IBM Flex System Manager task support for VMware

ESXi (vSphere) systems

The following table outlines the IBM Flex System Manager task support available for the
standard VMware ESXi (vSphere) product and the IBMcustomized version.
Table 1. IBM Flex System Manager task support for Standard VMware ESXi (vSphere)
and IBM customized VMware ESXi (vSphere)
Tasks and subtasks
Standard VMware IBM customizedVMware
ESXi(vSphere)
ESXi(vSphere)
Command Automation
No
No
Event Log
Yes
Yes1
File Management
No
No
Inventory (hardware)
Yes2
Yes3
Inventory (software)
Yes4
Yes5
Problems (formerly Hardware Status)
Yes
Yes6
Remote Control
Yes7
Yes7
Remote Command Line
No
No
Resource Monitors
No
No
Storage Manager
No
Yes8
Virtualization Management
Yes
Yes9
Update Manager
Yes10
Yes10
Notes:
1. Supports events from vendor Common Information Model (CIM) providers and VMware CIM
providers.
2. Only supports basic system inventory.
3. Supports additional hardware inventory, for example, inventory of vendor adapters.
4. Only supports basic software inventory.
5. Supports additional inventory for some vendor adapters, such as firmware and driver levels for
vendor Fibre Channel adapters.
6. Supports problem status for vendor adapters.
7. Supports when VMware ESXi (vSphere) is being managed through VMware vCenter.
Restriction: When a VMware ESXi (vSphere) host, attached to VMware vCenter, is in lockdown
mode, IBM Flex System Manager cannot access the VMware ESXi (vSphere) system. Lockdown
mode forces all operations to be done through VMware vCenter. However, VMwarevCenter,
allows only a privileged VMware vCenter administrator access to the VMware ESXi (vSphere)
host in lockdown mode. Other users cannot carry out any operations directly on the VMware
ESXi (vSphere) host.

Tasks and subtasks

Standard VMware IBM customizedVMware

ESXi(vSphere)
ESXi(vSphere)

8. Only supports LSI, Brocade CIM providers.

9. IBM Flex System Manager with VMControl supports virtualization management for VMware
ESXi (vSphere) hosts.
10. Update manager supports firmware updates to systems that run VMware ESXi (vSphere), but it
does not support updates to VMware ESXi(vSphere). For more information about
updating VMware ESXi (vSphere) systems, see "Update Considerations for VMware
ESXisystems""Update Considerations for VMware ESXi systems".

Table 3. VMware ESX Server, standard VMware ESXi, and IBM customized VMware ESXi, versions
supported by IBM Flex System Manager on X-Architecture compute nodes
Common Platform
Operating system
Agent
Agent
VMware ESX Server, versions 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.3, 4.1, 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and X
X
4.1.3 Console
Notes:
1. IBM Flex System Manager Common Agent 6.2.1 with IBM Flex System
Manager Platform Agent 6.2.1 supports VMware ESX Server versions
4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.1, and 4.1.1. Restriction: You cannot manage the
RSA in-band. You can manage it out-of-band by connecting it to the
network and discovering it with IBM Flex System Manager.
2. You must turn off VMware ESX Server, version 4.0.x SLP, before
installing IBM Flex System ManagerCommon Agent.
3. VMware ESX Server 4.x is 64-bit, and is supported by way of 32-bit
compatibility mode only.
4. VMware ESX Server 4.0.3 is only supported by IBM Flex System
ManagerCommon Agent 6.2.1 and IBM Flex System Manager Platform
Agent 6.2.1.
Standard VMware ESXi and IBM customized VMware ESXi, version 4.0,
Update 1, and 2; version 4.1, Update 1 and 2; all under the control
of VMware vCenter.
Note: Standard VMware ESXi and IBM customized VMware ESXi are
supported on agentless managed systems. IBM customized VMware
ESXi offers in-band alerting of hardware events.
Standard VMware vSphere and IBM customized VMware vSphere, version
5.0, 5.1 and 5.5; all under the control of VMware vCenter.
Note: Standard VMware vSphere and IBM customized VMware vSphere are
supported on agentless managed systems. IBM customized VMware vSphere
offers in-band alerting of hardware events.
Apply standard VMware vSphere and IBM customized VMware ESXi, version
5.0, 5.0 updates 1, 2, and 3; version 5.1, 5.1 updates 1 and 2; version

Operating system
5.5, updates 1 and 2 with IBM customization patch version 1.1 or later for
each compute node that is running the IBM customized image.

Common
Agent

Platform
Agent