OVM – SAN Server Storage Test

Besides local storage and NFS storage, Oracle VM also allows administrators to use the following types of SAN storage:

• iSCSI Storage Attacsshed Network

• Fibre Channel Storage Attached Network.

With Internet SCSI, or iSCSI, you can cone ct storage entities to client machines, making the disks behave as if they are locally attached disks. Fibre channel SAN uses dedicated hardware such as special controllers on the SAN hardware, host bus adapters or HBAs on the client machines, and special fibre channel cables and switches to interconnect the components

Regardless of the SAN storage used, the space usage on the storage medium has to be observed, so that abnormal usage trends can be captured early, and potential space shortages can be averted. This is possible using the OVM – SAN Server Storage test. For each SAN server storage used by the Oracle VM server, this test reports the current status of the storage and the space usage on the storage. In the process, offline storage arrays and those that are running out of free space can be accurately isolated.

Target of the test : Oracle VM Server

Agent deploying the test : A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each SAN storage attached to the Oracle VM Server being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test

Parameters	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	The port at which the specified Host listens. By default, this is NULL.
Oracle VM Manager, Oracle VM Manager User, Oracle VM Manager Password, and Confirm Password	This test remotely connects to the Oracle VM Manager that manages the monitored Oracle VM Server and uses the web services API of the Oracle VM Manager to pull out metrics of interest. To enable this test to communicate with the web services API, you first need to configure the test with the IP address or host name of the Oracle VM Manager. This can be done using the Oracle VM Manager text box. Then, you need to configure the test with the credentials of a user with Admin rights to the Oracle VM Manager. Use the Oracle VM Manager User and Oracle VM Manager Password parameters to configure these credentials. Finally, confirm the password by retyping it in the Confirm Password text box.
SSL	By default, the Oracle VM Manager is SSL-enabled. Accordingly, the SSL flag is set to Yes by default. This indicates that the eG agent will communicate with the Oracle VM Manager via HTTPS by default.
WebPort	By default,, the Oracle VM Manager listens on 7002. This implies that while monitoring an Oracle VM server via an SSL-enabled Oracle VM Manager, the eG agent, by default, connects to port 7002 of the Oracle VM Manager to pull out metrics. In some environments however, this default port may not apply. In such a case, against the WebPort parameter, you can specify the exact port at which the Oracle VM Manager in your environment listens so that the eG agent communicates with that port.

Measurements made by the test

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Capacity	Indicates the total capacity of this SAN storage.	MB
Free space	Indicates the amount of space in this SAN storage that is still unused.	MB	A high value is desired for this measure. A consistent drop in this value is indicative of a steady space erosion, which is a cause for concern. Compare the value of this measure across SAN storage arrays to know which array is running short of free space.
Used space	Indicates the amount of space used on this SAN storage.	MB	A low value is desired for this measure. Compare the value of this measure across arrays to know which arrays has very little free space.
SAN server utilization	Indicates the percentage of space in this storage array that is currently in use.	Percent	A value close to 100% is indicative of excessive usage of space. This can significantly degrade the performance of the host operating system and VMs using this array.
Allocated space	Indicates the amount of space that is available for use by the SAN server.	MB
Status	Indicates whether/not this SAN storage is online currently.		The values that this measure can report and their corresponding numeric values are discussed in the table below: Measure Value Numeric Value Online 1 Offline 0 Note: By default, this measure reports one of the values listed under Measure Values to indicate the current status of a storage array. In the graph of this measure however, the same is represented using the numeric equivalents only.