Month: November 2023

Exciting Update: Cisco Unveils UCS Manager VMware vSphere 8U2 HTML Client Plugin Version 4.0(0)

I am thrilled to share my experience with the latest UCSM-plugin 4.0 for VMware vSphere 8U2, a remarkable tool that has significantly enhanced our virtualization management capabilities. Having tested its functionality across an extensive network of approximately 13 UCSM domains and 411 ESXi 8U2 hosts. A notable instance of its efficacy was observed with Alert F1236, where the Proactive HA feature seamlessly transitioned the Blade into Quarantine mode, showcasing the plugin’s advanced automation capabilities.

However, I did encounter a challenge with the configuration of Custom Alerts, particularly Alert F1705. Despite my efforts, Proactive HA failed to activate, suggesting a potential misconfiguration on my part. To streamline this process, I propose the integration of Alert F1705 into the default alert settings, thereby simplifying the setup and ensuring more efficient system monitoring.

The release of Cisco’s 4.0(0) version of the UCS Manager VMware vSphere 8U2 HTML remote client plugin marks a significant advancement in the field of virtualization administration. This plugin not only offers a comprehensive physical view of the UCS hardware inventory through the HTML client but also enhances the overall management and monitoring of the Cisco UCS physical infrastructure.

Key functionalities provided by this plugin include:

  1. Detailed Physical Hierarchy View: Gain a clear understanding of the Cisco UCS physical structure.
  2. Comprehensive Inventory Insights: Access detailed information on inventory, installed firmware, faults, and power and temperature statistics.
  3. Physical Server to ESXi Host Mapping: Easily correlate your ESXi hosts with their corresponding physical servers.
  4. Firmware Management: Efficiently manage firmware for both B and C series servers.
  5. Direct Access to Cisco UCS Manager GUI: Launch the Cisco UCS Manager GUI directly from the plugin.
  6. KVM Console Integration: Instantly launch KVM consoles of UCS servers for immediate access and control.
  7. Locator LED Control: Switch the state of the locator LEDs as needed for enhanced hardware identification.
  8. Proactive HA Fault Configuration: Customize and configure faults used in Proactive HA for improved system resilience.

Links

Detailed Release Notes

Software download link

Please see the User Guide for specific information on installing and using the plugin with the vSphere HTML client.

On-Demand session URLs for VMware Explore…

On-Demand session URLs for VMware Explore…

Hard to believe VMware Explore Barcelona just concluded a couple of days ago! Hats off to the VMware Explore production team who have already published a large majority of the breakout session recordings including the presentation PDF! On Friday, I had shared an update and out of […]

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ESXi support for Intel iGPU with SR-IOV

ESXi support for Intel iGPU with SR-IOV

Support for Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) was first introduced back in 2012 with the release of vSphere 5.1 and enables for a physical PCIe device to be shared amongst a number of Virtual Machines. The networking industry was the first to take advantage of the SR-IOV technology […]

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Heads Up – Performance Impact with VMware…

Heads Up – Performance Impact with VMware…

There have been some recent reports from users observing performance issues when running VMware Workstation on Windows 11 along with using recent Intel (12th Gen and later) Hybrid CPUs, which introduces a new hybrid big.LITTLE architecture for Intel’s x86 consumer CPUs. This new Intel Hybrid CPU […]

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CUDA Support for WSL 2

For more efficient testing of LLAMA 2, I recommend taking advantage of GPU acceleration in WSL 2, available on notebooks. This approach significantly increases performance and efficiency when working with LLAMA 2. In my latest blog post, you will find a detailed guide on how to easily and quickly set up GPU acceleration in WSL 2 on your notebook.

  • At first install – The latest NVIDIA Windows GPU Driver will fully support WSL 2. With CUDA support in the driver, existing applications (compiled elsewhere on a Linux system for the same target GPU) can run unmodified within the WSL environment.
  • Once a Windows NVIDIA GPU driver is installed on the system, CUDA becomes available within WSL 2. The CUDA driver installed on Windows host will be stubbed inside the WSL 2 as libcuda.so, therefore users must not install any NVIDIA GPU Linux driver within WSL 2.
  • Installation of Linux x86 CUDA Toolkit using WSL-Ubuntu Package
wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/wsl-ubuntu/x86_64/cuda-wsl-ubuntu.pin
sudo mv cuda-wsl-ubuntu.pin /etc/apt/preferences.d/cuda-repository-pin-600
wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/12.3.1/local_installers/cuda-repo-wsl-ubuntu-12-3-local_12.3.1-1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i cuda-repo-wsl-ubuntu-12-3-local_12.3.1-1_amd64.deb
sudo cp /var/cuda-repo-wsl-ubuntu-12-3-local/cuda-*-keyring.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install cuda-toolkit-12-3

Links

Add F1705 Alert to Cisco UCS Manager Plugin 4.0(0)

New Cisco UCS firmware brings possibility to have notification about F1705 Alerts – Rank VLS.

In latest version of Cisco UCS Manager Plugin for VMware vSphere HTML Client (Version 4.0(0)) we could add Custom fault addition for proactive HA monitoring. How to do it?

Cisco UCS / Proactive HA Registration / Registered Fault / Add / ADDDC_Memory_Rank_VLS

If You can’t Add, it is necessary to Unregister UCSM Manager Plugin.

Cisco UCS / Proactive HA Registration / Registered Fault / Add
Cisco UCS / Proactive HA Registration / vCenter server credentials / Register
Cisco UCS / Proactive HA Registration / Register
How Could I check it? Edit Proactive HA / Providers
It is better use Name “ADDDC_Memory_Rank_VLS” without spaces. On my picture I used “My F1705 Alerts”

Adding Custom Alert is only possible with unregistered Cisco UCS Provider, it is better to do it immediatly after Cisco UCS Manager Plugin instalation.

Now I can deceided If I will block F1705 or NOT. I personaly preffer to have F1705 Alert under Proactive HA. Then I only restart Blades with F1705. During reboot Hard-PPR permanently remaps accesses from a designated faulty row to a designated spare row.

Links:

vSphere 8.0 Update 2: Introducing Azure Active Directory Federated Authentication

At the 2023 VMware Explore event in Barcelona. I was on presentation with Viviana Miranda relates to the way users authenticate to vCenter.

vSphere 8.0 Update 2 update heralds a number of groundbreaking features, with one standout enhancement in user authentication methods for vCenter. vCenter Server 8.0 Update 2 has now incorporated federated authentication capabilities with Azure Active Directory.

Dive into the details of this integration and discover how to activate it.

The Advantages of External Identity Providers

Organizations that leverage external identity providers can expect to reap substantial benefits:

- Integration with existing identity provider infrastructure to streamline processes.
- Implementation of Single Sign-On to simplify access across services.
- Adherence to the best practices of role separation between infrastructure management and identity administration.
- Utilization of robust multi-factor authentication options that come with their chosen identity providers.

Supported Identity Providers in vSphere 8.0 U2

While our focus here is the Azure Active Directory integration, it’s essential to highlight the comprehensive range of authentication methods now supported with vCenter Server 8.0 U2.

More info: https://core.vmware.com/resource/vCenterAzureADFederation#Intro

Host Cache can significantly extend reboot times

Exploring the vSphere environment, I’ve found that configuring a large Host Cache with VMFS Datastore can significantly extend reboot times.

It’s a delicate balance of performance gains versus system availability. For an in-depth look at my findings and the impact on your VMware setup, stay tuned.

Host Cache can significantly extend reboot times