VMware vCenter Operations Manager (vCOps): assign user access to custom dashboards

From the Custom UI portal (https://ip/vcops-custom) and with admin rights, go to de ADMIN tab and select SECURITY.

Create a new Accoun Group first and after a User Account as shown below:

 Once we have the Group and the User, it´s time to assign access to the custom dashboard.

Go to the HOME tab, select the dashboard and click on SHARE:

Select the dashboard that you want to share and "drag-an-drop" to the Group (from the right pane to the left pane).

 Let´s go to test it! Open the Custom UI portal with the credentials of the new user and verify that this user only have access to the specific custom dashboard:

 

VMware vCenter Operations Manager (vCOps): import users from LDAP

As you can´t add the vCOps vApp to an Active Directory domain or LDAP system, you have two options: create local user and groups on the vCOps or import users from an LDAP.

Let´s go! Connect to the Custom UI portal (https://ip/vcops-custom) and click on the Security option on the ADMIN tab (top pane) as shown below:

After click o0n the "Import From LDAP" button, you must add the IP, the Base DN of your AD and an user and pass with enough rights to access.
Once you fill the blanks, click on Load LDAP Groups and add the groups on the down-right pane:

Click the in OK and  return to the previous screen. Click "Lookup" and select the users/groups found:

Now you can view the user and add it to the specific Account Groups on the User Management:.

It´s time to test it!  Go to the Custom UI portal or vSphere UI portal and try to access with the user name as it appears on the Account Groups (format: user@domain)

Voila!!!!

Use Resource Pool , or not use Resource Pool... that´s the question

Really the question is no about use it or not, it´s more about if you  really know how a Resource Pool works within a cluster environment.

For example, the first rule is NOT deploy VMs and RP holding on the same hierarchy, for example:

The reason is obvious..... look at the Resource Allocation tab from the cluster and review the % shares. If you compare it, the vApp called vCOps has the same % than the RP Normal, and compete for the resources in the same shares.

The next big thing you must review, is how many resources do  you have in each RP, for example, if you have 10 CPUs deployed on the RP Normal, it means that each CPU has 2,1% shares.
In other hand, imagine you  have 5CPUs deployed on the RP Low, which means that each CPU has 2% shares. ¿make sense or not?

Then you have CPU competing with the same % even if they are RP Normal or RP Low... epic fail !!!

Now, imaging that we delete the VM called Test 01, look  now how the % shares change, every element gains % shares but we still have a gap  with the vCOps  vApp.

It could be even more complex a Resource Pool  management  :-)

Imagine now, within a RP  that we deploy 2 VM, one with 1cpu and the other with 2cpu.
In a initial stage with normal shares for each, the VM 1cpu will get 33% shares from the RP Normal and the VM 2cpu will get 66% shares as shown below:

Everything it´s ok? But, before we change the shares for the VM 1cpu and set it to High:

Then, we have now two VM with different Shares, competing with the same 50 % shares. This could be what we try to get changing the shares, but, usually is not the desire situation.

So, be carefully when use Resource Pools in order to have more benefits than anomalies with the results of the % shares calculation...and of  course "don´t use it to organize your VMs within a cluster, use folders!"

VMware vCenter Server 5.1 Update 1b (Build 1891313)

The last version was released las 12th June, with the bulid 1891313 for the vCenter Server 5.5 Update 1b and for the vCenter Server Appliance 5.5 Update 1b  with the build 1891314.


Remenber take care with the update secuence as show above:

If you have installed the last version before this update v5.5, you can easy update all the components trough the new iso. download it, and execute the menu, where you must update in the same way you installed it, it is, simple install  or custom install, and the best is taht you don´t need to restart your virtual machine (you services will need to be restarted during the installation)

For this example, we have the build 1750787 installed with the "Custom Install" process the first time, don´t  care if you  don´t know how it was installed, beacuse if you mix the process, you will not be able to continue the process until you  change the wizard from the other type:

Executing the ISO, you will be alert about an earlier version of vCenter componentes...in order to update all of them:

No reboots requirements , only the services needs to be restarted if you choose to close them during the update process:

The final custom component is the vCenter Server:

And volia! Finally, verify taht you have the las build 1891313

Download Link  vCenter Server 5.5 Update 1b: 

https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/5_5

How to solve the error when enable VUM plugin fails with: "There was an error connecting to VMware vCenter Update Manager server name:443"

When trying to enable the Update Manager Plugin and get this error: "There was an error connecting to VMware vCenter Update Manager :443" , the only thing we need to to is review the logon account for the VUM Service on the Windows Server where it is installed.

Go to Services and change the Log On "This accoun" to the account with rights services for the "VMware vSphere Update Manager Service":

Stop and start the Service and go back to  the Plg-in manager an enable the VUM plug-in: