Managing UCP systems attached to linked vCenters
UCP systems can leverage the VMware vCenter Enhanced Linked Mode to enable you to view and manage multisite and multirack VMware infrastructure and link multiple vCenter servers together for increased visibility.
The following image represents the system architecture for linked vCenters:
After you register the primary vCenter in the Enhanced Linked Mode, you can register the UCP Advisor plugin for the remaining linked vCenters individually. When you launch UCP Advisor, you will see the systems in the primary vCenter that you are logged into in the Registered Systems pane, and you will see all of the systems discovered in the linked vCenters in the Discovered Systems pane. You can view and perform all UCP Advisor operations on the inventory in the discovered systems in the same way that you do for the registered systems.
Managing UCP systems attached to linked vCenters in UCP Advisor standalone mode
You can use UCP Advisor in standalone mode to manage UCP systems attached to linked vCenters configured in Enhanced Linked Mode.
Before you begin
- Install and deploy UCP Advisor on the primary vCenter management node. See Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP) Advisor Software Installation Guide.
- Configure the vCenters for Enhanced Linked Mode.
- Configure Active Directory or create local vCenter users in UCP Advisor. See Adding vCenter users to UCP Advisor.
Procedure
In the address bar of a web browser, enter the UCP Advisor Master Node IP address.
Enter your username and password, and then click Log In.
The initial dashboard is displayed showing the approximate physical location of your UCP systems. You can click any system to open it.From the main menu, click Systems to display your UCP systems.
Next steps
Registering linked vCenters in UCP Advisor standalone mode
You must register your linked vCenters with UCP Advisor so that you can attach them to your UCP systems to perform vCenter-related operations.
Before you begin
ucpAdmin
role privileges. See Adding vCenter users to UCP Advisor.Procedure
Click
.Click Register vCenter, and then enter the following:
vCenter Address
Enter the IP address or FQDN of the primary linked vCenter configured in Enhanced Linked Mode.
Username and Password
Enter the username and password for the primary vCenter.
Register UCP Advisor Plugin
Select this option to also register and enable access to UCP Advisor in plugin mode.
Click Submit.
Editing linked vCenters in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can edit the username and password of a linked vCenter.
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter that you want to edit, select Edit vCenter.
NoteThe Linked Mode column on the vCenter tab indicates if a vCenter is linked.Edit the credentials, and then click Submit.
Attaching a linked vCenter to UCP systems in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can attach a linked vCenter to your UCP systems to perform vCenter-related operations.
Before you begin
- Register the linked vCenter with UCP Advisor. See Registering linked vCenters in UCP Advisor standalone mode.
- Create UCP systems. See Adding a UCP system.
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter that you want to attach, select Attach vCenter to UCP System.
From the Destination System list, select the UCP system where you want to attach the vCenter.
Click Submit.
NoteYou can attach only one UCP system at a time. Repeat the above steps to attach additional UCP systems.Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter information.
Detaching a linked vCenter from UCP systems in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can detach one or more UCP systems from a linked vCenter in a single operation.
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter that you want to detach, select Detach vCenter from UCP System.
Select the UCP systems that you want detach from the linked vCenter, and then click Submit.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter information.
Registering the UCP Advisor plugin with a linked vCenter in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can register the UCP Advisor plugin with a linked vCenter when registering the vCenter with UCP Advisor, or later using the Actions menu.
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter where you want to register UCP Advisor as a plugin, select Register UCP Advisor Plugin.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter details.
Next steps
Unregistering the UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can unregister the UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter.
Before you begin
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter where you want to unregister UCP Advisor as a plugin., select Unregister UCP Advisor Plugin.
Enter Remove, and then click Submit.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter details.
NoteUnregistering the UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter removes the plugin from that vCenter only. You must unregister the UCP Advisor plugin from any remaining linked vCenters individually.
Deleting a linked vCenter instance in UCP Advisor standalone mode
In UCP Advisor standalone mode, you can delete a linked vCenter instance that is registered with UCP Advisor.
Before you begin
- Detach all UCP systems attached to the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete. See Detaching a linked vCenter from UCP systems in UCP Advisor standalone mode
Procedure
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete, select Delete vCenter Instance.
Verify that the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete is listed as the item being deleted.
Enter Delete, and then click Submit.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter details.
NoteDeleting a vCenter instance deletes the selected linked vCenter only. You must delete any remaining vCenter instances individually.
Managing UCP systems attached to linked vCenters using the UCP Advisor plugin mode
You can use the UCP Advisor plugin mode to manage UCP systems attached to linked vCenters configured in the Enhanced Linked Mode.
Before you begin
- Install and deploy the UCP Advisor software on the primary vCenter management node. See Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP) Advisor Software Installation Guide.
- Configure the vCenters in Enhanced Linked Mode.
- Configure Active Directory or create local vCenter users in UCP Advisor. See Adding vCenter users to UCP Advisor.
Procedure
Click Launch vSphere Client.
Log on to the vSphere Client.
Click
.Log on to UCP Advisor using the vCenter credentials as registered in UCP Advisor.
Note- If prompted, accept the UCP Advisor REST API certificate. See Accessing the UCP Advisor plugin.
- If you use a Google Chrome browser to access the UCP Advisor plugin from a vCenter, and when you refresh the browser, you will be logged out of your UCP Advisor plugin session. Re-login to the UCP Advisor plugin to continue your UCP Advisor operations.
Registering linked vCenters in UCP Advisor plugin mode
You must register your linked vCenters with UCP Advisor so that you can attach it to your UCP systems to perform vCenter-related operations.
Before you begin
ucpAdmin
role privileges. See Adding vCenter users to UCP Advisor.Procedure
Click
.Click Register vCenter, and then enter the following:
vCenter Address
Enter the IP address or FQDN of the primary linked vCenter configured in Enhanced Linked Mode.
Username and Password
Enter the username and password for the primary vCenter.
Register UCP Advisor Plugin
Select this option to also register and enable access to UCP Advisor as a plugin within VMware vCenter server.
Click Submit.
Editing linked vCenters in UCP Advisor plugin mode
In UCP Advisor plugin mode you can edit the username and password of a linked vCenter.
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter that you want to edit.
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter that you want to edit, select Edit vCenter.
NoteFor a linked vCenter, the Linked Mode column is set to Yes.Edit the information, and then click Submit.
Adding a UCP system in UCP Advisor plugin mode
In most cases, the UCP systems and devices required for your site were added and onboarded during the UCP Advisor deployment phase of your installation, but you can add new systems, as needed.
Procedure
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter where you want to create a UCP system.
Click
.Enter the following information:
System Name
Enter a common name used to refer to the UCP system that you want to add.
Model
Select a UCP system model: UCP CI (converged infrastructure), UCP HC (hyperconverged), UCP RS (rack scale), or Logical UCP.
Serial Number
Enter the serial number or descriptor ID for the UCP system.
NoteThe UCP system ID is the number assigned to the system. For UCP CI systems, the 5-digit serial number is required (UCP-CI-00000). The serial number is located on a white rectangular label affixed in the top-left corner of the front of the rack.Infrastructure Gateway Address
Enter the IP address or host name for the UCP Advisor Master Node VM.
NoteIf you are deploying UCP Advisor in multiple sites, then enter the IP address or host name for the UCP Advisor Gateway VM.Region
Select the region where the system is physically located.
Country
Select the country where the system is physically located.
Zip Code
Enter the postal zip code where the system is physically located.
Click Submit. You can monitor the status of the task on the Task console.
Configure the Infrastructure Gateway host credentials for the new system.
Open the system you just created.
On the Summary tab, click the Infrastructure Gateway Edit icon, and then enter the Infrastructure Gateway host credentials.
NoteFor a single-site deployment, enter the credentials for the Master Node VM. For a multisite deployment, enter the credentials for the external Gateway VMClick Submit.
NoteWhen you create a UCP system in the UCP Advisor plugin mode, the UCP system is attached to that vCenter by default.
Next steps
Detaching a linked vCenter from UCP systems in UCP Advisor plugin mode
In UCP Advisor plugin mode, you can detach UCP systems from a linked vCenter.
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter that you want to detach from the UCP system.
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter that you want to detach, select Detach vCenter from UCP System.
Select the UCP systems that you want detach from the linked vCenter, and then click Submit.
Note- You can detach multiple UCP systems from a linked vCenter in a single operation.
- To reattach the vCenter to a UCP system, see Attaching a linked vCenter to UCP systems in UCP Advisor standalone mode.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter information.
Registering the UCP Advisor plugin with a linked vCenter in UCP Advisor plugin mode
You can register UCP Advisor plugin with a linked vCenter while registering your vCenter with UCP Advisor, or later using the Actions menu.
Procedure
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter for which you want to register the UCP Advisor plugin.
Click
.Browse to the linked vCenter where you want to register UCP Advisor as a plugin.
From the Actions menu, select Register UCP Advisor Plugin.
Click the Refresh icon to update the information.
Next steps
Unregistering the UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter in UCP Advisor plugin mode
You can unregister UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter.
Before you begin
Procedure
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter where you want to unregister the UCP Advisor plugin.
Click
.Browse to the linked vCenter where you want to unregister UCP Advisor as a plugin.
From the Actions menu, select Unregister UCP Advisor Plugin.
Enter Remove, and then click Submit.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter information.
NoteUnregistering the UCP Advisor plugin from a linked vCenter removes the plugin from that vCenter only. You must unregister the UCP Advisor plugin from any remaining linked vCenters individually.
Deleting a linked vCenter instance in UCP Advisor plugin mode
You can delete a linked vCenter instance that is registered with UCP Advisor.
Before you begin
- Verify that the linked vCenter is registered and attached to a UCP system.
- Detach all UCP systems attached to the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete. See Detaching a linked vCenter from UCP systems in UCP Advisor standalone mode
Procedure
Log on to the UCP Advisor plugin from the vCenter where you want to delete the vCenter instance.
Click
.From the Actions menu of the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete, select Delete vCenter Instance.
Verify that the linked vCenter instance that you want to delete is listed as the item being deleted.
Enter Delete, and then click Submit.
Click the Refresh icon to update the vCenter information.
NoteDeleting a vCenter instance deletes the selected linked vCenter only. You must delete any remaining vCenter instances individually.