Differences in the MegaRAID Storage Manager Software for VMware ESXi

The following are some of the differences in the MegaRAID Storage Manager utility when you manage a VMware server.

The following limitations apply to the system information exposed through the application:

Only the IP address and the host name appear.

No support exists for the controller health information.

The OS Name and Controller Health information is displayed as Unknown in the Host View Screen.

Figure 7. Host View Screen

Authentication support:

The MegaRAID Storage Manager software allows CIMOM server authentication with the user ID and the password for VMware.

Access to VMware ESXi hosts is controlled based on the user privileges. Only root users can have full access, while the non-root users can have only view only access.

Multiple root users can simultaneously login using 'Full Access' mode to access the VMware ESXi server.

Event logging:

Event logging support is available for the VMware ESXi operating system, but it works differently than the normal MegaRAID Storage Manager framework mode. The event logging feature for the MegaRAID Storage Manager Client connected to a VMware ESXi system behaves as follows:

The System logs are logged in the remote server instead of logging in the ESXi server. For differentiating between the events received from the remote server and the ESXi server, the MegaRAID Storage Manager software appends the ESxi server’s IP address on the events received from the ESxi server.

The “View Log” option allows you to view the logs saved in a text file on the Event Logger dialog.

Refreshing of the MegaRAID Storage Manager GUI after any updates on the firmware is slower for a client connected to VMware ESXi hosts, compared to one that is connected to a Windows/Linux/Solaris host.

VMware ESXi is supported only on a full installation of the MegaRAID Storage Manager software; standalone, client-only, server-only, and local modes do not support VMware ESXi management.

VMware ESXi is supported on following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows Server

RHEL

SUSE Linux