"Find entity by IP" when PCNS gives shutdown command.

[Glitchy]

I recently installed PCNS 3.1 on vMA 5.5. This in an ESXi version 5.5.

I installed vMA and added my ESXi  with 'vifp addserver server.domain.name' .

with 'vifp listserver'I can see that it is succesfully added.

Then, I installed Powerchute and configured it like this:

-IPV4

-Standalone VMware Host

-information to the ESXi server (IP address, username and password)

-Single UPS configuration.

-login information to the ups

the PCNS succesfully regsitered the UPS' management card.

The problem

------------------

I now go to the UPS' web ui and comamnd it to reboot the UPS (to test my PCNS obviously).

So I go to the event log in the PCNS and it show 'shutting down host IP ADDRESS'.

But when I view my ESXi it says 'Find entity by IP' and it doesn't do anything.

Both the PCNS and ESXi view these events every 30 seconds.

What can I do to make it actually work?

Thanks in advance.

[defkev]

Hi dgrehan,

I got it working without the shutdown Perl script!

After removing the Run Command from Shutdown Settings, enabling debug logging in log4j.xml, restarting PCNS and restarting the APC trough the NMC the following catches my eye in error.log:

...
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - containsKey(String,String) - Section: NetworkManagementCard, Key: mode, Value: true
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: NetworkManagementCard, Key: mode, Value: single
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.m11.components.Shutdowner.CheckIfCriticalEventActive - processCriticalEventExceptClusterMode
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - containsKey(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXiConfigurationMode, Value: true
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXiConfigurationMode, Value: Standalone Host.
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - containsKey(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXiConfigurationMode, Value: true
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXiConfigurationMode, Value: Standalone Host.
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.m11.components.WebServer.CfgWizard.pages.VCenterServerConnection - Checking ESXi service instance session is valid or not
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.m11.components.WebServer.CfgWizard.pages.VCenterServerConnection - ESXi Service instance session is valid
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - containsKey(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXi_IP, Value: true
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: HostDetails, Key: ESXi_IP, Value: esxi.fully.qualified.domainname
DEBUG pool-2-thread-3 com.apcc.m11.components.WebServer.util.VirtualizationUtils - getHostUsingIPOrDNSName - Host IP - esxi.fully.qualified.domainname
DEBUG pool-1-thread-13 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: Networking, Key: NetworkConfig, Value: IPV4
DEBUG pool-1-thread-13 com.apcc.pcns.configservice.configurationmanagers.ConfigurationManagerImpl - getString(String,String) - Section: Networking, Key: IPv6NetworkConfig, Value: unicast
DEBUG pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - Received Data:
INFO pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.SecureHttpTransportAdapter - StdPowerSource: GET VERIFICATION PASSED
INFO pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - packet_target :vma.networks.broadcast.ip
DEBUG pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - Checking if vma.networks.broadcast.ip is a valid localhost address.
DEBUG pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - returning existing theLocalIpSet
DEBUG pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - vma.networks.broadcast.ip does not match vma.ip.v4.address
DEBUG pool-1-thread-5 com.apcc.m11.components.StdPowerSource.BroadcastReceiver - vma.networks.broadcast.ip is not a valid localhost address.
...

The ESXi_IP was set to the ESXi hosts fully qualified domain name, this FQDN is resolvable by the vMA and pointing to the ESXi hosts IP address of course.

Now, after changing the FQDN to the actual IP address of the ESXi host under vma -> Communication Details -> ESXi Host Details -> VMware Host IP Address/Hostname (changing ESXi_IP to esxi.ip.v4.address in pcnsconfig.ini) the shutdown is working as intended.

No more "Find entity by IP/DNS" gets logged in the vSphere Client and the host gets shutdown after gracefully shutting down the configured VMs.

I dunno what PCNS is really trying to do here, even true the network in question is considering of multiple Subnets all relevant equipment - ESXi/vMA/NMC - are on the exact same Subnet and thus a broadcast shouldn't even be necessary.

Regards

defkev

[stanj]

I have the PCNS Appliance running.

In vCenter, the VM Startup and Shutdown is set as this was used with the vMA.

Is there a way to test the new PCNS Appliance in order to shutdown the VMs without having to pull the power to the UPS ?

[defkev]

@stanj

Log on to the NMC controlling your vMA (the one shown in PCNS -> UPS Communication) and verify that the vMA is registered as a "PowerChute Network Shutdown Client" under UPS -> Configuration -> PowerChute clients

Than simply reboot the UPS Outlet Group (UPS -> Control -> UPS) and make sure "Signal PowerChute Network Shutdown Clients" is checked.

After clicking [Next] PCNS should log an event along the line "UPS critical event: UPS turn off initiated occurred on ..." followed by a "Shutting down ..."

Now the vSphere Client/Web Client should queue the host(s) shutdown followed by (gracefully) shutting down all configured VMs.

Cheers!

[stanj]

thanks 

I will give it a shot.

since I am not in the same location as the server, I assume I will have to be in the building to power up the ESXi Server and then restart the VMs?

Also, I have a PC set to power down.

I believe it is running a PCNS version for Windows 7.

[stanj]

Note, I am not using vMA,

[defkev]

Depends on your equipment/setup, if your remote connection isn't affected by the host shutdown (Gateway as a hardware appliance/still running native or on another host) and you have a IP-KVM (e.g. HP Server w/ configured ILO) setup you should be fine.

Alternative call an employe onside with physical access to the server and tell him/her to power the "currently not running thing in rack whatever" up.

If everything fails, you have to get your "hands dirty"

VMs are the more easy part here, as every Virtual Machine you have setup to gracefully shutdown in vSphere will be started automatically (in reverse order) once the host gets powered up, as long as the host isn't in maintenance mode of course.

[stanj]

When you say in the previous message.. ...

simply reboot the UPS Outlet Group (UPS -> Control -> UPS) and make sure "Signal PowerChute Network Shutdown Clients" is checked.

Is this accomplished in the Action column in the attached screen shot ?

[defkev]

Hi

you don't need to explicit tinker with the outlet groups, just reboot them all and tell the clients to shutdown.

UPS > Control > UPS (same sub menu, one point above, see attached screenshot)

Cheers

[stanj]

Ok,

So I was going to do some UPS testing and was looking over the PowerChute VMware User Guide. Pg 23 showed the Plugin in vCenter.

I logged into PCNS (https://xxx.xxx.xxx.x:6547)  and checked the Communication Settings tab and

I did not see the plugin, so I went back thorough the setup and added my vCenter.

The plugin is now there. 

Prior to installing the new PCNS VM App via OVA, I was using the vMA and had to go in to the vcenter and set up the VM shutdown order (attached screen)

The question I have is, I can't recall if I made these setting or if configuring PCNS to vCenter made them?

Are these still required ?

thanks