Dell VSM Certificate Expiry VASA provider

Hello Par,

 Yes, you can refresh it from inside the vCenter WebGUI.

1. Select the vCenter
2. Select "Configure"
3. Select "Storage Provider"
4. Select "Dell Equallogic VASA Provider"
5. Click "Refresh the Certificate"

 If that doesn't work, open a support case, there's a KB that has some additional steps at the CLI that could also resolve it. 

 Regards,

Don

Thanks, worked great!

/Pär

Hello Par,

 That's GREAT!   Thanks for letting us know. 

 Regards,

Don

Hello, 

 If you go to the console of the VSM appliance, then log in it will bring up a menu. 

 Try to unregister VASA provider.  Wait two minutes, then try to Register it again.  That will create a new key.

################################################################################
Welcome to Dell Virtual Storage Manager
Version - 4.7.0.1894 2017.Aug.01
################################################################################

Item
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Configuration
2. Maintenance
3. Diagnostics
4. Reboot appliance
5. Logout

The Dell Virtual Storage Manager can be accessed
via the VMware vSphere Web Client Home page

Enter selection [1 - 5]: 1

Configuration
----------------------------------------------------
1. Show configuration summary
2. Show routes
3. Show VASA configuration status
4. Register VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA)
5. Change root password
6. Disable SSH access
7. Unregister Dell Virtual Storage Manager from VMware vCenter
8. Return to main menu

Enter selection [1 - 8]: 7

Otherwise you might have to remove the Dell VSM MOB info from vCenter with the MOB browser.  That is a VMware tool. 

https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.wssdk.pg.doc_50%2FPG_ChB_Using_MOB.20.1.html

Regards, 

Don 

Thank you Don !
That helped , But still have issues !
Before going to action... I saved database from CLI by option 2 "Maintenance"->2 "Database backup".
Go to the URL: https://ip-address/davenport/ip-address/database/ with Firefox or Chrome browser - it says "certificate error" if the DELL.Inc is not in trusted root certs, but I just need to save the cert on PC (for later usage) and save also the backup file.
***
So first I used option 7 from CLI menu, that Unregisters VSM from VCenter.
Next is to reboot VM with DELL VSM machine.
Than go again in CLI option and choose option 4, that Registers VMware APIs with VASA.....
But that's not actually able to register it, as the old record is stuck in VCeneter ->"Storage Provider" tab (showing cert expired and states "Dell Equallogic VASA Provider" connection as "Inactive").
So need to delete this VASA provider and add again with following lines:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Name:  Dell Equallogic VASA Provider
URL:   https://DELL_VASA_IP_ADDRESS:8443/vasa-version.xml
User name: root
Password: _Password as it was chosen when "option 4 - Registers VMware with VASA"_
Use storage provider cert: _The cert that we saved earlier works here_
 ----------------------------------------------------------------
Than it shows  "Dell Equallogic VASA Provider" as "Online"  and storage group as "Active"!

The issues I found are following:
1.The cert is generated for next 365 days only !!!  Dell why ? All other VASA providers shows around 2000 or 3000 days !
2.In VCenter web GUI ->DELL VSM->Data Recovery->Snapshots
Tried to choose one VM (selective restore) from snapshot (testing if all works fine)
The "restore" process ended with ERROR !

It looks that restore process creates a -temp- iSCSI disk, that later should be mounted on VMware Host, but something is going in wrong way....

I see some of my ESXi Hosts have such links ****-vsm-temp-*** in: storage adapters->target->static discovery. But for this exact VMFS disk name/link from ERROR task, no target found on any of my ESXi hosts !

How can I fix this ? And what can cause this -vsm-temp- not properly added ?

Hello, 

 There could be a number of possible causes. Without access to all the logs from ESXi and VSM I could not even guess.  

 A common problem is not enough snapshot reserve on the volume with the VM being restored.  I would check the EQL Events tab for any error messages on that same volume when you try to restore that VM. 

 If that does not resolve it, then please open a support case with Dell. 

 Regards,

Don 

Hello,

 There are too few details to properly answer your questions.  I don't understand "each snapshot is also signed by cert"  A restore from snapshot brings a snapshot on the array online, it then tells VMware to rescan to see the new volume. Then asks VMware to resignature that volume since it has the same UUID as the already mounted Datastore. Which isn't allowed. Hence the "temp-" name.  Once mounted VMware copies the VMDK, etc files completing the recovery process.  Then unmounts the snapshot and puts it back offline.

 The array is very passive in this process.  The storage is not aware of files or certs.

Regards,

Don

Yeh, actually i am looking for this but unable to get the perfect answer. belkin wireless router orange light error helped me to get the perfect solution for me.

Still the problem with cert when adding VASA provider to vSphere vCenter server (using 6.7u3 in my case).

Seems DELL VSM generates 2 certs: one have validity till 2044 but signed by DELL with CA also by DELL - that is NOT accepted when adding VASA provider in vCenter. The second with validity of 365 days (after that period your vCenter shows DELL VSM "offline") and this cert is signed by DELL with CA by VMware - that is accepted when adding VASA provider in vCenter.

Theory: This "good" cert is generated again (with next 365 days) when you Unregister and then Register again your vCenter in VSM CLI menu. Or if you fast enough (till your 365 days still have at least 1 day, and cert is still valid) you can press button "refresh cert" in vCenter Providers and it maybe do the work for next 1 year of operation VSM in vCenter

Practice: If your 365 days expire, vCenter "refresh cert" will give you a error message ... so it stays in offline state. In latest 5.0.1.16 VSM the steps of Unregister->Register vCenter server always give me the same old cert (with expired 365 days), so it is NOT regenerating new cert as it was in 4.7 or 5.0 ! And with the expired cert you can't add your VSM to vCenter storage providers.(a error message again). In my case helps only one "DELL magic" -is to install new VSM from .ova image and register it in vCenter. As the newly installed VSM machine generates 365 days cert at first boot.    

And yes with newly added VSM machine you need to create settings for: eth storage network, add PS domain, add snapshot schedules, etc.... And it is all possible ONLY in vVMware vSphere Web Client which is Flash version. In HTML5 version vVMware vSphere Client there is no DELL VSM option in menu, so it is impossible to do anything. So in order to make VSM work after 12.Jan.2021 from fresh install... do some tricks and hack the Flash to make it work again for you... unless you already deleted it or Microsoft update blocked it or deleted it silently. 

DELL TEAM ! Do you have plans to add HTML5 VASA connector in VSM ???