Dell Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI) for VMware vSphere Client Version 10.0 Product Guide

Product Overview

The Dell Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI) for VMware vSphere Client is a plug-in for VMware vCenter. It enables administrators to view, provision, monitor, and manage datastores on Dell storage systems from the vCenter. VSI supports Unity, VMAX All Flash, PowerMax, XtremIO, PowerStore, and PowerFlex storage systems.

The user interface for VSI provides communication and access to the storage systems.

Currently VSI supports the following interfaces outside the vCenter:

• VSI Initial Setup:

  The VSI Initial Setup wizard is used to register VSI with standalone or enhanced link mode group vCenters.

• Virtual Storage Integrator: Plugin Management:

  The Virtual Storage Integrator: Plugin Management is used to manage vCenters, certificates and plugin settings.

SSL Certificate Management (All Platforms):

• Enable and disable SSL connections for all the supported platforms.
• Import, view and delete certificates.
• Import certificates during storage system registration.

VSI 9.0 added support for Dell PowerFlex.

You can perform the following tasks for the respective storage systems with VSI:

• VMAX All Flash/PowerMax support:
  • Storage System and Storage Group Administration
  • View Storage Group Snapshot Policies
  • Provisioning VMFS Datastores
  • View VMFS Datastores
  • RDM creation
  • View VM disk information
  • Host Best Practices
  • Increase VMFS Datastore capacity
  • Delete Datastores and RDMs
  • View Datastores and Devices for a selected host or clusters
  • View Host Connectivity
  • vCenter tasks for PowerMax workflows
  • Snapshot management for VMFS datastores:
    • Enable users to manage snapshots
    • Create snapshot on demand
    • Delete snapshot
    • Edit snapshot
    • Link snapshot
    • Unlink snapshot
    • View snapshot details in the snapshot page and storage details page
  • PowerMax File support
  • NVMe/TCP support
• XtremIO support:
  • Storage System Administration
  • Provisioning VMFS Datastores
  • Viewing VMFS Datastore Details
  • Increase VMFS Datastore capacity
  • RDM creation
  • Edit Datastore Properties
  • View VM disk information
  • Host Best Practices
  • Edit Storage System Registration
  • View Datastores and Devices for a selected host or clusters
  • Host Connectivity
• Unity support:
  • Storage System Administration
  • Storage Pool Administration
  • Provisioning VMFS Datastores
  • Viewing VMFS Datastores
  • Delete VMFS Datastores
  • Provisioning NFS Datastores
  • Viewing NFS Datastores
  • Increase NFS and VMFS Datastore capacity
  • RDM creation on Unity
  • Edit VMFS and NFS Datastore Properties
  • View VM disk information
  • NAS Server Administration
  • Host Best Practices
  • Edit Storage System Registration
  • vVol Datastore support
  • Capability Profile Administration
  • View Datastores and Devices for a selected host or clusters
  • Add or remove hosts and register VASA provider during storage system registration
  • View VASA provider registration status
  • Edit VASA provider registration
  • Clone, Refresh and Copy Unity:
    • Create thin clone for datastore
    • Create thin clone for snapshot
    • Refresh datastore using datastore
    • Refresh datastore using snapshot
    • Copy snapshot
  • Snapshot management for VMFS datastores:
    • Automatic snapshot creation during datastore provisioning
    • Create snapshot on demand
    • Delete snapshot on demand
    • Edit snapshot
    • Edit snapshot schedule
    • Attach snapshot
    • Detach snapshot
    • View snapshot details in the snapshot page and storage details page
  • Snapshot management for NFS datastores:
    • Automatic snapshot creation during datastore provisioning
    • Create snapshot on demand
    • Delete snapshot on demand
    • Edit snapshot
    • Edit snapshot schedule
    • View snapshot details in the snapshot page and storage details page
  • Unity Host Management:
    • View hosts registered on Unity
    • Add hosts
    • Remove hosts
• PowerStore support:
  • Storage System Administration
  • VASA provider registration
  • Storage Access
  • VMFS Datastore Administration
  • vVol Datastore Administration
  • Create RDMs on PowerStore
  • View VMFS and RDM Disks on a VM
  • Host Best Practices
  • Host Management
    • Add hosts in storage registration and storage systems page
    • View host status
    • Remove host
  • Snapshot management for VMFS datastores:
    • Policy-based snapshot creation
    • Create snapshot on demand
    • Delete snapshot
    • Edit snapshot
    • View snapshot details in the snapshot page and storage details page
    • Create thin clone of snapshot
  • Clone, Refresh and Restore
    • Create a thin clone
    • Refresh datastore using datastore
    • Refresh datastore using snapshot
    • Restore datastore
  • Appliance selection during provisioning of VMFS datastores and RDM disks
  • View appliances in details of datastore and RDM disks
  • Capacity and Performance Monitoring:
    • Capacity monitoring for cluster
    • Performance monitoring for cluster
    • Capacity monitoring for VMFS datastore
    • Performance monitoring for VMFS datastore
  • Restore VM using snapshot
    NOTE Restore is supported only for VM where no RDM is residing.
  • NVMe TCP support:
    • Display NVMe transport info during adding/viewing PowerStore host
    • Display NVMe transport info during creating VMFS datastore and creating thin clone
  • Prevents applying Host Best Practices to PowerStore internal hosts.
  • PowerStore Replication Support:
    • View replication status for VMFS datastore
    • View replication details for a VMFS datastore
    • View replication details for a volume group
• RecoverPoint support:
  • Register RecoverPoint system
  • Unregister RecoverPoint system
  • Edit RecoverPoint system
  • View RecoverPoint systems
• SRM Protected Storage support:
  • View SRM protection groups
  • View RecoverPoint consistency groups
  • Set snapshot for recovery on Recover Point consistency groups
  • Clear snapshot set on Recover Point consistency groups
  • Apply test failover settings on Recover Point consistency groups
  • View protected virtual machines and datastores
  • View SRM servers
• PowerFlex support:
  • Register PowerFlex system
  • Unregister PowerFlex system
  • View registered PowerFlex systems
  • Edit PowerFlex system registration
  • View PowerFlex pool
  • Register storage pools to VSI
  • Unregister storage pools from VSI
  • Create VMFS datastores
  • View VMFS datastore storage details
  • Edit VMFS datastore
  • Delete VMFS datastore
  • Create RDM disk
  • Delete RDM disk
  • View RDM disk back end storage details
  • Host and Cluster storage viewers
  • Host Management
• Storage Access Administration
  • Add Access
  • Edit Access
  • View Access
• On demand Space Reclamation on datastores
• User search provided as a workaround for 2500 user limitation. The user search option provided in the following pages:
  • Storage Access > Add User
  • Storage Systems > + (Add)
  • Storage Systems > Manage Owners
• Redis Password update through UI:
  • Update Redis Password at Initial Setup
  • Update Redis Password after Upgrading to VSI 9.1
  • Update Redis Password at Management Page
• Unregister and register the VSI plugin through UI
• Datastore host mapping for PowerStore, PowerFlex, and Unity storage systems:
  • Mapping of hosts to a particular datastore or RDM
  • Unmapping of hosts from a particular datastore or RDM
• VSI Enhancements:
  • VSI plugin dashboard enhancements
  • Host enhancements:
    • View host mappings in vCenter host page
    • Set host best practices from VSI Hosts tab
• Create and restore snapshot options on right click of a datastore.
  NOTE Only PowerStore and Unity storage systems are supported.

DellSimple Support Matrix lists supported versions of Dell storage systems and software.

The following figure depicts the architecture of a typical deployment of VSI plug-in for VMware vSphere Client: