HPE OneView

HPE OneView. It is a unified infrastructure management platform developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise for managing Synergy and ProLiant server hardware, storage, and networking hardware from a single interface. The platform utilizes a RESTful API and a model-driven architecture to automate and simplify data center operations, aiming to reduce complexity and accelerate IT service delivery. Introduced in 2014, it represents a significant evolution from earlier management tools like HP Systems Insight Manager.

Overview

HPE OneView consolidates control over compute, storage, and fabric resources within a converged infrastructure or hyper-converged infrastructure environment. It provides a unified dashboard for administrators to monitor health, deploy resources, and enforce compliance policies across their Hewlett Packard Enterprise hardware estate. The software is integral to HPE's Composable Infrastructure vision, particularly for the HPE Synergy platform, enabling infrastructure to be treated as code. Its development was influenced by the need to address operational inefficiencies in traditional data centers managed by disparate tools.

Features and capabilities

Key features include template-based provisioning, which allows for the rapid, repeatable deployment of server profiles and associated storage area network settings. It offers comprehensive monitoring and alerting, integrating with systems like HPE InfoSight for predictive analytics. The platform supports Infrastructure as Code practices through its REST API, enabling integration with DevOps tools such as Ansible, Chef, and Puppet. Other capabilities include firmware management, energy and thermal monitoring, and role-based access control tied to LDAP or Active Directory services.

Architecture and components

The architecture is built around a central appliance that can be deployed as a virtual appliance on a supported hypervisor like VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V. This appliance hosts the management software and its embedded database. Core architectural concepts include the use of logical enclosures to group managed hardware and server profiles that abstract BIOS, RAID, and network interface controller configurations. It communicates with managed devices, such as HPE BladeSystem enclosures or HPE 3PAR storage arrays, via out-of-band management interfaces like Integrated Lights-Out.

Integration and compatibility

HPE OneView integrates deeply with a wide array of HPE hardware, including servers from the HPE ProLiant and HPE Integrity lines, storage systems like HPE Nimble Storage and HPE Primera, and networking switches from the HPE FlexFabric and HPE Aruba Networking portfolios. For third-party and multi-vendor environments, it offers integration points with major cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure and VMware vRealize Automation. Its REST API also facilitates connections to IT service management tools like ServiceNow and monitoring systems like Nagios.

Management and administration

Administration is performed through a web-based interface or via the comprehensive REST API for programmatic control. Tasks include initial discovery and inventory of hardware, configuration of network topologies and storage pools, and lifecycle operations like firmware updates. The software employs a role-based access control system for security, allowing permissions to be aligned with organizational roles. It also supports multi-tenancy for service providers or large enterprises needing partitioned management domains.

Use cases and applications

Primary use cases include automated provisioning and scaling of infrastructure for private cloud and DevOps environments, enabling faster application deployment. It is extensively used for managing and optimizing HPE Synergy composable infrastructure, allowing resources to be dynamically composed and recomposed based on workload demands. Other applications include streamlining data center consolidation projects, enhancing operational efficiency in hosting service provider environments, and providing a unified management layer for hybrid cloud implementations that blend on-premises HPE infrastructure with public cloud services. Category:Hewlett Packard Enterprise software Category:Infrastructure management software Category:Cloud computing