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Follow manufacturer instructions to install hardware in a standard 19" server rack and connect nodes to Ethernet switches.
Details and diagrams for the X5-6500 (D1) Flash Accelerator Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-6500 (L1) Flash Accelerator Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-6000 (D1) Flash Standard Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-6000 (L1) Flash Standard Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-2500 (D1) Hybrid Accelerator Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-2500 (L1) Hybrid Accelerator Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-2000 (D1) Hybrid Standard Node hardware configuration.
Details and diagrams for the X5-2000 (L1) Hybrid Standard Node hardware configuration.
Explanation of the on-board LED indicators for NVMe PCIe Flash drives.
Steps to configure IP addresses for ESXi nodes on the VMware management network.
Procedure to enable or disable SSH access on ESXi hosts.
Instructions for downloading and opening the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin executable file.
Step-by-step guide for the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin installation wizard for Windows.
Instructions for downloading and opening the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin package for Linux.
Steps to prepare the environment for installing the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin on Linux.
Procedures for ensuring time synchronization across vCenter, Hosts, and VMs for optimal configuration.
Instructions for logging into the vSphere Web Client to access the Pivot3 plugin.
Description of the Pivot3 plugin's Home dashboard, providing an overall domain overview.
Details on the Virtual Performance Group dashboard for specific vPG information.
Overview of the Provisioning tab, detailing storage views like Storage Provisioning and Data Services.
Information on creating Acuity, vSTAC, and N5 storage volumes and their view options.
Explanation of the Data Services view, covering Performance QoS, Protection QoS, Protected Host, and Host Access Groups.
Details on Performance QoS for volumes, including creating volumes and viewing metrics.
Information on Protection QoS for volumes, including adding, modifying, and deleting protection policies.
Guidance on configuring protected hosts for application-consistent snapshot capability.
Explanation of host access groups for managing server access to volumes and data integrity.
Information on the Scheduler Events tab, listing upcoming scheduled tasks.
Steps to configure the management NIC settings within the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin.
Procedure to discover vSTAC, N5, and Acuity X-Series nodes within the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin.
Steps to create an Acuity virtual performance group by combining Pivot3 nodes.
Instructions for adding an N5 Storage Node to the Pivot3 domain.
Procedure for assigning static IP addresses to nodes for iSCSI initiator connectivity.
Explanation of host access groups for managing server access to volumes and data integrity.
Description of the three default host access groups: Allow Access, Chap Only Access, Deny Access.
Information on how host access groups can represent iSCSI initiators and restrict volume access.
Details on assigning volumes to host access groups and the implications for server access.
Step-by-step instructions for creating a custom host access group in vSphere Web Client.
Procedure for creating Acuity logical volumes and associated VMware datastores.
Procedure for creating vSTAC logical volumes and associated VMware datastores.
Procedure for creating N5 Storage logical volumes and associated VMware datastores.
Explanation of performance policies and their targets for volumes.
Guidance on service levels, best practices, and behavior for Acuity and N5 volumes.
Procedures for placing Acuity ESXi hosts into maintenance mode.
Steps for adding new ESXi hosts and datastores to a vPG.
Introduction to SAN-based snapshots for data recovery and new volume creation.
Explanation of Host Consistent and Crash Consistent snapshot types.
Procedure for taking a restorable, host-consistent snapshot of other operating systems.
Details on Protected Hosts for creating quiesced snapshots from OS and application perspectives.
Overview of Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) for volume snapshot framework.
Instructions for downloading and installing the Pivot3 VSS provider.
Steps to add a protected host using the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin.
Procedure to add a server as a protected host with management IPs and credentials.
Steps to create a manual snapshot of a volume through the Provisioning tab.
Setting up schedules for volumes or application groups for snapshots, replication, and policies.
Explanation of Acuity Data Protection Policy feature for systematic volume protection.
Actions available for policies: add, modify, activate, deactivate, run, or delete.
Best practices for load balancing and creating snapshots of Exchange Data Access Groups.
Steps to create a custom protection policy using Basic or Advanced views.
Explanation of asynchronous replication for creating volume copies on a target vPG.
Procedure to configure replication targets for writing replicas of local volumes.
Steps to add a replication target by filling out the required fields.
Accessing, modifying, and deleting replication targets.
Explanation of icons associated with volumes during replication configuration.
Monitoring the Long Running Tasks list for optimized replication job scheduling.
Steps to take a manual snapshot and replicate it to a target.
Setting up schedules for volumes to perform replication tasks.
Recommendations for configuring administrators and troubleshooting common issues.
Procedure to set administrator-level access credentials for ESXi hypervisors.
Information on SSO user management, including created folders and roles.
Steps for creating new roles in the vCenter native UI for user assignment.
Procedure for managing users and assigning them to newly created roles.
Steps to assign Administrator roles to Active Directory users.
Overview of Proactive Diagnostics (PPD) and Phone Home health monitoring features.
Details on enabling and configuring Pivot3 Proactive Diagnostics for monitoring.
Information on the Phone Home feature for collecting and sending system metadata to Pivot3.
List of prerequisites for upgrading Acuity software on vPGs, including vCenter and plugin versions.
Guidance on determining when an upgrade is necessary for Acuity software.
Confirmation that NIC ports are configured according to Section 8 before proceeding with an upgrade.
Explanation of the Online and Offline upgrade options for Acuity software.
Description of managed devices, agents, and network-management systems in SNMP.
Details on SNMP agents configured at the vPG level and their function.
Explanation of third-party network management software using SNMP for polling and traps.
Information on configuring Community Strings for SNMP clients and trap targets.
Explanation of SNMP management information bases (MIBs) for Pivot3 storage.
Steps to shut down application server VMs before shutting down the vPG.
Procedure for shutting down the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin and the vPG.
Steps to shut down Acuity ESXi hosts within the vPG.
Steps to verify the system after power up, including VM and vPG status.
Expanded explanations of possible vPG statuses identified by icons and descriptions.
Explanation of Single Sign-On (SSO) feature for bypassing second credentials.
Describes the two methods for enabling SSO: From a Clean Installation and Retroactively.
Details on enabling SSO during a clean installation of the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin.
Steps to enable SSO retroactively from the vCenter Plugin interface.
Procedure to activate Pivot3 Proactive Diagnostics (PPD) for SSO User credentials.
Procedure to pre-configure IP addresses on SAN Network interfaces for IPv4 discovery.
Using the IP Setup Utility to set IP addresses on all available NICs.
Instructions for resolving host identifiers and iSCSI aliases via vSphere Web Client.
Steps to unregister the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin using the installer file for Windows.
Procedure to uninstall the Pivot3 vSMS Web Services from the host.
Steps to unregister the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin using the installer file for Linux.
Instructions for upgrading the Pivot3 vCenter Plugin to a newer version.
Information on how Acuity software reports data usage, including volume and snapshot sizes.
Explanation of discrepancies in reported data sizes for snapshots and replications.
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General