3par Simulator Download

[Munir Junker]

Forseveral years now, HPE has provided a simulated version of its 3PAR StoreServ storage array available for deployment in virtualized environments. While the simulator does not offer storage services to external devices, it is fully functional in almost all aspects allowing for complete testing of most features and management functions. In this post, we walk through the process to deploy and configure the simulator.

Additionally, each VM deployed for the HPE 3PAR StoreServ Simulator has three virtual NICs. The first NIC of each VM provides management connectivity to the VMs. The second NIC allows connectivity to the Remote Copy network if the feature is required. The third NIC provides communication between the three nodes and requires a private network connection.

The next step in the process is to power on all three virtual machines. Before doing so, I suggest creating a snapshot of all 3 VMs in case you need to revert and start the configuration process again.

The OOTB process next asks us to confirm the date and time. If the value is correct, just hit the Enter key to continue. In my case, the time was slightly off, so I enter a new value before pressing Enter. After confirming the date and time, the OOTB process will request a system name. For this walkthrough, we use vLab-3PAR. We then input yes to confirm the cluster name.

The initialization process continues for a while and then prompts us for input regarding spare chunklet allocation. We enter D for the default setting. Next, we are prompted to confirm the licensed featured. The list will be empty, so we press Enter to continue. For the next question regarding CIM Management, we enter Y.

However, when it comes to adding the VM in the SSMC Admin Console, I am unable to add it due to the certificate acceptance not being possible. I keep on getting told the certificate is for a 3PAR 8200 (which I assume the sim is.

It requires 3 VMs (2 as nodes and 1 as cage) to be a 3PAR simulator. All 3 VMs in cluster act as 3PAR simulator shares a common system name and serial number. When you are registering the 3PAR, it is not any of the VMs, but the simulated 3PAR you are going to register.

Creating a lab environment for practicing with an HPE 3PAR Primera storage system using VMware is a great way to learn and experiment. To set up such an environment, you'll need to follow these steps:

>> You will need VMware software. VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion for macOS is recommended for creating and managing virtual machines.

You may also need an HPE 3PAR Primera simulator VM, which emulates the 3PAR Primera storage system for your practice. You can obtain this simulator from HPE if you have an HPE Support Center account.

>> Visit the HPE Support Center or contact your HPE support to obtain the 3PAR Primera simulator VM. You will need an HPE account to access the download. Follow their instructions for downloading and extracting the simulator VM.

>> Browse to the location where you extracted the HPE 3PAR Primera simulator VM file and select it.

>> Follow the on-screen prompts to set up the VM settings, including CPU, memory, and network configuration.

>> Ensure that the VM is configured to use the network settings you want for your lab environment. You may need to set the network adapter to use a bridge or NAT configuration, depending on your network setup.

>> Once the VM is up and running, you should be able to access the 3PAR Primera simulator through a web browser or other provided management tools. Consult the HPE documentation for specific instructions on how to access and use the simulator.

>> With the simulator running, you can now practice and learn how to manage an HPE 3PAR Primera storage system in a safe and controlled environment.

Please note that the availability of the HPE 3PAR Primera simulator and the steps for obtaining and using it may change over time. Make sure to check the HPE website and resources for the latest information and updates. Additionally, ensure that your host machine has sufficient resources (CPU, RAM, storage) to run the simulator effectively.

The 3PAR Simulator requires a VMware ESXi 5.x or a VMware Workstation 9 or 10 setup. The simulator configuration

requires deploying three VMs; two VMs simulating the cluster nodes, a third VM to simulate the enclosure and private

network configuration to enable communication between the three VMs.

The minimum system resources required for each VM are:

The first step is to deploy the OVF package to our virtual environment. The simulator comes with two OVF files, one for the cluster nodes and the other for the enclosure node. We will start by deploying the cluster node OVF.

To begin with, if you intend to deploy a second simulator and link the two to test things like Remote Copy over IP the now is the time to increase the RAM allocated to the cluster nodes. HP recommend at least 4GB of RAM when utilising the RCIP feature.

I am going to install VMware workstation on Windows 2008 server and see if it works for me. Strangely it works till the server are added in cluster but when you do OOT for getting the storage from enclosure it gives all this strange errors. Did you installed in your laptop or any of the desktop servers of yours.

Simplest thing is to send me a Tweet or Direct Message on Twitter (@bytesizedalex). You can also send me some screenshots of the issue. Hopefully we can figure out what is causing this problem for you.

I am getting the same error Sam had: 47.276843 NOHZ: local_softriq_pending 08. It has nothing to do with the weird way your guide is out of order. Still is out of order though. Anyway, were you ever able to find what issue he could have been having?

Today we will deploy the HP 3PAR simulator on VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5. You can also deploy the simulator on VMware Workstation however the steps are slightly different. Please note this is quite a long post as it includes many screenshots and notes.

To begin with, if you intend to deploy a second simulator and link the two to test things like Remote Copy over IP the now is the time to increase the RAM allocated to the cluster nodes. HP recommend at least 4GB of RAM when utilising the RCIP feature. I would suggest creating a DRS rule to keep the simulator VMs together.

It is important to note that the following is a guide only and assumes you are configuring your environment in the same way as myself. My setup includes 2 ESXi hosts using standard vSwitches, if your setup differs you will need to modify the steps to fit.

As you can see, we have the management vNICs for the simulator VMs in vSwitch0 connected to the port group VLAN 500. This vSwitch has access via 4 pNICs. The simulator VMs also have vNICs in vSwitch1, this vSwitch has no pNICS connected to it.

We are finished and can test functionality by opening the 3PAR Management Console and trying to connect. Of course you can ping the management IP you defined earlier to test basic connectivity exists.

If you want to make use of the RCIP feature you will need a second simulator deployed. This is why HP provide 2 serial numbers (remember we have only used one for this deployment). The process is the same as above for the second simulator, deploy the 3 VMs, configure them and test connectivity.

Just to clarify my earlier post, the license expired issue appeared immediately after initial attempt to login and then you were immediately logged out. So there was no opportunity to enter the install stage and enter the supplied serial numbers into the appliance.

Unfortunately this is a known issue confirmed by HP and Ivan. They are working to create a new simulator download which we will all have to grab a copy of. At the moment the best work around is to modify the date/time in the VM BIOS as per some of the comments by other users.

I would suggest checking the date and time values on the 3PAR control nodes and the system you are accessing from. It may be that the date is wrong which could result in your system believing the certificate is either not yet valid or has expired. If the time is wrong then you need to SSH onto the control node with the account 3paradm (default password 3pardata) and use the setdate command.

Having an issue with configuration. I have configured cn01 following the above process, once cn has reboot and up. I choose option 2 and keeps comes back with error cluster not configured choose option 1 to configure cluster node.

I did have a contact but unfortunately I had to take down that information. The best thing I can suggest now is you liaise with your HP representative or reseller to see if they can be of assistance. If in the future I do get a contact at HP again I will update this comment.

It was really good learning for me, everything was very easy to understand and fun as it was direct to the point. Neil is very responsive and replies to your issues as soon as he can. Looking forward for more.

The simulator configuration requires deploying three VMs; two VMs simulating the cluster nodes, a third VM to simulate the enclosure and private network configuration to enable communication between the three VMs.

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