PCNS 4.1 for VMware - Virtual Machine Setting "Duration" open for interpretation

[Anonymous user]

Hello Everyone,

I am trying to determine the VM Settings "Duration" on the PCNS software and the language being used.  Here is a quote from page 28 of the PCNS - VMware User Guide "vCenter Server VM Shutdown Duration is the shutdown duration given to the Virtual Machine on which vCenter Server is running. This is configurable and is set to 240 seconds by default"

I am interpreting the language as follow:

1. Time allocated for all the VM’s on the vCenter to shutdown?
2. Time allocated to shutdown all the VM's on each ESXi Host? Each Cluster?
3. Time allocated to shutdown vCenter itself?

Let's assume that I have a UPS run time of 60 minutes and shutdown event is set to start after 10 minutes on battery, does that mean that I can allocated up to 50 minutes "Duration"?  What if I only have 1 ESXi hosts?  What if I have 5 ESXi hosts in a cluster and protected by the PNCS?  Would the shutdown be parallel or one at a time?  If the shutdown is parallel on all hosts then I can set it to 50 minutes but if it is shutdown is one host at a time then I need to set it to 10 minutes (5 x 10 =50).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/PMAR-9DNLQK/PMAR-9DNLQK_R2_EN.pdf

[BillP]

Ken,

Look at the sample shutdown scenarios starting on page 69 of the PCNS VMware User's Guide and the shutdown sequences in Application Note 180. With multiple ESXi hosts and vCenter Server when a shutdown is triggered PCNS will start the VM/vApp shutdown and wait the delay you have set. Then if vCenter is running on a VM and PCNS is running on a VM vCenter and its VM will be shutdown and the again PCNS will what the set delay (default is 240 seconds). After the vCenter delay the host PCNS is not running on will be shutdown and then finally PCNS VM and the host it is running on will power down.

If you have a single host and no vCenter then PCNS will trigger the host shutdown and the host is responsible for the VMs shutdown. See Kbase FA159688 for help with this scenario. 

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Hi Bill,

Thank you very much for you answer.  The examples in the User's Guide are very helpful in understanding the VM "Duration" time and the shutdown process.

Cheers!

Ken