Using DAE

How do I access and control my VM once it's configured?

Here are a few scenarios to help you determine which method you should use to interact with a VM:

Scenario #1: Do you already use a virtual network client (VNC) viewer to view existing VMs?

You might prefer to use the same VNC viewer for all virtual machines rather than using one viewer for existing VMs and also the built-in Guacamole viewer for VMs configured to work with Xcellis. In this scenario, you should configure a VNC viewer for your Xcellis Workflow Director system.

Scenario #2: You need to provide a wide range of StorNext users a method for accessing the VM from within the StorNext GUI. If so, you should use the Guacamole browser from the StorNext GUI. (For more information on using the Guacamole viewer, refer to the online help on the Dynamic Application Environment in the StorNext GUI, or search for Dynamic Application Environment in the current version of the StorNext User's Guide.)

Here are the methods available interacting with a DAE virtual machine once it is configured:

Access Method Features/Benefits Notes/Commands
StorNext GUI DAE page
(at Tools > Dynamic Application Environment)
  • See the installed VMs and the network port used by each VM. Select a VM and click View.
  • Control the operating state of the VM (Select a VM, and then one of the following options: Power On, Shutdown, Power Off, Suspend, Resume or Refresh).
  • Launch a VM. The StorNext GUI provides a VNC viewer launched from the DAE page, called the Guacamole browser, which opens the VM inside a browser window. Select a VM, and click the click here link.
  • Change the password used for the DAE VM browser launched from the UI. Click Change DAE Password...".
  • Edit a VM. Select a VM and click Edit,
  • Delete a VM, Select a VM and click Delete. You will have to enter an admin-level password to delete the VM.
  • Use <CTRL> + <ALT> + <SHIFT> keys to invoke the onscreen keyboard where you can select the <CTRL> + <ALT> + <DEL> key combination option needed to open the login dialog for some operating systems.
  • Some operating systems also allow you to click-drag with your mouse to bring up the login dialog. If you see arrows when the Operating System is first launched, click-drag in the direction indicated by the arrows on the initial screen to bring up the login dialog.
  • To change the password used to log into Guacamole interface, use the "Change DAE Password..." option on this page.
  • To change the password to log into a VNC viewer interface use the "Update Password" option in the Service Menu (see above).
  • Change the OS password within the VM itself.

*VNC viewer
  • Launch a VM inside a VNC client window.
  • Control the operating state of the VM
  • For the Tight VNC viewer, press <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Shift> + <f> to exit full-screen mode.
  • To change the password to log into a VNC viewer interface use the "Update Password" option in the Service Menu (see above).
  • To change the password used to log into Guacamole interface, use the "Change DAE Password..." button on the StorNext GUI Tools > Dynamic Appication Environment page.
  • Change the OS password within the VM itself.

* KVM-supported clients such as Tight VNC Viewer for Windows, Tight VNC Java Viewer for Mac, Google VNCViewer plugin, Chicken of the VNC for the macOS, and others. Note: Mac OSX "Screen Sharing" does not support KVM VNC connections.

Note: For all VNC connections to the system, there is no restriction on multiple users logging into the VM simultaneously. So if you see the mouse moving on the VM or view inputs being made in the OS, be aware that someone else is logged into the system.

  1. Open an SSH connection to the appropriate server and use the IP address assigned to the node on the Management or LAN Client network, or use the Service Port IP address.

    • Node 1 : 10.17.21.1 (dual-server node systems)
    • Node 2 : 10.17.21.2 (dual-server node, or supported "HA-ready" single-server node StorNext appliances)

  2. Initiate an ssh session to the system using Terminal or PuTTY:
    1. Log in to the command line using the following credentials:
      • User name: stornext
      • Password: <stornext user account password>

        Note: "password" is the default password for the stornext user account. If the password has been changed, use the current password. Beginning with StorNext 7.0.2, you must change the default password for the stornext user account. As of StorNext 7.0.2, the first time you log in, you will be prompted to change the password to a different one.

    2. Enter sudo rootsh to gain root user access.
    3. Enter the password for the stornext user account again.
  1. Navigate to More Tools > DAE Tools.
  1. Log in to the StorNext GUI.
  2. Navigate to Tools > Dynamic Application Environment
  3. Click the radio button next to the Virtual Machine Name for the VM you want to control,
  4. Click the click here link below the table. Use the username (default is "daeadmin") and password (default is "password") for the "Guacamole browser" interface to that VM to log in to the VM.

For more information about the options on this page of the StorNext GUI, see the online help on this page.

To enter special keys sequences like <CTRL>+<ALT>+<DEL> in Windows systems using the Gaucamole browser, press <CTRL>+<ALT>+<SHIFT> to initiate the on-screen virtual keyboard.

  1. Install a VNC viewer client.

  2. During DAE configuration, the VM IP address is configured to use one of the available network ports on server node 2. You will access the VM through a VNC client on your system using this IP address.

  3. The VNC port number is displayed on the Xcellis Service Menu or the StorNext GUI page (Tools > Dynamic Application Environment) where the current VMs are listed.

  4. Example: TightVNC

  5. When connecting to a VNC connection you will be prompted for the password for the VM that you are connecting to.

    1. Launch your VNC viewer.
    2. Enter the IP address and port number when prompted for a Remote Host, an Address or similar field, depending on your VNC client.

      3. Example:

      If the IP of node 2 is 10.40.163.167 and the VM is running on port 0, then you would use 10.40.163.167:0 when establishing the connection from the VNC client.

    3. When prompted, log into the VM by entering the User ID and Password for the VM.

      After you log in, you will see the desktop of the operating system.

The icons at the upper left corner of the screen allow you to perform various functions.

Note: Many of these commands correspond to the state transition commands displayed at the bottom of the Tool > Dynamic Application Environment page of the StorNext GUI of the Xcellis Workflow Director system.

Typical available commands

  • Launch a VM.
  • Create a new connection.
  • Save connection settings.
  • Enter or modify connection options.
  • View connection information.
  • Control the VM (these correspond to the options available at the bottom of the Tool > Dynamic Application Environment page in the StorNext GUI):
    • Start
    • Stop
    • Pause/Un-Pause or Suspend/Resume
    • Refresh
  • Send a <Control> + <Alt> + <Delete> keyboard command to the VM, needed for Windows VMs to bring up power off or restart options. (If you do nothing, the system automatically powers off in 60 seconds.)

    This corresponds to the Power Off button at the bottom of the Xcellis screen.

  • Send a <CTRL> + <Esc> command.
  • Send a <CTRL> key or <Command> key command.
  • Send an <Alt> key or <Option> key command.
  • Copy/transfer files.
  • Zoom tools for viewing the VM interface.
  • View the VM full-screen.

There are several operating states of a VM - running, paused/suspended, and off. There are several controls available to change the state of the VM:

  1. Power On: Powers on the VM. This option immediately starts a VM currently powered off.
  2. Pause: Pauses the VM instance in memory. This option immediate stops all VM activity and processing and holds it in memory until a Resume or Shutdown is done for the system or VM. No state information is saved to disk. (No equivalent option in the StorNext GUI).
  3. Suspend: Saves the state and stops the VM instance. This option saves the state of the VM to a disk image and then shuts off the VM instance. The VM can be resumed later, and the state of the VM is restored from the disk image.
  4. Shutdown: Shuts down the VM instance in an orderly manner. This option is used to attempt a clean OS shutdown of the VM instance so that all services are properly and cleanly shut down within the VM before it is powered off.
  5. Power off: Immediate shut down of the VM instance. This option provides a mechanism to immediately stop a VM instance regardless of what state it is in. The current state of the VM is not preserved, so any open files or active I/O could result in some corruption within the VM. If the VM should be gracefully powered-down, use the Shutdown control instead. (In the StorNext GUI, you will see a warning if the operating system has not first been shut down.)

Different VNC viewers might have different ways of initiating these state transitions. For example, in the StorNext GUI, on the Tools > Dynamic Application Environment screen the commands are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

An external VNC viewer has other ways of initiating these commands as described below.

Other DAE Instructions Available

For additional information on using the Edit, Delete, View, Change DAE Password..., Power On, Shutdown, Power Off, Suspend, Resume and Refresh options on the Tools > Dynamic Application Environment page in the StorNext GUI: