HPSIM and ESX

From AstroArch

HPSIM is a freely available tool for use in monitoring the hardware state of HP Proliant and other hardware. This tool provides a wide range of features including for fee plug-ins for VMware ESX Server and the VMware Virtual Infrastructure Server. Here-in are a few steps to follow in order to integrate VMware VI3 and HPSIM in a safe secure fashion.

Contents 1 Identifying ESX Servers 2 Installing the Virtual Machine Management Pack Agents 3 Performance Management Pack and ESX 4 Vulnerability and Patch Management and ESX

Identifying ESX Servers

Update: v8.1.0 version of the hpmgmt tools do not require this workaround as long as you answer the question about allowing port 2301 properly.

It is best that the HP Proliant Essentials tools for VMware be installed for your specific hardware, as of this writing minimally v7.9.1 is required for VI3.5. This includes the system management home page which gives a single pane of glass for the view of the hardware for the ESX server. This is sometimes critical, but how do you get it to work?

1. Install the tools per normal
   You will want to make sure that the HPSIM server and any other server can access the System Management Homepage as necessary.
2. Enable port 2301 incoming (this is a temporary change
   esxcfg-firewall -o 2301,tcp,in,HPSIM
3. Identify the ESX Server within HPSIM (Options -> Identify Systems...
4. Disable port 2301 incoming
   esxcfg-firewall -c 2301,tcp,in

Now HPSIM will see your System Management Homepage and declare one does not exist. You do not want port 2301 to be open past this stage as it is an insecure connection to your server data but for the brief time it is open, you should be fine.

Installing the Virtual Machine Management Pack Agents

In a normal install of VI3, there is no SSH access to root, this implies that anything HPSIM does via SSH, will not work with ESX unless you enable this access. Enabling this access will degrade your ESX security stance. Instead you should have an administrative account on the ESX server that is a jump point for running the necessary commands. Those items below in bold are required for HPSIM version 5.2 SP1.

1. Transfer from the HPSIM server the following files to your administrative account:
   C:\Program Files\HP\Virtual Machine Management Pack\Agents\Linux\hpvmmagent.tar
   C:\Program Files\HP\Virtual Machine Management Pack\lib\cms.cer
   C:\Program Files\HP\Virtual Machine Management Pack\lib\*.ks
   C:\Program Files\HP\Virtual Machine Management Pack\bin\importcert.sh
   
2. Now as your administrative use on the service console:
   1. tar -xf hpvmmagent.tar
   2. chmod +x hpvmmagent.sh
   3. sudo hpvmagent.sh
   4. sudo cp cms.cer *.ks /root
   5. sudo ./importcert.sh
3. Back in HPSIM you can then register the ESX server using Configure->Virtual Machine Host Registration->Register VM Host->Linux Host... Note that some parts of this will fail, but you have already done them from the SC in a secure manner.

Getting the VMM agents to install requires either doing things by hand or degrading your security stance. I suggest by hand. These steps can even be added to a scripted installation.

Performance Management Pack and ESX

The Performance Management Pack (PMP) will work with ESX, all you need to apply a License to the ESX server for PMP. Note that the HPASM (Proliant Essential) Agents are required for the PMP to work.

Vulnerability and Patch Management and ESX

The one caveat for this tool is to not install it on the same system as your Virtual Center Server else for Virtual Center v2.5 the Update Manager and other plug-ins will not function. VPM requires that port 80 be available and so do the VIC plugins like the Update Manager and Converter.