OMIVV is a virtual appliance that is designed to streamline the management processes in your data center environment. It enables you to use vCenter to manage your entire server infrastructure—both physical and virtual.

Prerequisites

You must have adequate system resources for the OMIVV VM, based on the number of managed nodes. The following table lists the suggested resources:

Table 7.           Suggested system resources for OMIVV deployment

Ensure that:

• The licenses have been downloaded and are ready for use.
• You use reservations (see vSphere documentation) to ensure that necessary memory resources are available to the OMIVV VM.
• OMIVV has network access to iDRACs, hosts, and vCenter.

Deploy OMIVV

Install OMIVV in each VI workload domain vCenter instance by repeating the procedures in this section for each VI workload domain vCenter instance.

Download the ZIP file

1. From Dell EMC Online Support, download the following file:

DellEMC_OpenManage_Integration_<version number>.<build number>.zip

2. Go to the location of the downloaded ZIP file and extract the contents of the file.

Deploy the OVF file

Deploy the Open Virtualization Format (OVF) file that contains the OMIVV VM by using the vSphere Web Client:

1. Locate the OMIVV virtual disk that you downloaded and extracted.

2. Run Dell_OpenManage_Integration.exe from a Windows client (Win7 SP1 or later) or Windows server (2008 R2 or later).
3. Accept the End User License Agreement and save the OVF file.
4. Select a host from the vSphere Web Client, and then, in the main menu, select Actions > Deploy OVF Template.
5. In the Deploy OVF Template wizard, click Browse.
6. Select the local files with filenames that start with OpenManage_Integration.

For a quick installation, Dell EMC recommends that you host the files on a local drive.

7. In the Name field, enter the name of the VM to be created.

The VM name is limited to 80 characters.

8. In the Select a folder or datacenter list, select a location for deploying the template, and then click Next.
9. Select the management cluster, and then click Next.
10. On the Review Details page, click Next.
11. From the Select Virtual Disk Format list, select Thick Provision (lazy or eager Zeroed) or Thin Provision.

Thick provisioning offers the best balance of performance and deployment time.

12. From the VM Storage Policy list, select a policy, and then click Next.
13. On the Setup Networks page, select the network configuration settings, and then click Next.

Dell EMC recommends that the OMIVV VM and the vCenter server be on the same network—Management VLAN 110 in this example.

14. On the Ready to Complete page, review the selected options for the OVF deployment and click Finish.

A status window displays the progress of the deployment.

Perform initial OMIVV VM configuration

1. From the vSphere Web Client, locate and select the OMIVV VM that you deployed.

2. Power on the VM.

If you selected Power on after Deployment when you deployed the OVF file, the VM is powered on automatically.

3. Click the Console tab to access the VM console.
4. Allow OMIVV to complete its startup.
5. Enter the default username, admin, and press Enter.
6. Enter a new administrator password and press Enter.
7. Reenter the administrator password and press Enter.
8. At the following setup page, click Date/Time Properties:

Figure 15.     OMIVV setup

9. On the Date and Time tab, select Synchronize date and time over the network.
10. Add valid NTP server details (ideally, use the same NTP servers to which your vCenter is synchronized).
11. Click Time Zone, select the applicable time zone, and then click OK.
12. To configure a static IP address to the OMIVV appliance:
    1. Click Network Configuration.
    2. Select Auto eth0, and then click Edit.
    3. Click the IPV4 Settings tab, and then, from the Method list, select Manual.
    4. Click Add, and then enter the IP, netmask, and gateway information.
    5. In the DNS Servers field, enter the DNS server details, and then click Apply.
13. To change the hostname of the OMIVV appliance:
    1. Click Change Hostname.
    2. Enter a valid hostname and click Update hostname.
14. Ensure that the OMIVV VM is restarted.
15. In a web browser, go to https://<OMIVV Appliance IP or Hostname>.
16. At the login prompt, enter the password.

The OMIVV Administration Console is displayed, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 16.     OMIVV Administration Console

Register the management domain vCenter server

To register the vCenter server:

1. In the vCenter Registration window, click Register a New vCenter Server.

2. Select vCenter Name > vCenter Server IP or Hostname and enter the server IP address or hostname.

Dell EMC recommends that you use an FQDN. Ensure that the vCenter hostname is properly resolved by the DNS server.

3. Optionally, enter a description in the Description field.

4. Select vCenter User Account > vCenter User Name, and enter the Admin username or the username with necessary privileges in one of the following formats:

• domain\user
• domain/user
• user@domain

OMIVV uses the Admin user account, or the user with necessary privileges, for vCenter administration.

5. In the Password field, enter the password.
6. In the Verify Password field, reenter the password.
7. Click Register.

Upload the license file

To upload the license file:

1. Click Upload License.

2. In the Upload License window:
   1. Click Browse and browse to the license file.
   2. Click Upload.

Verify the installation

To verify the OMIVV installation:

1. Close any vSphere client windows.

2. Start a new vSphere Web Client.
3. Confirm that the Administration section of vSphere Web Client displays the OMIVV icon.
4. Ensure that vCenter can communicate with OMIVV by running a ping command from the vCenter server to the virtual appliance IP address or hostname.
5. In vSphere Web Client, click Home > Administration > Solutions, and then click Client Plug-Ins.
6. In the Client Plug-Ins window, verify that OMIVV is installed and enabled.

Configure OMIVV

Configure OMIVV in each VI workload domain vCenter instance by repeating the procedures in this section for each VI workload domain vCenter instance.

Open the Initial Configuration Wizard

1. In vSphere Web Client, click Home, and then click the OpenManage Integration icon, as shown in the following figure:

Figure 17.     vSphere Web Client: Home page

The first time that you click the OpenManage Integration icon, the Initial Configuration Wizard is displayed. In the future, you can access the wizard by navigating to OpenManage Integration > Getting Started, and then clicking Start Initial Configuration Wizard.

2. In the Welcome dialog box, review the steps, and then click Next.
3. Select the vCenter and click Next.

Create a connection profile

A connection profile stores the iDRAC and host credentials that OMIVV uses to communicate with the Dell EMC servers. Each of the servers must be associated with a connection profile that OMIVV manages. You can assign multiple servers to a single connection profile.

Microsoft Active Directory is supported but not required. Prerequisites include:

• The user’s account exists in Active Directory if you want to use Active Directory credentials with a connection profile.
• The iDRAC and host are configured for Active Directory based authentication.

Note: You cannot create a connection profile if the number of added hosts exceeds the license limit for creating a connection profile.

Create a connection profile as follows:

1. In the Initial Configuration Wizard, on the Description page of the Connection Profile, click Next.

2. On the Name and Credentials page, as shown in the following figure, enter the connection profile name and, optionally, a description:

Figure 18.     Initial Configuration Wizard: Name and Credentials page

3. To use Active Directory, perform the following steps; otherwise, skip to step 4:
   1. Under iDRAC Credentials, select Use Active Directory.
   2. In the User Name field, enter the username in one of these formats:

• domain\username
• username@domain

The username is limited to 256 characters.

3. In the Password field, enter the password.

The password is limited to 127 characters.

4. In the Verify Password box, reenter the password.
5. To download and store the iDRAC certificate and validate it during all future connections, select Enable Certificate Check.
6. Scroll down to the Host Root section and select Use Active Directory.
7. In the User Name field, enter the username in one of these formats:

• domain\username
• username@domain
  8. In the Password field, enter the password.
  9. In the Verify Password field, reenter the password.
  10. To download and store the host certificate and validate it during all future connections, select Enable Certificate Check.
  11. Skip to step 5.

4. If you do not want to use Active Directory:
   1. Under the iDRAC Credentials section, in the User Name field, enter the username.

The username is limited to 16 characters.

2. In the Password field, enter the password.

The password is limited to 20 characters.

3. In the Verify Password field, reenter the password.
4. To download and store the iDRAC certificate and validate it during all future connections, select Enable Certificate Check.
5. Scroll down to the Host Root section.

The username is root, which is the default and cannot be changed.

6. In the Password field, enter the password.

The password is limited to 127 characters.

7. In the Verify Password field, reenter the password.
8. To download and store the iDRAC certificate and validate it during all future connections, select Enable Certificate Check.

5. Click Next.

6. In the Connection Profile Associated Hosts dialog box, select the hosts for the connection profile, and then click OK.
7. To test the connection profile, select one or more hosts and click Test Connection.
8. Click Next to finish creating the profile.

Configure an inventory jobs schedule

To configure a schedule for inventory jobs:

1. In the Inventory Schedule dialog box, select Enable Inventory Data Retrieval.

2. Select each day of the week that you want to run the job.
3. In the Data Retrieval Time field, enter a local time in HH:MM format.
4. Click Next to apply the changes and continue.

Configure a warranty-retrieval jobs schedule

To configure a schedule for warranty retrieval jobs:

1. In the Warranty Schedule dialog box, select Enable Warranty Data Retrieval.

2. Select each day of the week that you want to run the job.
3. Enter a local time in HH:MM format.
4. Click Next to apply the changes and continue.

Configure events and alarms

To configure vCenter hardware events and alarms:

1. Select Enable Alarms for all Dell EMC Hosts.

2. Under Event Posting Levels, select an alert level.

Caution: Dell EMC hosts that have alarms enabled respond to certain critical events by entering maintenance mode.

The Enabling Dell EMC Alarm Warning dialog box is displayed.

3. To accept the change, click Continue.

Close the initial configuration wizard

Click Finish to close the initial configuration wizard.

Resolve host noncompliance

For vSphere 6.5 and later hosts, OMIVV requires that:

• Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) is enabled.
• SNMP settings are configured.
• Hosts are part of a connection profile.

Ensure that your vSphere hosts are compliant with the OMIVV requirements:

1. In OMIVV, go to Manage > Compliance > vSphere Hosts.
2. Refresh the page to see a list of any noncompliant hosts, as shown in the following example:

Figure 19.     vSphere host compliance

3. If no hosts are listed and the page is disabled, proceed to the next section, Validate OMIVV functionality.
4. If any hosts are listed as noncompliant:
   1. Click Fix non-compliant vSphere Hosts.
   2. Review the text and click Next.
   3. Select the listed hosts, and then click Finish.

Wait for OMIVV to process the necessary changes to the hosts.

4. Refresh the page to confirm that there are no longer any noncompliant hosts.

Validate OMIVV functionality

Validate OMIVV functionality by running an inventory job:

1. In OMIVV, go to Monitor > Job Queue > Inventory History > Hosts Inventory.

2. In the vCenters list, select the vCenter server.
3. Click Run Now and wait for the inventory jobs to be completed.
4. Refresh the page and confirm that Successful is displayed for all hosts.

Configure a firmware update repository

To configure a repository for firmware update packages:

1. In OMIVV, go to Firmware Update Repository > Manage Settings > Appliance Settings.

2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon.
3. In the Firmware Update Repository dialog box, select one of the following:

• Dell Online—A Dell EMC repository (ftp.dell.com). OMIVV downloads selected firmware updates from the repository and updates the managed hosts.

Enable proxy settings if required.

• Shared Network Folder—A local repository of firmware in a CIFS or NFS network share. This repository can either be a dump of the Server Update Utility (SUU) that Dell EMC releases periodically or a custom repository that is created through the Dell EMC Repository Manager (DRM). This network share must be accessible by OMIVV.

Note: If you are using a CIFS share, the repository passwords cannot exceed 31 characters, and the special characters [@], [%], and [,] are not allowed. Use SMB v1.0 for optimum compatibility.

4. If you selected Shared Network Folder, enter the Catalog File Location using the following format:

• NFS share for .xml file—host:/share/filename.xml
• NFS share for .gz file—host:/share/filename.gz
• CIFS share for .xml file—\\host\share\filename.xml
• CIFS share for .gz file—\\host\share\filename.gz

5. Click Apply.

OMIVV can take up to 90 minutes to read the catalog from the source and update the OMIVV database.