Veritas™ Appliance AutoSupport Reference Guide

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Product(s): Appliances (Version Not Specified)
Platform: Veritas 5340,Veritas 5260,Veritas 5250,Veritas 5150,Veritas 5350,Veritas 5330,Veritas 5240,Veritas 5360,Veritas 3340,Veritas 3350,Veritas 3360

Settings > Notifications > Alert Configuration

The Settings > Notifications > Alert Configuration page on the NetBackup Appliance Web Console provides you with one location from where you can enable SNMP, SMTP, and Call Home alert notifications. The page is divided into three sections. Each section is dedicated to provide details for SNMP, SMTP, and Call Home alert notifications.

Under Alert Configuration is the Notification Interval field. You must enter the time interval in minutes between two subsequent notifications for the SNMP and the SMTP configurations. The time interval should be in multiples of 15 and it should not be zero.

Configuring SNMP

Table: SNMP Server Configuration settings lists the fields from the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) section of the NetBackup Appliance Web Console.

Table: SNMP Server Configuration settings

Fields

Description

Notification Interval

Enter the interval for the server to upload alerts to the Veritas Call Home server. Entries must be in increments of 15 minutes.

SNMP Server Configuration

Select one of the following options:

  • SNMP V2

  • SNMP V3

  • None (default)

SNMP Server

Enter the SNMP Server host name. You can enter a host name or an IP address to define this computer. The IP address can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. Only global-scope and unique-local IPv6 addresses are allowed.

Notification of the alerts or traps that are generated in the appliance are sent to this SNMP manager.

Note:

The NetBackup appliance supports all the SNMP servers in the market. However, the ManageEngine™ SNMP server and the HP OpenView SNMP server are tested and certified for version 2.6.

SNMP Port

Enter the SNMP Server port number. The default port is 162.

Note:

Your firewall must allow access from the appliance to the SNMP server through this port.

SNMP Community

This field is required for SNMP V2 and is optional for SNMP V3.

Enter the community to which the alerts or traps are sent. For example, Backup Reporting Department.

You can enter a value that you configured on your SNMP server. For example, your company name. If you do not expect to disclose your company name, Veritas provides the system-defined values including: admin_group, public, and private. The default is public.

SNMP Username (SNMP V3 only)

Enter an SNMP user name as follows:

  • Enter up to 32 characters maximum.

  • May include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and the following punctuation marks: period, hyphen/dash, underscore.

  • Spaces, commas, and special characters are not allowed.

Authentication Protocol (SNMP V3 only)

Configure as follows to set the security level:

  • None (default)

    Sets the security level to no authentication and no privileges (authentication is disabled). Password and encryption fields are greyed out and not required.

  • SHA256 or SHA512

    Sets the security level for authentication. An SNMP password is required.

SNMP Password/Confirm SNMP Password (SNMP V3 only)

Enter a password for the SNMP user as follows:

  • Must have 8 or more characters.

  • May include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and the following punctuation marks: period, hyphen/dash, underscore.

  • Spaces, commas, and special characters are not allowed.

Enter the same password in the Confirm SNMP Password field.

Encryption Protocol (SNMP V3 only)

Configure as follows to set the encryption policy:

  • None (default)

    Encryption policy is not used or enforced. Passphrase fields are greyed out and not required.

  • AES128 AES192 AES256 AES512

    Select one of these options to enforce the associated encryption policy. An Encryption Passphrase is required.

Encryption Passphrase/Confirm Encryption Passphrase (SNMP V3 only)

If you set the Encryption Protocol to use an encryption policy, enter a passphrase for the SNMP user as follows:

  • Must have 8 or more characters.

  • May include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and the following punctuation marks: period, hyphen/dash, underscore.

  • Spaces, commas, and special characters are not allowed.

Enter the same passphrase in the Confirm Encryption Passphrase field.

The following describes summaries of the required fields for specific SNMP configuration scenarios:

  • SNMP V2

    SNMP Server

    SNMP Port

    SNMP Community

    All other fields are not required.

  • SNMP V3 - no authentication/no privileges

    SNMP Server

    SNMP Port

    SNMP Community (optional)

    Authentication Protocol - None

    All other fields are not required.

  • SNMP V3 - authentication/no privileges

    SNMP Server

    SNMP Port

    SNMP Community (optional)

    Authentication Protocol (SHA256, SHA512)

    SNMP Password/Confirm SNMP Password

    All other fields are not required.

  • SNMP v3 - authentication/privileges

    SNMP Server

    SNMP Port

    SNMP Community (optional)

    Authentication Protocol (SHA256, SHA512)

    SNMP Password/Confirm SNMP Password

    Encryption Protocol (AES128, AES192, AES256, AES512)

    Encryption Passphrase/Confirm Encryption Passphrase

The SNMP MIB file serves as a data dictionary that is used to assemble and interpret SNMP messages. If you configure SNMP, you must import the MIB file into the monitoring software so that the software can interpret the SNMP traps. You can view the details of the MIB file from the SNMP Server Configuration pane. To view details about the SNMP MIB file, click View SNMP MIB file. An SNMP MIB file opens.

You can also use the following command in the appliance shell menu to configure the SNMP server:

Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > SNMP Set Server [Community] [Port]

For example: Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > SNMP Set Server 1.1.1.1

For information on how to send a test SNMP trap after configuration, see the following technical article on the Veritas Support website:

https://www.veritas.com/content/support/en_US/article.100009877

Configuring SMTP

The SMTP mail server protocol is used for outgoing email. You can configure SMTP from the NetBackup Appliance Web Console (Settings > Alert Configuration > SMTP Server Configuration).

You can also use the following command in the appliance shell menu to configure the SMTP server and add a new email account:

Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > Email SMTP Add Server [Account] [Password], where Server is the host name of the target SMTP server that is used to send emails. [Account] and [Password] are optional parameters to identify the name of the account and the account password if authentication is required.

For more information, see the related documentation of your appliance.

Starting with release 3.1.2, you can configure the SMTP port and set encryption.

You can use the following commands in the appliance shell menu to configure encrypted communication with the SMTP server:

  • Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > Email SMTP ConfigurePort [25] [465] [587] [custom]

  • Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > Email SMTP Encryption [Disable] [Enable]

You can use the following command to view the SMTP port number and encryption configuration details.

Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts > Email Show

Table: SMTP server configuration settings lists the fields from the SMTP section of the NetBackup Appliance Web Console.

Table: SMTP server configuration settings

Fields

Description

SMTP Server

Enter the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Server host name. Notifications of the alerts that are generated in Appliance are sent using this SMTP server. The IP address can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. Only global-scope and unique-local IPv6 addresses are allowed.

SMTP port

You can select one of the following options:

  • Port 25 to use Plain Text

  • Port 465 to use the SMTPS protocol

  • Port 587 to use the STARTTLS protocol

  • Custom port within the range of 1 to 65,535

The default SMTP port number is 25. Encryption is disabled by default.

Encryption

Select Enable Encryption to use a secure connection.

Software Administrator Email

Enter the email ID of the software administrator, to receive software alerts that are specific to the Veritas NetBackup Appliance software. The email ID that you designate receives alerts for the following software conditions:

  • Host information such as:

    • Disk information.

    • Overall backup status.

    • Results of last seven backups for each client.

  • An email of your catalog backup disaster recovery file.

  • A patch installation success report.

Hardware Administrator Email

Enter the email ID of the hardware administrator, to receive hardware alerts that are specific to the Veritas NetBackup Appliance hardware. For example, enter hardwareadmin@usergroup.com.

Email Test

A test email is sent to the email address that was configured above. If the test email is not received, follow the error prompts to view the network connections, SMTP settings, and email settings. You can contact your system administrator for more assistance.

Sender Email

Enter the email ID to receive any replies to the alerts or the reports that the appliance sends.

SMTP Account

Enter the user name to access the SMTP account.

Password

Enter the password for the above mentioned SMTP user account.

All email notifications that get generated by the appliance use the same SMTP settings. These emails include hardware monitoring notifications and NetBackup job notifications. The configuration settings are located under Settings > Notification > Alert Configuration in the NetBackup Appliance Web Console or Main_Menu > Settings > Alerts in the NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu. These settings override any previous SMTP setup you may have previously used to send NetBackup job notifications.

Configuring Call Home

Table: Call Home Configuration settings lists the fields from the Call Home Configuration section.

Table: Call Home Configuration settings

Fields

Description

Enable Call Home

Select this check box to enable Call Home alert configuration.

Enable AutoUpdate for Upgrade Readiness Check

Select this check box to enable automatic updates for the Appliance Upgrade Readiness Analyzer tool (analyzer tool) on the appliance.

Enabling this feature lets you keep pre-upgrade checks up to date and receive accurate upgrade readiness status recommendations through System Health Insights on the NetInsights Console. You can download the latest version of the analyzer tool from the Veritas Download Center. Veritas recommends that you enable AutoUpdate.

Enable Proxy Server

Select this check box to enable proxy.

Enable Proxy Tunneling

Select this check box if your proxy server supports SSL tunneling.

Proxy Server

Enter the name of the proxy server.

Proxy Port

Enter the port number of the proxy server.

Proxy CA certificates

If your proxy server uses HTTPS, upload the CA certificate to use to validate the server certificate.

Proxy Username

Enter the user name to log into the proxy server.

Proxy Password

Enter the password for the user name to log into the proxy server.

When Call Home is enabled, you can test if Call Home functions correctly by clicking the Test Call Home option that is available below the Call Home configuration settings.

Note:

The Test Call Home option is active on the NetBackup Appliance Web Console only when Call Home is enabled.

Starting with the 5.0 release, when you enable Call Home and click Save, a Call Home test is performed automatically.

The following describes the supported proxy servers:

  • Squid

  • Apache

  • TMG

NTLM is the supported authentication method for Call Home proxy settings.