Connecting Cisco UCS Manager to VMware vCenter

This chapter includes the following sections:

Connecting Using the Extension Key

(Optional) Modifying the vCenter Extension Key

You can modify the vCenter extension key to be more meaningful than the default ID string. This provides better system identification.

Procedure
    Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the VM tab.
    Step 2   On the VM tab, expand the All node.
    Step 3   On the VM tab, click VMWare.
    Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
    Step 5   In the Actions area, click Modify Extension Key.
    Step 6   In the Modify Extension Key dialog box, do the following:
    1. In the Key field, modify the key as needed.

      A vCenter extension key can have a maximum length of 33 characters. These characters can be letters, numbers, or hyphens. No other characters or spaces are permitted in the extension key.

    2. Click OK.
    What to Do Next

    Export the vCenter extension file or files from Cisco UCS Manager.

    Exporting a vCenter Extension File from Cisco UCS Manager

    Depending on the version of VMware vCenter you are using, you can either generate one extension file or a set of nine extension files.

    Procedure
      Step 1   In the Navigation pane, click the VM tab.
      Step 2   On the VM tab, expand the All node.
      Step 3   On the VM tab, click VMWare.
      Step 4   In the Work pane, click the General tab.
      Step 5   In the Actions area, click one of the following links:
      Option Description

      Export vCenter Extension

      For vCenter version 4.0 update 1 and later versions.

      Export Multiple vCenter Extensions

      For vCenter version 4.0.
      Step 6   In the Export vCenter Extension dialog box, do the following:
      1. In the Save Location field, enter the path to the directory where you want to save the extension file or files.

        If you do not know the path, click the ... button and browse to the location.

      2. Click OK.

      Cisco UCS Manager generates the extension file(s) and saves them to the specified location.
      What to Do Next

      Register the vCenter extension file or files in VMware vCenter.

      Registering a vCenter Extension File in VMware vCenter

      In VMware vCenter, the vCenter extension files are called plug-ins.

      Before You Begin

      Export the vCenter extension file(s) from Cisco UCS Manager. Ensure that the exported vCenter extension files are saved to a location that can be reached by VMware vCenter.

      Procedure
        Step 1   In VMware vCenter, choose Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins.
        Step 2   Right-click any empty space below the Available Plug-ins section of the Plug-in Manager dialog box and click New Plug-in.
        Step 3   Click Browse and navigate to the location where the vCenter extension file(s) are saved.
        Step 4   Choose a vCenter extension file and click Open.
        Step 5   Click Register Plug-in.
        Step 6   If the Security Warning dialog box appears, click Ignore.
        Step 7   Click OK.

        The vCenter extension file registers as an available VMware vCenter plug-in. You do not need to install the plug-in; instead, leave it in the available state. If you are registering multiple vCenter extension files, repeat this procedure until all files are registered.

        Configuring a Certificate for VM-FEX

        Creating a Certificate for VM-FEX for VMware

        Before You BeginCopy a certificate to the fabric interconnect.
        Procedure
            Command or Action Purpose
          Step 1 UCS-A# scope system  

          Enters system mode.

           
          Step 2 UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

          Enters system VM management mode.

           
          Step 3 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

          Enters system VM management VMware mode.

           
          Step 4 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope cert-store  

          Enters system VM management VMware certificate store mode.

           
          Step 5 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/cert-store # create certificate certificate-name  

          Creates the specified certificate for VM-FEX for VMware and enters system VM management VMware certificate store certificate mode.

           
          Step 6 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/cert-store/certificate # set location {volatile | workspace} path path certfile file-name  

          Specifies the location and filename of an existing certificate to use as the certificate for VM-FEX for VMware.

           
          Step 7 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/cert-store/certificate # commit-buffer  

          Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

           

          The following example shows how to create a certificate for VM-FEX for VMware and commit the transaction:

          UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope cert-store
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store # create certificate VnLinkCertificate
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store/certificate* # set location workspace path /temp certfile certificate.txt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store/certificate* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store/certificate #

          Copying a Certificate to the Fabric Interconnect

          Before You BeginObtain a certificate.
          Procedure
              Command or Action Purpose
            Step 1 UCS-A# connect local-mgmt  

            Enters local management mode.

             
            Step 2 UCS-A(local-mgmt)# copy from-filesystem: from-path filename to-filesystem: to-path filename  

            Copies the certificate from its source location to its destination location. For the from-filesystem: argument, use one of the following syntax:

            • ftp:// username@server-ip-addr
            • scp:// username@server-ip-addr
            • sftp:// username@server-ip-addr
            • tftp:// server-ip-addr : port-num

            For the to-filesystem: argument, use one of the following syntax:

            • Volatile:
            • Workspace:
             

            The following shows how to use FTP to copy a certificate (certificate.txt) to the temp folder in the workspace:

            UCS-A # connect local-mgmt
Cisco UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnect

TAC support: http://www.cisco.com/tac

Copyright (c) 2009, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

The copyrights to certain works contained herein are owned by
other third parties and are used and distributed under license.
Some parts of this software may be covered under the GNU Public
License or the GNU Lesser General Public License. A copy of 
each such license is available at
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html and
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html

UCS-A(local-mgmt)# copy ftp://192.168.10.10/certs/certificate.txt workspace:/temp/certificate.txt
UCS-A(local-mgmt)#
            What to Do Next

            Create a certificate for VM-FEX.

            Deleting a Certificate for VM-FEX for VMware

            Procedure
                Command or Action Purpose
              Step 1 UCS-A# scope system  

              Enters system mode.

               
              Step 2 UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt  

              Enters system VM management mode.

               
              Step 3 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware  

              Enters system VM management VMware mode.

               
              Step 4 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware # scope cert-store  

              Enters system VM management VMware certificate store mode.

               
              Step 5 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/cert-store # delete certificate certificate-name  

              Deletes the specified certificate for VM-FEX for VMware.

               
              Step 6 UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt /vmware/cert-store # commit-buffer  

              Commits the transaction to the system configuration.

               

              The following example shows how to delete a certificate for VM-FEX for VMware and commit the transaction:

              UCS-A# scope system
UCS-A /system # scope vm-mgmt
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt # scope vmware			 
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware # scope cert-store
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store # delete certificate VnLinkCertificate
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store* # commit-buffer
UCS-A /system/vm-mgmt/vmware/cert-store #