XtremIO.Utils PowerShell module ReadMe

Contents:

• Getting Started
• Changelog
• Other Details

Getting Started

Importing the module

To import the module, use the Import-Module cmdlet, and use the top level folder of the module for the path. No need to point explicitly at any .psd1 file, just use the parent folder of the module's files, like:

• Import-Module \\path\to\XtremIO.Utils

Getting commands in the module

• Get-Command -Module XtremIO.Utils

Dealing with non-legitimate / self-signed certificates

The cmdlets for connecting to an XMS machine and for opening the admin GUI (Connect-XIOServer, Open-XIOMgmtConsole) each have a -TrustAllCert switch parameter. You can use this switch to ignore certificate errors when connecting or opening a management console, but you should only do so if you know the destination machine and trust that machine.

Connecting to an XMS device

• Connect-XIOServer -ComputerName somexmsappl01.dom.com -Credential (Get-Credential dom\someUser)

Credential handling

The module provides Connect- and Disconnect- cmdlets for handling connections to XMS servers, so that one may connect to an XMS server, and then take further action without needing to supply credentials again for each subsequent call. These cmdlets also update the PowerShell window titlebar with information about the currently-connected XIO servers. See the help for Connect-XIOServer and Disconnect-XIOServer for more information using these cmdlets.

The module can also store an encrypted credential for use with Connect-XIOServer calls. This is a remnant from the days when the module required credentials for every call to get/create XIO objects. For now, such a stored credential can still be used to a small extent:

• Upon storing once (via New-XIOStoredCred), one can use the Connect-XIOServer function from this module without passing further credentials -- the stored credentials will be auto-detected if they are present
• One can remove this credential file at will via Remove-XIOStoredCred
• And, the encrypted credential is encrypted using the Windows Data Protection API, which allows only the user the encrypted the item to decrypt the item (and, can only do so from the same computer on which the item was encrypted)

Example run through of using the module

See this module's GitHub Pages page for exciting examples of using the cmdlets from this module, available at https://mtboren.github.io/XtremIO.Utils/.

For those rare occasions when you feel like you need a GUI:

Opening the Web-based administration GUI (yuck, but better than the Java-based UI):

• Open-XIOXMSWebUI -ComputerName somexmsappl01.dom.com

Opening the Java-based administration GUI (yuck)

• Open-XIOMgmtConsole -ComputerName somexmsappl01.dom.com

Changelog for the module

In changelog.md, there is an informative section for each version of the module, with listing of new features, improvements, bug fixes, and more. Be sure to read it for all of the exciting news.

Some details on the module, cmdlet behavior, etc.

Remove-XIO* cmdlets:

• Remove-XIOConsistencyGroup: Removing a ConsistencyGroup does not affect the Volume objects that were in it -- they are not deleted
• Remove-XIOInitiatorGroup:
  • If the target InitiatorGroup is part of a LunMap, the attempt to remove the InitiatorGroup will fail -- user must first remove given LunMap
  • Removing an InitiatorGroup also removes the Initiator objects that were part of the target IntiatorGroup
• Remove-XIOSnapshotScheduler: the API does not yet support removing the associated SnapshotSet objects, it seems, so removing the SnapshotScheduler does not affect the SnapshotSet objects that have been created as a result of the SnapshotScheduler having run
• Remove-XIOSnapshotSet: this deletes the Snapshot objects that were in the SnapshotSet, too
• Remove-XIOVolume:
  • Can be used to remove both Volume and Snapshot objects
  • If the Volume/Snapshot is part of LunMap: the attempt to remove the Volume/Snapshot will fail; more detail: this action fails in the admin GUI, but the API allows it (it removes the LunMap, too); this cmdlet is written to emulate the behavior established by the GUI (the cmdlet does not delete the target Volume/Snapshot object if it is part of a LunMap -- user must first remove given LunMap)
  • If the Volume/Snapshot is the subject of a SnapshotScheduler: the attempt to remove the Volume/Snapshot will fail -- user must first remove given SnapshotScheduler
  • If the Snapshot is part of a SnapshotSet: removing the Snapshot leaves the SnapshotSet alone unless this was the last Snapshot in the SnapshotSet
  • If it is the last Snapshot in the SnapshotSet: the XMS deletes the then-empty SnapshotSet, too
  • If this Volume/Snapshot has any child Snapshot: Those child Snapshot objects' AncestorVolume value is set to the value of this property of the Volume/Snapshot being deleted, if any (else, the property on the child Snapshot gets set to $null); and, then, if all of the ancestor Volume objects of the given Snapshot are deleted, the Snapshot object becomes just a Volume object, no longer a Snapshot object (though, it remains a part of a SnapshotSet object!)