Considerations for upgrading from version 7.6

This topic describes considerations if you are upgrading from version 7.6 to version 8.2.

Application Server and the RCP client

The Application Server and the RCP client (BMC Server Automation Console) must be located on the same Local Area Network (LAN). Remote users can use the console through either RDP or Citrix from a remote computer to the computer where the console resides.

Application Server and the database server

If an Application Server participates in Application Server cluster and is configured as a job server or config server, then that Application Server must be physically co-located on the same Local Area Network (LAN) as the database server hosting the BMC Server Automation schema.

Snapshots might need retaking after upgrade from version 7.6 to version 8.2

If a snapshot template changes during an upgrade of the Application Server from version 7.6 to version 8.2, you might need to retake the snapshots after the upgrade.

Change Tracking errors associated with pre-8.0 Snapshot Jobs (QM001632287)

Change Tracking results requires the Snapshot Job to collect information which would not have been collected during pre-8.2 Snapshot Job runs. As a result, the Change Tracking Delta Asset view for the pre-8.2 Snapshot Job runs may display any of the following:

All the changes that the version 8.2 Snapshot Job runs show.
Partial delta information based on whether the delta is in the root asset selected as the template part.
A message saying No Changes Detected .

There may be additional behaviors not listed above for the pre-8.2 Snapshot Job runs. Any Snapshot Job run done post-8.0 should show the proper delta information.

blcli-log.cf file deleted by upgrade to version 8.2 (QM001637014)

An upgrade from BMC Server Automation version 7.x to 8.2 deletes the blcli-log.cf file. This file is created at runtime by the BLCLI tool and is recreated each time the tool runs. If you changed the file (for example, by changing log file location or logging level), you must make those same changes to the file created when you run BLCLI after the upgrade.

Upgrading to version 8.2 requires recreating some object instances (QM001598666)

Prior to version 8.0, Distribute Configuration Objects, Deregister Configuration Objects, and Upgrade Model Objects jobs used AuditJob RBAC authorizations. In 8.2, these job types have their own RBAC authorizations:

DistributeConfigurationObjects.*
DeregisterConfigurationObjects.*
UpgradeModelObjects.*

After upgrading to 8.2, you cannot run any instances of these job types which were created prior to 8.0. You can view them, but you cannot execute, modify, or delete them using the BMC Server Automation Console.

You must re-create new instances of any such job types in 8.2. When the new jobs have been created, the old jobs can be removed directly from the database by following the procedure described in the readme file.

For Oracle: db_scripts/oracle/utility/delete_old_co_jobs

For SQL Server: db_scripts/sqlserver/utility/delete_old_co_jobs

Permission considerations for Oracle (QM001633848)

You must have GRANT SELECT ANY DICTIONARY TO BLADELOGIC permission to use DB diagnostics. This applies to Oracle only and is granted post-upgrade to 8.2.

If there is a problem granting this additional privilege, then the privilege may be granted at execution time for the DB diagnostics and then revoked.

Manual modification of Application Server configuration for Active Directory/Kerberos (QM001730708)

You must manually modify the configuration of the Application Server if the following are all true:

You are upgrading from release 7.6.
You are using Active Directory/Kerberos authentication.
The blappserv_login.conf provides a full path to the keytab file.
The keytab file resides in the br folder.

If all these criteria are true, then after migration you must provide the correct path to the keytab folder, which is specified in blappserv_login.conf.

Manual modification of client configuration for Active Directory/Kerberos (QM001689999)

You must manually modify the configuration of the BMC Server Automation client if the following are all true:

You are upgrading from release 7.6.
You are using Active Directory/Kerberos authentication.
The config.properties file provides a full path to the blclient_krb5.conf and blclient_login.conf files.
The blclient_krb5.conf and blclient_login.conf files reside in the br folder.

If these criteria are all true, then after migration you must

Delete the local copy of config.propertiesat the following location:
- UNIX: ~/.bladelogic
- Microsoft Windows: %HOMEPATH%\AppData\Roaming\BladeLogic
Change directory to the <installDirectory>/br directory.
Edit the config.properties file to provide the correct path to blclient_krb5.conf and blcient_login.conf.
Start the BMC Server Automation Console (RCP client). The start-up process creates the local copy of config.properties from the file you modified.

Enabling BMC Server Automation version 8.2 patch management on BMC Server Automation version 7.6 Windows agents

To enable BMC Server Automation version 8.2 patch management on BMC Server Automation version 7.6 Windows agents, use the following procedure after upgrading your BMC Server Automation Application Server:

Enroll the existing BMC Server Automation version 7.6 agents with the BMC Server Automation version 8.2 client and create server groups as appropriate.
Enroll the localhost (where the BMC Server Automation Console is running) with the BMC Server Automation version 8.2 Application Server.
Note

To create a Deploy Job using BLCLI, you must define a target for the Deploy Job. This step ensures the availability of a target for the Deploy Job. After creating the Deploy Job with this target, you can reassign it to it one or more groups, and then remove the individual target. The DEPLOY_JOB_TARGET_FOR_CREATION parameter is defined as the localhost by default, you can change it to point to any server that is enrolled with the Application Server.
Navigate to the <Application_Server_install_dir>\NSH\share\patch directory. For example: C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic\8.2\NSH\share\patch

Edit the following files:

In Groups.txt, add the names of all server groups that include BMC Server Automation version 7.6 Windows agents that are enrolled with the Application Server. Add each group on a separate line.

In patchAgentScript.confset the following parameters.

Parameter	Description
BL_PACKAGE_NAME	Package that is created by the script.
BL_PATCH_CHECK2_FILE_PATH	NSH path to the BLPatchCheck2.exe file.
DEPLOY_JOB_FOLDER_ NAME	Job folder that is created by the script. This folder will contain the created Deploy Job. Default: `deployJobs`
DEPLOY_JOB_NAME	Deploy job that is created by the script Default: `blpatchcheck2DeployJob2`
DEPLOY_JOB_TARGET_ FOR_CREATION	A target that is added to the Deploy Job at creation time and removed later.Note: This target is not used in the upgrade unless it is a part of a group that is added to the Deploy Job as a target.
DEPOT_FOLDER	Depot folder that is created by the script. This folder contains the depot files and the BL Package that contains the files to be deployed
PROFILE_NAME	Authentication Profile that is used to log on to the Application Server with this NSH script.
ROLE_NAME	Role name to be used for executing BLCLI commands.
TARGET_GROUP_FILE_ NAME	NSH path that contains the Groups.txt file.
TMP_DIR	Temporary directory that Network Shell uses. The Application Server must also have write access to this directory.

Save the change to the files.
Open Network Shell and cd to the <Application_Server_install_dir>/NSH/share/patch directory. For example: /C/Program Files/BMC Software/BladeLogic/8.2/NSH/share/patch
Run the patch76AgentScript.nsh script and enter the username and password for the Application Server when prompted.
Open the BMC Server Automation Console and navigate to the deployJobs folder (assuming that you did not change this in the DEPLOY_JOB_FOLDER_NAME parameter in the patchAgentScript.conf file).
Right-click on the blpatchcheck2DeployJob2 Deploy Job (assuming that you did not change this name in the DEPLOY_JOB_NAME parameter in the patchAgentScript.conf file) and run the job.
After the job finishes successfully, all the version 7.6 Windows targets that are in the groups that were included in the Deploy Job, are upgraded and can work with the version 8.2 Application Server.
Note

The Deploy Job creation BLCLI command cannot accept a group name as a parameter. It only works with a target name (mandatory), this means that the script creates a Deploy Job with a target, then adds the groups, and removes the target later.

Upgrading from version 7.6 causes failures in authentication (QM001717757)

Upgrading from version 7.6 causes failures in authentication if the path specified for any authentication parameter in version 7.6 is a full path pointing to a file in the br folder.

The upgrade from version 7.6 changes the installation directory location. For example, if the version 7.6 installation location is /usr/nsh, the upgrade moves it to /usr/nsh/NSH. In configuring authentication for version 7.6, if any authentication parameter specified the full path to a configuration file in the /usr/nsh/br folder, then after upgrade, authentication fails.

Authentication parameters affected by this issue include the following. (However, this list is not all-inclusive.)

RSA authentication configuration parameters
LDAP authentication configuration parameters
ADK authentication configuration parameters
BMC Server Automation Console — Settings for AD/Kerberros in the config.properties file and paths to the authenticationprofiles.xml file that are specified in secure file and environment variables.

Workaround: Identify the files that reference the BMC Server Automation version 7.6 installation directory and edit them to point to the 8.2 installation directory: # In the BMC Server Automation version 8.2 installation directory, change directory to the directory above NSH.# Invoke the Network Shell and execute the following commands:

TARGETDIR=`pwd`
grep -R "${TARGETDIR}/[^NSH]" *

Edit each file returned by the grep command and change the installation directory location to specify the 8.2 installation directory. (In most cases, you just need to add NSH to the specified installation path.)