Configuring the VMware Web Service connection

The IBM System Storage Support for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service and Virtual Disk Service software provides support for VMware virtual platform since version 4.2, enabling the Shadow Copy Service in the virtual hosts with RDM disks.

Note: Only Shadow Copy Service for the RDM disks, acting as raw disks, and presented to the virtual host in physical mode is supported.

To manipulate RDM disks in the virtual host, the IBM System Storage Support for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service and Virtual Disk Service software must interact with the VMware ESX Server. This is accomplished through the VMware Web Service exposed by the ESX Server, which holds the virtual host.

VMware tools, which collect host information such as IP address, hostname, and so on, must be installed so that the virtual host can communicate with the vSphere Web Service.

There are four parameters available only in the VMware virtual platform:

vmhost
vmuser
vmpassword
vmcredential

Table 1 describes the parameters.

Table 1. VMware parameters
Parameter	Description
vmhost	Specifies the vSphere Web Service location on the ESX Server, which holds the virtual host.
vmuser	Specifies the user that can log in to the ESX Server and has the privileges to manipulate the RDM disks.
vmpassword	Specifies the password for the vmuser to log in.
vmcredential	Specifies the session credential store path for the vSphere Web Service. The credential store can be generated by the Java keytool.

Use the ibmvcfg command to complete the following steps to configure each parameter:

To configure vmhost, issue the following command:
ibmvcfg set vmhost https://ESX_Server_IP/sdk
To configure vmuser, issue the following command:
ibmvcfg set vmuser username
To configure vmpassword, issue the following command:
ibmvcfg set vmpassword password
To generate the credential store path for the vSphere Web Service and set vmcredential, do the following:
1. Create a directory named VMware-Certs (at the root level) for the certificates, such as:
  C:\VMware-Certs
2. Install the vSphere Client on the virtual host.
3. Launch the vSphere Client and then navigate to the ESX Server.
  A security warning message is displayed.
4. Click View Certificate to display the Certificate Properties page.
5. Click the Details tab.
6. Click Copy to File to launch the Certificate Export wizard.
7. Select DER encoded binary X.509 (the default), and click Next.
8. Click Browse and navigate to this subdirectory: C:\VMware-Certs subdirectory.
9. Enter a name for the certificate that identifies the server to which it belongs:
  C:\VMware-Certs\<servername>.cer
10. Import the certificate using the Java keytool utility:
  keytool -import -file C:\VMware-Certs\<servername>.cer -keystore C:\VMware-Certs\vmware.keystore
  
  Note: The key tool is located in C:\Program Files\IBM\Hardware Provider for VSS-VDS\jre\bin\keytool.exe.
11. At the Enter keystore password: prompt, type a password for the keystore.
12. At the Trust this certificate? [no]: prompt, type yes and press Enter.
  The message, Certificate was added to keystore, is displayed.
13. Set vmcredential to be the vmware.keystore.path:
  ibmvcfg set vmcredential "C:\VMware-Certs\vmware.keystore"