The #NetApp Unified Virtual Appliance – The NFS Plug-In

Featured, Netapp, Storage, Unified Appliance

Some background.  Traditionally the Virtual Storage Console (VSC) ran on a Windows Server OS. This made things easy to upload the NFS VAAI Plug-in as you just downloaded the file and moved it to the correct folder.  With the new Unified Virtual Appliance for VSC/VASA/SRA things change a little bit.

In version 7.0 we have combined the Virtual Storage Console, VASA Provider and Storage Replication Adapter into a single linux based appliance.  The linux appliance has stronger built in security, like one time diag user password and secure chroot file systems.  Because of this I’ve documented the following steps to help easy the transition to the new Appliance.

In order to install the NetApp NFS Plug-in for VMware VAAI in the New VSC Virtual Appliance for ONTAP, for now we must follow the next few steps.

Launch the VSC console via vSphere and login with the Maint username and Password.

  1. Once logged in, you’ll be presented with the following screen:
  1. To enable the SSH service please choose option 2:
  2. Please choose option 6, answer Y, and Press ENTER to enable SSH access:
  3. Please choose option B to return to the main menu:
  4. Please choose option 4
  1. Enable remote diagnostic shell via option 3
  1. Please answer Y to enable remote diagnostic access
  1. Enter a onetime password two times for the diag user and then hit enter to continue
  1. Enter X to exit the maintenance console
  1. Utilizing WinSCP connect to the VSC Appliance with the maint Username and Password
  1. Change into the upload directory
  1. Drag from left to right the NetAppNasPlugin.v23.vib that you have downloaded from the now site.
    1. https://mysupport.netapp.com/NOW/download/software/nfs_plugin_vaai_esxi6/1.1.2/
    2. Disconnect the WinSCP session
  1. SSH to the VSC Appliance with the diag Username and Password
  1. CD to /opt/netapp/vscserver/etc/vsc/web/
  1. Copy the vib file to the new location and rename the file
    1. CP /jail/upload/NetAppNasPlugin.v23.vib NetAppNasPlugin.vib
    2. Logoff the VSC Appliance
  1. Go back to the vSphere Web Client and Click on Virtual Storage Console
    1. Click on NFS VAAI Tools
    2. Install on Host
    3. Choose the ESXi hosts you wish to install on and click install then ok
    4. Reboot ESXi hosts to enable the NetAppNasPlugin