Reinstalling or downgrading the hypervisor version
After a previous installation, you can reinstall the same hypervisor version or downgrade to an earlier version. Before proceeding, keep in mind that reinstalling a hypervisor:
• does not remove the datastores from the hypervisor.
• cancels all previous hypervisor settings. Any changes made to the hypervisor configuration after the latest installation are permanently lost.
• changes the hypervisor IQN but does not propagate the change to the peer Edge in a high availability pair. You must update any configuration that includes the IQN of the hypervisor to reflect the new IQN after the reinstallation completes. For example, you need to update the LUN ACLs on the Core to provide access to the new IQN.
To reinstall or downgrade the existing hypervisor
1. To avoid data corruption, shut down all VMs on the hypervisor and put the hypervisor in Maintenance Mode through vSphere before proceeding.
2. After downloading the hypervisor image you will be reinstalling, log in to the Management Console using the Administrator account (admin).
3. Choose Virtualization > Hypervisor: Software Upgrade to display the Software Upgrade page.
All currently available hypervisor images are listed by filename. If the software image you want to reinstall or downgrade to does not appear in the Hypervisor Images list, see
To add a new image.
4. Under Hypervisor Images, select the image you want to reinstall or downgrade to and click the expand icon.
A message appears under Install Hypervisor, informing you that the hypervisor is currently installed with a newer version.
5. Click Installer.
If a warning appears informing you that vSphere cannot shut down properly, click Cancel and shut down all VMs on the hypervisor. Put the hypervisor in Maintenance Mode through vSphere before proceeding.
The Hypervisor Installer launches.
Managing the hypervisor and virtual machines with vSphere
The vSphere Client is a downloadable interface for administering the hypervisor and vCenter Server.
The vSphere Client user interface changes, depending on the server:
• When the server is a hypervisor host, the vSphere Client displays only the options appropriate to single host management. SteelFusion Edge provides this capability without the need for a separate license.
• When the server is a vCenter Server system, the vSphere Client displays all the options available to the vSphere environment, according to the licensing configuration and the user permissions. To use vCenter, you need a separate license from VMware.
To manage the host with the vSphere Client and vCenter Server, you must install the applications on a computer with network access to the hypervisor host. The hypervisor host must be powered on and available.
You can download the vSphere applications from the VMware website, or you can download the vSphere Client from the hypervisor host.
To download the vSphere Client from the hypervisor host
1. Connect to the hypervisor host using the IP address for the vSphere management interface.
This is the address used for hypervisor management. The IP address appears at the top of the Virtualization > Hypervisor: Hypervisor Configuration page of the SteelFusion Edge Management Console.
The VMware welcome page appears.
2. Click the link to download the vSphere Client.
To log in to the VSP hypervisor host using vSphere
1. Start the vSphere Client.
2. In the IP Address / Name field, type the management IP address that appears at the top of the Virtualization > Hypervisor: Hypervisor Configuration page of the SteelFusion Edge Management Console.
3. For the username, log in as root.
4. Enter the password you set up when you configured the hypervisor in the SteelHead Management Console.
5. Click Login.
Security warning messages appear because the vSphere Client detects certificates signed by the host or vCenter Server system (default setting).
6. To ignore the security warnings that appear, click Ignore.
The vSphere Client opens and displays information about the host.
To manage hypervisor using vCenter
1. Start the vSphere Client.
2. In the vSphere Client login window, type the vCenter Server IP address or hostname.
3. Type your username and password.
4. Click Login.
Security warning messages appear because the vSphere Client detects certificates signed by the host or vCenter Server system (default setting).
5. To ignore the security warnings that appear, click Ignore.
6. Add the hypervisor host.
vCenter discovers any virtual machines running on the host, as well as the server details.
Consult the VMware vSphere documentation for complete details about working with vSphere.
Creating and configuring virtual machines
After you have configured the hypervisor, you can add virtual machines using VMware tools. You can add a virtual machine to the SteelFusion Edge host by creating a new virtual machine or by deploying a virtual appliance. (A virtual appliance is a prebuilt virtual machine with an operating system installed.)
To learn how to add a virtual machine using VMware tools, go to the vSphere 5.5 Documentation Center at
http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp.
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