Dell Emulex Family of Adapters - Manual (Page 1020)

Emulex Drivers Version 10.2 for VMware ESXi User Manual P010087-01A Rev. A
3. Configuration
FC and FCoE Driver Configuration
1020
Using the OneCommand Manager Application for VMware
vCenter
The OneCommand Manager application for VMware vCenter plug-in software uses
the standard CIM interfaces to manage the adapters and supports CIM-based device
and adapter management. The OneCommand Manager application for VMware
vCenter plug-in software also supports existing adapter management functionality
based on its proprietary management stack and the standard HBAAPI interface. To
manage LightPulse and OneConnect adapters (including updating the firmware) on an
ESXi 5.0, 5.1, or 5.5 host using OneCommand Manager application for VMware
vCenter, you must install the out-of-box Emulex CIM Provider on the host.
For more information on installing the OneCommand Manager application for
VMware vCenter software plugin and enabling the CIM Provider, see the OneCommand
Manager Application for VMware vCenter User Manual.
Installing the Emulex CIM Provider
Refer to the CIM Provider Installation Guide for instructions on installing the Emulex
CIM provider.
Working with VPorts
Creating, Deleting, and Displaying VPorts
The Emulex driver for VMware supports NPIV by default. The only management API
for creating and deleting a VPort and creating an NPIV-enabled virtual machine comes
from ESXi. VPorts in the driver discover the fabric just like physical ports do, and are
subject to the same SAN delays. As the number of VPorts increases, the amount of time
it takes to complete remote port discovery increases. This is because the VPorts are
created sequentially and each VPort executes discovery synchronously. If your
NPIV-enabled virtual machines power-on automatically, powering on could take
longer than usual. This is normal for NPIV virtual machines.
Note: The following notes apply to VPorts:

Ensure you are using the latest recommended firmware for VPort functionality.
Check the Emulex website for the latest firmware.

Loop devices and NPIV are not supported on the same port at the same time. If
you are running a loop topology and you create a VPort, the VPort’s link state is
offline. VMware ESX supports only fabric mode.

You can create VPorts only on 4, 8, and 16 Gb/s LightPulse adapters, and on
OneConnect adapters. You cannot create VPorts on 1 Gb/s or 2 Gb/s adapters.

The OneCommand Manager application sees all VPorts created by the driver,
but the application has read-only access to them.