You can install the Storage Plugin for vCenter and verify the plugin registration.

Review installation prerequisites

Be sure that your systems meet the following requirements:

  • VMware vCenter Server Appliance supported versions: 6.7U3J, 7.0U1, or 7. 0U2

  • Lenovo ThinkSystem SAN OS version: 11.60.2 or higher

  • Supported application host versions: Windows 2016 or Windows 2019

  • CPU requirements for the host system:

    • System memory: 1.5GB

    • Storage space: 275 MB + 200 MB (logging)

Install the plugin software

To install the plugin software:

  1. Copy the installer file to the host that will be used as the application server, and then access the folder where you downloaded the installer.

  2. Double-click the installation file:

    thinksystem_de_vcenterplugin-windows_x64-- nn.nn.nn.nnnn.exe

    In the above filename, nn.nn.nn.nnnn represents the version number.

  3. When the installation starts, follow the on-screen prompts.

    During the installation, you are prompted to enter some configuration parameters.

    1. On the first screen, select your preferred language for the software and click OK.

    2. In the Introduction screen, click Next.

    3. In the Copyright screen, click Next.

    4. In the License Agreement screen, select the box for accepting the terms and then click Next.

    5. Select the folder where you want to install the software and then click Next.

    6. In the Certificate Validation screen, keep the checkbox selected if you want to enforce certificate validation between the plugin and the storage arrays. With this enforcement, the storage array certificates are checked to be trusted against the plugin. If the certificates are not trusted, then they are not allowed to be added to the plugin. If you want to override certificate validation, deselect the checkbox so that all storage arrays can be added to the plugin using self-signed certificates. Click Next.

      To learn more about certificates, refer to the online help available from the plugin interface.

    7. In the HTTPS Web Service Port screen, leave the default at 8445, or if necessary, change the port number. Click Next.

    8. In the Pre-Installation Summary screen, click Next to install the files.

    9. When the Webserver Started message appears, click OK to complete the installation.

    10. Click Done.

      If necessary, you can change the Certificate Validation and Web Service Port settings after installation. From the installation directory, open the wsconfig.xml file. To remove the Certificate Validation on storage arrays, change the env key, trust.all.arrays, to true. To change the Web Services port, modify the sslport value to the desired port value ranging from 0-65535. Ensure that the port number used is not binding to another process. When you are done, save the changes and restart the plugin webserver. If the port value of the plugin webserver is changed after registering the plugin to a vCSA, then you must unregister and re-register the plugin so the vCSA is communicating on the changed port to the plugin webserver.

  4. Verify that the application server was installed successfully by running the services.msc command.

  5. Verify that the Application Server (vCP) service, ThinkSystem DE Series Plugin for vCenter, was installed and the service has started.

Register the plugin with a vCenter Server Appliance

After the plugin software is installed, register the plugin with a vCSA.

The plugin can only be registered to one vCSA at a time. To register to a different vCSA, then you must un-register the plugin from the current vCSA and uninstall it from the application host. Then you can re-install the plugin and register it to the other vCSA.

  1. Open a prompt through the command line and navigate to the following directory:

    <install directory>\vcenter-register\bin

  2. Execute the vcenter-register.bat file:
    vcenter-register.bat ^
    -action registerPlugin ^
    -vcenterHostname <vCenter FQDN> ^
    -username <Administrator username> ^

  3. Verify that the script was successful.

The logs are saved to %install_dir%/working/logs/vc-registration.log.

Verify the plugin registration

After the plugin is installed and the registration script has executed, verify that the plugin successfully registered with the vCenter Server Appliance.

  1. Open the vSphere Client to the vCenter Server Appliance.

  2. On the menu bar, select Administrator  Client Plugins.

  3. Make sure the ThinkSystem DE Series Plugin is listed as Enabled.

    If the plugin is listed as Disabled with an error message stating that it cannot communicate with the application server, verify that the port number defined for the application server is enabled to pass through any firewalls that might be in use. The default application server Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number is 8445.