Source: community.hpe.com
Eric Siebert, Solutions Manager, HPE.
HPE Storage Integration Pack for VMware vCenter (formerly known as OneView for vCenter) enables vSphere administrators to quickly obtain context-sensitive information and manage supported HPE Storage devices in their VMware vSphere environment directly from vCenter.
HPE recently introduced a major new release of HPE Storage Integration Pack for VMware vCenter (SIP4VC) that features a brand new modern user interface. This design is already familiar to HPE GreenLake customers, as the company modeled it after its own Data Services Cloud Console to provide customers with the same user interface within the vSphere client. This release also includes support for the latest storage solution, HPE GreenLake for block storage, as well as full support for the new vCenter remote plug-in architecture. Let’s look at the solution in detail:
Redesigned User Interface (UI)
One of the key components of SIP4VC version 12.0 is the redesigned user interface (UI), which consists of more than 100 pages and provides a rich user experience. The new UI has been built using React JS on the frontend, while the backend communication with the storage array continues to use the REST API on the backend. The user interface looks the same as the Data Services Cloud Console (DSCC) to ensure a consistent look and feel whether you are using DSCC or SIP4VC.
HPE also added a new dashboard landing page (Figure 1) that provides a summary of the top five HPE Storage arrays/volumes consuming capacity and performance. It also displays the first five alerts from all your managed storage arrays.
The new user interface is also faster than the old one, and its components are more organized to facilitate user navigation, as seen in the details of the data warehouse (Figure 2).
New HPE GreenLake support for block storage
SIP4VC is a cross-platform vCenter plugin, so HPE adds support for the newest storage platform: HPE GreenLake for block storage (Alletra MP). SIP4VC version 12.0 supports a number of HPE Storage platform and array OS versions:
- HPE MSA: 1050, 2050/2052, 2060/2062
- HPE 3PAR: 3PAR OS versions v.3.3.2 and its MUs
- HPE Nimble: Nimble OS 6.0.x, 6.1.x
- HPE Primera: Primera OS versions 4.4.x, 4.5.X
- HPE Alletra 5000/6000: Alletra 5000/6000 OS 6.0.x, 6.1.x
- HPE Alletra 9000: Alletra 9000 OS version 9.4.x, 9.5.x
- HPE GreenLake for Block Storage: (Alletra MP): 10.1.x
The list of supported array platforms and OS versions depends on the SIP4VC version and is constantly updated, for the latest information see SPOCK (HPE Storage Component Compatibility Program).
Support for the latest version of vSphere
SIP4VC 12.0 adds support for vSphere 8.0 U1 and will soon qualify for vSphere 8.0 U2. HPE also supports vSphere 6.7 U3 and vSphere 7.0 U3.
Support for vCenter Server Remote Plug-in architecture
vCenter Server originally supported a local plug-in architecture where plug-ins were allowed to run in the vCenter Virgo Java Application Server component. vSphere 6.5 introduced a new Remote Plugin architecture, which was an optional method designed to integrate plug-in functionality into the vSphere client without having to run inside a vCenter server (ie, a virtual appliance).
VMware made vSphere 7.0 the last version to support the ability to run plug-ins locally or remotely, and in vSphere 8.0 local plug-ins are deprecated. However, local plugins still work in vSphere 8.0, they just need to be created to run in an isolated mode, which limits the external calls they can make. In the next major release of vSphere, local plugins will not be supported at all.
SIP4VC version 12.0 adds full support for the Remote plugin architecture, which helps protect against problems caused by unstable or compromised plugins loaded into the same vSphere client. It also provides more reliable compatibility between vCenter Server updates, and you can deploy multiple versions of plug-ins in the same environment because each one works independently of the other.
You can download SIP4VC 12.0 and additional plug-ins for VMware from the Free Software section of My HPE Software Center and then use the search term “VMware” for product information.
The SIP4VC plugin continues to add new features and enhancements to help vSphere administrators better see resources and more easily manage HPE Storage. Future new features will include a one-click update feature that will automatically download and install new SIP4VC device updates, more UI and UX improvements, adding the ability to manage storage container quotas for vVols and vVols replication, and more.
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