HPSIM does not see ESXi U4 Server and cannot browse to HP management portal on server

[Larry-Bowers]

For the life of me I cannot get an HP DL380 G5 server running ESXi 3.5 U4 to be recognized in HPSIM. Nor can I browse to http::2301 or https::2381.

About one year ago I put ESXi 3.5 U2 on this box and must have configured it somehow because my HPSIM monitor saw it and the VM's that were running on it. I'm using HP SIM 5.2 SP2. I cannot find my notes or remember what I must have done to get it working..


Can someone help me out here? It is as if the management agents are not starting. I have downloaded and burned (4 different times) the ESXi version that specificaly has the HP management agents included.


Thanks


Larry

[Rob Buxton]

The ESXi variants don't have the agents.
You use WMI / WBEm to get the details.

To identify it you'll need to add the credentials for root (I add them to the server specific part) and then enable wmi indicators (think that's the term, at home so I can't chaeck, under Options-> Events anyway) for the server.

Also, if you selected the VMware ESXi variant there will be a bit less detail that if you used the HP variant.

[Larry-Bowers]

Thanks for the suggestion. Been there done that too. When I go into Options - Identify System I does not see any communications systems running....

Starting identification process...
Checking for known running web servers.
Checking for System Management Home Page and other HP web agents.
The System Management Homepage is not supported on this system.
Checking for WBEM support on system.
Running WBEM rules based identification.
Cannot get ComputerSystem WBEM/WMI data from the system
Running VM Identification
The system is not a VMware ESX Host, or WBEM credentials may not be specified, skipping VM Identification
Running WS-Man identification.
The system did not respond to WS-Management, verify credentials.
Checking for SNMP support on system.
The system did not respond to SNMP, verify security settings and community strings.
Running SNMP base Cluster identification using common cluster MIB.
This was not a system with the common cluster MIBs supported.
Running HP ProLiant management agent identification
The system does not support SNMP.
Running HP NetServer identification.
The system does not support SNMP.
Running HP-UX SNMP identification.
The system does not support SNMP.
Running SNMP System Type Manager identification.
The system does not support SNMP.
Checking for DMI protocol support.
The system does not have Windows DMI support.
Running DMI System Type Manager identification.
The system does not have Windows DMI support.
Running HP-UX DMI identification.
The system does not have HP-UX DMI support.
Running HP/Compaq Desktop identification.
The system does not have Windows DMI support.
Running HP DMI Desktop identification.
The system does not have HP DMI Desktop support.
Running Generic DMI identification.
The system does not have Generic DMI support.
Checking for SSH protocol support.
The SSH protocol is not supported on this system
Running Storage identification.
Did not detect WBEM support on this system. Will not attempt storage identification. If this is a storage host, check WBEM credentials and make sure the providers and CIMOM are operational on the host.
Storage identification completed.
Running HP Service Guard Identification.
The system is not part of HP Service Guard cluster
Checking if this system is supported by Insight Power Manager.
Insight Power Manager is not supported.
Running VM identification.
VMM Integration is not enabled, skipping VM Identification
Building system relationships.
Running limited data collection for common attribute.
Done with limited data collection, checking retrieved data.
The system does not have SMH or SSO support.
Running node communication diagnosis
System identification done with this system.



..... The other odd thing is I cannot reach the server via a web browser on ports 2301 or 2381. This make me think the ESXi - HP specific agents are not there or are not started.

Like I said in the original post I have downloaded the ESXi binay (multiple times) that specifically says it includes the HP agents.

Larry

[David Claypool]

As Rob said, there are no agents (and no SMH either) for ESXi. VMware has provided a CIMOM for WBEM, and HP has ProLiant WBEM providers for management.

[Larry-Bowers]

OK,thanks for the reply. I must be a bit thick headed. From the VMware website this is what I donloaded several times and installed as many...

Image for ESX Server 3i installation that includes HP Insight Manager providers. This image is for customers with an existing license entitlement to download ESX Server 3i for use on supported HP ProLiant server platforms. For use with HP Systems Insight Manager and other HP management tools. Download to hard drives only.

... so the providers here must be talking about the WMEB providers?

OK then in HP SIM when I discovered this device I said to use WBEM and gave the credentials of root user - again respecified this several times. I have also verifed in the protocol setting for this server (in SIM) that the WBEM protocal is set and the root credentials are used.

So when I did an idenity on this server (see above results) the section that attemps to talk using the WBEM connection fails.

Is the some other puzzle piece I need to complete to get this to talk using the WBEM provider???

[Larry-Bowers]

And another follow up. Up until a month ago (when I migrated all the VM's to a new ESX server) I had ESXi U2 running on this box and I was able to use a browser on my workstation and browse out to this server port https:2381. Granted the info there was not much but I was able to browse to that port on that server....

With U4 this is gone.

[David Claypool]

There never has been a way for us to land the SMH on ESXi, so there's no way to get anything from :2301 or :2381.

From your identification log:

Checking for WBEM support on system.
Running WBEM rules based identification.
Cannot get ComputerSystem WBEM/WMI data from the system

...even without the HP providers, HP SIM is able to identify the system as running ESXi and the VMs that it hosts through the information provided via WBEM by the hypervisor. This would seem to indicate that it can't successfully communicate via WBEM. Check for firewalls (on the host or between you and the destination) and double-check your credentials.

[Larry-Bowers]

I put on a version of ESXi 4 downloaded from HP (with HP providers), same results - cannot connect and dowes not identifiy it like you mentioned.

Is there a firewall on the ESXi host that needs to be modified or disabled???

[Larry-Bowers]

This ESXi server is on the same subnet and switch as the workstation atempting to access it and the subnet/switch the HP SIM box is on.

[Larry-Bowers]

When I had ESXi 3 U2 on this box it identified the 4 VM's that were running on it. I remember I had some difficulty getting HP SIM to see it, then got it runing. could SNMP be the issue?? I seem to recall, when messing with this last summer, reading about the Remote CLI and wonder if maybe I enabled SNMP got this going then. Can't find my notes!! It's hell somtimes being over 50!

I have checked and rechecked the WBEM credentials in SIM too.

[Rob Buxton]

Try putting the wbem credentials in the server specific system settings. If you click on the server name and go into Tools & Links and then System Credentials you should be able to see what credentials are in use.
Expand thema nd drill down to the wbem specific credentials.

Note that a default install of ESXi 4 leaves the root pw blank - you need to change that before you can use HPSIM as it doesn't seem to like blank pw's.

As per this discussion, if you actually did have ESXi before you couldn't have used the agents, it would have need to have been ESX.

[Larry-Bowers]

Yep, that is where I have been entering WBEM credentials. I am specifying the username of 'root' and its corresponding password that was set during the install. Then immediately after re-eentering credentials I go to the Options - Identify , select that server and try to identify that machine.

That gives me results containing this string...

...Checking for WBEM support on system.
Running WBEM rules based identification.
Cannot get ComputerSystem WBEM/WMI data from the system...

So as a credentials test I start the VMware Client, point to the IP address of this ESXi server use the username (root) and the password and get connected just fine.

Bummer huh? And thanks for the help you're providing.

Larry

[Larry-Bowers]

I installed the Remote CLI package then found a list of commands to enable SNMP. Followed those.

I then ran an Identification on the server. Look and an excerpt from this session....

The system responded to a SNMP request, it supports SNMP.
Running SNMP base Cluster identification using common cluster MIB.
This was not a system with the common cluster MIBs supported.
Running HP ProLiant management agent identification
System does not have the SNMP ProLiant Server (foundation) agents installed.
Running HP NetServer identification.
System supports the NetServer SNMP agent, adding system type
Running HP-UX SNMP identification.
System does not have the HPUX SNMP agents installed.
Running SNMP System Type Manager identification.
No matching SNMP System Type Manager rule was found.....


One of the responses says it does not have (foundation) agents installed. Would that be what SIM would be looking for if the WBEM was working???

[Rob Buxton]

You don't need to do that to ID ESXi servers. I've got 3 x ESX4i Servers running the HP variant of ESXi and they're all ID'd via WBEM.

In one case it did take a couple of ID tasks.
But the fact that you're getting no access via the wbem suggests something is wrong.
Just not sure where it could be.

[Larry-Bowers]

Thanks. If I had hair to pull I'd do it.

Would iLO have anything to do with it or need any configuration?? I poked around there but don't see anything that looks like it needs to be enabled. I don't remember doing that on the other ESXi server.

Anybody else out there have any clue what's happening here? Ideas welcome.

[Larry-Bowers]

I did some more poking today and found a couple more items...

In other discussions there is mention of a CIMON called SFCB. I poked around on the ESXI box and found a SFCB.cfg file that shows two ports are enabled http 5988 and https 5989.

That is the config file, but I'm not sure how to start SFCB or if it is running.

I then did a port scan on this server and found the only open / responding ports are SNMP, 80, 443 and 427.

It is as if there is a firewall on this box, but I can find no evidence of iptables.

This give anyone further ideas??

[Mazda]

It does sound like a local esx firewall rule. I have this documented somewhere in the office and will check when I am in tomorrow.

But check firewall rule (iptables??)

[Larry-Bowers]

Found the problem....

Licensing. Put in the VMware license, rebooted the server and ran Identify on the HP SIM and it was discovered!

Dang, that was a lot of hair yanking.

[Rob Buxton]

Don't think that was the cause. We had ours discovered and ID'd before they were all licensed.
It shouldn't care about the licenses. Sounds more like the stuff wbem uses had stopped and maybe the reboot of the host restarted some of the processes.

[Larry-Bowers]

Problem has been 'fixed' but not sure if what I did was the true fix or if somthing else I did caused the issue to be resolved