DE Plugin for vCenter compared to System Manager
You can use the DE Plugin for vCenter for basic operating tasks on your storage array; however, there might be times when you need to launch System Manager to perform tasks not available in the plugin.
System Manager is an embedded application on the storage array's controller, which is connected to the network through an Ethernet management port. System Manager includes all array-based functions.
The following table helps you decide whether you can use the DE Plugin for vCenter or System Manager for a particular storage array task.
| Function | DE Plugin for vCenter | System Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Batch operations on groups of multiple storage arrays | Yes | No. Operations are performed on a single array. |
| Upgrades on the ThinkSystem SAN OS | Yes. One or more arrays in a batch operation. | Yes. Single array only. |
| Import settings from one array to multiple arrays | Yes | No |
| Host and host cluster management (create, assign volumes, update, and delete) | Yes | Yes |
| Pools and volume group management (create, update, enable security, and delete) | Yes | Yes |
| Volume management (create, resize, update, and delete) | Yes | Yes |
| SSD Cache management (create, update, and delete) | Yes | Yes |
| Mirroring and snapshot management | No | Yes |
| Hardware management (view controller status, configure port connections, take controller offline, enable hot spares, erase drives, etc.) | No | Yes |
| Manage alerts (email, SNMP, and syslog) | No | Yes |
| Security key management | No | Yes |
| Certificate management for controllers | No | Yes |
| Access management for controllers (LDAP, SAML, etc.) | No | Yes |
| AutoSupport management | No | Yes |
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