HP Matrix Operating Environment, Insight Control Environment and HPSIM Part4

 

VCA and VCRM:

The version control feature in HP Systems Insight Manager uses the Version Control Agent to retrieve software status and for performing software and firmware updates. The version control Agent on managed systems use the Version Control Repository Manager to retrieve software and firmware catalog information, Support Packs and Smart Components, Using WBEM or SNMP.

Version Control Repository Manager and Version Control Agent are web-enabled management agents. Web-enabled agents are accessible through a browser either directly or through HP Systems Insight Manager links.

Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM) is designed to manage a repository containing ProLiant Support Packs and individual server software components. The repository is updated automatically by the Version Control Repository Manager or manually by copying software directly to the repository from the SmartStart for Servers CD, from another repository or from the HP website.

The Version Control Agent (VCA) is installed on each managed server and is responsible for determining whether the software and firmware on the system is up to date or not, and provides a simple web-based interface for performing software and firmware updates. The Version Control Agent retrieves software and firmware inventory from the Management Information Base (MIB) and then compares that information either to the catalog or to the version baseline returned from the Version Control Repository Manager.

Version Control Agent clients are available for Windows- and Linux-based systems only.

HP Systems Insight Manager retrieves software and firmware inventory from managed systems using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a management protocol that can be used for reporting information back to a central location or to gather information from the local system using various management tools. SNMP can be managed in Windows directly from the service itself, or from within the SMH.

Systems that can be version controlled are limited, as described:

1- Software and firmware version inventory is retrieved from systems that report software inventory using SNMP regardless of the operating system.

2- Windows and Linux systems running the Version Control Agent can receive software and firmware version status and updates. Firmware updates to ProLiant BL e-class GbE Interconnect switch and the p-class GbE and GbE2 interconnect switches are also supported, but only if HP Systems Insight Manager is running on Windows.

3- Software and firmware version queries can run against any devices from which HP Systems Insight Manager has retrieved inventory information and software and firmware version status has been retrieved.

4- Version Control Repository Manager is currently only available on Windows systems running HPSIM.

HP SIM uses Single login when communicating to servers, Single Login enables a user that browses to the HP Systems Insight Manager system to follow links from that system to other managed systems without being prompted to login again. When the same user browses directly to a managed server, they must authenticate through the System Management Homepage, using an account and password that is valid on that system.

HP Systems Insight Manager communicates with web applications, such as the Version Control Agent and Version Control Repository Manager, using Secure Task Execution, which is enabled by configuring the System Management Homepage to trust the Central Management Server.

The Version Control Agent communicates with a Version Control Repository Manager, it acts as a client application and requires the same kind of authentication information, such as an account and password, that an interactive user needs to login to the System Management Homepage on which the Version Control Repository Manager is installed. (i.e. a valid user name and password embedded into the OS).

The Version Control Repository by default is installed on a Windows operating system at the C:\Repository directory. This default can be changed when the Version Control Repository is first configured. ProLiant Support Pack components can be added several different ways:  Physically add to repository directory  Version Control Repository Manager GUI to load  Automatically download. In addition that you can create your own Custom Base line Repository.

The update of ProLiant Support Packs and components from single or multiple repositories saves time and is important to standardizing software maintenance and update procedures on distributed systems. The system user account that updates the repository must have write access to the repository, which can be located on a local or shared network drive. When a repository has been created, it must be populated with ProLiant Support Packs and components prior to updating target managed systems. You can update the repository automatically through the Version Control Repository Manager or manually through the HP website.

Now there is no PSP (Proliant Support Pack) so we are going to use SPP, But When the HP Service Pack for ProLiant (HP SPP) is uploaded using the "Upload Support Pack" option, we get “HP Service Pack for ProLiant (HP SPP) as Invalid or Upload Task May Show an Upload Error”

First use IE10 in compatibility mode and

1. Click on the invalid SPP link on the VCRM homepage and make a note of the missing component filenames that are marked in red.
2. Extract the missing component manually from the SPP and copy it to the repository, perform a rescan of the repository and rebuild catalog task if the copied components are not identified by VCRM automatically.

OR

Place the "Service Pack for ProLiant" ISO file directly into the repository folder, perform a rescan of the repository and rebuild catalog task if the copied ISO is not extracted and components are not identified by VCRM automatically.

HP Systems Insight Manager retrieves software and firmware version information and the Version Control Agent installed on target managed servers as part of the Software Version Status Polling task.

There are four status levels for software: 

1- Normal (green) — all components on the device match the repository.

2- Minor (yellow) — at least one of the components on the device can be updated, but none of the updates are major.

3- Major (orange) — At least one of the components on the device requires an update that is deemed major. There may also be other components that are minor updates.

4- Unknown (blue) — the device or repository could not be contacted and the status of that system is not known at this time.

The Version Control Agent and Version Control Repository Manager login to the management web server using the System Management Homepage. You must configure the System Management Homepage security software to enable the Version Control Agent to access the Version Control Repository Manager using operating system authentication. The VCA communicates with the VCRM acting as an HTTP client, thus it requires a user name and password in addition to the name of the VCRM, this shall be configured from the SMH.