Posts Tagged ‘VMware vSphere Hypervisor’

HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

Tuesday, May 28th, 2013
In my previous VMware Articles, most featured Intermediate VMware Topics. My next series of articles will concentrate on topics for the VMware Novice; this is the fifth article in this series.

If you would like to read the other articles in this series,  they are listed here for your convenience.

HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

HOW TO: Upload an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

In this series of basic VMware articles for the Novice, I’ll be showing you the basic VMware skills required to install, configure and deploy virtual machines using VMware’s FREE VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi).

In this article we will show you HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) so you can remotely connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) server remotely via SSH (PuTTY).

1

Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) or vSphere vCenter Server using the vSphere Client

Please refer to my Andysworld! article on HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

  • vSphere-Client-Connected-to-ESXi

vSphere-Client-Connected-to-ESXi

Once connected to the “default hypervisor home page”, click the Inventory icon, to see the server’s Inventory.
  • Click Configuration Tab

Click Configuration Tab

Click the Configuration Tab.
  • Click Security Profile

Click Security Profile

Click Security Profile, followed by Properties
  • Service Properties

Service Properties

The Security Service Properties will be displayed.
  • SSH Options

SSH Options

Click the SSH label followed by Options button, you will notice the daemon service is currently stopped, this is the default.
  • SSH (TSM-SSH) Options – Click Start

SSH (TSM-SSH) Options - Click Start

The SSH (TSM-SSH) Options will be displayed. Click Start to start the SSH deamon. You can change the options here if you wish to Start and stop the SSH daemon service with the host, or Start automatically if any ports are open, and stop when all ports are closed. Check with your Security IT Policy which is best for you. Opening SSH ports long term can be considered a security risk.
  • SSH Daemon Running

SSH Daemon Running

You will notice the SSH Daemon Status has changed to Running
. Click OK to continue, and Click OK to return to Inventory.

Confirm using PuTTY, you can connect to the server successfully.

In vSphere 4 1, 5.0 and 5.1, when you have enabled Remote SSH management of hosts from the vSphere Client, you may notice that that a Configuration Issues warning yellow box appears on the Summary page of the host ESXi server.

  • Configuration Issues, SSH and ESXi shell enabled Configuration Issues, SSH and ESXi shell enabled

Configuration Issues, SSH and ESXi shell enabled Configuration Issues, SSH and ESXi shell enabled

This Configuration Issues warning yellow box only appears when Remote SSH and/or ESXi shell has been enabled.

Please refer to my Andysworld! Article on HOW TO: Suppress Configuration Issues and Warnings Alert displayed in Summary status for ESXi 4.1 U2 or ESXi 5.0 after enabling SSH or ESXi Shell

Congratulations, you have successfully Enable SSH Remote Access on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

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HOW TO: Upload an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

Tuesday, May 28th, 2013
In my previous VMware Articles, most featured Intermediate VMware Topics. My next series of articles will concentrate on topics for the VMware Novice; this is the fourth article in this series.If you would like to read the other articles in this series,  they are listed here for your convenience.

HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

In this series of basic VMware articles for the Novice, I’ll be showing you the basic VMware skills required to install, configure and deploy virtual machines using VMware’s FREE VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi).

In this article we will show you HOW TO: Upload an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client, and checking its MD5 checksum signature is correct. There are other third party tools, that can be used to upload ISO image files, these include:-

The above applications, require additional installation and configuration, in this article we will use the VMware vSphere Client.

1

Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) or vSphere vCenter Server using the vSphere Client

Please refer to my EE article on HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

  • vSphere Client Connected to ESXi 5.1 Server

vSphere Client Connected to ESXi 5.1 Server

Once connected to the “default hypervisor home page”, click the Inventory icon, to see the server’s Inventory.
  • Inventory

Inventory

Right Click on the datastore. In this example the datastore name is datastore1. This is the default name given to the datastore on installation, it can be changed. Please refer to Step 4 Conducting a simple task using the VMware vSphere Client in my Andysworld! article  HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client
  • Right Click and select Browse Datastore

Right Click and select Browse Datastore

Right Click the datastore name ‘datastore1’ and select Browse Datastore.
  • Datastore Browser window

Datastore Browser window

The Datastore Browser window will be opened, and you can browse the files and folders, that are located on the datastore. If no virtual machines or files are present, this will be empty. To organise your ISO image files, we would recommend you create a folder called isos. Either select the ‘Create A New Folder’ icon, on the ribbon bar, or right-click in the right-hand empty panel, and select New Folder.
  • Create Folder in datastore

Create Folder in datastore

Enter folder name – isos, and Click OK
  • Enter Foldername – isos

Enter Foldername - isos

The isos folder will be shown in the datastore
  • datastore1 with isos folder

datastore1 with isos folder

Select and Double-Click the isos folder to change folders.
  • isos folder

isos folder

2

Uploading the ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to the datastore ‘datastore1’

Please refer to my Andysworld! Article HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

  • Upload files to this datastore

Upload files to this datastore

Select the ‘Upload files to this datastore’ icon on the ribbon bar.
  • Select Upload Files

Select Upload Files

Select Upload File…
  • Browse to location of the stored iso image file on your computers hard disk

Browse to location of the stored iso image file on your computers hard disk

Browse to location of the stored iso image file on your computers hard disk, in my example, we have stored the iso image file, in c:isos, from our previous EE Article, the filename is Ubuntu 12.10 amd.iso. Click OK to continue and upload the file.
  • Select Yes to the Upload/Downloading Operation Warning

Select Yes to the Upload/Downloading Operation Warning

Select Yes to the Upload/Downloading Operation Warning.
  • Uploading…

Uploading...

The ISO image file, e.g. Ubuntu 12.10 amd.iso will be upload to datastore1 in the folder isos. This can take several minutes depending upon size and speed of connection to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) host server.
  • datastore1 with iso image

datastore1 with iso image

datastore1 with the ISO image uploaded and stored in the folder isos. Click the X in the top right hand corner to Close the Datastore Browser.

3

Confirming the upload of the ISO image file has been transferred successfully using the MD5 checksum signature

To complete the following step SSH must be enabled and running on your VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) host server, if SSH is not running you will receive a connection refused message.

To Enable SSH on your VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) host server, please see my Andysworld! article HOW TO: Enable SSH Remote Access to a VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

Connect to the VMware Hypervisor ESXi server via SSH. Using PuTTY a free telnet and SSH client or another SSH client Login and Connect to the VMware Hypervisor ESXi server, using IP address or hostname of the VMware Hypervisor ESXi server, using root username and password credentials. This can also be performed if you have access to the console.

  • PuTTY SSH terminal session

PuTTY SSH terminal session

  • logged in as root to ssh terminal session

logged in as root to ssh terminal session

You will need to change folder or directories to the location of the iso image file. The VMware VMFS datastores are mapped here /vmfs/volumes. Use the following command to change to the datastore1 datastore and isos folder.
cd /vmfs/volume/<datastore name>/<folder name>
  • change folders

change folders

example :- cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/isos
type cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/isos in the SSH session window.
  • md5sum

md5sum

When you have successfully changed folders to the location of the isos image file which has been uploaded, use the following command to check the MD5 checksum signature.
md5sum <filename>
example md5sum Ubuntu 12.10 amd.iso
  • MD5 Checksum Signature

MD5 Checksum Signature

type md5sum Ubuntu 12.10 amd.iso in the SSH session window. After several minutes, and the time taken, depends on the size of the ISO image file, and speed of host processor and storage, a MD5 checksum signature will be displayed. The number displayed next to the filename – 7ad57cadae955bd04019389d4b

9c1dcb – is the MD5 checksum signature. Compare this number with the original number computed before the ISO image file was uploaded, if they match, the transfer was successful. If they do not match, repeat Step 2 above.Congratulations, you have successfully uploaded an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image to a VMware datastore for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client, and checked its MD5 checksum signature is correct.

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HOW TO: Create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
In my previous VMware Articles, most featured Intermediate VMware Topics. My next series of articles will concentrate on topics for the VMware Novice; this is the third article in this series.

If you would like to read the other articles in this series,  they are listed here for your convenience.

HOW TO: Install and Configure VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

HOW TO: Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1) using the vSphere Client

In this series of basic VMware articles for the Novice, I’ll be showing you the basic VMware skills required to install, configure and deploy virtual machines using VMware’s FREE VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi).

This article will show you how to create an ISO CD-ROM/DVD-ROM image (*.iso), and MD5 checksum signature, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1).

What is an ISO? (Andy’s Laymen Definition)
An ISO is an image or bit copy of a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM, the ISO is a file, similar to a compressed archived file, this *.iso file contains the data from a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM. The ISO file is a virtual CD-ROM/DVD-ROM. Using an *.iso file has many advantages, some are listed below:-

  • The original CDROM/DVD-ROM can be stored securely, and is no longer required, after an ISO image has been created.
  • Multiple virtual machines can use the same *.iso concurrently.
  • Computers without a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM reader can use the data stored on the *.iso file.
  • Installing OS (operating systems) or transferring data is faster.
1

Prerequisites

  • An original operating system CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
2

Install ISO Recorder

Download ISO Recorder from http://alexfeinman.co/isorecorder.htm We like to use ISO Recorder, because it is a small lightweight application, which integrates into the shell of your OS (operating system). e.g. you right click the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM reader and the option is there to create an ISO.

There are several versions of ISO Recorder to download, ensure you download the correct version for your OS, and the correct version for your processor, as there are 32-bit and 64-bit versions available.

After you have downloaded the correct version, Double-Click the installer program (*.msi) you have download, we will install the Windows 7 64 bit version, which has the filename ISORecorder31x64.msi

  • Welcome to the ISO Recorder Setup Wizard

Welcome to the ISO Recorder Setup Wizard

At the Welcome to the ISO Recorder Setup Wizard dialogue page, Click Next and continue
  • Select Installation Folder.jpg

Select Installation Folder.jpg

At the Select Installation Folder dialogue page select the defaults, and Click Next to continue.
  • Confirm Installation

Confirm Installation

Confirm installation at the Confirm Installation dialogue page, and Click Next to continue.
  • Installation Complete

Installation Complete

The installer will Complete the software installation, it only takes a few seconds to complete. Click Close to complete the installation.

3

Create an ISO image file

  • My Computer

My Computer

Select My Computer.
  • CD-ROM Inserted

CD-ROM Inserted

Insert an original operating system CD-ROM/DVD-ROM into your optical media device.  In this example, we are using an Ubuntu 12.10 DVD-ROM.
  • Right Click the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM

Right Click the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM

Right-Click the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM, and select Create image from CD/DVD.
  • Select Destination for ISO image file

Select Destination for ISO image file

Select a filename and destination folder on your computers hard drive to store the ISO image file and Click Next to continue, this will create an ISO image file.
  • 22 percent complete …

22 percent complete ...

  • 51 percent complete…

51 percent complete...

  • 83 percent complete…

83 percent complete...

The data will be copied from the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM, and the ISO image will be created. This can take several minutes to complete.
  • Completed – Finish

Completed - Finish

Select Finish to complete the operation. The ISO image file has been created.

4

Creating a MD5 checksum signature of the ISO image file

We will use the MD5 & SHA-1 Checksum Utility to create a MD5 checksum signature for our freshly created ISO image file. This is important, so we can compare these signatures, once we have completed the transfer to our VMware host servers, and confirm the ISO image file has not been corrupted in transfer.

  • MD5 SHA-1 Checksum Utility

MD5 SHA-1 Checksum Utility

Double-Click and start the MD5 & SHA-1 Checksum Utility application. Click browse and select your freshly created ISO image file.
  • MD5

MD5

Shortly after selecting the ISO file, the application will start calculating the MD5 and SHA-1 checksums for the file, this can take a few minutes depending upon the size of the ISO image file, which needs to be read.

The MD5 checksum for my Ubuntu 12.10 amd.iso is:-

MD5 Checksum: 7AD57CADAE955BD04019389D4B9C1DCB
SHA-1 Checksum: 8618058554FFD11E317356EC25885BCB8C1D0B36

Generated by MD5 & SHA-1 Checksum Utility @ http://raylin.wordpress.com/downloads/md5-sha-1-checksum-utility

Please note the MD5 checksum value for use with the  VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

Congratulations you have successfully created your first ISO (*.iso), and created a MD5 checksum signature for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1).

In my next Article in this series, we will show you HOW TO: Upload and Check the MD5 signature of an ISO CD/DVD image to a VMware datastore using the vSphere Client, for use with VMware vSphere Hypervisor 5.1 (ESXi 5.1)

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HOW TO: Enable Jumbo Frames on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 5.0) host server using the VMware vSphere Client

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

The original payload size or maximum transmission unit (MTU) of an ethernet frame is 1500 bytes. A jumbo frame has an ethernet frame size of 9000 bytes or over. Common Jumbo Frame sizes are 9000, 9216 bytes (example – HP switches).

Enabling Jumbo Frames may help reduce storage latency and increase storage throughput when used in conjunction with iSCSI or NFS storage network protocols with a VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 5.0) host server and a storage area network (SAN) or network attached storage (NAS) device.

Before enabling Jumbo Frames on an ESXi 5.0 server, check

(i) ensure the servers network interface card can support jumbo frames. Check with server or network manufacturer.
(ii) network switches support the use of jumbo frames, and enable jumbo frames on the network switches. Not all switches support the use of jumbo frames.
(iii) the SAN or NAS supports jumbo frames, and is enabled accordingly to manufacturers instructions.

The end to end network topology must support jumbo frames, otherwise ethernet frame packets will become fragmented, and performance will be degraded.

Connect to the VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi 5.0) Server

Using the VMware vSphere Client, Login and Connect to the ESXi 5.0 server, using IP address or hostname of the ESXi 5.0 server, using root username and password credentials. If you have a VMware vSphere vCenter server, you could also specify IP address or hostname of the vCenter server.
Using the VMware vSphere Client, Login and Connect to the ESXi 5.0 server

Using the VMware vSphere Client, Login and Connect to the ESXi 5.0 server
2

Select the Configuration Tab

Once you are logged into and connected to the host ESXi 5.0 server, Select the Configuration Tab.
Select the Configuration Tab

Select the Configuration Tab
3

Select the Networking option

Click the Networking option to display the network vSwitches.
Click the Networking option to display the network vSwitches

Click the Networking option to display the network vSwitches
4

Select the Properties of the vSwitch you wish to enable jumbo frames
Properties of vSwitch0

Properties of vSwitch0

you can check the existing frame or MTU size of the vSwitch. In this example vSwitch0 is selected.
vSwitch0 Properties

vSwitch0 Properties

Click Edit

5

Change MTU value of the selected vSwitch
Default MTU size 1500

Default MTU size 1500

The default MTU (frame) size is 1500, enter the MTU (jumbo frame size) either 9000 (9216 if you switch is HP). Check with your network switch and SAN/NAS vendor for correct jumbo frame size.
Custom MTU size 9000

Custom MTU size 9000

Click OK and Close.

6

Jumbo Frames have been enabled successfully
Jumbo Frames configured successfully

Jumbo Frames configured successfully

You have successfully configured your vSwitch for jumbo frames.

7

Test Network Change

Once you have configured jumbo frames, it is important to test this change before commissioning any ESXi 5.0 server into production.

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