Update on EMC vSphere plugins…

Folks – these plugins rock, and are free.  They are all FULLY SUPPORTED – just like any EMC product.  As an EMC customer or partner, you can call 1-800-SVC-4-EMC on them.  They are simple, and take almost no time to install.  

If you’re an EMC customers – there’s NO reason not to be running these.  

There are some great recent updates to EMC’s plugins I want people to know about:

1. EMC’s Virtual Storage Integrator 3.0
• This is the “big daddy” of EMC’s plugins – provides visibility/mapping of all sorts of things and some provisioning capabilities.
• It’s FREE and you can get on powerlink (powerlink.emc.com) here:

Home > Support > Software Downloads and Licensing > Downloads T-Z > Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI)

• WHAT’S NEW: There is a hotfix that dramatically improves update performance for NFS use cases.
• Virtual Storage Integrator needs EMC Solutions Enabler (the other two plugins have no other dependencies).   EMC solutions enabler is provided for free, and is available as a SUSE based VMware virtual appliance.   EMC Solutions Enabler has some additional goodness which can be licensed, but NONE OF THE PLUGINS require these licenses.   You can download EMC Solutions Enabler on powerlink here:
• Home > Support > Software Downloads and Licensing > Downloads S > Solutions Enabler
• Version 3.0.1 is scheduled for the 3rd week of July that supports vSphere 4.0 udpate 2 and vSphere 4.ahem.
2. EMC’s Unified Block plugin
• This plugin extends the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator to include block protocol provisioning for EMC CLARiiON and EMC Celerra customers.   It also integrates block-level local datastore level replication and automates VM-registration in some VDI use cases.
• WHAT’S NEW: we held off on the release of this to make sure it was fully supported – as of June 28th, v1.0 is out.
• It’s FREE and you can get on powerlink (powerlink.emc.com) here:

Home > Support > Software Downloads and Licensing > Downloads A-B > Adapters for Third-Party Applications

3. EMC’s Unified NAS plugin
• This plugin extends the EMC Virtual Storage Integrator to include NFS protocol provisioning for EMC EMC Celerra customers.   It also integrates NFS replication at the datastore and mass replication at the VM-level and automates VM-registration in some VDI use cases.
• It enables VMware administrators to also leverage the Celerra primary storage compression at the VM or datastore level.
• WHAT’S NEW: The latest version (1.1.9) is the one that Rick Scherer of VMwareTips fame talked about and demoed here.   To the already awesome NFS plugin, it adds better UI, a script for setting up the DHSM interface and enhanced on-line help.
• It’s FREE and you can get on powerlink (powerlink.emc.com) here:

Home > Support > Software Downloads and Licensing > Downloads A-B > Adapters for Third-Party Applications

One of the most common questions is “what do I need to use these plugins?”.  The Answer is EASY.

• vCenter 4.0 – the VMware plugin framework for Virtual Center 2.5 was not ready for 3rd party plugins (long story)
• an EMC array – Symmetrix, CLARiiON, Celerra – any kind – old ones, new ones.    If you want to use the Celerra plugin, you need to be at DART 5.6.47.701 or later.

We are working furiously on merging all the plugins and adding a ton of additional functionality soon.   I’ll give a hint – you’ve seen some (but just some!) of the goodness coming in various preview ways…  

Between all the vStorage API stuff we support now, the fact that we integrate from the vCenter view DOWN for the VMware admin and the storage array management view and UP (does any other storage vendor do this today right there natively in the array tool?) , all the vStorage API for array integration stuff coming soon, the incredible backup solutions with integration with the vStorage APIs for Data Protection and vCenter, all the RSA integration with vCenter and ESX – it’s a great time to be an EMC customer using VMware :-)

Comments

[VirtualProUK]

Great work, is there no end to the EMC / VMware integration. I hope not, will be checking out the new unified block plugin tomorrow I think.

[Chad Sakac]

@VirtualProUk - wait till you see what's next :-)

[Krzysztof Ciepłucha]

You suggested that the plugins will work with any kind of EMC array, "old ones, new ones"... but the Read Me First document for CLARiiON Plug-in says that FLARE 29 is required, which in turn is not available for old CLARiiONs (CX3 and older). Could you clarify this?

[Glenn Anders]

Any idea when VSI will be available for vSphere 4.1? I have upgraded already and the existing VSI will not install on 4.1

[Dan Lah]

The version supporting 4.1 was posted to Powerlink on July 28.

[Darryl Hadfield]

Pardon the intrusion - Will this work for the EMC Celerra VSA? I would presume so, but figure it's worth asking...

[Greg Matuskovic]

Chad, when you say requires Solutions Enabler can we simply install the solutions enabler for x64 windows on the vCenter 4.1 box or do you need the virtual applicance still?

[Greg Matuskovic]

Sorry, forgot to say when using VSI can you simply load solutions enabler for Windows x64on the vCenter 4.1 box or do you still need the virtual appliance?