- This topic has 8 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated May 31, 2016 by
Chip Z.
Zerto plug-in for vSphere Web Client
-
Chip ZMay 31, 2016 01:23:39 AM
In reading several documents available from Zerto that detail the configuration of the Zero plug-in for the vSphere Web Client, the instructions reference the following procedure:
To set up the vSphere Web Client to work with to work with Zerto Virtual Replication: 1. When the vSphere Web Client service is installed on a Microsoft Windows platform: Copy and run VsphereWebClientPluginEnabler.exe to the machine where you run the web client service. This file is located in the Zerto Virtual Replication folder under the folder where Zerto Virtual Replication was installed. You can copy VsphereWebClientPluginEnabler.exe to any folder on the relevant machine. Run VsphereWebClientPluginEnabler.exe as an administrator. When the vSphere Web Client is installed on a Linux platform, via the vCenter Server Linux Virtual Appliance (vCSA): In the directory /etc/vmware/vsphere-client, open the webclient.properties file in a text editor and add the following to the file:. 2. Restart the vSphere Web Client service. Note: After the service has started you might have to wait a few minutes before you can open the vSphere Web Client in your browser.
This seems to imply that these steps only work for a Windows-based vCenter (in its present iteration since the Web Client service cannot be divorced from the remainder of the vCenter components). Is this assumption correct? If so, I am astonished that, at this stage in the game, there is no support for the vCSA 6 forcing users to to the legacy C# and now-deprecated client.
Shannon SMay 31, 2016 02:50:27 PM
ZVM supports vCSA. In the instructions you referenced, it tells how to enable it for vCSA. Are you unsuccessful after following the instructions to enable it with vCSA?
Senior Technical Architect at ZertoChip ZMay 31, 2016 02:52:17 PMHow is that supposed to work when the vSphere Web Client runs on the vCSA? You can’t run an EXE package on Linux, so how do you go about registering the plug-in in that case?
Sean MMay 31, 2016 03:15:47 PMTo get the Zerto plugin to show in the vSphere Web Client you will need to edit the webclient.properties file in /etc/vmware/vsphere-client as per the 2nd half of the instructions you quoted.
Alternatively you can simply access the Zerto GUI at https://zvm_ipaddress:9669 on any web browser which supports HTML5.
Chip ZMay 31, 2016 03:21:54 PMYes, but that setting only tells the Web Client service to enable script plug-ins, which is disabled by default. The plug-in still has to be registered for that to do anything, which then brings me back to how do you register the plug-in against the vCSA if it requires running “VsphereWebClientPluginEnabler.exe”, which is a Windows binary.
Sean MMay 31, 2016 03:31:40 PMNo worries, I think the language in the admin guide may be what’s confusing here. The plugin does not need to be registered to the VCSA or the Web Client. You only have to edit the properties file , restart the web client service, and then do the following (from the Zerto admin guide, page 17):
In the browser, navigate to a vSphere node supported by Zerto Virtual Replication, such as the root node or a virtual machine, and choose the Classic Solutions tab, which is now displayed after the Related Objects tab.
Chip ZMay 31, 2016 03:46:42 PMOk, that was the issue of the confusion. I think the wording could be better. But has this been tested with vCenter 6 U2? I just made the change, and while I get the Classic Solutions tab, there is a page error when clicking on it. Maybe this is because I’m using enhanced linked mode.
Are there plans to update this plug-in so it isn’t such a legacy approach? To my knowledge, this is the only product in a current version that is built on a legacy script plug-in for the web client.
Sean MMay 31, 2016 03:58:40 PMIf you’re using Chrome or Firefox, you first have to load the GUI in an external page. You may also need to “allow blocked content to be displayed” in any browser.
As for moving to a non-legacy plugin, I’ll need to leave that one to our Product Management team.
Chip ZMay 31, 2016 05:38:04 PMI think I found why no content was being displayed. This might be worth clarifying in the Administration Guide. When using the default self-signed certs for the ZVM, you have to access it in a web browser via IP first, and then accept the security warning before you can open the Classic Solutions tab. If you access the ZVM via FQDN instead, accepting any security warnings will not allow the session to be authenticated through the Web Client.