PCNS with vSphere 5.1

[Anonymous user]

When using PCNS with vSphere, do I need to add the ESX host IP addresses as PowerChute Network Shutdown Clients in the UPS Clients section of the management card web interface?  I'm also guessing it is not necessary to install the PCNS client on each VM nor do I add their IP addresses in the UPS Clients section.

[BillP]

Hello,

We have a guide on setting PCNS up with ESXi/vSphere. Refer to our knowledge base @ http://www.apc.com/site/support/index.cfm/faq/ and search for article IDs FA159780 and FA159688 to begin and then you can also just search for vSphere or ESXi for additional articles on this topic.

But, no, when you install PCNS, it automatically register's its IP address with the Network Management Card.

Also, the article will tell you how to get the VMs to shutdown and what we recommend.

[Anonymous user]

Rather than adding each of my ESX hosts in vMA, I added my vCenter server.  Can I safely assume that PCNS will shut down all ESX hosts managed by vCenter?

[BillP]

I am not sure but I am leaning towards no since I haven't heard of anyone doing that and we haven't documented that you can.

Bill P. - can you comment on this?

[BillP]

PCNS will only shutdown the host that have been added to the fastpass list in the vMA. How the application works is, PCNS get a message from the NMC and reacts to that message. If there is a power failure PCNS will read the fastpass list for host/s info and via RCLI send shutdown commands to those host/s.

Since you are running ESX you have 2 options. The first is to install PCNS on each of the ESX host. PCNS version 3.0.1 is compatible with ESX 4.0 and 4.1. If you have version 3.5 of ESX then you will need PCNS version 2.2.4. The second option is, Install VMware vMA on one of the ESX host and then install PCNS on that vMA. (Kbase 159780 has info on this subject). The version of PCNS you would install is the version for ESXi.

If you are running the ESX host in a cluster / HA then I suggest installing the vMA and using the scripts provided in Kbase FA159784.

Hope this info helps.

[Anonymous user]

I'm using the vMA method.  I added both of my ESX hosts to the fastpass list.  But I do not see them listed in the PCNS "connected servers" list.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

They are not connected servers only the vMA is. PCNS running on the vMA get the message from the NMC and the vMA sends the shutdown commands the the ESX host.

[Anonymous user]

Got it!  I do see the vMA IP address listed.  Thanks for the clarification.

[Anonymous user]

The shutdownvms.sh script referenced in that KB FA159784 contains the below line.  I understand that this is setting ups_vm to the name of the vMA VM, but can't quite figure out what all goes within the quotes.  My vMA is named "vMA 5.1".  Is that all I put in quotes?  I'm confused by the \(vMA\).

ups_vm="vSphere Management Assistant \(vMA\)"

[BillP]

You need to enter "vMA 5.1". This is done to prevent the vMA form being shutdown when the other VMs are shutting down. The default name is "vSphere Management Assistant (vMA)" The \ \ back slashes are need because of the ( ) brackets in the default name.