Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup This chapter describes the process of configuring high availability for the VMware vcenter in an RMS All-In-One setup. It provides the prerequisites and procedures required to configure RMS VMs and customize clusters and test high availability on the Central node and vcenter VM. Prerequisites, page 1 Guidelines and Limitations, page 1 Creating a High Availability Cluster, page 2 Adding Hosts to the High Availability Cluster, page 2 Adding NFS Datastore to the Host, page 2 Adding Network Redundancy for Hosts and Configuring vmotion, page 2 Installing the OVA, page 3 Updating Cluster Configuration, page 3 Migrating Central Node Datastore to NFS, page 3 Testing High Availability on the Central Node and vcenter VM, page 3 Prerequisites Hardware Two Cisco UCS 5108 or UCS 240 servers Software VMware vcenter should be installed and loaded with ESXi 6.0. Network file system (NFS) data store with minimum 500 GB space should be available with both the physical servers Guidelines and Limitations To support redundancy, it is necessary for both the servers to be identical. 1
Creating a High Availability Cluster Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup A reliable high-speed wired network must exist. Redundancy is available for only Central node and vcenter VM. There will be downtime of around 10 minutes if one host fails. Common NFS data store availability must be ensured for the High Availability feature to work successfully. Common network port group should exist on DVS. Creating a High Availability Cluster To create a high availability cluster, see Creating a High Availability Cluster. Adding Hosts to the High Availability Cluster To add Hosts to the high availability cluster, see Adding Hosts to the High Availability Cluster. Adding NFS Datastore to the Host Before You Begin NFS server details should already be available. Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Log in to vsphere client. In the navigation pane, expand Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters and select the host and click the Configuration tab. In the Configuration tab, click the Storage option in the Hardware list provided to view the storage options. Click the Add Storage option to open the Add Storage wizard. In the Select Storage Type screen, select the Network File System option and click Next. In the Locate Network File System screen, enter the network file system server details, path, and datastore name. Uncheck the Mount NFS read only checkbox and then click Next. In the Ready to Complete screen, review the summary and click Finish. The newly-added NFS datastore information is displayed in the Configuration tab window. Repeat steps 1 to 7 to add NFS datastores to other hosts. Adding Network Redundancy for Hosts and Configuring vmotion To add network redundancy for hosts and configuring vmotion, see Adding Network Redundancy for Hosts and Configuring vmotion. 2
Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup Installing the OVA Installing the OVA If you have completed the OVA installation, proceed to Updating Cluster Configuration. If you have not completed the OVA installation, see the Preparing the OVA Descriptor Files section in the Cisco RAN Management System Installation Guide. Note If you are configuring high availability in an all-in-one RMS setup: Deploy the setup on any of the two hosts and ensure that only the Central node has the NFS data store. Complete this procedure, "Installing the OVA", only after you have completed the "All-In-One Redundant Deployment" procedure provided in the Cisco RAN Management System Installation Guide. Updating Cluster Configuration To update the cluster configuration, see Updating Cluster Configuration. Migrating Central Node Datastore to NFS Step 6 Step 7 Log in to vcenter. In the navigation pane, expand Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters and select the Central node. Right-click on the Central node and click Power > Shut Down Guest to shut down the Central node. Right-click on the Central node after the shut down and click Migrate to open the Migrate Virtual Machine wizard. In the Select Migration Type screen, select the Change Datastore option and click Next. In the Storage screen, select the NFS datastore from the list that is displayed and click Next. In the Ready to Complete screen, check the summary and click Finish. The migration will take some time to complete, verify by viewing the progress bar. Testing High Availability on the Central Node and vcenter VM To test high availability on the Central node and vcenter VM, follow these procedures: Testing High Availability Failover Testing the vsphere High Availability Reset Testing Accidental Failure on a Host, on page 5 3
Testing High Availability Failover Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup Testing High Availability Failover Log in to vsphere client. In the navigation pane, expand Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters and select individual hosts under the new cluster and select the Virtual Machines tab and verify individual host settings. Select one of the hosts in the navigation pane, right-click and click Reboot. After 5 minutes, select the other host and click the Virtual Machines tab. The Virtual Machines tab should display the VM from the rebooted host under the current host. The host that was rebooted should not have any VM under it. Testing the vsphere High Availability Reset Before You Begin Perform basic failover tests to validate if the vsphere high availability cluster is functioning as expected for a VM failure. Login to the VM and enter the sudo mode and trigger its failure. Establish ssh connection to the VM. Example: ssh 10.32.102.68 The system responds by connecting the user to the SantaClara RDU server. Use the sudo command to gain access to the root user account. Example: sudo su - The system responds with a password prompt. Enter your individual user password to gain access. Example: [enter your password] The system responds with a command prompt. Create the VM reset. echo c > /proc/sysrq-trigger The system responds with a command prompt. Select the VM on which the reset was attempted (after the trigger of the VM reset from the command prompt) and select the Tables & Events tab. Click Events. This tab should be updated with information about the CPU of the VM being disabled. Later the vsphere should detect the VM being disabled, and on missing the heartbeat from the VM, the vsphere high availability should reset the VM. 4
Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup Testing Accidental Failure on a Host Testing Accidental Failure on a Host This procedure describes how to test accidental failure or crash of one of the hosts. Step 6 Step 7 Log in to vcenter. In the navigation pane, expand Home > Inventory > Hosts & Clusters and select the HA cluster. Identify the host (for example, primary) in which the Central node and vcenter VM is present. Log in to the Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) console of the UCS server where the high availability VMs are present (Central node and vcenter VM). In The Server Summary screen, click on Power Cycle Server to simulate accidental failure. Click Ok in the dialog box that is displayed. Return to vcenter. Select the other host (for example, secondary) in the cluster after five to eight 8 minutes and click on the Virtual Machines tab. The Virtual Machines (Central and vcenter VM) tab should display the VM from the rebooted host under the current host. 5
Testing Accidental Failure on a Host Configuring High Availability for VMware vcenter in RMS All-In-One Setup 6