single disk usage exceeds 50% or cluster aggregate disk usage is
greater than 50%.
You can check rebalance status through the HX Data Platform plug-in or through the storage controller VM
command line.
Step 1 Check the rebalance status through HX Data Platform plug-in.

a) From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select vCenter Inventory Lists > Cisco HyperFlex Systems > Cisco HX
Data Platform > cluster > Summary.

48
Handling Out of Space Errors
The Status portlet lists the Self-healing status.

b) Expand the 'Resiliency Status' to see the 'Self-healing status' section. The Self-healing status field lists the rebalance
activity or N/A, when rebalance is not currently active.
Step 2 Check the rebalance status through the storage controller VM command line.
a) Log into a controller VM using ssh.
b) From the controller VM command line, run the command.
The following output indicates that rebalance is not currently running on the storage cluster.
rebalanceStatus:
percentComplete: 0
rebalanceState: cluster_rebalance_not_running
The Recent Tasks tab in the HX Data Platform plug-in displays a status message.
Handling Out of Space Errors

If your system displays an Out of Space error, you can either add a node to increase free capacity or delete
existing unused VMs to release space.
When there is an Out of Space condition, the VMs are unresponsive.
Note Do not delete storage controller VMs. Storage controller VM names have the prefix stCtlVM.
Step 1 To add a node, use the Expand Cluster feature of the HX Data Platform Installer.
Step 2 To delete unused VMs, complete the following:
a) Determine which guest VMs you can delete. You can consider factors such as disk space used by the VM or naming
conventions.
b) Go to vCenter > Virtual Machines to display the virtual machines in the inventory.
c) Double-click a VM that you want to delete.
d) Select the Summary > Answer Questions to display a dialog box.
e) Click the Cancel radio button and click OK.
f) Power off the VM.
g) Delete the VM.
Step 3 After the Out of Space condition is cleared, complete the following:
a) Go to vCenter > Virtual Machines to display the VM in the inventory.
b) Double-click a VM that you want to use.
c) Select the Summary > Answer Questions to display a dialog box.
d) Click the Retry radio button and click OK.

49
Moving the Storage Cluster from a Current vCenter Server to a New VCenter Server
Moving the Storage Cluster from a Current vCenter Server to a

New VCenter Server
Before you begin
• Perform this task during a maintenance window.
• Ensure the cluster is healthy and upgrade state is OK and Healthy. You can view the state using the stcli
command from the controller VM command line.
# stcli cluster info
Check response for:

Resiliency Health: HEALTHY
• Ensure vCenter must be up and running.

• Snapshot schedules are not moved with the storage cluster when you move the storage cluster between
vCenter clusters.
Step 1 From the current vCenter, delete the cluster.

This is the vCenter cluster specified when the HX storage cluster was created.
Caution Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) users: Deleting a cluster when using a DVS in the cluster is not
recommended.
Step 2 On the new vCenter, create a new cluster using the same cluster name.
Step 3 Add ESX hosts to new vCenter in the newly created cluster.
What to do next
Proceed to Unregistering a Storage Cluster from a vCenter Cluster, on page 50.
Unregistering a Storage Cluster from a vCenter Cluster

This step is optional and not required. It is recommended to leave the HX Data Platform Plug-in registration
alone in the old vCenter.
Before you begin

As part of the task to move a storage cluster from one vCenter server to another vCenter server, complete the
steps in Moving the Storage Cluster from a Current vCenter Server to a New VCenter Server, on page 50.

50
Unregistering and Removing EAM Extensions
Note • If multiple HX clusters are registered to the same vCenter, do not attempt this procedure until all HX
clusters have been fully migrated to different vCenter. Running this procedure is disruptive to any existing
HX clusters registered to the vCenter.
Step 1 Complete the steps in Removing HX Data Platform Files from the vSphere Client, on page 53.
Step 2 Complete the steps in Verifying HX Cluster is Unregistered from vCenter, on page 53.
What to do next
Proceed to Registering a Storage Cluster with a New vCenter Cluster, on page 54.

If you have partially installed or uninstalled HX Data Platform, or unregistered a HX cluster where there are
more agencies than the number of HX clusters installed on the given vSphere, sometimes a stale ESX Agent
Manager (EAM) for the HX Data Platform extension remains. Remove stale extensions using the Managed
Object Browser (MOB) extension manager.
Before you begin

• Download the vSphere ESX Agent Manager SDK, if you have not already done so.
• If multiple HX clusters are registered to the same vCenter, do not attempt this procedure until all HX
clusters have been fully migrated to a different vCenter. Running this procedure is disruptive to any
existing HX clusters registered to the vCenter.
• Remove the datacenter from your vSphere cluster.
Note Newly deployed HX clusters starting with HyperFlex Release 4.0 no longer leverage the vSphere ESX Agent
Manager (EAM) for the HyperFlex Storage Controller VMs. HX clusters built prior to HX 4.0 will continue
to utilize EAM. If that cluster is migrated to a new vCenter, however, the EAM integration will not be
configured.
Step 1 Identify the HX cluster UUID.

Every agency has a field cluster_domain_id which refers to the underlying vSphere extension. This extension ID uses
a Managed Object ID (moid).
If you have multiple HyperFlex clusters, ensure that you select the correct cluster ID to unregister.
From a storage controller VM command line, run the command:
# hxcli cluster info | grep vCenterClusterId:
vCenterClusterId: domain-c26

51
Step 2 To unregister the storage cluster extension: Log into the vCenter server MOB extension manager
First unregister the HyperFlex cluster.
a) In a browser, enter the path and command.
https://vcenter_server/mob/?moid=ExtensionManager
vcenter_server is the IP address of the vCenter where the storage cluster is currently registered.
b) Enter administrator login credentials.
Step 3 Locate the HX storage cluster extensions with the cluster IDs. Scroll through the Properties > extensionList to locate
the storage cluster extensions:
com.springpath.sysmgmt.cluster_domain_id and com.springpath.sysmgmt.uuid.cluster_domain_id.
Copy each of these strings into your clipboard. Exclude the double quotes (") on either end of string, if there are any.
Step 4 Unregister each storage cluster extension.

a) From the Methods table click UnregisterExtension.
b) In the UnregisterExtension popup, enter an extension key value, com.springpath.sysgmt.cluster_domain_id.
For example: com.springpath.sysgmt.domain-26
c) Click Invoke Method.
Step 5 To remove stale EAM extensions: Log into the vCenter server MOB ESX agencies extension manager.
Second remove stale EAM extensions that were associated with the HyperFlex cluster.
a) In a browser, enter the path and command.
https://vcenter_server/eam/mob/
vcenter_server is the IP address of the vCenter where the storage cluster is currently registered.
b) Enter administrator login credentials.
Step 6 Locate the stale HX storage cluster ESX agency extensions with the cluster IDs.
a) Scroll through the Properties > agency > Value.
b) Click an agency value.
c) In the Agency window, check the Properties > solutionID > Value extension. Verify has the correct
cluster_domain_id.
For example: com.springpath.sysgmt.domain-26
Step 7 Remove stale ESX agency extensions.

a) From the Agency window, Methods table select a method.
Stale ESX agencies can be removed using either the destroyAgency or uninstall.
b) In the method popup, click Invoke Method.
Step 8 Refresh the ExtensionManager tab and verify that the extensionList entry does not include
com.springpath.sysgmt.cluster_domain_id extensions.
Step 9 Restart the vSphere Client services.
The HX Data Platform extensions are removed when the vSphere Client services are restarted. Restarting the vSphere
client service temporarily disables access to vCenter through the browser. For additional information, see the VMware

52
Removing HX Data Platform Files from the vSphere Client
KB, Stopping, starting, or restarting VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 services (2109887)article on the VMwear
Customer connect site.
Removing HX Data Platform Files from the vSphere Client

This task is a step in unregistering a HX Storage Cluster from vCenter.
Remove the HX Data Platform files from the vSphere Client. Select a method.
Linux vCenter
a) Log into the Linux vCenter server using ssh as a root user.
b) Change to the folder containing the HX Data Platform Plug-in folder.
For vCenter 6.0
# cd /etc/vmware/vsphere-client/vc-packages/vsphere-client-serenity/
For vCenter 5.5

# cd /var/lib/just/vmware/vsphere-client/vc-packages/vsphere-client-serenity/
c) Remove the HX Data Platform Plug-in folder and files.

# rm -rf com.springpath*
d) Restart the vSphere Client.

# service vsphere-client restart
Windows vCenter
a) Log into the Windows vCenter system command line using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
b) Change to the folder containing the HX Data Platform Plug-in folder.
# cd "%PROGRAMDATA%\VMware\vSphere Web Client\vc-packages\vsphere-client-serenity
c) Remove the HX Data Platform Plug-in folder and files.

# rmdir /com.springpath*
d) Open the Service screen.

# services.msc
e) Restart the vSphere Web Client to logout of vCenter .

# serviceLogout
Verifying HX Cluster is Unregistered from vCenter

This task is a step in unregistering a HX Storage Cluster from vCenter.
Verify that the HX cluster is no longer on the old vCenter .

53
Registering a Storage Cluster with a New vCenter Cluster
Before you begin

Complete the steps in: Removing HX Data Platform Files from the vSphere Client, on page 53
Step 1 Clear your cache before logging back into vCenter.

Step 2 Log out of the old vCenter .
Step 3 Log in again to the old vCenter and verify the HX Data Platform Plug-in has been removed.
Registering a Storage Cluster with a New vCenter Cluster

Before you begin
Before attempting to register the HyperFlex cluster to vCenter, you must disable ESXi Lockdown mode on
all ESXi hosts, and ensure SSH service is enabled and running.
As part of the task to move a storage cluster from one vCenter server to another vCenter server, complete the
steps in Unregistering a Storage Cluster from a vCenter Cluster, on page 50.
Step 1 Log into a controller VM.

Step 2 Run the stcli cluster reregister command.
Example:
stcli cluster reregister [-h] --vcenter-datacenter NEWDATACENTER
--vcenter-cluster NEWVCENTERCLUSTER --vcenter-url NEWVCENTERURLIP
[--vcenter-sso-url NEWVCENTERSSOURL] --vcenter-user NEWVCENTERUSER
Apply additional listed options as needed.
Syntax Description Option Required or Optional Description
--vcenter-cluster Required Name of the new vCenter cluster.

NEWVCENTERCLUSTER
--vcenter-datacenter Required Name of the new vCenter datacenter.
NEWDATACENTER
--vcenter-sso-url Optional URL of the new vCenter SSO server. This is inferred
NEWVCENTERSSOURL from --vcenter-url, if not specified.
--vcenter-url Required URL of the new vCenter, <vcentername>. Where

NEWVCENTERURLIP <vcentername> can be IP or FQDN of new vCenter.
--vcenter-user Required User name of the new vCenter administrator.

NEWVCENTERUSER
Enter vCenter administrator password when
prompted.
Example response:

54
Renaming Clusters
Reregister StorFS cluster with a new vCenter ...

Enter NEW vCenter Administrator password:
Waiting for Cluster creation to finish ...
If, after your storage cluster is re-registered, your compute only nodes fail to register with EAM, or are not present in the
EAM client, and not under the resource pool in vCenter, then run the command below to re-add the compute only nodes:
# stcli node add --node-ips <computeNodeIP> --controller-root-password <ctlvm-pwd> --esx-username
<esx-user> --esx-password <esx-pwd>
Contact TAC for assistance if required.
Step 3 Re-enter your snapshot schedules.

Snapshot schedules are not moved with the storage cluster when you move the storage cluster between vCenter clusters.
Step 4 (Optional) Once registration is successful, re-enable ESXi Lockdown mode if you disabled it prior to registering the
HyperFlex cluster to vCenter.
Renaming Clusters
After you create a HX Data Platform storage cluster, you can rename it without disrupting any processes.
Note These steps apply to renaming the HX Cluster, not the vCenter cluster.
Step 1 From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select vCenter Inventory Lists > Cisco HyperFlex Systems > Cisco HX
Data Platform > cluster to rename.
Step 2 Open the Rename Cluster dialog box. Either right-click on the storage cluster or click the Actions drop-down list at the
top of the tab.
Step 3 Select Rename Cluster.
Step 4 Enter a new name for the storage cluster in the text field.
HX cluster names cannot exceed 50 characters.
Step 5 Click OK to apply the new name.
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate

Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on a vCenter
Server
Set the certMgmt mode in vCenter to Custom to add the ESXi hosts with third party certificate to vCenter.

55
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on a vCenter Server
Note By default, the certMgmt mode is vmsa. In the default vmsa mode, you can add only the ESX host with self
signed certificates. If you try to add an ESX with CA certificate to a vCenter, it will not allow you to add
the ESX host unless CA certificate is replaced with self-signed certificate.
To update the certMgmt mode:

a) Select the vCenter server that manages the hosts and click Settings.
b) Click Advanced Settings, and click Edit.
c) In the Filter box, enter certmgmt to display only certificate management keys.
d) Change the value of vpxd.certmgmt.mode to custom and click OK.
e) Restart the vCenter server service.
To restart services, enter the following link in a browser and then click Enter:
https://<VC URL>:5480/ui/services

56
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on an ESXi Host
Note The behavior of host addition in vCenter varies according to the certificate and certMgmt mode.
• When the host has self-signed certificate with the certMgmt mode set to the default value of vmsa in
vCenter:
• Only ESX host with self-signed certificate can be added.
• The addition of ESX with third party CA certificate is not allowed.
• If you try to add an ESX to a vCenter after replacing the self-signed certificate with a third party
CA certificate, the system will prompt you to replace third party CA certificate with self-signed
certificate. You can add the ESX host after replacing CA certificate with self-signed certificate.
• When the host has self-signed certificate with the certMgmt mode set to custom in vCenter:
• If you try to add an ESX to a vCenter after replacing the self-signed certificate with a third party
CA certificate, the system throws an error: ssl thumbprint mismatch and add host fails. In
this case, do the following to replace the third party CA certificate with the self-signed certificate:
1. Place the host in the maintenance mode (MM mode).
2. Replace the certified rui.crt and rui.key files with the backed up previous key and certificate.
3. Restart the hostd and vpxa service. The CA certificate comes up in the new node.
4. Right-click and connect to vCenter. The host removes the CA certificate and gets replaced with
self-signed certification in VMware.
• When the host has third party CA certificate with the certMgmt mode set to the default value of vmsa
in vCenter:
• ESX host with self-signed certificate can be added.
• The addition of ESX with third party CA certificate is not allowed.
• When the host has third party CA certificate with the certMgmt mode set to custom in vCenter:
• ESX host with self-signed certificate cannot be added.
• The self-signed certificate in ESX host needs to be replaced with a CA certificate of vCenter.
Replacing Self-Signed Certificate with External CA Certificate on an ESXi Host
Step 1 Generate the host certificate (rui.crt) and key (rui.key) files and send the files to the certificate authority.
Note Ensure that a proper hostname or FQDN of the ESX host is provided while generating the rui.key and rui.crt
files.
Step 2 Replace the certified host certificate (rui.crt) and key (rui.key) files in the /etc/vmware/ssl directory on each ESXi host
after taking backup of the original host certificate (rui.crt) and key (rui.key) files.

57
Reregistering a HyperFlex cluster
Note Replace host certificate (rui.crt) and key (rui.key) files in a rolling fashion by placing only one host in
maintenance mode and then wait for the cluster to be healthy and then replace the certificates for the other
nodes.
a) Log into the ESXi host from an SSH client with administrator privileges.
b) Place the host in the maintenance mode (MM mode).
c) Take a backup of the previous key and certificate to the rui.bak file in the /etc/vmware/ssl/ directory.
d) Upload the new certified rui.crt and rui.key files to the /etc/vmware/ssl/ directory.
e) Restart the hostd and vpxa service, and check the running status using the following commands:
/etc/init.d/hostd restart
/etc/init.d/vpxa restart
/etc/init.d/hostd status
/etc/init.d/vpxa status
f) Reconnect the host to vCenter and exit the maintenance mode.

Note Repeat the same procedure on all the nodes. You can verify the certificate of each node by accessing it
through web.
Reregistering a HyperFlex cluster

After adding all the hosts to the vCenter after replacing the certified files, reregister the HX cluster to the
vCenter using the following command:
hxcli license register
Note Before attempting to register the HyperFlex cluster to vCenter, you must disable ESXi Lockdown mode on
all ESXi hosts, and ensure SSH service is enabled and running. Once registration is successful, you may
re-enable Lockdown mode.
Recreating a Self-Signed Certificate

If you face any issue with the host certificate after replacing external CA certificate, you can recreate the
self-signed certificate by executing the following procedure:
1. Log into the ESXi host from an SSH client.
2. Delete the rui.key and rui.crt files from the /etc/vmware/ssl/ directory.
3. Recreate the self-signed certificate for the host using the following command:
/sbin/generate-certificates
4. Restart the hostd and vpxa service using the following commands:
/etc/init.d/hostd restart
/etc/init.d/vpxa restart

58
Boost Mode
Boost Mode
Boost Mode allows the Cisco HyperFlex cluster to deliver higher IOPs by increasing the storage controller
VM CPU resources by 4 vCPU. Enabling Boost Mode takes additional CPU resources from user VM for the
HX data platform, and should only be enabled in deployments where support has determined that the benefit
of additional CPUs, outweighs the impact to the sizing of your deployment. For more information about the
CPUs supported by Boost Mode, see the Cisco HyperFlex Spec Sheets.
Configuring Boost Mode

Perform the following steps for each cluster you want to enable Boost Mode on:
Before you begin

Boost Mode Support is limited to the following configurations:
• Supported Hardware:
• All NVMe
• All Flash C245
• All Flash C240
• All Flash C225
• All Flash C220
• Hypervisor: ESX only

• Boost Mode number of controller VM vCPUs:
• All NVMe: 16
• All Flash C245: 12
• All Flash C220:12
• Cluster expansion requires you to apply Boost Mode to the new nodes.
• Boost Mode is supported in Cisco HX Release 4.0(2a) and later.
• Boost Mode should be enabled after support has determined that your deployment will benefit from the
additional CPUs.
Note CPU - number of physical cores must be equal to at least the new number of controller vCPUs. To verify the
number of physical cores in the vSphere Client; Click host > Configure > Hardware > Processors >
Processor cores per socket

59
Disabling Boost Mode
Step 1 From the vCenter, right-click one controller VM and Shut Down Guest OS.
Step 2 Increase the number controller VM vCPUs to 16 for all-NVMe, or 12 for all flash C220, and all flash C240. In the vSphere
client, click Edit Settings for the VM and change the value of the CPU field in the first line.
Note Boost Mode number of controller VM vCPUs:
• All NVMe: 16
• All Flash C220:12
Step 3 Click OK to apply the configuration changes.

Step 4 Power up the controller VM.
Step 5 Log into HX Connect and wait for the cluster to become healthy.
Step 6 Repeat the process for each host (or node) in the cluster.
Disabling Boost Mode

To disable Boost Mode, perform the following steps:
Step 1 From the vCenter, right-click one controller VM and Shut Down Guest OS.
Step 2 Decrease the number controller VM vCPUs back to 12 for all-NVMe, or 8 for all flash C220, and all flash C240. In the
vSphere client, click Edit Settings for the VM and change the value of the CPU field in the first line.
Step 3 Click OK to apply the configuration changes.
Step 4 Power up the controller VM.
Step 5 Log into HX Connect and wait for the cluster to become healthy.
Step 6 Repeat the process for each host (or node) in the cluster.
UEFI Secure Boot Mode

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a specification that defines a software interface between an
operating system and platform firmware. HX Data Platform uses UEFI to replace the BIOS firmware interfaces.
This allows the BIOS to run in UEFI mode while still providing legacy support.
Starting with HX Data Platform release 4.5(1a), the hardening of Hypervisor (ESXi) boot security is simplified
by providing an automated workflow that non-disruptively changes the boot mode of converged and compute
nodes in the cluster to Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot. The chain of trust is
anchored by a hardware trust anchor (i.e. the Cisco Trust Anchor module) built-in to UCS rack and blade

60
Enabling Secure Boot Mode
servers. UI and API-based queries of each node’s secure boot status is supported so the cluster’s security
posture on-demand can be audited.
The following limitations apply to the UEFI boot mode:
• For HX Edge clusters, UEFI secure boot should only be enabled on HX Edge clusters running Cisco
IMC version 4.1(2a) and later. If secure boot is enabled on earlier Cisco IMC versions, secure boot will
need to be temporarily disabled during firmware updates.
• Support for Secure boot is available only for HyperFlex ESXi M5/M6 Server.
• Attestation of Secure Boot of ESXi hosts by vCenter is supported. This feature requires ESXi release
6.7 or later and TPM 2.0 modules on the converged or compute nodes. The TPM and TXT parameters,
which are required to enable usage of the TPM module, are automatically configured in the course of
enabling secure boot. No additional steps are required to use attestation.
• All the factory prepped M.2 RAID edge nodes run HXDP server firmware version 4.1(2a) or later. If a
customer downgrades in field or retrofits existing setup and tries to bring up a cluster with M.2RAID
nodes with HXDP server firmware version earlier than 4.1(2a), then the install may fail with the error
UEFI boot parameters cannot be configured for Legacy boot mode. The HXDP server firmware
must be upgraded to version 4.1(2a) or later and then re-try the install.
Enabling Secure Boot Mode

• Enabling Secure Boot mode allows you to change the boot mode of your ESXi hosts from Legacy BIOS
or UEFI (Non-Secure) to UEFI Secure Boot.
• Do not manually change the boot parameters in UCS Manager or Cisco IMC for a UCS server, which is
part of an HyperFlex cluster. HyperFlex is not aware of and will not automatically remediate such changes.
• Use the Check Secure Boot Status (see step 4) action to audit the secure boot status of the cluster. If a
node is found to be out-of-compliance, the Secure Boot mode upgrade type option is made available on
the Upgrade tab and users can re-enable Secure Boot. Only those nodes that are out-of-compliance are
rebooted and have their boot mode changed.
Before you begin

• Run Check Secure Boot Status to confirm whether Secure Boot is already enabled and then proceed
accordingly. See step 4.
• Startingwith HX release 4.5(1a), UEFI Secure Boot must be enabled as a separate Day 2 operation, after
a refresh of HX release 4.5(1a) install or after upgrading an existing cluster to HX 4.5(1a).
• Validate that the cluster is in a ready state to enable Secure Boot by running a pre-flight validation.
• If your cluster has legacy, UEFI, and UEFI Secure booted nodes present in same cluster, secure boot
operation will still get enabled on all nodes of the cluster and any expansions after that will be secure
boot enabled.
• Option to Enable Secure Boot will be available only for ESXi clusters.
• Due to the ESXi hosts going in to rolling reboot to enable secure boot, plan the activity in a maintenance
window.
• Enabling Secure Boot cannot be combined with other upgrade activities.

61
hx_edge.py Script Fails after ESXi Redeploy on Auto Secure Booted Node
• If the Secure Boot is already enabled, Enable Secure Boot option is greyed out and no further action
needed.
• In the case that Enable Secure Boot workflow fails, then from the vCenter, confirm whether the host is
still in Maintenance Mode. If so, then exit Maintenance Mode before retrying the Enable Secure Boot
workflow.
Step 1 From the HX Connect UI, navigate to Upgrade > Select Upgrade Type
Step 2 From the Select Upgrade Type tab, select the Secure Boot mode check box.
Note After Secure Boot is enabled, it cannot be disabled.
Step 3 Enter your vCenter and UCSM credentials: Username and Admin password and click Upgrade.
After enabling Secure Boot on the cluster, any new converged or compute nodes subsequently added, automatically have
secure boot enabled. No manual intervention is required.
Step 4 To check the status of Secure Boot, navigate to System Information > Actions drop-down menu and select Check
Secure Boot Status.
Note If all nodes are enabled, the Secure Boot is enabled on all the nodes message is displayed.
hx_edge.py Script Fails after ESXi Redeploy on Auto Secure

Booted Node
Description
Cisco UCS tools are not supported on HyperFlex Edge configuration with classic installer. The HX Edge
configuration with classic installer uses the SOL for IP configuration and needs confirmation on whether the
ESXi login console has been recieved.
To enable SOL on a Secure Boot node, perform the following steps:
Action
1. Disable boot security by unchecking the UEFI Secure Boot check box on the Compute > Configure
Boot Order page.

62
Catalog Update
2. Power cycle the server.

3. Install ESXi.
4. Run the hx_edge.py script.
Catalog Update
Compatibility Catalog Update feature was introduced in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(1a) for ESXi.
Catalog Update provides the ability to update the catalog version across a cluster during cluster creation,
expansion or hot adds of a newer model drives without needing to upgrade the HXDP version running on the
cluster.
• Clearly identify drives that are unsupported by the current catalog.
• Reduces the overhead when adding a new drive model to a cluster node by eliminating the need to upgrade
HXDP.
• Supported on HX Installer, HX Connect, and Intersight.
• Catalog is updated online and without impact to the running cluster.

• Before adding a new drive, review the HyperFlex Release notes to confirm that the current HXDP version
supports the new drive model.
• Catalog Update does not guarantee a drive is supported. Hardware issues and HXDP versions may
contribute to a drive being unrecognized to HXDP.
• Do not use the Catalog Upgrade for drives that require HXDP tuning for custom settings, such as a higher
drive capacity point; These require a full HXDP upgrade.
• Downgrading the catalog bundle to an earlier version is not supported.

63
Catalog Update: HX Installer
Catalog Update: HX Installer

Catalog Update: Cluster Creation using HX Installer
Perform the following steps to upgrade the catalog during cluster creation using the HX VM based installer
(OVA).
Before you begin

• Download the catalog bundle from CCO https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286305544/type/
286305994/.
Step 1 Log in to the HX Data Platform Installer.

Step 2 Follow the Create Cluster workflow for a standard cluster.
Step 3 On the Server Selection page, the installer validates the drive supportability and if unsupported drive(s) is found, the
unsupported drive(s) are identified and the Upgrade Catalog button appears.
Step 4 Click the Upgrade Catalog button. The Upgrade Catalog window appears.
Note The window displays the catalog version in use.
Step 5 Upload the Catalog file saved locally. Drag and drop the file into the target or click the target to browse to the file location.
The upload operation is complete.
Step 6 Click Upgrade to complete the upgrade or Close to exit the Catalog Upgrade window.
The drive supportability check runs again after the catalog is upgraded. When all drives have compatible
catalogs a green success banner appears.
Catalog Update: Cluster Expansion using HX Installer

When expanding a cluster, the Compatibility Catalog feature identifies if the installer-catalog is lower than
the cluster-catalog and performs a drive supportability validation. Perform the following steps to upgrade the
catalog during cluster expansion using the HX VM based installer (OVA).
Before you begin

286305994/.
Step 1 Log into the HX Data Platform Installer.

Step 2 Follow the Expand Cluster workflow for a standard cluster.
Step 3 On the Server Selection page, the installer validates the drive supportability and if unsupported drive(s) is found, the
unsupported drive(s) are identified and the Upgrade Catalog button appears.

64
Catalog Update from the HX Installer Settings
Step 5 Upload the Catalog file saved locally. Drag and drop the file into the target or click the target to browse to the file location.
The drive supportability check runs again after the catalog is upgraded. When all drives have compatible
catalogs a green success banner appears.
To view the current catalog version after the Catalog Upgrade is complete, navigate to the upgrade page in
HX Connect for the running cluster.
Catalog Update from the HX Installer Settings

Perform the following steps to out-of-band catalog upgrade for the HX VM Installer (OVA):
Step 1 Log into the HX Data Platform Installer.

Step 2 Click the Settings gear icon on any page.
Step 4 Upload the catalog file saved locally. Drag and drop the file into the target or click the target to browse to the file location.
To view the current catalog version after the Catalog Upgrade is complete, return to the upgrade catalog
window by clicking the Settings Icon > Upgrade Catalog.
Catalog Update: HX Connect

Cluster Catalog Upgrade using HX Connect
When a new disk is not recognized in HX Connect it can be an indication that the catalog requires an update.
Perform the following steps to upgrade the catalog using HX Connect.
Before you begin

286305994/.
Note The cluster catalog is automatically upgraded when you upgrade HXDP version. No manual update of catalog
is needed when upgrading HXDP to a version that already contains an updated catalog.
Step 1 Click on the Upgrade tab in HX Connect.

65
Catalog Update: Intersight
Step 2 Check the HX Data Platform box on the Select Upgrade tab.
Note Combining a Catalog Upgrade with any other type of upgrade is not supported.
Step 3 Upload the locally saved Catalog file. Drag and drop the file into the target or click the target to browse to the file location.
The Catalog file upload operation is complete.
Step 4 Click Upgrade to complete the upgrade.
a) To monitor progress of the upgrade tasks on an HX storage cluster, click the Activity page in HX Connect.
Step 5 Click on the System Information page and verify that all disks have been claimed by HXDP and are in use.
Catalog Update: Intersight

Catalog Upgrade using Intersight
Unlike the HX installer VM, the Intersight HX installer is kept up to date with the latest compatibility catalog
automatically. Cisco releases updates to the Intersight HX Installer regularly and includes any catalog updates
as part of that standard process.
Similarly, Intersight connected clusters are automatically updated to the latest catalog version without the
need for manual download and upload through HX Connect. To receive these automatic updates, ensure the
HyperFlex cluster is connected to Intersight.

66
CHAPTER 6
Preparing for HX Storage Cluster Maintenance
• Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview, on page 67
• Serial vs. Parallel Operations, on page 69
• Checking Cluster Status, on page 69
• Setting a Beacon, on page 69
• Verify vMotion Configuration for HX Cluster, on page 70
• Maintenance Modes for Storage Cluster Nodes, on page 71
• Entering Cisco HyperFlex Maintenance Mode, on page 72
• Exiting HXDP Maintenance Mode, on page 73
• Creating a Backup Operation, on page 74
• Shut Down and Power Off the Cisco HX Storage Cluster, on page 78
• Power On and Start Up the Cisco HX Storage Cluster, on page 80
• Restoring the Configuration for a Fabric Interconnect, on page 82
• Configure PCI Passthrough After Changing vNIC or vHBAs, on page 84
Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview

Maintaining the Cisco HyperFlex (HX) Data Platform storage cluster tasks affect both hardware and software
components of the storage cluster. Storage cluster maintenance operations include adding or removing nodes
and disks, and network maintenance.
Some steps in maintenance tasks are performed from the storage controller VM of a node in the storage cluster.
Some commands issued on a storage controller VM affect all the nodes in the storage cluster.
Note Three node storage clusters. Contact Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for any task that requires removing
or shutting down a node in a three node cluster. With any 3 node storage cluster, if one node fails or is removed,
the cluster remains in an unhealthy state until a third node is added and joins the storage cluster.
Adding nodes. Nodes are added to the storage cluster through the Expand Cluster feature of the Cisco HX
Data Platform Installer. All new nodes must meet the same system requirements as when you installed the
Cisco HX Data Platform and created the initial storage cluster. For a complete list of requirements and steps
for using the Expand Cluster feature, see the appropriate Cisco HX Data Platform Install Guide.

67
Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview
Online vs Offline Maintenance

Depending upon the task, the storage cluster might need to be either online or offline. Typically maintenance
tasks require that all nodes in the storage cluster are online.
When storage cluster maintenance is performed in an offline mode, this means the Cisco HX Data Platform
is offline, however the storage controller VMs are up and Cisco HX Data Platform management is viewable
through the stcli command line, HX Connect, and HX Data Platform Plug-in. The vSphere Web Client can
report on the storage I/O layer. The stcli cluster info command returns that the overall storage cluster
status is offline.
Pre-Maintenance Tasks
Before you perform maintenance on the storage cluster, ensure the following.
• Identify the maintenance task to be performed.
• All maintenance operations such as remove/replace resources are done during maintenance windows
when the load on the system is low.
• The storage cluster is healthy and operational before the maintenance tasks.
• Identify disks using the HX Connect or HX Data Platform Plug-in Beacon options.
The HX Beacon option is not available for housekeeping 120GB SSDs. Physically check the server for
the location of the housekeeping SSD.
• Check the list of maintenance tasks that cannot be performed in parallel. See Serial vs. Parallel Operations,
on page 69 for more information on these tasks.. You can perform only some tasks serially to each other.
• Ensure that SSH is enabled on all the ESX hosts.
• Put the ESX host into HXDP Maintenance Mode prior to performing a maintenance task on the host.
The HXDP Maintenance Mode performs additional storage cluster specific steps compared to the vSphere
provided Host Maintenance Mode.
Post Maintenance Tasks

After the maintenance task is completed, the nodes need to exit HXDP Maintenance Mode and the storage
cluster needs to be healthy. In addition, some changes to the Cisco HX storage cluster require additional post
maintenance tasks. For example, if you change the vNICs or vHBAs, the PCI Passthrough needs to be
reconfigured. For more information describing how to reconfigure the PCI Passthrough, see Configure PCI
Passthrough After Changing vNIC or vHBAs, on page 84.
Ensure the following:
• The ESX host is exited from HXDP Maintenance Mode after performing maintenance tasks on the host.
• The storage cluster is healthy and operational after any remove or replace tasks are completed.
• If vNICs or vHBAs have been added, removed, or replace on any ESX host in the Cisco HX storage
cluster, reconfigure the PCI Passthrough.

68
Serial vs. Parallel Operations
Serial vs. Parallel Operations

Certain operations cannot be performed simultaneously. Ensure that you perform the following operations
serially (not in parallel).
• Upgrade a storage cluster or a node.
• Create, re-create, or configure a storage cluster.
• Add or remove a node.
• Any node maintenance that requires a node be shutdown. This includes adding or removing disks or
network interface cards (NICs).
• Start or shut down a storage cluster.
• Re-register a storage cluster with vCenter.
Checking Cluster Status

Step 1 Log into any controller VM in the storage cluster. Run the listed commands from the controller VM command line.
Step 2 Verify the storage cluster is healthy.
# hxcli cluster info
Example response that indicates the storage cluster is online and healthy:
locale: English (United States)
state: online
upgradeState: ok
healthState: healthy
state: online
state: online
Step 3 Verify the number of node failures.

# stcli cluster storage-summary
Example response:
#of node failures tolerable to be > 0
Setting a Beacon
Beaconing is a method of turning on an LED to assist in locating and identifying a node (host) and a disk.
Nodes have the beacon LED in the front near the power button and in the back. Disks have the beacon LED
on the front face.
You set a node beacon through Cisco UCS Manager. You set a disk beacon through the Cisco HX Data
Platform Plug-in or HX Connect user interface.

69
Verify vMotion Configuration for HX Cluster
Step 1 Turn on and off a node beacon using UCS Manager.

a) From the UCS Manager left panel, select Equipment > Servers > server.
b) From the UCS Manager central panel, select General > Turn on Locator LED.
c) After you locate the server, turn off the locator LED.
From the UCS Manager central panel, select General > Turn off Locator LED.
Step 2 Turn on and off a disk beacon using the Cisco HX Data Platform Plug-in.
a) From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select vCenter Inventory Lists > Cisco HyperFlex Systems > Cisco HX
Data Platform > cluster > Manage.
b) From Manage, select Cluster > cluster > host > Disks > disk.
c) Locate the physical location of the object and turn on the beacon.
From Actions drop-down list, select Beacon ON.
d) After you locate the disk, turn off the beacon.
From Actions drop-down list, select Beacon OFF
Step 3 Turn on and off a disk beacon using HX Connect.

a) Log into HX Connect.
b) Select System Information > Disks.
c) Select a node, and then click Turn On Locator LED or Turn Off Locator LED.
The beacon LED for all the disks on the selected node are toggled, except Housekeeping SSDs and cache NVMe SSDs.
Housekeeping SSDs or cache NVMe SSDs do not have functioning LED beacons.
Verify vMotion Configuration for HX Cluster

Before you perform maintenance operations on the Cisco HyperFlex (HX) cluster, verify all nodes in the HX
cluster are configured for vMotion. Confirm the following from your vSphere Web Client:
Remember Some VMs not supported by vMotion should be shut down, since it will hold the nodes from going into
maintenance mode.
1. Verify that the vMotion port group is configured with vmnic3 and vmnic7 in an active/standby configuration
across all of the ESXi hosts in the cluster.
2. Verify that a port group is configured for vMotion, and that the naming convention is EXACTLY the
same across all ESXi hosts in the cluster.
Note The name is case-sensitive.

70
Maintenance Modes for Storage Cluster Nodes
3. Verify that you have assigned a static IP to each vMotion port group, and that the static IPs for each
vMotion port group are in the same subnet.
Note The static IP address is defined as a VMKernel interface.
4. Verify that the vMotion port group has the vMotion option checked in the properties, and that no other
port groups (such as management) have this option checked, on each ESXi host in the cluster.
5. Verify in the settings that the vMotion port group is set to 9000 MTU, (if you are using jumbo frames),
and the VLAN ID matches the network configuration for the vMotion subnet.
6. Verify you can ping from the vMotion port group on one ESXi host to the vMotion IP on the other host.
Type vmkping -I vmk2 -d -s 8972 <vMotion IP address of neighboring server>
Maintenance Modes for Storage Cluster Nodes

Maintenance mode is applied to nodes in a cluster. It prepares the node for assorted maintenance tasks by
migrating all VMs to other nodes before you decommission or shut the node down.
There are two types of maintenance modes.
• HXDP Maintenance Mode
• Host Maintenance Mode
HXDP Maintenance Mode

HXDP Maintenance Mode performs Cisco HX Data Platform specific functions in addition to the Host
Maintenance Mode. Be sure to select HXDP Maintenance Mode and not Host Maintenance Mode for
maintenance tasks performed on storage cluster nodes after initial storage cluster creation.
This mode is the preferred maintenance mode for performing selected tasks on individual nodes in the cluster.
Including:
• Shutting down an individual host for maintenance, such as disk replacement.
• Upgrading selected software on a host, such as ESX Server version.
HXDP Maintenance Mode Considerations

• Ensure that SSH is enabled in ESX on all the nodes in the storage cluster prior to using HXDP Maintenance
Mode.
• When HXDP Maintenance Mode is entered to enable performing tasks on an ESX host, be sure to exit
HXDP Maintenance Mode after the tasks on the ESX host are completed.
• HXDP Maintenance Mode is applied to nodes in a healthy cluster only. If the cluster is unhealthy, for
example too many nodes are down, or you are shutting down the cluster, use Host Maintenance Mode.
• When nodes are added or removed from the cluster, the number of resources (controller VM, caching
and persistent tier devices, etc) to serve the user IO changes. HXDP aims to use the available cluster

71
Entering Cisco HyperFlex Maintenance Mode
resources to serve IO optimally. Each node is used to serve part of user IO as well as be responsible for
doing internal bookkeeping activities.
When a node leaves (entering Maintenance Mode), the in-flight IO needs to failover to other nodes in
the cluster. In addition to internal book-keeping resources and activities also need to failover. The time
required for this is proportional to data and activities which were being served by the node. This results
in additional latency for the in-flight user IO.
This is similar to the case where nodes come back from Maintenance Mode.
• See Entering Cisco HyperFlex Maintenance Mode and Exiting HXDP Maintenance Mode, on page 73
for steps.
Host Maintenance Mode

This mode is used when you are installing Cisco HX Data Platform or applying cluster wide changes.
To enter or exit vSphere maintenance mode:
• Through the vCenter GUI, select the host, then from the right-click menu select maintenance mode.
• Through the ESX command line, use the esxcli system maintenanceMode command.
Entering Cisco HyperFlex Maintenance Mode

Using the Cisco HyperFlex (HX) Connect User Interface
1. Log into Cisco HX Connect: https://<cluster management ip>.
2. In the menu, click System Information.
3. Click Nodes, and then click the row of the node you want to put in to maintenance mode.
4. Click Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode.
5. In the Confirm HXDP Maintenance Mode dialog box, click Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Note After you complete any maintenance tasks, you must manually exit HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Using the vSphere Web Client

1. Log into the vSphere web client.
2. Go to Home > Hosts and Clusters.
3. Expand the Datacenter that contains the HX Cluster.
4. Expand the HX Cluster and select the node.
5. Right-click the node and select HXDP Maintenance Mode > Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode.

72
Exiting HXDP Maintenance Mode
Using the Command-Line Interface

1. Log into the storage controller cluster command line as a user with root privileges.
2. Move the node into HXDP Maintenance Mode.
a. Identify the node ID and IP address.
# hxcli node list --summary
b. Enter the node into HXDP Maintenance Mode.

# hxcli node maintenanceMode (--id ID | --ip IP Address) --mode enter
(see also hxcli node maintenanceMode --help)
3. Log into the ESXi command line of this node as a user with root privileges.
4. Verify that the node has entered HXDP Maintenance Mode.
# esxcli system maintenanceMode get
You can monitor the progress of the Enter Maintenance Mode task in vSphere Web Client, under the
Monitor > Tasks tab.
If the operation fails, an error message displays. Try to fix the underlying problem and attempt to enter
maintenance mode again.
Exiting HXDP Maintenance Mode

Using the Cisco HyperFlex (HX) Connect User Interface
1. Log into HX Connect: https://<cluster management ip>.
2. In the menu, click System Information.
3. Click Nodes, and then click the row of the node you want to remove from maintenance mode.
4. Click Exit HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Using the vSphere Web Client

1. Log into the vSphere web client.
2. Go to Home > Hosts and Clusters.
3. Expand the Datacenter that contains the HX Cluster.
4. Expand the HX Cluster and select the node.
5. Right-click the node and select HXDP Maintenance Mode > Exit HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Using the Command-Line Interface

1. Log into the storage controller cluster command line as a user with root privileges.
2. Exit the node out of HXDP Maintenance Mode.

73
Creating a Backup Operation
a. Identify the node ID and IP address.

# hxcli node list --summary
b. Exit the node out of HXDP Maintenance Mode.

# stcli node maintenanceMode (--id ID | --ip IP Address) --mode exit
(see also stcli node maintenanceMode --help)
3. Log into the ESXi command line of this node as a user with root privileges.
4. Verify that the node has exited HXDP Maintenance Mode.
# esxcli system maintenanceMode get
You can monitor the progress of the Exit Maintenance Mode task in vSphere Web Client, under the Monitor >
Tasks tab.
If the operation fails, an error message displays. Try to fix the underlying problem and attempt to exit
maintenance mode again.

Before you shutdown your HX storage cluster, backup the configuration. Perform both the Full-State and All
Configuration type backups with the Preserve Identities attribute.
Before you begin

1. Log into UCS Manager.
2. Obtain the backup server IPv4 address and authentication credentials.
Note All IP addresses must be IPv4. HyperFlex does not support IPv6 addresses.
Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click Admin.

Step 2 Click the All node.
Step 3 In the Work pane, click the General tab.
Step 4 In the Actions area, click Backup Configuration.
Step 5 In the Backup Configuration dialog box, click Create Backup Operation.
Step 6 In the Create Backup Operation dialog box, complete the following fields:

74
Name Description
Admin State field This can be one of the following:
• Enabled—Cisco UCS Manager runs the backup operation as soon as you
click OK.
• Disabled—Cisco UCS Manager does not run the backup operation when
you click OK. If you select this option, all fields in the dialog box remain
visible. However, you must manually run the backup from the Backup
Configuration dialog box.
Type field The information saved in the backup configuration file. This can be one of the
following:
• Full state—A binary file that includes a snapshot of the entire system. You
can use the file generated from this backup to restore the system during
disaster recovery. This file can restore or rebuild the configuration on the
original fabric interconnect, or recreate the configuration on a different fabric
interconnect. You cannot use this file for an import.
Note You can only use a full state backup file to restore a system
that is running the same version as the system from which the
backup file was exported.
• All configuration—An XML file that includes all system and logical
configuration settings. You can use the file generated from this backup to
import these configuration settings to the original fabric interconnect or to
a different fabric interconnect. You cannot use this file for a system restore.
This file does not include passwords for locally authenticated users.
• System configuration—An XML file that includes all system configuration
settings such as usernames, roles, and locales. You can use the file generated
from this backup to import these configuration settings to the original fabric
interconnect or to a different fabric interconnect. You cannot use this file
for a system restore.
• Logical configuration—An XML file that includes all logical configuration
settings such as service profiles, VLANs, VSANs, pools, and policies. You
can use the file generated from this backup to import these configuration
settings to the original fabric interconnect or to a different fabric interconnect.
You cannot use this file for a system restore.

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Name Description
Preserve Identities check box This checkbox remains selected for All Configuration and System Configuration
type of backup operation, and provides the following functionality:
• All Configuration—The backup file preserves all identities derived from
pools, including vHBAs, WWPNs, WWNN, vNICs, MACs and UUIDs.
Also, the identities for Chassis, FEX, Rack Servers, and user labels for
Chassis, FEX, Rack Servers, IOMs and Blade Servers are preserved.
Note If this check box is not selected the identities will be reassigned
and user labels will be lost after a restore.
• System Configuration—The backup file preserves identities for Chassis,

FEX, Rack Servers, and user labels for Chassis, FEX, Rack Servers, IOMs
and Blade Servers.
Note If this check box is not selected the identities will be reassigned
and user labels will be lost after a restore.
If this checkbox is selected for Logical Configuration type of backup operation,

the backup file preserves all identities derived from pools, including vHBAs,
WWPNs, WWNN, vNICs, MACs and UUIDs.
Note If this check box is not selected the identities will be reassigned and
user labels will be lost after a restore.
Location of the Backup File field Where the backup file should be saved. This can be one of the following:
• Remote File System—The backup XML file is saved to a remote server.
Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays the fields described below that allow you
to specify the protocol, host, filename, username, and password for the
remote system.
• Local File System—The backup XML file is saved locally.
Java-based Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays the Filename field with an
associated Browse button that let you specify the name and location for the
backup file.
Note Once you click OK, the location cannot be changed.
HTML-based Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays the Filename field. Enter
a name for the backup file in <filename>.xml format. The file is downloaded
and saved to a location depending on your browser settings.

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Name Description
Protocol field The protocol to use when communicating with the remote server. This can be one
of the following:
• FTP
• TFTP
• SCP
• SFTP
• USB A—The USB drive inserted into fabric interconnect A.
This option is only available for certain system configurations.
• USB B—The USB drive inserted into fabric interconnect B.
This option is only available for certain system configurations.
Hostname field The hostname, IPv4 address of the location where the backup file is stored. This
can be a server, storage array, local drive, or any read/write media that the fabric
interconnect can access through the network.
Note If you use a hostname rather than an IPv4 address, you must
configure a DNS server. If the Cisco UCS domain is not registered
with Cisco UCS Central or DNS management is set to local,
configure a DNS server in Cisco UCS Manager . If the Cisco UCS
domain is registered with Cisco UCS Central and DNS management
is set to global, configure a DNS server in Cisco UCS Central.
Note All IP addresses must be IPv4. HyperFlex does not support IPv6
addresses.
Remote File field The full path to the backup configuration file. This field can contain the filename
as well as the path. If you omit the filename, the backup procedure assigns a name
to the file.
User field The username the system should use to log into the remote server. This field does
not apply if the protocol is TFTP.
Password field The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the
protocol is TFTP.
Cisco UCS Manager does not store this password. Therefore, you do not need to
enter this password unless you intend to enable and run the backup operation
immediately.
Step 7 Click OK.

Step 8 If Cisco UCS Manager displays a confirmation dialog box, click OK.
If you set the Admin State field to enabled, Cisco UCS Manager takes a snapshot of the configuration type that you
selected and exports the file to the network location. The backup operation displays in the Backup Operations table
in the Backup Configuration dialog box.

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Shut Down and Power Off the Cisco HX Storage Cluster
Step 9 (Optional) To view the progress of the backup operation, do the following:
a) If the operation does not display in the Properties area, click the operation in the Backup Operations table.
b) In the Properties area, click the down arrows on the FSM Details bar.
The FSM Details area expands and displays the operation status.
Step 10 Click OK to close the Backup Configuration dialog box.

The backup operation continues to run until it is completed. To view the progress, re-open the Backup Configuration
dialog box.

Some storage cluster maintenance tasks require that the storage cluster be shut down. This is different than
the storage cluster being in an offline state. It is also separate from shutting down a node in the storage cluster.
Powering down the storage cluster affects all the physical components of the cluster.
• A powered-off cluster has all the physical components of the storage cluster removed from electrical
power.
Very rarely would a storage cluster need to have all the components powered off. No regular maintenance
or upgrade processes require that the entire storage cluster be completely powered off.
• A shut-down cluster has all storage cluster processes, including the working VMs, powered down. This
does not include powering down the nodes in the cluster or shutting down the vCenter or FI cluster.
• An offline cluster is one of the storage cluster operational states. A storage cluster can be offline if there
is an unknown or specific error, or if the storage cluster has been shutdown.
To shut down the Cisco HX storage cluster, perform the following steps:
Before you begin

• The storage cluster must be in a healthy state.
• Prior to shutdown, verify that the HyperFlex cluster has one reachable external NTP and DNS resource
configured that resides outside the HyperFlex.
• Perform both the Full-State and All Configuration type backups with the Preserve Identities attribute.
See Creating a Backup Operation, on page 74.
Step 1 Gracefully shut down all workload VMs on all the Cisco HX datastores.
Alternatively, use vMotion to migrate the workload VMs to another cluster.
Note Do not shut down or move the storage controller VMs (stCtlVMs).
Step 2 Gracefully shut down the Cisco HX storage cluster.

a) From any controller VM command line, run the command and wait for the shell prompt to return.

78
Note For clusters with a nested vCenter, performing an hxcli cluster shutdown may have certain limitations.
For more details, see Known Constraints with vCenter Deployment.
# hxcli cluster shutdown
b) Run the cluster information command. Confirm the storage cluster is offline.
In the command response text, check the cluster subsection and verify the healthstate is unknown.
This Cisco HX cluster shutdown procedure does not shut down the ESXi hosts.
If the maintenance or upgrade task does not require the physical components be powered off, exit these steps and proceed
to What to do next:
Step 3 To power off the HX storage cluster, complete Step 2 and Step 3, then complete the rest of the following steps.
Step 4 On each storage cluster ESX host, shutdown the controller VM (stCtlVM).
Choose a method:
Using vCenter Shut Down Guest OS
a) From vCenter client, locate the controller VM on each ESX host.
b) Right-click the controller VM and select Power > Shut Down Guest OS..
This method performs a graceful guest VM shutdown.
Using vCenter ESX Agent Manager

a) From vCenter client, open the ESX Agent Manager console.
b) Locate the controller VM on each ESX host, and select Power > Shut Down Guest OS..
This method performs a graceful shutdown of agent VMs. The controller VM is an agent VM.
Using vCenter Host Maintenance Mode

a) From vCenter client, locate each ESX host.
b) Right-click the ESX host and select Maintenance Mode > Enter Maintenance Mode.
This method performs a hard shutdown on every VM in the ESX host, including the controller VM.
Step 5 Shutdown each storage cluster ESX host.

a) From the vCenter client, locate the host.
b) Right-click the host and select Power > Shut Down.
Step 6 Power off the FIs, if this is needed for your maintenance task.
Cisco UCS FIs are designed for continuous operation. In a production environment, there is no need to shut down or
reboot Fabric Interconnects. Therefore, there is no power button on UCS Fabric Interconnects.
To power off Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect, pull the power cable manually. Alternatively, if you have the FI power
cables connected to a smart PDUs, use the provided remote control to turn off the power from the electrical outlet.
a) Verify all the storage cluster servers on the FI do not have a green power LED.
b) Power off the secondary FI.
c) Power off the primary FI.

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Power On and Start Up the Cisco HX Storage Cluster
The HX storage cluster is now safely powered off.
What to do next
1. Complete the task that required the storage cluster shutdown or power off. For example, an offline upgrade,
physically moving the storage cluster, or performing maintenance on nodes.
• For upgrade tasks, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide.
• For hardware replacement tasks, see the server hardware guides.
Sometimes these tasks require that the host is shutdown. Follow the steps in the server hardware
guides for migrating VMs, entering HXDP Maintenance Mode, and powering down the servers, as
directed.
Note Most hardware maintenance tasks do not require the Cisco HX cluster is shutdown.
2. To restart the Cisco HX storage cluster, proceed to Power On and Start Up the Cisco HX Storage Cluster,
on page 80.

The steps here are for use in restarting the Cisco HX storage cluster after a graceful shutdown and power off.
Typically, this is performed after maintenance tasks are completed on the storage cluster.
Before you begin

Complete the steps in Shut Down and Power Off the Cisco HX Storage Cluster, on page 78.
Step 1 Plug in to power up the FIs.

a) Power on the primary FI. Wait until you can gain access to UCS Manager.
b) Power on the secondary FI. Verify it is online in UCS Manager.
In some rare cases, you might need to reboot the Fabric Interconnects.
a. Log into each Fabric Interconnect using SSH.
b. Issue the commands:
FI# connect local-mgmt
FI# reboot
Step 2 Connect all the ESX hosts to the FIs.

a) Power on each node in the storage cluster if it does not power on automatically.
The node should automatically power on and boot into ESX. If any node does not, then connect to the UCS Manager
and power up the servers (nodes) from UCS Manager.
b) Verify each ESX host is up and associated with its respective service profile in UCS Manager.

80
Step 3 Verify all the ESXi hosts are network reachable.

Ping all the management addresses.
Step 4 Exit each node from maintenance mode.

Note This is automatically completed by the hxcli cluster start command.
Step 5 If all the controller VMs are not automatically powered on, power on all the controller VMs (stCtlVM) using one of
the following methods:
Using vSphere Client
a) From the vSphere Client, view a storage controller host.
b) Right-click the stCtrlVM and select Power > Power On.
c) Repeat for each host.
Using ESXi host command line
a) Log into a host.
b) Identify the VMID of the stCtlVM.
# vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms
c) Using the VMID power on the controller VM.

# vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on VMID
d) Repeat for each host.

Step 6 Wait for all the controller VMs to boot and become network reachable. Then verify.
Ping the management addresses of each of the controller VMs.
Step 7 Verify the storage cluster is ready to be restarted.

a) SSH to any controller VM, run the command:
# hxcli about
b) If the command returns full storage cluster information, including build number, the storage cluster is ready to be
started. Proceed to restarting the storage cluster.
c) If the command does not return full storage cluster information, wait until all the services have started on the host.
Step 8 Start the storage cluster.
From the command line of any controller VM, run the command.
# hxcli cluster start
Depending upon the maintenance or upgrade task performed while the HX cluster was shutdown, the nodes might be
exited from HXDP Maintenance Mode or Host Maintenance Mode. Ignore any error messages about an unknown host
exception.
Step 9 Wait until the storage cluster is online and returns to a healthy state.
a) From any controller VM, run the command.
b) In the command response text, check the cluster subsection and verify the healthstate is online.
This could take up to 30 minutes, it could take less time depending upon the last known state.

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Restoring the Configuration for a Fabric Interconnect
Step 10 Through vCenter, verify that ESX remounted the datastores.

Once the cluster is available, the datastores are automatically mounted and available.
If ESX does not recognize the datastores, from the ESX command line, run the command.
# esxcfg-nas -r
Step 11 When the storage cluster is healthy and the datastores are remounted, power on the workload VMs.
Alternatively, use vMotion to migrate the workload VMs back to the storage cluster.

It is recommended that you use a full state backup file to restore a system that is running the same version as
the system from which the backup file was exported. You can also use a full state backup to restore a system
if they have the same release train. For example, you can use a full state backup taken from a system running
Release 4.5(1a) to restore a system running Release 4.5(2a).
To avoid issues with VSAN or VLAN configuration, a backup should be restored on the fabric interconnect
that was the primary fabric interconnect at the time of backup.
Before you begin

Collect the following information to restore the system configuration:
• Fabric interconnect management port IPv4 address and subnet mask.
• Default gateway IPv4 address.
Note All IP address must be IPv4. IPv6 addresses are not supported.
• Backup server IPv4 address and authentication credentials.

• Fully-qualified name of a Full State backup file
Note You must have access to a Full State configuration file to perform a system restore.
You cannot perform a system restore with any other type of configuration or
backup file.
Step 1 Connect to the console port.

Step 2 If the fabric interconnect is off, power on the fabric interconnect.
You will see the power on self-test message as the fabric interconnect boots.
Step 3 At the installation method prompt, enter gui.

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Step 4 If the system cannot access a DHCP server, enter the following information:
• IPv4 address for the management port on the fabric interconnect
• Subnet mask or prefix for the management port on the fabric interconnect
• IPv4 address for the default gateway assigned to the fabric interconnect
Step 5 Copy the web link from the prompt into a web browser and go to the Cisco UCS Manager GUI launch page.
Step 6 On the launch page, select Express Setup.
Step 7 On the Express Setup page, select Restore From Backup and click Submit.
Step 8 In the Protocol area of the Cisco UCS Manager Initial Setup page, select the protocol you want to use to upload the
full state backup file:
• SCP
• TFTP
• FTP
• SFTP
Step 9 In the Server Information area, complete the following fields:
Name Description
Server IP The IPv4 address of the computer where the full state backup file is located. This
can be a server, storage array, local drive, or any read/write media that the fabric
interconnect can access through the network.
Backup File Path The file path where the full state backup file is located, including the folder names
and filename.
Note You can only use a full state backup file to restore a system that is
running the same version as the system from which the backup file
was exported.
User ID The username the system should use to log into the remote server. This field does
not apply if the protocol is TFTP.
Password The password for the remote server username. This field does not apply if the
protocol is TFTP.
Step 10 Click Submit.

You can return to the console to watch the progress of the system restore.
The fabric interconnect logs into the backup server, retrieves a copy of the specified full-state backup file, and restores
the system configuration.
For a cluster configuration, you do not need to restore the secondary fabric interconnect. As soon as the secondary
fabric interconnect reboots, Cisco UCS Manager synchronizes the configuration with the primary fabric interconnect.

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Configure PCI Passthrough After Changing vNIC or vHBAs
Configure PCI Passthrough After Changing vNIC or vHBAs

Description
After vNIC or vHBA are manually added to a Cisco HyperFlex (HX) service profile or service profile template,
the PCI devices are re-enumerated, and the VMware directpath I/O configuration is lost. When the service
profile is changed, the host hardware is updated and the PCI passthrough must be reconfigured. Perform the
following steps on each ESX host with a modified service profile
Perform the following steps on the storage controller VM of the modified ESX host:
Action: Update the vSphere Service Profile on the ESX Host
Step 1 Put the ESX host into HXDP Maintenance Mode.

Step 2 Make or confirm the changes, such as adding hardware, in the Service Profile.
Step 3 Reboot the ESX host.
This host loses the direct path configuration.
Step 4 Log into vCenter and select the DirectPath I/O Configuration page.
From vCenter Client: Select the ESX host > Configuration tab > Hardware pane > Advanced Settings > Edit.
From vCenter Web Client: From the vCenter Inventory, select Resources > Hosts > ESX host > Manage > Settings >
Hardware > PCI Devices > Edit.
Step 5 Select the LSI card for passthrough.

a) From the DirectPath I/O Configuration page, select Configure Passthrough.
b) From the Mark devices for passthrough list, select the LSI card for the pass through.
c) Click OK.
Step 6 Reboot the ESX host.
Step 7 Re-map the PCI device to the HX storage controller VM (StCtlVM), by editing the storage controller VM settings.
a) Locate and remove the unknown PCI Device.
From vCenter Client: Right-click the HX storage controller VM, select Edit Settings > PCI device 0 > Remove >
OK.
From vCenter Web Client: Right-click the HX storage controller VM, select Edit Settings > Remove PCI device
0 > OK.
b) Locate and re-add the LSI Logic PCI device.
From vCenter Client: Right-click the HX storage controller VM, select Edit Settings > Add > PCI Device > LSI
Logic PCI device > OK.
From vCenter Web Client: Right-click the HX storage controller VM, select Edit Settings > PCI Device > Add >
LSI Logic PCI device > OK.
Step 8 Remove the ESX host from HXDP Maintenance Mode.

When the host is active again, the HX storage controller VM properly boots and rejoins the storage cluster.

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CHAPTER 7
Managing Encryption
• SED Encryption, on page 85
• HyperFlex Software Encryption, on page 94
SED Encryption
Self-Encrypting Drives Overview
Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) have special hardware that encrypts incoming data and decrypts outgoing data
in real-time. The data on the disk is always stored in encrypted form. A media encryption key controls this
encryption and decryption. This key is never stored in the processor or memory.
A security key, also known as Key-Encryption Key or an authentication passphrase, is used to encrypt the
media encryption key. To enable SED, you must provide a security key. No key is required to fetch the data,
if the disk is not locked.
Cisco HyperFlex Systems enables you to configure security keys locally or remotely. When you configure
the key locally, you must remember the key. In case you forget the key, it cannot be retrieved, and the data
is lost if the drive power cycles. You can configure the key remotely by using a key management server (also
known as KMIP server). This method addresses the issues related to safe-keeping and retrieval of the keys in
the local management.
The encryption and decryption for SEDs is done through the hardware. Thus, it does not affect the overall
system performance. SEDs reduce the disk retirement and redeployment costs through instantaneous
cryptographic erasure. Cryptographic erasure is done by changing the media encryption key. When the media
encryption key of a disk is changed, the data on the disk cannot be decrypted, and is immediately rendered
unusable.
An SED based cluster can have encryption enabled and disabled at will. You are free to move between the
two states whenever you want. For more information, see the HX-Hardening Guide.
Verify if the HyperFlex Cluster Is Encryption Capable

Verify Using the HX Data Platform Plug-in
1. From the HX Data Platform Plug-in, log into vSphere Web Client.

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Managing Encryption
Configuring Local Encryption Key
2. Select Global Inventory Lists > Cisco HyperFlex Systems > Cisco HX Data Platform > Cluster_Name
> Summary > .
3. If the HyperFlex cluster has SED drives and is encryption capable, Data At Rest Encryption-Capable
is listed at the top of the Summary tab.
Verify Using the HX Connect User Interface

1. From the HX Connect UI, select Encryption.
2. If the HX cluster has SED drives and is encryption capable, Data At Rest Encryption-Available is listed
on the Encryption page.
Configuring Local Encryption Key
Step 1 On the Cisco HyperFlex Connect Navigation Pane, choose Encryption.

Step 2 On the Encryption Page, click Configure encryption.
Step 3 Enter the following Cisco UCS Manager credentials.

UCS Manager host name field Cisco UCS Manager cluster host name.
Enter an IP address or FQDN.
<eng-fi12.eng.storvisor.com>
User name field <admin> username
Password field <admin> password
Click Next.
Step 4 To secure the HyperFlex cluster using an encryption key generated and stored locally, select Local Key.
Click Next.
Step 5 Enter the encryption key (passphrase) for this cluster.

Note Enter exactly 32 alphanumeric characters.
Step 6 Click Enable Encryption.
Modifying Local Encryption Key

Step 2 On the Encryption Page, click Re-key.

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Managing Encryption
Disabling Local Encryption Key

UCS Manager host name field For example, 10.193.211.120.
User name field <admin> username.
Password field <admin> password.
Click Next.
Step 4 Enter the Existing Encryption Key and the New Encryption Key for the cluster.
Note Enter exactly 32 alphanumeric characters.
Step 5 Click Re-key.
Disabling Local Encryption Key

Step 2 On the Encryption Page, from the Edit configuration drop-down menu, choose Disable encryption.

Click Next.
Step 4 To disable the encryption key on the cluster, enter the encryption key in use for the cluster.
Step 5 Click Disable encryption.
Step 6 To confirm disabling the encryption key on the cluster, in the Disable encryption? dialog box, click Yes, disable
encryption.
Secure Erase an Encrypted Disk
Step 1 On the Cisco HyperFlex Connect Navigation Pane, choose System Information.
Step 2 From the Disks tab, select the disk from which you want to securely erase the local key.
Step 3 Click the Secure erase button.

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Managing Encryption
Remote Key Management
Step 4 To securely erase the encrypted disk on the cluster, enter the encryption key in use on the cluster.
Step 5 Click Secure erase.
Step 6 In the Erase this disk? dialog box, click Yes, erase this disk to securely erase the encrypted disk.
Remote Key Management

The generic steps for remote KMIP certificate handling are as follows:
• If you are self-signing, specify local certificate authority in the configuration and get a root certificate.
• If you are using a trusted third-party CA, then specify that in the configuration and use their root certificate.
• Enter the root certificate in the HX encryption field that asks for the cluster key.
• Create an SSL server certificate and generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
• Sign the CSR with whatever root certificate you are using.
• Update the KMIP server settings to use the client certificate.
• With the SSL certs and root CAs available, proceed with the KMIP service configuration specific to the
vendor you have chosen.
SafeNet Key Management

For details on managing encryption keys using a SafeNet key management server, see the SafeNet Admin
Guide.
Vormetric Key Management
For details on managing encryption keys using a vormetric key management server, see the Vormetric support
portal documentation downloads section.
Configuring Remote Encryption Key
Step 1 On the Cisco HyperFlex Connect navigation Pane, choose Encryption.


Password field <root> password
Click Next.

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Managing Encryption
Generating Certificate Signing Requests
Step 4 To secure the HyperFlex cluster using a remote security key generated by the key management (KMIP) server, select
Key Management Server.
You can configure a server with Self-Encrypting Drives in the cluster to use one of the following certificates.
• Use certificate authority signed certificates—Generate Certificate Signing Requests (CSRs) signed by an external
certificate authority.
• Use self-signed certificates—Generate self-signed certificates.
Click Next.
Step 5
What to do next
You can generate certificate signing requests or self-signed certificates.
Generating Certificate Signing Requests


Click Next.
Step 4 Select Key Management Server > Use certificate authority signed certificates.
Click Next.
Step 5 To generate the remote encryption key for configuring the key management (KMIP) server, complete the following
details.

Email address field <admin> email address.
Organization name field The organization requesting the certificate.

Enter up to 32 characters.

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Managing Encryption
Configuring a Key Management Server Using CSRs (Certificate Signing Requests)

Organization unit name field The organizational unit.
Locality field The city or town in which the company requesting the certificate is
headquartered.
State field The state or province in which the company requesting the certificate is
headquartered.
Country field The country in which the company resides.

Enter two alphabetic characters in uppercase.
Valid for (days) field The validity period of the certificate.
Step 6 To generate Certificate Signing Requests (CSRs) for all the HyperFlex nodes and download them, click Generate
certificates.
Step 7 Download the certificates to get them signed by a certificate authority. Click Close.
What to do next
1. Upload the signed certificates.
2. Configure KMIP server (key management server).
Configuring a Key Management Server Using CSRs (Certificate Signing

Requests)
Before you begin
Ensure that you have downloaded the generated CSRs on your local machine, signed it by a certificate authority
and uploaded through the Cisco HX Data Platform UI for configuring the KMIP (key management) server.

Step 2 On the Encryption Page, click Continue configuration.
Step 3 From the Continue configuration drop-down list, select Manage certificates to upload the CSRs.

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Managing Encryption
Generating Self-Signed Certificates

Click Next.
Step 5 Select Upload certificate authority signed certificates. Click Next.

Step 6 Upload the CA signed certificate under Upload new certificate. Click Upload.
Step 7 From the Continue configuration drop-down list select Configure key management server to configure the KMIP
server.
Step 8 Enter Cisco UCS Manager credentials to set up a primary key management server (KMIP) server and optionally a
secondary KMIP server.
Primary key management server Enter the primary Key Management Server IP address.
field
(Optional) Secondary key If you have a secondary key management server set up for redundancy, enter
management server field the details here.
Port number field Enter the port number you wish to use for the key management servers.
Public key field Enter the public root certificate of the certificate authority that you generated
during KMIP server configuration.
Step 9 Click Save to encrypt the cluster with remotely managed keys.
Generating Self-Signed Certificates



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Managing Encryption
Configuring a key management server using SSCs (Self-Signed Certificates)

Click Next.
Step 4 Select Key Management Server > Use self-signed certificates.

Click Next.
Step 5 To generate the remote encryption key for configuring the key management (KMIP) server, complete the following
details.

Email address field <admin> email address.
Organization name field The organization requesting the certificate.

Organization unit name field The organizational unit.

Locality field The city or town in which the company requesting the certificate is
headquartered.
State field The state or province in which the company requesting the certificate is
headquartered.
Country field The country in which the company resides.

Enter two alphabetic characters in uppercase.
Valid for (days) field The validity period of the certificate.
Step 6 To generate self-signed certificates for all the HyperFlex nodes and download them, click Generate certificates.
Step 7 Upload the signed certificates and configure KMIP server (key management server).
Configuring a key management server using SSCs (Self-Signed Certificates)

Before you begin
Ensure that you have downloaded the generated SSCs on your local machine to configure the KMIP (key
management) server.

Step 2 On the Encryption Page, click Edit configuration.

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Managing Encryption
Restart Encryption
Step 3 From the Edit configuration drop-down list, select Manage certificates.
Step 4 Enter the following Cisco UCS Manager credentials, to set up a primary key management (KMIP) server and optionally
a secondary KMIP server.

Click Next.
Step 5 Enter the primary and secondary key management (KMIP) server credentials.
Primary key management server Enter the primary Key Management Server IP address.
field
(Optional) Secondary key If you have a secondary key management server set up for redundancy, enter
management server field the details here.
Port number field Enter the port number you wish to use for the key management servers.
Public key field Enter the public root certificate of the certificate authority that you generated
during KMIP server configuration.
Step 6 Click Save to encrypt the cluster with remotely managed keys.
Restart Encryption
Enter Cisco UCS Manager credentials to restart configuring the key management server or local key, for securely encrypting
the HyperFlex cluster.


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Managing Encryption
HyperFlex Software Encryption

HyperFlex Software Encryption

Enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption Workflow
The following table summarizes the enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption workflow:
Step Description Reference
1. Download the HyperFlex Software Encryption package My Cisco Entitlements

from My Cisco Entitlements (MCE).
2. Log into the management CIP to install the package Run the command priv
on all the controller VMs in the cluster. install-package.
3. Install the encryption package. See Install HX Software Encryption

Package: Clusters with 13+ Nodes,
on page 95.
4. Follow the enable procedure on Intersight. Intersight HyperFlex Software

Encryption
5. Verify your cluster is encrypted. Run the command hxcli

encryption info.
Note If your cluster has VMware EVC enabled, make sure that the EVC baseline supports nodes with Advanced
Encryption Standards New Instructions (AES-NI). If your current EVC baseline does not support AES-NI,
change the EVC settings before enabling Software Encryption.
HyperFlex Software Encryption Guidelines and Limitations

Review these guidelines before enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption:
• HyperFlex Software Encryption can be enabled when all HyperFlex Cluster Nodes are running HXDP
Release 5.0(1b) and later.
• Support for HyperFlex Stretch Clusters with HyperFlex Software Encryption was introduced in HXDP
Release 5.0(2a).
• SED HyperFlex configurations are not supported with HyperFlex Software Encryption.
• HyperFlex Software Encryption is supported only with Vmware ESXi HyperFlex configurations.

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Managing Encryption
Install HX Software Encryption Package: Clusters with 1 - 12 Nodes
• AES-NI enablement is required to install HyperFlex Software Encryption packages on the HX Cluster.
• HyperFlex Software Encryption can not be enabled on existing Datastores.
• HyperFlex Software Encryption can only be enabled on newly created Datastores.
• Once HyperFlex Software Encryption is enabled for a cluster/datastore, it cannot be disabled for the
cluster or datastore.
• Once HyperFlex Software Encryption is enabled for a cluster, administrators can create either encrypted
or non-encrypted datastores.
Install HX Software Encryption Package: Clusters with 1 - 12 Nodes

Before you begin
Download the HyperFlex Software Encryption package from My Cisco Entitlements (MCE), see My Cisco
Entitlements.
Note The HyperFlex Software Encryption package is licensed by its own software PID, which is in addition to the
HyperFlex Data Platform and Intersight software licenses. For more information, refer to the Cisco HyperFlex
Systems Ordering and Licensing Guide.
Step 1 SFTP the encryption package to the HyperFlex cip node (the node holding the cluster management IP). Use the admin
account for the username/password and a file transfer application, such as winscp. This should upload the package
to the /tmp or /home/admin directory.
Step 2 To install the package on all available nodes of a cluster, SSH to the cip node and use the priv install-package --cluster
option.
Example:
priv install-package --cluster --path /tmp/storfs-se-core_<latest version>_x86_64.deb
Note Make sure that all nodes are up and not in maintenance mode when using the --cluster option to install the
encryption package.
What to do next
Go to Intersight HyperFlex Software Encryption to enable encryption on your cluster
Install HX Software Encryption Package: Clusters with 13+ Nodes

Before you begin
Download the HyperFlex Software Encryption package from My Cisco Entitlements (MCE), see My Cisco
Entitlements.

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Managing Encryption
Backup Encryption Key of HyperFlex Software Encryption
Note The HyperFlex Software Encryption package is licensed by its own software PID, which is in addition to the
HyperFlex Data Platform and Intersight software licenses. For more information, refer to the Cisco HyperFlex
Systems Ordering and Licensing Guide.
Step 1 SFTP the encryption package to each HyperFlex node. Use the admin account for the username/password and a
file transfer application, such as winscp. This should upload the package to the /tmp or /home/admin directory.
Step 2 For clusters with more than 12 nodes, SSH to each node and use the priv install-package --local option.
Example:
priv install-package --local --path /home/admin/<package-filename>
Note Do not shut down the cluster before proceeding to the next step, enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption.
If you shut down the cluster and restart it, you will need to re-install the encryption package.
What to do next
Go to Intersight HyperFlex Software Encryption to enable encryption on your cluster.
Backup Encryption Key of HyperFlex Software Encryption

Encryption keys are stored in multiple copies in a distributed fashion in the cluster. To safeguard against
catastrophic failures impacting the entire cluster, it is recommended to create an out-of-band backup of the
encryption key to protect against data loss.
Note It is recommended to backup DEK after HX Software Encryption is enabled and after every Rekey. A preivously
backed-up DEK cannot be restored after you perform a Rekey on your cluster.
To restore encrypted DEK configuration to the cluster when lost or corrupted from a previously saved back-up,
contact TAC.
Step 1 Run the hxcli encryption backup-keys -f <path to file name> command.
Note Filename path should start with /home/admin/.
Step 2 Enter a passphrase after prompted when the command is executed.

After all the password rules are passed the command completes successfully saving the file in encrypted format.
Note The passphrase should be a minimum of 8 characters in length and should contain at least 1 match of small
case characters, at least 1 match of upper case characters, at least 1 match of numerical, and at least 1 match
of special characters (one of !@#$%^&*()_+{}?).

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Secure Disk Erase for HyperFlex Software Encryption

A software-based disk erase utility that provides the option to do a basic (Mode '0') and standard (Mode
'1'/Mode '2') sanitization of the disk. The categorizations are primarily based on the areas of the disk that get
sanitized, number of overwrite cycles and patterns on the drive as part of data erasure.
Consider the followings before performing the secure erase operation:
• secure disk erase is destructive and irreversible and improper use can lead to data loss.
• secure disk erase utility by default checks whether the selected disk contains any last copy of data.
This check should not be bypassed.
• secure disk erase can be a time-consuming operation depending on the mode of sanitization and the
size of the drive.
• You can trigger the secure erase operation from admin mode.
• More than one disk can be sanitized in parallel.
Limitations:
• Boot Disk/Housekeeping disks are not allowed to be secure erased.
• Once a disk is secure erased, the disk can not be re-introduced in the same cluster.
• secure disk erase is not supported on SED drives.
• When secure disk erase is in-progress, you cannot perform erase on the same disk until it is completed.
Step 1 Run the secure_disk_erase command and specify the absolute path of the target disk.
Example:
-d DISK_PATH, --disk-path DISK_PATH
Step 2 Select from different modes of erase:

Example for basic (default) mode erase (i.e. mode '0'):
Example:
admin:~$ secure_disk_erase -d /dev/sdh -m 1
THIS UTILITY WILL IRRECOVERABLY ERASE DATA FROM DRIVE.PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
All data (including storfs) from the disk /dev/sdh will be destroyed, proceed [Y/N]:y
Successfully removed the disk from the system: '/dev/sdh'
Starting erase operation for disk '/dev/sdh'
SEAGATE ST1200MM0009 CN03 peripheral_type: disk [0x0]
<< supports protection information>>
Unit serial number: WFK25FY70000C917H4GQ
LU name: 5000c500a762ca2b
Successfully triggered secure erase operation for the disk: '/dev/sdh'

Please use following command to track the erase progress:
secure_disk_erase -d /dev/sdh --progress
Step 3 Check erase progress using the following command:

Example:

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Managing Encryption
admin:~$ secure_disk_erase -d /dev/sdh --progress

Fetching the secure erase progress:
Progress indication: 80.15% don
Step 4 After the erase process is completed, physically remove the erased drive from the node.

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CHAPTER 8
Managing Datastores
• Managing Datastores, on page 99
• Adding Datastores, on page 100
• Editing Datastores, on page 101
• Unmounting Datastores, on page 102
• Deleting Datastores, on page 102
• Encryption Support for Datastores, on page 103
• Recovering from Partially Unmounted Datastores, on page 104
Managing Datastores
Datastores are logical containers used by the HX Data Platform to manage your storage usage and storage
resources. Datastores are where the host places virtual disk files and other VM files. Datastores hide the
specifics of physical storage devices and provide a uniform model for storing VM files.
You can add, refresh the list, edit name and size, delete, mount and unmount datastores from either the HX
Connect UI or the HX Data Platform Plug-in UI. You can only rename an unpaired datastore that is unmounted.
Renaming the HX Datastore from the vCenter administration interface is not supported, and should not be
done.
Before starting, review the following support notes:

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Adding Datastores
Important • Do not rename an HX datastore from vCenter. The datastore names shown in HX Connect or Intersight
and in the ESXi host datastore (that appears in vCenter) must be identical including case sensitive. If
they are not identical, some operations such as expansion, mount/unmount of a datastore will be impacted.
• Enabling encryption on your cluster is only possible during the datastore creation procedure. Encryption
cannot be disabled for a datastore once enabled.
• HX Native Snapshots are not supported with multiple datastores.
• If using an M5/M6 node, you can use any left over space in the HyperFlex NFS or local Springpath
datastore for these purposes.
• When VMs have flat vmdk files, one with thin provisioned and one with thick provisioned, the total
combined storage usage of all flat VMDK files as reported by the vCenter/ESXi and HX Connect could
be higher than the Datastore usage itself reported by vCenter & HX Connect. This could be due to ESXi
and vCenter space reporting for each VM files ignoring the "uniqueBytes" attributes sent by underlying
NFS storage in Extended stats and attributes via VAAI APIs.
• For Vmware ESXi environments, ensure Storage I/O is disabled for all HyperFlex datastores in the
vCenter. This setting is on a per datastore setting, and enabling this can cause unexpected performance
impacts.
Step 1 Choose an interface.

• From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select vCenter Inventory Lists > Cisco HyperFlex Systems > Cisco
HX Data Platform > cluster > Manage > Datastores.
• From HX Connect, select Datastores.
Step 2 Create a new or select an existing datastore, to view options.

• Create a new datastore
• Refresh the datastore list
• Edit the datastore name and size
• Delete the datastore
• Mount the datastore on the host
• Unmount the datastore from the host
Adding Datastores
Datastores are logical containers, similar to file systems, that hide specifics of physical storage and provide
a uniform model for storing VM files. You can also use datastores to store ISO images and VM templates.

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Editing Datastores
Step 2 Select the create datastore.

Step 3 Enter a name for the datastore. vSphere Web Client enforces a 42 character limit for the datastore name. Assign each
datastore a unique name.
Step 4 Specify the datastore size. Choose GB or TB from the drop-down list.
Step 5 Specify the data blocksize. From HX Connect, choose 8K or 4K. Default is 8K. In the HX Data Platform Plug-in, the
default is assumed. For VDI workloads, default is 4k.
Step 6 To encrypt your datastore, click the Software Encryption check box.
For more information on enabling Software Encryption on your cluster, see Enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption
Workflow, on page 94.
Step 7 Click OK to accept your changes or Cancel to cancel all changes.

Step 8 Verify the datastore. Click the Refresh icon if needed to display your new datastore.
From HX Data Platform Plug-in, Click the Manage > Datastores > Hosts tab to see the mount status of the new datastore.
If you check the datastore through the vSphere Client application, host > Configuration> Datastores, the Drive Type
is listed as Unknown. This is expected vSphere behavior, to list NFS datastores as Unknown.
Editing Datastores
A HX Data Platform datastore can be modified using the edit (pencil) option. Edit options are: 1. Change the
datastore name, or 2. Change the datastore storage allocation. That is, the size of the datastore.
Note Starting with HX Release 5.0(2a), decreasing the size of an existing datastore is not supported. When you
attempt to reduce the size of a datastore in 5.0(2a) or later release, the following error appears: Reducing
datastore size is not allowed to prevent data loss. If the datastore is new, you can delete and recreate it with
the correct size.
Note Do not rename datastores with controller VMs.


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Unmounting Datastores
Step 2 Select a datastore.

Step 3 Unmount the datastore.
If you are only resizing the datastore, you do not need to unmount the datastore. Skip this step.
Step 4 Click the Edit (pencil icon) datastore.

Step 5 Change the datastore name and/or size, as needed. Click OK.
Step 6 Remount the datastore, if you previously unmounted it.
Unmounting Datastores
Prepare to unmount a datastore.
• No VM, template, snapshot, or CD/DVD image resides on the datastore. This is the most common error
while unmounting.
• Storage I/O Control is disabled for the datastore.
• The datastore is not used for vSphere HA heartbeat.
• The datastore is not used to host RDM metadata files. RDM is not supported.
• The datastore is not used as a scratch location.
Unmount a datastore.


Step 3 Click the Unmount.
Step 4 Confirm to unmount the datastore, click OK.
Step 5 If needed, recover from partial unmounts.
a) Go through the above checklist and unmount or delete through one of the UIs or CLI again.
b) Use the UI or CLI to re-mount the datastore.
For additional information on recovering from partial unmounts, see Recovering from Partially Unmounted Datastores,
on page 104.
Deleting Datastores
Prepare to delete the datastores.

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Encryption Support for Datastores
• Power off all VMs.

• Close all open shells on the datastore mount point.
• Disable HA on the datastore.
• Close all applications that use the datastore.
Delete datastores.


Step 3 Click Delete.
Step 4 Confirm to delete the datastore, click OK.
Encryption Support for Datastores

To enable remote plugin Enryption, perform the following steps. For more information on enabling Software
Encryption on your cluster, see Enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption Workflow.
Step 1 Select the cluster you want to encrypt.

Step 2 Click Datastore.
Step 3 Click the Create button. The Create New Datastore window appears.
a) Type the Datastore Name.
b) Type the Size, and select GB or TB.
c) Select the Block Size, Select 4K or 8K
d) Check the Software Encryption check box
Step 4 Click OK. A new Datastore is created and added to the Datastore table list.

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Recovering from Partially Unmounted Datastores
If the new Datastore does not appear in the list, click the Refresh arrow and recheck the list.
Recovering from Partially Unmounted Datastores

When mounting, unmounting, or deleting datastores, sometimes a datastore can become partially unmounted.
If this occurs, complete the following as needed.
Step 1 Depending upon the task you are attempting, complete the items in Prepare to mount a datastore, Prepare to unmount a
datastore, or Prepare to delete the datastores.
Step 2 Retry to mount, unmount, or delete the datastore through the HX Connect or HX Data Platform Plug-in UI or CLI again.
Step 3 If the datastore is not in the desire mount, unmount, or deleted state, complete the following.
a) Ensure VMs are not running on the datastore.
b) From ESX host, check to see if the HX Data Platform datastore is being used by VMware service, storageRM.
# ls -ltra /vmfs/volumes/stfs-ds1/ | grep -i iorm
Sample response
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 16511 Jan 20 20:05 .iormstats.sf

drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 1125 Jan 20 20:06 .iorm.sf
c) Check the storagerm status.

# /etc/init.d/storageRM status
Sample response
storageRM is running
d) Stop the storagerm service.

# /etc/init.d/storageRM stop
Sample response
watchdog-storageRM: Terminating watchdog process with PID 34096

storageRM stopped
e) Try to mount, unmount, or delete the datastore again.

f) This is one possible solution, if this doesn't resolve the issue, contact Technical Assistance Center (TAC).

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CHAPTER 9
Managing Disks
• Managing Disks in the Cluster, on page 105
• Disk Requirements, on page 106
• Replacing Self Encrypted Drives (SEDs), on page 108
• Replacing SSDs, on page 110
• Replacing NVMe SSDs, on page 111
• Replacing Housekeeping SSDs for Cisco HX Release 5.0(2b) and Later, on page 113
• Replacing or Adding Hard Disk Drives, on page 115
Managing Disks in the Cluster

Disks, SSDs or HDDs, might fail. If this occurs, you need to remove the failed disk and replace it. Follow the
server hardware instructions for removing and replacing the disks in the host. The HX Data Platform identifies
the SSD or HDD and incorporates it into the storage cluster.
To increase the datastore capacity of a storage cluster add the same size and type SSDs or HDDs to each
converged node in the storage cluster. For hybrid servers, add hard disk drives (HDDs). For all flash servers,
add SSDs.
Note When performing a hot-plug pull and replace on multiple drives from different vendors or of different types,
pause for a few moments (30 seconds) between each action. Pull, pause for about 30 seconds and replace a
drive, pause for 30 seconds. Then, pull, pause for 30 seconds and replace the next drive.
Sometimes, when a disk is removed it continues to be listed in cluster summary information. To refresh this,
restart the HX cluster.
Note Removing a functional drive from one HX cluster and installing it into another HX cluster is not supported.

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Disk Requirements
Disk Requirements
The disk requirements vary between converged nodes and compute-only nodes. To increase the available
CPU and memory capacity, you can expand the existing cluster with compute-only nodes as needed. These
compute-only nodes provide no increase to storage performance or storage capacity.
Alternatively, adding converged nodes increase storage performance and storage capacity alongside CPU and
memory resources.
Servers with only Solid-State Disks (SSDs) are All-Flash servers. Servers with both SSDs and Hard Disk
Drives (HDDs) are hybrid servers.
The following applies to all the disks in a HyperFlex cluster:
• All the disks in the storage cluster must have the same amount of storage capacity. All the nodes in the
storage cluster must have the same number of disks.
• All SSDs must support TRIM and have TRIM enabled.
• All HDDs can be either SATA or SAS type. All SAS disks in the storage cluster must be in a pass-through
mode.
• Disk partitions must be removed from SSDs and HDDs. Disks with partitions are ignored and not added
to your HX storage cluster.
• Moving operational disks between servers within same cluster or moving them into expansion nodes
within the same active cluster is not supported.
• Optionally, you can remove or backup existing data on disks. All existing data on a provided disk is
overwritten.
Note New factory servers are shipped with appropriate disk partition settings. Do not
remove disk partitions from new factory servers.
• Only the disks ordered directly from Cisco are supported.

• On servers with Self Encrypting Drives (SED), both the cache and persistent storage (capacity) drives
must be SED capable. These servers support Data at Rest Encryption (DARE).
• In the event you see an error about unsupported drives or catalog upgrade, see the Catalog Update.
In addition to the disks listed in the table below, all M5/M6 converged nodes have M.2 SATA SSD with ESXi
installed.

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Managing Disks
Disk Requirements
Note Do not mix storage disks type or storage size on a server or across the storage cluster. Mixing storage disk
types is not supported.
• When replacing cache or persistent disks, always use the same type and size as the original disk.
• Do not mix any of the persistent drives. Use all HDD or SSD and the same size drives in a server.
• Do not mix hybrid and All-Flash cache drive types. Use the hybrid cache device on hybrid servers and
All-Flash cache devices on All-Flash servers.
• Do not mix encrypted and non-encrypted drive types. Use SED hybrid or SED All-Flash drives. On SED
servers, both the cache and persistent drives must be SED type.
• All nodes must use same size and quantity of SSDs. Do not mix SSD types.
Please refer to the corresponding server model spec sheet for details of drives capacities and number of drives
supported on the different servers.
For information on compatible PIDs when performing an expansion of existing cluster, please refer to the
Cisco HyperFlex Drive Compatibility document.
Compute-Only Nodes
The following table lists the supported compute-only node configurations for compute-only functions. Storage
on compute-only nodes is not included in the cache or capacity of storage clusters.
Note When adding compute nodes to your HyperFlex cluster, the compute-only service profile template automatically
configures it for booting from an SD card. If you are using another form of boot media, update the local disk
configuration policy. See the Cisco UCS Manager Server Management Guide for server-related policies.

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Replacing Self Encrypted Drives (SEDs)
Supported Compute-Only Node Servers Supported Methods for Booting ESXi
• Cisco B200 M5/M6 Choose any method.

• C240 M5/M6 Important Ensure that only one form of boot media is exposed
to the server for ESXi installation. Post install, you
• C220 M5/M6 may add in additional local or remote disks.
• C480 M5 USB boot is not supported for HX Compute-only
nodes.
• B480 M5
• SD Cards in a mirrored configuration with ESXi installed.
• Local drive HDD or SSD.
• SAN boot.
• M.2 SATA SSD Drive.
Note HW RAID M.2 (UCS-M2-HWRAID and

HX-M2-HWRAID) is a supported boot
configuration starting with HX Data Platform
version 4.5(1a) and later.

Cisco HyperFlex Systems offers Data-At-Rest protection through Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) and Enterprise
Key Management Support.
• Servers that are data at rest capable refer to servers with self encrypting drives.
• All servers in an encrypted HX Cluster must be data at rest capable.
• Encryption is configured on a HX Cluster , after the cluster is created, using HX Connect .
• Servers with self encrypting drives can be either solid state drive (SSD) or hybrid.
Important To ensure the encrypted data remains secure, the data on the drive must be securely erased prior to removing
the SED.
Before you begin

Determine if the encryption is applied to the HX Cluster .
• Encryption not configured―No encryption related prerequisite steps are required to remove or replace
the SED. See Replacing SSDs, on page 110 or Replacing or Adding Hard Disk Drives, on page 115 and
the hardware guide for your server.
• Encryption is configured―Ensure the following:
1. If you are replacing the SED, obtain a Return to Manufacturer Authorization (RMA). Contact TAC.

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Managing Disks
2. If you are using a local key for encryption, locate the key. You will be prompted to provide it.
3. To prevent data loss, ensure the data on the disk is not the last primary copy of the data.
If needed, add disks to the servers on the cluster. Initiate or wait until a rebalance completes.
4. Complete the steps below before removing any SED.
Step 1 Ensure the HX Cluster is healthy.

Step 2 Log into HX Cluster .
Step 3 Select System Information > Disks page.
Step 4 Identify and verify the disk to remove.
a. Use the Turn On Locator LED button.
b. Physically view the disks on the server.
c. Use the Turn Off Locator LED button.
Step 5 Select the corresponding Slot row for the disk to be removed.
Step 6 Click Secure erase. This button is available only after a disk is selected.
Step 7 If you are using a local encryption key, enter the Encryption Key in the field and click Secure erase.
If you are using a remote encryption server, no action is needed.
Step 8 Confirm deleting the data on this disk, click Yes, erase this disk.
Warning This deletes all your data from the disk.
Step 9 Wait until the Status for the selected Disk Slot changes to Ok To Remove, then physically remove the disk as directed.
What to do next
Note Do not reuse a removed drive in a different server in this, or any other, HX Cluster . If you need to reuse the
removed drive, contact TAC.
1. After securely erasing the data on the SED, proceed to the disk replacing tasks appropriate to the disk
type: SSD or hybrid.
Check the Type column for the disk type.
• Solid State (SSDs)―See Replacing SSDs, on page 110 and the hardware guide for your server.
• Rotational (hybrid drives)―See Replacing or Adding Hard Disk Drives, on page 115 and the hardware
guide for your server.
2. Check the status of removed and replaced SEDs.

When the SED is removed:

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Replacing SSDs
• Status―Remains Ok To Remove.
• Encryption―Changes from Enabled to Unknown.
When the SED is replaced, the new SED is automatically consumed by the HX Cluster . If encryption is
not applied, the disk is listed the same as any other consumable disk. If encryption is applied, the security
key is applied to the new disk.
• Status―Transitions from Ignored > Claimed > Available.
• Encryption―Transitions from Disabled > Enabled after the encryption key is applied.
Replacing SSDs
The procedures for replacing an SSD vary depending upon the type of SSD. Identify the failed SSD and
perform the associated steps.
Note Mixing storage disks type or size on a server or across the storage cluster is not supported.
• Use all HDD, or all 3.8 TB SSD, or all 960 GB SSD
• Use the hybrid cache device on hybrid servers and all flash cache devices on all flash servers.
Step 1 Identify the failed SSD.

• For cache or persistent SSDs, perform a disk beacon check. See Setting a Beacon, on page 69.
Only cache and persistent SSDs respond to the beacon request. NVMe cache SSDs and housekeeping SSDs do not
respond to beacon requests.
• For cache NVMe SSDs, perform a physical check. These drives are in Drive Bay 1 of the HX servers.
• For housekeeping SSDs on HXAF240c or HX240c servers, perform a physical check at the back of the server.
• For housekeeping SSDs on HXAF220c or HX220c servers, perform a physical check at Drive Bay 2 of the server.
Step 2 If a failed SSD is a cache or persistent SSD, proceed based on the type of disk.
• For NVMe SSDs, see Replacing NVMe SSDs, on page 111.
• For all other SSDs, follow the instructions for removing and replacing a failed SSD in the host, per the server
hardware guide.
After the cache or persistent drive is replaced, the HX Data Platform identifies the SDD and updates the storage cluster.
When disks are added to a node, the disks are immediately available for HX consumption.
Step 3 To enable the Cisco UCS Manager to include new disks in the UCS Manager > Equipment > Server > Inventory >
Storage tab, re-acknowledge the server node. This applies to cache and persistent disks.

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Replacing NVMe SSDs
Note Re-acknowledging a server is disruptive. Place the server into HXDP Maintenance Mode before doing so.
Step 4 If you replaced an SSD, and see a message Disk successfully scheduled for repair, it means that the disk is present, but
is still not functioning properly. Check that the disk has been added correctly per the server hardware guide procedures.
Replacing NVMe SSDs

The procedures for replacing an SSD vary depending upon the type of SSD. This topic describes the steps for
replacing NVMe cache SSDs.
Note Mixing storage disk types or size on a server or across the storage cluster is not supported.
When replacing NVMe disks, always use the same type and size as the original disk.
Before you begin

Ensure the following conditions are met when using NVMe SSDs in HX Cluster servers.
• NVMe SSDs are supported in HX240 and HX220 All-Flash and All-NVMe servers.
• Hot Swap NVME Drives in M5 and M6 Servers is supported in HX Release 4.5(1a) and later.
• Replacing NVMe SSDs with an HGST SN200 disk requires HX Data Platform Release 2.5(1a) or later.
• For All-Flash nodes, NVMe SSDs are only allowed in slot 1 of the server. Other server slots do not detect
NVMe SSDs.
• For All-Flash nodes, NVMe SSDs are only used for cache.
Note You can not use NVMe SSDs as the capacity or housekeeping drive(s) in All-Flash
nodes.
• For M5 servers: If you are replacing an NVMe cache drive with a non-NVMe drive (or vice versa, if you
are replacing a non-NVMe cache drive with an NVMe drive), you must replace the cable with a different
SAS cable (for example, UCSC-RNVME-240M5 = HXAF240c M5 Rear NVMe cable (1) or
UCSC-RSAS-C240M5 = C240 Rear UCSC-RAID-M5 SAS cbl(1)). This is required to ensure that the
drive is discovered properly.
Note For M6 servers: you cannot replace an NVMe cache drive with a non-NVMe
cache drive, due to the placement of the slots which are in the front.
Step 1 Confirm the failed disk is an NVMe cache SSD.

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Hot Swap NVME Drives in M5 and M6 Servers
Perform a physical check. NVMe cache SSDs and housekeeping SSDs do not respond to beacon requests.
If the failed SSD is not an NVMe SSD, see the Replacing SSD section of this guide.
Step 2 Put ESXi host into HXDP Maintenance Mode.

a) Log into HX Connect.
b) Select System Information > Nodes > node > Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Step 3 Follow the instructions for removing and replacing a failed SSD in the host, per the server hardware guide.
Note When you remove an HGST NVMe disk, the controller VM will fail until you reinsert a disk of the same
type into the same slot or reboot the host.
After the cache or persistent drive is replaced, the HX Data Platform identifies the SDD and updates the storage cluster.
When disks are added to a node, the disks are immediately available for HX consumption.
Step 4 Reboot the ESXi host. This enables ESXi to discover the NVMe SSD.
Step 5 Exit ESXi host from HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Step 6 To enable the Cisco UCS Manager to include new disks in the UCS Manager > Equipment > Server > Inventory >
Storage tab, re-acknowledge the server node. This applies to cache and persistent disks.
Step 7 If you replaced an SSD, and see a message Disk successfully scheduled for repair, it means that the disk is present, but
is still not functioning properly. Check that the disk has been added correctly per the server hardware guide procedures.
Hot Swap NVME Drives in M5 and M6 Servers

Beginning with Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(1a), M5 and M6 servers with the VMD Enable bios option being
active may hotswap NVME drives in new installs, and upgrades which have a combined HX+ UCS upgrade
performed. VMD enabled is set in the bios which allows NVME drives to be hot swappable without requiring
HXDP Maintenance Mode or a reboot of ESXi.
To verify that VMD is enabled:
Before you begin

Ensure the Replacing NVMe SSDs, on page 111 conditions are met when using NVMe SSDs in HX Cluster
servers.
Step 1 In the Navigation pane, click Servers

Step 2 Go to Policies > Root > BIOS Polices
Step 3 Expand root > Sub-Organizations > your org
Step 4 Select hx-bios-af (for M5) or hx-bios-m6-af (for m6)
Step 5 Click on info
Step 6 The BIOS Policy window apppears. Select Advanced tab > LOM > PCIe Slots
Step 7 Scroll down to see the VMD Enable settings and verify it is set to Enabled.

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Replacing Housekeeping SSDs for Cisco HX Release 5.0(2b) and Later
Replacing Housekeeping SSDs for Cisco HX Release 5.0(2b)

and Later
Note This procedure applies to HXAF220c M5, HX220c M5, HXAF240c M5, HX240c M5, servers only.
Identify the failed housekeeping SSD and perform the associated steps.
Step 1 Identify the failed housekeeping SSD.

Physically check the SSD drives, as housekeeping drives are not listed through a beacon check.
Step 2 Remove the SSD and replace with a new SSD of the same supported kind and size. Follow the steps in the server
hardware guide.
The server hardware guide describes the physical steps required to replace the SSD.
Note Before performing the hardware steps, enter the node into HXDP Maintenance Mode. After performing
the hardware steps, exit the node from HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Step 3 Using SSH, log into the storage controller VM of the cip node (any other working node) and run the following command
to create bootdev partitions.
priv createBootdevPartitions --target 10.20.24.69
Sample response
hxshell:~$ priv createBootdevPartitions --target 10.20.24.69
Enter the root password:
create Bootdev Partitions initiated on 10.20.24.69
Note The target should be the storage controller VM IP of the affected node.
This command reboots the affected node.
Step 4 Wait for the storage controller VM to automatically reboot.

Step 5 When the storage controller VM completes its reboot, verify that partitions are created on the newly added SSD. Run
the command.
# df -ah
Sample response
...........
/dev/sdb1 63G 324M 60G 1%
/var/stv /dev/sdb2 24G 173M 23G 1% /var/zookeeper
Step 6 Identify the HX Data Platform installer package version installed on the existing storage cluster.
# hxcli cluster version
The same version must be installed on all the storage cluster nodes. Run this command on the controller VM of any
node in the storage cluster, but not the node with the new SSD.

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Replacing Housekeeping SSDs for Cisco HX Release 5.0(2b) and Later
Step 7 SFTP the HX Data Platform installer packages into the storage controller VM of the affected node using the admin
account for user name/password and a file transfer application, such as winscp. This should upload the package to
the /tmp directory. Untar the package after copying it to the /tmp directory.
# tar -zxvf storfs-packages-<version>.tgz
Step 8 Using SSH, log into the storage controller VM of the cip node (any other working) node and run the following command:
priv housekeeping-preinstall --target 10.20.24.69
Sample response:
hxshell:~$ priv housekeeping-preinstall --target 10.20.24.69
Enter root password :
Copied secure files
Note This step copies the secure files of /etc/springpath/secure/* folder from another working controller
machine into the affected node.
Step 9 Run the following command on the storage controller VM of the cip node (any other working node) to install the HX
Data Platform installer packages.
Priv housekeeping-inst-packages –target 10.20.24.69
Sample response:
hxshell:~$ priv housekeeping-inst-packages –target 10.20.24.69
Installed packages successfully
The package installation takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 10 Enter the following command on the storage controller VM of the cip node (any other working node) to perform the
post-install tasks..
priv housekeeping-postinstall --target 10.20.24.69
Sample response:
hxshell:~$ priv housekeeping-postinstall --target 10.20.24.69
Successfully done post install tasks
Successfully installed SE core package on 10.20.24.69 (optional only when Software Encryption
is enabled on the cluster
For post-installation tasks, take the following steps:

a) Install the SE core package (optional if SE is enabled on the cluster).
b) Reboot the CVM.
This step reboots the affected node. Wait for the storage controller VM to automatically reboot.
Step 11 To confirm that the cip-monitor and stofs are in running status, run the priv service cip-monitor status and the
priv service storfs status commands.
Example:
hxshell:~$ priv service cip-monitor status
cip-monitor start/running, process 18251

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Managing Disks
Replacing or Adding Hard Disk Drives
hxshell:~$ priv service storfs status

storfs start/running, process 22057
Note Mixing storage disks type or size on a server or across the storage cluster is not supported.
• Use all HDD, or all 3.8 TB SSD, or all 960 GB SSD
• Use the hybrid cache device on hybrid servers and all flash cache devices on all flash servers.
Step 1 Refer to the hardware guide for your server and follow the directions for adding or replacing disks.
Step 2 Add HDDs of the same size to each node in the storage cluster.
Step 3 Add the HDDs to each node within a reasonable amount of time.
The storage starts being consumed by storage cluster immediately.
The vCenter Event log displays messages reflecting the changes to the nodes.
Note When disks are added to a node, the disks are immediately available for HX consumption although they will
not be seen in the UCSM server node inventory. This includes cache and persistent disks. To include the
disks in theEquipment > Manager > UCS > Equipment > Server > Inventory > Storage tab,
re-acknowledge the server node.

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Managing Disks

116
CHAPTER 10
Managing Nodes
• Managing Nodes, on page 117
• Identify Node Maintenance Methods, on page 119
• Searching by DNS Address or Host Name, on page 121
• Changing ESXi Host Root Password, on page 122
• Reinstalling Node Software, on page 122
• Changing Node Identification Form in vCenter Cluster from IP to FQDN, on page 123
• Replacing Node Components, on page 124
• Removing a Node, on page 126
Managing Nodes
Nodes are initially added to a storage cluster using the Create Cluster feature of the HX Data Platform Installer.
Nodes are added to an existing storage cluster using the Expand Cluster feature of the HX Data Platform
Installer. When nodes are added or removed from the storage cluster, the HX Data Platform adjusts the storage
cluster status accordingly.
• Tasks for node maintenance with a failed node.
• The ESXi or HX software needs to be reinstalled.
• A node component needs to be replaced.
• The node needs to be replaced.
• The node needs to be removed.
• Tasks for node maintenance with a non-failed node.

• Putting the node into maintenance mode.
• Changing the ESX password.

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Managing Nodes
Managing Nodes
Note Though there are subtle differences, the terms server, host, and node are used interchangeably throughout
the HyperFlex documentation. Generally a server is a physical unit that runs software dedicated to a specific
purpose. A node is a server within a larger group, typically a software cluster or a rack of servers. Cisco
hardware documentation tends to use the term node. A host is a server that is running the virtualization and/or
HyperFlex storage software, as it is 'host' to virtual machines. VMware documentation tends to use the term
host.
Step 1 Monitor the nodes in the cluster.

HX storage cluster, node, and node component status is monitored and reported to HX Connect, HX Data Platform
Plug-in, vCenter UI, and assorted logs as Operational status (online, offline) and Resiliency (healthy, warning) status
values.
Note Functional state distinctions contribute to, but are separate from, the storage cluster operational and resiliency
status reported in the HX Connect and HX Data Platform Plug-in views. For each Data Replication Factor
(2 or 3), Cluster Access Policy (lenient or strict), and given number of nodes in the storage cluster, the storage
cluster shifts between Read and Write, Read Only, or Shutdown state, depending on the number of failed
nodes or failed disks in nodes.
Note A replication factor of three is highly recommended for all environments except HyperFlex Edge. A replication
factor of two has a lower level of availability and resiliency and should not be used in a production
environment. The risk of outage due to component or node failures should be mitigated by having active and
regular backups.
Step 2 Analyze the node failure and determine the action to take.
This frequently requires monitoring the node state through HX Connect, HX Data Platform Plug-in, vCenter, or ESXi;
checking the server beacons; and collecting and analyzing logs.
Step 3 Complete the identified tasks.

• Reinstall or upgrade software.
For steps to reinstall ESXi or the HX Data Platform see Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for VMware
ESXi. For steps to upgrade software, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade Guide.
• Repair a component in the node.
Node components, such as solid state drives (SSD), hard disk drives (HDD), power supply units (PSU), and network
interface cards (NIC) components are not configurable through HX Connect or HX Data Platform Plug-in, but the
HX Data Platform monitors them and adjusts the storage cluster status when any of these items are disrupted, added,
removed, or replaced.
The steps to add or remove disks, depends upon the type of disk. Field replaceable units (FRUs), such as PSUs and
NICs are replaced following steps described in the server hardware guides.
• Replace a node in the cluster.
Replacing a node in a storage cluster typically requires TAC assistance. Provided the requirements are met, nodes
can be replaced without TAC assistance while the storage cluster is online (5+ node clusters only) or offline (4+
node clusters).
• Remove a node from the cluster.

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Managing Nodes
Identify Node Maintenance Methods
Note Removing the node must not reduce the number of available nodes below the minimum 3 nodes, as this
makes the storage cluster unhealthy. To remove a node in a 3 node cluster always requires TAC assistance.
You can remove a maximum of 2 nodes from an offline cluster.

When performing maintenance tasks on nodes, some of these tasks are performed while the storage cluster
is offline, others can be performed while the cluster is online and only require that the node is in HXDP
Maintenance Mode.
• Online tasks - require that the storage cluster is healthy before the task begins.
• Offline tasks - require that the storage cluster will be shutdown.
If 2 or more nodes are down, then the storage cluster is automatically offline.
• TAC assisted tasks - typically require steps that are performed by the TAC representative.
The following tables lists the methods available to perform the associated node maintenance task.
Repair Node Software

ESX and HX Data Platform software is installed on every node in the storage cluster. If it is determined after
node failure analysis that either software item needs to be re-installed, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems
Installation Guide for VMware ESXi. For steps to upgrade software, see the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Upgrade
Guide.
Repair Node Hardware

A reparable item on node fails. This includes FRUs and disks. Some node components require TAC assistance.
Replacing a node's mother board, for example, requires TAC assistance.
No. Nodes in No. Failed Nodes Method Notes

Cluster in Cluster
3 1 or more TAC assisted only node Node does not need to be removed to
repair. perform repair. Includes replacing disks
on node.
4-8 1 Online or Offline node repair. Node does not need to be removed to
perform repair. Includes replacing disks
on node.
Remove Node
A non-reparable item on node fails. Disks on the removed node are not reused in the storage cluster.

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Managing Nodes

Cluster in Cluster
4 1 Offline node remove. A 4 node cluster with 2 nodes down,

requires TAC assistance.
5 or more 1 Online or Offline node

remove.
5 or more 2 Offline 2 node remove. A 5 node cluster with 3 nodes down,

Replace Node and Discard Storage

A non-reparable item on node fails. Disks on the removed node are not reused in the storage cluster.

Cluster in Cluster
3 1 TAC assisted only node TAC assisted node replacement required

replace. to return cluster to minimum 3 nodes.
A 3 node cluster with 1 node down,
4 1 Offline replace node. Use Expand cluster to add new nodes.

All other nodes must be up and running.
Not reusing the disks.
A 4 node cluster with 2 nodes down,
5 or more 1 Online or offline replace node. Use Expand cluster to add new nodes.
5 or more 2 Offline replace 1 or 2 nodes. Use Expand cluster to add new nodes.
Replacing up to 2 nodes is supported.
Replacing 3 or more nodes requires TAC
assistance.
Replace Node and Reuse Storage

A non-reparable item on node fails. Disks on the removed node are reused in the storage cluster.

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Managing Nodes
Searching by DNS Address or Host Name

Cluster in Cluster
3 or more 1 or more TAC assisted only. TAC assisted node replacement required
to return cluster to minimum 3 nodes.
Note Reusing disks requires
assigning old node UUID to
new node. Disks UUIDs to
node UUID relationship is
fixed and cannot be
reassigned. This is a TAC
assisted task.
Searching by DNS Address or Host Name

Sometimes for troubleshooting purposes it is useful to be able to search by the DNS server address or DNS
server host name. This is an optional task.
Step 1 Assign DNS search addresses

a) Log into the HX Data Platform Installer virtual machine. Use either ssh or the vSphere console interface.
b) Edit resolv.conf.d file.
# vi /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base
c) Confirm the change.

# resolvconf -u
# cat /etc/resolv.conf
d) Confirm the DNS server can be queried from either the IP address or the host name.
# nslookup ip_address
# nslookup newhostname
Step 2 Assign a DNS host name.

a) Log into the HX Data Platform Installer virtual machine. Use either ssh or the vSphere console interface.
b) Open the hosts file for editing.
# vi /etc/hosts
c) Add the following line and save the file.

ip_address ubuntu newhostname
For each host ip_address, enter the host newhostname.

a) Add the newhostname to hostname.
# hostname newhostname

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Managing Nodes
Changing ESXi Host Root Password
Changing ESXi Host Root Password

You can change the default ESXi password for the following scenarios:
• During creation of a standard and stretch cluster (supports only converged nodes)
• During expansion of a standard cluster (supports both converged or compute node expansion)
• During Edge cluster creation
Note In the above cases, the ESXi root password is secured as soon as installation is complete. In the event a
subsequent password change is required, the procedure outlined below may be used after installation to
manually change the root password.
As the ESXi comes up with the factory default password, you should change the password for security reasons.
To change the default ESXi root password post-installation, do the following.
Note If you have forgotten the ESXi root password, for password recovery please contact Cisco TAC.
Step 1 Log into the ESXi host service control using SSH.
Step 2 Acquire root privileges.
su -
Step 3 Enter the current root password.

Step 4 Change the root password.
passwd root
Step 5 Enter the new password, and press Enter. Enter the password a second time for confirmation.
Note If the password entered the second time does not match, you must start over.
Reinstalling Node Software

To re-install software on a node that is a member of an existing storage cluster, contact TAC. This task must
be performed with TAC assistance.
Step 1 Reinstall ESX following the directions from TAC.

Ensure the server meets the required hardware and configuration listed in Host ESX Server Setting Requirements. HX
configuration settings are applied during the HX Data Platform process.

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Managing Nodes
Changing Node Identification Form in vCenter Cluster from IP to FQDN
Step 2 Reinstall HX Data Platform, following the directions from TAC.

The HX Data Platform must always be re-installed after ESX is re-installed.
Changing Node Identification Form in vCenter Cluster from IP

to FQDN
This task describes how to change how vCenter identifies the nodes in the cluster, from IP address to Fully
Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).
Step 1 Schedule a maintenance window to perform this task.

Step 2 Ensure the storage cluster is healthy.
Check the storage cluster status through either HX Connect, HX Data Platform Plug-in, or from the stcli cluster
info command on the storage controller VM.
Step 3 Lookup the FQDN for each ESXi host in the storage cluster.
a) From the ESXi host command line.
# cat /etc/hosts
In this example, the FQDN is sjs-hx-3-esxi-01.sjs.local.

# Do not remove the following line, or various programs
# that require network functionality will fail.
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost
::1 localhost.localdomain localhost
172.16.67.157 sjs-hx-3-esxi-01.sjs.local sjs-hx-3-esxi-01
b) Repeat for each ESXi host in the storage cluster.

Step 4 Verify the FQDNs for each ESXi host are resolvable from vCenter, each other ESXi host, and the controller VMs.
a) From the vCenter command line.
# nslookup <fqdn_esx_host1>
...
b) Repeat for each ESXi host from an ESXi host.

c) Repeat for each ESXi host from each controller VM.
Step 5 If the FQDN name is not resolvable, then verify the DNS configuration on each ESXi host and each controller VM.
a) Check that the controller VMs have the correct IP address for the DNS server.
From a controller VM command line.
# stcli services dns show
10.192.0.31
a) Check the ESXi hosts have the same DNS configuration as the controller VMs.
From vCenter, select each ESXi host then Configuration > DNS Servers.

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Managing Nodes
Replacing Node Components
Step 6 Locate and note the Datacenter Name and the Cluster Name.
From vCenter client or web client, scroll through to see the Datacenter Name and Cluster Name. Write them down.
They will be used in a later step.
Step 7 Delete the cluster from vCenter.

From vCenter, select datacenter > cluster. Right-click the cluster and select Delete.
Note Do not delete the datacenter.
Step 8 Recreate the cluster in vCenter.

a) From vCenter, right-click the datacenter. Select New Cluster.
b) Enter the exact same name for the Cluster Name as the cluster you deleted. This is the name you wrote down from
Step 6.
Step 9 Add ESXi hosts (nodes) to the cluster using the FQDN name. Perform these steps for all ESXi hosts.
a) From vCenter, right-click the datacenter > cluster. Select Add Host.
b) Select an ESXi host using their FQDN.
c) Repeat for each ESXi host in the cluster.
Step 10 Reregister the cluster with vCenter.
# # stcli cluster reregister
--vcenter-datacenter <datacenter_name>
--vcenter-cluster <hx_cluster_name>
--vcenter-url <FQDN_name>
--vcenter-user <vCenter_username>
--vcenter-password <vCenter_Password>
The SSO URL is not required for HX version 1.8.1c or later. See Registering a Storage Cluster with a New vCenter
Cluster, on page 54 for additional information on reregistering a cluster.
Step 11 Enable VMware cluster HA and DRS using the post install script:
a) Log into the HX cluster IP as admin and run the command # hx_post_install .
b) Select Option 1 - "New/Existing Cluster" and input all login credentials
c) Type "y" if you want to enter a new license key
d) Type "y" to enable HA and DRS in the cluster
e) Select 'n' for all other options and exit the script.

Selected components on a node can be replaced. Some components can be replaced while the node is up and
running. Replacing some components requires that the node be placed into a maintenance mode and shutdown.
Refer to the hardware installation guide for your specific server for a complete list of field replaceable units
(FRUs). Some components cannot be replaced or can only be replaced with TAC assistance. The following
is a general list of components than can be replaced in a node.

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Managing Nodes
Note When disks are removed, the disk UUIDs continue to be listed, even when not physically present. To reuse
disks on another node in the same cluster see TAC for assistance.
• Components that do not require the node be shutdown. These are hot-swappable.
• HDD data drives. Front bays
See Managing Disks for the storage cluster tasks and the hardware installation guides for the hardware
focused tasks. Both sets of tasks are required to replace this component.
• SSD cache drive. Front bay 1
See Managing Disks for the storage cluster tasks and the hardware installation guides for the hardware
focused tasks. Both sets of tasks are required to replace this component.
• Fan Modules
See the hardware installation guides to replace this component.
• Power Supplies
See the hardware installation guides to replace this component.
• Components that do required the node be put into maintenance mode and shutdown.
For all of the following components, see the hardware installation guides.
• Housekeeping SSD
Both the storage cluster tasks, and hardware focused tasks are required to replace this component.
• RTC Battery on motherboard
Note The motherboard itself is not a replaceable component. You must purchase a
battery from your local hardware store and replace it.
• DIMMS
• CPUs and Heatsinks
• Internal SD Card
• Internal USB Port
• Modular HBA Riser (HX 220c servers)
• Modular HBA Card
• PCIe Riser Assembly
• PCIe Card
• Trusted Platform Module
• mLOM Card

125
Managing Nodes
Removing a Node
• RAID Controller
• Virtual Interface Card (VIC)
• Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)
Removing a Node
Removing a node is supported on the following cluster types:
Table 4: Cluster Types that Support Node Removal
Cluster Type Converged Compute
Standard Yes Yes
Stretch No Yes
Edge Yes (see Note)

Note Removing a node (compute or converged) is supported
only on a Edge clusters with more than 3 nodes. For Edge
clusters with 4 nodes, you will need to follow the offline
node removal process. For Edge clusters with 5 or more
nodes, the online and offline node removal process is
supported. The online node removal method is however
recommended.
Depending upon the number of nodes in a cluster, you can remove a node when the cluster is either online or
you need to make the cluster offline. Before you do so, you must first ensure that you have completed the
required preparation steps.
The affecting context is based on the number of converged nodes. The number of compute nodes does not
affect the process to remove a node.
You can only remove 1 converged node at any time.
For clusters with 4 converged nodes, follow the offline node removal process. For clusters with 5 converged
nodes or more, follow the online node removal process.
Note Removing a converged node from a 3-node cluster is not supported
Note If you remove a node when the cluster is offline, you cannot add the node back to the cluster.
Prior to removing a node or nodes for HyperFlex clusters with Logical Availability Zones (LAZ) configured,
LAZ must be disabled.
If LAZ is utilized in the HyperFlex cluster, then the number of remaining nodes must be in a balanced
configuration that supports LAZ per the LAZ Guidelines and Considerations prior to reenabling LAZ.

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Managing Nodes
Preparing to Remove a Node

Before you remove a node from a storage cluster, complete the following steps.
Step 1 Ensure the cluster is healthy.

Example response that indicates the storage cluster is online and heathy:
locale: English (United States)
state: online
upgradeState: ok
healthState: healthy
state: online
state: online
Step 2 Ensure that SSH is enabled in ESX on all the nodes in the storage cluster.
Step 3 Ensure that the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) is enabled.
DRS migrates only powered-on VMs. If your network has powered-off VMs, you must manually migrate them to a node
in the storage cluster that will not be removed.
Note If DRS is not available then manually move the Virtual Machines from the node.
Step 4 Make a note of zkEnsemble. It contains the data IP of controller VMs (CVM).
Example:
admin:~$ cat /etc/springpath/storfs.cfg | grep -i ense
crmZKEnsemble=10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.40:2181,
10.104.18.41:2181
If the node which was removed was ucs-308 whose CVM data IP is 10.104.18.40, then that CVMs data IP should no
longer appear after you run the above command after the node removal.
Step 5 Put the node to be removed into Maintenance mode. Choose a method: vSphere GUI, controller VM command line (CLI)
or HyperFlex Connect System Information panel:
GUI
a) Right-click each host, scroll down the list, and select Maintenance Mode > Enter Maintenance Mode.
The vSphere Maintenance Mode option is at the top of the host right-click menu. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of
the list to select Maintenance Mode.
b) In HX Connect, from the MANAGE > System Information panel's Node tab, select the node, and then click on
the button to Enter HXDP Maintenance Mode.
CLI
a) Log in to a controller VM as an admin user.
b) Run stcli cluster info and look for stNodes: section
stNodes:
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 689324b2-b30c-c440-a08e-5b37c7e0eefe
name: ucs-305

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Managing Nodes
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 9314ac70-77aa-4345-8f35-7854f71a0d0c
name: ucs-306
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 9e6ba2e3-4bb6-214c-8723-019fa483a308
name: ucs-307
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 575ace48-1513-0b4f-bfe1-e6abd5ff6895
name: ucs-308
---------------------------------------
type: node
id: 875ebe8-1617-0d4c-afe1-c6aed4ff6732
name: ucs-309
Under the stNodes section, the id is listed for each node in the cluster. Find the node id or name you need to remove.
c) Move the ESX host into Maintenance mode.
# stcli node maintenanceMode (--id ID | --ip NAME) --mode enter
(see also stcli node maintenanceMode --help)
For example, to remove node ucs-308:

Example:
stcli node maintenanceMode –id 575ace48-1513-0b4f-bfe1-e6abd5ff6895
or
stcli node maintenanceMode –ip 10.104.18.40
Step 6 Wait for 2 hours, monitor healing info in stcli cluster storage-summary. You should wait until you see "Storage cluster
is healthy." as shows in the following example:
Example:
admin:$ stcli cluster storage-summary | grep -i heali -A 8
healingInfo:
inProgress: False
resiliencyInfo:
messages:
----------------------------------------
Storage node 10.104.18.40 is unavailable.
----------------------------------------
Storage cluster is healthy.
----------------------------------------
Before the healing starts you will see following:
admin:$ date; stcli cluster storage-summary | grep -i heali -A 8

Thu Sep 30 12:33:57 PDT 2021
healingInfo:
inProgress: False
resiliencyInfo:
messages:
----------------------------------------
Storage cluster is unhealthy .
----------------------------------------
Storage node 10.104.18.40 is unavailable .
----------------------------------------
After 2 hours + you will see following:
admin:$ stcli cluster storage-summary | grep -i heali -A 8

healingInfo:

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Managing Nodes
Removing a Node from an Online Storage Cluster
messages:
Space rebalanc ing in progress, 83 % completed.
inProgress: True
percentComplete: 83
estimatedCompletionTimeInSeconds: 211
resiliencyInfo:
messages:
What to do next
Proceed to Removing a Node. Choose the Online or Offline method based on the number of nodes in your
storage cluster.

Use the stcli node remove to clean up a deployment or remove a node from a storage cluster.
Note You can remove multiple nodes in a series, as long it is done one at a time and when the cluster is healthy
between each successive node removal. You must also have followed the steps required to prepare to remove
a node. For more information, see Preparing to Remove a Node, on page 127.
Note Prior to removing a node or nodes for HyperFlex clusters with Logical Availability Zones (LAZ) configured,
LAZ must be disabled.
If LAZ is utilized in the HyperFlex cluster, then the number of remaining nodes must be in a balanced
configuration that supports LAZ per the LAZ Guidelines and Considerations prior to reenabling LAZ.
Note Do not remove the controller VM or other HX Data Platform components before you complete the steps in
this task.
Step 1 Run the stcli cluster info command and look for stNodes: section to find the node which needs to be removed.. This
information is also available when you put the node in maintenance mode.
Example:
----------------------------------------
stNodes:
type: node
id: 689324b2-b30c-c440-a08e-5b37c7e0eefe
name: ucs305
type: node
id: 9314ac70-77aa-4345-8f35-7854f71a0d0c
name: ucs306
type: node
id: 9e6ba2e3-4bb6-214c-8723-019fa483a308

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Managing Nodes
name: ucs307
type: node
id: 575ace48-1513-0b4f-bfe1-e6abd5ff6895
name: ucs308
type: node
id: 875ebe8-1617-0d4c-af
name: ucs 309
The stcli node remove command to remove nodes from the 5-node cluster are:
• stcli node remove –-ip-1 ucs 308 or
• stcli node remove –-id-1 575ace48-1513-0b4f-bfe1-e6abd5ff6895
After the stcli node remove command completes successfully, the system rebalances the storage cluster until the storage
cluster state is Healthy. Do not perform any failure tests during this time. The storage cluster remains healthy.
Because the node is no longer in the storage cluster, you do not need to exit HXDP Maintenance Mode.
Note It is highly recommended that you work with TAC when removing a converged node in a storage cluster.
Do not reuse a removed converged node or its disks in the original cluster.
Note If you want to reuse a removed node in another storage cluster, contact Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
Additional steps are required to prepare the node for another storage cluster.
Step 2 Confirm that the node is removed from the storage cluster.
a) Check the storage cluster information.
b) Check the ActiveNodes entry in the response to verify the cluster has one less node.
c) Check that the node which was removed is not part of Ensemble. For example:
Example:
crmZKEnsemble=10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.40:2181,
10.104.18.41:2181
For example, if the node which was removed was ucs-308 whose CVM data IP is 10.104.18.40, then that CVMs data
IP should no longer appear after you run the above command after the node removal as seen above.
.
If there are more than 5 nodes and the removed node was part of ensemble, then the new node ip appears in the
crmZKEnsemble. For example, if the cluster initially has 7 nodes (10.104.18.37 to 10.104.18.43), and crmZKEnsemble
has 10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.40:2181, 10.104.18.41:2181, then after
removal of 10.104.18.40, crmZKEnsemble has either:
10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.42:2181, 10.104.18.41:2181, or:
10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.43:2181, 10.104.18.41:2181
Step 3 Verify that disks from the removed node no longer appear by running the hxcli disk list command:
admin:~$ hxcli disk list --no-loader
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
| NODE NAME | HYPERVSIOR STATUS | SLOT | CAPACITY | STATUS | TYPE | USAGE |
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
| ucs305 | ONLINE | 1 | 111.8 GB | Claimed | Solidstate | System |

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Removing a Node from an Offline Storage Cluster
| ucs305 | ONLINE | 2 | 894.3 GB | Claimed | Solidstate | Caching |

| ucs305 | ONLINE | 3 | 1.1 TB | Ignored | Rotational | Persistence |
| ucs305 | ONLINE |8|0B| Unknown | | |
| ucs306 | ONLINE | 3 | 1.1 TB | Claimed | Rotational | Persistence |
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
For example, if you removed ucs-308, then its disks no longer appear.
Step 4 Remove the host from the vCenter Hosts and Cluster view.
a) Log in to vSphere Web Client Navigator. Navigate to Host in the vSphere Inventory.
b) Right-click on the host and select All vCenter Actions > Remove from Inventory. Click Yes.
Step 5 Confirm that all the node-associated datastores are removed. For example, run the following command in ESXi:
[root@ucs308:~] esxcfg-nas -l
ds4 is 169.254.226.1:ds4 from 6894152532647392862-8789011882433394379 mounted available
Note If any node-associated datastores are listed, then unmount and delete those datastores manually.

Use the stcli node remove to clean up a deployment or remove a node from a storage cluster.
Note It is highly recommended that you work with TAC when removing a converged node in a storage cluster.

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Managing Nodes
Note Do not remove the controller VM or other HX Data Platform components before you complete the steps in
this task.
Step 1 Follow the process to prepare for removing a node. For more information, see Preparing to Remove a Node, on page 127.
Step 2 (For 4-node clusters only) Prepare to shutdown, then shutdown the storage cluster.
a) Gracefully shutdown all resident VMs on all the HX datastores.
Optionally, vMotion the VMs.
b) Gracefully shutdown all VMs on non-HX datastores on HX storage cluster nodes, and unmount.
c) From any controller VM command line, issue the hxcli cluster shutdown command.
# hxcli cluster shutdown
Step 3 Run the stcli cluster info command and look for stNodes: section to find the node which needs to be removed.. This
information is also available when you put the node in maintenance mode.
Example:
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 569c03dc-9af3-c646-8ac5-34b1f7e04b5c
name: example1
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: 0e0701a2-2452-8242-b6d4-bce8d29f8f17
name: example2
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: a2b43640-cf94-b042-a091-341358fdd3f4
name: example3
----------------------------------------
type: node
id: d2d43691-daf5-50c4-d096-941358fede374
name: example5
Step 4 Remove the desired node using the stcli node remove command.
For example:
To remove 1 node
• stcli node remove –ip-1 example5 or
• stcli node remove –id-1 d2d43691-daf5-50c4-d096-941358fede374
Response:
Successfully removed node: EntityRef(type=3, id='', name='10.10.2.4')
This command unmounts all datastores, removes from the cluster ensemble, resets the EAM for this node, stops all
services (stores, cluster management IP), and removes all firewall rules.
This command does not remove the node from vCenter. The node remains in vCenter. This command also does not
remove the installed HX Data Platform elements, such as the controller VM.
Due to the node no longer being in the storage cluster, you do not need to exit HXDP Maintenance Mode.

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Managing Nodes
Note If you want to reuse a removed node in another storage cluster, contact Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
Additional steps are required to prepare the node for another storage cluster.
Step 5 Restart the cluster.

# hxcli cluster start
Step 6 Confirm that the node is removed from the storage cluster once the cluster is up.
a) Check the storage cluster information.
b) Check the ActiveNodes entry in the response to verify the cluster has one less node.
c) Check that the node which was removed is not part of Ensemble.
Example:
crmZKEnsemble=10.104.18.37:2181,10.104.18.38:2181,10.104.18.39:2181, 10.104.18.40:2181,
10.104.18.41:2181
For example, if you removed 10.104.18.40, note that it no longer appears.
Step 7 Verify that disks from the removed node no longer appear by running the hxcli disk list command:
admin:~$ hxcli disk list --no-loader
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
| NODE NAME | HYPERVSIOR STATUS | SLOT | CAPACITY | STATUS | TYPE | USAGE |
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
| ucs305 | ONLINE | 8 | 0 B | Unknown | | |
+-----------+-------------------+------+----------+---------+------------+-------------+
For example, if you removed ucs-308, then its disks no longer appear.
Step 8 Remove the host from the vCenter Hosts and Cluster view.
a) Log in to vSphere Web Client Navigator. Navigate to Host in the vSphere Inventory.
b) Right-click on the host and select All vCenter Actions > Remove from Inventory. Click Yes.
Step 9 Confirm that all the node-associated datastores are removed. For example, run the following command in ESXi:

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Removing a Compute Node
[root@ucs308:~] esxcfg-nas -l
Note If any node-associated datastores are listed, then unmount and delete those datastores manually.
Removing a Compute Node
Step 1 Migrate all the VMs from a compute node that needs to be removed.
Step 2 Unmount the datastore from the compute node.
Step 3 Check if the cluster is in the healthy state, by running the following command:
stcli cluster info --summary
Step 4 Put ESXi host in the HXDP Maintenance Mode.

Step 5 Remove the compute node using the stcli node remove command, from CMIP (use the Cisco HX connect IP address
as it is the cluster IP address).
stcli node remove --id-1
Or
stcli node remove --ip-1
Where, IP is the IP address of the node to be removed.
Step 6 Remove any DVS from the ESXi host in vCenter, if there is a DVS.
Step 7 Remove the ESXi host from vCenter.
Step 8 Check if the cluster is in the healthy state, by running the following command:
stcli cluster info --summary
Step 9 If compute node virtnode entry still exists in stcli cluster info output, perform the following:
Restart the stMgr management service using priv service stMgr restart on the SCVMs.
Step 10 Clear stale entries in the compute node by logging out of Cisco HX Connect and then logging into Cisco HX Connect.
Step 11 Disable and re-enable the High Availability (HA) and Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) services to reconfigure
the services after node removal.
Reuse a Previously Removed Node Within the Same Cluster

To reuse a node within the same cluster that was previously removed, perform the following steps:

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Managing Nodes
Before you begin

• Nodes must be removed on a cluster running HXDP 4.5(2b) or later in order to be reused in the same
cluster.
• The HX Node must be removed only while the cluster is online. If the node is removed while the cluster
is offline, then the node may not be re-used within the same cluster.
• The HX Node removal must be performed with the hxcli node command listed within the administration
guide. If the node is not properly removed from the cluster then it may not be reused within the same
cluster.
• For a 4 node cluster, use Removing a Node from an Offline Storage Cluster, on page 131 only. Node
reuse is not supported for 4 node clusters.
Step 1 Remove the ESXi host from the vCenter Cluster inventory.
Step 2 Re-install ESXi with the same version that matches the rest of the HX Cluster.
Step 3 Delete only the UCS Service Profile from UCS Manager that was previously associated with this removed node.
Step 4 Use the HX Installer of the same version and run an Expansion Workflow.
Note Be sure to check the Clear Disk Partitions box during the expansion workflow.

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Managing Nodes

136
CHAPTER 11
Expand Cisco HyperFlex System Clusters
• Cluster Expansion Guidelines, on page 137
• Prerequisites When Expanding M5/M6 Clusters, on page 138
• Mixed Cluster Expansion Guidelines - Cisco HX Release 5.5(x) , on page 139
• Steps During Mixed Cluster Expansion, on page 139
• Prerequisites for Adding a Converged Node, on page 140
• Preparing a Converged Node, on page 141
• Adding a Converged Node to an Existing Cluster, on page 141
• Prerequisites for Adding a Compute-Only Node, on page 145
• Preparing a Compute-Only Node, on page 147
• Adding a Compute-Only Node to an Existing Cluster, on page 149
• Resolving Failure of Cluster Expansion, on page 153
• Logical Availability Zones, on page 154
Cluster Expansion Guidelines

Please review these guidelines before expanding your cluster.
Note If you have LAZ configured (enabled by default for clusters of size 8 or more), please review Logical
Availability Zones, on page 154 prior to moving ahead with expansion.
• If you have replication configured, put replication in pause mode before performing upgrade, expansion
or cluster maintenance. After the upgrade, expansion or cluster maintenance is completed, then resume
replication. Perform the pause and resume on any cluster that has replication configured to or from this
local cluster.
• If you are using RESTful APIs to perform cluster expansion, sometimes the task may take longer than
expected.
• ESXi installation is supported on M.2 SATA SSD for M5/M6 converged nodes. For compute-only nodes,
ESXi installation is supported for SAN boot, front SSD/HDD, or single M.2 SSD (using UCS-MSTOR-M2
controller). Installing ESXi on USB Flash is not supported for compute-only nodes.
HW RAID M.2 (UCS-M2-HWRAID and HX-M2-HWRAID) is a supported boot configuration starting
with HX Data Platform release 4.5(1a) and later.

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ESXi Installation Guidelines
• You must click on the discovered cluster to proceed with expanding a standard ESX cluster. Not doing
so results in errors.
• Use only Admin credentials for the Controller VM during expansion workflow. Using any other credentials
other than Admin may cause the expansion to fail.
• In the event you see an error about unsupported drives or catalog upgrade, see the Compatibility Catalog.
• Starting with HX Release 5.0(1b) and later, you can expand ESXi based 10/25 GbE HyperFlex Edge
clusters with 2 nodes via Intersight.
Please refer to the Intersight documentation for all requirements: Cluster Expansion Requirements.
• Starting with HX Release 5.0(2b) you can not add new nodes with 375G WL cache drives to an existing
cluster with nodes that have 1.6TB cache drives.
• Moving operational disks between servers within same cluster or moving them into expansion nodes
within the same active cluster is not supported.
ESXi Installation Guidelines

1. Modify boot policy for compute node.
To modify the template and boot policy for HyperFlex Stretched Cluster compute only node on M5/M6
server:
a. Clone the template.
b. Uncheck the Flex flash from local boot policy, if the compute M5/M6 node does not have flash cards.
c. Add the SAN boot with proper WWPN to the boot order.
2. Start the DPI expansion workflow.

3. When prompted, install ESXi using an ISO image.
4. Return to the DPI expansion workflow and complete the ESXi installation workflow.
Note If the Hypervisor configuration fails with the SOL logging failure message, access the installer CLI through
SSH with root and default password and configure the ESXi hypervisor. Then, run the advanced installer and
check the HX Storage Software and Expand Cluster check boxes to proceed with the ESXi installation
process.
Prerequisites When Expanding M5/M6 Clusters

Prior to beginning cluster expansion in M5/M6 clusters, perform the following tasks:
• Hypercheck Health Check Utility— Cisco recommends running this proactive health check utility on
your HyperFlex cluster prior to upgrade. These checks provide early visibility into any areas that may
need attention and will help ensure a seamless upgrade experience. For more information, see the Hyperflex
Health & Pre-Upgrade Check Tool TechNote for full instructions on how to install and run Hypercheck.

138
Mixed Cluster Expansion Guidelines - Cisco HX Release 5.5(x)
• Upgrade the HX cluster and UCS Manager to the appropriate recommended release for your deployment.
For more information, see the Cisco HyperFlex Recommended Software Release and Requirements
Guide.
• Download and deploy the matching HX Data Platform Installer (release should be same as cluster) release
to run the expansion workflow.
Mixed Cluster Expansion Guidelines - Cisco HX Release 5.5(x)

General Guidelines:
• HX240c M6 is not able to use the additional slots if combined in a cluster with M5 nodes.
• All servers must match the form factor (220/240), type (Hybrid/AF/NVME), security capability (Non-SED
only) and disk configuration (QTY, capacity, and non-SED) across the cluster.
Mixed Cluster Expansion Options: Supported

• Expanding existing M5 clusters with M6 converged nodes is supported.
• Expanding existing mixed M5/M6 cluster with M5 or M6 converged nodes is supported.
• Only expansion workflow is supported to create a mixed cluster (Initial cluster creation with mixed
M5/M6 servers is not supported).
• Adding any supported compute-only nodes is permitted with all M5, M6 and mixed M5/M6 clusters
using the HX Data Platform 5.0 or later Installer. Some example combinations are listed here, many
other combinations are possible.
Mixed Cluster Expansion Options: Not Supported

• Expanding existing M6 cluster with M5 converged nodes is NOT supported.
• Mixing Intel and AMD M6 is not supported.
• HX Edge does not support mixed M5 and M6 clusters.
• Initial cluster creation with mixed M5/M6 servers is not supported.
Steps During Mixed Cluster Expansion

• During the validation steps, before expansion begins, an EVC check is performed. Follow the displayed
guidance to manually enable EVC mode on the existing cluster at this time.
Caution Failure to enable EVC at the time of the warning will require a complete shutdown
of the storage cluster and all associated VMs at a later point in time. Do not skip
this warning.

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Prerequisites for Adding a Converged Node
• Perform the EVC mode configuration in vCenter and then retry the validation.
• Cluster expansion will then validate a second time and then continue with the expansion.
Prerequisites for Adding a Converged Node

A converged node can be added to a HyperFlex cluster after cluster creation. The storage on a converged node
is automatically added to the cluster's storage capacity.
Before you start adding a converged node to an existing storage cluster, make sure that the following
prerequisites are met.
• Ensure that the storage cluster state is healthy.
• Ensure that the new node meets the system requirements listed under Installation
Prerequisites, including network and disk requirements.
• Ensure that the new node uses the same configuration as the other nodes in the storage cluster. This
includes VLAN IDs and switch types (whether vSwitches), VLAN tagging with External Switch VLAN
Tagging (EST), VLAN tagging with Virtual Switch Tagging (VST), or Virtual Distributed Switch.
Note If the storage cluster is in an out of space condition, when you add a new node,
the system automatically rebalances the storage cluster. This is in addition to the
rebalancing that is performed every 24 hours.
• Ensure that the node you add is of the same model (HX220 or HX240) type (Hybrid, All Flash or NVME),
and disk configuration (SED or non-SED). In addition, ensure that the number of capacity disks matches
the existing cluster nodes.
• To add a node that has a different CPU family from what is already in use in the HyperFlex cluster,
enable EVC. For more details, see the Setting up Clusters with Mixed CPUs section in the Cisco HyperFlex
Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi.
• Ensure that the software version on the node matches the Cisco HX Data Platform release, the ESXi
version, and the vCenter version. To identify the software version, go to the Storage Cluster Summary
tab in vCenter and check the HX Data Platform release in the top section. Upgrade if necessary.
Note If you upgraded the cluster, you must download and install a new installer VM,
that matches the current release of HXDP running on the cluster.
• Ensure that the new node has at least one valid DNS and NTP server configured.
• If you are using SSO or Auto Support, ensure that the node is configured for SSO and SMTP services.
• Allow ICMP for ping between the HX Data Platform Installer and the existing cluster management IP
address.

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Preparing a Converged Node
Preparing a Converged Node

Step 1 Connect the converged node to the hardware and the network of the existing storage cluster.
Step 2 Ensure that the HX node is a node prepared at factory.
Note Do not reuse a removed converged node or its disks in the original cluster.
Adding a Converged Node to an Existing Cluster
Note If you are using RESTful APIs to perform cluster expansion, the task may take longer than expected.
Step 1 Launch the Cisco HX Data Platform Installer.

a) In your web browser, enter the IP address or the node name for the HX Data Platform Installer VM. Click Accept
or Continue to bypass any SSL certificate errors. The Cisco HX Data Platform Installer login page appears. Verify
the HX Data Platform Installer Build ID in the lower right corner of the login screen.
b) In the login page, enter the following credentials:
Username: root
Password (Default): Cisco123
Note Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot
c) Read the EULA, check the I accept the terms and conditions checkbox, and click Login.
Step 2 On the Workflow page, select Cluster Expansion.
Step 3 On the Credentials page, complete the following fields.
To perform cluster creation, you can import a JSON configuration file with the required configuration data. The following
two steps are optional if importing a JSON file, otherwise you can input data into the required fields manually.
Note For a first-time installation, contact your Cisco representative to procure the factory preinstallation JSON
file.
a. Click Select a file and choose your JSON file to load the configuration. Select Use Configuration.
b. An Overwrite Imported Values dialog box displays if your imported values for Cisco UCS Manager
are different. Select Use Discovered Values.
Field Description
UCS Manager Credentials

141
Field Description
UCS Manager Host Name UCS Manager FQDN or IP address.

For example, 10.193.211.120.
User Name <admin> username.
Password <admin> password.
vCenter Credentials
vCenter Server vCenter server FQDN or IP address.

For example, 10.193.211.120.
Note • A vCenter server is required before the cluster can be made
operational.
• The vCenter address and credentials must have root level
administrator permissions to the vCenter.
• vCenter server input is optional if you are building a nested
vCenter. See the Nested vCenter TechNote for more details.

For example, [email protected].
Admin Password <root> password.
Hypervisor Credentials
Admin User Name <admin> username.

This is root for factory nodes.

Default password is Cisco123 for factory nodes.
Note Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be
changed during installation. You cannot continue installation
unless you specify a new user supplied password.
Step 4 Click Continue. A Cluster Expand Configuration page is displayed. Select the HX Cluster that you want to expand.
If the HX cluster to be expanded is not found, or if loading the cluster takes time, enter the IP of the Cluster Management
Address in the Management IP Address field.
Step 5 The Server Selection page displays a list of unassociated HX servers under the Unassociated tab, and the list of
discovered servers under the Associated tab. Select the servers under the Unassociated tab to include in the HyperFlex
cluster.
If HX servers do not appear in this list, check Cisco UCS Manager and ensure that they have been discovered.
For each server you can use the Actions drop-down list to set the following:

142
• Launch KVM Console—Choose this option to launch the KVM Console directly from the HX Data Platform
Installer.
• Disassociate Server—Choose this option to remove a service profile from that server.
Note If there are no unassociated servers, the following error message is displayed:
No unassociated servers found. Please login to UCS Manager and ensure server ports are
enabled.
The Configure Server Ports button allows you to discover any new HX nodes. Typically, the server ports are configured
in Cisco UCS Manager before you start the configuration.
Step 6 Click Continue. The UCSM Configuration page appears.

Note If you imported a JSON file at the beginning, the Credentials page should be populated with the required
configuration data from the preexisting HX cluster. This information must match your existing cluster
configuration.
Step 7 Click Continue. The Hypervisor Configuration page appears. Complete the following fields:
Attention You can skip the completion of the fields described in this step in case of a reinstall, and if ESXi networking
has been completed.
Field Description
Configure Common Hypervisor Settings
Subnet Mask Set the subnet mask to the appropriate level to limit and control IP addresses.
For example, 255.255.0.0.
Gateway IP address of gateway.

DNS Server(s) IP address for the DNS Server.

If you do not have a DNS server, do not enter a hostname in any of the fields
on the Cluster Configuration page of the HX Data Platform installer. Use
only static IP addresses and hostnames for all ESXi hosts.
Note If you are providing more than one DNS server, check carefully
to ensure that both DNS servers are correctly entered, separated
by a comma.
Hypervisor Settings
Ensure to select Make IP Addresses and Hostnames Sequential, to make the IP addresses sequential.
Note You can rearrange the servers using drag and drop.
Name Server name.
Serial Serial number of the server.
Static IP Address Input static IP addresses and hostnames for all ESXi hosts.

143
Field Description
Hostname Do not leave the hostname fields empty.
Step 8 Click Continue. The IP Addresses page appears. You can add more compute or converged servers, by clicking Add
Compute Server or Add Converged Server.
Ensure to select Make IP Addresses Sequential, to make the IP addresses sequential. For the IP addresses, specify if
the network should belong to Data Network or Management Network.
For each HX node, complete the following fields for Hypervisor Management and Data IP addresses.
Field Description
Management Hypervisor Enter the static IP address that handles the Hypervisor management network
connection between the ESXi host and the storage cluster.
Management Storage Controller Enter the static IP address that handles the HX Data Platform storage controller
VM management network connection between the storage controller VM and
Data Hypervisor Enter the static IP address that handles the Hypervisor data network connection
between the ESXi host and the storage cluster.
Data Storage Controller Enter the static IP address that handles the HX Data Platform storage controller
VM data network connection between the storage controller VM and the
storage cluster.
When you enter IP addresses in the first row for Hypervisor (Management), Storage Controller VM (Management),
Hypervisor (Data), and Storage Controller VM (Data) columns, the HX Data Platform Installer applies an incremental
auto-fill to the node information for the rest of the nodes. The minimum number of nodes in the storage cluster is
three. If you have more nodes, use the Add button to provide the address information.
Note Compute-only nodes can be added only after the storage cluster is created.
Advanced Configuration
Jumbo frames Check to set the MTU size for the storage data network on the host vSwitches
and vNICs, and each storage controller VM.
Enable Jumbo Frames checkbox
The default value is 9000.
Note To set your MTU size to a value other than 9000, contact Cisco
TAC.
Disk Partitions Check to remove all existing data and partitions from all nodes added to the
storage cluster. You must backup any data that should be retained.
Clean up Disk Partitions checkbox
Important Do not select this option for factory prepared systems. The disk
partitions on factory prepared systems are properly configured.
For manually prepared servers, select this option to delete existing
data and partitions.
Step 9 Click Start. A Progress page displays the progress of various configuration tasks.

144
Prerequisites for Adding a Compute-Only Node
Note If the vCenter cluster has EVC enabled, the deploy process fails with a message: The host needs
to be manually added to vCenter. To successfully perform the deploy action, do the following:
• Log into the ESXi host to be added in vSphere Client.
• Power off the controller VM.
• Add the host to the vCenter cluster in vSphere Client.
• In the HX Data Platform Installer, click Retry Deploy.
Step 10 When cluster expansion is complete, click Launch HyperFlex Connect to start managing your storage cluster.
Note When you add a node to an existing storage cluster, the cluster continues to have the same HA resiliency
as the original storage cluster until auto-rebalancing takes place at the scheduled time.
Rebalancing is typically scheduled during a 24-hour period, either 2 hours after a node fails or if the storage
cluster is out of space.
Step 11 Create the required VM Network port groups and vMotion vmkernel interfaces using HyperFlex hx_post_install
script or manually to match the other nodes in the cluster.
a) SSH to HyperFlex cluster management IP.
b) Log in as the admin user.
c) Run the hx_post_install command.
d) Follow the on-screen instructions, starting with vMotion and VM network creation. The other configuration steps
are optional.
Step 12 After the new nodes are added to the storage cluster the High Availability (HA) services are reset so that HA can
recognize the added nodes.
a) Log into vCenter.
b) In the vSphere Web Client, navigate to the Host: Home > vCenter > Inventory Lists > Hosts and Clusters >
vCenter > Server > Datacenter > Cluster > Host
c) Select the new node.
d) Right-click and select Reconfigure for vSphere HA.

You can add a compute-only node to a HyperFlex cluster after cluster creation. It is added to provide extra
compute resources. The Cisco UCS server does not need to have any caching or persistent drives as they do
not contribute any storage capacity to the cluster.
Before you start adding a compute-only node, make sure that the following prerequisites are met.
• Ensure that the storage cluster state is healthy.
• Ensure that the new node meets the compute-only system requirements listed in Installation Prerequisites,
including network and disk requirements.
• Install ESXi hypervisor after service profile association.

145
• Ensure that the new node uses the same configuration as the other nodes in the storage cluster. This
includes VLAN IDs and switch types (whether vSwitches), VLAN tagging with External Switch VLAN
Tagging (EST), VLAN tagging with Virtual Switch Tagging (VST), or Virtual Distributed Switch.
• Enable EVC if the new node to be added has a different CPU family than what is already used in the HX
cluster. For more details, see the Setting up Clusters with Mixed CPUs section in the Cisco HyperFlex
Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi.
• Ensure that the software release on the node matches the Cisco HX Data Platform release, the ESXi
release and the vCenter release. To identify the software release, go to the Storage Cluster Summary
tab in vCenter and check the HX Data Platform version in the top section. Upgrade if necessary.
• Ensure that the new node has at least one valid DNS and NTP server configured.
• If you are using SSO or Auto Support, ensure that the node is configured for SSO and SMTP services.
• Compute-only nodes are deployed with automatic detection and configuration of disk and boot policies
based on the boot hardware.
Starting with HX Data Platform release 4.5(1a) and later, compute-only nodes are deployed with automatic
detection and configuration of disk and boot policies based on the inventoried boot hardware. Users
cannot directly select the UCSM policies. Instead, the boot device is automatically determined based on
the first acceptable boot media discovered in the server. The tables below show the priority order for
M5/M6 generation servers. Reading from top to bottom, the first entry that is a match based on the
inventoried hardware are selected automatically during cluster expansion. For example, when expanding
with a B200 compute node with a single M.2 boot SSD, the second rule in the table below is a match
and used for SPT association.
If the server is booted using a mechanism not listed (such a SAN boot), the catch-all policy of anyld is
selected and administrators may subsequently modify the UCSM policies and profiles as needed to boot
the server.
Table 5: Priority for M6
Priority for M6
Priority SPT Name Boot Device Number of disks
1 compute-nodes-m6-m2r1 M6 - M.2 - 2 Disks 2
2 compute-nodes-m6-m2sd M6 - M.2 - 1 Disk 1
3 compute-nodes-m6-ldr1 MegaRAID Controller 2
4 compute-nodes-m6-anyld M6 - Generic Any
Table 6: Priority for M5
Priority for M5
Priority SPT Name Boot Device Number of disks
1 compute-nodes-m5-m2r1 M.2 Raid 2
2 compute-nodes-m5-m2pch PCH/Non-RAID M.2 1

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Preparing a Compute-Only Node
Priority for M5
3 compute-nodes-m5-sd FlexFlash 2
4 compute-nodes-m5-ldr1 MegaRAID 2
5 compute-nodes-m5-sd FlexFlash 1
6 compute-nodes-m5-anyld Any other config Any
Preparing a Compute-Only Node

Step 1 Ensure that the server is a supported HX server and meets the requirements. For more details, see the Host Requirements
section in the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi.
Step 2 Log into Cisco UCS Manager.
a) Open a browser and enter the Cisco UCS Manager address for the fabric interconnect of the storage cluster network.
b) Click the Launch UCS Manager button.
c) If prompted, download, install, and accept Java.
d) Log in with administrator credentials.
Username: admin
Password: <admin password>
Step 3 Locate the server to ensure that the server has been added to the same FI domain as the storage cluster and is an approved
compute-only model. Check the latest Release Notes for Cisco HX Data Platform for a full list of compatible Compute-only
nodes.
Verify the HX Data Platform Installer
Step 1 Verify that the HX Data Platform installer is installed on a node that can communicate with all the nodes in the storage
cluster and compute nodes that are being added to the storage cluster.
Step 2 If the HX Data Platform installer is not installed, see Deploy the HX Data Platform Installer.
Apply an HX Profile on a Compute-only Node Using UCS Manager

In Cisco UCS ManagerCisco UCS Manager the network policies are grouped into an HX profile. The HX
installer handles automatic service profile association for compute-only nodes. Manual association is not
required.

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Install VMware ESXi on Compute Nodes
Once install beings, you should monitor compute-only node service profile association in UCS Manager. Wait until the
server is fully associated before continuing on to install ESXi.
Install VMware ESXi on Compute Nodes
Important Install VMware ESXi on each compute-only node.

Install a Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform supported release of ESXi. See the Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform
Release Notes for a list of supported ESXi versions.
If the compute only node already has ESXi installed, it must be re-imaged with the Cisco HX Custom image.
Before you begin

Ensure the required hardware and network settings are met. For more details, see the Installation Prerequisites
section in the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi. Ensure the service profiles in
the previous step have finished associating.
Step 1 Download the HX Custom Image for ESXi from the Cisco.com download site for Cisco HyperFlex. See Download
Software.
Select a networked location that can be accessed through Cisco UCS Manager.
Step 2 Log into Cisco UCS Manager.

Step 3 Log into the KVM console of the server through Cisco UCS Manager.
a) In the Navigation Pane, click Servers > Service Profiles > Sub-Organizations > hx-cluster.
b) Right click the hx-cluster and choose KVM Console.
Step 4 Copy the HX-Vmware.iso image to the KVM path for the compute server.
Example:
HX-ESXi-7.0U3-20328353-Cisco-Custom-7.3.0.10-install-only.iso
Step 5 From the KVM console session, select Virtual Media > Map CD/DVD and mount the HX Custom Image for ESXi
image. If you do not see the Map CD/DVD option, first activate virtual devices.
a) Select Virtual Media > Activate Virtual Devices.
This opens in a pop-up window.
b) Click Accept the session > Apply.
Step 6 From the Map CD/DVD option, map to the location of the HX-Vmware.iso file.
a) Select the HX-Vmware.iso file.
b) Select Map Device.
There is a check mark indicating that the file is on a mapped location, once the process is complete. The mapped
file's full name includes the ESXi build ID.

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Adding a Compute-Only Node to an Existing Cluster
Step 7 Reset the compute server.

a) Click the Reset button on the KVM console. Click OK to confirm.
b) Select Power Cycle. Click OK.
Step 8 Change the boot path to point to the HX-Vmware.iso file.
a) Press F6.
b) From the Enter boot selection menu, use the arrow keys to highlight the Cisco vKVM-Mapped vDVD1.22 option.
c) Press Enter to select.
This launches the ESXi installer bootloader. Select one of the three compute-only node options based on desired
boot type: SD Card, Local Disk, or Remote Disk. Type in yes (all lowercase) to confirm selection. The rest of the
installation is automated. ESXi will reboot several times. It is normal to see warnings that automatically dismiss
after a short wait period. Wait for the ESXi DCUI to fully appear, signaling the end of installation.
Step 9 Repeat steps 3 to 8 for each Cisco HyperFlex server.

Step 10 Once ESXi is fully installed, click continue. Then click Retry Hypervisor Configuration to complete the rest of the
cluster expansion.

To add a HyperFlex compute-only node to an existing HyperFlex system cluster, complete the following
steps.
Note If you are using RESTful APIs to perform cluster expansion, sometimes the task may take longer than expected.
Note After you add a compute-only node to an existing cluster, you must manually configure the vmk2 interface
for vmotion.
Step 1 Launch the Cisco HX Data Platform Installer.

a) In your web browser, enter the IP address or the node name for the HX Data Platform Installer VM. Click Accept
or Continue to bypass any SSL certificate errors. The Cisco HX Data Platform Installer login page appears. Verify
the HX Data Platform Installer Build ID in the lower right corner of the login screen.
b) In the login page, enter the following credentials:
Username: root
Password (Default): Cisco123
Note Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be changed during installation. You cannot
c) Read the EULA, check the I accept the terms and conditions checkbox, and click Login.
Step 2 On the Workflow page, select Cluster Expansion.

149
Step 3 On the Credentials page, complete the following fields.

To perform cluster expansion, you can import a JSON configuration file with the required configuration data. The
following two steps are optional if importing a JSON file, otherwise you can input data into the required fields manually.
Note a. Click Select a file and choose your JSON file to load the configuration. Select Use Configuration.
b. An Overwrite Imported Values dialog box displays if your imported values for Cisco UCS Manager
are different. Select Use Discovered Values.
Field Description
UCS Manager Credentials
UCS Manager Host Name UCS Manager FQDN or IP address.

For example, 10.193.211.120.
Password <admin> password.
vCenter Credentials
vCenter Server vCenter server FQDN or IP address.

For example, 10.193.211.120.
Note • A vCenter server is required before the cluster can be made
operational.
• The vCenter address and credentials must have root level
administrator permissions to the vCenter.
• vCenter server input is optional if you are building a nested
vCenter. See the Nested vCenter TechNote for more details.

For example, [email protected].
Hypervisor Credentials
Admin User Name <admin> username.

This is root for factory nodes.

Default password is Cisco123 for factory nodes.
Note Systems ship with a default password of Cisco123 that must be
changed during installation. You cannot continue installation
unless you specify a new user supplied password.

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Step 4 Click Continue. A Cluster Expand Configuration page is displayed. Select the HX Cluster that you want to expand.
If the HX cluster to be expanded is not found, or if loading the cluster takes time, enter the IP of the Cluster Management
Address in the Management IP Address field.
Step 5 (M6 Servers Only) Click Continue. A Server Selection page is displayed. On the Server Selection page, the
Associated tab lists all the HX servers that are already connected. Do not select them, on the Unassociated tab, select
the servers you wish to add to the cluster.
Step 6 Click Continue. The Hypervisor Configuration page appears. Complete the following fields:
Attention You can skip the completion of the fields described in this step in case of a reinstall, and if ESXi networking
has been completed.
Field Description
Configure Common Hypervisor Settings
Subnet Mask Set the subnet mask to the appropriate level to limit and control IP addresses.
Gateway IP address of gateway.

DNS Server(s) IP address for the DNS Server.

If you do not have a DNS server, do not enter a hostname in any of the fields
on the Cluster Configuration page of the HX Data Platform installer. Use
only static IP addresses and hostnames for all ESXi hosts.
Note If you are providing more than one DNS server, check carefully
to ensure that both DNS servers are correctly entered, separated
by a comma.
Hypervisor Settings
Ensure to select Make IP Addresses and Hostnames Sequential, to make the IP addresses sequential.
Note You can rearrange the servers using drag and drop.
Name Server name.
Serial Serial number of the server.
Static IP Address Input static IP addresses and hostnames for all ESXi hosts.
Hostname Do not leave the hostname fields empty.
Step 7 Click Continue. An IP Addresses page is displayed. Click Add Compute-only Node to add a new node.
If you are adding more than one compute-only node, select Make IP Addresses Sequential.

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Field Information
Management Hypervisor Enter the static IP address that handles the Hypervisor
management network connection between the ESXi host
and storage cluster.
Management Storage Controller None.
Data Hypervisor Enter the static IP address that handles the Hypervisor data
network connection between the ESXi host and the storage
cluster.
Data Storage Controller None.
Controller VM Enter the default Admin username and password that were
applied to controller VMs when they were installed on the
existing HX Cluster.
Note The name of the controller VM cannot be
changed. Use the existing cluster password.
Step 8 Click Start. A Progress page displays the progress of various configuration tasks.
Note By default no user intervention is required if you are booting from FlexFlash (SD Card). However, if you
are setting up your compute-only node to boot from a local disk, complete the following steps in Cisco
UCS Manager :
a. Click the service profile created by the HX Data Platform Installer .

For example, blade-1(HX_Cluster_Name).
b. On the General tab, click Unbind from the Template.
c. In the working pane, click the Storage tab. Click the Local Disk Configuration Policy sub tab.
d. In the Actions area, select Change Local Disk Configuration Policy > Create Local Disk Configuration Policy.
e. Under Create Local Disk Configuration Policy, enter a name for the policy, and keep the rest as default. Click
Ok.
f. In the Change Local Disk Configuration Policy Actions area, select the newly created local disk configuration
policy from the drop-down list. Click Ok.
g. Now, go back to the HX Data Platform Installer UI and click Continue, and then click Retry UCSM Configuration.

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Resolving Failure of Cluster Expansion
Note If the vCenter cluster has EVC enabled, the deploy process fails, The host needs to be
manually added to vCenter. To successfully perform the deploy action, do the following:
a) Log into the ESXi host to be added in vSphere Client.

b) Power off the controller VM.
c) Add the host to the vCenter cluster in vSphere Web Client.
d) In the HX installer, click Retry Deploy.
Step 9 When installation is complete, start managing your storage cluster by clicking Launch HyperFlex Connect.
Step 10 After the new nodes are added to the storage cluster, HA services are reset so that HA is able to recognize the added
nodes.
a) Log on to VMware vSphere Client.
b) Select Home > Hosts and Clusters > Datacenter > Cluster > Host.
c) Select the new node.
d) Right-click and select Reconfigure for vSphere HA.
Step 11 After adding compute-only nodes to an existing cluster, you must manually configure the vmk2 interface for vmotion.
Resolving Failure of Cluster Expansion

If you receive an error dialog box and the storage cluster expansion doesn't complete, proceed with the
resolution options listed below:
Step 1 Edit Configuration - Returns you to the Cluster Configuration page. You fix the issues listed in the validation page.

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Logical Availability Zones
Step 2 Start Over - Allows you to reverse the settings you applied by clearing progress table entries and you are returned to
the Cluster Configuration page to restart a new deployment. See Technical Assistance Center (TAC).
Step 3 Continue - Adds the node to the storage cluster in spite of the failure generating errors. See Technical Assistance Center
(TAC).
Note Select the Continue button only if you understand the failures and are willing to accept the possibility of
unpredictable behavior.
For more information about cleaning up a node for the purposes of redeploying HyperFlex, see the HyperFlex Customer
Cleanup Guides for FI and Edge.

The Logical Availability Zones (LAZ) feature groups cluster storage nodes in fixed number pools of nodes
which enable higher resiliency. The number of zones that can be set automatically or selected manually based
on cluster parameters, such as replication factor and cluster size. LAZ is enabled by default on HyperFlex
clusters with 8 or more storage nodes. The feature remains enabled through the life cycle of the cluster unless
explicitly disabled either at install time or post installation.
Advantages of Logical Availability Zones

Reducing the failure of large clusters in a distributed system is the primary advantage of enabling LAZ on
install. In any distributed storage system, when the number of resources in the cluster grow, so does the failure
risk. Multiple simultaneous failures could result in permanent data unavailability.
LAZ helps reduce risk of multiple simultaneous component and node failures from causing a catastrophic
failure. It does this by grouping resources based on some basic constraints, you can improve the availability
from 20% up to 70% in comparison to the same cluster without LAZ. The amount of improvement depends
on the cluster replication factor (RF) as well as the number of zones configured. In principle, a cluster with
fewer zones and a higher replication factor provides optimal results. Additionally, LAZ saves time by
performing maintenance tasks on multiple resources grouped in the same zone, an option not possible in
clusters without LAZ.
It is recommended that LAZ be enabled during the HyperFlex cluster installation. Enabling LAZ during install
provides optimal cluster performance and data availability. With the guidance of support, LAZ can be enabled
or disabled at a later time using the command line interface (CLI). Review the LAZ guidelines before disabling.
Specifying the Number of Zones and Optimizing Balance

The number of zones is set automatically by default and recommended. When you let the installer decide the
number of zones, the number of zones is decided based on the number of nodes in the cluster.
To maintain the most balanced consumption of space and data distribution, it is recommended that the number
of nodes in a cluster are whole multiple of number of zones, which is either 3, 4, or 5. For example, 8 nodes
would evenly divide into 4 zones of 2 servers each, and 9 nodes would divide evenly into 3 zones of 3 servers
each. Eleven nodes would create an unbalanced number of nodes across the zones, leading to unbalanced
space consumption on the nodes. Users with a need may manually specify 3, 4 or 5 zones.

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LAZ Guidelines and Considerations

• HyperFlex clusters determine which nodes participate in each zone. This configuration cannot be modified.
• When changing the number of resources, add or remove an equal number of resources from each
configured zone.
• Cluster Expansion: Perform expansions in the same increment number of nodes as zones in order to
maintain a balanced zone. A balanced zone is when the number of nodes and zones added during install
or expansion (or a permanent failure of nodes from zone(s) occurs) are equal. For example, a cluster with
12 nodes and 4 zones is a balanced zone. In this case, it is recommended to add 4 nodes during expansion.
• Imbalanced Zones: Zones may become imbalanced when the number of nodes and zones added during
install or expansion (or permanent failure of nodes from zone(s)) are not equal. Imbalanced zones can
lead to non-optimal performance and are not recommended. For example, a cluster with 11 nodes and
4 zones will have 3 nodes per zone except the last zone. In this case, you need to add 1 node to make it
balanced. The new node is added automatically to the last zone.
• Disabling and Re-enabling LAZ: You can disable and enable LAZ dynamically. It is not recommended
to disable and re-enable LAZ in the same cluster with a different number of zones. Doing so could result
in an excessive amount of movement and reorganization of data across the cluster - to comply with
existing data distribution rules if LAZ is turned on in a cluster already containing data. This can result
in the cluster becoming no longer zone compliant for example, if the cluster usage is already greater than
25%.
Viewing LAZ Status and Connections

• To view LAZ information from the HX Connect dashboard, log into HX Connect and use the System
information and HyperFlex Connect > Dashboard menu.
• You can also view LAZ details through CLI by running the stcli cluster get-zone command. The
following is sample output from the stcli cluster get-zone command:
stcli cluster get-zone
zones:
----------------------------------------
pNodes:
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.61
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.59
----------------------------------------
zoneId: 0000000057eebaab:0000000000000003
numNodes: 2
----------------------------------------
pNodes:
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.64
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.65
----------------------------------------
zoneId: 0000000057eebaab:0000000000000001
numNodes: 2
----------------------------------------

155
pNodes:
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.60
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.63
----------------------------------------
zoneId: 0000000057eebaab:0000000000000004
numNodes: 2
----------------------------------------
pNodes:
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.58
----------------------------------------
state: ready
name: 10.10.18.62
----------------------------------------
zoneId: 0000000057eebaab:0000000000000002
numNodes: 2
----------------------------------------
isClusterZoneCompliant: True
zoneType: logical
isZoneEnabled: True
numZones: 4
AboutCluster Time : 08/22/2019 2:31:39 PM PDT
LAZ Related Commands

The following STCLI commands are used for LAZ operations. For more information on CLI commands, see
the Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform CLI Guide.
Please be advised to wait at least 10 seconds between successive invocations of LAZ disable and LAZ enable
operations in that order.
Command Description
stcli cluster get-zone Gets the zone details. This option is used to check if the zone is
enabled.
stcli cluster set-zone --zone 0 Enables or Disables zones.

156
Command Description
stcli cluster set-zone --zone 1 (Recommended) Enables and creates zones (default number of
zones)
stcli rebalance start
Important You must execute the rebalance start command
after you enable and create zones.
A cluster created without zoning enabled, will become zone

compliant only after enabling zoning and successful completion
of rebalance.
Warning Rebalance is a critical background service. Disabling
the service may lead to unexpected behavior
including loss of cluster resiliency. Support for this
command is limited to Cisco Tech support only.
General use is not supported.
Triggering rebalance activity may involve large scale data

movements across several nodes in the cluster which may decrease
the IO performance in the cluster.
stcli cluster set-zone --zone 1 --numzones Enables zones and creates a specific number of zones.
<integer-value>
Important The number of zones can only be 3, 4, or 5.
stcli rebalance start
Important You must execute the rebalance start command
after you enable and create zones.
Warning Rebalance is a critical background service. Disabling

the service may lead to unexpected behavior
including loss of cluster resiliency. Support for this
command is limited to Cisco Tech support only.
General use is not supported.

157

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CHAPTER 12
Managing HX Controller VMs
• Managing Storage Controller VMs, on page 159
• Powering On or Off Storage Controller VMs, on page 159
• Disabling HA VM Monitoring in HX Controller VMs, on page 160
Managing Storage Controller VMs

Storage controller VMs provide critical functionality for the Cisco HX Distributed Data Platform. A storage
controller VM is installed on every converged node in the storage cluster. The storage controller VMs provide
a command line interface for running hxcli commands on the storage cluster.
Powering On or Off Storage Controller VMs

You can power on or off VMs through the vSphere Web Client or through the ESX command line. This also
applies to storage controller VMs, though generally the storage cluster operations handle powering on or off
the storage controller VMs.
Step 1 Using the vSphere Web Client to power on or off a VM.

a) Log into the vSphere Web Client.
b) Locate the VM.
From the Navigator select, Global Inventory Lists > Virtual Machines > vm.
Storage controller VMs, have the prefix, stCtlVM.
c) From the right-click or Actions menu select, Power > Power On or Power > Shut Down Guest OS.
Step 2 Using the ESX command line to power on or off a VM.
a) Log into the command line for the ESX host for a VM.
b) Locate the VM vmid.
This is specific to the ESX host. Run the command.
# vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms
Sample response

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Managing HX Controller VMs
Disabling HA VM Monitoring in HX Controller VMs
Vmid Name File Guest OS Version Annotation

1 stCtlVM-<vm_number> [SpringpathDS-<vm_number>] stCtlVM-<vm_number>/
stCtlVM-<vm_number>.vmx ubuntu64Guest vmx-11
3 Cisco HyperFlex Installer [test] Cisco HyperFlex Installer/Cisco
HyperFlex Installer.vmx ubuntu64Guest vmx-09
Retrieved runtime info
Powered off
Storage controller VMs, have the prefix, stCtlVM.

c) To power on a VM. Run the command specifying the VM to power on.
# vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on 1
d) To power off a VM. Run the command specifying the VM to power off.
# vim-cmd vmsvc/power.shutdown 1
These options will perform a relinquish action for a graceful shutdown versus a hard shutdown which is not desired.
Disabling HA VM Monitoring in HX Controller VMs

To avoid All Paths Down (APD) state in an HX cluster, use the vSphere Web Client to disable HA VM
Monitoring for all the HX Controller VMs.
Step 1 Log into the vSphere Web Client.

Step 2 Select the HX cluster that you want to modify.
Step 3 Select Configure > VM Overrides from the menu.
Step 4 Click Add.
Add VM Override Sandbox window is displayed along with the list of VMs in vCenter.
Step 5 Select all the available HX Controller VMs in the window.

Note The HX Controller VM names begin with stCtlVM-.
Step 6 Click Next.

Add VM Override dialog box is displayed.
Step 7 Locate the vSphere HA - VM Monitoring option and select the following:
• Override checkbox
• Disabled from the drop-down list
Step 8 Click Finish to apply the configuration changes.

HA VM Monitoring is disabled for all the HX controller VMs.

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CHAPTER 13
Managing Ready Clones
• HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview, on page 161
• Benefits of HX Data Platform Ready Clones, on page 161
• Supported Base VMs, on page 162
• Ready Clone Requirements, on page 162
• Ready Clone Best Practices, on page 163
• Creating Ready Clones Using HX Connect, on page 163
• Creating Ready Clones Using the HX Data Platform Plug-In, on page 165
• Prepare to Customize HX Data Platform Ready Clones, on page 166
• Configuring Ready Clones Using Customized Specifications, on page 168
• Managing Virtual Machine Networking, on page 168

HX Data Platform Ready Clones is a pioneer storage technology that enables you to rapidly create and
customize multiple cloned VMs from a host VM. It enables you to create multiple copies of VMs that can
then be used as standalone VMs.
A Ready Clone, similar to a standard clone, is a copy of an existing VM. The existing VM is called the host
VM. When the cloning operation is complete, the Ready Clone is a separate guest VM.
Changes made to a Ready Clone do not affect the host VM. A Ready Clone's MAC address and UUID are
different from that of the host VM.
Installing a guest operating system and applications can be time consuming. With Ready Clone, you can make
many copies of a VM from a single installation and configuration process.
Clones are useful when you deploy many identical VMs to a group.
Benefits of HX Data Platform Ready Clones

HX Data Platform Ready Clones provide the following benefits:
• Create multiple clones of a VM at a time - Simply right-click a VM and create multiple clones of the
VM using the Ready Clones feature.
• Rapid cloning - HX Data Platform Ready Clones are extremely fast and more efficient than legacy
cloning operations because they support VMware vSphere® Storage APIs – Array Integration (VAAI)

161
Supported Base VMs
data offloads and supported for powered on VMs. VAAI also called hardware acceleration or hardware
offload APIs, are a set of APIs to enable communication between VMware vSphere ESXi hosts and
storage devices. Use HX Data Platform Ready Clones to clone VMs in seconds instead of minutes.
• Batch customization of guest VMs - Use the HX Data Platform Customization Specification to instantly
configure parameters such as IP address, host name, VM name for multiple guest VMs cloned from a
host VM.
• Automation of several steps to a one-click process - The HX Data Platform Ready Clones feature
automates the task to create each guest VM.
• VDI deployment support - Ready Clones are supported for desktop VMs on VDI deployments which
are using VMware native technology.
• Datastore access - Ready Clone work on partially mounted/accessible datastores as long as the VM
being cloned is on an accessible mountpoint.
Supported Base VMs

HX Data Platform supports:
• Base VMs stored on a HX Data Platform datastore
• Base VMs with HX Data Platform Snapshot. For Powered-on VMs, the Ready Clone workflow takes
an HX Snapshot, and then uses the snapshot to create a clone after the clone is created. The same workflow
happens when an HX Snapshots is removed.
Note For sentinel based HX snapshot, sentinel snapshots are not automatically deleted
after ready clone operation. See the HX Native Snapshots Overview, on page 14
for implications of using sentinel based HX snapshots.
• Storage vMotion is not supported on VMs with HX native snapshots.

• Maximum 2048 Ready Clones from one base VM.
• Maximum 256 Ready Clones created in one batch at a time.
HX Data Platform does not support:

• Powered on base VMs with > 30 snapshots
• Powered on base VMs with Redo log snapshots
Ready Clone Requirements

• VMs must be within the HX Data Platform storage cluster. Non-HX Data Platform VMs are not supported.
• VMs must reside on a HX Data Platform datastore, VM folder, and resource pool.

162
Ready Clone Best Practices
Ready Clones fail for any VM that is not on a HX Data Platform datastore. This applies to Ready Clones
on a VM level, VM folder level, or resource pool level.
• VMs can have only native snapshots. Ready Clones cannot be created from VMs with snapshots that
have redo logs, (non-native snapshots).
• Use only the single vNIC customization template for Ready Clones.
• Beginning in Cisco HX Release 3.0, SSH does not need to be enabled in ESX on all the nodes in the
storage cluster.
Ready Clone Best Practices

• Use the customization specification as a profile or a template.
• Ensure that properties that apply to the entire batch are in the customization specification.
• Obtain user-defined parameters from the HX Data Platform Ready Clone batch cloning work flow.
• Use patterns to derive per-clone identity settings such as the VM guest name.
• Ensure that the network administrator assigns static IP addresses for guest names and verify these addresses
before cloning.
• You can create a batch of 1 through 256 at a given time. The HX Data Platform plug-in enables you to
verify this.
• Do not create multiple batches of clones simultaneously on the same VM (when it is powered on or
powered off) because it causes failures or displays incorrect information on the master task updates in
the HX Data Platform plug-in.
Creating Ready Clones Using HX Connect

Use HX Data Platform Ready Clones feature to populate your cluster by creating multiple clones of a VM,
each with different static IP addresses.
Note If you click Ready Clones to clone a VM when the OVA deployment of that VM is in progress, you will get
an error message. You can clone a VM only after the successful VM deployment.
Step 1 Log into HX Connect as an administrator.

Step 2 From Virtual Machines page, select a virtual machine, then click Ready Clones.
Step 3 Complete the Ready Clone dialog fields.

Number of clones Enter the number of Ready Clones that you want to create. You can create a
batch of 1 through 256 clones at a given time.

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Creating Ready Clones Using HX Connect

Customization Specification Optional field.
Click the drop-down list and select a Customization Specification for the clone
from the drop-down list (which includes the customization specifications
available in vCenter).
The system filters the customization specifications for the selected host virtual
machine. For example, if the selected host virtual machine uses Windows OS
for guest virtual machines, the drop-down list displays Windows OS
customization specifications.
Resource Pool Optional field.

If you have resource pools defined in your HX Storage Cluster, you can select
one to store the Ready Clones of the selected virtual machine.
VM Name Prefix Enter a prefix for the guest virtual machine name.
This prefix is added to the name of each Ready Clone created.
Note The VM Name Prefix which is used to name a Ready Clone, must
contain only letters, numbers, and the hyphen (-) character. The
name must start with a letter and cannot contain only digits or
hyphen.
Starting clone number Enter a clone number for the starting clone.
Each Ready Clone must have a unique name, numbering is used to ensure a
unique element in the name.
Increment clone numbers by Enter a value using which the clone number in the guest virtual machine name
must be increased, or leave the default value 1 as is. The system appends a
number to the names of the virtual machine Ready Clones (such as clone1,
clone2, and clone3). By default, the number starts from 1. You can change this
value to any number.
Use same name for Guest Name Select this check box to use the vCenter VM inventory name as the guest host
virtual machine name.
If you uncheck this box, a text box is enabled. Enter the name you want to use
for the guest host virtual machine name.
Preview After required fields are completed, HX Data Platform lists the proposed Ready
Clones names. As you change the content in the required fields, the Clone Name
and Guest Name fields update.
Power on VMs after cloning Select this check box to turn the guest virtual machines on after the cloning
process completes.
Step 4 Click Clone.

HX Data Platform creates the number of Ready Clones with the naming and location specified.

164
Creating Ready Clones Using the HX Data Platform Plug-In
Creating Ready Clones Using the HX Data Platform Plug-In

If you use the VMware cloning operation, you can create only a single clone from a VM. This operation is
manual and slower than batch processing multiple clones from a VM. For example, to create 20 clones of a
VM, you must manually perform the clone operation over and over again.
Note Use HX Data Platform Ready Clones to create multiple clones of a VM in one click!
For example, you can create ten different clones with different static IP addresses from a Windows VM.
Step 1 From the vSphere Web Client Navigator, select Global Inventory Lists > Virtual Machines. This displays the list of
VMs in vCenter.
Step 2 Select the VM to clone, and open the Actions menu. Either right-click the VM or click the Actions menu in the VM
information portlet.
If needed, view the list of clusters and associated VMs to verify the VM is a storage cluster VM.
Step 3 Select Cisco HX Data Platform > Ready Clones to display the Ready Clones dialog box.
Step 4 Specify the following information in the Ready Clones dialog box:
Control Description
Number of clones Type the number of clones that you want to create. You can create a batch of 1 through 256
clones at a given time.
Customization Click the drop-down list and select a Customization Specification for the clone from the
Specification drop-down list (which includes the customization specifications available in vCenter).
The system filters the customization specifications for the selected host VM. For example,
if the selected host VM uses Windows OS for guest VMs, the drop-down list displays
Windows OS customization specifications.
VM name prefix Type a prefix for the guest VM name.

Note The VM Name Prefix which is used to name a Ready Clone, must contain only
letters, numbers, and the hyphen (-) character. The name must start with a letter
and cannot contain only digits or hyphen.
Starting clone number Type a clone number for the starting clone.
Use same name for 'Guest Select this check box to use the vCenter VM inventory name as the guest host VM name. If
Name' you uncheck this box, a text box is displayed. Enter the name you want to use for the guest
host VM name.
The system displays the guest VM names in the Guest Name column in the dialog box.
There is a similar option in the Customization Specification itself. This HX Data Platform
Ready Clone batch customization process overrides the option that you specify in the
Customization Specification option.

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Prepare to Customize HX Data Platform Ready Clones
Control Description
• If the Customization Specification contains a NIC or network adapter that uses a static
gateway and static subnet and the guest name resolves to a static IP address, then the
system assigns the network adapter the static IP address associated with the guest name.
It also sets the storage cluster name or host name to the guest name specified.
• If the Customization Specification contains a NIC or network adapter that obtains the
IP address using DHCP, then the systems sets only the storage cluster name or host
name to the guest name specified.
Increment clone number Type a value using which the clone number in the guest VM name must be increased, or
by leave the default value 1 as is. The system appends a number to the names of the VM clones
(such as clone1, clone2, and clone3). By default, the number starts from 1. You can change
this value to any number.
Power on VMs after Select this check box to turn the guest VMs on after the cloning process completes.
cloning
Step 5 Click OK to apply your configuration changes.

The vSphere Web Client Recent Tasks tab displays the status of the Ready Clones task. The system displays:
• Top-level progress with the initiator as the logged in vCenter user.
• Implementation work flows with the initiator as the logged in vCenter user and a HX Data Platform extension.
• As part of the Ready Clone workflow a temporary snapshot is listed in vCenter and HX Connect. This is listed as
an extra powered off VM transiently, only while the Ready Clones are being created.
Prepare to Customize HX Data Platform Ready Clones

• Create a customization specification per the VMware documentation.
Apply the customization settings described in the following topics specific to either Linux or Windows
VMs.
• Obtain the IP addresses from the administrator. For example, ten IP addresses 10.64.1.0 through 10.64.1.9.
• Gather information specific to your network such as the subnet mask for these IP addresses.
• Ensure that the base VM is valid (not disconnected, undergoing snapshots, or vMotion).
• Ensure that Guest Tools is installed on the base VM. Update it if necessary.
• Go to the VM Summary tab and verify that Guest Tools is working.

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Creating a Customization Specification for Linux in the vSphere Web Client
Creating a Customization Specification for Linux in the vSphere Web Client

Use the vSphere Web Client Guest Customization wizard to save guest operating system settings in a
specification that you can apply when cloning virtual machines or deploying from templates.
Complete the wizard with the following considerations.
• You can use the HX Data Platform Ready Clones feature to overwrite the guest name that you specify
in when you create the customization specification.
• HX Data Platform Ready Clones enable you to use patterns in the VM name or guest name.
• HX Data Platform supports only one NIC.
• Editing the NIC of a Customized Linux VM
- You can use a fake IP address because the HX Data Platform Ready Clone customization process
overwrites this address.
- HX Data Platform Ready Clones resolve VM guest names to static IP addresses and sets them for the
cloned VMs.
The customization specification you created is listed in the Customization Specification Manager. You can
use it to customize virtual machine guest operating systems.
Create a Customization Specification for Windows in the vSphere Web Client

Use the vSphere Web Client Guest Customization wizard to save Windows guest operating system settings
in a specification that you can apply when cloning virtual machines or deploying from templates.
Note The default administrator password is not preserved for Windows Server 2008 after customization. During
customization, the Windows Sysprep utility deletes and recreates the administrator account on Windows
Server 2008. You must reset the administrator password when the virtual machine boots the first time after
customization.
Complete the wizard with the following considerations:

• The operating system uses this name to identify itself on the network. On Linux systems, it is called the
host name.
• HX Data Platform supports only one NIC.
• Editing the NIC of a Customized Windows VM
You can use a fake IP address because the HX Data Platform Ready Clone customization process
overwrites it.
The customization specification you created is listed in the Customization Specification Manager. You can
use it to customize virtual machine guest operating systems.

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Configuring Ready Clones Using Customized Specifications
Configuring Ready Clones Using Customized Specifications

Use a customized specification to ensure IP addresses are applied correctly to the new VMs if you use static
IP addresses.
For example, if you create a Windows server VM clone and you use DHCP, the guest VMs are automatically
assigned new IP addresses. But, if you use static IP addresses, the IP address is not automatically replicated
in the guest VM. To resolve this, configure HX Data Platform Ready Clones using a Customization
Specification.
Step 1 Obtain the valid DNS names and ensure that they resolve to valid IP addresses.
For example, to provision a batch of 100 Windows VMs where the guest name is userwinvm1 to userwinvm100, check
that userwinvm1 through userwinvm100 are valid IP addresses.
Step 2 Install Guest VM tools on the source VM.

Step 3 Clone the source VM using the Ready Clones feature. The cloned guest VMs obtain the identity of the source VM.
Step 4 Use the Customization Specification to change the identity of all cloned VMs. You can configure parameters such as IP
address, host name, and VM name.
Managing Virtual Machine Networking

After you have made changes to your storage cluster, you can ensure that the networking for the virtual
machines on the nodes in the clusters is configured correctly. See the UCS Manager documentation for
complete virtual machine networking information.
Step 1 Verify the VLANs are configured correctly.

See the VLANs chapter in the Cisco UCS Manager Network Management Guide at, Cisco UCS Manager Network Guide.
Step 2 Verify the vNICs are configured correctly.

See the Configuring vNIC Templates topics in the Cisco UCS Manager Network Management Guide at, Cisco UCS
Manager Network Guide.
Step 3 Verify the Virtual Port Groups are configured correctly.

See the "Add a Virtual Machine Port Group" topic in the VMware vSphere 7.0 Documentation on the vmware site.

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CHAPTER 14
Managing HX Native Snapshots
• HX Native Snapshots Overview, on page 169
• Benefits of HX Native Snapshots, on page 170
• HX Native Snapshot Considerations, on page 171
• HX Native Snapshots Best Practices, on page 174
• HX Native Snapshot Time Zones, on page 175
• Creating HX Native Snapshots, on page 175
• HX Native Snapshots using ESXi 7.0 U2, on page 177
• Scheduling HX Native Snapshots Overview, on page 177
• Scheduling HX Native Snapshots, on page 178
• Setting the Frequency of HX Native Scheduled Snapshots, on page 179
• Deleting HX Native Snapshot Schedules, on page 179
• Reverting to an HX Native Snapshot, on page 180
• Deleting HX Native Snapshots, on page 180

HX native snapshots are a backup feature that saves versions (states) of VMs. VMs can be reverted back to
a prior saved version using an HX native snapshot. A native snapshot is a reproduction of a VM that includes
the state of the data on all VM disks and the VM powerstate (on, off, or suspended) at the time the native
snapshot is taken. Taking a native snapshot to save the current state of a VM gives you the ability to revert
back to the saved state.
The following methodologies are used in the administration of HX native Snapshots:
• Support for HX native Snapshot in the vSphere client plug-in for HTML 5 was introduced in plugin
version 2.0.0. For more information, see Snapshot Now, on page 346.
• Support for Schedule Snapshot the vSphere client plug-in for HTML 5 was introduced in plugin version
2.1.0. For more information, see Schedule Snapshot, on page 349
• The vSphere “Manage Snapshots” function can revert to a specific HX native snapshot, or delete all
snapshots.
• Cisco HyperFlex Connect can create on-demand and schedule HX native snapshots.
• The HyperFlex command line user interface can create HX native snapshots.
• HX REST APIs can create and delete HX native snapshots.

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Benefits of HX Native Snapshots
• Significant changes in Cisco HXDP Release 5.5(x):

• ESXi versions 6.5, 6.7 and 7.0 U1 are not supported.
• VMware VAAI snapshot workflow is used instead of the Sentinel Snapshot Create workflow.
For additional information about VMware snapshots, see the "Overview of virtual machine snapshots in
vSphere (KB 1015180)" on the VMware Customer Connect site.
Benefits of HX Native Snapshots

HX native Snapshots provide the following benefits:
• Revert Registered VMs - If a VM is registered, whether powered-on or powered-off, HX native snapshots
and VM snapshots, can be used to revert to an earlier point in time at which the snapshot was created.
• High Performance -The HX native snapshot process is fast because it does not incur I/O overhead.
• VM Performance - HX native snapshots do not degrade VM performance.
• Crash-Consistent - HX native snapshots are crash-consistent by default. I/O crash consistency is defined
as maintaining the correct order of write operations to enable an application to restart properly from a
crash.
• Quiescence -HX native snapshots can be created with the guest file system quiesced. The quiesce option
is available when using Cisco HyperFlex Connect, the HyperFlex command line user interface, and HX
REST APIs. VMware tools should be installed in the guest VM when creating HX native snapshots using
the quiesce option.
Improved performance and reliability of Quiesced Snapshot beginning with HyperFlex Release 4.5(2a)
and VMware ESXi 7.0 U2.
Quiescing a file system is a process of bringing the on-disk data of a physical or virtual computer into a
state suitable for backups. This process might include operations such as flushing dirty buffers from the
operating system's in-memory cache to disk, or other higher-level application-specific tasks.
Quiesce based snapshot is not supported on the Windows2008R2 operating system. The operating system
is End-of-Life. Please review the VMware documentation for the current list of supported operation
systems. VMware Compatibility Guide
If your system displays quiesce errors, review the Troubleshooting Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) quiesce
related issues (1007696) article on the VMware Customer Connect site.
• Scheduled Snapshots are Tolerant to Node Failures - Scheduled snapshots are tolerant to administrative
operations that require a node shutdown, such as HXDP Maintenance Mode and HX online upgrade.
Scheduled Snapshots are tolerant to failures in other HX clusters in multi-cluster environments.
• Granular Progress and Error Reporting - Monitoring is performed at the task level for VM level HX
native snapshots.
• Instantaneous Snapshot Delete - Deletion of an HX native snapshot and consolidation is always
instantaneous.
• VDI Deployment Support - Scheduled HX native snapshots are supported for desktop VMs on VDI
deployments which are using VMware native technology.

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HX Native Snapshot Considerations
• Datastore Access - Snapshots work on partially mounted or accessible datastores as long as the VM
being snapshotted is on an accessible mount-point.

Snapshot Parameters
Attention Beginning with HX Release 4.5(2a) and VMware ESXi 7.0 U2 Sentinel snapshots are not applicable.
• HX native snapshots - When creating the first HX native snapshot an HX SENTINEL snapshot is created
prior to the HX native snapshot. The SENTINEL snapshot is a baseline snapshot which ensures that
subsequent snapshots are HX native snapshots. . When a SENTINEL snapshot is present, creating
additional snapshots using vSphere results in the creation of HX native snapshots.
Note There should be no VMware snapshots (non-native) present when creating native
snapshots.
• HX Snapshots compatibility with VMware VAIO - Creating HX Snapshots with VMWare VAIO
configured is not supported. Attempting to create HX snapshots will power the VM off. HX Snapshots
cannot coexist with Virtual Machines enabled with vSphere APIs for IO Filtering (VAIO). The VAIO
framework might be used by backup solutions to enable Continuous Data Protection (CDP) for Virtual
Machines. To use the backup solutions with CDP, delete any existing HX snapshots before enabling the
CDP functionality.
To determine if your product uses VMware VAIO framework, review the VMware site list of qualified
vendors in the VMware Compatibility Guide.
• Maximum Number of Stored Snapshots - VMware has a limitation of 31 snapshots per VM. The
limitation total is equal to the sum of all VMware created snapshots, the HX SENTINEL snapshot, and
HX native snapshots.
Beginning with HX Release 4.0 Snapshot operations beyond the number set in the snapshot.maxSnapshots
property of the VM fail, with the following error message: Snapshot operation cannot be performed.
• Scheduled Snapshots - Do not have overlapping snapshots scheduled on VMs and their resource pools.
Performance
• VMware vSphere Storage APIs Array Integration (VAAI) - To attain the best HX snapshot
performance and functionality, upgrade to the ESXi 7.0 U2 or later.
Snapshots During Upgrade Processes

• HX native snapshots are not supported while an upgrade of HX Data Platform, ESXi, or UCS is in
progress.

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VMs
Table 7: Release Specific VM Considerations
Release Consideration
Beginning with HX Release 4.5(2a) Consolidation time is no longer proportional to the I/O load on the
using VMware ESXi 7.0 U2 and Virtual Machine.
later
Sentinel snapshots are no longer created.
The following considerations apply to all supported releases:

• VM Hardware Version - HX native Snapshots requires the use of VM hardware Version 9 or later.
Using the most recent version is recommended.
• Deleted VMs - The life cycle of HX native snapshots, similar to VM snapshots, is tied to the virtual
machine. If the VM is deleted (accidentally or intentionally), all associated HX native snapshots are
deleted. HX native snapshots do not provide a mechanism to recover from a deleted VM. Use a backup
solution to protect against VM deletion.
• HX Data Platform storage controller VMs -You cannot schedule HX native snapshots for storage
controller VMs.
• Non-HX Data Platform VMs - HX native snapshots will fail for any VM that is not on an HX datastore.
HX native snapshots for VMs spanning HX datastores requires HXDP version 4.5(2a) or later with
VMware ESXi version 7.0 U2 or later.
• Suspended VMs - Creating the first HX native snapshot and the HX SENTINEL snapshot on VMs in
a suspended state is not supported.
• VM Name - The VM name must be unique per vCenter for taking an HX native snapshot.
• Ready storage cluster - To enable the creation of an HX native snapshot, the storage cluster must be
healthy, have sufficient space, and be online. The datastore in which the VM resides must be accessible.
The VM must be valid and not in a transient state, such as vMotioning.
Cluster with only 1 on-line Node Remaining

• HX native Snapshot is not supported on single (1-node) on-line node on a CBT Enabled VM in a
powered-on state. Power-off the VM and take the SENTINEL snapshot, subsequent snapshots on
powered-on VMs are supported.
vCenter
• vMotion - vMotion is supported on VMs with HX native snapshots.
• Storage vMotion - Storage vMotion is not supported on VMs with HX native snapshots. If the VM
needs to be moved to a different datastore, delete the snapshots before running storage vMotion.

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Naming
• Duplicate names - VMs or Resource Pools with duplicate names within the HX Data Platform vCenter
are not supported and cause HX native snapshots to fail. This includes parents and children within nested
resource pools and resource pools within different vCenter clusters.
• Characters in Names - Special characters are not supported. Using special characters in names results
in names appearing different than specified.
• Maximum Snapshot Name Length -80 characters.
Disks and Datastores

• Thick Disks - If the source disk is thick, then the HX native snapshot of the VM will also be thick.
Increase the datastore size to accommodate the snapshot if required.
Note When creating a new virtual machine disk on the HyperFlex datastore and you
want to enable the creation of thick-provisioned disks, there is no option to create
a thick-provisioned disk. This is a known issue in VMware. For more information,
see Creating VMDK with NFS-backed storage does not allow thick-provisioning
with vendor plugin.
Note ESXi cannot distinguish between thick provision lazy zeroed and thick provision
eager zeroed virtual disks on NFS datastores. When you use NFS datastores, the
vSphere client allows you to create virtual disks in Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed
(zeroedthick) or Thick Provision Eager Zeroed (eagerzeroedthick) format.
However, when you check the disk type on the Virtual Machine Properties dialog
box, the Disk Provisioning section always shows Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
as the disk format (no matter which format you selected during the disk creation).
• Virtual Disk Types - VMware supports a variety of virtual disk backing types. The most common is
the FlatVer2 format. HX native snapshots are supported for this format.
There are other virtual disk formats such as Raw Device Mapping (RDM), SeSparse, VmfsSparse (Redlog
format). VMs containing virtual disks of these formats are not supported with HX native snapshots.
Login Access
• SSH - Ensure that SSH is enabled in ESX on all the nodes in the storage cluster.
Limitations
Object Maximum Number
HX native snapshots 30 per VM

VMware limit is 31. One snapshot is consumed by the HX SENTINEL
snapshot.

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HX Native Snapshots Best Practices
Object Maximum Number
Datastores 48 per storage cluster
Maximum VMDK size 3 TB
HX Native Snapshots Best Practices

• When creating large numbers of HX native snapshots consider the following:
• Schedule HX native snapshots at a time the expected data traffic is low.
• Stagger HX native snapshot schedules such that a large numbers of VMs are not scheduled to be
snapshotted at the same time.
• If vCenter running on a VM in the storage cluster, do not take an HX native snapshot of the vCenter VM.
For additional informaion see the VMware VirtualCenter Server service fails due to a quiesced snapshot
operation on the vCenter Server database virtual machine (2003674) article on the VMware site.
HX Native Snapshots Best Practices HX Release 4.5(1x) and Earlier

Significant updates were introduced in HX Release 4.5(2a) and ESXi 7.0 U2. The following recommendations
only apply to users using a release that was introduced before this release.
Important Always use the HX native snapshots feature to create the first snapshot of a VM. This ensures that all
subsequent snapshots are in native format.
• Do not use the VMware snapshot feature to create the first snapshot of a VM. VMware snapshots use
redo log technology that result in degraded performance of the original VM. This performance degrades
further with each additional snapshot.
• If there are redo log snapshots that should be deleted, edit the /etc/vmware/config file and set
snapshot.asyncConsolidate="TRUE" on the ESXi host(s) where the redo log snapshots reside.
• HX native snapshots do not impact VM performance after the initial HX SENTINEL and HX native
snapshot are created.
• Add all the VMDKs to the VM prior to creating the first HX native snapshot.
When VMDKs are added to a VM, additional HX SENTINEL snapshots are taken. Each additional HX
SENTINEL consumes additional space.
For example, when adding 2 new VMDKs to an existing VM that has HX native snapshots, at the next
scheduled HX native snapshot, 1 new HX SENTINEL is created. If it is necessary to add one or more
additional VMDKs, review any existing HX native snapshot schedule retention plans and make sure that
the total number of retained HX native snapshots plus any HX SENTINEL snapshots will not attempt
to exceed a total value of 31.

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HX Native Snapshot Time Zones
HX Native Snapshot Time Zones

There are three objects that display and affect the timestamp and schedule of snapshots:
• vSphere and vCenter use UTC time.
• vSphere client (HTML5) uses the browser timezone.
• The HX vSphere client (HTML5) plug-in, HX storage cluster, and HX storage controller VM use the
same time zone. This is enforced across the HX storage cluster. The time zone used by these entities is
configurable. The default is UTC.
The HX storage controller VM time is used to set the schedule. The vSphere UTC time is used to create the
HX native snapshots. The logs and timestamps vary depending upon the method used to view them.
When a schedule is created using the HX vSphere client (HTML5) plug-in, the scheduled times are converted
to UTC from the HX storage controller VM time zone. When you view the schedule through the vSphere
client (HTML5) Scheduled Tasks it displays the tasks in browser time zone.
When converted to the same timezone, they translate to the same time. For example: 5:30pm PST, 8:30PM
EST, 1:30AM UTC are all the same time.
To have vSphere Scheduled Tasks tab display the same time for a scheduled snapshot that you create in the
HX vSphere client (HTML5) plug-in, set the storage controller VM to UTC.
To have scheduled snapshots run based on local time zone settings, set that time zone for the storage cluster.
By default, the storage controller VM uses the UTC time zone set during HX Data Platform installation.
If the vSphere and the storage controller VM are not using the same time zone, the vSphere scheduled tasks
tab might display a different time than the schedule in the HX vSphere client (HTML5) plug-in schedule
snapshot dialog.
When you configure an hourly snapshot, the snapshot schedule runs between a specific start time and end
time. The vSphere Task window might display a status that a scheduled snapshot was completed outside the
hourly end time based on the timezone
Identify and set the time zone used by the storage controller VM
1. From the storage controller VM command line, view the configured time zone.
$ hxcli services timezone show
2. Change the storage cluster time zone.

$ hxcli services timezone set --timezone timezone_code
Related Topics
Schedule Snapshot, on page 349
Creating HX Native Snapshots

To create HX native snapshots, perform the following steps:

175
Creating HX Native Snapshots
Before you begin

Remove any redolog snapshots for VMs in the HX storage cluster. If this step is not completed, VMs might
be stunned during snapshot consolidation.
Redo log snapshots are snapshots that are created through the VMware snapshot feature and not through the
HX native snapshot feature. To edit the ESXi host configuration where the redo log snapshots reside,
1. Log into the ESXi host command line.
2. Locate and open the /etc/vmware/config file for editing.
3. Set the snapshot.asyncConsolidate parameter to TRUE.
snapshot.asyncConsolidate="TRUE"
Step 1 From the vSphere client (HTML5) Navigator display the list of VMs in vCenter at the VM level. Display the VM list
with one of the following methods, Hosts and Clusters, VMs and Templates , Storage, Networking, or Global
Inventory Lists
Example:
Global Inventory Lists > VMs
Step 2 Select a storage cluster VM and open the Actions menu. Either right-click the VM or click the Actions menu in the VM
Note Ensure there are no non-HX Data Platform datastores on the storage cluster resource pool or the snapshot
will fail.
Step 3 Select Cisco HX Data Platform > Take Snapshot to display the Snapshot dialog box.
Step 4 Complete the dialog box
Table 8: Take Snapshot Dialog Box
Field Description and Usage Notes
Name Type the Snapshot name. Maximum snapshot name length: 80 characters.
Description Type a description of the snapshot.
Snapshot option check box Use the check boxes to select Snapshot the virtual machine's memory or
Quiesce guest file system (Needs VMware Tools installed)
Step 5 Click OK to create an HX native snapshot.

The Recent Tasks tab displays the status message:
Create virtual machine native snapshot.
The first snapshot
Related Topics
Snapshot Now, on page 346

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HX Native Snapshots using ESXi 7.0 U2
HX Native Snapshots using ESXi 7.0 U2

Creating snapshots using ESXi 7.0 U2 introduces the following enhancements:
• Sentinel snapshots are not created.
• Supports VAAI offload for all snapshots of a VM by automatically configuring VM
attributesnapshot.alwaysAllowNative=TRUE.
• Improved performance, reliability and functionality.
• Supports snapshot of VM on spanned datastores.
• Automatically identifies and deletes sentinels when no longer needed.
Scheduling HX Native Snapshots Overview

Apply HX native snapshot schedules to storage cluster objects, such as VMs or resource pools.
Note If you re-register the vCenter cluster, your HX native snapshot schedules are lost. If this happens, reconfigure
HX native snapshot schedules.
When scheduling an HX native snapshots consider your back up requirements. For critical data, retain more
frequent HX native snapshots. If there is a disaster, it is possible to restore recent HX native snapshots or
create a custom real-time HX native snapshot. For less critical data, considering creating less frequent HX
native snapshots.
HX native snapshot scheduling helps control backup costs. For each VM in a storage cluster, you can schedule
hourly, daily, or weekly snapshots. The maximum frequency for any specific VM is once per hour. Hourly
settings are available in 15 minute increments.
For example, HX native snapshots are taken each day, given the following settings.
VM 1 hourly snapshots to run at hour:15 minutes, between 10 PM and 1 AM.
VM 2 hourly snapshots to run at hour:30 minutes, between 8 PM and 12 AM.
VM 3 and 4 hourly snapshots to run at hour:45, between 6 AM and 8 AM.
VM 5 daily snapshot to run at 6:00 AM
Each day these HX native snapshots are taken. Notice that the last HX native snapshot is before the ending
hour:00.
6:00 AM — VM 5
6:45 AM — VM 3, VM 4
7:45 AM — VM 3, VM 4
8:30 PM — VM2
9:30 PM — VM2
10:15 PM — VM1
10:30 PM — VM2
11:15 PM — VM1

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Scheduling HX Native Snapshots
11:30 PM — VM2
12:15 AM — VM1
To schedule an HX native snapshot every hour over 24 hours:
Step 1 Set the start time

Step 2 Set the end time one hour before the start time.
Example:
hour:15, start 4 PM, end 3 PM.
This takes an HX native snapshot at 4:15 PM, 5:15 PM, ... 12:15 AM, 1:15 AM ... 2:15 PM, 3:15 PM. Then restarts the
24 hour cycle.
Note The maximum number of HX native snapshots per VM is 31. One HX SENTINEL snapshot is also required.
So, it is possible to take an hourly HX native snapshot and retain the most recent 30 HX native snapshots.
The HX native schedule snapshot displays the set time for the snapshot based on the current time zone setting for the
storage controller VM. So, if an HX native snapshot was set at 7 pm PST and the storage controller VM time zone is
changed to EST. The next time you open the HX native scheduler window, it automatically updates to 10 pm EST.
Related Topics
Scheduling HX Native Snapshots

Step 1 From the vSphere client (HTML5) Navigator Home page, select the VM or resource pool list.
For example, vCenter Inventory Lists > Virtual Machines to display the list of VMs in vCenter.
Step 2 Select a storage cluster VM or resource pool and open the Actions menu.
Either right-click the object or click the Actions menu.
Step 3 From the Actions menu, select Cisco HX Data Platform > Schedule Snapshot to display the Schedule Snapshot dialog
box.
Step 4 Select the snapshot frequency.
Click the boxes for hourly, daily, and/or weekly frequency and set the starting days, times, and duration.
Step 5 Set the number of snapshots to retain.

When the maximum number is reached, older snapshots are removed as newer snapshots are created.
Step 6 Unselect existing scheduled items, as needed.

If a previous schedule existed, unselecting items deletes those items from the future schedule.
Step 7 Click OK to accept the schedule and close the dialog.

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Setting the Frequency of HX Native Scheduled Snapshots
Setting the Frequency of HX Native Scheduled Snapshots

Create a snapshot every hour at specific times, daily at a specific time, or weekly on selected days and times.
Before you begin

Open the Schedule Snapshot dialog box for a VM or resource pool.
Step 1 From the Schedule Snapshot dialog box, select the Enable Hourly Snapshot, Enable Daily Snapshot, or Enable Weekly
Snapshot check box.
Step 2 Click the Start at drop-down list to select a start time. Select hour, minutes in 15 minute increments, and AM or PM.
Step 3 For an hourly snapshot schedule, click the Until drop-down list to select an end time. Select hour, minutes in 15 minute
increments, and AM or PM. Set the minute to the same value as the Start at time.
The HX Data Platform plug-in creates a snapshot of the VM every hour between the start and end times.
Step 4 Select the corresponding check box to specify Days of the week on which you want to take the snapshots.
Step 5 Under Retention, either type a number or use the arrow button to specify the maximum number of copies to retain for
each schedule.
Related Topics
Deleting HX Native Snapshot Schedules

Step 1 From the HX vSphere client (HTML5), select the VM or resource pool list.
For example, vCenter Inventory Lists > Virtual Machines to display the list of VMs in vCenter.
Step 2 Select a storage cluster VM or resource pool and open the Actions menu.
Either right-click the object or click the Actions menu.
Step 3 From the Actions menu, select Cisco HX Data Platform > Schedule Snapshot to display the Schedule HX Native
Snapshot dialog box.
Step 4 Uncheck the scheduled options that are no longer required.
Step 5 Click OK to accept the changes, this includes deleting previously configured schedules, and exit the dialog.
Step 6 Confirm the schedule is deleted.
Select a storage cluster VM or resource pool. Click the HX vCenter tabs, Manage > Scheduled Tasks. The previous HX
native snapshot schedule should not be listed.

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Reverting to an HX Native Snapshot
Reverting to an HX Native Snapshot

Reverting a snapshot is returning a VM to a state stored in a snapshot. Reverting to a snapshot is performed
on one VM at a time. Reverting snapshots is performed through the vCenter Snapshot Manager and not through
the HX Data Platform plug-in.
Before you begin

Snapshots of the VM must exist.
Step 1 From the vSphere client (HTML5), select the VM level, VM folder level, or resource pool level. For example, vCenter
Inventory Lists > Virtual Machines to display the list of VMs in vCenter.
Step 2 Select a storage cluster VM and open the Actions menu. Either right-click the VM or click the Actions menu in the VM
Step 3 Select Snapshots > Manage Snapshots to open the vSphere Snapshot Manager.
Step 4 Select a snapshot to revert to from the hierarchy of snapshots for the selected VM.
Step 5 Click Revert to > Yes > Close.
The reverted VM is included in the list of VMs and powered off. In selected cases, a VM reverted from a VM snapshot
is already powered on. See the following table for more details.
Table 9: VM Power State After Restoring a HX VM Snapshot
VM State When HX VM Snapshot is Taken VM State After Restoration
Powered on (includes memory) Reverts to the HX VM snapshot, and the VM is powered on and running.
Powered on (does not include memory) Reverts to the HX VM snapshot, and the VM is powered off.
Powered off (does not include memory) Reverts to the HX VM snapshot, and the VM is powered off.
Step 6 If the reverted VM is powered off, then select the VM and power it on.
Deleting HX Native Snapshots

Deleting HX native snapshots is managed through the vSphere interface and not through the HX vSphere
plug-in.
Step 1 From the vSphere client (HTML5), select VMs and Templates > vcenter_server > Snapshots > datacenter > vm.
Step 2 Right-click the vm and select Snapshots > Manage Snapshots.
Step 3 Select an HX native snapshot and click Delete.

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Note Delete the HX SENTINEL snapshot by using Delete All option only. Do not delete the HX SENTINEL
snapshot individually.

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CHAPTER 15
Managing Virtual Machine Disaster Recovery
• HX Disaster Recovery Overview, on page 183
• Protecting Virtual Machines Overview, on page 197
• Disaster Recovery Overview, on page 220
• Replication Maintenance Overview, on page 230
HX Disaster Recovery Overview

HyperFlex DR enables the protection of virtual machines from disaster by configuring the replication of
running VMs between a pair of network connected clusters. Protected virtual machines running on one cluster
replicate to the other cluster in the pair, and vice versa. The two paired clusters typically are located at a
distance from each other, with each cluster serving as the disaster recovery site for virtual machines running
on the other cluster.
Once protection is configured on a VM, the HX Data Platform periodically takes a Data Protection (DP)
Snapshot of the running VM on the local cluster and replicates (copies) the DP snapshot to the paired remote
cluster. In the event of a disaster at the local cluster, the most recently replicated snapshot of each protected
VM can be recovered on the remote cluster. Each cluster that serves as a disaster recovery site for another
cluster must be sized with adequate spare resources so that upon a disaster, it can run the newly recovered
VMs in addition to its normal workload.
Note Only the most recently replicated DP snapshot is retained on the destination cluster. Retaining additional DP
snapshots is not supported.
Each VM is individually protected by assigning it protection attributes, including the replication interval
(schedule). The shorter the replication interval, the fresher the replicated snapshot data is likely to be. DP
snapshot intervals can range from once every 5 minutes to once every 24 hours.
A protection group is a group of VMs that have a common DP snapshot schedule , quiescence parameter
value, and a common start time.
Setting up DP snapshots requires two existing clusters running a currently supported HX Data Platform
Software Release. Both clusters must be on the same HX Data Platform version. Use HyperFlex Connect to
complete the setup.

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Replication and Disaster Recovery Requirements and Considerations
First, set up a local replication network for each cluster. Use HX Connect to provide a set of IP addresses to
be used by local cluster nodes to replicate to the remote cluster. HX Connect creates VLANs through UCS
Manager, for dedicated local replication network use.
Note When this option is chosen in HX Connect, UCSM is configured only when both UCS Manager and fabric
interconnect are associated with the HyperFlex cluster. When UCSM and FI are not present, you must enter
the VLAN ID, and not select UCSM configuration in HX Connect.
The two clusters, and their corresponding existing relevant datastores must be explicitly paired. The pairing
setup can be completed using HX Connect from one of the two clusters. This requires administrative credentials
of the other cluster.
Virtual machines can be protected (or have their existing protection attributes modified) by using HX Connect
at the cluster where they are currently active.
HX Connect can monitor the status of both incoming and outgoing replication activity on a cluster.
After a disaster, a protected VM can be recovered and run on the cluster that serves as the DP snapshot recovery
site for that VM.
Replication and Disaster Recovery Requirements and Considerations
Note Documentation for the N:1 DR for HyperFlex feature is located in the Intersight Help Center. The URL is
https://www.intersight.com/help/saas/resources/replication_for_cisco_hyperFlex_clusters.
The following is a list of requirements and considerations when configuring virtual machine replication and
performing disaster recovery of virtual machines:
Admin Role Requirements

You can perform all replication and recovery tasks with administrator privileges on the local cluster. For tasks
involving a remote cluster, both the local and remote user must have administrative privileges. You can
configure administrative privileges with vCenter SSO on the respective clusters.
Networking Requirements
The replication network should be reliable and have a sustained minimum symmetric bandwidth that is the
same as the bandwidth configured in the HyperFlex replication network. Do not share the network with any
other applications or traffic on an uplink or downlink. Other requirements are as follows:
Table 10: Networking Requirements
Requirement Description
Minimum and The minimum supported bandwidth is 10 Mbps. Recommended bandwidth is

Recommended Bandwidth half of the network link bandwidth available for replication. For example, if
the network link bandwidth available is 100 Mbps, you should configure the
replication bandwidth to be 50 Mbps.

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Adaptive Bandwidth Control Replication network variability may cause network bandwidth to vary and may
include the introduction of network errors. Adaptive Bandwidth Control for
replication will dynamically adjust the replication speed to scale down if errors
are detected and scale up to the configured replication bandwidth limit when
the errors are cleared.
Note Adaptive Bandwidth Control is only in effect when the replication
network bandwidth limit is enabled and configured as a non-zero
number. Adaptive Bandwidth Control is disabled when the
replication network bandwidth limit is not enabled (default).
Enabling the replication bandwidth limit requires entering a
bandwidth value in the range of 10 to 100,000 Mbit/s. It is
recommended that the Administrator always configure a
replication network bandwidth limit on both clusters, rather than
use the default setting.
You can measure the bandwidth of a HyperFlex replication network between

two sites by using the iperf utility. In preparation for using the iperf utility,
configure the local replication networks on both HyperFlex clusters. After you
have configured the local replication networks, you can then pair the HyperFlex
clusters. Once you have paired the HyperFlex clusters, map one of the local
datastores to a datastore on the remote HyperFlex cluster.
• Deploy user VMs on both of the mapped datastores. Configure the user
VMs with the same network and gateway as used by the respective
HyperFlex replication network. The VM can be Ubuntu 16.04 to match
the Linux distribution of the HyperFlex storage controller VMs.
These VMs are only intended for the purpose of testing
network bandwidth. After you have completed testing, you
can delete them. There is no need to protect these VMs.
Note
Measuring Available • Install the iperf utility on both user VMs by running the command:
Replication Network
apt get install iperf
Bandwidth
• Run the iperf server on the user VM deployed on site B by running the
command:
iperf -s
Example Output:
------------------------------------------------------------
Server listening on TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 85.3 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
Port 5001 should be open between the sites.

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Measuring Available • Run the following iperf command on the user VM on site A
Replication Network
iperf -c <server ip> -i <interval in secs> -t <time in seconds>
Bandwidth (continued)
Example Output:
Client connecting to a.b.c.d TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 85.0 KByte (default)
------------------------------------------------------------
local w.x.y.z port 47642 connected with a.b.c.d port 5001
0.0-10.0 sec 44.8 MBytes 37.6 Mbits/sec
10.0-20.0 sec 222 MBytes 187 Mbits/sec
Note Conduct testing in both directions, from the first paired cluster
to the second paired cluster, and then from the second paired
cluster to the first paired cluster. If this is a shared link with other
applications, perform testing at the time the replication schedules
are planned to run. When this link is shared, the available
bandwidth for replication could be impacted and may result in
congestion on the replication network which may result in packet
drops. The HyperFlex replication engine monitors packet drops
and throttles the replication traffic if required.
Maximum Latency The maximum replication network latency supported is 75 ms between two
paired clusters. There are conditions where it is possible that some replication
jobs will encounter error conditions and fail. For example, this may occur when
multiple replication jobs execute simultaneously with low network bandwidth
and high latency. If this situation occurs, increase the replication network
bandwidth, or reduce job concurrency by staggering the number of concurrent
replication jobs. If this situation persists, VM unprotect operations may take
longer than expected.
Measuring Replication Network Latency
You can measure the average replication network latency by running a ping
command on any of the storage controller VMs on site A and site B.
From site A, execute ping command as performed in the following example:
ping -I eth2 "Repl IP of any ctlvm on site B" -c 100
Example Output:
100 packets transmitted, 100 received, 0% packet loss, time 101243ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.112/0.152/0.275/0.031 ms
The average latency should be 75 ms or less.

Note Execute the ping command in both directions, from site A to site
B, and from site B to site A.

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Network Ports The comprehensive list of ports required for HyperFlex component
communication is located in appendix A of the HX Data Platform Security
Hardening Guide. The port/protocl requirements (as of Version 4.5.2a rev 3
dated September 2021) for HyperFlex replication are: ICMP, TCP: 9338, 9339,
3049, 4049, 4059, 9098, 8889, and 9350.
Testing Network Ports
Internal to the HyperFlex cluster, firewall entries are made on the source and
destination storage controller VMs during the site pairing operation to allow
the HX data platform access to the systems bi-directionally. You need to allow
this traffic on WAN routers for each HX node replication IP address and
management CIP address.
When you configure the local replication network on a HyperFlex cluster, you
can manually perform a Test Local Replication Network action to test
connectivity across the replication IP addresses of each storage controller VM
on the local cluster. This test includes port connectivity and firewall checks.
When the two clusters have been paired, you can manually perform a Test
Remote Replication Network action to test connectivity between each local
storage controller VM and each remote storage controller VM. Port connectivity
and firewall checks are performed.
You can also use the Linux “netcat” utility as an additional option to check
port connectivity.
Network Loss Reliable transmission of data enables replication between two paired clusters
to function optimally. Packet loss in data transmission between two paired
clusters may degrade replication performance.
Diagnosing Dropped Packets
There are two cases where packet loss may occur - network congestion and
transient network device errors.
If dropped packets occur on a replication network due to network congestion
the HyperFlex cluster replication engine automatically throttles back replication
bandwidth. Throttling replication network bandwidth reduces network
congestion and results in the reduction of dropped packets. In extreme cases,
replication bandwidth throttling may result in replication jobs taking longer to
complete than anticipated.
Dropped packets that occur on a replication network due to transient network
device errors may cause replication failures that occur randomly or at specific
times of the day.
Dropped packets are not reported in the HX Connect user interface.
Occurrences of packet drop are logged in the HyperFlex storage controller
logs. Users that experience noticeable replication job elongation or other failures
can contact support for further assistance.

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Cluster Requirements
Cluster Requirements
When configuring virtual machine replication and performing disaster recovery of virtual machines, please
ensure that the following cluster requirements are met:
Storage Space Requirements

Ensure that there is sufficient space on both clusters to accommodate the retention and processing of replicated
DP snapshots. Each protected VM will result in the creation and subsequent replication of a DP snapshot
based on the configured schedule interval. The most recent successfully replicated DP snapshot is retained
on the destination HyperFlex cluster. Note that for every protected VM, there is a maximum of two DP
snapshots present on the source cluster and two DP snapshots present on the destination cluster. This approach
facilitates efficient difference-based replication and also assures that the most recent successfully replicated
DP snapshot is available for recovery in the event that a newer DP snapshot fails to successfully complete the
replication process. Although storage capacity reduction methods are applied, including deduplication and
compression, each replicated virtual machine consumes some storage space.
• Space Consumed by Protected VMs with Redolog Snapshots—When protecting a VM that also has
VMware redolog snapshots, the entire content of the VM is replicated. The entire content includes the
VM as well as any retained VMware redolog snapshot(s). This results in increased storage space utilization
on both of the paired HyperFlex clusters. When a greater number of redolog snapshots are retained,
storage space consumption will also increase.
• Space Consumed by Protected VMs with HX Native Snapshots—When protecting a VM that also
has HX native snapshots, only the latest VM data is replicated. Retained HX native snapshot data is not
replicated. Typically, there is no need to account for space consumed by HX native snapshots on a
replication destination HyperFlex cluster.
• Space Consumed by Deleted VMs—Deleting a protected VM will not cause space to be reclaimed on
the paired HyperFlex cluster datastore. The most recent successfully replicated DP snapshot will be
retained to protect the VM from accidental deletion. In order to reclaim space consumed by protected
VMs, the VMs must first be unprotected. When a VM is unprotected, the associated DP snapshots are
deleted on both paired HyperFlex clusters.
• Space Consumption Calculations—The amount of predicted space consumption in addition to the size
of a protected VM can be expressed as:
VM change rate times the number of DP snapshots retained
The number of DP snapshots retained equals two (2). When a protected VM has VMware redolog
snapshots the calculation will be skewed based on the number of retained snapshots.
Space calculations should also consider that when a protected VM fails over or is migrated to the paired
site, the calculations for the source and target can be reversed.
• Difference Based Replication and Full Copy Replication—In a typical replication data protection
lifecycle, a full copy of a protected VM is replicated in the form of a DP snapshot only once. This full
copy replication job occurs when a VM is initially protected. After the initial replication job completes,
subsequent replication jobs take advantage of efficient differencing-based technology to replicate only
new and changed data.
You cannot use difference-based technology in the following known corner cases:
• A protected VM also has HX native snapshots. If the VM is reverted back to a retained HX native
snapshot, the next scheduled protection job will perform a full copy replication job instead of a

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Replication Network and Pairing Requirements
difference-based replication job. An additional full copy worth of space needs to be budgeted on
both of the paired clusters.
• A protected VM undergoes storage vMotion and is migrated to a different datastore. If the destination
datastore is mapped to a datastore on the paired cluster, the next scheduled protection job will
perform a full copy replication job instead of a difference-based replication job. An additional full
copy worth of space needs to be budgeted on both of the paired clusters.
• A protected VM has a DP snapshot that was taken in conjunction with a replication job. Subsequent
to this, an initial HX native snapshot is created that also creates an HX Sentinel snapshot. The next
scheduled protection job will perform a full copy replication job instead of a difference-based
replication job. An additional full copy worth of space needs to be budgeted on both of the paired
clusters.
• When a protected VM DP snapshot is taken during an HX native snapshot workflow that created
intermediate delta disks, the next scheduled protection job will perform a full copy replication job
instead of a difference-based replication job. An additional full copy worth of space needs to be
budgeted on both of the paired clusters.
• When a new VMDK is added to an already protected VM, that specific VMDK will be full-copied
once.
Not having sufficient storage space on the remote cluster can cause the remote cluster to reach capacity
usage maximums. If you note any Out of Space errors, refer to Handling Out of Space Errors for more
information. Pause all replication schedules until space available on the cluster has been properly adjusted.
Always ensure that cluster capacity consumption is below the space utilization warning threshold.
Supported Configurations
Supported configurations for native replication (NRDR 1:1) are: 2N/3N/4N Edge, FI, and DC-no-FI based
clusters to 2N/3N/4N Edge, FI, and DC-no-FI based clusters, including stretched clusters, all managed through
HX Connect.
HyperFlex hardware acceleration cards (PID: HX-PCIE-OFFLOAD-1) are supported with native replication
beginning with HX 4.5(1a). You must enable HX Hardware Acceleration on both of the paired HyperFlex
clusters.
Rebooting Nodes
Do not reboot any nodes in an HX cluster during a restore, replication, or recovery operation. Note that node
reboot operation may occur as part of an upgrade process. You should pause the replication scheduler prior
to an upgrade, and then resume it after the upgrade has completed.

You must establish a replication network between HyperFlex clusters that uses replication for Data Protection
(DP) snapshots. The replication network is created to isolate inter-cluster replication traffic from other traffic
within each cluster and site. Please also consider the following:

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Table 11: Replication Network and Pairing Requirements
Component Description
HX Data Platform Version Ensure that the HyperFlex clusters that are going to be paired for
replication are running the same HX data platform software version.
Note that the use of different HX data platform versions is only
supported during HX data platform upgrades. In this scenario, one of
the paired HyperFlex clusters may be running a different version of HX
data platform software for the period of time until both of the paired
clusters have been upgraded. Ensure that you upgrade both of the paired
clusters to the same HX data platform version within the shortest
possible time frame based on site specific constraints. Also note that a
maximum of one major HX data platform release version difference is
permitted when upgrading paired clusters. Additionally, the changing
of any replication configuration parameter is not supported when the
paired clusters are not both running the same HX data platform version
during an upgrade.
Node Status Ensure that all HyperFlex cluster nodes are online and fully operational
prior to the creation of the local replication networks and performing
the site pairing process.
Node Communication Requirements Requirements are as follows:

• To support efficient replication, ensure that all M nodes of cluster
A can communicate with all N nodes of cluster B, as illustrated in
the M x N connectivity between clusters graphic.
• To enable replication traffic between clusters to cross the
site-boundary and traverse the internet, ensure that each node on
Cluster A can communicate with each node on Cluster B across
the site boundary and the internet.
• Isolate the replication traffic from other traffic within the cluster
and the data center.
For more information, see the graphic below.

190
Replication and Disaster Recovery Virtual Machine Considerations
Component Description
M*N Connectivity Between Clusters
Node Failure In the highly unlikely and rare event of a node failure, there may be an
impact to replication. As an example, replication jobs in progress will
stop if the node which has the replication CIP address enters an
inoperative state. At the point in time when the replication CIP address
is claimed by another node in the cluster, the replication job will
automatically resume. Similarly, if a recovery job was running on the
node with replication CIP address and the node failed, the job would
fail. The replication CIP address would subsequently be claimed by
another node in the cluster. Retry the operation upon noting the failure.
vCenter Recommendations Cisco HXDP Release 5.0(2a) and earlier-Ensure that each of the two
paired HyperFlex clusters is managed by a unique vCenter instance.
Also ensure that vCenter is deployed in a different fault domain for
availability during disaster recovery scenarios. In cases where a single
vCenter server is used for both of the paired HyperFlex clusters, certain
workflows cannot be performed entirely within the HX Connect user
interface.

The following are considerations for VMs:

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Table 12: Virtual Machine Considerations
Consideration Description
Thin Provisioning Protected VMs are recovered with thin provisioned disks irrespective
of how disks were specified in the originally protected VM.
VM Device Limitations Do not protect VMs with connected ISO images or floppies as
individually protected VMs, or within a protection group. You can set
any configured CD or DVD drive to “Client Device” with the
“Connected” state disabled. There is no need to delete the device from
the VM configuration. If there is a need to temporarily mount an ISO
image, you can unprotect the VM and then protect it again once you
have set the CD or DVD drive to “Client Device” and then disconnected.
Protected Virtual Machine Beginning with HX Release 4.5(1a):

Scalability
• The sum of protected VMs on all nodes should not exceed the
maximum limit of 2000 protected VMs per cluster in a single
direction configuration or 1000 protected VMs in a bi-direction
configuration.
• The maximum number of VMs allowed in a protection group is
64.
• A maximum of 100 protection groups are supported.
Non-HX Datastores Periodical replication fails on a protected a VM with storage on a

non-HX datastore. To avoid the failure, unprotect the VM or remove
non-HX storage from the VM. Do not move protected VMs from HX
datastores to non-HX datastores. If a VM is moved to a non-HX
datastore through storage vMotion, unprotect the VM before using
vMotion.
Templates Templates are not supported with disaster recovery. Do not attempt to
protect a template.
Recovery of Virtual Machines with When recovering a protected VM that has VMware redolog snapshots,
Snapshots the VM is recovered and all previous snapshots redolog snapshots are
preserved.
Data Protection Snapshots Replicated DP snapshots are stored on the mapped datastore on the
paired cluster. You should not perform a manual deletion of DP
snapshots as this is not supported. Deleting snapshot directories or
individual files will compromise HX data protection and disaster
recovery.
Note To avoid deleting DP snapshots manually, it is important
to remember that VMware does not restrict operations on
datastores by the administrative user. In any VMware
environment, datastores are accessed by an administrative
user via the vCenter browser or by logging into the ESXi
host. Because of this, the snapshot directory and contents
are browsable and accessible to administrators.

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Storage Replication Adapter Overview
Consideration Description
VMware SRM – Purposeful VM If a VM is deleted from VMware vCenter and the VM is located in an
Deletion “Other DRO” datastore pair, the SRM recovery plan for this datastore
pair will fail during recovery. To avoid this scenario, first unprotect the
VM using the following command on one of the HyperFlex storage
controller VMs: stcli dp vm delete --vmid <VM_ID>
VM Naming If a protected VM is renamed within vCenter, HyperFlex recovers at

the previous name folder but registers the VM with the new name on
the recovery side cluster. Following are some of the limitations to this
situation:
• VMware allows a VMDK located at any location to be attached
to a VM. In such cases, HyperFlex recovers the VM inside the
VM folder and not at a location mapped to the original location.
Also, recovery can fail if the VMDK is explicitly referenced in
the virtualmachine name.vmx file by its path. The data is recovered
accurately but there could be problems with registering the VM
to vCenter. Correct this error by updating the virtualmachine
name.vmx file name with the new path.
• If a VM is renamed and a VMDK is added subsequently, the new
VMDK is created at [sourceDs] newVm/newVm.vmdk. HyperFlex
recovers this VMDK with the earlier name. In such cases, recovery
can fail if the VMDK is explicitly referenced in the virtualmachine
name.vmx file by its path. The data is recovered accurately but
there could be problems with registering the VM to the Virtual
Center. Correct this error by updating the virtualmachine name.vmx
file name with the new path.
HyperFlex Software Encryption Software encryption must be enabled on clusters in both paired
datastores to be able to protect VMs on encrypted datastores.

Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a storage
vendor-specific plug-in for VMware vCenter server. The adapter enables communication between SRM and
a storage controller at the Storage Virtual Machine (SVM) level as well as at the cluster level configuration.
The adapter interacts with the SVM to discover replicated datastores.
For more information on installation and configuration of SRM, refer the following links as per the SRM
release version:
• SRM 8.1 installation—https://docs.vmware.com/en/Site-Recovery-Manager/8.1/srm-install-config-8-1.pdf
You must install an appropriate SRA on the Site Recovery Manager Server hosts at both the protected and
recovery sites. If you use more than one type of storage array, you must install the SRA for each type of array
on both of the Site Recovery Manager Server hosts.

193
Data Protection Terms
Before installing an SRA, ensure that SRM and JDK 8 or above version are installed on Windows machines
at the protected and recovery sites.
To install an SRA, do the following:
1. Download SRA from the VMware site.
In the https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads page, locate VMware Site Recovery Manager and
click Download Product. Click Drivers & Tools, expand Storage Replication Adapters, and click Go
to Downloads.
2. Copy the Windows installer of SRA to SRM Windows machines at both the protected and recovery sites.
3. Double-click the installer.
4. Click Next on the Welcome page of the installer.
5. Accept the EULA and click Next.
6. Click Finish.
Note The SRA is installed within the SRM program folder:

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\storage\sra
After SRA installation, refer the following guide as per the SRM release version and do the SRM environment
setup:
• SRM 8.1 configuration—https://docs.vmware.com/en/Site-Recovery-Manager/8.1/srm-admin-8-1.pdf
After configuration, SRM works with SRA to discover arrays and replicated and exported datastores, and to
fail over or test failover datastores.
SRA enables SRM to execute the following workflows:
• Discovery of replicated storage
• Non-disruptive failover test recovery using a writable copy of replicated data
• Emergency or planned failover recovery
• Reverse replication after failover as part of failback
• Restore replication after failover as part of a production test
Data Protection Terms

Interval―Part of the replication schedule configuration, used to enforce how often the protected VMs DP
snapshot must be taken and copied to the target cluster.

194
Best Practices for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Local cluster―The cluster you are currently logged into through HX Connect, in a VM replication cluster
pair. From the local cluster, you can configure replication protection for locally resident VMs. The VMs are
then replicated to the paired remote cluster.
Migration―A routine system maintenance and management task where a recent replication DP snapshot
copy of the VM becomes the working VM. The replication pair of source and target cluster do not change.
Primary cluster―An alternative name for the source cluster in VM disaster recovery.
Protected virtual machine― A VM that has replication configured. The protected VMs reside in a datastore
on the local cluster of a replication pair. Protected VMs have a replication schedule configured either
individually or by inclusion in a protection group.
Protection group―A means to apply the same replication configuration to a group of VMs.
Recovery process―The manual process to recover protected VMs in the event the source cluster fails or a
disaster occurs.
Recovery test―A maintenance task that ensures the recovery process will be successful in the event of a
disaster.
Remote cluster―One of a VM replication cluster pair. The remote cluster receives the replication snapshots
from the Protected VMs in the local cluster.
Replication pair―Two clusters that together provide a remote cluster location for storing the replicated DP
snapshots of local cluster VMs.
Clusters in a replication pair can be both a remote and local cluster. Both clusters in a replication pair can
have resident VMs. Each cluster is local to its resident VMs. Each cluster is remote to the VMs that reside on
the paired local cluster.
DP snapshot―Part of the replication protection mechanism. A type of snapshot taken of a protected VM,
which is replicated from the local cluster to the remote cluster.
Secondary cluster―An alternative name for the target cluster in VM disaster recovery.
Source cluster―One of a VM replication cluster pair. The source cluster is where the protected VMs reside.
Target cluster―One of a VM replication cluster pair. The target cluster receives the replicated DP snapshots
from the VMs of the source cluster. The target cluster is used to recover the VMs in the event of a disaster
on the source cluster.

The requirement for an effective data protection and disaster recovery strategy based on the environment
being protected cannot be overstated. The solution should be designed and deployed to meet or exceed the
business requirements for both Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) of
the production VMs. The following are some of the points that must be considered when designing this
strategy:
• The number of Service Level Agreements (SLA) necessary to comply with various categories of production
workloads that may include mission critical, business critical, and important VMs.
• Detailed constructs of each SLA that may include RPO, RTO, the number or recovery points retained,
requirements for off-site copies of data, and any requirements for storing backup copies on different
media types. There may be additional requirements that include the ability to recover to a different
environment such as a different location, different hypervisor or different private/public cloud.

195
• An ongoing testing strategy for each SLA which serves to prove that the solution meets the business
requirements it was designed for.
Note that backups and backup copies must be stored external to the HyperFlex cluster being protected. For
example, backups performed to protect VMs on a HyperFlex cluster should not be saved to a backup repository
or a disk library that is hosted on the same HyperFlex cluster.
The built-in HyperFlex data protection capabilities are generalized into the following categories:
• Data Replication Factor—Refers to the number of redundant copies of data within a HyperFlex cluster.
A data replication factor of 2 or 3 can be configured during data platform installation and cannot be
changed. The data replication factor benefit is that it contributes to the number of cluster tolerated failures.
See the section titled, HX Data Platform Cluster Tolerated Failures, on page 10 for additional information
about the data replication factor.
Note Data Replication Factor alone may not fulfill requirements for recovery in the
highly unlikely event of a cluster failure, or an extended site outage. Also, the
data replication factor does not facilitate point-in-time recovery, retention of
multiple recovery points, or creation of point-in-time copies of data external to
the cluster.
• HX Native Snapshots—Operates on an individual VM basis and enables saving versions of a VM over

time. A maximum of 31 total snapshots, including the HX SENTINEL snapshot, can be retained.
Note HX native snapshots alone may not fulfill requirements for recovery in the unlikely
event of a cluster failure, or an extended site outage. Also, HX native snapshots
do not facilitate the ability to create point-in-time copies of data external to the
cluster. More importantly, unintentional deletion of a VM also deletes any HX
native snapshots associated with the deleted VM.
• Asynchronous Replication—Also known as The HX Data Platform disaster recovery feature, it enables
protection of virtual machines by replicating virtual machine DP snapshots between a pair of network
connected HyperFlex clusters. Protected virtual machines running on one cluster replicate to the other
cluster in the pair, and vice versa. The two paired clusters typically are located at a distance from each
other, with each cluster serving as the disaster recovery site for virtual machines running on the other
cluster.
Note Asynchronous Replication alone may not fulfill requirements for recovery when
multiple point-in-time copies need to be retained on the remote cluster. Only the
most recent snapshot replica for a given VM is retained on the remote cluster.
Also, asynchronous replication does not facilitate the ability to create point-in-time
copies of data external to either cluster.
It is recommended to first understand the unique business requirements of the environment and then deploy
a comprehensive data protection and disaster recovery solution to meet or exceed those requirements.

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Protecting Virtual Machines Overview
Protecting Virtual Machines Overview

To protect a virtual machine (VM), specify the following protection attributes:
• Replication interval, at which DP snapshots are created for replication.
• A start time (within the next 24 hours), which specifies the first-time replication is attempted for that
VM.
• Specify if the DP snapshot should be taken with the VM quiesced or not. Proper use of the quiesce option
requires that VMware Tools are installed on the VM or VMs being protected.
• VMware Guest Tool for quiesce snapshot in Disaster Recovery is supported. Install the most recent
VMware Guest Tool Service or verify that the existing service is current.
Note Using third-party guest tool (open-vm-tools) usage is allowed.
Protection attributes can be created and assigned to protection groups. To assign those protection attributes
to VMs, they can be added to a protection group.
For example, there are three different SLAs: gold, silver, and bronze. Set up a protection group for each SLA,
with replication intervals such as 5 or 15 minutes for gold, 4 hours for silver, and 24 hours for bronze. Most
VMs can be protected by simply adding them to one of the three already created protection groups.
To protect VMs, you can choose from the following methods:
Note When you select multiple VMs, you must add them to a protection group.
• Independently―Select one VM and configure protection. Set the replication schedule and the VMware
quiesce option for the specific VM. Changes to the replication settings will only affect the independently
protected VM. The VM is not included in a protection group.
• Existing protection group―Select one or more VMs and add them to an existing protection group. The
schedule and VMware quiesce option settings are applied to all of the VMs in the protection group. If
the protection group settings are changed, the changes are applied to all of the VMs in the protection
group.
• New protection group―Select two or more VMs and choose to create a new protection group. Define
the protection group name, schedule, and VMware quiesce option settings. These settings are applied to
all the VMs in the protection group. If the protection group settings are changed, the changes are applied
to all of the VMs in the protection group.
Data Protection Workflow

To protect VMs and their data using DP snapshots and replication, perform the following steps:
• Configure two clusters and pair them with each other, to support the replication network activity.

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Data Protection Workflow
• Assign a replication schedule to the VMs to set the frequency (interval) for creating DP snapshots on the
source cluster and replicate them to the target cluster. Replication schedules can be assigned to individual
VMs and to protection groups.
Replication Workflow
1. Install HX Data Platform, create two clusters.
2. Create at least one datastore on each cluster.
3. Log into HX Connect.
4. Before creating the replication network, verify the IP addresses, subnet mask, VLAN, gateway, and IP
range to be used for the replication network. After the replication network is created, validate connectivity
within the cluster over the replication network.
5. The default value of MTU is 1500. If the HyperFlex cluster uses OTV or other tunneling mechanisms,
ensure choosing an MTU value which will work for inter-site or inter-cluster connectivity. Starting with
Cisco HyperFlex Release 5.0(2a) the MTU field is editable.
6. Configure cluster replication network on each cluster. The replication network information is unique
to each cluster.
Specify the subnet, gateway, range of IP addresses, bandwidth limit for dedicated use by the replication
network. HX Data Platform configures a VLAN through UCS Manager for both clusters.
7. An intra-cluster network test is performed to validate connectivity between the nodes in the cluster,
after the replication network is configured. If the intra-cluster network test fails, the replication network
configuration is rolled back. Reconfigure the replication network after resolving any issues.
8. Before creating the replication pair, ensure that you have updated the corporate network to support this
pairing.
9. Create a replication pair from one cluster to the other, connecting the two clusters. After the replication
pair is created, a test of the inter-cluster pair network is performed to validate bidirectional connectivity
between the clusters. Set the datastore mapping(s) from both clusters.
10. Optionally, you can create protection groups.
• Set the schedule. Each protection group must have one schedule.
• Create multiple protection groups if you want to have various replication intervals (schedules) for
different VMs. A VM can only belong to one protection group.
11. Select VMs to protect, as individual virtual machines or VMs assigned to protection groups.
12. Set protection, do the following:
a. Select one or more VMs. Click Protect.
b. From the Protect VM wizard, the options are:
• Protect a single VM with an existing protection group.
• Protect a single VM independently.
Set the schedule.
• Protect multiple VMs with an existing protection group.

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Configuring the Replication Network in HX Connect
• Protect multiple VMs with a new protection group.

Create new protection group and set schedule.

Before a replication pair can be configured, the replication network has to be configured on both the local and
remote cluster. Complete the configuration on the local cluster, then log into the remote cluster and complete
the configuration there.
Before you begin

Ensure that the following prerequisites are met, before configuring the replication network:
• A minimum of N + 1 IP addresses is required, where N is the number of converged nodes. An IP subnet
spanning these new IP addresses, the gateway, and VLAN associated with this subnet is also required.
• To accommodate future cluster expansion, ensure that there are sufficient IP addresses in the subnet
provided, for later use. Any new nodes in the expanded cluster would also need to be assigned IP addresses
for replication. The subnet provided in the previous step should span the potentially new IP range as
well.
• Additional IP-pool ranges can be added to the network later, however IP-pools already configured in the
replication network cannot be modified.
• Make sure that the IP addresses to be used for the replication network are not already in use by other
systems.
• Before creating the replication network, verify IP addresses, Subnet, VLAN, and Gateway to be used
for the replication network.
Step 1 Log into HX Connect as a user with administrator privileges.

Step 2 Select Replication > Replication Configuration > Configure Network.
Note You can only configure the replication network once. Once configured, you can edit the available IP addresses
and the networking bandwidth.
Step 3 In the Configure Replication Network dialog box, under the VLAN Configuration tab, enter the network information.

Select an existing VLAN radio button Click this radio button to add an existing VLAN.
If you manually configured a VLAN for use by the replication network through
Cisco UCS Manager, enter that VLAN ID.
Create a new VLAN radio button Click this radio button to create a new VLAN.
Note If you are configuring replication network on edge cluster, do not
use the Create VLAN option. Use the existing VLAN option and
follow the same procedure.

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VLAN ID field Click the up or down arrows to select a number for the VLAN ID or type a
number in the field.
This is separate from the HX Data Platform Management traffic network and
Data traffic network.
Important Be sure to use a different VLAN ID number for each HX Storage
Cluster in the replication pair.
Replication is between two HX Storage clusters. Each HX Storage cluster
requires a VLAN dedicated to the replication network.
For example, 3.
When a value is added, the default VLAN Name is updated to include the
additional identifier. The VLAN ID value does not affect a manually entered
VLAN name.
VLAN Name field This field is automatically populated with a default VLAN name when the
Create a new VLAN radio button is selected. The VLAN ID is concatenated
to the name.
For Stretched Cluster, provide Cisco UCS Manager credentials for primary and secondary FIs (site A and site B).For
normal cluster, provide Cisco UCS Manager credential for single FI.
UCS Manager host IP or FQDN field Enter Cisco UCS Manager FQDN or IP address.
For example, 10.193.211.120.
Username field Enter administrative username for Cisco UCS Manager.
Password field Enter administrative password for Cisco UCS Manager.
Step 4 Click Next.

Step 5 In the IP & Bandwidth Configuration tab, set the network parameters and the replication bandwidth.

Subnet field Enter the subnet for use by the replication network in network prefix notation.
The subnet is separate from the HX Data Platform Management traffic network
and Data traffic network.
Format example:
x.x.x.x/<number of bits>
1.1.1.1/20
Gateway field Enter the gateway IP address for use by the replication network. The gateway
is separate from the HX Data Platform Management traffic network and Data
traffic network.
Note The gateway IP address must be accessible even if the disaster
recovery is being setup for a flat network.

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IP Range field Enter a range of IP addresses for use by the replication network.
• The minimum number of IP addresses required is the number of nodes in
your HX Storage Cluster plus one more.
For example, if you have a 4 node HX Storage Cluster, enter a range of at
least 5 IP addresses.
• The from value must be lower than the to value.
For example, From 10.10.10.20 To 10.10.10.30.
• If you plan to add nodes to your cluster, include sufficient number of IP
addresses to cover any additional nodes. You can add IP addresses at any
time.
Note The IP address range excludes compute-only nodes.
Add IP Range button Click to add the range of IP addresses entered in IP Range From and To fields.

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Set Replication Bandwidth Limit Click the check box to enable setting the replication bandwidth limit. Enter the
check box maximum network bandwidth that the replication network is allowed to consume
for inbound and outbound traffic. This a value in the range of 10 to 100,000
Mbps.
Failure to enable replication bandwidth limiting disables Adaptive Bandwidth
Control. This is not recommended as replication network variability may cause
bandwidth-related replication errors.
The replication bandwidth is used to copy replication snapshots from this local
HX Storage Cluster to the paired remote HX Storage Cluster.
Note • At lower bandwidth (typically, lesser than 50 Mbps), the
replications of multiple VMs may exit without executing the
replication process due to high data transfer rate. To overcome
this issue, either increase the bandwidth or stagger VM
replication schedule so that VMs do not replicate in the same
window.
• The bandwidth setting must be close to the link speed. The
bandwidth setting for the clusters in the pair must be same.
• The set bandwidth is applicable only for the incoming and
outgoing traffic of the cluster to which the bandwidth is set
to. For example, setting the bandwidth limit as 100Mb means
that the 100Mb is set for incoming traffic and 100Mb is set
for outgoing traffic.
• The set bandwidth limit must not exceed the physical
bandwidth.
• The bandwidth configured must be same on both sites of the
disaster recovery environment.
• The allowed low bandwidth is 10Mb and the maximum
latency supported with 10Mb is 75ms. If the initial replication
of VMs fails due to lossy network or unstable HX clusters,
the VM replication will be initiated again in the next schedule
as a fresh replication job. In this case, you have to size the
schedule accordingly to protect VMs.
Set non-default MTU check box Default MTU value is 1500.

Select the check box to set a custom MTU size for the replication network.
MTU can be set in the range 1024 to 1500.
Note • Use the same MTU value on both of the paired HX clusters.
• Starting with HXDP Release 5.0(2a) and later, you can edit
the MTU value after configuring the cluster. With older
versions of HXDP, the existing replication network
configuration will need to be removed. The replication
network can then be configured with the correct MTU value.

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Test Local Replication Network
Note When you use an existing VLAN for replication network, the replication network configuration fails. You
must add the self-created replication VLAN to the management vNIC templates in Cisco UCS Manager.
Step 6 Click Next.

Step 7 In the Test Configuration tab, check the replication network configuration.
Step 8 Click Configure.
What to do next
• Be sure to configure the replication network on both HX Storage clusters for the replication pair.
• After the replication network is created on the cluster, each converged node on the cluster would be
configured with an IP address on the eth2 interface.
• Check for duplicate IP assignment using 'arping'.
For example:arping -D -b -c2 -I ethX $replicationIP` (replace ethX and $replicationIP
with actual values).
If there is a duplicate IP assignment, it is necessary to remove the replication network assignments.
Test Local Replication Network

To perform an intra-cluster replication network test, do the following:
Step 1 Log into HX Connect.

a) Enter the HX Storage Cluster management IP address in a browser. Navigate to
https://<storage-cluster-management-ip>.
b) Enter the administrative username and password.
c) Click Login.
Step 2 In the Navigation pane, click Replication.
Step 3 From the Actions drop-down list, select Test Local Replication Network.
Step 4 Click Run Test.
Step 5 On the Activity page, you can view the progress of the Test Replication Network task.
Editing the Replication Network

When you expand a HX Cluster that has replication configured, ensure that you have sufficient IP addresses
available for the replication network. The replication network requires dedicated IP addresses, one for every
node in the cluster plus one more. For example, in a 3 node cluster, four IP addresses are required. If you are
adding one more nodes to the cluster, a mininum of five IP addresses are required.
To edit the replication network to add IP addresses, perform the following tasks:
Step 1 Log into HX Connect as administrator.

Step 2 In the Navigation pane, Select Replication.

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Editing the Replication Network
Step 3 From the Actions drop-down list, select Edit Replication Network.
Step 4 In the Edit Network Configuration dialog box, you can edit the range of IPs to use and set the replication bandwidth
limit for replication traffic. The replication network subnet and gateway are displayed for reference only and cannot be
edited.

Replication Network Subnet field Subnet for the replication network. The subnet that is configured for the
replication network in network prefix notation. This value cannot be edited.
Format example:
p.q.r.s/<length>
209.165.201.0/27
Gateway field The gateway that is configured for the replication network. This is value cannot
be edited.
• The minimum number of IP addresses required is the number of nodes in
the HX Storage Cluster plus one more.
For example, if the HX Storage Cluster has 4 nodes, the IP Range must be
at least 5 IP addresses.
• You can add IP addresses at any time.
• If you plan to add nodes to your cluster, include sufficient number of IP
addresses to accommodate any additional nodes.
Add IP Range field Click to add the range of IP addresses that are entered in IP Range From and
To fields.
Set replication bandwidth limit check Enter the maximum network bandwidth that the replication network is allowed
box (Optional) to consume for outbound traffic.
Valid Range: 10 to 10,000. The default is unlimited, which sets the maximum
network bandwidth to the total available replication network bandwidth.
The replication bandwidth is used to copy DP snapshots from the local HX
Storage Cluster to the paired remote HX Storage Cluster.

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Replication Pair Overview

Select the check box to set a custom MTU size for the replication network.
MTU can be set in the range 1024 to 1500.
Note • Use the same MTU value on both of the paired HX clusters.
• Starting with HXDP Release 5.0(2a) and later, you can edit
Step 5 Click Save Changes.
The replication network is now updated. Any additional replication network IP addresses are available for
new nodes should they be added to the storage cluster. Replication traffic adjusts to any changes made to the
bandwidth limit.
Replication Pair Overview

Creating a replication cluster pair is a prerequisite for configuring VMs for replication. After two (2) HX
clusters are paired, map the datastore on the remote cluster to a datastore on the local cluster.
Mapping datastore A on HX cluster 1 with a datastore B on HX cluster 2 enables any VM on HX cluster 1
that resides in datastore A and is configured for replication to be replicated to datastore B on HX cluster 2.
Similarly, any VM on cluster 2 that resides in datastore B and is configured for replication to be replicated to
datastore A on HX cluster 1.
Pairing is strictly 1-to-1. A cluster can be paired with no more than one other cluster.
Mapping is a strict 1-to-1 relationship. A datastore on a paired HX cluster can be mapped to no more than
one datastore on the other HX cluster. Note that there can be multiple mapped datastores. For example,
datastore A on HX cluster 1 mapped to datastore B on HX cluster 2, and datastore C on HX cluster1 mapped
to datastore D on HX cluster 2.
Creating a Replication Pair

The replication pair defines the two halves of the protection network. The HX cluster you are logged into is
the local cluster, the first half of the pair. Through this dialog, you identify another HX cluster, the second
half of the pair, the remote cluster. After the replication pair is configured, and at least one pair of datastores
have been mapped, you can begin protecting virtual machines. See the Virtual Machines tab. Below are the
prerequisites and steps to create a replication pair.

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Note When pairing HX clusters, if you get the error: Check your cluster status or logs for possible
solutions appears, check if the pairing is successful by running the following command:
stcli dp peer list
If the pairing is not successful, check the logs for solutions.
Before you begin

• Create a datastore on both the local and the remote cluster.
• Create an encrypted datastore on the remote cluster to protect the encrypted datastore on local site.
Note Software encryption must be enabled on clusters in both paired datastores to be

able to protect VMs on encrypted datastores.
• Configure the replication network.
Step 1 From HX Connect, log into either the local or remote HX cluster as a user with administrator privileges and do one of
the following:
a) Select Replication > Pair Cluster if you are doing cluster pairing for the first time.
b) Select Replication > Create Replication Pair.
The Create Replication Pair option is enabled only when you delete an existing replication pair after unprotecting
all the VMs and removing all the dependencies.
Step 2 Enter a Name for the replication pair and click Next.
Enter a name for the replication pairing between two HX Storage clusters. This name is set for both the local and remote
cluster. The name cannot be changed.
Step 3 Enter the Remote Connection identification and click Pair.

Management IP or FQDN field Enter the cluster IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the
management network on the remote . For example: 10.10.10.10.
User Name and Password fields Enter vCenter single sign-on or cluster specific administrator credentials for the
remote HX cluster.
HX Data Platform verifies the remote HX cluster and assigns the replication pair name.
Once the Test Cluster Pair job is successful, you can proceed to the next step. On the Activity page, you can view the
progress of the Test Cluster Pair job.
Note Virtual machines to be protected must reside on one of the datastores in the replication pair.
Step 4 Click Next.

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The Create New Replication Pair dialog box appears.
Step 5 To protect VMs using the HX Data Platform disaster recovery feature, click Native Protection and do the following:
a) The Local Datastore column displays a list of the configured datastores on the local HX Storage cluster. Map one
local datastore to one remote datastore.
b) From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose a datastore that needs to be paired with the local datastore.
c) Click Map Datastores.
If you chose to cancel the datastore mapping by clicking Cancel, you can map the datastores later using Map
Datastores that appears under DATASTORE MAPPED in the Replication dashboard.
To change the local datastore selection:

a. From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose Do not map this datastore to remove the mapping from the
current local datastore.
b. From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose a datastore to be paired with the local datastore.
Note • The virtual machines to be protected must be on the datastores you select. Moving virtual machines
from the configured datastores for the replication pair, also removes protection from the virtual machines.
• Moving virtual machine to another paired datastore is supported. If the VMs are moved to unpaired
datastore, the replication operation fails.
Note Once a local datastore is mapped to a remote datastore, the corresponding local datastore will not appear
under Other DRO Protection.
Step 6 To protect VMs using SRM through disaster recovery orchestrator (DRO), click Other DRO Protection and do the
following:
a) The Local Datastore column displays a list of the unpaired configured datastores on the local HX cluster. Map one
b) From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose a datastore that need to be paired with the local datastore.
c) From the Direction pull-down menu, choose Incoming or Outgoing as the direction of VM movement for the mapped
datastores.
d) From the Protection Schedule pull-down menu, choose the schedule for protecting all the VMs in the datastore.
e) Click Map Datastores.
If you chose to cancel the datastore mapping by clicking Cancel, you can map the datastores later using Map
Datastores that appears under DATASTORE MAPPED in the Replication dashboard.
Note If a new VM is added to the protected datastore, the newly added VM is also get protected by Cisco HyperFlex.
Note The replication pairs that are edited under Other DRO Protection, are exposed to SRM.
What to do next
To check the protection status of virtual machines, do one of the following:

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Test Remote Replication Network
• Click Virtual Machines in HX Connect. This displays the list of the virtual machines on the local cluster
along with the protection status. If the VM is protected by SRM, the status is displayed as Protected (by
other DRO).
Note In the Virtual Machine page, the status of the VMs protected by SRM is displayed
as unprotected until the completion of first auto protect cycle. Until then, the
user is not recommended to manually protect those VMs.
• Click Replication in HX Connect.

• Click Protection Group under the Local VMs tab to view the VMs protected within a protection group.
Click Other DRO under the Local VMs to view the VMs protected by SRM.
• Click Replication in HX Connect. Click Replication Activity to view the replication activity status of
the protected VMs. If the VM is protected by SRM, the status is displayed as Protected (by other DRO).
Test Remote Replication Network

To test the pairing between clusters in a remote replication network, do the following:
Step 1 Log into HX Connect.

a) Enter the HX Storage Cluster management IP address in a browser. Navigate to
https://<storage-cluster-management-ip>.
b) Enter the administrative username and password.
c) Click Login.
Step 2 In the Navigation pane, click Replication.
Step 3 From the Actions drop-down list, select Test Remote Replication Network.
Field Description
MTU Test Value Default MTU value is 1500. MTU can be set in the range 1024 to 1500.
Note • Starting with HXDP versions 5.0(2a) and later, you can edit
Step 4 Click Run Test.

Step 5 On the Activity page, you can view the progress of the Replication Pair Network Check task.
Editing a Mapped Datastore Replication Pair

Editing a replication pair is changing the datastores for the replication pair.

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Editing a Mapped Datastore Replication Pair
Note Datastores with same encryption property can be mapped.

Step 2 Select Replication > Replication Pairs.
Step 3 Select the replication pair that needs to be edited and click Edit.
The Edit Replication Pair dialog box appears.
Step 4 To protect VMs using the HX Data Platform disaster recovery feature, click Native Protection and do the following:
a) The Local Datastore column displays a list of the configured datastores on the local HX Storage Cluster. Map one
b) From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose a datastore that needs to be paired with the local datastore.
c) Click Map Datastores.
To change the local datastore selection:
a. From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose Do not map this datastore to remove the mapping from the
current local datastore.
b. From the Remote Datastore pull-down menu, choose a datastore to be paired with the local datastore.
Note Once a local datastore is mapped to a remote datastore, the corresponding local datastore will not appear
under Other DRO Protection.
Step 5 To protect VMs using SRM through disaster recovery orchestrator (DRO), click Other DRO Protection and do the
following:
datastores.
Note New VMs added to the protected datastore are also protected.
Note The replication pairs that are edited under Other DRO Protection, are exposed to SRM.
What to do next
To check the protection status of virtual machines, do one of the following:
• Click Virtual Machines in HX Connect. This displays the list of the virtual machines on the local cluster
along with the protection status. If the VM is protected by SRM, the status is displayed as Protected (by
other DRO).

209
Removing a Peer Cluster
Note In the Virtual Machine page, the status of the VMs protected by SRM is displayed
as unprotected until the completion of first auto protect cycle. Until then, the
user is not recommended to manually protect those VMs.
• Click Replication in HX Connect.

• Click Protection Group under the Local VMs tab to view the VMs protected within a protection group.
Click Other DRO under the Local VMs to view the VMs protected by SRM.
• Click Replication in HX Connect. Click Replication Activity to view the replication activity status of
the protected VMs. If the VM is protected by SRM, the status is displayed as Protected (by other DRO).
Removing a Peer Cluster

The preferred method for removing a paring relation for any reason is via HxConnect. In the event that it's
necessary to unpair the clusters using the stcli dp peer delete command. The stcli dp peer delete command
is a 2-cluster operation and removes pairing from both clusters.
In a situation where Cluster A and B were paired, and cluster B is permanently down, or unavailable for an
extended period of time, it may be necessary to remove the pairing relation on cluster A the proper solution
is to use the stcli dp peer forget --pair-name on cluster A.
To remove a peer cluster using the stcli dp peer delete:
Run the stcli dp peer delete on one of the clusters in a pair to ensure that the pairing relation is removed from both
clusters in the pair.
When successful, both the clusters are available for fresh configuration of data protection.
Deleting a Replication Pair

Delete a replication pair on the local and remote clusters.
Select Replication > Replication Pairs > Delete.
Before you begin

On both the local and remote HX clusters, remove dependencies from the replication pair.
Log into the local and the remote HX storage cluster and perform the following:
• Unprotect all virtual machines. Remove virtual machines from protection groups.
• Remove protection groups. If the protection group does not have a VM, deleting protection group is not
required.

Step 2 Unmap the datastores in the replication pair.

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Creating a Protection Group
a) Select Replication > Replication Pairs > Edit.

After the test cluster pair job is successful, you can proceed to the next step. You can view the progress of the Test
Cluster Pair job on the Activity page.
b) From the Edit Replication Pair dialog box, select Do not map this datastore from the Remote Datastore menu.

Local Datastore column List of the configured datastores on this cluster, the local HX clusters.
Map one local datastore to one remote datastore.
Note The lock/unlock icon next to the datastore name indicates
whether the dateastore encryption is enable or disabled:
• Locked icon: encryption enabled
• Unlocked icon: encryption disabled
If encrypted local datastores are selected then only encrypted

remote datastore information is displayed.
Remote Datastore column Pair the datastores between the HX clusters.

1. To change the local datastore selection, remove the mapping to the current
local datastore.
From the pull-down menu in the Remote Datastore column, select Do
not map this datastore.
2. From the desired Local Datastore row, select a datastore from the
Remote Datastore pull-down menu. This selects both the remote and
local datastores in a single action.
c) Ensure all the possible remote datastores are set to Do not map this datastore.
d) Click Finish.
Step 3 Select Replication > Replication Pairs > Delete.
Step 4 Enter administrator credentials for the remote cluster and click Delete.

User Name field Enter the administrator user name for the remote HX Storage Cluster.
Password field Enter the administrator password for the remote HX Storage Cluster.

A protection group is a group of VMs with the same replication schedule and VMware Tools quiescence
settings.

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Protection groups are created on the HX cluster that the administrative user is logged on to. Protection groups
provide protection to the VMs that are members of a given protection group. If protection groups have protected
virtual machines that replicate to the remote cluster, they are listed in HX Connect.
Note The administration of protection groups can only be performed from the local cluster where it was created.
Before you begin

• Ensure that replication network and replication pair are configured.
• Install the most recent VMware Guest Tool Service or verify that the existing service is current.

Step 2 Select Replication > Protection Groups > Create Protection Group.
Step 3 Enter the information in the dialog fields.

Protection Group Name field Enter a name for the new protection group for this HX cluster.
Protection groups are unique to each HX cluster. The name is referenced on the
remote HX cluster, but not editable on the remote HX cluster. Multiple protection
groups can be created on each HX cluster.
Protect virtual machines in this Select how often the virtual machines are to be replicated to the paired cluster.
group every field
The pull-down menu options are: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour,
90 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours. The default value
is 1 hour.
Start protecting the virtual machines Select this radio button if you want the first replication to start immediately
immediately radio button after you add the first virtual machine to this protection group.

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Quiescence Overview

Start protecting the virtual machines Select this radio button if you want to set a specific time for the first replication
at radio button operation to start.
Before you start replication ensure:
• At least one virtual machine is added to the protection group.
• The scheduled start time is reached.
To specify the protection operation start time:

a. Check the Start protecting the virtual machines at radio button.
b. Click in the time field and select an hour and minute. Then click out of the
field.
Cluster time zone and Current time on cluster are references to help you to
choose the appropriate replication start time. Start time is based on the local
cluster clock. For example:
10 hours, 3 minutes from now with Current time on cluster, 1:56:15PM, means
that the first replication occurs at 11:59:00PM.
The hours, minutes from now states when the first replication will occur. This
is updated when you change the time field setting.
Use VMware Tools to quiesce the Select this check box to take quiesced DP snapshots. Leaving the check box in
virtual machine check box an unchecked state will take crash consistent DP snapshots.
This only applies to virtual machines with VMware Tools installed.
Step 4 Click Create Protection Group.

HX Data Platform adds the new group to the Protection Groups tab. This protection group is available to protect virtual
machines on this cluster.
Step 5 Click the Replication > Protection Groups to view or edit the new protection group.
If the number of VMs is zero (0), add virtual machines to the new protection group to apply the replication schedule
configured in the protection group.
Quiescence Overview
Quiescence is a process of bringing the on-disk data of a physical or virtual computer into a state suitable for
backups. This process might include operations such as flushing dirty buffers from the operating system's
in-memory cache to disk or other higher-level application-specific tasks.
HX Data Protection (DP) snapshots can be created with the guest file system quiesced. The quiesce option
is available when using Cisco HyperFlex Connect, the HyperFlex command line user interface (UI), and HX
REST APIs. VMware tools should be installed in the guest VM when creating HX DP snapshots using the
quiesce option. For information on VMware, go to the VMware Website for the following:
• VMware Compatibility Guide.

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Editing Protection Groups
• VMware Tools Documentation

• Virtual Machine Tools, Version, and Status.
• VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide
HXDP Software Release 5.0(2a) and earlier supports the following guest states:
• guestToolsCurrent
• guestToolsUnmanaged
When the quiesce data protection snapshot fails, the DataProtectionVmError occurs which prompts an HX
event and an HX alarm.
Editing Protection Groups

Change the replication interval (schedule) for the virtual machines in the protection group. To edit the protection
groups, perform the following steps:

Step 2 Select Replication > Protection Groups > Edit Schedule.
Step 3 Edit the information in the dialog fields.

Protect virtual machines in this Use the pull-down list to select how often the virtual machines are to be
group every field replicated to the paired cluster.
List values are: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes, 2 hours,
4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours.
Use VMware Tools to quiesce the Select the check box to take quiesced DP snapshots. The checkbox is unchecked
virtual machine check box by default; leaving the check box unchecked, takes crash consistent DP
snapshots.
Step 4 Click Save Changes to save the interval and VMware Tools quiescence settings for the protection group. View the
Protection Groups tab to verify the interval frequency.
Deleting Protection Groups
Before you begin

Remove all virtual machines from the protection group.
Step 1 Select Replication > Protection Groups > protection_group_name

Step 2 Click Delete. Click Delete in the verification pop-up.

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Protecting Virtual Machines with an Existing Protection Group
Protecting Virtual Machines with an Existing Protection Group

This task describes how to protect multiple virtual machines using an existing protection group.
Using an Existing protection group―Select one or more virtual machines and add them to an existing
protection group. The schedule and VMware quiesce option settings are applied to all the virtual machines in
the protection group. When the protection group settings are changed, the changes are applied to all the virtual
machines in the protection group.
Before you begin

Replication network and replication pair configured.
Create protection group prior to adding the virtual machines.
Step 1 Log into HX Connect with administrator privileges and select Virtual Machines.
This lists the virtual machines on the local HX cluster.
Step 2 Select one (1) or more unprotected VMs from the list.
Click in the virtual machine row to select it. As you click a virtual machine row, the corresponding virtual machine check
box is selected.
Step 3 Click Protect.

The Protect Virtual Machines wizard, Protection Group page is displayed.
Step 4 Click the radio button, Add to an existing protection group

Set the protection parameters table Verify the selected virtual machine Name.
Use the Storage Provisioned and Storage Used to check for sufficient storage
resource availability on the remote HX cluster.
Add to an existing protection group Select an existing protection group from the pull-down list.
radio button
The interval and schedule settings of the protection group are applied to the
selected VM or VMs.
Create a new protection group radio Enter a name for the new protection group for this local cluster.
button
Protection groups are unique to each cluster. The name is referenced on
theremote cluster, but not editable on the remote cluster. You can create multiple
protection groups on each cluster.
Step 5 Select a protection group from the pull-down list and click Next.
Be sure the protection group you choose has the schedule interval desired.
The Protect Virtual Machines wizard, Summary page is displayed.
Step 6 Confirm the information in the Summary page and click Add to Protection Group.

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Protecting Virtual Machines with a New Protection Group
The selected VM or VMs are added to the protection group. View theReplication or Virtual Machines pages to confirm
that the VM oir VMs have been added to the protection group.
Protecting Virtual Machines with a New Protection Group

This task describes how to protect multiple virtual machines by creating a new protection group.
Using a New protection group―Select VMs and choose to create a new protection group. Define the protection
group name, schedule, start time, and VMware quiesce option settings. These settings are applied to all the
virtual machines in the protection group. When the protection group settings are changed, the changes are
applied to all the virtual machines in the protection group.
Before you begin

Replication network and replication pair configured.
This lists the virtual machines on the local HX cluster.
Step 2 Select one or more unprotected VMs from the list.

Click in the virtual machine row to select it. As you click a virtual machine row, the corresponding virtual machine
checkbox is selected.

The Protect Virtual Machines wizard, Protection Group page is displayed.
Step 4 Click the radio button, Create a new protection group, add a name for the protection group, and click Next.
The Protection Schedule Wizard Page wizard page is displayed.
Step 5 Complete the schedule and VMware quiesce option, as needed, and click Next.
Protect virtual machines in this Select how often the virtual machines are to be replicated to the paired cluster.
group every field The default value is every 1 hour.

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Protecting Individual Virtual Machines
at radio button to start. To start replication requires:

field.
The hours, minutes from now states when the first replication will occur.
This is updated when you change the time field setting.
Use VMware Tools to quiesce the Click the check box to take quiesced DP snapshots. An unchecked check box
virtual machine check box takes crash consistent DP snapshots. The check box is unchecked by default.
The Protect Virtual Machines wizard, Summary page is displayed.
Step 6 Confirm the information in the Summary page and click Add to Protection Group.
Review the summary content to confirm the settings to apply to the selected virtual machines.
• Name of the protection group
• Number of virtual machines to protect
• Names of virtual machines
• Storage provisioned for each virtual machine
• Storage used (consumed) by each virtual machine
The selected VM or VMs are added to the protection group. View the Replication or Virtual Machines pages to verify
that the VM(s) have been added to the protection group.

This task describes how to protect a virtual machine (VM).

217
• Independently―Select one (1) VM and configure protection. Set the replication schedule and the
VMware Tools quiesce option for the specific VM.
Changes to the replication settings only affect the independently protected VM. The VM is not a member
of a protection group.
• Existing protection group―Select one or more VMs and add them to an existing protection group. The
schedule and VMware Tools quiesce option settings are applied to all the VMs in the protection group.
When the protection group settings are changed, the changes are applied to all VMs in the protection
group.
Before you begin

Configure replication network and replication pair.
Step 2 Select one unprotected virtual machine from the list. Click in the virtual machine row to select it.
Click in the virtual machine row to select it. As you click a virtual machine row, the corresponding virtual machine check
box is selected.

The Protect Virtual Machine dialog box is displayed.
Step 4 Complete the fields as needed.

Add to an existing protection group Select an existing protection group from the pull-down list.
radio button
The interval and schedule settings of the protection group are applied to this
virtual machine.
No additional configuration is required, click Protect Virtual Machine.
Protect this virtual machine Enables the interval, schedule options, and VMware Tools quiescence option
independently radio button for defining protection for this VM.
Protect this virtual machine every Select from the pull-down list how often the virtual machines are to be replicated
field to the paired cluster.
The list values are: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes, 2
hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours.

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Unprotecting Virtual Machines

at radio button to start. To start replication requires:
• At least one VM is added to the protection group.

field.
VMware Tools to quiesce the virtual To take quiesced DP snapshots, check the check box. The unchecked check box
machine check box takes crash consistent DP snapshots. The check box is unchecked by default.
Step 5 Click Protect Virtual Machine.

The VM status is updated in the Virtual Machine and the Replication page. Notice on the Replication page, that no
Protection Group is listed for any VMs protected as individual VMs.
Replication is now enabled for this VM.
Unprotecting Virtual Machines
Note There is no need to unprotect VMs to pause replication for HX cluster activities. See Pausing Replication, on
page 231.

Step 2 Select Virtual Machines.
Step 3 Select a protected virtual machine from the list. Click in the virtual machine row.
VMs can be unprotected one VM at a time.

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Disaster Recovery Overview
Step 4 Click Unprotect and click to confirm.

The state changes for the virtual machine from protected to unprotected.
Disaster Recovery Overview

Disaster recovery is performed when the source site is not reachable and you want to failover the VMs and
the protected groups to the target cluster. The process of recovery recovers the VM on the target cluster.
Recovering virtual machines is restoring a most recent replication snapshot from the recovery (target) cluster.
Software encryption must be enabled on clusters in both paired datastores to be able to protect VMs on
encrypted datastores.
Testing VM recovery—The ability to test recovery without breaking replication. It can bring up your VM
workload on the target to verify the contents of the VM.
Recovering virtual machines—Restoring a most recent replication snapshot from the target (recovery)
cluster. Once you start Recovery, all scheduled replication will be stopped.
Planned migration—Performing planned migration pauses the replication schedule, creates and replicates
a DP snapshot, and recovers on the target. Ownership is switched from the source to the target, and resumes
replication on the target that is now the new source
Disaster Recovery and Reprotect—Recovers the VM on the target, switches the ownership from the source
to the target, and resumes replication on the target that is now the new source.
Protecting VMs after disaster—In the event of a disaster, you may lose the source site altogether. After the
recovery is performed protect the recovered VMs to a newer cluster.
Configuring the Recovery Settings

The configuration of recovery settings allows defining global recovery parameters and mapping for resources
across recovery sites. It is possible to configure the folder, network, or resource pool parameters to be used
during recovery, test recovery and migrate operations. If the global recovery setting is not configured, explicitly
mapping individual VMs at the time of recovery is required.
Step 1 Log into HX Connect as administrator and do one of the following:

a) If configuring recovery settings for the first time, select Replication > Configure.
b) Select Replication and click Actions next to Recovery Settings. From the Actions drop-down list, choose Edit
Recovery Settings.
Step 2 In the Recovery Settings dialog box, enter the following fields:
Field Description
Virtual Machine Power State radio button By default, the Off option is selected. The recovered VM is powered
on as per the selected option.

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Configuring the Recovery Settings
Field Description
Test Virtual Machine Name Prefix field Enter a prefix that you want to add to the virtual machine after test
recovery. The prefix helps to identify the type and context of the
resources.
Notification Setting radio button Choose Normal Mode to get a confirmation prompt with summary of
configuration at the time of recovery, test recovery, or migration. Choose
Silent Mode to not get a confirmation prompt. On choosing silent mode,
a confirmation window appears with the description of default behavior
of silent mode. If you agree to the default behavior of silent mode, click
OK.
Resource Pool area Map the resources in the protected site to the resources in the remote
site for the recovery, test recovery, and migrate configuration.
Check the Same as Recovery Configuration check box to use the
resource mapping of recovery configuration for the test recovery
configuration.
Click Add Rule to add one more resource pool mapping. Click the
delete icon to remove a rule. To edit a rule, delete the rule and add the
updated rule as a new rule.
Folder area Map the folders in the protected site to the folders in the remote site for
the recovery, test recovery, and migrate configuration.
folder mapping of recovery configuration for the test recovery
configuration.
Click Add Rule to add one more folder mapping. Click the delete icon
to remove a rule. To edit a rule, delete the rule and add the updated rule
as a new rule.
Network area Map the network in the protected site to the network in the remote site
for the recovery, test recovery, and migrate configuration.
network mapping of recovery configuration for the test recovery
configuration.
Click Add Rule to add one more network mapping. Click the delete
icon to remove a rule. To edit a rule, delete the rule and add the updated
rule as a new rule.
Step 3 Click Save.

On successful saving of the recovery settings, the RECOVERY SETTINGS field on the Replication page displays one
of the following status along with the notification setting mode:
• Partially Configured—This status is displayed when you have not set the recovery mapping for any of the resources
or if any of the configured mapping is invalid.
• Configured—This status is displayed when all the recovery settings are configured and valid.

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Compatibility for Disaster Recovery Operations
Note The RECOVERY SETTINGS field shows the last validated result. Once a rule is created for recovery,
there is no automatic periodic validation. However, a validation job can be executed to check the validity of
the rules existing in the recovery settings
The validation job summary in the Activity page directs the user to check the Recovery Settings page to
view the validation result.
After configuring the recovery settings, validation of the recovery settings can be performed by choosing
Validate Recovery Settings from the Actions drop-down list. The successful initiation of the recovery setting
validation message is displayed. The RECOVERY SETTINGS field displays the time stamp of last validation.
To monitor the progress of validation, click the Activity tab. In the normal notification setting mode, during
recovery, test recovery, or migration of a virtual machine, the configured recovery settings are displayed.
It is possible to view the recovery configurations and edit them as required by checking the Modify recovery
configuration for current operation check box. But, the recovery settings changes are applicable only for
the current operation and the changes will not be updated to the global recovery settings.
Compatibility for Disaster Recovery Operations

As previously stated in the Replication Network and Pairing Requirements section, the use of different HX
data platform versions is only supported during HX data platform upgrades. During the period of time until
both of the paired clusters have been upgraded, the changing of any replication configuration parameter is
not supported. The test-recover, recover, re-protect, and planned migration operations are expected to function
during the period of time until both of the paired clusters have been upgraded. In some cases, the use of the
command line user interface may be required to complete the re-protect and planned migration operations.
Testing Virtual Machine Recovery

Testing VM recovery gives you the ability to test recovery without breaking replication. It can bring up your
VM workload on the target to verify the contents of the VM.
Note • Testing recovery does not disrupt the running clusters. The intent is to verify, in the event of an actual
disaster, that the VMs are recoverable.
• Using the HX Connect user interface, to test VM recovery, you can run a maximum of 10 tasks in a
sequence without waiting for the previously submitted task to complete.
Before you begin

Before you begin the test VM recovery process, ensure the following:
• The target cluster is up and in good health.
• The protected VMs completed a recent replication to the target cluster. These replicated VMs are stored
as DP snapshots on the target clusters.

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Testing Virtual Machine Recovery
Important Only one copy of the test recovered VM can be made at any point. If you need to have another test recovered
VM, please delete the previously created test recovered VM.
To the test VM recovery process perform the following steps:
Step 1 Log into HX Connect on the target cluster as administrator.

Step 2 Navigate to Replication > Remote VMs Tab > protected_vm.
Step 3 To test the recovery process, click the Test Recovery button.
Note When configuring recovery settings, the following fields are auto-populated.
Resource Pool drop-down list Select a location for the test VM to be stored.
Folders drop-down list Select a location for the test VM to be stored, for example:
• Discovered Virtual Machine
• HX Test Recovery
Power On/Off radio button By default, the Power ON option is selected. The recovered VM is powered
on or left off after it is created as per the selected option.
VM Name field Enter a new name for the created test VM.
Test Networks radio button Select which HX Storage Cluster network to use for transferring the data from
the replication snapshot.
Network options for example:
• Storage Controller Data Network
• Storage Controller Management Network
• Storage Controller Replication Network
• VM Network
Map Networks radio button Select to create a map between the source and the target cluster networks.
• Source Network―Network name at the source side on which the VM is
connected.
• Target Network―Select target network from the drop-down list, where
the VM has to be connected.
Step 4 Click Recover VM.

Step 5 For VMs that are part of a protection group, perform a test recovery on each VM in the group.

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Recovering Virtual Machines
Step 6 Verify the contents of the recovered VM.
Recovering Virtual Machines

Recovering VMs is restoring a most recent replication snapshot from the target (recovery) cluster.
Attention • You may configure the folder, network, or resource pool parameters to be used during recovery, test
recovery and migrate operations. If the global recovery setting is not configured, you will need to explicitly
map individual VMs at the time of recovery.
• Recover VM is not supported between different vSphere versions. If the Target is at a lower version
vSphere environment and does not support the hardware version of a protected VM on the primary, VM
test recovery and recovery may fail. Cisco recommends to test recover each protected VM to validate
the support on the target site.
Upgrade the target environment to enable recovery of protected VMs.
• Cancelling a recovery process (rolling back) is not supported. Attempting to cancel a recovery process
changes all VMs in an unprotected ‘ready to recovery’ state.
• When running recovery on VMs, you may specify explicit network mapping when recovering the VMs
to avoid unintentional network connections to recovered VMs.
You can skip specifying network mapping in the following cases:
• If the source VMs use vSphere Standard Switches and if all ESXi hosts on the recovery side have
standard switch networks with the same name.
• If the source VMs use vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) port groups and if the recovery site has
identically named vDS port groups.
• If you want to specify network mapping, ensure that both the name and the type of the VM network
matches between the source and the target.
• When running recovery on virtual machines that are individually protected, or that are in different
protection groups, the maximum number of concurrent recovery operations on a cluster is 20.
Before you begin

Ensure the following:
• The target cluster is up and in good health.
• The protected VMs completed a recent replication to the target cluster. Replicated VMs are stored as DP
snapshots on the target clusters.
On the target cluster, perform the following to conduct disaster recovery.
Step 1 Log into HX Connect as administrator.

Step 2 Select Replication > > Remote VMs tab > > protected_vm and click Recover.

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Recovering Virtual Machines in Protection Groups
Step 3 To recover the VM and build a new VM on the local cluster, click the Recover VM button.
Note When you configure recovery settings, the following fields are auto-populated.
Resource Pool drop-down list Select a location for the new VM to be stored.
Folders drop-down list Select a location for the new VM to be stored.
Power On/Off radio button By default Power ON option is selected. The recovered VM is powered on or
left off after it is created as per the selected option.
Map Networks Select to create a map between the source and target cluster networks.
connected.

• VM Network

Step 5 Wait for the recovery to complete. View the recovered VM in the target vCenter.
Recovering Virtual Machines in Protection Groups
Step 1 Select a protected-vm and click Recover.

All VMs will be moved from the protection group and the selected VMs will be recovered. Recovered VMs show protection
status as Recovered and the remaining (protection group) VMs show protection status as Recovering. The protection
group will go in Recovered state and is not reusable. You can delete it from the primary site.
Note Clicking Recover for a VM in a group puts it in a Recovered state (actual recovery happened), while the
rest of the VMs in the standalone list are in Ready for Recovery state.
The recovered VMs are displayed in the Standalone Protected VMs subpane.
Step 2 Recover the remaining virtual machines from the Standalone Protected VMs subpane, which were a part of the protection
group. See Recovering Virtual Machines, on page 224 for more details.

225
Planned Migration
Planned Migration
Performing a planned migration pauses the replication schedule, replicates the most recent copy, recovers on
the target, switches the ownership from the source to the target, and resumes replication on the target that is
now the new source.
To perform a planned migration, take the following steps:
Attention This process cannot be rolled back.
Step 1 Log into HX connect of the target cluster. The target cluster is where the replicated DP snapshots were copied to.
Step 2 On the target cluster, select Replication > Remote VMs Tab > protected_vm.
Step 3 Click Migrate.
Note All the fields that are listed here are optional.
Power On/Off radio button By default Power ON option is selected. The recovered VM is powered on or
left off after it is created as per the selected option.
connected.

• VM Network
Step 4 Monitor the progress on the Activity page.
Low Bandwidth and Temporary Packet Loss - In the event VM migration operation fails with an error
message that contains "THRIFT_EAGAIN (timed out)", retry the VM Migration. The timeout error is due to
temporary network congestion caused by bandwidth saturation or underlying network packet loss.

226
Planned Migration for a Single vCenter Deployment
Planned Migration for a Single vCenter Deployment

To perform a planned migration for a single vCenter deployment, take the following steps:
Attention This process cannot be rolled back.
Step 1 Using the Web CLI, run the following command to prepare for failover on the source:
# stcli dp vm prepareFailover --vmid <VMID>
Note You can use the stcli dp vm list --brief command to determine the VMID of a protected VM.
The task ID is returned.

Step 2 Log into vSphere Web Client Navigator of the primary site and remove the VM from the primary site to unregister the
VM.
Right-click on the virtual machine and select All vCenter Actions > Remove from Inventory.
Step 3 Log into HX Connect of the secondary site. Select Replication > Remote VMs Tab > protected_vm. Click Migrate.
Step 4 After the Migrate task has completed successfully, log into vSphere Web Client of the secondary site and manually
register the VM.
a) Log into vSphere Web Client Navigator. Select Configuration > Storage.
b) Right-click on the appropriate datastore and click Browse Datastore.
Navigate to the virtualmachine name.vmx file, right-click on the file and click Add to Inventory. Follow the wizard
to manually register the VM.
Low Bandwidth and Temporary Packet Loss - In the event VM migration operation fails with an error
message that contains "THRIFT_EAGAIN (timed out)", retry the VM Migration. The timeout error is due to
temporary network congestion caused by bandwidth saturation or underlying network packet loss.
Migrating Virtual Machines in Protection Groups

Using the HX Connect user interface, to migrate VMs, you can run a maximum of 4 tasks in a sequence
without waiting for the previously submitted task to complete.
Step 1 Select a protected-vm and click Migrate.

All the VMs are now moved out from the protection group and are displayed in the Standalone Protected VMs subpane.
Only the selected VM is recovered.
Step 2 Migrate the remaining virtual machines from the Standalone Protected VMs subpane, which were a part of the protection
group. See Planned Migration, on page 226 for more details.

227
Disaster Recovery and Re-protect
Disaster Recovery and Re-protect

Performing disaster recovery recovers the VM on the target, switches the ownership from the source to the
target, and resumes replication on the target that is now the new source. Disaster recovery is typically done
when disaster occurs, and when you want to reverse the direction of protection.
Attention • This process cannot be rolled back.

1. Log into vSphere Web Client Navigator of the primary site and remove the VM from the primary
site to unregister the VM.
Right-click on the virtual machine and select All vCenter Actions > Remove from Inventory.
2. Log into HX Connect of the secondary site. Select Replication > Remote VMs Tab > protected_vm.
Click Recover.
3. When the primary site comes back up, log into HX Connect of the secondary site. Select Replication >
Remote VMs Tab > unprotected. Click Re-protect.
4. After Re-protect has completed successfully, log into vSphere Web Client of the secondary site and
manually register the VM.
a. Log into vSphere Web Client Navigator. Select Configuration > Storage.
b. Right-click on the appropriate data store and click Browse Datastore.
Navigate to the virtualmachine name.vmx file, right-click on the file and click Add to Inventory.
Follow the wizard to manually register the VM.
• Using the HX Connect user interface, you can run a maximum of 5 re-protect tasks in a sequence without
waiting for the previously submitted task to complete.
Step 1 Log into HX connect of the source and the target. The target cluster is where the replicated DP snapshots were copied
to. The source cluster is the cluster where the VMs reside.
Step 2 Select a VM from the remote VM list. Execute the Recover VM workflow on this cluster workflow.
Note If both the target and source clusters are on the same vCenter, then unregister the VM on the source cluster.
This ensures that vCenter no longer has a record of the VM and it stops managing the VM, but it retains the
data for the VM.
Step 3 Select Replication > > Remote VMs tab > > unprotected and click Recover.
Step 4 To recover on the target VM and build a new VM on the local cluster, click the Recover VM button.
Complete the following fields in the Recover VM on this cluster dialog box.

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Protecting Virtual Machines After Disaster
Power On/Off radio button By default the Power ON option is selected. The recovered VM is
powered on or left off after it is created as per the selected option.
• Source Network―Network name at the source side on which the
VM is connected.
• Target Network―Select target network from the drop-down list,
where the VM has to be connected.

• VM Network

Step 6 On the target cluster, select Replication > Remote VMs Tab > unprotected.
Step 7 Click Re-protect.
Attention • If both the target cluster and source cluster are on the same vCenter, manually register the VM on the
source cluster.
• When the Re-protect task fails and in the HX Connect UI the Re-protect tab is not available, execute
stcli reverseprotect to complete the Re-protect operation.
Protection status of the VM shows as Protected.

Step 8 After the original primary comes up, to migrate back to the primary do the following:
a) On the target cluster, select Replication > Remote VMs Tab > unprotected.
b) Click Migrate to unregister the target VM and transfer the VM ownership to the original primary.
Protection status of the VM shows as Protected.
Protecting Virtual Machines After Disaster

In the event of a disaster, you may lose the source site altogether. After the recovery is performed, you may
want to protect the recovered VMs to a newer cluster.
Important Usage Guideance: Starting with Cisco HyperFlex Release 5.0(2b) users should review the
following use case before proceeding.
The stcli dp peer forget --pair-name operation is a single cluster operation and only affects the cluster where
the command is executed. The stcli dp peer delete is a 2-cluster operation and removes pairing from both
clusters.

229
Removing Protection from an Auto-Protected Cluster VM
In a situation where Cluster A and B were paired, and cluster B is permanently down, or unavailable for an
extended period of time, it may be necessary to remove the pairing relation on cluster A the proper solution
is to use the stcli dp peer forget --pair-name on cluster A.
Step 1 Recover the Virtual Machines. Perform standalone recovery (Recovering VMs) or group recovery (Recovering VMs in
protection groups). See Recovering Virtual Machines, on page 224 for more details.
Step 2 To clear the existing pairing, run the following command in the HX Connect WebCLI:
stcli dp peer forget --all
Now the cluster is no longer paired to the original source.
Step 3 Unprotect all the local and remote VMs. See Unprotecting Virtual Machines, on page 219 for more details.
Step 4 Use STCLI to clean-up the protection group data.
Remove Protection group (if any)
stcli dp group list
stcli dp group delete --groupid <groupUUID>
Note GroupUUID is the vmGroupEr.id from the group list command.

Group delete is not supported in HX connect for remote cluster. Use stcli.
Step 5 (Optional) If needed, use the stcli drnetwork cleanup command to change the DR network. For more information see
the Cisco hyperFlex Data Platform CLI Guide for your release.
Step 6 Pair to the new cluster. See the Creating a Replication Pair, on page 205section for more details.
Step 7 Protect the virtual machines.
Removing Protection from an Auto-Protected Cluster VM

In the event that the vCLS vms are not showing in Virtual machines page, but still they are getting auto
protected, you can perform the following steps to remove protection from the auto-protected cluster VM.
Before you begin

• VSphere Cluster Services (vCLS) VM should not reside on Backup or DR/SRM datastores.
• Do not place vCLS VMs on HX datastores that are intended for 1:1 DR or N:1 Backup functionality.
Step 1 Unprotect the VM using the stcli dp vm delete <vmid> cli.

Step 2 Use VCenter to Storage VMotion the VM to a different datastore.
Replication Maintenance Overview

Replication, when configured, runs in the background according to defined schedules. Replication maintenance
tasks include:

230
Pausing Replication
• Testing recovery―Testing if the recovery methods are working. See Testing Virtual Machine Recovery,
on page 222 for more details.
• Pausing replication―When preparing to upgrade the HX cluster and replication is configured, replication
activity must be paused.
Use the stcli dp schedule pause command.
• Resuming replication―After HX cluster maintenance activities are complete, resume the replication
schedule.
Use the stcli dp schedule resume command.
• Migration―The option to shift VMs from one source cluster to the replication paired target cluster,
making the target cluster the new source cluster for the migrated VMs.
The following image illustrates which configuration is used for Disaster Recovery on HyperFlex if you are
deploying in an ACI setup on a broad scale:
Pausing Replication
Before performing a storfs or platform upgrade, if replication is configured replication activity must be paused.
Step 1 Log into a Storage Controller VM.

Step 2 From the command line, run the stcli dp schedule pause command.
Step 3 Perform the upgrade task.

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Resuming Replication
Step 4 Resume the replication schedule.
Resuming Replication
After successfully upgrading the HX Storage Cluster which had replication configured, do the following to
resume the replication schedule.
Before you begin

Ensure that HX cluster replication is paused and that any maintenance or upgrade tasks are complete.
Step 1 Log into a Storage Controller VM.

Step 2 From the command line, run the stcli dp schedule resume command.
The previously configured replication schedule for all the protected virtual machines begins.
Replication Page
Displays summary information and links to detailed information related to Replication Configuration, Local
Protection, and Remote Protection.
Replication Configuration Ribbon

REPLICATION Displays the state of the replication network configuration.
CONFIGURATION field
• Replication network not configured—The replication network
has not been configured.
Click Configure to begin.
• Network configured—The replication network is configured.
Click Edit to adjust replication network IP ranges or bandwidth
limit.
BANDWIDTH LIMIT field Displays the configured bandwidth allowed for transmitting incoming
and outgoing replication data.
• Blank—The replication network is not configure.
• # Mbps—Configured setting in Mega bits per second (Mbps).
• Maximum―The default setting. Allows the replication network
to use the total available network bandwidth.
Click Edit to change the bandwidth limit.

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Replication Page

Bandwidth chart Displays the bandwidth being consumed for data being replicated
between this HX Storage Cluster and the paired HX Storage Cluster.
Vertical axis is bandwidth and horizontal axis is time.
For more details, see the Performance Page.
Actions drop-down list Click to create or edit the replication network for this HX Storage Cluster
and to test the replication network.
• Test Local Replication Network—<define>
• Edit Replication Network—Edit IP Range and set replication
bandwidth limit.
Recovery Settings Ribbon

Cluster Pairing field Displays the name of the cluster pair.
• Click Pair Cluster that appears when cluster pairing is not done,
to initiate cluster pairing.
• Click Create Replication Pair to initiate cluster pairing. The
Create Replication Pair option is displayed only when you delete
an existing replication pair after unprotecting all the VMs and
removing all the dependencies.
DATASTORE MAPPED field Displays the number of mapped datastores.

• Click Map Datastore Pairs that appears when datastore mapping
is not done, to map one local datastore to one remote datastore.
RECOVERY SETTINGS field Displays the state of the recovery settings configuration.
• Click Configure that appears when recovery settings configuration
is not done, to configure the recovery settings to return the network
to a known working state during recovery or test recovery.
Actions drop-down list Choose any one of the action to perform specific operation on replication
network, recovery settings, and datastore mapping.
• Test Remote Replication Network—To test the pairing between
clusters in a remote replication network.
• Validate Recovery Settings—To validate the configured recovery
settings.
• Edit Recovery Settings—To edit the recovery settings
configuration.
• Edit Datastore Mapping—To edit the mapping between local and
remote datastores.

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Replication Page
Local/Remote Protection Summary Ribbons

VMs field Displays the total number of virtual machines configured for protection
on the Local cluster or on the Remote cluster. Displays the details for
individual virtual machines and virtual machines in protection groups.
Click the field to display the list of protected virtual machines in the
Local VMs or Remote VMs tab.
Protected field Displays the total number of virtual machines that have a replication
snapshot created.
Click the field to display the list of protected virtual machines in the
Local VMs or Remote VMs tab.
Exceeds Interval field Displays the number of replications that took longer than the configured
interval to complete.
For example, if a virtual machine has an interval of every 15 minutes
and replicating its snapshot from the local to the remote cluster took 20
minutes, the replication exceeded the interval.
Click the field to display the list of virtual machines with exceeded
interval in the Local VMs or Remote VMs tab.
Current Replication Failures Displays the current number of replications that did not complete.
field
Click the field to display the list of virtual machines with failed
replication in the Local VMs or Remote VMs tab.
Protection Groups field Displays the total number of protection groups configured for this HX
Storage Cluster.
Click the field to display the list of protection groups and their associated
VMs in the Protection Groups section under the Local VMs or Remote
VMs tab.
The Replication page table provides four tabs: Local VMs, Remote VMs, Replication Activity, and
Replication Pairs. Each of these tabs provide replication protection configuration options.
Replication Activity Tab

Virtual Machine column Name of the virtual machine protected by replication in the HX Storage
Cluster.
Remote Cluster column Name of the corresponding remote cluster associated with the protected
virtual machine. This is the recovery cluster for the listed virtual machine.

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Replication Page

Status column Displays the current status of the virtual machine protection on this
cluster:
• Success—The scheduled replication of the virtual machine and its
data to the remote cluster is completed.
• Starting—Replication task is starting.
• In progress—The replication task is proceeding.
• Failed—The scheduled replication task did not complete.
• Deleted—Replication task is deleted.
• Paused—Replication task is paused.
Start Time column Displays the timestamp for the most recently started replication process.
End Time column Displays the timestamp for the most recently completed replication
process.
Protection Group column If the associated virtual machine belongs to a protection group, the
protection group name is listed. If it does not have a protection group,
the field displays None.
Direction column The direction of the replicated virtual machine. The direction is relative
to the local cluster. The cluster you are logged into is always the local
cluster. The options are:
• Incoming—The virtual machine resides on the remote cluster. It
is replicated from the remote cluster to the local cluster.
• Outgoing—The virtual machine resides on the local cluster. It is
replicated from the local cluster to the remote cluster.
Data Transferred column The size (in Bytes) of the virtual machine that is replicated. When the
replication is in progress, the amount completed is listed. When the
replication is complete, the amount of data transferred is listed in Bytes.
Replication Pairs Tab

Name column Name of this local cluster.
Remote Cluster column Hostname and IP address of the remote cluster.
Remote Cluster Status column Status of the remote cluster. Options include: Online, Offline

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Local Virtual Machines Page

VMs Outgoing column The number of virtual machines configured for replication to the remote
HX Storage Cluster from this local HX Storage Cluster. Includes the
number of protection groups on this local cluster.
Click the field to display the VM replications on the Virtual Machines
page.
Replications Outgoing column The number of virtual machines being replicated, transferring their data,
to the remote HX Storage Cluster from this local HX Storage Cluster.
VMs Incoming column The number of virtual machines configured for replication from the
remote HX Storage Cluster to this local HX Storage Cluster. Includes
the number of protection groups on the remote cluster.
Click the field to display the VM replications on the Virtual Machines
page.
Replications Incoming column The number of virtual machines being replicated, transferring their data,
from the remote HX Storage Cluster to this local HX Storage Cluster.
Mapped Datastores Pairs column The number of datastores used for replication on the local cluster.
Click the field to display the list of datastores on the Datastores page.
Create Replication Pair button This button is only available when a replication pair is not configured
for this local cluster. Click the button and complete the Create
Replication Pair dialog box.
Edit button Select the replication pair and click Edit to change the local or remote
datastores to use for replication. Complete the Edit Replication Pair
dialog box.
Delete button Select the replication pair and click Delete. Confirm the action.
Perform this operation when you want to remove the pairing of this local
cluster from the remote cluster.
Note All VMs on both clusters lose their replication
configuration. To apply protection to the VMs, you must
complete all the protection steps, including creating a new
replication pair.

Displays detailed information related to local virtual machines.

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Protection Groups sub table + Create Group button―Opens Create Protection Group dialog box.
Lists protection groups created on the local cluster. You can filter the
virtual machines by All Protected VMs or Standalone Protected VMs.
Displays the following protection group data:
• Group name
• Number of VMs in the group
• Status of VMs: Protected, Recovered, Recovering, Recovery Failed
• Replication interval time, tooltip shows the time of last replication
• To edit the group schedule, click the pen icon. To delete the protection
group, use the trash icon.
Pause button Pause outgoing replication stops all ongoing and new virtual machines
from being protected to the target site.
Virtual Machine Name column Lists the names of the virtual machines protected by replication in the HX
Storage Cluster.

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Protection Status column Displays the current status of the virtual machine protected on this cluster:
• Recovering—The virtual machine is restoring from a replication
snapshot on the remote cluster.
VM State—Prepare Failover Started, Prepare Failover Completed
• Recovery Failed—The virtual machine failed to restore from a
replication snapshot on the remote cluster.
VM State—Prepare Failover Failed, Failover Failed
• Recovered—The virtual machine was recently restored from a
VM State—Failover Completed
• Protecting—Reverse protect started for that virtual machine.
VM State—Prepare Reverse Protect Started, Prepare Reverse Protect
Completed, Reverse Protect Started
• Protection Failed—Reverse protect failed for the virtual machine.
VM State—Prepare Reverse Protect Failed, Reverse Protect Failed
• Protected—The virtual machine has at least one snapshot available
for recovery.
VM State—Success
• Active—Protection is configured, but no snapshot is available.
VM State—Active
• Exceed Interval—The last replication process took longer than the
configured interval to complete.
Last Protection Time column Displays the timestamp for the most recently completed replication process.
Direction column Displays the direction of the replicated virtual machine, relative to the local
cluster. The cluster you are logged into is always the local cluster.
• Incoming—The virtual machine resides on the remote cluster. It is
replicated from the remote cluster to the local cluster.
protection group name is listed. If it does not have a protection group, the
field displays None.

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Remote Virtual Machines Page
Interval column Displays the length of time between the start of each replication. Select an
Interval time sufficient to complete each replication.
For example, an Interval time of Every 1 hour means that a replication
of the VM is started every hour.
Edit Schedule button Select an individually protected VM and click Edit Schedule to modify
the replication interval.
Remove from Group button Select one or more VMs from the same protection group and click Remove
from Group to remove the selected VMs from the group.
The selected VMs continue to be protected individually with the same
replication schedule as the protection group.
Click Remove from Protection Group to confirm.
Add to Group button Click to add virtual machines that are protected to a group. VM schedule
is changed to be a group schedule.
Unprotect button Select an individually protected VM and click Unprotect to remove

replication protection from the VM. Unprotecting prevents a replication
snapshot from starting.
Click Unprotect to confirm.
The VM is removed from the list.
Note Unprotecting removes protection for the selected VMs. To
protect the VMs, you must reapply replication configuration.

Displays detailed information that is related to remote virtual machines.
Protection Groups sub table + Create Group button―Opens Create Protection Group dialog box.
Lists protection groups that are created on the remote cluster. You can
filter the virtual machines by All Protected VMs or Standalone Protected
VMs.
Displays the following protection group data:
• Group name
• Number of VMs in the group
• Status of VMs: Protected, Recovered, Recovering, Recovery Failed
• Replication interval time, tooltip shows the time of last replication.
Virtual Machine Name column Displays the name of the virtual machine that is protected by replication
in the HX Storage Cluster.

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Protection Status column Displays the current status of the virtual machine protection on this cluster:
• Recovering—The virtual machine is restoring from a replication
snapshot on the remote cluster.
VM State—Prepare Failover Started, Prepare Failover Completed
• Recovery Failed—The virtual machine failed to restore from a
VM State—Prepare Failover Failed, Failover Failed
VM State—Failover Completed
• Protecting—Reverse protect started for that virtual machine.
VM State—Prepare Reverse Protect Started, Prepare Reverse Protect
Completed, Reverse Protect Started
• Protection Failed—Reverse protect failed for the virtual machine.
VM State—Prepare Reverse Protect Failed, Reverse Protect Failed
• Protected—The virtual machine has at least one snapshot available
for recovery.
VM State—Success
• Active—Protection is configured, but no snapshot is available.
VM State—Active
• Exceed Interval—The last replication process took longer than the
configured interval to complete.
Last Protection Time column Displays the timestamp for the most recently completed replication process.
Direction column Displays the direction of the replicated virtual machine, relative to the local
cluster. The cluster that you are logged into is always the local cluster.
• Incoming—The virtual machine resides on the remote cluster. It is
replicated from the remote cluster to the local cluster.
protection group name is listed. If it does not have a protection group, the
field displays None.

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Prepare to Protect Virtual Machines Alert
Interval column Displays the length of time between start of each replication. Select an
interval time sufficient to complete each replication.
For example, an interval time of Every 1 hour means that a replication
of the VM is started every hour.
Recover button Select a VM and click Recover, to take the most recent replication snapshot
of the VM and build a new VM on the local cluster. Ensure that the VM
on the remote cluster is unavailable.
Complete this step after Unprotect, for recovering a VM.
Migrate button Select a VM and click Migrate, to migrate the protected VM from the
source to the target.
Unprotect button Select an individually protected VM and click Unprotect to remove

replication protection from the VM. Unprotecting prevents a replication
snapshot from starting.
Complete this step prior to Recover on Cluster, for recovering a VM.
Re-protect button Select an individually unprotected VM and click Re-protect to reprotect

the VM.
Test Recovery button Select a VM and click Test Recovery, to take the most recent replication
snapshot of the VM and builds a new VM on the local cluster.
Prepare to Protect Virtual Machines Alert

The replication network and a replication pair must be configured before virtual machines can be protected.
To perform the following tasks, you must be logged in as a user with administrator privileges.
1. Create a datastore on the local and the remote storage cluster. For each cluster, on the Datastores tab,
click the Create Datastore button.
Create one or more datastores on the local cluster, then log into the remote cluster and create datastores
there.
2. Configure the replication network on both the local and remote cluster. For each cluster, on the Replication
tab, click the Configure button.
Complete the configuration on the local cluster, then log into the remote cluster and complete the
configuration there.
3. Configure the replication pair between the local and remote storage clusters. Select Replication > Pair
Cluster.
Map datastores between the local and the remote storage clusters. Mapping datastores can be completed
from either the local or the remote storage cluster.

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Configure or Edit Replication Network Dialog Box
Configure Replication Network
Note To perform this task, you must be logged in as a user with administrator privileges.
You are required to configure a replication network and a replication pair before protecting virtual machines.
Configure the replication network both on the local and remote cluster. Configure replication network on the
local cluster first, then log into the remote cluster and complete the configuration.
1. Select Replication > Configure Network.
2. Complete the following fields in the VLAN Configuration tab:

Select an existing VLAN radio Click this radio button to add an existing VLAN.
button
If you manually configured a VLAN for use by the replication network
through Cisco UCS Manager, enter that VLAN ID.
Create a new VLAN radio button Click this radio button to create a new VLAN.
Note If you are configuring replication network on edge
cluster, do not use the Create VLAN option. Use the
existing VLAN option and follow the same procedure.
VLAN ID field Click the up or down arrows to select a number for the VLAN ID or
type a number in the field.
This is separate from the HX Data Platform Management traffic
network and Data traffic network.
Important Be sure to use a different VLAN ID number for each
HX Storage Cluster in the replication pair.
Replication is between two HX Storage clusters. Each HX Storage
cluster requires a VLAN dedicated to the replication network.
For example, 3.
When a value is added, the default VLAN Name is updated to include
the additional identifier. The VLAN ID value does not affect a
manually entered VLAN name.
VLAN Name field This field is automatically populated with a default VLAN name
when the Create a new VLAN radio button is selected. The VLAN
ID is concatenated to the name.
For Stretched Cluster, provide Cisco UCS Manager credentials for primary and secondary FIs (site A
and site B).For normal cluster, provide Cisco UCS Manager credential for single FI.

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UCS Manager host IP or FQDN Enter Cisco UCS Manager FQDN or IP address.
field
For example, 10.193.211.120.
Username field Enter administrative username for Cisco UCS Manager.
Password field Enter administrative password for Cisco UCS Manager.
Click Next.
3. Complete the following fields in the IP & Bandwidth Configuration tab:
IP & Bandwidth Configuration Tab

Replication Network Subnet Enter the subnet for use by the replication network in network prefix
field notation. This is separate from the HX Data Platform Management
traffic network and Data traffic network.
Format example:
p.q.r.s/<length>
209.165.201.0/27
Gateway field Enter the gateway for use by the replication network. This is separate
from the HX Data Platform Management traffic network and Data
traffic network.
• The minimum number of IP addresses required is the number
of nodes in your HX Storage Cluster plus one more.
For example, if you have a 4 node HX Storage Cluster, enter a
range of at least 5 IP addresses.
• If you plan to add nodes to your cluster, include sufficient
number of IP addresses to cover any additional nodes. You can
add IP addresses at any time.
Add IP Range button Click to add the range of IP addresses entered in IP Range From and
To fields.

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Set replication bandwidth limit Enter the maximum network bandwidth that the replication network
check box is allowed to consume for outbound traffic. Acceptable value is
between 10 and 10,000.
The default value is unlimited, which sets the maximum network
bandwidth to the total available to the network.
The replication bandwidth is used to copy replication snapshots from
this local HX Storage Cluster to the paired remote HX Storage Cluster.
4. Click Configure.
Edit Replication Network
Add available IP addresses to the configured replication network. There must be one IP address for every
node in the storage cluster, plus one more for management. If you expand your storage cluster, available IP
addresses are consumed.
1. Select Replication > Actions drop-down list > Edit Configuration.
2. In the Edit Network Configuration dialog box, you can edit the range of IPs to use and set the replication
bandwidth limit for replication traffic. The replication network subnet, gateway, and VLAN ID are
displayed for reference only and cannot be edited.
Edit Network Configuration Dialog Box

Replication Network Subnet Subnet for the replication network. The subnet that is configured for
field the replication network in network prefix notation. This value cannot
be edited.
Format example:
p.q.r.s/<length>
209.165.201.0/27
Gateway field The gateway that is configured for the replication network. This is
value cannot be edited.

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• The minimum number of IP addresses required is the number
of nodes in the HX Storage Cluster plus one more.
For example, if the HX Storage Cluster has 4 nodes, the IP Range
must be at least 5 IP addresses.
• You can add IP addresses at any time.
• If you plan to add nodes to your cluster, include sufficient
number of IP addresses to accommodate any additional nodes.
Add IP Range field Click to add the range of IP addresses that are entered in IP Range
From and To fields.
Set replication bandwidth limit Enter the maximum network bandwidth that the replication network
check box (Optional) is allowed to consume for outbound traffic.
Valid Range: 10 to 10,000. The default is unlimited, which sets the
maximum network bandwidth to the total available replication network
bandwidth.
The replication bandwidth is used to copy DP snapshots from the
local HX Storage Cluster to the paired remote HX Storage Cluster.

Select the check box to set a custom MTU size for the replication
network. MTU can be set in the range 1024 to 1500.
Note • Use the same MTU value on both of the paired HX
clusters.
• Starting with HXDP Release 5.0(2a) and later, you
can edit the MTU value after configuring the
cluster. With older versions of HXDP, the existing
replication network configuration will need to be
removed. The replication network can then be
configured with the correct MTU value.
3. Click Save Changes.

The replication network is now updated. Added IP addresses are available for new nodes when they are
added to the storage cluster. Replication traffic adjusts to any changes made to the bandwidth limit.

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Prepare Group Recovery Dialog Box
Prepare Group Recovery Dialog Box
Caution Complete this action only in the event of a disaster.
Prepare group recovery stops the replication schedule for all the Virtual Machines in the protection group.
After the replication schedule is stopped for all the VMs, proceed to the Standalone VM tab and recover each
VM.
Recover VM on This Cluster Dialog Box

To recover the VM and build a new VM on the local cluster, click the Recover VM button.
Note All the fields listed here are optional.
Power On/Off radio button Choose if the recovered VM must be powered on or left powered off after
it is created.
• Source Network―the network on the cluster with the VM replication
snapshot.
• Target Network―the network on the cluster where the new VM is
created.
Network options include:

• VM Network
Click Recover VM.
Test Recovery Parameters Dialog Box

To test the recovery process, click the Recover VM button.
Note All the fields listed here are optional.

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Protected Virtual Machines Tab
Resource Pool drop-down list Select a location for the test VM to be stored.
Folders drop-down list Select a location for the test VM to be stored:

• Discovered Virtual Machine
• ESX Agents
• HX Test Recovery
Power On/Off radio button Click a button. The recovered VM is powered on or left off after it is
created.
VM Name field Enter a new name for the created test VM.
Test Networks radio button Select which HX Storage Cluster network to use for transferring the
data from the replication snapshot.
Network options include:
• VM Network
Map Networks radio button Select to create a map between the source and target cluster networks.
Source―the cluster with the VM replication snapshot.
Target―the cluster where the test VM is created.
Click Recover VM.

Displays the virtual machine protection status, you can edit the protection schedule and unprotect virtual
machines. To select virtual machines for protection see the Virtual Machines page.
Protected Virtual Machines Actions

Edit Schedule button Change the replication interval or VMware Tools quiesce setting for the
replication of the selected virtual machine.
Select the virtual machine and click Edit Schedule.

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Unprotect button To unprotect a virtual machine:
1. Select the Replication > Protected Virtual Machines tab.
2. Select one or more virtual machines that resides on the local cluster
with outgoing protection configured.
Independently protected virtual machines must be selected one at a
time. Multiple virtual machines selected must be in the same
protection group.
3. Select the virtual machine name and click Unprotect.
4. Repeat for virtual machines in another protection group or
independently protected.
To move a virtual machine from one protection group to another:

1. Unprotect the virtual machine.
From the Replication > Protected Virtual Machines tab, select
the virtual machine and click Unprotect.
This removes all protection for the virtual machine.
2. Re-protect the virtual machine selecting the new protection group.
From Virtual Machines, select the virtual machine and click
Protect.
Protected Virtual Machines Table

# selected column The number of virtual machine checkboxes selected from the table.
Actions performed are applied to all virtual machines selected.
Virtual Machine Name column Name of the virtual machine protected by replication in the HX Storage
Cluster.

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Protection Status column The most recent protection action on the virtual machine protection.
The arrow on the status indicates the direction of the data transmission.
The directional arrows indicate data transmission:
• Left to Right—From the local cluster to the remote cluster.
• Right to Left—From the remote cluster to the local cluster.
The protection status options are:

• Active—The virtual machine is configured for replication and
replication occurs per the defined interval. Additional information
might be listed.
• Protected—The virtual machine has a replication schedule.
• Paused—The replication schedule for the virtual machine is
temporarily stopped. This is used during cluster maintenance.
• Invalid—An error in the virtual machine replication settings.
• In Progress—A scheduled replication for the virtual machine
is proceeding.
• Error—A replication task for this virtual machine did not
complete.
• Deleted—A replication snapshot was deleted from the remote
cluster.
• None—No replication scheduled for this virtual machine.
• Exceeds Interval―The last replication process took longer than

the configured interval to complete.
• Halted―The virtual machine replication schedule is stopped. This
prevents a potentially corrupted virtual machine (that is in a state
of disaster recovery) from replicating to the remote cluster.
Last Protection Time column Timestamp for when the most recent virtual machine replication process
started.

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Edit Protected Virtual Machine Schedule Dialog Box

the field lists -.
Interval column The configured interval setting for replicating the virtual machine. To
change this, select the virtual machine row and click Edit Schedule.
Edit Protected Virtual Machine Schedule Dialog Box

Change the replication interval or VMware Tools quiesce setting for the replication of the selected virtual
machine.
Select Replication > Protected Virtual Machines > Edit Schedule.

Protect this virtual machine Select how often the virtual machines are to be replicated to the paired
every field cluster. Default is every 1 hour. The pull-down menu options are:
15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours,
12 hours, 24 hours
Use VMware Tools to quiesce the To have HX Data Platform quiesce the virtual machines before taking
virtual machine check box the replication snapshot, click this checkbox.
Click Save Changes.

HX Data Platform updates the interval and VMware Tools quiesce setting for the protection group. See the
Protection Groups tab to view the new interval frequency.
Protection Groups
Create Protection Group Dialog Box
Select Replication > Protection Groups > + New Group.
Create Protection Group Dialog Box

Protection Group Name field Enter a name for the new protection group for this HX cluster.
Protection groups are unique to each HX cluster. The name is referenced
on the remote HX cluster, but not editable on the remote HX cluster.
Multiple protection groups can be created on each HX cluster.
Protect virtual machines in this Select how often the virtual machines are to be replicated to the paired
group every field cluster.
The pull-down menu options are: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1
hour, 90 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours. The
default value is 1 hour.

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Edit Protection Group Schedule Dialog Box

Start protecting the virtual Select this radio button if you want the first replication to start
machines immediately radio immediately after you add the first virtual machine to this protection
button group.
Start protecting the virtual Select this radio button if you want to set a specific time for the first
machines at radio button replication operation to start.
Before you start replication ensure:

1. Check the Start protecting the virtual machines at radio button.
2. Click in the time field and select an hour and minute. Then click
out of the field.
Cluster time zone and Current time on cluster are references to help
you to choose the appropriate replication start time. Start time is based
on the local cluster clock. For example:
10 hours, 3 minutes from now with Current time on cluster, 1:56:15PM,
means that the first replication occurs at 11:59:00PM.
Use VMware Tools to quiesce the Select this check box to take quiesced DP snapshots. Leaving the check
virtual machine check box box in an unchecked state will take crash consistent DP snapshots.
Click Create Protection Group.

HX Data Platform adds the new group to the Protection Groups tab. Notice that the number of VMs is zero,
(0). You must add virtual machines to this new protection group to apply the replication schedule set in this
protection group.
Edit Protection Group Schedule Dialog Box

Change the replication interval for the virtual machines in the protection group.
Select Replication > Protection Groups > Edit Schedule.

Protect virtual machines in this Use the pull-down list to select how often the virtual machines are to
group every field be replicated to the paired cluster.
List values are: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 90 minutes,
2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours.

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Add to Protection Group Dialog Box

Use VMware Tools to quiesce the Select the check box to take quiesced DP snapshots. The checkbox is
virtual machine check box unchecked by default; leaving the check box unchecked, takes crash
consistent DP snapshots.
Click Save Changes to save the interval and VMware Tools quiescence settings for the protection group.
View the Protection Groups tab to verify the interval frequency.
Add to Protection Group Dialog Box
Add to an existing protection group drop-down list Select a protection group, click to add virtual
machines that are protected to a protection group.
Click Save Changes.

From the Replication Pairs tab, you can create, edit, or delete replication pairs by selecting datastores on the
local and remote clusters, and view the replication pair status. You can also expand the replication pair to
view the list of virtual machines protected by this replication pair.
The replication pair defines the two halves of the protection network. The HX Storage Cluster you are logged
into is the local cluster, the first half of the pair. When you configure a replication pair, you identify another
HX Storage Cluster, the second half of the pair. To ensure the storage component, map the replication pair to
datastores on each HX Storage Cluster. When the replication pair is configured, you can then protect virtual
machines. See the Virtual Machines tab.
Replication Pair Actions

Create Replication Pair button Establish the connection between the local and remote storage clusters.
Prerequisites: Create datastores on both the local and remote clusters.
Configure the replication network on both the local and remote clusters.
Click Create Replication Pair and complete the wizard.
Edit button Change the datastores assigned the replication pair name.
Select the replication pair and click Edit.
Delete button Remove the replication pair between the local and remote cluster.
Prerequisites: Remove all the dependencies: Remove protection from
all virtual machines. Remove datastore mapping.
Select the replication pair and click Delete.

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Replication Pairs Table

Name column Name of the replication pair for this cluster.
Remote Cluster column Name of the remote cluster in this replication pair.
Remote Cluster Status column Displays the current status of the remote cluster. This is different that
the general cluster status. Options are:
• Online
• Offline
• Upgrading
• Out of Space
• Shutdown
• Unknown
VMs Outgoing column Number of virtual machines protected and number of protection groups
on the local cluster. Click number to display the outgoing Local VMs.
Replications Outgoing column Number of replication snapshots of the protected virtual machines being
VMs Incoming column Number of virtual machines protected and number of protection groups
on the remote cluster. Click number to display the outgoing Remote
VMs.
Replications Incoming column Number of snapshots of the protected virtual machines being replicated
from the remote cluster to the local cluster.
Mapped Datastore Pairs column Number of datastores mapped to this replication pair. Click number to
display the Datastores page.
Replication Pairs Detail Table

Click the replication pair Name to view the details table.

Virtual Machine Name column Name of the virtual machine protected by replication in the HX Storage
Cluster.

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Protection Status column The most recent protection action on the virtual machine protection.
The arrow on the status indicates the direction of the data transmission.
The directional arrows indicate data transmission:
• Left to Right—From the local cluster to the remote cluster.
• Right to Left—From the remote cluster to the local cluster.
The protection status options are:

• Active—The virtual machine is configured for replication and
replication occurs per the defined interval. Additional information
might be listed.
• Protected—The virtual machine has a replication schedule.
• Paused—The replication schedule for the virtual machine is
temporarily stopped. This is used during cluster maintenance.
• Invalid—An error in the virtual machine replication settings.
• In Progress—A scheduled replication for the virtual machine
is proceeding.
• Error—A replication task for this virtual machine did not
complete.
• Deleted—A replication snapshot was deleted from the remote
cluster.
• None—No replication scheduled for this virtual machine.
• Exceeds Interval―The last replication process took longer than

the configured interval to complete.
• Halted―The virtual machine replication schedule is stopped.
Halting the replication schedule prevents a potentially corrupted
virtual machine (that is in a state of disaster recovery) from
replicating to the remote cluster.
Last Protection Time column Timestamp for when the most recent virtual machine replication process
started.

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Create New Replication Pair Wizard

the field displays None.
Interval column The configured interval setting for replicating the virtual machine. To
change the Interval, select the virtual machine row and click Edit
Schedule.

The replication pair defines the two halves of the protection network. The HX Storage Cluster you are logged
into is the local cluster, the first half of the pair. When you configure a replication pair, identify another HX
Storage Cluster, the second half of the pair. To ensure the storage component, create the replication pair and
map the datastores on the first half to the second half of the pair. After the replication pair is configured and
datastores are mapped, you can begin protecting virtual machines. See the Virtual Machines tab.
Prerequisites
• Create a datastore on both the local and remote cluster.
• Configure the replication network.
Start the Replication Pair Wizard

Log in to either the local or remote cluster as a user with administrator privileges, and do one of the following:
• Select Replication > Pair Cluster if you are doing cluster pairing for the first time.
• Select Replication > Create Replication Pair.
The Create Replication Pair option is enabled only when you delete an existing replication pair after
unprotecting all the VMs and removing all the dependencies.
Name Page

Replication Pair Name field Enter a name for the replication pairing between two HX Storage
Clusters. This name is set for both the local and remote cluster. The
name cannot be changed.
Click Next.

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Remote Connection Page

Management IP or FQDN field Enter the cluster IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for
the management network on the remote . For example: 10.10.10.10.
User Name and Password fields Enter vCenter single sign-on or cluster specific administrator credentials
for the remote HX cluster.
Click Pair.
HX Data Platform verifies the remote HX Storage Cluster and assigns the replication pair name.
Note Virtual machines to be protected must reside on one of the datastores in the replication pair.
Create New Replication Page > Map Datastores : Native Protection
Note • The virtual machines to be protected must be on the datastores you select. Moving virtual machines from
the configured datastores for the replication pair, also removes protection from the virtual machines.
• Moving virtual machine to another paired datastore is supported. If the VMs are moved to unpaired
datastore, replication schedule fails.
To protect VMs using the HX Data Platform disaster recovery feature, click Native Protection and do the
following:

Local Datastore column List of the configured datastores on this cluster, the local HX Storage
Cluster.
Remote Datastore column Pair the datastores between the HX Storage Clusters.
From the desired Local Datastore row, select a datastore from the
Click Map Datastore.
Create New Replication Page > Map Datastores : Other DRO Protection
To protect VMs using SRM through disaster recovery orchestrator (DRO), click Other DRO Protection and
do the following:

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Edit Replication Pair Dialog Box

Local Datastore column List of the configured datastores on this cluster, the local HX Storage
Cluster.
Remote Datastore column Pair the datastores between the HX Storage Clusters.
From the desired Local Datastore row, select a datastore from the
Direction column Choose Incoming or Outgoing as the direction of VM movement for

the mapped datastore pairs.
Protection Schedule column Choose the shedule for protecting all the VMs in the datastore.
Click Map Datastore.
Note The VMs in the datastores that are under other DRO, are protected by SRM.
Note If a new VM is added to the datastore protected by other DRO, the newly added VM is automatically protected
by Cisco HyperFlex. If a VM is added to the datastore protected using native DRO, you have to protect the
VM.
The replication pairs that are edited under Other DRO Protection, are exposed to SRM.
Change the Replication Pair Datastores

Change the datastores used for a replication pair on the local and remote clusters. The replication pair name
cannot be changed, once created.
Note Changing the datastores used in a replication pair removes protection from all virtual machines on both the
local and remote clusters.
This task requires a user with administrator privileges.

1. Unprotect all protected virtual machines, including those virtual machines protected independently or
through a protection group. Perform the Unprotect operation on both the local and remote clusters.
Select Replication > Local VMs > virtual_machine > Unprotect.
2. Select Replication > Replication Pairs > replication_pair > Edit.
To edit the replication pair protected by the HX Data Platform disaster recovery feature, click the Native
Protection tab and do the following:

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Local Datastore column List of the configured datastores on this cluster, the local HX clusters.
Note The lock/unlock icon next to the datastore name
indicates whether the dateastore encryption is enable or
disabled:
If encrypted local datastores are selected then only

encrypted remote datastore information is displayed.

a. To change the local datastore selection, remove the mapping to
the current local datastore.
From the pull-down menu in the Remote Datastore column,
select Do not map this datastore.
b. From the desired Local Datastore row, select a datastore from
the Remote Datastore pull-down menu. This selects both the
remote and local datastores in a single action.
To protect VMs using SRM through disaster recovery orchestrator (DRO), click the Other DRO Protection
tab and do the following:

Local Datastore column List of the configured datastores on this cluster, the local HX cluster.
Note The lock/unlock icon next to the datastore name
indicates whether the dateastore encryption is enable or
disabled:
If encrypted local datastores are selected then only

encrypted remote datastore information is displayed.

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Test Pair Cluster Network Dialog Box

a. To change the local datastore selection, remove the mapping to
the current local datastore.
From the pull-down menu in the Remote Datastore column,
select Do not map this datastore.
b. From the desired Local Datastore row, select a datastore from
the Remote Datastore pull-down menu. This selects both the
remote and local datastores in a single action.
Direction column Choose Incoming or Outgoing as the direction of VM movement

for the mapped datastore pairs.
Protection Schedule column Choose the shedule for protecting all the VMs in the datastore.
3. Click Finish.
4. Re-protect your virtual machines. Select Virtual Machines > virtual_machines > Protect.
Test Pair Cluster Network Dialog Box

MTU field Default is 1500.
Enter MTU of the replication network to run the test.
• Starting with HXDP Release 5.0(2a) and later, you can edit the
MTU value after configuring the cluster. With older versions of
HXDP, the existing replication network configuration will need to
be removed. The replication network can then be configured with
the correct MTU value.
Click Run Test, to test cluster pairing between the clusters in the remote replication network.
Delete Replication Pair Dialog Box
Prerequisites to Delete Replication Pair

Remove dependencies from the replication pair. Complete the prerequisites on both the local and remote
clusters.
1. Unprotect all protected virtual machines. This includes those virtual machines protected independently
or through a protection group. Perform this on both the local and remote clusters.
Select Replication > Protected Virtual Machines > virtual_machine > Unprotect.
2. Remove datastore mappings from either the local or remote cluster.
a. Select Replication > Replication Pairs > replication_pair > Edit.
b. From Remote Datastore pull-down menu, select Do not map this datastore.

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Recovery Settings Dialog Box
c. Click Finish.
Delete Replication Pair

Delete a replication pair on the local and remote clusters.
This task requires a user with administrator privileges.
1. Select Replication > Replication Pairs > replication_pair > Delete.
2. Complete the Delete Replication Pair dialog box.

User Name field Enter the administrator user name for the remote HX Storage Cluster.
Password field Enter the administrator password for the remote HX Storage Cluster.
3. Confirm to delete the replication pair, click Delete.
Edit Recovery Settings
1. Complete the fields in the Edit Network Configuration Dialog Box.

Virtual Machine Power State Specify the power state for the resource for when the network returns
radio button to a known working state.
Test Virtual Machine Name (Optional) Use a common prefix to help identify the type and context
Prefix field of the resource.
Notification Setting radio button Select the type of notification prompt sent after a recovery event.
• Choose Normal Mode to get a confirmation prompt with
summary of configuration at the time of recovery, test recovery,
or migration.
Choose Silent Mode to not get a confirmation prompt.

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Recovery Mappings fields Define global recovery parameters and mapping for resources across
recovery sites by the folder, network, or resource pool parameters to
be used during recovery and test recovery operations. Click the
parameter type to reveal the configuration fields. Complete the
following:
Recovery Configuration
• Rule- the number of recovery rules configured. This value cannot
be edited.
• Local drop-down list
• Remote drop-down list
Test Recovery Configuration

• Same as Recovery Configuration check box
• Local drop-down list
• Remote drop-down list
Add Rule button Click to add an additional rule. The default value is 0.
Trash icon Click the Trash icon to delete a rule.
2. Click Save Changes.

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CHAPTER 16
Managing Storage Replication Adapter
• Storage Replication Adapter Overview, on page 263
• Configuring Storage Replication Adapter, on page 263
• Executing SRA Workflows, on page 270
• Troubleshooting SRA, on page 272

Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a storage
vendor-specific or plugin for VMware vCenter server. The adapter enables communication between SRM
and a storage controller at the Storage Virtual Machine (SVM) level as well as at the cluster level configuration.
The adapter interacts with Cisco HyperFlex to discover replicated datastores.
SRA provides the replicated datastores the ability to perform test recovery and recovery that includes planned
migration and disaster recovery.
Note This chapter covers the instructions to be executed in SRM Release 8.4. If you are using SRM Release 8.3,
8.2, 8.1, 6.5 or 6.1, refer to the VMware Site Recovery Manager Documentation on the VMware website
To get started select your installation type:

• Windows Installation (SRM 6.1 through SRM 8.3): Installing a Storage Replication Adapter for Windows,
on page 265
• Photon Installation (SRM 8.4 and later): Installing a Photon OS Storage Replication Adapter, on page
266
Configuring Storage Replication Adapter

System Requirements
Minimum requirements for SRM are:

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SRA Compatibility Matrix
Element Minimum Supported Requirement
Processor At least two 2.0 GHz or higher Intel or AMD x86 processors.
Memory 4 GB
Disk Storage 5 GB
Networking 1 GB is recommended for communication between SRM protected and

recovery sites
For information on HyperFlex Release support, see the SRA Compatibility Matrix section in this guide. For
additional information on supported platforms and databases, see the Compatibility Matrices for VMware
Site Recovery Manager for your release on the VMware website
(https://docs.vmware.com/en/Site-Recovery-Manager/index.html).
SRA Compatibility Matrix

The following tables map Windows and Photon OS based SRA support.
Note • Windows Installation supports SRM 6.1 through SRM 8.3

• Photon supports SRM 8.4 and later.
• If you are using SRM Release 8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 6.5 or 6.1, refer to the VMware Site Recovery Manager
Documentation on the VMware website.
Certification Matrix for Photon OS Based SRAs
SRM Version
HyperFlex 6.5 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7

Releases
Table 13: Certification Matrix for Windows OS Based SRAs
SRM Version
HyperFlex Release 6.5 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4
Windows Site Recovery Manager (SRM 6.1 through SRM 8.3)

Installing a Site Recovery Manager for Windows
You must install an SRM server instance at the protected site and also at the recovery site. For more information
on the installation procedure, refer the Installing Site Recovery Manager chapter in the Site Recovery Manager
Installation and Configuration guide on the VMware website.

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Installing a Storage Replication Adapter for Windows
After you install SRM, it remains in evaluation mode until you install an SRM license key. After the evaluation
license expires, existing protection groups remain protected and you can recover them, but you cannot create
new protection groups or add virtual machines to an existing protection group until you obtain and assign a
valid SRM license key. You must obtain and assign SRM license keys after installing SRM. For more
information on the licensing, refer the Site Recovery Manager Licensing section in the Site Recovery Manager
Installing a Storage Replication Adapter for Windows
Before you begin

• Ensure that SRM and JDK 8 or above version are installed on Windows machines at the protected and
recovery sites.
• Ensure that, you have obtained and assigned a valid SRM license key. For more information on the
licensing, refer the Site Recovery Manager Licensing section in the Site Recovery Manager Installation
and Configuration guide on the VMware website.
Step 1 Download SRA from the VMware site.

On the VMware Downloads page, locate VMware Site Recovery Manager and click Download Product. Click Drivers
& Tools, expand Storage Replication Adapters, and click Go to Downloads.
Step 2 Copy the Windows installer of SRA to SRM Windows machines at the protected and recovery sites.
Step 3 Double-click the installer.
Step 4 Click Next on the welcome page of the installer.
Step 5 Accept the EULA and click Next.
Step 6 Click Finish.
The SRA is installed within the SRM program folder:

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\storage\sra
Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance (SRM 8.4 and later)

Deploy the Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance
The Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance is a preconfigured virtual machine that is optimized for running
Site Recovery Manager and its associated services. You deploy the appliance on an ESXi host in your vSphere
environment. refer the Deploy the Site Recovery Manager Virtual Appliance chapter in the Site Recovery
Manager Installation and Configuration guide on the VMware website.
After you install SRM, it remains in evaluation mode until you install an SRM license key. After the evaluation
license expires, existing protection groups remain protected and you can recover them, but you cannot create
new protection groups or add virtual machines to an existing protection group until you obtain and assign a
valid SRM license key. You must obtain and assign SRM license keys after installing SRM. For more
information on the licensing, refer the Site Recovery Manager Licensing section in Site Recovery Manager

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Installing a Photon OS Storage Replication Adapter
Installing a Photon OS Storage Replication Adapter
Step 1 Download SRA from the VMware site.

On the VMware Downloads page, locate VMware Site Recovery Manager and click Download Product.
Step 2 Download Drivers and Tools from the VMware site.

Click Drivers & Tools, expand Storage Replication Adapters, and click Go to Downloads.
Step 3 Log into the Site Recovery Manager Appliance Management Interface as admin.
Click on Storage Replication Adapter tab.
Step 4 Click NEW ADAPTOR button and upload the SRA.
Setting up SRM Environment

This section covers the following procedures for both the Windows and Photon SRA:
Pairing Sites
Before you can use SRM, you must connect the SRM server instances on the protected and recovery sites.
This is known as site pairing.
Step 1 Log into your protected site vCenter server using vSphere Web Client.
Step 2 In the home page, click Site Recovery plug-in and select sites.
Step 3 Enter the platform service controller address of the SRM remote site (recovery site). Leave the port number as default if
you don’t have any custom port for platform services controller (PSC). Click Next.
The system displays the vCenter server instance in which SRM server is registered on the remote site.
Step 4 Enter the vCenter server single sign-on (SSO) credentials and click Finish.
The connection process proceeds automatically after authentication with the correct privileges established.
For more information, refer the Site Recovery Manager Licensing section in the Site Recovery Manager Installation and
Configuration guide on the VMware website.
When the site pairing is established between protected and recovery site, you will be able to see the remote
site under Sites in the SRM interface. It displays the information about the primary site and paired site.
Configuring Mapping
Mappings allow you to specify how SRM maps virtual machine resources on the protected site to resources
on the recovery site. During recovery, when virtual machines start on the recovery site, the virtual machines
use the resources on the recovery site that you specify in the mappings.
Step 1 Log into the protected site vCenter using vSphere Web Client.

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Refreshing Storage Replication Adapter
Step 2 Click SRM plugin. Select the protected site and click Configure Inventory Mappings.
Step 3 Click the following options and do the respective mappings:
Option Action
Create resource mappings Map resource pools, standalone hosts, vApps, or clusters on the protected site
to resource pools, standalone hosts, vApps, or clusters on the recovery site. You
can map any type of resource on one site to any type of resource on the other
site.
Note You cannot map individual hosts that are part of clusters to other
resource objects.
Create folder mappings Map datacenters or virtual machine folders on the protected site to datacenters
or virtual machine folders on the recovery site.
Create network mappings Map networks on the protected site to networks on the recovery site.
Configure placeholder datastores Select the datastore from the list to be used as placeholder datastore for the
production cluster.
Important You have to configure placeholder datastores on recovery site as
well.
For more information on inventory mappings, refer Site Recovery Manager Installation and Configuration guide on the
VMware website.
Refreshing Storage Replication Adapter
Step 1 Log into vSphere Web Client.

Step 2 In the home page, click the Site Recovery plugin.
Step 3 Click Sites and select the protected site.
Step 4 Click the Monitor tab.
Step 5 Click Refresh.
The Refresh icon is available next to Add Array Manager.
Execute the same procedure for the recovery site to refresh SRA in the recovery site.
What to do next
After refresh, the status of the site is set to OK with a green tick. This action refreshes SRA information,
allowing SRM to discover the SRAs.

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Adding an Array Manager Pair
Adding an Array Manager Pair

Step 2 Click SRM plugin. Select the protected site and click Array Based Replication.
Step 3 Click Add (+).
The Add Array Manager wizard appears.
Step 4 In the Add Array Manager wizard, do the following:

a) Click Add a pair of array managers to add array managers for both the protected and recovery sites at one shot.
You will be prompted to add two array managers, one for each site. Click Next.
b) Select the pair of sites (the protected site and recovery site). Verify the displayed site information and click Next.
The system automatically detects the type of SRAs installed on both the sites and statuses of SRAs.
c) Click Next.
d) Enter the display name, IP address, and credentials for the protected site array manager. Click Next.
e) Enter the display name, IP address, and credentials for the recovery site array manager. Click Next.
f) Check to enable the array pairs and click Next.
g) Review the specified information for array manager and click Finish.
Mapping Datastores on Cisco HyperFlex
Before you begin

Ensure that a replication pair is created from protected cluster to recovery cluster.
Note If the datastore is the target of replication, it is safe to ignore any “Datastore unmounted” alerts.
Note Datastores with same encryption property can be mapped.

Step 2 Select Replication > Replication Pairs.
Step 3 Select the replication pair of protected and recovery sites, and click Edit.
Step 4 Click the Other DRO Protection tab and do the following:
datastores.

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Discovering Devices

Step 5 Click Map Datastores.
Discovering Devices

Step 2 In the home page, click Site Recovery plugin.
Step 3 Expand Inventories and click Array Based Replication.
Step 4 Select the protected array.
Step 5 Click Manage.
Step 6 Click blue refresh icon.
This actions runs the discover devices on the selected array pair.

Step 2 In the home page, click Site Recovery plugin.
Step 3 Expand Inventories and click Protection Groups.
Step 4 Click Objects.
Step 5 Click Create Protection Group.
Step 6 Enter the name and location for the protection group.
Step 7 Choose incoming or outgoing as the direction of protection.
Step 8 Choose Datastore groups from the Protected Group type drop-down list. Click Next.
Step 9 Select the datastore groups from the list to be grouped to use for the protection group.
All the virtual machines stored on these datastore groups will be recovered together as part of the protection group.
Step 10 Click Next.

Step 11 Review all the information, which you have selected to create the SRM protection group and click Finish.
Creating a Recovery Plan
Step 1 In the vSphere Web Client home page, click Site Recovery plugin.
Step 2 Expand Inventories and click Recovery Plans.
Step 3 Click Objects.
Step 4 Click Create Recovery Plan.
Step 5 Enter the name and description for the recovery plan and select the location for the recovery plan. Click Next.
Step 6 Select the recovery site in which the VMs will be recovered as part of the recovery plan. Click Next.

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Executing SRA Workflows
Step 7 Select the list of protection groups which will be included as part of the recovery plan. Click Next.
Step 8 Specify the test networks to use while running tests of the recovery plan.
You can select the test networks if you have created for the test purposes or you can leave the default auto created test
network called isolated network.
Step 9 Click Next.

Step 10 Review all the information, which you have selected to create the recovery plan and click Finish.
Executing SRA Workflows

After SRA configuration, SRM works with SRA to discover arrays and replicated and exported datastores,
and to failover or test failover datastores. The workflows described here apply to both the Photon OS based
SRA and the Windows based SRA.
SRA enables SRM to execute the following workflows:
• Discovery of replicated storage
• Non-disruptive failover test recovery using a writable copy of replicated data
• Emergency or planned failover recovery
• Reverse replication after failover as part of failback
Note After failover, the source datastore is unmounted on HX data platform, due to which, the datastore to VM
mapping returns empty list. So, we cannot unpair the datastores. To unpair the datastore, you have to bring
the VMs on the source datastore to the Active state by invoking the Reprotect operation.
This section covers the following topics:
Testing a Recovery Plan
Step 3 Select the recovery plan and click Monitor.
Step 4 Click the green play button to run the test recovery.
Caution Be cautious in selecting the test recovery option.
The recovery process runs in the test mode to recover the virtual machines in a test environment on the recovery site.
You have the storage option to choose whether to replicate the recent changes to the recovery site or not. This process
may take several minutes to complete the replication of recent changes to the recovery site. According to your requirement,
you can choose to run the test recovery with recent changes or not.
Step 5 Click Next.

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Testing the Recovery Plan Cleanup Task
Step 6 Review the settings and click Finish to initiate the SRM test recovery.
The series of recovery steps involved as part of this recovery plans are displayed with its progress percentage.
Note Once the plan is executed, the datastore on the recovery site will be unmounted and it will stay unmounted.
During this time, you can ignore alerts on the HyperFlex recovery cluster as this is expected behavior.
On completion of the test recovery, the status of the recovery plan is changed to Test Complete and status
of each recovery steps is changed to Success. Also, the virtual machines that are part of the protection group
as part of this recovery plan are powered on in both protected and recovery site without causing any interruption
to the production virtual machines.
After successful execution of test recovery, you can run a recovery plan cleanup to return virtual machines
to their initial state at which it was before running the recovery plan test. The recovery plan status is reset to
Ready state. You can also run a forced cleanup when you experience errors during execution of a recovery
plan. For more information, see Testing the Recovery Plan Cleanup Task, on page 271.
Testing the Recovery Plan Cleanup Task

You can run a recovery plan cleanup task to return virtual machines to their initial state at which it was before
running the recovery plan test. Also, you can run a forced cleanup when you experience errors during execution
of a recovery plan.
Before you begin

A recovery plan must be run.
Step 4 Click the brush icon to cleanup the test recovery.
Running a cleanup operation on this plan will remove the test environment and reset the plan to ready state.
Step 5 Click Next after receiving the cleanup confirmation message.

Step 6 Review the clean information and click Finish to start the recovery test cleanup task.
You can monitor the progress of the test recovery cleanup process. The recovery plan cleanup task returns
virtual machines to their initial state as it was before running the recovery plan test. After cleanup, the virtual
machines recovered as part of the test recovery in the recovered site are in the powered off state. The recovery
plan status is reset to Ready state. The recovery plan is ready to test again.
Executing a Recovery

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Executing a Reprotect Task

Step 4 Click the red play button to run the recovery plan.
Step 5 Choose Planned Migration or Disaster recovery as per your requirement. Click Next.
Step 6 Review the settings set for initiating the SRM recovery and click Finish.
The series of recovery steps involved in the recovery plan, are displayed with the percentage of progress.
On completion of recovery process, the status of the recovery plan is set to Recovery Complete and the status
of each recovery steps is set to Success. The virtual machines that are part of the protection group of the
recovery plan are powered on in both the protected and recovery sites, without interrupting the production
virtual machines.
Executing a Reprotect Task

After completing the recovery, you can reprotect the recovery plan.
Step 4 Click Reprotect.
Step 5 Review the settings set for initiating the SRM reprotect and click Finish.
The progress of each reprotect steps is displayed. On completion of reprotection, the status of the recovery
plan is set to Reprotect Successful and the status of each reprotect steps is set to Success. The virtual machines
are protected, and the test recovery and recovery options are enabled.
Note When you execute the Reprotect task, the datastore replication direction does not change to reflect reverse
replication. We recommend you to view the VM direction at Replication > Replication Pairs > Other DRO
Protection to confirm replication direction.
Troubleshooting SRA
Troubleshooting: Using Windows SRM Log Files
To identify the cause of any problems that you may encounter during the day-to-day running of SRM, you
have to collect and review SRM log files. To get VMware support, you have to send the log files to them.
The VMware SRM logs from SRM server are available at: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Site
Recovery Manager\Logs
SRA specific logs are available under the SRA folder at: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware vCenter Site
Recovery Manager\Logs\SRAs\

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Troubleshooting: Using the SRM Appliance Log Files
To download SRM log files from the SRM interface, follow this procedure:
1. In the vSphere Web Client home page, click Site Recovery > Sites.
2. Select a site for which the log file has to be collected.
3. From the Actions menu, select Export SRM Log.
Alternatively, right-click the site and select Export SRM Log.
4. In the Export SRM Log wizard, click Generate Log.
5. Click Download Log.
Troubleshooting: Using the SRM Appliance Log Files

To identify the cause of any problems that you may encounter during the day-to-day running of SRM, you
must collect and review SRM log files. To get VMware support, you have to send the log files to them. You
have to SSH to SRM Appliance to get the log file with root login
The VMware SRM logs from the SRM Appliance are available at: /var/log/vmware/srm
SRA specific logs are available under the SRA folder at: /var/log/vmware/srm/SRAs
To download SRM log files from the SRM interface, follow this procedure:
1. In the vSphere Web Client home page, click Site Recovery > Sites.
2. Select a site for which the log file has to be collected.
3. From the Actions menu, select Export SRM Log.
Alternatively, right-click the site and select Export SRM Log.
4. In the Export SRM Log wizard, click Generate Log.
5. Click Download Log.
Troubleshooting: Location of the VMware Virtual Center

If you delete a VM from VMware vCenter that is located on a Other DRO datastore pair, a recovery plan for
this datastore pair fails during recovery. To avoid this failure, first unprotect the VM using the following
command on one of the controller VM:
stcli dp vm delete --vmid <VM_ID>
Troubleshooting: Name of the VM

If you rename a VM from the vCenter, HyperFlex recovers at the previous name folder but registers the VM
with the new name on the recovery side. Following are some of the limitations to this situation:
• VMware allows a VMDK located at any location to be attached to a VM. In such cases, HyperFlex
recovers the VM inside the VM folder and not at a location mapped to the original location. Also, recovery
can fail if the VMDK is explicitly referenced in the virtualmachine name.vmx file by its path. The data
is recovered accurately but there could be problems with registering the VM to vCenter. Correct this
error by updating the virtualmachine name.vmx file name with the new path.

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Troubleshooting: Name of the VM
• If a VM is renamed and a VMDK is added subsequently, the new VMDK is created at [sourceDs]
newVm/newVm.vmdk. HyperFlex recovers this VMDK with the earlier name. In such cases, recovery
can fail if the VMDK is explicitly referenced in the virtualmachine name.vmx file by its path. The data
is recovered accurately but there could be problems with registering the VM to the Virtual Center. Correct
this error by updating the virtualmachine name.vmx file name with the new path.

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CHAPTER 17
Managing Users
• Managing Cisco HyperFlex Users Overview, on page 275
• Creating Cisco HX Data Platform RBAC Users, on page 277
• Assigning Users Privileges, on page 278
Managing Cisco HyperFlex Users Overview

The user types allowed to perform actions on or view content in the HX Data Platform, include:
• admin―A predefined user included with Cisco HX Data Platform. The password is set during HX
Cluster creation. Same password is applied to root. This user has read and modify permissions.
• root―A predefined user included with Cisco HX Data Platform. The password is set during HX Cluster
creation. Same password is applied to admin. This user has read and modify permissions.
• administrator―A created Cisco HX Data Platform user. This user is created through vCenter and assigned
the RBAC role, administrator. This user has read and modify permissions. The password is set during
user creation.
• read-only―A created Cisco HX Data Platform user. This user is created through vCenter and assigned
the RBAC role, read-only. This user only has read permissions. The password is set during user creation.
HX Interface admin root hx_admin hx_readonly
HX Data Platform Required Optional Not valid Not valid

Installer
HX Connect Can perform most Not valid Can perform most Can only view
HX tasks. HX tasks. monitoring
information.
local/ prefix A preferred user.
required for login. Cannot perform HX
Example: tasks.
local/admin A preferred user.

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User Management Terms
HX Interface admin root hx_admin hx_readonly
Storage Controller Can perform most Can perform most vc- prefix required Cannot perform HX
VM with hxcli HX tasks. HX tasks. for login. Example: tasks.
command line
vc-hx_admin vc- prefix required
for login. Example:
vc-hx_readonly
HX Data Platform Can perform most Can perform most Can perform most Can only view
Plug-in through HX tasks. HX tasks. HX tasks. vCenter information.
vCenter
A vCenter SSO user. Cannot view HX
Data Platform
Plug-in .
A vCenter SSO user.
HX REST API Can perform most Can perform most Not valid Not valid
HX tasks. HX tasks.
local/ prefix local/ prefix
required for login. required for login.
Example: Example:
local/admin local/root
User Management Terms

• Authentication―For login credentials. These processes verify user credentials for a named user, usually
based on a username and password. Authentication generally verifies user credentials and associates a
session with the authenticated user.
• Authorization―For access permissions. These processes allow a user/client application to perform
some action, such as create, read, update, or delete a managed entity or execute a program, based on the
user's identity. Authorization defines what an authenticated user is allowed to do on the server.
• Accounting―For tracking user actions. These processes perform record-keeping and track user activities
including login sessions and command executions. The information is stored in logs. These logs are
included in the support bundle that can be generated through Cisco HX Connect or other Cisco HX Data
Platform interface.
• Identity―Individuals are provisioned with identities that are assigned roles with granted permissions.
• Permission―Settings given to roles to use the Resource. It is the link between roles, resource and the
function exposed by the resource. For example, Datastore is a resource and a modifying role is granted
permission to mount the datastore, while a read only role can only view that the datastore exists.
• Privilege―The link between Identity and the application. It is used in the context of specific interaction
with the application. Examples: Power On a Virtual Machine, Create a Datastore, or Rename a datastore.
• Resource―The entire Cisco HX Platform, whose functionality and management controls are exposed
over HTTP using GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, HEAD and other HTTP verbs. Datastores, Disks,
Controller Nodes, Cluster Attributes, are all resources that are exposed to client applications using REST
API.

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Audit Logs for AAA Accounting
• Role―Defines an authority level. An application function may be performed by one or more roles.
Examples: Administrator, Virtual Machine Administrator, or Resource Pool Administrator. Role is
assigned to a given Identity.
Audit Logs for AAA Accounting

To support AAA accounting, Cisco HX Data Platform implements audit logs of user activity. These logs are
included in the generated support bundle.
See the Cisco HyperFlex Systems Troubleshooting Guide for information on generating the support bundles
through HX Data Platform interfaces, including Cisco HX Connect.
• stMgrAudit.log―Contains audit records of stcli activity.
Sample entry. Note the keyword, Audit.
2017-03-27-22:10:02.528 [pool-1-thread-1] INFO Audit - 2017-03-27-03.10.02 127.0.0.1
--> 127.0.0.1 POST /stmgr 200 : root 27ms
This file contains other information as well. To filter for audit events, use a script to filter for the word,
Audit.
• audit.log―Contains audit records for REST API activity.

Sample entry. Note the user name, [email protected]
2017-03-29-01:47:28.779 - 127.0.0.1 -> 127.0.0.1 - GET /rest/clusters 200;
[email protected] 454ms
Creating Cisco HX Data Platform RBAC Users

Cisco HX Data Platform supports two users: Administrator and Read Only. New users are created for the HX
Data Platform through the VMware vCenter interface.
Before you begin

Creating users requires Administrator privileges.
Step 1 Log into vSphere Web Client as a vCenter administrator.

Step 2 From Navigator Home, Administration > Users and Groups > Users.
Step 3 Click Add (+) icon to add a user. Then complete the New User information and click OK.
Specify a user name and password for the new user.
For passwords, do not use escape character (\), dollar sign ($), question mark (?), equal sign (=). In user names, the only
special characters allowed are underscore (_), dash (-), dot (.). For more information on user name and password
requirements, see HX Data Platform Names, Passwords, and Characters, on page 19 .
What to do next
Add the user to an RBAC role group. See Assigning Users Privileges, on page 278.

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Assigning Users Privileges
Assigning Users Privileges

Privileges are assigned to users through the RBAC roles in vCenter. To assign privileges, add users to either
the Administrator or Read-only group.
Before you begin

Create the user.
Step 1 From the Cisco vSphere Web Client, select Navigator Home > Administration > Global Permissions > Manage.
Step 2 Click Add (+) icon to assign roles.
Step 3 Select an Assigned Role.
In the Global Permission Root - Add Permission dialog box, select from the Assigned Role drop down menu. Choose
one:
• Administrator
• Read only
Step 4 In the Users and Groups area, click Add.

Step 5 In the Select Users/Groups dialog box, select the user_name and click Add.
Step 6 Click Check names button, to verify the user name.
Step 7 Then click OK to close out of each dialog box.

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CHAPTER 18
Managing iSCSI
Note The iSCSI features are supported in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) and later.
• HyperFlex iSCSI Target Service Overview and Supported Use Cases, on page 279
• HyperFlex iSCSI Best Practices , on page 280
• iSCSI Configuration Overview, on page 280
• iSCSI Network Page, on page 281
• iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 283
• iSCSI Target Page, on page 286
• iSCSI LUN Page, on page 289
• Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Windows), on page 291
• Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Linux), on page 292
• Cloning an iSCSI LUN, on page 292
HyperFlex iSCSI Target Service Overview and Supported Use

Cases
The HyperFlex iSCSI Target Service is introduced in HyperFlex 4.5(1a). Supported use cases for the the HX
iSCSI Target Service are as follows:
• Support failover clustering, such as Microsoft Failover Clusters, for applications that require highly
available shared storage, including Microsoft SQL Server.
• Present block storage to applications running inside or outside the HyperFlex cluster, such as Oracle
Database or Oracle RAC deployments on external compute hosts
• Support Microsoft Exchange deployment over iSCSI
• Provision persistent volumes for Kubernetes through the HyperFlex Container Storage Interface for
Kubernetes
• Support for HX iSCSI support to Edge and DC-No-FI was introduced in Cisco HX Release 5.0(2a).
Initiators are currently supported on Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Ubuntu 18.04 and 20.04,
Oracle Linux 8.2, Oracle Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.

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HyperFlex iSCSI Best Practices
Note The HyperFlex iSCSI Target Service is not supported on Stretched clusters.
HyperFlex iSCSI Best Practices

When enabling iSCSI in HyperFlex, it is a best practice to also enable Boost Mode. Boost Mode allows the
Cisco HyperFlex Cluster to deliver higher IOPs by increasing the storage controller VM CPU resources by
4 vCPU, and mitigate the performance impact of iSCSI. For more information about enabling or configuring
Boost Mode, see Boost Mode, on page 59.
iSCSI Configuration Overview

The process to configure the iSCSI Target Service is as follows:
• Creating an iSCSI Network
• Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group
• Creating an iSCSI Target
• Linking iSCSI Initiator Group with Targets
• Creating an iSCSI LUN
• Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Windows)
• Cloning an iSCSI LUN
iSCSI Scale and Support

The following describes iSCSI support recommendations. The noted values are based on what Cisco has
tested, and what provides optimal performance. Using these as your "Maximum supported" guideline is
strongly encouraged.
Table 14: iSCSI Scale and Support Recommendations
Scale Item HXDP Support
iSCSI LUNs per HyperFlex cluster 32,640
iSCSI Initiator Groups per HyperFlex cluster 128
iSCSI targets per HyperFlex cluster 128
iSCSI LUNs per target 255
Maximum iSCSI LUN size 64 TB
Maximum number of iSCSI sessions per controller VM 64

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iSCSI Network Page
Scale Item HXDP Support
iSCSI IO initiator queue depth per iSCSI session 256
iSCSI IO target side queue depth per controller 2,048
iSCSI Network Page

Displays configuration information for your iSCSI network.
iSCSI Network Data

If you have already configured your iSCSI network, basic network information is displayed.
Table 15: iSCSI Network Data
UI Element Description
ISCSI Configuration Status of iSCSI network configuration. If configured,

status is indicated as "Network Configured".
LUNs Number of LUNs created.
Capacity Used Capacity used (in GB).
Cluster Capacity Utilization Percentage of cluster capacity used by LUNs, Other

and Free.
Targets List and configuration information for iSCSI Targets.
Initiator Groups List and configuration information for iSCSI Initiator

Groups.
Creating an iSCSI Network
Caution An ip address range is required for the new VLAN configuration. This range should not already exist in the
cluster. Not adhering to this requirement can result in a cluster outage.
To create your iSCSI Network:

1. Enter the information required for the iSCSI Network: iSCSI Network, Subnet, Gateway, IP Range,
iSCSI Storage IP, Set non-default MTU, and VLAN Configuration. Click Next when done.
2. Click Configure; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
3. Click Confirm to confirm that you want to create your iSCSI Network; or click Cancel to cancel your
changes.

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Creating an iSCSI Network
Note After you confirm creation of your iSCSI network, you cannot change some iSCSI network parameters without
TAC assistance.
Note If you configured the hx-storage-data network with 1500 MTU (no Jumbo frames), but you want to utilize
Jumbo frames (as recommended for the iSCSI network), you will need to manually edit the hx-storage-data
network vswitch on all ESXi hosts in the HyperFlex cluster to 9000 MTU.
iSCSI Network Configuration Data

The following information is required to create your iSCSI Network.
Table 16: iSCSI Network Configuration Data
iSCSI Network Configuration information for the iSCSI Network is displayed.
Subnet Enter a valid Subnet
Gateway Enter a valid Gateway
IP Range Enter a valid IP Range (this range should not include the iSCSI Storage
IP)
iSCSI Storage IP Enter a valid IP Address for iSCSI Storage (this IP address should not
be an address used in the IP Range field)
Set non default MTU Checkbox to enable setting MTU (Message Transport Unit) manually.
The MTU defines the maximum size of a network frame that you can
send in a single data transmission across the network. The default MTU
size is 9000.
To disable Jumbo Frames, click the Set non default MTU checkbox,
and then use the pull-down to change the value to 1500.
Note If any of the initiators are crossing a router, the router will
need to allow Jumbo Frames.

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Editing an iSCSI Network
VLAN Configuration Click in the checkbox to Create a new VLAN(Recommended) or Select

an existing VLAN.
To Create a new VLAN, you need to specify the following: VLAN ID,
VLAN Name, UCS Manager host IP or FQDN, Username (Username
for authentication with UCS), Password (Password for authentication
with UCS).
To Select an existing VLAN, you need to specify the VLAN ID.
Note To configure the VLAN manually in UCS-M, use the create
VLANs menu option. In the Create VLANs window, leave
the checkboxes as is. In the vNIC templates for HX, attach
the VLAN to "vNIC Template storage-data-a" and "vNIC
Template storage-data-b". This configuration is
non-disruptive.
Editing an iSCSI Network

To edit your iSCSI network configuration:
1. Go to the Actions menu, and select Edit Network. The Edit Network for <cluster_name> window appears.
2. Add an IP Range for the iSCSI Network.
3. Click Save Changes; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Deleting an iSCSI Network

You may delete and reconfigure an iSCSI network configuration while preserving the iSCSI LUNs, initiator
groups and targets on the cluster.
To delete an iSCSI network configuration:
1. Go to the Actions menu, and select Delete Network. The Delete Network Configuration window appears
prompting "Are you sure you want to delete Network Configuration?".
2. Click Confirm; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Note The option to delete an iSCSI network and retain objects you have configured is also available using the
"hxcli iscsi network delete" command or API. For more information, see the CLI Reference Guide.
iSCSI Initiator Group

Displays configuration information for iSCSI Initiator Groups.

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Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group
iSCSI Initiator Group Data

The following information is required to create an iSCSI Initiator Group.
Table 17: iSCSI Initiator Group Data
Name Name for the Initiator Group.
Initiator IQN iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) for your Initiator.

The IQN format takes the form iqn.yyyy-mm.naming-authority:unique
name.
Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group

To create an iSCSI Initiator Group:
Before you begin

Before creating an iSCSI Initiator Group, you should have already created an Creating an iSCSI Network.
Step 1 Go to the Initiator Groups tab, and click on Create.

The Create Initiator Group window appears.
Step 2 Enter a name for your Initiator Group in the Name field.
Step 3 Enter the Initiator IQN in the field provided. If you do not know the Initiator IQN, you can fetch it from the server:
a) For Windows, log into the Windows machine. Go to Server Manager and click on iSCSI Initiator. Go to the
Configuration tab. The Initiator IQN is identified in the Initiator Name field.
b) For Linux, enter the command: "sudo cat /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi". The Initiator IQN is identified in
the Initiator Name field.
The initiator name is in the file and can be changed with the appropriate rights.
Step 4 Click Add Initiator.

Note To allow access to initiators outside of the iSCSI VLAN subnet, use the hxcli iscsi allowlist command.
For example:
hxcli iscsi allowlist add --ips 192.168.101.3
For more information, see the CLI Guide for your release.

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Editing an iSCSI Initiator Group
Step 5 Repeat the above steps to add multiple IQNs to participate in the same Initiator Group.
Step 6 Click Create Initiator Group.
The Initiator Group appears in the Initiator Groups tab.
Editing an iSCSI Initiator Group

To edit an iSCSI Initiator Group:
Step 1 Click on the Edit (pencil) icon next to the Create button.
The Edit Initiator Group window appears.
Step 2 Edit data for the iSCSI Initiator Group.

Step 3 Click Save Changes; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Deleting an iSCSI Initiator Group

To delete an iSCSI Initiator Group:
Note You cannot delete an iSCSI Initiator Group when linked with a Target.
Step 1 Click on the Delete (X) icon next to the Create Initiator Group button. The Delete Initiator Group window appears.
Step 2 Click Delete; or Cancel to cancel your changes.
Linking iSCSI Initiator Group with Targets

To link an iSCSI Initiator Group:
Before you begin

Verify you have Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group and Creating an iSCSI Target.
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to link an Initiator Group.
Step 2 From the Linked Initiator Groups tab, click in the checkbox to Link.
The Link Initiator Groups window appears.
Step 3 Select the Initiator Group(s) to link to the Target.

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Unlinking an iSCSI Initiator Group
Step 4 Click Link Initiator Groups.
What to do next
After you have linked Initiator Groups with Targets;
Unlinking an iSCSI Initiator Group

To unlink an iSCSI Initiator Group:
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to unlink an Initiator Group.
Step 2 From the Link Initiator Groups tab, click in the checkbox to select the Initiator Group(s) to unlink to the Target.
Step 3 Click on the Unlink Initiator Group button.
Step 4 Click Unlink Initiator Group(s) to proceed or Cancel.
iSCSI Target Page

Displays configuration information for Targets.
Target Data
The following information is required to create a Target.
Table 18: Target Creation Data
Name Name for the target.
Enable CHAP authentication Click to enable CHAP authentication.

Note HXDP supports one-way CHAP authentication.
Username Username for CHAP authentication
Secret Secret for CHAP authentication
After a Target is created, the following information appears.

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Creating an iSCSI Target
Table 19: Target Information Data
IQN Target iSCSI Qualified Name for your Initiator.
Active Initiators Count Total number of active Initiators.
Total LUN Capacity Total storage capacity of LUN used and available (in Tb and in Gb).
CHAP authentication Indicates whether you have Enabled CHAP authentication.
LUNs Tab allowing you to create, edit, clone, delete and view LUNs for the
Target.
Linked Initiator Groups Tab allowing you to create and view LUNs for the Target.
Creating an iSCSI Target

To create an iSCSI target:
Before you begin

Before creating an iSCSI Target, you should have already created an Creating an iSCSI Network. It is also
recommended that you create Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group.
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and click on Create.

The Create Target window appears.
Step 2 Enter a name for the target in the Target name field.
Step 3 (Optional) If you want to enable CHAP authentication, click in the Enable CHAP authentication checkbox. Fields for
Username and Secret appear. Enter the Username and Secret.
Note For Windows, the Secret must be 12-16 characters.
Note CHAP based authentication is not supported during iSCSI Discovery phase.
HXDP supports one-way CHAP authentication.
Note When using CHAP and booting from SAN (iSCSI LUN), you must set the CHAP user/password at the top
initiator area in UCS (for example, in UCS manager, navigate to Boot Policy > Set iSCSI Boot Parameters
> Authentication Profile).
Step 4 Click Create Target.
The Target appears in the Targets tab.
What to do next
After you have created an iSCSI Target:
• Linking iSCSI Initiator Group with Targets

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Editing an iSCSI Target

Editing an iSCSI Target

To edit an iSCSI Target:
Step 1 Click on the Edit (pencil) icon next to the Create button.
The Edit Target window appears.
Step 2 Edit data for the Target.

Step 3 Click Save Changes; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Deleting an iSCSI Target

To delete a Target:
Step 1 Click on the Delete (X) icon next to the Create Target button.
The Delete Target window appears.
Step 2 Click Delete Target; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.

Note You cannot delete a Target if there is an Initiator Group linked to the target.
Note You cannot delete a Target if LUNs are created for it. If you still want to delete the Target, you must first
delete all LUNs created for it.
Linking iSCSI Targets

To link an iSCSI Target:
Before you begin

Before linking an iSCSI Target, you need to create and configure Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group. If you
have not yet created an Initiator Group, you will need to do so before linking to an iSCSI Target. For more
information, see Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 284.
Step 1 Go to the Initiator Groups tab, and select the name of the Initiator Group you want to link to a Target.
Step 2 From the Linked Targets tab, click on the Link button.
The Link Target window appears.
Step 3 Select the Target(s) to link to the Initiator Group(s).

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Step 4 Click Link Target.
The linked targets you selected appear in the Linked Targets tab.
What to do next
After you have linked iSCSI Targets.
Unlinking an iSCSI Target

To unlink an iSCSI Target:
Step 1 Go to the Initiator Groups tab, and select the name of the Initiator Group you want to unlink targets.
Step 2 From the Linked Targets tab, click in the checkbox to select the Target(s) that you want to unlink.
Step 3 Click on the Unlink Target button.
Step 4 Click Unlink; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
iSCSI LUN Page

Displays configuration information for iSCSI LUN.
iSCSI LUN Data

The following information is required to create a LUN.
Table 20: iSCSI LUN Data
Name Name of the LUN.
Size Total capacity size of the LUN (in GB).

Note The maximum LUN size is 64TB.
After a LUN is created, the following information appears.

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Creating an iSCSI LUN
Table 21: LUN Information Data
Name Name of the LUN.
LUN ID Unique ID for the LUN.
Serial No. Serial Number of the LUN.
Size Total capacity size of the LUN (in GB).
Used Total capacity of the LUN used (in GB).
Available Total capacity of the LUN available (in GB).
Creating an iSCSI LUN

To create an iSCSI LUN:
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to create a LUN.
Step 2 Click in the Create LUN checkbox.
The Create LUN window appears.
Step 3 Enter a name for the LUN in the LUN field.

Step 4 Enter the size and unit of the LUN in the Size field.
Note The maximum LUN size is 64 TB.
Step 5 Click Create LUN.
The LUN appears in the LUNs tab for the Target.
Note There is a limit on the number of LUNs that you can expose per target. On Linux systems, the limit is 255
LUNs per target. On Windows systems, the limit is 254 LUNs per target.
Note You can create volumes that are protected by CHAP. The limit that you can create with one storage class for
each target is 255 volumes (Persistent Volume Claims).
What to do next
After you have created an ISCSI LUN, you can Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Windows)
.

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Editing an iSCSI LUN
Editing an iSCSI LUN

To edit an iSCSI LUN:
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to edit LUNs.
Step 2 From the LUNs tab, click in the checkbox to select the LUN you want to edit.
Step 3 Click on the Edit icon next to the Create LUN button. The Edit LUN window appears.
Step 4 Edit data for the LUN.
Note The maximum LUN size is 64 TB.
Step 5 Click Edit LUN; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Deleting an iSCSI LUN

To delete an iSCSI LUN:
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to delete LUNs.
Step 2 From the LUNs tab, click in the checkbox to select the LUN you want to delete.
Step 3 Click on the Delete (X) icon next to the Clone LUN button. The Delete LUN window appears.
Step 4 Click Delete; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.
Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Windows)

This procedure describes how to configure a Windows machine as an iSCSI Initiator. This must be done to
initialize, online and create a volume on the iSCSI LUN prior to cloning the LUN.
Note HXDP supports one-way CHAP authentication. Two-way CHAP authentication is not supported.
Step 1 Log into the Windows machine that you want to configure as an iSCSI Initiator.
Step 2 Go to Server Manager, and click on iSCSI Initiator. Click Yes to continue.
Step 3 Enter the Target’s Hostname or IP address in the Target tab, and then click on Quick Connect.
Discovered Targets appear as "HX Cluster IP(CIP)" and display the Target IQN and status of the Targets.
Step 4 Click Done.

Step 5 Select the target, and then click Connect on the Target tab.
Step 6 Click Advanced.
Step 7 Click to "Enable CHAP log on", and then specify the username and password for HyperFlex. Click OK.

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Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Linux)
If there are no issues with the configuration, the status is updated to indicate "Connected".
Step 8 Verify that the iSCSI LUN(s) is attached in the Disk Management tool.
You can now initialize, online and create a volume on the iSCSI LUN(s).
Configuring an iSCSI Initiator (Linux)

This procedure describes how to configure an iSCSI Initiator on Linux. This must be done to initialize, online
and create a volume on the iSCSI LUN prior to cloning the LUN.
Step 1 Verify that the iscsiadm command is present.

Step 2 Run the following command: sudo apt-get install open-iscsi.
Step 3 Discovery the target. You can do so by running the following command: sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets
-p <HX iSCSI CIP>.
Step 4 Log into the target. You can do so by running the following command: sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets
-p <HX iSCSI CIP> -l.
Note With lsblk –scsi, you can verify which device is the target. You can now partition it with gdisk and format
the HX iSCSI drive.
Cloning an iSCSI LUN

If you require the LUN to be application consistent, you can clone the LUN. Cloning LUNs is supported on
Windows and Linux hosts. However, the application consistent LUN clones are only supported on Windows
via VSS.
To clone an iSCSI LUN on a Windows machine, you must first install HX Windows Agent. For more
information, see Installing HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN, on page 294.
To clone an iSCSI LUN:
Before you begin

Install the HX Windows Agent on each initiator. For more information on installing the HX Windows Agent,
see Installing HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN, on page 294.
Step 1 Go to the Targets tab, and select the name of the Target you want to clone LUNs.
Step 2 From the LUNs tab, click in the checkbox(es) to select the LUN(s) you want to clone.
Step 3 Click on the Clone LUN icon next to the Edit LUN button. The Clone LUNs window appears.
Step 4 Click in the Application Consistent checkbox to enable. Specify the administrator account (local or AD) username and
password for the Windows machine to verify and authenticate the VSS user.
Note If you do not enable the Application Consistent checkbox, the iSCSI Clone LUN(s) will be Crash Consistent.

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Limitations for the HX Windows Agent
Step 5 Enter a name for the new destination target in the New destination target name field.
Step 6 If you want to enable CHAP authentication, select the check box to Enable CHAP Authentication. For each source
LUN(s), enter the destination LUN(s) name in the Destination LUN Name field.
Note CHAP based authentication is not supported during iSCSI Discovery phase.
Step 7 Click Clone; or click Cancel to cancel your changes.

Note The HX Windows Agent will not identify LUN(s) which are involved for other applications for example,
SQL Server, Exchange. You must select the required LUN(s) for cloning.
What to do next
To access cloned LUN(s), link the destination Target with an Initiator Group, and then discover the LUN(s)
by refreshing the iSCSI target from the Initiator window. Use the HxWindowsAgentUtils.exe to change
the disk/volume properties for the destination LUN(s).
Limitations for the HX Windows Agent

The following limitations apply for the HX Windows Agent:
• iSCSI LUN(s) should be added using an in-guest Initiator in Windows virtual machines deployed on the
vCenter Server\ESXi Host.
• Shared Disk on the Windows machine not managed by Microsoft Failover Cluster is not supported for
iSCSI Clone LUN operations.
• From HX Connect, you can clone the iSCSI LUN on a new destination target only.
• For application consistent iSCSI Clone LUN, make sure to select all the LUNs which are used by the
application (for example, SQL Server, Oracle, etc.)
• Clone of Cluster Shared Volume(CSV) and clustered disk/standalone disk combination is not supported.
SCV LUN(s) only or combination of standalone/clustered disk is supported for the clone operation.
• The HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider service can only be invoked by the HyperFlex Windows Agent.
If third-party backup vendor tries to clone the HX LUN, “Microsoft Software Shadow Copy” Provider
will be invoked.
• Upgrade and patching of the HX Windows Agent is supported.
• Upgrade of HyperFlex will not upgrade the HX Windows Agent. You must manually upgrade the HX
Windows Agent.
• If you restart or power off the HyperFlex cluster node, the iSCSI Clone LUN operation fails.
Prerequisites for the HX Windows Agent

To run the HX Windows Agent, you must meet the following prerequisites:
• Windows 2016 or later with basic configuration of the host machine.
• Ports 10152 and 9347 must be open on the Windows Server

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Managing iSCSI
Installing HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN
• Ports 10151 and 9347 must be open on the HX Controller VMs

• Ensure that the “HyperFlex Windows Agent” and “HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider” services are
installed on the Windows machine.
• Ensure that the “HyperFlex Windows Agent” is in running state.
• Ensure that both the services - “HyperFlex Windows Agent” and “HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider”
are installed on all Windows machines that are exposed as an ISCSI Initiator.
• Provide Administrator or AD credentials while triggering the Application Consistent ISCSI Clone LUN
workflow.
• Ensure that the source LUN you are going to clone is discovered and the volume with volume label is
created on the Windows machine.
Installing HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN

This procedure describes how to install the HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN.
Before you begin

Ensure that you are running Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or later with basic configuration on the VM\Bare
Metal. The Installer adds rules to allow inbound communication over 10152 port. If you are using any third-party
firewall or antivirus software however, you will need to ensure that port 10152 is open.
Step 1 Log into the Windows machine using Administrator or AD credentials.

Step 2 Run the Windows HX Agent install executable by double-clicking on the file:
HxWindowsAgentIscsiClone-v4.5.1a-39020.exe.
Note Agent logs and files extracted from HxWindowsAgentIscsiClone-v4.5.1a-39020.exe appear with build
number 4.5.1a.38547 in properties of the file. This is a version display issue with no impact on functionality
and can be disregarded.
Step 3 Click Next.

Step 4 Click to select “I accept the terms in license agreement” and click Next.
Step 5 Confirm <Program File>\Cisco\HxWindowsAgent as the location of the installation directory, then click Next.
Step 6 Click Install.
This installs the HyperFlex Windows Agent and HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider services. Other installatoin
notes are as follows:
• You can view the HyperFlex Windows Agent and HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider services in Windows
services. The HyperFlex Windows Agent should be in running state and the HyperFlex VSS Hardware
Provider is in stopped state. The HyperFlex VSS Hardware Provider service is started when you request
to clone or backup a LUN.
• You can view MSI installation and other install details in %appdata%\HxWinAgentMsiInstall.log.

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Managing iSCSI
Installing HX Windows Agent (with Pre-Installed Dependencies) for iSCSI Clone LUN
• In the installation directory, you may notice some dependent dll’s. Do not delete or update these
dependencies. If deleted, you will need to use the repair option in the installer to restore.
• View service logs in C:\HxWindowsAgent\Logs\ HxAgentService_<DateTime>.log. The Windows
Registry is in location : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HyperFlex. This entry will have the
location of Service logs.
• To verify the Agent version: Go to the Installation directory, right-click on HxWinAgentService.exe and
select Properties. Go to the Details tab and verify the Product Version.
• You can view installation and operation events on the service in the Event viewer with Source as
“HxVssHardwareProvider” and “HxWindowsAgent”. Inbound rules are set with the name “Hx Windows
Agent” on port 10152 and enabled for all IP Addresses in Windows firewall .
Installing HX Windows Agent (with Pre-Installed Dependencies) for iSCSI

Clone LUN
This procedure describes how to install the HX Windows Agent to enable iSCSI Clone LUN for HyperFlex,
if there are dependencies - for example, if Microsoft .NET framework 4.5 (version : 4.5.50709 or
above),Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable (x64) (version: 14.10.25017 or above) , Microsoft Visual
C++ 2017 Redistributable (x86) (version: 14.10.25017 or above) programs are already installed on the Windows
machine.

Step 2 Double-click on the file: HxWindowsAgentIscsiClone-v4.5.1a-39020.msi
Note You cannot use HxWindowsAgentIscsiClone-v4.5.1a-39020.msi to uninstall the agent.
Step 3 Click Next.

Step 4 Click to select “I accept the terms in license agreement” and then click Next.
Step 5 Select the Installation directory. The default location is <Program File>\Cisco\HxWindowsAgent.
Step 6 Click Install.
Uninstalling HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN

This procedure describes how to uninstall the HX Windows Agent for iSCSI Clone LUN.

Step 2 Double click on the file: HxWindowsAgentIscsiClone-v4.5.1a-39020.exe.

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Managing iSCSI
iSCSI HX Windows Agent Logs
Step 3 Click Next.

Step 4 Select Remove and Click Next.
Step 5 Click Remove.
• When done, the uninstaller removes “HyperFlex Windows Agent” and “HyperFlex VSS Hardware
Provider” services.
• The uninstaller deletes inbound rules with the name “Hx Windows Agent” having port 10152 from
Windows Firewall.
• The uninstaller does not remove Microsoft .NET framework 4.5 (version : 4.5.50709 or later), Microsoft
Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable (x64) (version: 14.10.25017 or later), Microsoft Visual C++ 2017
Redistributable (x86) (version: 14.10.25017 or later) programs.
• The uninstaller does not delete files and folders from the location: C:\HxWindowsAgent\Logs\
HxAgentService_<DateTime>.log and Installation directory\HxCAInstallLogMsi.txt”.
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HyperFlex registry entry is retained.
iSCSI HX Windows Agent Logs

The following logs are available for the HX Windows Agent.
Table 22: HX Windows Agent Logs
Log File Description
hxCloneSvcMgr.log Located in: /var/log/springpath
hxApplicationConsistentSvcMgr.log Located in: /var/log/springpath
HxAgentService_<DateTime>.log Located in: %SystemDrive%\HxWindowsAgent\Logs.
This file contains Windows Agent logs specific to the VSS

requestor.
HxVSSProvider_<DateTime>.log Located in: %SystemDrive%\HxWindowsAgent\Logs.

This file contains Windows Agent logs specific to the VSS
hardware provider.
HxWinAgentMsiInstall.log Located in: %appdata%.

This file contains Windows Agent Installation logs.

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Managing iSCSI
Editing the Location of Service Logs
Transferring HX Windows Agent Logs

To transfer helpful support information including the HXWindows Agent logs from a Windows machine to
the Controller VM, run the following command from the Controller VM machine:
bash-4.2# hxWindowsAgentLogging
Note This command accepts input parameters including the Windows IP, username and password required to pull
the logs.
The logs are transferred to the following location on the Controller VM machine:
:/var/log/springpath/<WindowsIP> in a file called "HXLogs.zip". The HXLogs.zip file
includes the following information: HX Windows Agent logs, Disk Details from the HxDiskInfo.log, and
system information from HxSystem.log.
Editing the Location of Service Logs

This procedure describes how to change the location of service logs.

Step 2 Open the Registry Editor.
Step 3 Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HyperFlex.
Step 4 Right-click on the Data field of TargetDirectory and select Modify.
Step 5 Edit the value for the location of the log file.
Step 6 Restart the Hx Windows Agent service from Windows services.
Accessing Cloned LUN(s) on Destination Target

Follow the below procedure to discover the Destination LUN(s) on the Destination Target using the iSCSI
Initiator window. You can also use the HxWindowsAgentUtils.exe located in the HX Windows Agent install
directory.
Step 1 Go to diskmgmt.msc and right-click on the required Disk <Disk ID> as "Online".
Step 2 Open a command prompt as "Administrator". Run diskpart.exe.
Step 3 Run the command: List Disk.
Step 4 Run the command: Select Disk <Disk ID> (Select the corresponding disk accordingly).
Step 5 Run the command: Detail Disk.
Step 6 If the disk attribute "Read-only" is "Yes", set as "No": "attributes disk clear readonly"
Step 7 Select Volume <Volume ID> (select volume shown as part of detail disk)
Step 8 Run the following commands:
• attributes volume clear READONLY

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Managing iSCSI
Accessing Cloned LUN(s) on Destination Target
• attributes volume clear SHADOWCOPY
• attributes volume clear NODEFAULTDRIVELETTER
• attributes volume clear HIDDEN
You should now have a disk with volume accessible and the volume label with read/write permissions.

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CHAPTER 19
Cisco HyperFlex HTML Plugin for VMware
vCenter
• Cisco HyperFlex vCenter Plugin, on page 299
• Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin for VMware vCenter , on page 300
• Cisco HyperFlex Remote Plugin for VMware vCenter, on page 352
Cisco HyperFlex vCenter Plugin

Cisco HyperFlex offers the flexibility of monitoring and managing content via Cisco HX Connect, Cisco
HyperFlex Plugin, or Storage Controller VM command line. The vCenter plugin is designed to ease the
HyperFlex administration tasks without a need to visit to each HyperFlex clusters. This chapter describes the
usage of Local vCenter Plugin and Remote vCenter Plugin.
Note VMware local plugin architecture support is limited to vSphere versions 6.5, 6.7, and 7.0. For more information,
see the vSphere Client Local plugins are deprecated (87880) article on the VMware site.
To get started, use the following table to determine the plugin type for your deployment. Click the link in the
Plugin Type column to advance to the full documentation.
vCenter Plugin Version Cisco HyperFlex Release vCenter/ESXi version Plugin Type
3.0.0 and later 4.0(2f) and later 6.7 U3 and later Cisco HyperFlex
Remote Plugin for
VMware vCenter
1
2.0.0, 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 4.0(2e) and earlier Up to 7.0 U3 Cisco HyperFlex
HTML5 Plugin for
VMware vCenter
1
In alignment with the VMware deprecation of local plugins starting with vSphere 8.0, remote plugin is
the only supported version for HX 4.0(2f) and later

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Cisco HyperFlex HTML Plugin for VMware vCenter
Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin for VMware vCenter
Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin for VMware vCenter

The Cisco HyperFlex Local vCenter Plugin is integrated with the vSphere Web Client and supports all of the
HX Data Platform post-installation management and monitoring functions. Access the Cisco HyperFlex
vCenter Plugin directly through the vSphere Web Client Navigator.
This section describes how to monitor and manage your HyperFlex clusters from the VMware vCenter using
the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 plugin versions 2.0.0, 2.1.0 and 2.2.0.
Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Prerequisites

The following hardware and software prerequisites apply to the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin:
• Supported Cisco HyperFlex Release: 4.0(2e) and earlier.
• Browser compatibility: The Cisco HyperFlex HTML plugin works with Chrome, Firefox and IE.
• Administrative Privileges are required for managing users and roles.
• The installation workflow is the same for single and linked mode vCenter instances.
• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a) full HTML5 plugin feature functionality requires the license status
to be In-compliance.
• HXDP Release 4.5(2a), 5.0(x) and later does not support Cisco HyperFlex Flash Plugin (the original
plugin).
• Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 plugin for VMware vCenter support was introduced in Cisco HX Release
4.0(2a) and vCenter 6.5U2.
• Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 plug-in 2.2.0 is the minimum version supported. If the running version is 2.1.0
or 1.0.1, upgrade to the latest version.
• HTML Plugin v2.2 supports vCenter Linked Mode.
Note Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) - Perform install, uninstall, and upgrade operations by running
install_vc_plugin on your shell.
Using the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin

The following table defines feature support by plugin version:
Table 23: HTML5 Local Plugin Feature Support
Feature Plugin Version Plugin Version Plugin Version

2.0.0 2.1.0 2.2.0
Discover the Registered HX Cluster ✓ ✓ ✓

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Install and Register the vCenter HTML5 Plugin
Rename Clusters - ✓ ✓
2
View HX Cluster Summary ✓ ✓ ✓
View Cluster and Datastore Performance Charts ✓ ✓ ✓
Disks View ✓ ✓ ✓
Nodes View ✓ ✓ ✓
HX Datastore Management ✓ ✓ ✓
VM Summary and Top VM Consumers ✓ ✓ ✓
Network Management - ✓ ✓
iSCSI Management - ✓ ✓
3
Events and Alarms ✓ ✓ ✓
Manage Tasks - ✓ ✓
HX Snapshots and clones at the virtual machine - ✓ ✓

level
Schedule Snapshot - ✓ ✓
4
Manage users and access to HX clusters ✓ ✓ ✓
Cross-launch HX Connect for upgrade ✓ ✓ ✓
Embedded vCenter server actions at the Host and ✓ ✓ ✓

Clusters level
HTML 5 License Status - - ✓

5
Linked Mode - - ✓
2
Requires HXDP Release 4.5(x) or later.
3
4
5

Install the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 plugin with the VMware vSphere web client. During the plugin installation
process, enter the required information that matches your HX release:
HX Release 4.5(1a) HX Release 4.5(2a) and later

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vCenter Server FQDN/IP HX Storage controller VM admin password
vCenter server Username and Password vCenter Username & Password
HX Controller VM Password -
Storage Controller VM root password -
Storage Controller VM admin password -
Table 24: CLI Arguments
Option Required or Optional Description
-h, --help Optional Shows the help message relative to the listed
command and exits.
-u, --unregister Optional Unregister Cisco HyperFlex vCenter plugin.
-s, --show Optional Displays the HTML5 vCenter plugin details.
-v, --verbose Optional Make the operation more verbose.
Before you begin

• Check and confirm the HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) connectivity between vCenter and Controller
VMs.
• For deployments using Cisco HX Release 4.5 and later, review the Secure Admin Shell feature.
• HTML-Plugin v2.2 supports vCenter Linked Mode.
• The installation workflow is the same for single and linked mode vCenter instances.
Step 1 Download the Cisco HyperFlex HTML plugin for VMware vCenter from the Cisco Software Download site.
Step 2 Copy the HyperFlex-VC-HTML-Plugin-2.2.0.zip file into a temporary directory in one of the controller VMs and unzip.
a) The file transfer may be completed by using sftp cli or any file transfer app such as winscp or filezilla.
To use sftp transfer via a file transfer app copy the file to the /tmp folder on SCVM, using HX admin account.
b) SSH to that SCVM and login with admin account.
c) Change to the /tmp directory using the command "cd /tmp".
Example:
"cd /tmp"
d) Unzip the plugin file HyperFlex-VC-HTML-Plugin-2.2.0.zip using the command unzip.
Example:
unzip HyperFlex-VC-HTML-Plugin-2.2.0.zip
Step 3 Execute the command install_vc_plugin on your shell and enter:

• vCenter FQDN/IP address

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Verifying the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Installation from the vSphere Client
• Administrator username and password of vCenter server

• Storage Controller VM admin password
Note Beginning with Cisco HX 4.5(x) with secure shell, the default Storage Controller VM root password is
the same as the Storage Controller VM admin password.
If prompted for the Storage Controller VM root password, the default root password is the first password
assigned to the Controller VM during setup.
• Storage Controller VM admin password
Step 4 Log on to vCenter and a blue banner message appears to confirm that the new plugin is installed.
Step 5 Log out and log in again to vCenter to see the Cisco HyperFlex menus for HTML5 plugin.
Verifying the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Installation from the vSphere
Client
To verify Cisco HyperFlex plugin installation from the vSphere Client UI.
Before you begin

The HTML5 plugin should be installed on vCenter server.
Launch the vSphere client, select Menu > Administration > Solutions > Client Plug-Ins

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Uninstalling the HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin
Uninstalling the HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin

To uninstall the HX Data Platform HTML5 Plugin, perform the following steps.
Step 1 Execute the uninstall command install_vc_plugin -u on the shell and enter the following credentials:
• Administrator username and password for the vCenter server
Step 2 Restart vSphere UI service of vCenter server.
Upgrading the HTML5 Plugin

When you want to upgrade to the latest HTML plugin, download the Cisco HyperFlex HTML plugin for
VMware vCenter from the Cisco Software Download site.
Before you begin

Use this task only if the version of the HTML Plugin installed on the vCenter server is before 2.2.x.
Step 1 Download the Cisco HyperFlex HTML plugin for VMware vCenter from the Cisco Software Download site.
Step 2 Copy the HyperFlex-VC-HTML-Plugin-2.2.x.zip file into a temporary directory in one of the controller VMs and unzip.
a) The file transfer may be completed by using sftp cli or any file transfer app such as winscp or filezilla.
To use sftp transfer via a file transfer app copy the file to the /tmp folder on SCVM, using HX admin account.
b) SSH to that SCVM and login with admin account.
c) Change to the /tmp directory "cd /tmp"

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Navigating the HTML5 plugin
d) Unzip the plugin file HyperFlex-VC-HTML-Plugin-2.2.x.zip

Step 3 Execute install_vc_plugin command on your shell and enter:
• Administrator username and password of vCenter server
Step 4 Select Y to continue the Upgrade process with controller root and admin password.
Step 5 Logout and log in again into vCenter to see Cisco HyperFlex listed in the vCenter menus.

Accessing the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin is easily accessed from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcuts
list.

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vSphere Menu vSphere Shortcut List
The Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin has functionality that is common throughout the plugin. This section
describes the icons and their usage.
Icon Usage
Cisco HyperFlex Plugin. When installed, this icon is found

on the Menu and the Shortcuts list.
Refresh the view.

Note The cluster list uses dynamic function
loading, the Scanning Clusters icon indicates
when the cluster list is complete.
Indicates that the cluster table is still populating. The icon

disappears when the cluster list is complete.
Filter the content seen in the browser.

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Cluster Management
Icon Usage
Expand or collapse the contents.
Navigate between clusters.
Use the VC Cluster button to jump from the HyperFlex

Events or Alarms view to vCenter Events or Alarm Page.
Clicking on a VM count (number) takes the user directly

to the Datastore page which list all VMs for that datastore.
Cluster Management
Managing Users and Access to HX Clusters
The vCenter plugin requires the user to have administrator privileges. You can create a user and assign
administrator role to that user from Permissions tab on cluster level.
To manage users and access to HX clusters, assign the No Access Role to all the clusters for that user.
Note Administrative Privileges are required for managing users and roles.
Discover the Registered HX Cluster

To discover your HX clusters and map the vSphere managed objects in your deployment perform the following
steps:
Step 1 Log into the vSphere web client.

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex
Step 3 Click Rescan to refresh the list of HX clusters displayed.
Registered clusters are displayed in HyperFlex Cluster table along with a summary of the cluster details.

307
Rename Cluster
Step 4 If you have added new HX Cluster(s) to the vCenter server and they are not appearing in the cluster list, Click the Rescan
icon on top of the cluster list grid to reload the cluster list from HyperFlex. The Scanning Clusters icon indicates that
the cluster table is still populating. The icon disappears when the cluster list is complete.
Rename Cluster
The rename cluster was introduced in HX Release 4.5. To rename a cluster, perform the following steps:

The HyperFlex Clusters List appears.
Step 3 Click on the row of the cluster that you want to rename.
The Rename button appears for supported clusters.
Note The rename cluster feature is supported on HXDP Release 4.5 and later.
Step 4 Click the Rename button.

The Rename Cluster window appears.
Step 5 Type the new name on the Cluster Name: line.
Step 6 Click OK to confirm the name change.
View the HX Cluster Summary

To view a summary of the HX Clusters in your deployment perform the following steps:

Step 3 Click the discovered HX cluster name to view its summary.
Step 4 Click on Summary to view details about Total Nodes, Datastores, HyperFlex Release, Model, vCenter Cluster, ESXi
Version and Uptime.

308
Table 25: Cluster Summary View Details
Field Name Additional Information
vCenter Cluster Name of the vCenter cluster
Total Nodes Total number of nodes
Datastore Datastore connected to the cluster
HyperFlex Release Version of HyperFlex on the cluster
Model Model name
ESXi Version ESXi Version

309
Uptime Length of time that the cluster has been up and running
Cluster Type Type of cluster
Deployment Type Type of cluster deployment. Valid options are Standard and Edge.
License Type6 Type of License. Valid options include: Evaluation, Standard, and Enterprise.
Note New users enjoy a 90-day grace period to register the license. After
90-days a "License is not in compliance" appears and product
features are limited.
License Status7 License status. Status include: In-compliance, Out of Compliance, and License
expires in x days, Cluster not registered with Cisco Licensing. Cluster not
registered with Cisco Licensing.
Storage Capacity Bar A graphical representation of the percentage of total storage used. Hover over
the bar to view the amount of storage used.
Total VMs Bar A graphical representation of the total number of VMs in the cluster.
Total Datastore Bar Total number of datastores connected to the cluster. Hover over the bar to view
the number of datastores mounted and unmounted.
6
Added in HX Release 5.0(x)
7
Added in HX Release 5.0(x)
a) The summary view includes four portlets with additional details about the cluster: Status, Network Details, Capacity
and Performance.
Use the arrows to collapse and expand the portlet contents.
Table 26: Status Portlet
Operational Status Online or Offline
Resiliency Status Warning or Healthy

Click the arrow to collapse or expand additional Resiliency Status details:
• Host(s) failure tolerance - Number of host failures tolerated
• Replication Factor- Number of copies
• Creation time- Cluster creation time
• Persistent Device failures tolerable- Number of device failures tolerated
• Caching Device failures tolerable-Number of caching device failures
tolerated

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Nodes Number of nodes in the cluster.

Click the arrow to collapse or expand additional Nodes details:
• Node Type
• Version
Table 27: Capacity Portlet
Total Used and Free Capacity expressed as a percentage
Total Capacity Amount of usable capacity
Used Used Capacity
Free Free Capacity
Saving Total amount space saved

Click the arrow to collapse or expand the details about the saved space with
Compression and Deduplication. The data is expressed as a percentage.
Table 28: Network Details Portlet
Management Network Management Network details

Click the arrow to view the following Management Network details:
• Management IP address / FQDN
• VLAN
• Default Gateway
Data Network Data network details

Click the arrow to view the following Data Network details:
• Data IP address / FQDN
• VLAN
• Default Gateway
Network Services Network Services details

Click the arrow to view the following Network Services details:
• DNS Server(s)
• NTP Server(s)

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Register your license
Table 29: Performance Portlet
General Usage
• Performance charts are visible when the License Status is In-compliance8.
• Click on the Time Interval list to select the length of time viewed in the performance chart.
• Hover over the chart line to display totals for a specific time.
• Click the refresh arrow to refresh the view.
• The Scanning Cluster icon indicates that the cluster table is still populating. The icon disappears when the
cluster list is complete.
• To change the timezone, click the current time interval, complete the Time Range pop-up, and click OK. The
time seen reflects the browser time.
IOPS Display IOPS performance chart
Throughput Display Throughput performance chart
Latency Display Latency performance chart

8
Supported in HX Release 5.0(1a) and later.

New users have a 90-day grace period to register their license. During the 90-days you have full access to all
feature functionality. To continue using the complete set of features, perform the following steps to register
your license using the in-product link.
Before you begin

Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a) full HTML plugin feature functionallity requires the license status to be
In-compliance. Verify the your License type and Status on the Summary Page, if you need to register your
license, complete this task.
License Compliance Examples

312
Figure 1: License In-Compliance:
Figure 2: License Out of Compliance:
Step 1 Starting on the vSphere web client Summary page, click the discovered HX cluster name to view its summary.
Step 2 In the License Type summary, click the Register Now link. The "Smart Software Licensing Product Registration window
appears.

313
View Cluster and Datastore Performance Charts
Step 3 Type the Product Instance Registration Token on the field provided
Note If your registration token is not available, generate a new one by clicking on the Cisco Smart Software
Manager Link and follow the prompts.
Step 4 Click Register to complete the action.

The Performance tab displays performance details for both the cluster and for the datastore for the last hour.

314
General Usage:
Note The Alarms chart appears with time interval selections of 1 Month or less.
• Use the drop-down Cluster list on the top right to navigate between the clusters.
• To change the timezone, click the current time interval, complete the Time Range pop-up, and click OK.
The time seen reflects the browser time.
Before you begin

Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), Performance charts are only visible when the license status is
In-compliance.

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Disks
Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex.

Step 3 Click on HX Cluster you want to review.
Step 4 Select the Performance tab. The Alarms, IOPS, ThroughPut, and Latency charts appear.
Step 5 Click on the Time Interval list to select the time-span viewed in the performance chart.
Disks
To view the Disks details page, perform the following steps:
Step 1 Log into the vSphere client.

Step 3 Click the Cluster name that you want to view.
Step 4 Using the Cluster Summary Tabs, Click Disks.
The Disk Detail view appears.
Table 30: Disks Details
Node Node Name
Slot Slot number
Status Slot Status. Valid values: Available or Claimed
Capacity Total capacity of the slot
Type Type of disk. Valid values include: Rotational, Solid state
Usage How the disk is being used. Valid values include: Caching, Persistence, System

316
Nodes
Step 5 (Optional) Locate a physical server using the Turn On LED button
Note Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), The Turn On/Off LED button functionality requires the license status
to be In-compliance.
a) Click the Turn On LED button to illuminate the LED light on the associated physical server.
b) When finished, click the Turn Off LED button to turn the LED light off.
Nodes
To view node details specific to the Cluster, Host, and VMs, perform the following steps:

Step 4 Using the Cluster Summary Tabs, Click Nodes.
The Nodes list appears.
Table 31: Nodes List Details
Node Node name.

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Nodes
Hypervisor Address IP address of the Hypervisor.
Hypervisor Status Hypervisor status. Valid values: Online and Offline.
Controller Address IP address of the Controller.
Controller Status Controller status. Valid values: Online and Offline.
Model Type of node.
Version HXDP version in use.
Disks Number of disks associated with the node.
Site Column is displayed only for Edge deployments.
Step 5 Click the Node name that you want to view details. The Node Summary portlet appear below the Nodes list.
a) The Node Summary view includes two portlets with additional details about the node: Hyperconverged Nodes and
Disk Overview.
Use the arrows to collapse and expand the portlet contents.
Table 32: Hyperconverged Nodes Portlet
Hypervisor Health - Online or Offline

IP Address - IP address of the Hypervisor
ESXi Version - Installed ESXi Version
HyperFlex Controller Health - Online or Offline

IP Address - IP address of the HyperFlex Controller
HX Version - Installed HyperFlex release
Table 33: Disk Overview Portlet
Disk Overview Notes the number of slots in use and the number that are empty.
Legend Legend for icons and colors used in the disk graphics.

318
Network
Disk graphic Hover over a disk to display details for that disk.
Details include:
• Slot Number and type of usage
• Disk Status: Claimed or Unclaimed
• Capacity
• Storage Usage as a percentage.
• Disk Drive Interface
• Version
Step 6 (Optional) Enter or Exit Maintenance Mode

a) Click the Node name that you want to put into or take out of Maintenance Mode.
b) Click Enter Maintenance Mode or Exit Maintenance Mode.
Note Beginning with HX Release 5.0(x), the Enter and Exit Maintenance Mode button functionality is enabled
when the license status is In-compliance.
Note If you have a 3- or 4-node cluster, only one node will go into maintenance mode.
Network
Network: Create New VLAN
The Network page allows users to create a VLAN without going through UCS. To create a VLAN from the
vSphere client perform the following steps:

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex > Create VLAN
Step 3 The Create VLAN window appears.
Complete the fields in the Create VLAN window:

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Network: Configure iSCSI Network
Table 34: Create VLAN
VLAN ID To create one VLAN, enter a single numeric ID. A VLAN ID can:
• Be between 1 and 3967
• Be between 4049 and 4093
VLAN Name This name can be between 1 and 32 alphanumeric characters. You cannot use
spaces or any special characters, and you cannot change this name after the
object has been saved
UCS Manager Host IP or FQDN UCS Manager FQDN or IP address.

For example, 10.193.211.120
UCS Username <admin> username.

For example, sample_user1
UCS Password <root> password.
Step 4 Click OK.

A VLAN is created.
Note Creating VLANs is a one-way operation. You cannot view VLANs in the HTML plugin. To see the newly
created VLAN go to UCS, and then verify the newly created vLAN in the ESXi vSwitch.
Network: Configure iSCSI Network

The Network page allows users to configure an iSCSI Network. To create an iSCSI network from the vSphere
client perform the following steps:
Before you begin

The iSCSI features are supported in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) and later.

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex > Network Configure > Configure
Step 3 The Create iSCSI Network window appears.
Complete the fields in the Create iSCSI Network window:
Subnet Enter a valid Subnet
Gateway Enter a valid Gateway
IP Range Enter a valid IP Range

Use the Edit button to change the IP range. All other fields are disabled.

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iSCSI
iSCSI Storage IP Enter a valid IP Address for iSCSI Storage
VLAN Configuration Click in the checkbox to Create a new VLAN (Recommended) or Select an
existing VLAN.
To Create a new VLAN, you need to specify the following: VLAN ID, VLAN
Name, UCS Manager host IP or FQDN, Username (Username for authentication
with UCS), Password (Password for authentication with UCS).
To Select an existing VLAN, you need to specify the VLAN ID.
Note To configure the VLAN manually in UCS-M, use the create VLAN
menu option. In the Create VLANs window, leave the checkboxes
as is. In the vNIC templates for HX, attach the VLAN to "vNIC
Template storage-data-a" and "vNIC Template storage-data-b".
This configuration is non-disruptive.
Set Non-Default MTU Checkbox to enable setting MTU (Message Transport Unit) manually. The
MTU defines the maximum size of a network frame that you can send in a single
data transmission across the network. The default MTU size is 9000.
To disable Jumbo Frames, click the Set non default MTU checkbox, and then
use the pull-down to change the value to 1500.
Note If any of the initiators are crossing a router, the router will need
to allow Jumbo Frames.
Step 4 Click OK.

An iSCSI network is created.
Step 5 Review the Tasks page to verify the iSCSI Network was created.
iSCSI
iSCSI: Targets
After the iSCSI network is created, the iSCSI page appears in the list of navigation tabs. The default view is
Targets, use the Create, Edit, Delete, and Clone LUN buttons to manage iSCSI targets.

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iSCSI: Targets
Note The iSCSI page only appears in navigaton tabs of clusters with a configured iSCSI network.
Before you begin

• The iSCSI features are supported in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) and later.
• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Create and Delete buttons are enabled when the license status
is In-compliance.
• Create an iSCSI Network Network: Configure iSCSI Network, on page 320

The list of clusters appears.
Step 3 Select a cluster with an iSCSI network configured.
The iSCSI Network page appears with the Targets, Initiator Groups, and LUNs buttons. Use the buttons to navigate
between views.
Step 4 Click the Targets button to populate the table with the list of targets, along with the Create, Edit, Clone LUN, and
Delete buttons.

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iSCSI: Initiator Groups
Table 35: Target List
Target Name Name of the iSCSI storage resource on the iSCSI server.
Linked Initiators Groups Number of Linked Initiator Groups on the cluster.
LUN Number of LUNS in the Initiator group.
IQN Qualified Name (IQN) for the Initiator.

The IQN format takes the form iqn.yyyy-mm.naming-authority:unique name.
Active Initiators Total number of active Initiators.
CHAP Authentication Authentication scheme that uses a shared secret and a challenge message to
validate the identity of remote clients.
Step 5 Select a Target from the list to display all the LUNs associated with the selected target. in the portlet below the Target
list. Use the Create, Edit, Clone LUN, and Delete buttons to create, edit, clone or delete LUNs in the selected target.
Table 36: LUNs Details Portlet
Name LUN name
LUN ID Unique ID for the LUN
Serial Number LUN Serial Number
Size Total capacity size of the LUN (GB)
Used Total capacity of the LUN used (GB)
Available Total capacity of the LUN available (GB)
Related Topics
iSCSI LUN Page, on page 289
Creating an iSCSI LUN, on page 290
Editing an iSCSI LUN, on page 291
Cloning an iSCSI LUN, on page 292
Deleting an iSCSI LUN, on page 291
View iSCSI and Datastore Summary from the Configure Tab, on page 344

Use the Initiator Groups button on the iSCSI page to create, edit, and delete Initiator Groups.

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Before you begin

• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Create and Delete buttons are enabled when the license status
is In-compliance.

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex > iSCSI
The iSCSI Network page appears with the Targets, Initiator Groups, and LUNs buttons. Use the buttons to navigate
between views.
Step 3 Click the Initiator Groups button to populate the table with the list of Initaitor groups, along with the Create, Edit, and
Delete buttons.
Table 37: Initiator Group List
Initiators Groups List of groups that specify which hosts can access specified LUNs on the cluster.
Initiator Number of initiator in the group.

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iSCSI: LUNs
Table 38: Initiator Group Action Window Examples
Action Window Name Example
Create Initiatiors Group
Edit Initiatiors Group
Step 4 Select an Initiators Group from the list to display the list of Initiators in the details portlet below the list.
Step 5 Click the Initiators button to view the individual Initiators in a group
Step 6 Click the Linked Targets button to view the targets associated with the selected group.
Step 7 Use the Link, and Unlink buttons to link and unlink targets to groups.
Related Topics
iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 283
Creating an iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 284
Editing an iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 285
Deleting an iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 285
Linking iSCSI Initiator Group with Targets, on page 285
Unlinking an iSCSI Initiator Group, on page 286
iSCSI: LUNs
Use the LUNS Button to Create, Edit, Delete, and Clone LUN buttons to manage LUNs.

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iSCSI: LUNs
Before you begin

• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Create, Delete, and Clone LUN buttons are enabled when the
license status is In-compliance.

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex > iSCSI
Step 3 Click the LUNS button to populate the table with the list of LUNs, along with the Create, Edit, Clone LUN, and Delete
buttons.
Table 39: LUNs Details Portlet
Name LUN name
LUN ID Unique ID for the LUN
Serial Number LUN Serial Number
Size Total capacity size of the LUN (GB)
Used Total capacity of the LUN used (GB)
Available Total capacity of the LUN available (GB)

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HX Datastore Management
Table 40: iSCSI LUN Action Window Examples
Action Window Name Example
Create LUN
Edit LUN
Clone LUN
Step 4 Select a LUN on the list to display the Details Portlet and Perforrmance Charts below the LUN list.
Related Topics
HX Datastore Management
Managing Datastores
The Datastore page allows users to view datastore details, create, edit, mount, unmount or delete datastores
on a Cluster.
Note Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Create and Delete Datastore buttons are enabled when the license
status is In-compliance.

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Managing Datastores

Step 3 Click the cluster that you want.
The Datastore Detail Table appears. Use the arrows to advance to the next or previous page, and first or last page of
datastores.
Table 41: Datastore Table Details
Name Datastore name
Mount Summary Mounted or Unmounted
Status Status of the Datastore: Valid values include: Normal
Provisioned Amount of space provisioned
Used Amount of space used
Free Amount of space available
Step 5 Click on a Datastore name in the table to view additional details about the Datastore.
SUMMARY is auto-selected and the Details and Trends portlets appear below the table.
Table 42: Details Portlet
Total Graph of space provisioned and used
Status Mounted or Unmounted
Provisioned Amount of space provisioned

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Create New Datastore
VMs Number of VMs created on the datastore

Clicking on a VM count (number) takes the user directly to the Datastore page
which list all VMs for that datastore.
Table 43: Trends Portlet
General Usage:
• The Scanning Cluster icon indicates that the cluster table is still populating. The icon disappears when the cluster
list is complete.
• To change the timezone, click the current time interval, complete the Time Range pop-up, and click OK. The time
seen reflects the browser time.
IOPS Display IOPS performance chart
Throughput Display Throughput performance chart
Latency Display Latency performance chart
Table 44: Hosts Portlet
Host Name Displays the IP address of the host for the selected datastore.
Mount Status Specifies if the Host is Mounted or Unmounted.
Accessable Specifies if the Host is accessable or not.
Related Topics

To create a new datastore:

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Edit Datastore
Before you begin

• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Create Datastore button is enabled when the license status is
In-compliance.
• Log into the vSphere client and Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex.

a) Enter the Datastore Name.
b) Enter the Size, and select GB or TB.
c) Select the Block Size, Select 4K or 8K.
Step 4 Click OK. A new Datastore is created and added to the Datastore table list.
Step 5 If the new Datastore does not appear in the list, click the Refresh arrow and recheck the list.
Edit Datastore
To edit an existing datastore:
Note You can only change the name of a datastore after it has been Unmounted.

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Mount or Unmount Datastore
Before you begin

Log into the vSphere client and Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex.

Step 2 Click Datastore and select Datastore for Edit action.
Step 3 Click the Edit button. The Edit Datastore window appears.
Step 4 Edit the Datastore details.
Step 5 Click OK to save your changes. The Datastore information is updated.
Mount or Unmount Datastore

The Mount and Unmount buttons are active based on the current status of the datastore. A Mounted datastore
offers the option to Unmount the datastore, while an Unmounted datastore offers the option to Mount the
datastore. To Mount or Unmount a datastore:
Before you begin

• Remove any VMs created or registered to the datastore before starting the Unmount action.

Step 2 Click Datastore and select Datastore for Mount (Unmount) action.
Step 3 Click the Mount(Unmount) button.
The Mount (Unmount) Datastore window appears with a confirmation question "Do you want to mount (Unmount) the
datastore?"

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Delete Datastore
Step 4 Click OK to continue with the Mount (Unmount) action, or click Cancel to exit the Mount (or Unmount) Datastore
window. The datastore status is changed from Mounted to Unmounted or Unmounted to Mounted.
Delete Datastore
To delete a datastore:
Before you begin

• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Delete Datastore button is enabled when the license status is
In-compliance.
• Remove any VMs created or registered to the datastore and unmount the datastore before starting the
Delete Datastore action.

Step 2 Click Datastore and select Datastore for Delete action.
Step 3 Click the Delete button.
The Delete Datastore window appears with the confirmation question "Do you want to delete the datastore?"
Step 4 Click OK to continue with the delete action, or Cancel to exit the Delete Datastore window.
The selected Datastore is deleted from the Datastore table list.
VMs
To view VM details specific to the Cluster, Host, and VMs, perform the following steps:

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VMs

Step 4 Using the Cluster Summary Tabs, Click VMs.
The VM Detail displays three portlets: Summary, Alarms/Events and Top 15 VMs.
Table 45: Summary Portlet
VMs Summary Usage diagram of user VMs in use. Hover over to view the number of VMs
running, suspended, and off.
Total VMs: The total count of all user VMs.
Note Controller VMs are not included in the summary.
VMs Storage The sum of all user VMs storage. Total storage capacity for all user VMs appears
above image. Hover over the graphic to view the current amount of storage
being consumed.
VMs Memory Amount of point-in-time memory. Total memory capacity is listed, hover over
the graphic to view the current amount of memory used.

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VMs
CPU Total vCPU Count - Total CPU count for all VMs in the cluster.
CPU Usage - Number of cycles per second a given CPU is using.
Table 46: Alarms/Events Portlet
Alarms Displays Alarms for the VMs during the last week (7days).
Click View to navigate to the Alarms Details view.
• Triggered Time-Date and time the alarm occurred.
• Description-Alarm Description.
Events Displays Events for theVMs during the last week (7days).
Click View to navigate to the Events Details view.
• DateTime - Date and time the event occurred.
• Description- Event description.
Table 47: Top 15 VMs Portlet
Time list Specify the measurement of time to show the top 15 VMs. List options include:
1 Hour, 1 Day, or 1 Week.
Metrics List Select the metric type used to populate the table. Options include: CPU, Memory,
Disk Latency, Network, and Space.
• CPU, Memory, Disk Latency, Network - only report metrics for VMs in
a running condition. VMs that are switched off are not included.
• Space - counts all VMs regardless of their state.
Name VM Name - Clicking on the VM name redirects users to the graph or monitoring
page of VM being viewed in vCenter.
State Current state of the VM. Valid values are Running, Off and Suspended.
Datastore Datastore Name
CPU CPU usage in megahertz used durineg the interval.
Memory Amount of host physical memory consumed for backing up guest physical
memory pages.
Disk Latency Highest latency value across all disks used by the host
Network Throughput Network utilization during the interval (combined transmit and receive rates).

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Events
Space (Disk Usage) Amount of disk space the VM is using
View Metrics Link to view CPU, Memory, Disk Latency, and Network Throughput
performance tables for that specified VM. The usage values displayed are for
the five-minute average for all.
Use the hover feature to display the matrices simultaneously and evaluate any
visible spikes in the data.
Events
To view events specific to the Cluster, Node, Host, VM or Disk, perform the following steps:

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex.
Step 4 Using the Cluster Summary Tabs, Click Events.
The Events Detail view appears.
Table 48: Event Details
Description Text description of the event
Event Name Event name

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Alarms
Entity Type Entity affected. Values include: All, Cluster, Node, Virtual Machine, and Disk
Severity Event severity level. Valid values include: All, Info, Warning, Error, and Critical
DateTime Date and time the event occurred
Step 5 (Optional) Use filters to limit the results that appear in the Events Table.
Filter Filter Options
Entity Type All, Cluster, Node, Virtual Machine, and Disk
Severity All, Info, Warning, Error, and Critical
Filter Type a keyword in the Filter option to filter the table contents seen in the browser
Step 6 In the list of events, Click on the event name that you want more information about.
The details appear below the Events table. Details include:
• Description
• Event Name
• Entity Type
• Severity
• DateTime
Alarms
To view alarms specific to the Cluster, Host, and VMs, perform the following steps:
Note Acknowledged alarms on HX Connect or HTML plugin does not acknowledge the equivalent vCenter alarm.

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Alarms

Step 4 Using the Cluster Summary Tabs, Click Alarms.
The Alarms Detail view appears.
Table 49: Alarm Details
Source Text description of the alarm
Description Alarm name
Severity Alarm severity level. Valid values include: All, Info, Warning, and Error
Triggered Time Date and time the alarm occurred

Use the arrow to sort and re-sort the table results
Acknowledged Time Time when the Alarm was acknowledged
Acknowledged by Auto-enters who acknowledged the alarm
Step 5 (Optional) Use filters to limit the results that appear in the Alarms Table.
Severity All, Info, Warning, and Error
Entity Type All, Cluster, Node, Virtual Machine, Disk and Datastore

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Tasks
Acknowledged All, True, and False
Filter Type a keyword in the Filter option to filter the table contents seen in the browser
Step 6 Click the Acknowledged button to acknowledge that the alarm has been seen.
Clicking the Acknowledged button auto-enters who acknowledged the alarm in the Acknowledged by field.
Step 7 Click the Reset To Green button to remove the alarm from the list.
Tasks
View asynchronous tasks that are happening on the platform to validate maintenance, perform the following
steps:

Step 2 Select Menu > Cisco HyperFlex > Tasks
Step 3 Click the Task that you want to view.
The sub-tasks appear in the table below the list of tasks.
Table 50: Task List
Description Description of the task

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vCenter: HyperFlex Plugin Embedded Actions
Name Task Name
Entity Type Type of task, Valid values include: NODE, DP_Summary, Virtual Machine,
Disk and Datastore.
Entity ID Device ID number
State Specifies the success or failure of the task.
Triggered Time Date and time the task occurred
Table 51: Task Details
Sub-task name Name of the task.
Success indicator Description of the action and the status of the task when it completed. A check
icon preceding the description identifies that the task was successful. Review
this list to identify where a task failed.
Step 4 (Optional) Use the Entity Type list to filter the table results.
vCenter: HyperFlex Plugin Embedded Actions

vCenter Server Actions at the Host and Cluster Level
To create a new datastore from the Hosts and Clusters level, perform the following steps:

339
Before you begin

Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), this functionality is enabled when the license status is In-compliance.
Step 1 Access the Hosts & Clusters either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 2 Right click on the cluster and select Cisco HyperFlex > Upgrade. Upgrade Launches HyperFlex Connect and takes the
user directly to the upgrade page to complete the upgrade process.
Step 3 Right click on the cluster and select Cisco HyperFlex > Create Datastore.

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Enter or Exit Maintenance Mode
The Create New Datastore window appears.

Step 4 Complete the fields in the New Datastore Window.
• Enter the Datastore Name
• Enter the Size, and select GB or TB.
• Select the Block Size, Select 4K or 8K.
• Click OK.
Related Topics
Create New Datastore, on page 329
Enter or Exit Maintenance Mode

To enter or exit Maintenance Mode from the Host level from the vSphere web UI perform the following steps:

341
View HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the Summary Tab
Before you begin

Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), this functionality is enabled when the license status is In-compliance.
Step 1 Access Hosts & Clusters either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 2 Click on the cluster name and select the Hosts tab.
The summary page appears.
Step 3 Right click on the host and select Cisco HyperFlex > > Maintenance Mode > Enter (or Exit) MainenanceMode to
enter or Exit HyperFlex Maintenance Mode.
View HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the Summary Tab

To view Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the vSphere web UI perform the following steps:

342
View HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the Monitor Tab
Step 2 Click on a cluster name and select the Summary tab. The summary page appears.
Step 3 Scroll down and use the arrow in each portlet to show or hide the portlet details.
Related Topics
View the HX Cluster Summary, on page 308
View HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the Monitor Tab

To view Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin Portlets from the vSphere web UI perform the following steps:

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View iSCSI and Datastore Summary from the Configure Tab
Step 2 Click on a cluster name and select the Monitor tab.
Step 3 Scroll down the Monitor navigation panel and locate Cisco HyperFlex.
Step 4 Click on Storage Capacity or Performance to display the related Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin chart.
Related Topics
View Cluster and Datastore Performance Charts , on page 314

To view the iSCSI and Datastore Summary Pages from the vSphere web UI perform the following steps:

344
Before you begin

The iSCSI features are supported in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) and later.
Step 2 Click on a cluster name and select the Configure tab.
Step 3 Scroll down the Monitor navigation panel and locate Cisco HyperFlex.
Step 4 Click on iSCSI Summary or Datastore Summary to display the related Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin page.
Step 5 Use the buttons to perform all maintenance tasks as defined in the related topics.
Related Topics
Managing Datastores, on page 327
Create New Datastore, on page 329
Edit Datastore, on page 330
Mount or Unmount Datastore, on page 331
Delete Datastore, on page 332
iSCSI: Targets , on page 321
iSCSI: Initiator Groups, on page 323
iSCSI: LUNs, on page 325

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vCenter Server Actions at Virtual Machine Level
vCenter Server Actions at Virtual Machine Level

Snapshot Now
Before you begin

Access the VMs and Templates either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 1 Right click on the virtual machine. Select Cisco HyperFlex > Snapshot Now.
Step 2 The Take VM Native Snapshot window appears. Complete the following fields:
• Name- Snapshot name
• Description - Description of the snapshot
• Quiesce guest file system - Check box.

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ReadyClones
Step 3 Click OK to create a VM Snapshot. You will see the snapshot task active in the background. After the Snapshot is
complete it will be listed in the Snapshot Manager.
ReadyClones
Before you begin

• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the ReadyClones feature is enabled when the license status is
In-compliance.
• Access the VMs and Templates either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.

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ReadyClones
Step 1 Right click on the virtual machine. Select Cisco HyperFlex > ReadyClones.
Step 2 The Ready Clones window appears. Complete the General Settings Fields:
• Number of Clones- Valid entry 1-256
• Customization specifications - If configured, select from the list
• Resource Pool - If configured, select from the list
Step 3 Complete the Clone Name Fields:

• Power on VMs after cloning- Check box
• Name of VM Prefix - Type VM prefix
• Starting clone number- The default is 1
• Increment clone number by - The default is 1

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Schedule Snapshot
• Use same name for Guest Name- Uncheck to provide a guest name
Schedule Snapshot
Before you begin

• The Schedule Snaphot feature is supported in Cisco HyperFlex Release 4.5(x) and later.
• Beginning with HX Release 5.0(1a), the Schedule Snapshot feature is enabled when the license status is
In-compliance.
• Schedule Snapshot on VMs in a suspended state is not supported.
• Access the VMs and Templates either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 1 Right click on the virtual machine. Select Cisco HyperFlex > Schedule Snapshot .
The Schedule Snapshot window appears.

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Schedule Snapshot
Step 2 Use the checkbox to select the snapshot frequency
Step 3 Complete the fields for the Schedule Snapshot selected:
Table 52: Hourly Snapshot:
Start At: Enter valid start time

• Hour: Valid values 1-24
• Minutes: Valid values 1-60
• AM/PM: Select one from the list.
End At: Enter valid start time

On Use the Check boxes to select the day(s) of the week for snapshots are to be taken
Maximum Number of hourly Type or select a value between 1-30.

snapshots to retain

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vCenter Server Actions at the Storage Level
Table 53: Daily Snapshot:

On Use the Check boxes to select the day(s) of the week for snapshots are to be taken

snapshots to retain
Table 54: Weekly Snapshot:

On Use the Check boxes to select the starting day for the weekly snapshot.

snapshots to retain
Step 4 Click OK to confirm your snapshot schedule.
vCenter Server Actions at the Storage Level

Edit Datastore
From the Datastore level users have the ability to edit existing datastores.
Before you begin

Access the Datastores either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 1 Right click on the datastore name.

Step 2 Select Cisco HyperFlex > Edit Datastore.
The Edit Datastore window appears.
Step 3 Edit the Datastore details.
Step 4 Click OKto save your changes.
Related Topics
Edit Datastore, on page 330

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Delete Datastore
Delete Datastore
From the Datastore level users have the ability to delete existing datastores.
Before you begin

Access the Datastores either from the vSphere Menu or the Shortcut link.
Step 1 Right click on the datastore name.

Step 2 Select Cisco HyperFlex > Delete Datastore
The Delete Datastore window appears.
Step 3 Click the Delete button.
The Delete Datastore window appears with the confirmation question "Do you want to delete the datastore?"
Step 4 Click OK to continue with the delete action, or Cancel to exit the Delete Datastore window.
Related Topics
Delete Datastore, on page 332
Cisco HyperFlex Remote Plugin for VMware vCenter

Starting with vSphere 8.0.0 the only architecture supported in vSphere releases is remote plugin.
The remote plugin runs on its own appliance, independent of the vCenter appliance; This autonomy improves
the user experience with increased vCenter performance.
Prerequisites
The following is required for using the Remote Plugin for VMware:
• Supported Cisco HyperFlex Release: 5.0(2a) and later (ESXi 6.7 U3 and later).
Using the Cisco HyperFlex Remote Plugin

The following table defines feature support by plugin version:
Table 55: HTML5 Remote Plugin Feature Support
Feature Plugin Version 3.0.0
Discover the Registered HX Cluster ✓
Rename Clusters ✓
9
View HX Cluster Summary ✓
View Cluster and Datastore Performance Charts ✓
Disks View ✓

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Install, Register and Upgrade the Remote Plugin
Nodes View ✓
HX Datastore Management ✓
VM Summary and Top VM Consumers ✓
Network Management ✓
iSCSI Management ✓
10
Events and Alarms ✓
Manage Tasks ✓
HX Snapshots and clones at the virtual machine level ✓
Schedule Snapshot ✓
11
Manage users and access to HX clusters ✓
Cross-launch HX Connect for upgrade ✓
Embedded vCenter server actions at the Host and Clusters level ✓
HTML 5 License Status ✓

12
Linked Mode ✓
9
10
11
12
Note The configuration and feature functionality for the Remote and Local plugin are identical. For more information
on any feature see the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 Plugin for VMware vCenter , on page 300 section of this
guide.
Install, Register and Upgrade the Remote Plugin

Remote Plugin Installation and Registration
To install and register the Remote Plugin, perform the following steps.
Before you begin

Users with an active firewall need to verify that ports 433, 9443 and 22 are open and allow traffic to pass in
or out.

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Default Appliance Credentials

• Username: vcp-admin
• Password: C^scohxplugin@1984
Step 1 Download the Cisco HyperFlex HTML plugin OVA for VMware vCenter from the Cisco Software Download site.
Step 2 Login to the vCenter and select the host you want to deploy the Remote Plugin appliance.
Step 3 Right click on the host and click on Deploy OVF Template. Deploy the OVA in a vCenter with appropriate static/DHCP
IP settings.
Step 4 Navigate to and select the local OVF downloaded from Cisco Software Download site.
Recommended configuration settings for the Remote plugin appliance:
• RAM: 4G
• Cores:2
• Datastore: 1 with 50 GB of minimum space
• Valid network adapter
Step 5 Follow the wizard to complete the deployment process.

Note The static/DHCP IP assignment is supported through a script. Perform the following steps:
a. Open the appliance VM console and log in to the appliance with the default credentials.
b. Type hx-ip-address-change and press Enter to initiate the script.
c. Select whether you want to set Static or DHCP IP settings for the appliance.
d. Type valid values for the following fields: IP address, Subnet mask, Gateway, and DNS when asked
if you opt for Static IP assignment. There is no need to provide the DNS details if you select DHCP
IP assignment.
e. Use the ifconfig command to display the Static/DHCP IP. Write these down for future use.
Step 6 Copy and paste the IP address of the appliance in a browser window.
Example:
https://<appliance_ip>
The UI will open.
Step 7 Reset the default user (vcp-admin) password through command line with the following steps:
a) Open the appliance VM console and log in to the appliance with the default credentials.
b) Type passwd vcp-admin and press Enter.
c) Type the old and new password as directed in the UI and complete the password reset process.
Step 8 Log in to the HX vCenter Remote Plug-in Appliance with the new credentials.

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Step 9 To register the remote plugin with a vCenter, click the Register button. The Add vCenters window appears.
Step 10 In the Add vCenters window click the Add button and type the vCenter IP/FQDN, Port number, user name and
password in the designated fields. Click Next.

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Uninstalling and Unregistering the HyperFlex Remote Plugin from vCenter
If the vCenter is reachable and credentials are valid, the UI will advance to the Register Plugin page.
Step 11 Click Register and wait for the registration process to complete.
Step 12 Use the hyperlink provided in the registration UI to log on to vCenter.
Step 13 To view the Cisco HyperFlex HTML5 plugin options in the vSphere UI, log out and log in again to vCenter.
Uninstalling and Unregistering the HyperFlex Remote Plugin from vCenter

To Uninstall and unregister the HX Remote Plugin from vCenter, perform the following steps.
Step 1 Navigate to the plugin appliance UI.

Step 2 Log in with valid credentials.
Step 3 Select the vCenter from the list that you want to unregister and click on actions buttons present before the vCenter
FQDN/IP. Click Unregister.
Step 4 Specify the vCenter credentials and confirm that you want to unregister/uninstall the remote plugin from the vCenter.
Step 5 Log out from the vCenter, wait a few minutes and Log in again.
Upgrade the Remote Plugin Application

Upgrading the remote plugin is a two-step process, perform the following steps to complete the upgrade.
Step 1 Download the newer version of the vCenter remote plugin (hyperflex-remote-vcenter-plugin-x.x.x-xxx.tar.gz) upgrade
package from the Cisco Software Download site.
Step 2 Copy it into /tmp directory on the plugin appliance VM.
Step 3 Execute the upgrade script by using the hx-plugin-upgrade <UpgradePackagePath> command.

356
Encryption Support
Step 4 Review the messages carefully and select Y to continue the upgrade process.
Step 5 Once the vCenter application upgrade is complete, update the vCenter extension to the latest version on each vCenter
registered with the plugin server.
a) vCenter Extension Upgrade: Log in to the plugin appliance UI and select the vCenter.
b) Click on Update and provide the credentials and click the Update button.
Encryption Support
Remote Plugin Encryption Support
To enable remote plugin encryption, perform the following steps, For more information on enabling Software
Encryption on your cluster, see Enabling HyperFlex Software Encryption Workflow.
Step 1 Select the cluster you want to encrypt.

a) Type the Datastore Name.
b) Type the size and select GB or TB.
c) Select the Block Size, Select 4K or 8K.
d) Check the Software Encryption check box.
Step 4 Click OK. A new Datastore is created and added to the Datastore table list
If the new Datastore does not appear in the list, click the Refresharrow and recheck the list.
Generate Support Bundles

Plugin Support Bundle Generation
Currently this feature is available via command line which will help user download support bundle which
includes all the required log files from appliance and vCenter.
Steps to generate Support bundle from the vCenter appliance through command line:
Before you begin

To generate support bundle for vCenter, root user credentials are required. If the root credentials are not
available, download it from https://<VC_IP/FQDN>:5480 using administrator credentials.
SUMMARY STEPS
1. Log in to the vCenter appliance using pre-configured user credentials.
2. Enter the hx-plugin-supportbundle command. This will prompt you for the vCenter for which you want
to generate the support bundle.

357
Plugin Support Bundle Generation
3. Provide the root credentials or skip the vCenter logs and continue with support bundle generation of
vCenter appliance logs.
4. The default support bundle download location is: /var/log/plugin_support/.
DETAILED STEPS
Command or Action Purpose

Step 1 Log in to the vCenter appliance using pre-configured user
credentials.
Step 2 Enter the hx-plugin-supportbundle command. This will
prompt you for the vCenter for which you want to generate
the support bundle.
Step 3 Provide the root credentials or skip the vCenter logs and
continue with support bundle generation of vCenter
appliance logs.
Step 4 The default support bundle download location is: Specifying a custom directory to download the support
/var/log/plugin_support/. bundle is supported.
Help support for the support bundle generation tool is hx-plugin-supportbundle -help or
hx-plugin-supportbundle -h

358
APPENDIX A
Appendix
• Creating VLANs for HX Servers, on page 359
• Creating MAC Address Pools, on page 360
• Configure the vSwitches, on page 361
• Migrating vMotion Networks to Virtual Distributed Switches (VDS) or Cisco Nexus 1000v (N1Kv), on
page 363
Creating VLANs for HX Servers

Step 1 Open a web browser and enter the IP address for Cisco UCS Manager . Enter the login credentials.
Step 2 Navigate to LAN tab > LAN > LAN Cloud > VLANS.
Step 3 Right-click and select Create VLANs as shown in the table below:
VLAN Name Description Multicast Policy VLAN ID (by

Name default)
hx-inband-mgmt Used for: HyperFlex 3091

• ESX management
• SSH to storage controller VM
• HX Cluster management IP - using multicast
traffic.
• vCenter connectivity to the HyperFlex VM
for the HX Data Platform plug-in
hx-storage-data Used for: HyperFlex 3092

• ESX NFS client(IOvisor)
• HyperFlex replication/cluster
• Cluster data VIP

359
Appendix
Creating MAC Address Pools
VLAN Name Description Multicast Policy VLAN ID (by

Name default)
hx-vmotion Used for: HyperFlex 3093

• VM and storage vmotion, FT, iSCSI
insert existing vlan name Used for: HyperFlex Any*

• VM data traffic
Note:
• Configuration option is Common/Global. It applies to both fabrics and uses the same configuration parameters in
both cases.
• *There is no specific recommendation for VM data VLANs. You can create your own VLANs for the VM data
traffic. By default, the HXDP installer will not create VLANs for the VM data traffic.
• Installer sets the VLANs as non-native by default. Ensure to configure the upstream switches to accommodate the
non-native VLANs.
Creating MAC Address Pools

You can change the default MAC address blocks to avoid duplicate MAC addresses that may already exist.
Each block contains 100 MAC addresses by default to allow for up to 100 HX server for deployment per UCS
system. We recommend that you use one MAC pool per vNIC for easier troubleshooting.
Note The 8th digit is set to A or B. "A" is set on vNICs pinned to Fabric Interconnect A. And "B" is set on vNICs
pinned to Fabric Interconnect B.
Step 1 Open a web browser and enter the IP address for Cisco UCS Manager . Enter the login credentials.
Step 2 In Cisco UCS Manager, navigate to LAN tab > Pools > root > Sub-org > hx-cluster > MAC Pools.
Step 3 Right-click MAC Pools and select Create MAC Pool.
Step 4 In the Define Name and Description page of the Create MAC Pool wizard, complete the required fields as shown
below:
MAC Pool Description Assignment Order MAC Address block

Name
hv-mgmt-a MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:01:01-64
hv-mgmt-b MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:02:01-64
storage-data-a MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:03:01-64

360
Appendix
Configure the vSwitches
storage-data-b MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:04:01-64
vm-network-a MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:05:01-64
vm-network-b MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:06:01-64
hv-vmotion-a MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:07:01-64
hv-vmotion-b MAC pool for HyperFlex System Sequential 00:25:B5:XX:08:01-64
Step 5 Click Next.

Step 6 In the Add MAC Addresses page of the Create MAC Pool wizard, click Add.
Step 7 In the Create a Block of MAC Addresses dialog box, complete the following fields:
Name Description
First MAC Address field The first MAC address in the block.
Size field The number of MAC addresses in the block.
Step 8 Click OK.

After the MAC address change, ESXi will be reconfigured as it was configured earlier. But if management IP was DHCP
assigned then the IP would change.
Impact of Manufacturing process on MAC address change
• The MAC address will change between the manufacturing process and the customer site, especially if the customer
orders HyperFlex serves without UCS Fabric Interconnects.
• A MAC address is configured during Service Profile association. It is un-configured during Service Profile
disassociation.
• At the end of manufacturing process, the service profiles are disassociated, hence the MAC addresses are
un-configured.
• When a HyperFlex server is deployed, configure the MAC address pools as described above.
• VMWare supports Consistent Device Naming, but issues have been reported since 5.5.SR has been opened.
Configure the vSwitches

In both VMware ESX and ESXi host, you can configure vSwitches from either the GUI or the command line.
The CLI configurations are very helpful when you are installing multiple ESX servers and planning to script
the vSwitch configuration.
After the ESX installation, configure your vSwitches on the ESX host with the following steps:

361
Appendix
Appendix
Step 1 Log in to the command line of each ESX Server.

Step 2 Create three vSwitches on each ESX server using the listed names.
• vswitch-hx-storage-data
Set the MTU to 9000 on this switch.
• vmotion
Set the MTU to 9000 on this switch.
• vswitch-hx-vm-network
Step 3 Use the following CLI commands to create the three new vSwitches:
# esxcli network vswitch standard add -v vswitch-hx-storage-data
# esxcli network vswitch standard set -v vswitch-hx-storage-data -mtu= 9000
# esxcli network vswitch standard add -v vswitch-vmotion
# esxcli network vswitch standard set -v vswitch-vmotion -mtu=9000
# esxcli network vswitch standard add -v vswitch-hx-vm-network
Step 4 The default vSwitch vSwitch0 created during installation of ESXi needs to be renamed to vswitch-hx-inband-mgmt for
the Hx Data Platform node set up scripts to work properly. Use the following command to rename the switch and then
reboot the host so that the vmkernel re-reads its configuration file to use the new name.
# sed -i 's/vSwitch0/vswitch-hx-inband-mgmt/g' /etc/vmware/esx.conf
# reboot
Step 5 You can verify the creation and renaming of the vSwitches after a host reboot with the following command:
# esxcli network vswitch standard list
Confirm that you see the four previously listed vSwitches in the command output. Only the switch-hx-inband-mgmt
vSwitch will have Uplinks and Port groups listed. The HX Data Platform installer scripts perform the rest of the network
configuration.

362
Appendix
Migrating vMotion Networks to Virtual Distributed Switches (VDS) or Cisco Nexus 1000v (N1Kv)
Migrating vMotion Networks to Virtual Distributed Switches

(VDS) or Cisco Nexus 1000v (N1Kv)
Note • The HX Data Platform can be configured with VMware DVS or Cisco Nexus 1000v for specific non-HX
dependent networks:
vMotion networks
and virtual machine networks
• For further details, see Cisco Nexus 1000v documentation.
To migrate non-HX dependent vSwitches and associated port groups to DVS or N1Kv networks, follow the
listed steps:
Step 1 From vCenter, create DVS Switch and port groups.

a) Select vCenter Inventory Lists > Datacenters > datacenter > Related Objects > Distributed Switches . Click
Add Distributed Switch icon.
b) Complete the New Distributed Switch wizard. Create each DVS switch with two uplinks.
For example: VM network and vmotion pg
• DVSwitch-VMNetwork: DVPortGroup-VMNetwork
• DVSwitch-Vmotion: DVPortGroup-Vmotion
Step 2 Migrate the vSwitch, VMNetwork. Perform the following steps to migrate VMNetwork from legacy vSwitch to DVS.
a) Select vCenter Inventory Lists > Datacenters > datacenter > Related Objects > Distributed Switches.
b) Select the DVSwitch-VMNetwork vSwitch. Click the Add and Manage Hosts icon. This starts the Add and Manage
Hosts wizard.
c) On the Select task page, select Add Hosts. Click Next.
d) On the Select hosts page, click Add New Hosts. Select all hosts in the cluster. Click Next.
e) On the Select network adapter tasks page, select Manage physical adapters and Migrate virtual machine networking.
Click Next.
f) On the Manage physical network adapters page, the physical adapters part of vswitch-hx-vm-network:VM Network
are assigned to the DVSwitch-VMNetwork.
g) Under the On other switches/unclaimed list, select the vmnic corresponding to the In Use by Switch,
vswitch-hx-vm-network.
h) Click Assign uplink.
i) Select Auto-assign.
j) Click OK. The page refreshes with the newly assigned vmnic listed under On this switch.
k) The Analyze impact page shows the impact of this migration. Verify the impact is all green. Click Next.
l) On the Migrate VM networking page, select the VMs to migrate to the new network, DVPortGroup-VMNetwork.
Next

363
Appendix
Appendix
Select all the VMs, except the controller VMs, stCtlVM, from all the hosts. Select the DVPortGroup-VMNetwork.
Click Next.
Note The list of VMs for each host includes all the VMs, including the controller VMs. DO NOT select any
controller VMs. Migrating the controller VMs will break your storage cluster.
m) On the Ready to complete page, confirm the summary of the migration. Click Finish.
Note Post migration system generates several network related alarms. Verify and clear the alarms.
Step 3 Migrate the vSwitch to vmotion pg. Perform the following steps to migrate vmotion pg from legacy vSwitch to DVS.
a) Select vCenter Inventory Lists > Datacenters > datacenter > Related Objects > Distributed Switches.
b) Select the DVSwitch-Vmotion vSwitch. Click the Add and Manage Hosts icon. This starts the Add and Manage
Hosts wizard.
c) On the Select task page, select Add Hosts. Click Next.
d) On the Select hosts page, click Add New Hosts. Select all hosts in the cluster. Click Next.
e) On the Select network adapter tasks page, select the tasks Manage physical adapters and Manage VMkernel adapters.
Click Next.
f) On the Manage physical network adapters page, the physical adapters part of vmotion:vmotion pg are assigned to
the DVSwitch-Vmotion.
Under the On other switches/unclaimed list, select the vmnic corresponding to the In Use by Switch, vmotion. Click
Assign uplink, select Auto-assign, and click OK. The page refreshes with the newly assigned vmnic listed under On
this switch. Click Next.
g) On the Manage VMkernel network adapters page, migrate the VMkernel adapter to the port group,
DVPortGroup-Vmotion.
For each host, under the On other switches list, select the VMKernel adapter corresponding to the In Use by Switch,
vmotion. Click Assign port group. Select the destination port group, DVPortGroup-Vmotion. Click OK. The page
refreshes with the Reassigned VMkernel network adapters, listing the Source Port Group and Destination Port Group.
h) Select the hosts to migrate to the new network, DVPortGroup-Vmotion. Click Next.
i) On the Ready to complete page, confirm the summary of the migration, click Finish.
Step 4 Post migration step. Verify there is no impact on the VMs with respect to IO, Network connectivity and VM Migration.

364

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Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.

Full Cisco Trademarks with Software License ?

PREFACE Communications, Services, Bias-free Language, and Additional Information xv

CHAPTER 1 New and Changed Information for this Release 1

New and Changed Information for this Release 1

CHAPTER 2 HX Storage Cluster Overview 3

Cisco HX Data Platform Overview 3

CHAPTER 3 Logging in to HX Data Platform Interfaces 17

HyperFlex Cluster Interfaces Overview 17

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Guidelines for HX Data Platform Login Credentials 18

CHAPTER 4 Monitoring HX Storage Clusters 31

Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters 31

Monitoring HyperFlex Clusters with HX Connect 32

CHAPTER 5 Managing HX Storage Clusters 47

Changing the Cluster Access Policy Level 47

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Handling Out of Space Errors 49

CHAPTER 6 Preparing for HX Storage Cluster Maintenance 67

Storage Cluster Maintenance Operations Overview 67

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Verify vMotion Configuration for HX Cluster 70

CHAPTER 7 Managing Encryption 85

CHAPTER 8 Managing Datastores 99

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

CHAPTER 9 Managing Disks 105

Managing Disks in the Cluster 105

CHAPTER 10 Managing Nodes 117

Managing Nodes 117

CHAPTER 11 Expand Cisco HyperFlex System Clusters 137

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Cluster Expansion Guidelines 137

Steps During Mixed Cluster Expansion 139

CHAPTER 12 Managing HX Controller VMs 159

Managing Storage Controller VMs 159

CHAPTER 13 Managing Ready Clones 161

HX Data Platform Ready Clones Overview 161

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Managing Virtual Machine Networking 168

CHAPTER 14 Managing HX Native Snapshots 169

HX Native Snapshots Overview 169

CHAPTER 15 Managing Virtual Machine Disaster Recovery 183

HX Disaster Recovery Overview 183

Networking Requirements 184

Cluster Requirements 188

Replication Network and Pairing Requirements 189

Replication and Disaster Recovery Virtual Machine Considerations 191

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Creating a Replication Pair 205

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Recover VM on This Cluster Dialog Box 246

CHAPTER 16 Managing Storage Replication Adapter 263

Storage Replication Adapter Overview 263

Cisco HyperFlex Data Platform Administration Guide, Release 5.5

Troubleshooting: Using the SRM Appliance Log Files 273

CHAPTER 17 Managing Users 275

Managing Cisco HyperFlex Users Overview 275

CHAPTER 18 Managing iSCSI 279

iSCSI Configuration Overview 280

Result: (((120010^9)/1024^3)1580.92)/3 = 41127.2049 41127.2049 / 1024 = 40.16 TiB