Walkthrough: Installing on Linux using the unified installer

This topic walks you through the process of installing BMC Server Automation on Linux, using the unified product installer and component installers. The steps in this topic apply to versions 8.6 and later, except where specifically noted.

Introduction

This topic is intended for system administrators preparing to install the BSA product. The goal of this topic is to demonstrate how to use the unified product installer to install all essential components of the BSA product in a Linux environment.

What is the unified product installer?

The unified product installer simplifies and improves the installation experience by providing a centralized UI for installing the default Application Server node. It installs a set up that consists of the following components:

Oracle Database: The unified product installer creates a BSA schema on your database server.
Default Application Server: This is the primary server that is installed in a BSA environment. The unified product installer configures the default Application Server to connect to your database server. It also installs an RSCD agent on the default Application server. The default Application Server is also referred to as a default Application server node, because it hosts more than one component.
File server: You can choose to install the file server on the same machine as the default Application server (called as the local file server) or install it on a separate machine (called as a separate file server.) In the case of a separate file server, you can choose to manually install the RSCD agent or have it installed by the unified product installer.
Console and PXE/TFTP server: The unified product installer installs the console and the PXE/TFTP server on the default Application Server.

What does this walkthrough show?

In this walk through, we will:

Use the unified product installer to install a small BSA environment (Application Server, console, file server, PXE/TFTP).
Use the quick start page to import servers to the new environment and to add agents to those servers.
Use individual component installers to manually install additional components such as additional Application Servers, a separate PXE/TFTP server, and a separate console server, to complete a production-level environment.

The BSA environment will have the following characteristics:

Component	Number of components	Description
Application Server	2	This BSA environment consists of two Application Servers: A default Application server installed by the unified product installer on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (x64) system. An additional Application Server installed on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (x64) system to improve the performance of BSA.
PXE/TFTP server	2	This BSA environment consists of two PXE/TFTP servers: The PXE/TFTP server installed by the unified product installer on the default Application Server node A PXE/TFTP server that is manually installed on a separate machine (recommended for high performance environments).
Database	1	The default Application Server connects to an existing Oracle database server. Note: Although the BSA schema is created by the unified product installer, you must have access to an existing database that has been set up on an Oracle Server. For a description of that process, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle.
Console	2	This BSA environment consists of two instances of the BSA console: The console installed by the unified product installer on the default Application Server node. A console that is manually installed on a separate machine (recommended for high performance environments)

File server	1	This BSA environment uses a separate Linux file server machine that is installed by the unified product installer.

What do I need to do before I get started?

Perform the following prerequisite steps before executing this walkthrough scenario:

Ensure that your environment complies with the installation requirements discussed in Requirements for installing individual components on UNIX and Linux.
Create the Oracle table space to hold the the BSA schema, database user, and database permissions required to create the BSA schema. For detailed instructions, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle.
Download the unified product installer files to a temporary location. The BBSA86-LIN64.zip and BBSA86-RSCDAgents.zip files, required in this walkthrough, can be downloaded from the Electronic Product Distribution (EPD) website. For instructions on downloading the files, see Downloading the installation files.
If you use the unified product installer, you no longer have to use the DB scripts that are shipped with the product. However, before you run the unified product installer, you must ensure that you have a SQL database server, with an empty tablespace that the unified product installer uses to create the BSA schema. You also need to create a database user to allow the unified product installer to set up your BSA schema. For a step-by-step procedure on setting up the Oracle database, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle .
RSCD agents can be automatically installed on servers that are added as additional Application Servers or as target servers. However, if the server being added runs on Windows, you will need to first set up a PsExec server to install the agents automatically. To set up a PsExec server, download the Microsoft Sysinternals Suite from the Microsoft tech support site and copy the PsExec file to the %PATH% variable (typically C:\Windows\System32\) on any Windows Server. The Windows server is now configured as a PsExec server and can be used to install agents. For more information, see Setting up a PsExec server.
Note

A PsExec server is not required if you choose to manually install the RSCD agent on the Windows server that is being added.
Bash UNIX shell must be the default shell on all machines on which BMC Server Automation is being installed.
The unified product installer needs to be run by a super user — root or a root-equivalent user on Linux. This enables the installer to install components on the Application Servers.
Linux platforms on which you plan to install the Application Server, Console, or Network Shell must have the appropriate version of libtermcap.so.2 and libtermcap.so.6 shared library installed. Install the shared library before installing these components. For more information, click the following link:
Expand steps for installing prerequisite libraries
Requirement for RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 5
If you plan to install the Application Server, the BMC Server Automation Console or the Network Shell on Linux, ensure that the libtermcap.so.2 shared library (and libtermcap.so.6 shared library in case of unified product installer) is installed. To determine if termcap is installed, run the following command:
rpm -qa | grep libtermcap
If this command does not return libtermcap-xxx, install the library from installation media or download and install it from a trusted gnu distribution site.
The libtermcap.so.2 shared library you install depends on the platform of the Application Server, the BMC Server Automation Console or the Network Shell you are installing. If you are installing the:
- 32-bit version of these components on a 64-bit operating system--Install the 32-bit version of libtermcap.so.2.
- 64-bit version of these components on a 64-bit operating system--Install the 64-bit version of libtermcap.so.2.
Requirement for RHEL 6
In RHEL 6 the package name has changed to compat-libtermcap. To install compat-libtermcap on Red Hat version 6, you can use one of the following commands:
- If you have YUM installed and configured: yum install compat-libtermcap
- If you have the RPM package (available from the installation CD): rpm -Uvh compat-libtermcap-2.0.8-49.el6.x86_64.rpm
Requirement for RHEL 7
In RHEL 7, libtermcap is no longer available, and you must create a link to libtinfo instead. Use the following command:
ln -s /lib64/libtinfo.so.5 /lib64/libtermcap.so.2
If libtinfo is not available on your system, obtain it by installing the ncurses-libs package.
You must have an X Window display system installed and configured on your Linux machine.
You must have 4 GB on disk with temp space and 4 GB on disk with installation directory.

How to install the default Application Server and separate file server using the unified installer

We start the installation process by using the unified product installer to:

Install the default Application Server node
Install the separate file server
Configure the database
Install the console and the PXE/TFTP on the default Application Server
Note

This example uses BMC Server Automation version 8.7; however, the process is applicable to versions 8.6 and later.

	Step	Example screen or command
1	Extract the BBSA86-LIN4.zip and BBSA86-RSCDAgents.zip files that you downloaded from the EPD website to obtain the BBSA86-LIN64 and the rscd folder.	`unzip BBSA86-LIN64.zip -d <path_to_extracted_packages> unzip BBSA86-LIN64.zip -d /tmp/BBSA86-LIN64` `unzip BBSA86-RSCDAgents.zip -d <path_to_extracted_packages> unzip BBSA86-RSCDAgents.zip -d /tmp/BBSA86-RSCDAgents`
2	Ensure that you have permission or assign an executable permission to the directory in which you have extracted the packages.	`chmod +x -R <path_to_extracted_packages>`
3	Copy the rscd folder from within the BBSA86-RSCDAgents.zip extracted package to the BBSA86-LIN64 folder.	mv <path_to_extracted_packages>/rscd <path_to_extracted_packages>/BBSA87-LIN64/Disk1/files/installers/ mv /tmp/BBSA87-RSCDAgents/rscd /tmp/BBSA87-LIN64/Disk1/files/installers/
4	Run the setup.bin file that is in the BBSA86-LIN64 folder.	`./setup.bin`
5	Select the language in which you want to run the installer and click OK.
6	Read through the basic information about the unified product installer and the types of nodes that are installed in the environment. Click Next.
7	Read the End User License Agreement (EULA) and select I agree to the terms of the license agreement. Click Next.
8	Read the BSA copyright information and select I agree to the terms of the license agreement. Click Next.
9	Enter the database server details. TIP: You may need the help of the database administrator who set up the Oracle database server you want to connect to. Enter the Host name or IPv4 address of the server that runs the database. Note that if your server is on an IPv6 address system you can only enter the host name of the server. Enter the Port that the database listens on. The default port is 1521 for an Oracle Database. Enter the SID of your database instance that runs on the Linux database server. Enter the database user name that you created while setting up the database. Ensure that you have assigned the required permissions to the user, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle. Enter the password of the database user that you created while setting up the database, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle. Enter the names of the BSA table space and BSA index table space that you created while setting up the Oracle database, see Walkthrough: Creating the BladeLogic Database for Oracle. Click Next. Click here if you want to use a connection string to connect to the database server The Advanced option is only selected if you want to provide a custom connection string to your database. Note that all other fields are disabled when this option is selected. Type the database connection string in the field adjacent to the Advanced check box. An example of a connection string for an Oracle database server is as follows: `jdbc:oracle:thin:@<DBSERVER>:<PORT>:<SID>` Replace the variables in the above connection string, as follows: `<DBSERVER>` is the name or IP address of the database server `<PORT>` is the port used to communicate with the database `<SID>` is the database ID used to identify the Oracle database
10	A summary of the database parameters, default installation location, Application Server base port, and file server parameters is displayed. The name of the local super user for RSCD Agent mapping is also listed.
11	Click Customize Configuration. The Installation Directory tab displays the path where BSA is installed. The default path is /opt/bmc/bladelogic for Linux. You can customize the Installation Directory based on your requirements.
12	Click the File Server tab and enter the file server details. To install the file server on a separate machine, select the Install file server on a separate host option (In version 8.6, this option was called Use Remote file server). Because we have not manually installed the RSCD Agent on the file server, we must ensure that the RSCD agent is already installed option is not selected. Enter the Host name or IPv4 address of the file server. Note that if your server is on an IPv6 address system, you can only enter the host name of the server. Enter the directory on the file server where data is stored. Select Linux as the operating system that runs on the separate file server. Note: For a Linux Application Server, the unified product installer can only install the RSCD agent on a separate file server that is also running on Linux. If the separate file server is running on Windows, you must manually install the RSCD Agent based on the procedures in Installing an RSCD agent (Windows). Enter the name of a Linux user with superuser permissions. Enter the password of the Linux user with superuser permissions. Confirm the password.
13	Click the Ports tab at the top of the screen. Enter the Application Server Base port. Application Server ports are normally configured from a base port, with 9800 being the default base port. Arbitrary port assignments can be made in all cases. For more information, see Application Server ports.
14	Click the Passwords tab at the top of the screen. Enter new passwords in each for the fields based on the guidelines given below. Note: The default password for each entry is password. However, BMC does not recommend using the default passwords provided by the system. Certificate Password The BSA Application Server installation program needs a certificate password to generate a self-signed X.509 certificate. Click here for more information. Communication between BSA and servers being provisioned between the Application Server and the process spawner uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol and X.509 certificates.The password must be at least 6 characters. For more information about certificates and the TLS protocol, see Authentication. BLAdmin Password BSA creates a built-in user called BLAdmin during the installation process. The BLAdmin user is only assigned the BLAdmins role. Click here for more information. To activate the default user, it must be assigned a password and granted access to servers in your network. You can use the RBAC Manager folder to perform these actions, but to start the console the first time, you must define a password for the BLAdmin user. For more information, see RBACAdmin and BLAdmin users. RBACAdmin Password BSA creates a built-in user called RBACAdmin during the installation process. The RBACAdmin user is only assigned the RBACAdmins role. Click here for more information. To activate the default user, it must be assigned a password and granted access to servers in your network. You can use the RBAC Manager folder to perform these actions, but to start the console the first time, you must define a password for the RBACAdmin user. For more information, see RBACAdmin and BLAdmin users.
15	Click the Agent Mapping tab. Enter the name of the local super user, either root (the default) or a root-equivalent user, to which the RSCD Agent should map incoming connections during the installation.
16	Click Update Configuration to apply all the configuration changes that you entered on the various tabs.
17	Click Install to proceed with the installation. The unified product installer performs the following setup operations: Creates a BSA schema in the database Installs the default application server Installs the console Installs a PXE/TFTP server Installs the Network Shell Connects the default Application Server machine to the database Installs the separate file server and the RSCD agent Installs out-of-the-box compliance content Installs pre-packaged sample content (blcontent) and imports various zipkits with pre-defined content for specific tasks
18	In case you encountered any errors while installing you can click View Log to view a detailed report of the installation. Tip: BMC recommends that you save a copy of the log, before you contact technical support for further assistance. You can also find more information about resolving common issues in Troubleshooting the unified product installer. If all operations are completed successfully, click Done to exit the wizard.

How to add additional Application Servers

To meet the demands of a larger data center, you can deploy additional Application Servers. The additional Application Server is used for improving the performance of BMC Server Automation. The method described here for adding additional Application Servers is relevant only if you installed your default Application Server node using the unified product installer.

Note

This example uses BMC Server Automation version 8.7; however, the process is applicable to all versions 8.6 and later.

From BMC Server Automation 8.9.02 and later, Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Update 3 is installed automatically for all Microsoft Windows RSCD agent versions, provided the platform on which you are trying to install the product is supported.

	Step	Example screen
1	Start the BMC Server Automation Console and log on using your BL Admin credentials that you created here. For more information, see Starting the BMC Server Automation Console.
2	Perform the following: Minimize the quick start page Right-click Servers, and click Add Server to add a PsExec server to the BSA environment. Note: If you did not copy the PsExec file to %PATH% (typically C:\Windows\System32\) of the PsExec server, you see an error in this step. Enter the host name or IP address of the PsExec server Click Finish. The PsExec Server is added to the BSA environment.
3	Select the Configuration menu and then click Add BSA Application Server Machine.
4	Enter the following details. Host name or IPv4 address of the Application Server. Note that if your Application Server is on an !Pv6 address system you can only enter the host name of the server. User name of an account with Administrator privileges on the additional Application Server machine. Password of the account with Administrator privileges on the additional Application Server machine. Confirm the password of the account with Administrator privileges on the additional Application Server machine. Select the PsExec server from your environment.
5	Click the Advanced Options tab at the top and enter the following details. Path to the location where you want to install the additional Application Server. The default path used is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic\ Application Server ports are normally configured from a base port, with 9800 being the default base port. Arbitrary port assignments can be made in all cases. For more information, see Application Server ports. Enter the location you want to use as the temporary staging directory during the installation.
6	Click Add node.
7	The additional Application Server is installed. Click OK.

How to add servers and install agents from the quick start page

The next step in setting up the BSA environment is to import servers and add agents to those servers. An easy way to this is by using the quick start page.

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How to complete the install for a production environment

The unified product installer installs the console and the PXE/TFTP server on the default application server node to provide you with a ready-to-use test environment. However, for high-performance production environments, BMC recommends that you install and use additional instances of the console and the PXE/TFTP server on separate machines.

The individual component installers required for installing the console and the PXE/TFTP manually can be found at the following locations in the BBSA86-LIN64 folder. If you are installing either of the components on Linux operating systems you need to download the BBSA86-LIN64.zip package from EPD and extract the required individual component installers for Linux from that package.

Operating System	Component	Path	Installer file name
Windows	Console	/BBSA86-LIN64/files/installers/rcp	BBSACONSOLE86-LIN64
Windows	PXE/TFTP	/BBSA86-LIN64/files/installers/pxe_64	PXE86-LIN32 Note: Although you have different installers for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows for most components, for installing a a PXE/TFTP server you only have a 32-bit installer that you must use in both cases.
Linux	Console	/BBSA86-LIN64/Disk1/files/installers/rcp	BBSACONSOLE86-LIN64
Linux	PXE/TFTP	/BBSA86-LIN64/Disk1/files/installers/appserver_64	BBSA86-LIN64.sh

In this walkthrough we will install additional instances of the console on a Windows server and the PXE/TFTP on a Linux server.

Manually installing an additional instance of the console

Note that in this walkthrough we are installing the console on a Windows operating system and not a Linux operating system. However, if you need to install the console on a Linux or UNIX operating system, see Installing the BMC Server Automation Console (Linux and UNIX).

Step

Example screen

1

Navigate to the directory containing the installation files that you copied from the Application Server and run the installation program for the console. Different installers are provided for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

In this example, we are running the BBSACONSOLE87-WIN64 file on the Windows machine on which you plan to install the console.

Select a language to use for the installation and click OK.

The installer extracts the installation files, and the Introduction window opens.

2

Ensure that you have closed all applications before you proceed.

Click Next.

The Review License Agreement window opens.

3

Read the End User License Agreement (EULA) and select I agree to the terms of the license agreement if you wish to proceed.

Click Next.

The Directory Selection window opens.

4

The default installation location for the console is C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BladeLogic. Click Next to use the default location.

Alternatively, you can click Browse to change the installation location.

5

A window opens in which you can select components to install. By default, all components are selected.

The Network Shell is automatically installed when you install the console.

Note: If you clear the BMC Server Automation Console Upgrade Service check box, the BMC Server Automation Console Upgrade Service is not installed. This service is required for automatically upgrading the BMC Server Automation Console when you upgrade the Application Server.

Click Next.

6

The window displays your selections.

Click Install.

The window displays installation progress, then displays a message when installation is complete.

The console and Network Shell are installed on your machine.

If all operations are completed successfully, click Done to exit the wizard.

7

In case you encountered any errors while installing you can click View Log to view a detailed report of the installation.

Tip: BMC recommends that you save a copy of the log, before you contact technical support for further assistance. You can also find more information about resolving common issues in Troubleshooting the unified product installer.

If all operations are completed successfully, click Done to exit the wizard.

8

Start the console.

To configure the console so that it connects to the default Application Server, click Options.

9

Click on the Authentication Profiles tab and click Add.

BSA clients use authentication profiles to facilitate single sign-on feature. You must create an Authentication profile before you start using the Console. For more information about why we use Authentication Profiles, see System capabilities related to security.

10

Enter the following information.

Assign a name to the authentication profile. For example, you could assign a name such as QATeam or DevTeam.
Enter the name or IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the default Application Server to which the client should connect.
Enter an Authentication Port number to which the client should connect. The same port is used for all BMC Server Automation authentication mechanisms. The default Port is 9840. For more information about Console ports, see BMC Server Automation ports.
Select any one authentication mechanism for the authentication profile:
- Secure Remote Password.
- AD/Kerberos Single Sign-on.
- Domain Authentication.
- LDAP.
- RSA SecurID Authentication.
- Public Key Infrastructure Authentication.
In this walkthrough we will use the Secure Remote Password mechanism. For information about implementing the other authentication mechanisms, see Implementing authentication.
Click OK.

11

You can now log on the the Console using the BLAdmin user that is created while installing the default Application Server node, see step 10.

The quick start page is the first page that is displayed once you log on the the BSA Console. It introduces you to the main use cases of BMC Server Automation and allows you to execute them from a centralized UI immediately after installing the BSA set up. For information about using the quick start page, see Quick start page.

For general information about the UI of the BSA Console, see Navigating the interface.

Manually installing an additional instance of the PXE/TFTP server

	Step	Example screen
1	Copy the installer to the machine where you want to install the PXE/TFTP server. Extract the BBSA87-LIN4.zip file that you downloaded from the EPD website to obtain the BBSA87-LIN64 folder.	`unzip BBSA87-LIN64.zip -d <path_to_extracted_packages>`
2	Navigate to the directory that contains the installation file (for example, BBSA87-LIN64.sh). You use this same file to install a standalone version of PXE/TFTP.	`cd` `<path_to_extracted_packages>/BBSA-LIN64/Disk1/files/installers/appserver_64/`
3	Run the installation script for BMC Server Automation, which in this case is BBSA87-LIN64.sh. Script names typically follow the convention: BBSAversion-platform.sh Note: Do not execute the installation script from a non-root account.	`./BBSA87-LIN64.sh`
4	To install BMC Server Automation in /opt/bmc/bladelogic, press Enter, or enter another directory path.
5	A message prompts you to choose a language for the installation program. Enter the number representing the language that you want to use for the installation.
6	Read through the acknowledgments, third-party software license agreements, and terms and conditions, as follows: A welcome message is displayed, followed by a prompt to read the third-party software license agreements. Press Enter. An acknowledgment is displayed, listing the third-party software that BMC Server Automation uses. Press Enter. A message prompts you to scroll through and review the terms and conditions for using this software. Press Enter. The following message is displayed: Do you agree to the terms of the license agreement (y for Yes)? Enter y.
7	Perform the following: For successful provisioning, the RSCD agent must be installed on the same host computer as the PXE server and TFTP server. Therefore, in this step, enter 1PT. A plus sign (+) appears next to RSCD agent, PXE server, and TFTP server, indicating that you have chosen to install them. Enter 9 to start the installation. A message lists the components that you have chosen to install and asks if you want to continue. Enter y.
8	Enter a password for a self-signed certificate, so that the Application Server can use the TLS protocol. The password must be 6 characters. Confirm the password by entering it again.
9	Specify the max heap size for the Application Server JVM. Specify a size between 512 - 2048 megabytes. A series of messages indicate the progress of the installation. Note: If you are installing on Linux and one of the following conditions is not satisfied, the installer warns that some BMC Server Automation components do not function until the appropriate RPM is installed. On Red Hat Linux, the compat-libstdc++-33 RPMs must be installed. Also, the XFree86-libs or xorg-x11-libs RPMs must be installed. On SUSE 9.x, either the compat or compat-32bit RPM must be installed and the xf86 RPM must be installed. On SUSE 10.x, either the compat or compat-32bit RPM must be installed and the xorg-x11 RPM must be installed.
10	Enter y (yes) or n (no) for the following series of questions: A message lists the host name and IP address of this server. This information is needed to configure a connection with the TFTP server and the data store. If the information identifies the server correctly, press y. Specify whether your DHCP server is located on this server or a separate machine. Click here for more information ... If the DHCP server is located on another server, the installation program automatically configures this server to function as a DHCP proxy. You must configure the DHCP server differently, depending on whether it is installed on the same host computer as the PXE Server. For more information on configuring the DHCP server, see Configuring a DHCP server on Windows and Configuring a DHCP server on Linux. Specify whether you want to use digitally signed logs for RSCD agents. Specify whether you want use keystroke logs for nexec commands.
11	Enter y (yes) or n (no) for the following series of questions: Specify whether you want to provide root permissions to the root clients on this host (root equivalency). By default, the RSCD agent does not provide root permissions to root clients. Specify whether you want a particular client associated with a local user on this machine. If you enter y, you must enter the name of the user and the client that you want to map to.
12	Specify whether you want to manually start the RSCD agent or have it automatically started by the system on reboot. Enter the directories in which you want to save the RSCD log files and the temp files. To accept the default values provided by the system, press enter.
13	Installation of PXE/TFTP server and RSCD agent is now complete. The PXE/TFTP Server Post-Install Configuration wizard automatically starts.

Wrapping it up

Congratulations! You have successfully set up a small BSA environment.

Where to go from here

During installation, default security settings are applied to the Application Server and file server. BMC recommends that you adjust the security level on the Application Server host computer and the file server host computer after completing the installation. For more information, see Security planning.
If you wish to manually install additional components to your environment, see Installing individual components.
To add servers to your new environment, see Walkthrough: Adding a Windows managed server.

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