Managing SCVMM Infrastructure

This chapter contains the following sections:

Integrating SCVMM

To integrate SCVMM in Cisco UCS Director, perform the following actions:

  • Install and configure the PowerShell agent (PSA).

  • Add the PSA to Cisco UCS Director.

  • Enable WinRM and WinRS on SCVMM and all SCVMM hosts.

  • Make sure that the domain account used to connect SCVMM belongs to the local administrator group for SCVMM and SCVMM hosts.

  • Ensure that a PowerShell Agent is added to the Hyper-V account when you create a Hyper-V account in Cisco UCS Director.

Configuring a PowerShell ExecutionPolicy Server

    Step 1   Verify the current policy by executing Get-Executionpolicy cmdlet from the PowerShell command shell. 
    PS C:\Users\administrator\ Get-ExecutionPolicy Restricted
    Note    Make sure that you choose the correct policy type based on your infrastructure architecture. It is typically unrestricted.
    Step 2   Type Set-ExecutionPolicy-ExecutionPolicy ExecutionPolicy unrestricted and press Enter to modify an existing execution policy. 
    PS C:\Users\administrator\ Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted

Execution Policy Change
The execution policy helps protect you from scripts that you do not trust. 
Changing the execution policy might expose you to the security risks described in the about _Execution_Policies help topic.
Do you want to change the execution policy?
[Y] Yes [N} No [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "Y"): y

    Enabling WinRM and WinRS

    To accept remote PowerShell commands, you must enable Windows Remote Management (WinRM) for Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 or 2012 R2. Once you enable the WinRM, the interoperability of hardware and operations systems is enabled to work with the Windows Remote Shell (WinRS) command-line tool on your target server and the target server hosts.

    Before You Begin

    The PowerShell Agent only executes the cmdlets and scripts on the target server in a PowerShell remote session. It requires the WinRM configuration to accept the remote session. This is a Windows PowerShell remote session requirement

      Step 1   On your host(s), open a command prompt, and enter winrm quickconfig.
      Note   

      Configuring WinRM over HTTP or HTTPS depends on the requirements of the specific environment. HTTPS is only necessary if a secure connection is required. Instructions on configuring HTTPS communication is available at the following URL: https:/​/​blogs.technet.microsoft.com/​meamcs/​2012/​02/​24/​how-to-force-winrm-to-listen-interfaces-over-https/​

      The following messages appear: 

      WinRM is not set up to allow remote access to this machine for management. 
The following changes must be made: 
 
Create a WinRM listener on HTTP://* to accept WS-Man requests to any IP on this machine. 
Enable the WinRM firewall exception. 

Make these changes [y/n]?
      Step 2   Enter y. WinRM is updated for remote management, a listener is created to accept requests, and the firewall exception is enabled: 
      Make these changes [y/n]? y 
 
WinRM has been updated for remote management. 
 
Created a WinRM listener on HTTP://* to accept WS-Man requests to any IP on this machine. 
WinRM firewall exception enabled.
      Step 3   Verify that WinRS is enabled by entering the winrm g winrm/config command at a command prompt.
      Step 4   Configure the value " * " in the TrustedHosts table of WinRM by entering the winrm set winrm/config/client @{TrustedHosts="*"} command.
      Note   

      Adding the value " * " to the TrustedHosts table allows all hosts to be trusted or only add specific trusted IP addresses of target servers to the table.

      What to Do Next

      Make sure that the domain account used to connect the target server belongs to the local administrator group for the target server hosts.

      Managing SCVMMs

      In Cisco UCS Director, one SCVMM installation is considered as a cloud. Each cloud requires a unique name.

        Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Virtual Accounts.
        The virtual accounts available in Cisco UCS Director are displayed. The Virtual Accounts tab provides the following actions:
        Action Description

        Refresh

        Refreshes the current page.

        Favorite

        Adds this page to the Favorites tab which displays the page that you go to most often.

        Add

        Adds a virtual account to the Cisco UCS Director.

        Step 2   Choose a virtual account to execute the following actions on the account:
        Button Name Description

        View

        Displays the cloud details.

        Edit

        Edits a cloud.

        Delete

        Deletes a cloud after confirmation.

        Test Connectivity

        Tests the connectivity of Cisco UCS Director to a cloud.

        Manage Tag

        Adds a tag to the cloud, edit the assigned tag, and delete the tag from the cloud.

        Note    The tags that are assigned with the Taggable Entities as virtual accounts when you create a tag are displayed. For more information on the tab library, see Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide.

        Add Tags

        Adds a tag to the cloud.

        Note    The tags that are assigned with the Taggable Entities as virtual accounts when you create a tag are displayed. For more information on the tab library, see Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide.

        Delete Tags

        Deletes one or more tags from the cloud.

        Note    The tags that are assigned with the Taggable Entities as virtual accounts when you create a tag are displayed. For more information on the tab library, see Cisco UCS Director Administration Guide.

        Adding a Cloud

        In Cisco UCS Director, one SCVMM installation is considered as a cloud. Each cloud requires a unique name.

          Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Virtual Accounts.
          Step 2   In the Virtual Accounts pane, choose an SCVMM cloud.
          Step 3   Click Add.
          Step 4   In the Add Cloud dialog box, complete the following fields:
          Name Description

          Cloud Type drop-down list

          Choose Hyper-V as the cloud type.

          Cloud Name field

          The name of the cloud.

          All reports refer to the cloud using this cloud name.

          Note   

          The following special characters are not allowed in cloud name: ., $,@.

          User Credential Policy check box

          Check this check box to use the policy to assign credentials to the account.

          Credential Policy field

          This field appears only when the User Credential Policy check box is checked. Choose the credential policy.

          PowerShell Agent drop-down list

          Choose a PowerShell agent for Hyper-V.

          Server Address field

          The IP address of the SCVMM server.

          Server User ID field

          This field appears only when the User Credential Policy check box is unchecked. The user ID of the SCVMM server.

          Server Password field

          This field appears only when the User Credential Policy check box is unchecked. The password of the SCVMM server.

          Domain field

          The domain of the SCVMM server.

          Description field

          The description of the cloud.

          Contact Email field

          The email address that you can use to contact the administrator or other person responsible for this account.

          Location field

          The location of this account.

          Pod drop-down list

          Choose a pod to which this account belongs.

          Service Provider field

          (Optional) The name of the service provider associated with this account, if any.

          Step 5   Click Add.
          What to Do Next

          Test the connectivity to the cloud account.

          Testing Cloud Connectivity

            Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Administration > Virtual Accounts.
            Step 2   In the Virtual Accounts pane, choose an SCVMM cloud.
            Step 3   Click Test Connectivity.

            A connected cloud appears green.

            What to Do Next

            Verify that the cloud and the cloud data are being collected.

            Verifying Cloud Discovery

              Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Virtual > Compute.
              Step 2   In the Compute for All Clouds pane, choose an SCVMM cloud.

              It may take a few minutes to complete automatic discovery and populate all the data. Cisco UCS Director displays a set of tabs that contain information about the components of that account that it has discovered.

              Viewing the Topology

              You can view the topology of VM network, host network, and cluster network.

                Step 1   On the menu bar, choose Virtual > Compute.
                Step 2   In the Compute pane, choose an SCVMM cloud.
                Step 3   To view the network connectivity of VMs, click the VM tab and do the following:
                1. Choose a VM and click View Details.
                2. Click the VM Network Connectivity tab.
                3. Choose the VM network connectivity and click View Connectivity.

                  The Topology View - VM Network Connectivity dialog box is displayed with a view of the topology and connectivity of the devices in the VM.

                4. If desired, you can modify the following view options:

                  • View Mode drop-down list—Adjusts the spacing and positioning of the devices. The mode determines which options are available for you to customize the topology view. You can choose between the following view modes:

                    • Hierarchical

                    • Concentric

                    • Circular

                    • Force Directed

                  • Allow Item Spacing check box—Increases the distance between devices for the Hierarchical view mode.

                  • Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Concentric view mode.

                  • Radius control—Changes the radius of the circle and therefore adjusts the distance between devices for the Circular view mode.

                  • Rigidity control—Adjusts the rigidity for the Force Directed view.

                  • Force Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Force Directed view.

                5. Click Close to return to the VM Network Connectivity tab.
                6. Click Back.
                Step 4   To view the network connectivity of cluster network, click the Clusters tab and do the following:
                1. Choose a cluster and click View Details.
                2. Click the Cluster Network Connectivity tab.
                3. Choose the network connectivity and click View Connectivity.

                  The Topology View - Cluster Network Connectivity dialog box is displayed with a view of the topology and connectivity of the devices in the cluster network.

                4. If desired, you can modify the following view options:

                  • View Mode drop-down list—Adjusts the spacing and positioning of the devices. The mode determines which options are available for you to customize the topology view. You can choose between the following view modes:

                    • Hierarchical

                    • Concentric

                    • Circular

                    • Force Directed

                  • Allow Item Spacing check box—Increases the distance between devices for the Hierarchical view mode.

                  • Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Concentric view mode.

                  • Radius control—Changes the radius of the circle and therefore adjusts the distance between devices for the Circular view mode.

                  • Rigidity control—Adjusts the rigidity for the Force Directed view.

                  • Force Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Force Directed view.

                5. Click Close to return to the Cluster Network Connectivity tab.
                6. Click Back.
                Step 5   To view the network connectivity of host, click the Host Nodes tab and do the following:
                1. Choose a host node and click View Details.
                2. Click the Host Network Topology tab.
                3. Choose the host network topology and click View Connectivity.

                  The Topology View - Cluster Network Connectivity dialog box is displayed with a view of the topology and connectivity of the devices in the cluster network.

                4. If desired, you can modify the following view options:

                  • View Mode drop-down list—Adjusts the spacing and positioning of the devices. The mode determines which options are available for you to customize the topology view. You can choose between the following view modes:

                    • Hierarchical

                    • Concentric

                    • Circular

                    • Force Directed

                  • Allow Item Spacing check box—Increases the distance between devices for the Hierarchical view mode.

                  • Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Concentric view mode.

                  • Radius control—Changes the radius of the circle and therefore adjusts the distance between devices for the Circular view mode.

                  • Rigidity control—Adjusts the rigidity for the Force Directed view.

                  • Force Distance control—Adjusts the distance between devices for the Force Directed view.

                5. Click Close to return to the Host Network Topology tab.
                6. Click Back.