Veritas Appliance Management Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (3.3.0.1)
Platform: NetBackup Appliance OS
  1. Introduction
    1.  
      Overview
    2.  
      Changes introduced in Appliance Management Server 1.4.1
    3.  
      About the Appliance Management Console
    4.  
      About the Appliance Management Server
    5.  
      About the Appliance Management Agent
    6.  
      About the AMS and the agent topology
  2. Appliance as an AMS
    1.  
      About configuring an appliance as AMS
    2.  
      Configuring an appliance as AMS
    3.  
      Unconfiguring AMS
    4.  
      About the AMS user role
    5.  
      Granting the AMS role to a user or a user group
    6.  
      About collecting AMS logs
  3. Using the Appliance Management Console
    1.  
      Logging on to the Appliance Management Console
    2.  
      Using the Home page
    3.  
      Changing passwords from the AMS
    4.  
      Limiting the bandwidth used for downloads
    5.  
      Logging out of the Appliance Management Console
  4. Managing appliances from the Home page
    1.  
      Viewing the appliance details
    2.  
      Rebooting an appliance
    3.  
      Viewing performance charts for appliance
    4.  
      Exporting the appliance performance data
    5.  
      Viewing the capacity utilization of an appliance
    6.  
      Adding an appliance to the Appliance Management Console
    7.  
      Removing one or more agents from the Appliance Management Console
    8. About managing appliance software upgrades
      1.  
        Guidelines for multiple appliance upgrades
      2.  
        Upgrading appliance software
    9. Managing EEBs or add-ons
      1.  
        Installing EEBs or add-ons
      2.  
        Uninstalling EEBs or add-ons
    10. About staging packages
      1.  
        Considerations for staging packages
      2.  
        Staging packages for installation or upgrade
    11. About managing services
      1.  
        Requirements for managing services
      2.  
        Starting, stopping, or restarting services
    12.  
      Installing maintenance release packages
  5. Monitoring activities and events
    1.  
      About the Activity Monitor
    2.  
      Accessing the Activity Monitor
    3.  
      Monitoring events
    4.  
      Accessing the MyAppliance portal
  6. Managing the repository
    1.  
      About managing the repository
    2.  
      Guidelines for adding upgrade packages or files to the repository
    3.  
      Accessing the repository
    4.  
      Adding upgrade packages or EEB files to the repository
    5.  
      Removing upgrade packages or EEB files from the Repository
  7. Applying management updates on earlier appliance versions
    1.  
      Supported updates and downloads for for earlier versions of AMS and the agents
    2.  
      Managing AMS updates
    3.  
      Performing automatic or manual agent updates
  8. Running AMS on NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    1.  
      AMS on NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      Configuring standalone AMS on a virtual appliance without any NetBackup configuration
    3.  
      Configuring master server or media server and AMS on a virtual appliance
    4.  
      Appliance Management Console login and user password change
  9.  
    Index

Adding an appliance to the Appliance Management Console

You can add multiple appliances to be managed by an AMS. You can add these appliances from the Appliance Management Console. Only 3.1 or later appliances that are configured as a master or media server can be added.

Adding an appliance requires that mutual authentication be performed between agent and management server before the exchange of information between them. To secure the authentication process between the two, each agent must be registered to the AMS by using an access key. The access key should be copied from the Add Appliance page on the Appliance Management Console and then pasted it into the shell menu of each agent. This leads to secure communication between AMS and the agent.

Review the following pointers about the access key:

  • The access key is 32 characters in length.

  • You can use the same access key for multiple agents.

  • The access key does not expire unless you click Regenerate.

  • You can always regenerate the access key and command as needed. Once you regenerate the access key, the previous access key and command are not valid.

Review the following considerations before adding an appliance to the Appliance Management Console:

  • You must add an appliance to only one AMS. Adding an appliance to two or more different management servers is not supported

  • To add or upgrade appliances with versions 2.7.3 or 3.0 from the Appliance Management Console, you must first apply specific EEBs on those appliances. Check this link for more information.

  • If an appliance is already managed by the AMS and you add the same appliance to the same AMS again, it does not result in an error message. The AMS and agent will continue to work normally.

  • Consider a scenario where an agent is being managed by an AMS and then a factory reset is performed on the specific agent. In this case, the agent is still displayed on the Home page in the AMS but some of the operations performed on that agent will fail. There will be no other indication on the AMS that the agent is no longer added to the AMS. To resolve this issue, you can remove the agent from the Appliance Management Console and then add the agent again to the specific AMS.

  • Once an appliance is configured as an agent, changing its management role to AMS is not supported.

To add an agent

  1. Open the NetBackup Appliance Web Console login page on the AMS. Log on as a user with AMS role to access the Appliance Management Console.

    See Logging on to the Appliance Management Console.

  2. On the Home page, click Add.
  3. On the Add Appliance page, you have the option of either copying the full command or only the access key. Do one of the following:
    • Click Copy Command to copy the full command.

      or

    • Click Copy Access Key to copy only the access key. With this option, you need to type the command into the agent shell menu in step 4.

    You can click Regenerate if you want to generate a new access key. Once you regenerate the access key, the previous access key and command are not valid.

  4. Log on to the NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu on the agent appliance. Do one of the following based on if you copied the access key or the whole command:
    • If you clicked Copy Command, browse to the Appliance menu and then right-click to paste the command. Proceed to step 5.

    • If you clicked Copy Access Key, browse to the Appliance menu.

      Type the following command to configure the appliance as an agent:

      Management Agent Register <server> <access key>

      Here <server> is the hostname or IP address of the AMS. Paste the access key into the shell menu.

  5. The following information is displayed on the agent shell menu:
    [INFO] Preparing to set this appliance as an agent...
    [INFO] Establishing a secure connection with the AMS...
    [INFO] This appliance is now set as an agent and registered 
    to the AMS <hostname>.
    
  6. Go to the Appliance Management Console and refresh the browser. The agent should be there in the list of appliances on the Home page.