You can run the installer provided by your vendor to install, uninstall, or upgrade I/O filters in your vSphere environment.

When you work with I/O filters, the following considerations apply:

  • vCenter Server uses ESX Agent Manager (EAM) to install and uninstall I/O filters. As an administrator, never invoke EAM APIs directly for EAM agencies that are created or used by vCenter Server. All operations related to I/O filters must go through VIM APIs. If you accidentally modify an EAM agency that was created by vCenter Server, you must revert the changes. If you accidentally destroy an EAM agency that is used by I/O filters, you must call Vim.IoFilterManager#uninstallIoFilter to uninstall the affected I/O filters. After uninstalling, perform a fresh reinstall.
  • When a new host joins the cluster that has I/O filters, the filters installed on the cluster are deployed on the host. vCenter Server registers the I/O filter storage provider for the host. Any cluster changes become visible in the VM Storage Policies interface of the vSphere Client.
  • When you move a host out of a cluster or remove it from vCenter Server, the I/O filters are uninstalled from the host. vCenter Server unregisters the I/O filter storage provider.
  • If you use a stateless ESXi host, it might lose its I/O filter VIBs during a reboot. vCenter Server checks the bundles installed on the host after it reboots, and pushes the I/O filter VIBs to the host if necessary.

Configure I/O Filters in the vSphere Environment

To set up data services that the I/O filters provide for your virtual machines, follow several steps.

Prerequisites

  • Create a cluster that includes at least one ESXi host.
  • For information about I/O filters provided by third parties, contact your vendor or your VMware representative.

Install I/O Filters in a Cluster

If you use I/O filters provided by third parties, install the I/O filters in an ESXi host cluster.

VMware partners create I/O filters through the vSphere APIs for I/O Filtering (VAIO) developer program.

The filter packages are distributed as solution bundle ZIP packages that can include I/O filter daemons, I/O filter libraries, CIM providers, and other associated components.

Typically, to deploy the filters, you run installers provided by vendors. Installation is performed at an ESXi cluster level. You cannot install the filters on selected hosts directly.

Prerequisites

  • Required privileges: Host.Configuration.Query patch.
  • Verify that the I/O filter solution is certified by VMware.

Procedure

  • ♦ Run the installer that the vendor provided.
    The installer deploys the appropriate I/O filter extension on vCenter Server and the filter components on all hosts within a cluster.

    A storage provider, also called a VASA provider, is automatically registered for every ESXi host in the cluster. Successful auto-registration of the I/O filter storage providers triggers an event at the host level. If the storage providers fail to auto-register, the system raises alarms on the hosts.

View I/O Filters and Storage Providers

Use the vSphere Client to review I/O filters available in your environment and verify that the I/O filter providers appear as expected and are active.

When you install a third-party I/O filter, a storage provider, also called VASA provider, is automatically registered for every ESXi host in the cluster. Successful auto-registration of the I/O filter storage providers triggers an event at the host level. If the storage providers fail to auto-register, the system raises alarms on the hosts.

Procedure

  1. Verify that the I/O filter storage providers appear as expected and are active.
    1. Navigate to vCenter Server.
    2. Click the Configure tab, and click Storage Providers.
    3. Review the storage providers for I/O filters.
    When the I/O filter providers are properly registered, capabilities and data services that the filters offer populate the VM Storage Policies interface.
  2. Verify that the I/O filter components are listed on your cluster and ESXi hosts.
    Option Actions
    View I/O filters on a cluster
    1. Navigate to the cluster.
    2. Click the Configure tab.
    3. Under Configuration, click I/O Filters to review the filters installed in the cluster.
    View I/O filters on a host
    1. Navigate to the host.
    2. Click the Configure tab.
    3. Under Storage, click I/O Filters to review the filters installed on the host.

Handling I/O Filter Installation Failures

Typically, all ESXi hosts in a cluster have the same set of I/O filters installed. Occasionally, failures might happen during installation.

If an I/O filter installation fails on a host, the system generates events that report the failure. In addition, an alarm on the host shows the reason for the failure. Examples of failures include the following:
  • The VIB URL is not accessible from the host.
  • The VIB has an invalid format.
  • The VIB requires the host to be in maintenance mode for an upgrade or uninstallation.
  • The VIB requires the host to reboot after the installation or uninstallation.
  • Attempts to put the host in maintenance mode fail because the virtual machine cannot be evacuated from the host.
  • The VIB requires manual installation or uninstallation.

vCenter Server can resolve some failures. You might have to intervene for other failures. For example, you might need to edit the VIB URL, manually evacuate or power off virtual machines, or manually install or uninstall VIBs.

Install I/O Filters on a Single ESXi Host

For troubleshooting purposes, you can download an ESXi component of the I/O filter, packaged as a VIB file, and install it on the ESXi host. Use the esxcli command to install the VIB file.

Prerequisites

Install ESXCLI. See Getting Started with ESXCLI. For troubleshooting, run esxcli commands in the ESXi Shell.

Procedure

  1. Install the VIBs by running the following command:
    esxcli software vib install --depot path_to_VMware_vib_ZIP_file

    Options for the install command allow you to perform a dry run, specify a specific VIB, bypass acceptance-level verification, and so on. Do not bypass verification on production systems. See the ESXCLI Reference documentation.

  2. Verify that the VIBs are installed on your ESXi host.
    esxcli software vib list

Uninstall I/O Filters from a Cluster

You can uninstall I/O filters deployed in an ESXi host cluster.

Prerequisites

  • Required privileges: Host.Config.Patch.

Procedure

  1. Uninstall the I/O filter by running the installer that your vendor provides.
    During uninstallation, a third party I/O filter installer automatically places the hosts into maintenance mode.
    If the uninstallation is successful, the filter and any related components are removed from the hosts.
  2. Verify that the I/O filter components are properly uninstalled from your ESXi hosts. Use one of the following methods:
    The uninstalled filter no longer appears on the list.

Upgrade I/O Filters in a Cluster

After you upgrade your ESXi hosts, use installers provided by I/O filter vendors to upgrade I/O filters deployed in the ESXi host cluster.

An upgrade consists of uninstalling the old filter components and replacing them with the new filter components. To determine whether an installation is an upgrade, vCenter Server checks the names and versions of existing filters. If the existing filter names match the names of the new filters but have different versions, the installation is considered an upgrade.

Prerequisites

  • Required privileges:Host.Config.Patch.
  • Upgrade your hosts to ESXi 8.0. If you use vSphere Lifecycle Manager for the upgrade, see the Managing Host and Cluster Lifecycle documentation.

Procedure

  1. To upgrade the filter, run the vendor-provided installer.

    During the upgrade, a third party I/O filter installer automatically places the hosts into maintenance mode.

    The installer identifies any existing filter components and removes them before installing the new filter components.
  2. Verify that the I/O filter components are properly upgraded in your ESXi hosts. Use one of the following methods:

Results

After the upgrade, the system places the hosts back into operational mode.