Bug 1392647

Summary:	document the requiered vddk version that matches the cfme/vcenter versions in a more explicit way (and tell which versions should not be installed, if any)
Product:	Red Hat CloudForms Management Engine	Reporter:	Reartes Guillermo <greartes>
Component:	Documentation	Assignee:	Red Hat CloudForms Documentation <cloudforms-docs>
Status:	CLOSED DUPLICATE	QA Contact:	Red Hat CloudForms Documentation <cloudforms-docs>
Severity:	low	Docs Contact:
Priority:	unspecified
Version:	5.7.0	CC:	adahms, hhudgeon, jhardy, obarenbo
Target Milestone:	GA
Target Release:	cfme-future
Hardware:	x86_64
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:	doc
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	If docs needed, set a value
Doc Text:		Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:	2018-11-12 21:19:12 UTC	Type:	Bug
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description Reartes Guillermo 2016-11-08 00:30:43 UTC

Document URL: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en/red-hat-cloudforms/4.2-beta/single/installing-red-hat-cloudforms-on-vmware-vsphere/#installing-vmware-vddk

Section Number and Name: 3.1 "Installing VMware VDDK on Red Hat CloudForms"

Describe the issue: 

In the "Installing Red Hat CloudForms on VMware vSphere" for both CloudForms 4.1 and 4.2-beta:

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en/red-hat-cloudforms/4.1/single/installing-red-hat-cloudforms-on-vmware-vsphere/

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en/red-hat-cloudforms/4.2-beta/single/installing-red-hat-cloudforms-on-vmware-vsphere/#installing-vmware-vddk

It reads:
"Execution of SmartState Analysis on virtual machines within a VMware environment requires the Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK). Red Hat CloudForms supports VDDK 5.5."

And also:
"Download VDDK 5.5 (VMware-vix-disklib-5.5.0-1284542.x86_64.tar.gz at the time of this writing) from the VMware website."

By "at the time of this writing" does it imply one must/should download the latest? (5.5.5) or use the version that is specified in the manual "5.5.0-1284542". (and only that version).

VDDK Version 5.5 link: https://developercenter.vmware.com/web/sdk/55/vddk
Latest: 5.5.5 (but it is NOT recommended, see below)

There is this article:

Why does smart state analysis fails in CloudForms 3.2 using VDDK 5.5.5?
https://access.redhat.com/solutions/2270471

In it one can read:
"Resolution: VDDK 5.5.4 or higher (excluding 5.5.5)" 

It basically means one should not install 5.5.5?

But also there is this article: 

Installing the Vmware 6.0 VDDK on a Red Hat CloudForms Management Engine Appliance
https://access.redhat.com/articles/2078103

"You can either install Virtual Disk Development Kit 5.5, or use the following procedure to install Virtual Disk Development Kit version 6.0 or above."

VMWare link: https://developercenter.vmware.com/web/sdk/60/vddk
Latest: 6.0.2

While the article itself solves an issue with people using that vddk version, it says "VMware vSphere 6 virtual machine with Virtual Disk Development Kit 6.0".


Suggestions for improvement: 

The guide "Installing Red Hat CloudForms on VMware vSphere":
 * does not mention any vcenter 5 / vcenter 6 prefered vddk version
 * it explicitly says to use vddk 5.5.0

But:
 * article 2270471 says vddk 5.5.5 must not be used (for the old cfme <3.2>, does that even apply to current cfme?)
 * article 2078103 says one can install vddk 6.0 or 5.5 for vcenter 6. but what is the criteria for that?

And also:
 * put a note to which appliance to install the vddk in a multi-appliance setup (worker appliance on vmware?).

Thanks in advance.

Comment 2 Reartes Guillermo 2017-02-23 20:18:15 UTC

There is also VDDK 6.5:

https://code.vmware.com/web/sdk/65/vddk

"The Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) 6.5 is an update to support vSphere 6.5 and to resolve issues discovered in previous releases. VDDK 6.5 adds support for ESXi 6.5 and vCenter Server 6.5, and was tested for backward compatibility against vSphere 6.0 and 5.5."

Comment 3 Andrew Dahms 2018-11-12 21:19:12 UTC

Hi Reartes,

Thank you for raising this bug.

A similar issue was also raised in BZ#1591977, which we will use as the tracker to update VDDK content in general going forward.

Closing this bug as a duplicate.

Kind regards,

Andrew

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 1591977 ***