Today we have another list of translated content. This time for both Spanish and Portuguese speaking customers.
| Tweet |
Monthly Archives: April 2012
| Tweet |
Creating a Fedora 16 virtual machine in VMware Workstation 8.x
If you are a VMware Workstation 8 user and are a fan of the Fedora 16 operating system, then you may be interested in this video tutorial which discusses and demonstrates the processes regarding how you can install Fedora 16 as a guest operating system in a virtual machine running on VMware Workstation.
This video shows the process for performing a manual install as well as demonstrating how the Workstation Easy Install feature can automate some steps in the installation process for you.
The Easy Install feature in Workstation 8.0.1 and earlier was not compatible with Fedora 16 so if you are running a version of Workstation prior to version 8.0.2, then you will have to perform a manual installation as the Easy Install process will not work.
Well, enough talk, here is the video. If you require additional information be sure to check out VMware Knowledge article Creating a Fedora 16 virtual machine in VMware Workstation 8.x (2011162).
| Tweet |
Folder Management in My VMware
Hi folks,
Today we have another My VMware related video for you which discusses and demonstrates how to manage folders in My VMware. The video is based on VMware Knowledge Base article Folder management in My VMware (2011222).
PROTIP: You’ll find a whole lot more “How To” and Troubleshooting articles in our Knowledge Base by simply changing the product filter to “My VMware” (it’s at the bottom of a very long list).
| Tweet |
My VMware Update
My VMware has been live for two weeks. More than 232,000 customers have used it to manage license keys, file Support Requests and evaluate products.
As a result of your feedback, we have streamlined the download process, improved the alerting system, and there is more to come on the Accounts page. Thank you! Keep it coming.
We’re continuing to simplify downloads and folder structures. Look for updates next week.
Need more training? Attend the webinars. The first course highlights the new features and functionalities of My VMware as well as navigation.
Register for a webinar today!
| Tweet |
Multiple Storage Path Failures and Network Drops
Here's our fourth log deep-dive from Nathan Small (Twitter handle: vSphereStorage). If you missed the first one, here it is.
History of the issue
A customer experienced multiple storage path failures and network drops in their environment.
There are quite of few instances of the array controller ports timing out to the adapter. When this occurs, it is observed on multiple hosts at the exact same time. A quick way to determine this from ESX hosts would be to grep for ‘rport’ in the vmkernel log: (ie: cat /var/log/vmkernel |grep rport):
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:46:03.193 cpu5:4298)<3> rport-3:0-10: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:46:03.193 cpu5:4298)<3> rport-3:0-11: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:10:17.967 cpu20:4290)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:10:17.967 cpu5:4292)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx4 vmkernel: 10:07:51:54.795 cpu15:4300)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx4 vmkernel: 10:07:51:54.795 cpu15:4300)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:41:37.103 cpu0:4300)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:20 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:41:37.103 cpu12:4294)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:22 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:35:21.466 cpu20:4301)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:07:22 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:35:21.466 cpu20:4301)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:57:57.228 cpu4:4300)<3> rport-2:0-13: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:57:57.228 cpu6:4295)<3> rport-2:0-12: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:47:15.993 cpu19:4292)<3> rport-2:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:47:15.993 cpu19:4292)<3> rport-2:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:53:31.612 cpu2:4296)<3> rport-2:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:14 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:53:31.612 cpu2:4296)<3> rport-2:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:15 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:22:12.469 cpu10:4291)<3> rport-2:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:15 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:22:12.469 cpu10:4291)<3> rport-2:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:15 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:03:49.296 cpu17:4280)<3> rport-2:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:19:15 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:03:49.296 cpu17:4280)<3> rport-2:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx1 vmkernel: 11:10:07:39.282 cpu3:4292)<3> rport-3:0-10: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx1 vmkernel: 11:10:07:39.282 cpu5:4288)<3> rport-3:0-11: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:56:57.549 cpu19:4281)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:56:57.549 cpu19:4281)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:31:53.981 cpu9:4291)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:31:53.981 cpu9:4291)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:13:30.816 cpu19:4295)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:13:30.816 cpu2:4296)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx8 vmkernel: 9:10:03:13.149 cpu21:4280)<3> rport-3:0-2: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Apr 6 19:28:56 esx8 vmkernel: 9:10:03:13.149 cpu5:4289)<3> rport-3:0-3: blocked FC remote port time out: saving binding
Note: The ‘rport’ messages are only observed when an array controller port times out, not when it is visible again.
The message of “blocked FC remote port time out” literally translates to the array controller port connection timed out, so we mark the paths as dead but save the “binding” information in case the device ever comes back on the fabric, in which case the connection is reestablished and the paths change state from “dead” to “on”. This path transition can also be observed under /var/log/messages.
The above behavior is very concerning since we can see it affects multiple hosts simultaneously. An inspection into the underlying server hardware reveals that these are HP blades, which may explain some of this behavior since they can share the same infrastructure:
From dmidecode:
System Information
Manufacturer: HP
Product Name: ProLiant BL460c G7
BIOS Information
Vendor: HP
Version: I27
Release Date: 05/05/2011
Since this customer is complaining about network drops as well, we need to take a closer look at the messages that surround the ‘rport’ messages. Let's start with the April 6th @ 19:07 outage that affected all hosts:
# cat vm-support-esx*/var/log/vmkernel*|grep "Apr 6 19:0"|grep -i link
Apr 6 19:02:20 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:41:02.701 cpu9:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:2718 Clear Virtual Link Received for VPI 0×100 tag 0xa
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:45:53.191 cpu8:4104)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx1 vmkernel: 11:09:45:53.191 cpu3:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event xd received Data: xd x20 x800100 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:07:21 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:30:21.179 cpu20:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:2718 Clear Virtual Link Received for VPI 0×100 tag 0×4
Apr 6 19:07:22 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:35:11.465 cpu20:4116)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:07:22 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:35:11.465 cpu12:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event x7 received Data: x7 x20 x800100 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:10:07.966 cpu4:5117)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:10:07.966 cpu5:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event x3 received Data: x3 x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx4 vmkernel: 10:07:51:44.794 cpu18:4114)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:07:10 esx4 vmkernel: 10:07:51:44.794 cpu19:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event x3 received Data: x3 x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:07:13 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:36:36.881 cpu8:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:2718 Clear Virtual Link Received for VPI 0×100 tag 0×2
Apr 6 19:07:14 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:41:27.103 cpu2:5449)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:07:14 esx8 vmkernel: 9:09:41:27.103 cpu9:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event x5 received Data: x5 x20 x800100 x0 x0
We can see that not only are “lpfc” devices dropping, but vmnic7 is dropping too. Also, these devices are dropping at the exact same time, and across multiple hosts at the same time as well. The acronym ‘lpfc’ translates to Light Pulse Fiber Channel, which is an Emulex device. At this point we can assume that since both devices drop simultaneously, they are physically connected to the same device, perhaps a switch that supports both Ethernet and Fiber Channel/Fiber Channel over Ethernet.
Let’s have a look at the next outage to see if the same behavior was observed:
# cat vm-support-esx*/var/log/vmkernel*|grep "Apr 6 19:28"|grep -i link
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx1 vmkernel: 11:10:07:29.281 cpu4:8170)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx1 vmkernel: 11:10:07:29.281 cpu9:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event x14 received Data: x14 x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:56:47.548 cpu20:4546)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx2 vmkernel: 10:10:56:47.548 cpu14:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event xe received Data: xe x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:31:43.981 cpu10:5119)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx3 vmkernel: 10:09:31:43.981 cpu3:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event xa received Data: xa x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:13:20.816 cpu2:4098)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx4 vmkernel: 10:08:13:20.816 cpu13:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event xa received Data: xa x20 x800110 x0 x0
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx8 vmkernel: 9:10:03:03.148 cpu6:4102)vmnic7 : 06:00.1 Link Down
Apr 6 19:28:46 esx8 vmkernel: 9:10:03:03.148 cpu7:4317)<3>lpfc820 0000:06:00.3: 3:1305 Link Down Event xc received Data: xc x20 x800110 x0 x0
In every outage, the same devices were affect: "lpfc820 0000:06:00.3" and "vmnic7 : 06:00.1" across all hosts simultaneously. The numbering in these devices literally translate to bus:slot:function, so the FC HBA is bus 6, Slot 0, and function 3 while the vmnic is bus 6, slot 0, function 1. The only possible way to have an FC device and NIC device share the same bus is if the PCI card hosting these devices is a CNA card, which a review of the driver proc node /proc/scsi/lpfc820 shows that this HBA is a CNA (Converge Network Adapter), which is capable of multiple functions:
# cat /proc/scsi/lpfc820/3
Emulex OneConnect FCoE SCSI 8.2.1.90.28
HP NC553m 2P FlexFabric Adptr on PCI bus 0000:06 device 02 irq 49 port 1 Logical Link Speed: 4000 Mbps
BoardNum: 2
ESX Adapter: vmhba3
Function 0 and 2 of this PCI device are being used, though function 0 is another NIC and function 2 is another HBA.
In the end, the root cause for this issue wasn’t a faulty switch but instead a faulty HP Virtual Connect Module (VCM). The reason why the other NIC and HBA weren’t affected by these outages was due to the fact that they were connected to a different VCM. Once the VCM was replaced, the FC path and network drops stopped.
| Tweet |
New Portuguese KB Articles
Yesterday we featured new Spanish articles. Today we have our list of brand new translated content for our Portuguese speaking customers. We've hand picked this list from our best content. Enjoy!
| Tweet |
New Spanish Knowledgebase Content
Here is nice list of brand new translated content for all of our Spanish speaking customers. We've hand picked this list from our best content. Enjoy!
| Tweet |
Combining license keys in My VMware
Today we have another My VMware related video for you which discusses and demonstrates how to combine your license keys in My VMware. This video is based on VMware Knowledge Base article Combining license keys in My VMware (2006973).
TIP: You'll find a great deal of "How To" and Troubleshooting articles in our Knowledge Base by simply changing the product filter to "My VMware".
| Tweet |
My VMware Update
My VMware had a successful first week with customers across the globe logging in and using all functionalities of the site, including downloading products and evaluations, submitting Support Requests, generating license keys, creating folders and more. Early in the week, customers experienced some issues with access and stability of the environment due to high-volume traffic. We have resolved these issues and are committed to providing an exceptional experience.
Please join us for an upcoming webinar training series to learn about the new features and functionalities of My VMware. The webinar series will help customers understand the basics of logging in and navigating the site, account management, managing license keys and Support Requests, and downloading and evaluating products. We encourage you to register today!
Please continue to send us feedback! We’ve already made a lot of progress and the input from customers is helping us target specific areas of concern and guiding our improvement roadmap.
Follow us on Twitter @vmwarecares for updates and helpful links.
If you have an issue and need to contact support:
| Tweet |
Dividing license keys in My VMware
Morning all!
Here is another My VMware video for you which discusses and demonstrates how to divide your license keys using My VMware. This video is based on VMware Knowledge Base article Dividing license keys in My VMware (2006972).
TIP: You'll find a great deal of "How To" and Troubleshooting articles in our Knowledge Base by simply changing the product filter to "My VMware".
