New esxcli namespaces included on the HP ESXi image
If your VMware infrastructure runs on top of HP servers, rack or blade, you should be familiar with the HP customized ESXi images. Hewlett Packard has been releasing theses images since ESXi 4.0 and with the release of vSphere 5 a new image has also been released.
This images comes bundled with utilities and drivers not included in the standard VMware image that allows ESXi to run flawlessly on HP hardware.
You can retrieve the packages specifically provided by using the esxcli command.
~ # esxcli software vib list |grep Hewlett-Packard char-hpcru 5.0.0.8-1OEM.500.0.0.434156 Hewlett-Packard PartnerSupported 2011-04-16 char-hpilo 500.9.0.0.8-1OEM.500.0.0.434156 Hewlett-Packard PartnerSupported 2011-04-16 hp-esx-license 1.0-03 Hewlett-Packard PartnerSupported 2011-04-16 hp-smx-provider 500.02.10.13.44-434156 Hewlett-Packard VMwareAccepted 2011-04-16 hpbootcfg 01-00.10 Hewlett-Packard PartnerSupported 2011-04-16 hponcfg 03-02.04 Hewlett-Packard PartnerSupported 2011-04-16 ~ #
To get detailed information of any of those packages use the following command.
~ # esxcli software vib get -n hp-smx-provider Hewlett-Packard_bootbank_hp-smx-provider_500.02.10.13.44-434156 Name: hp-smx-provider Version: 500.02.10.13.44-434156 Type: bootbank Vendor: Hewlett-Packard Acceptance Level: VMwareAccepted Summary: HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for ESXi Description: HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for ESXi Release Date: 2011-07-15 Depends: Conflicts: Replaces: Provides: cim.DMTF.DSP1004 = 1.0.0, cim.SNIA.FC-HBA = 1.3.0 Maintenance Mode Required: False Hardware Platforms Required: HP, hp, Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett-Packard Company Live Install Allowed: True Live Remove Allowed: False Stateless Ready: True Overlay: False Tags: Payloads: hp-smx-provider ~ #
Aside from the drivers and monitorization agents, the HP image also adds two additional namespaces to esxcli.
- hp
- hpbootcfg
The first one, hp, manage the HP NMI driver.
~ # esxcli hp
Usage: esxcli hp {cmd} [cmd options]
Available Namespaces:
hpnmi The default set of operations for the hpnmi command
~ # esxcli hp hpnmi
Usage: esxcli hp hpnmi {cmd} [cmd options]
Available Commands:
load Verifies HP server and Loads hpnmi module on supported servers
~ #
The hpbootcfg namespace is used to configure the device boot order of the server. This can be permanent or a one time boot change.
~ # esxcli hpbootcfg
Usage: esxcli hpbootcfg {cmd} [cmd options]
Available Commands:
execute execute hpbootcfg command with options parameter
help show hpbootcfg help
show show current hpbootcfg settings
~ #
~ # esxcli hpbootcfg show
00 00: Normal Device first, normal boot process
~ #
~ # esxcli hpbootcfg execute --help
Usage: esxcli hpbootcfg execute [cmd options]
Description:
execute execute hpbootcfg command with options parameter
Cmd options:
-b|--bypass bypass F1/F2
-C|--cdrom CD ROM first
-D|--defaults Set Defaults everywhere
-d|--dialout one time remote dial out
-F|--floppy Floppy first
-H|--harddrive Harddrive first
-n|--network one time remote network
-P|--pxe one time boot to PXE
-Q|--qcu one time boot to quick configuration utility
-R|--rbsu one time boot to RBSU
-r|--remote one time remote
-S|--scu one time boot to system configuration utility
-T|--tape Tape first
~ #
Juanma.
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hponcfg also allows you to poll/config the iLO from the host side via a trusted channel.
Google this: HP XML sample scripting ilo 3
First 2 hits are sample scripts. Ignore the Windows part as they are just a bunch of XMLs that can be launched from the host (hponcfg), the OA in a blade chassis (also hponcfg via SSH) or your desktop (cpqlocfg, requires credentials)
I have also heard, but not yet confirmed, that conrep is available in vSphere 5 via the HP Utilities Bundle (included in HP ESXi5 download) and that can be used to configure/read BIOS settings.
HI Dan. Thanks for commenting.
Yes I’m aware of the presence of hponcfg in our ESXi 5 image and I used it in the past in RHEL on ProLiant. However it’s not implemented as an esxcli namepasce so I decided to not cover it in the post.
Don’t know about conrep but will check, thanks for the tip :-)
You are right. I am playing with it now and hponcfg is available in /opt/hp/tools using the Tech Support Console but not esxcli.
And I am not finding conrep anywhere.
Luckily I am sitting in Houston and have a large chunk of the HP-VMware brain trust in the same room and I will pick their brain about why they didn’t add a esxcli version of hponcfg.
Any questions you want me to pass along?
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