Installing the remote device agent on Windows

The topics in this section describe how to install an optional TrueSight Network Automation remote device agent.

A local device agent is automatically installed when you install the TrueSight Network Automation application server. You cannot install a remote device agent on the application server host computer.

Remote device agent deployment considerations

Installing the remote device agent is optional. When you install the application server, by default it installs a local device agent.

The local device agent is always active on the server. All devices by default are assigned to the local device agent. However, installing a remote device agent offers these operational benefits:

• The remote device agent uses a single secure port (default 1099) to communicate with the application server and uses standard protocols to communicate with devices. This enables you to manage devices that are behind firewalls or in a demilitarized zone (DMZ) where you cannot open Telnet/SSH and TFTP/FTP/SCP ports, but can open an SSL port.
• The remote device agent enables you to manage multiple networks that have duplicate IP address ranges. This improves performance and reduces WAN bandwidth when loading software images to devices in a region site/region. The OS image is transferred once to the remote device agent for distribution locally to the devices.
• Managed service providers can securely manage customer networks through a dedicated remote device agent co-located at the customer premises. The customer remote device agents are managed over a single SSL connection.

Before you begin

BMC recommends that before you install the remote device agent, perform the following tasks:

• Print out and enter in the worksheet the selections and parameter values you plan to use when you run the installer. (see Remote device agent installation worksheet.)
• Refer to the worksheet when you run the installation.
• If you have installed any intrusion prevention system, such as McAfee Intrusion Protection, ensure that it is disabled before you start the installation process. You can enable it once the installation is complete.

To install the remote device agent on Microsoft Windows

1. Log on as an administrator to the host computer where you are installing the remote device agent.
2. Start the installation by executing the setup.cmd file that you obtained by extracting the installation files.
   The installer might take a minute or more to start.

3. Start panel: Select the language to be used for installation.
   
   TrueSight Network Automation supports the English and Chinese languages.

4. Click OK.
5. Welcome panel: Click Next.
6. End User License Agreement panel: Review the TrueSight Network Automation Software License. You must accept the terms of this license agreement to continue installation, and click Next.
7. (Optional): Microsoft .Net version validation warning panel: Install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.x if you see the following warning, and then click Next.
   See http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/ for details.
   
   It is detected that the host on which you are installing TrueSight Network Automation vv.rr.ss.ppp does not have Microsoft .Net framework 3.5.x which is prerequisite for packaged TFTP Server. Please install it before you proceed if you are planning to use packaged TFTP Server. If you proceed without installing Microsoft .Net framework 3.5.x then packaged TFTP Server will not work.

8. Component Selection panel: Select the Remote Device Agent option, and click Next.

   Note

   The installer prevents the installation of the remote device agent, if it detects that the application server has been installed on this computer.

9. Installation directory panel: Specify the directory in which you want to install the product in the Destination Directory field, and click Next. Default: C:\Program Files\BMC Software\BCA-Networks-Agent

   Note

   • Do not use the pound ($), hash (#) or at (@) sign in the directory path.
   • The directory path cannot contain any non-Latin characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or similar characters). These characters cause the installation to fail.
   • You must install the software on a local drive. Do not install the software on a network drive.
   • BMC recommends using the default for continuity with uninstallation and future upgrades.
10. TFTP Server Selection panel: Select the Install and configure TFTP Server option if you want to install and configure the TFTP server, and click Next.
11. RMI Port Number panel: Specify the Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) port to use for communication between the application server and the remote device agent, and click Next.
    This port must be available on the system, and any local firewall might have to be configured to allow communication on this port between the application server and the remote device agent. The default port is 1099.

12. Certificate Information panel: Enter the information required for the SSL certificate as described in the following table, and click Next. The certificate is used for secure communications between the application server and the remote device agent.

    Setting	Description
    Common Name (CN)	Enter the host name or IPv4 or IPv6 address of the server. Note: This field must match the host name in the URL that is used to access the TrueSight Network Automation web server.
    Organization Unit (OU)	Enter the name of your organization unit.
    Organization Name (O)	Enter your city or other locality.
    State Name (S)	Enter the name of your state, province, or other political subdivision.
    Country (C)	Enter the name of your country.
    Create Keystore Password	Enter a minimum six-character password to secure the certificate keystore. Note: The password can contain the following special characters: !@$()_+}{[]?.,~`:#. However, it cannot contain the following characters: /\^<|>&%;.
    Confirm Keystore Password	Enter the keystore password again. Note: Record this password in a secure location.

13. Memory and System Options panel: Change memory settings or enter additional startup options if required, and click Next.
    
    

    Setting	Description
    Initial Memory Allocation	The amount of memory that the software allocates and holds upon startup. Additional memory is allocated, as needed, up to the Maximum Memory Allocation value (see next item).
    Maximum Memory Allocation	The maximum amount of memory that the software process can use. Use the guidelines in the Memory guidelines table below to estimate of the setting for initial and maximum memory based on number of devices. The actual values depend on how your TrueSight Network Automation system is used. If required, these values can be adjusted later.
    Cache Successful DNS Lookups for	The number of seconds to cache successful DNS lookups. A value of 0 caches the lookups forever. This value controls how many seconds it takes for the software to detect an IP Address change in your TrueSight Network Automation system when performing DNS lookups (for example, for syslog processing). Typically this value need not be changed.
    Additional Startup Options	Additional startup options for the application. For a specific recommendation, see the note following this table. The FAQ and Knowledge Base articles might recommend additional startup options to solve issues unique to your environment.

    
    Memory guidelines

    Number of devices	Recommended initial memory	Recommended maximum memory
    Up to 1000	1024 MB	2048 MB
    1001–5000	1024 MB	4096 MB
    5001–25,000	1024 MB	16,384 MB

    Note

    In an environment where the TrueSight Network Automation agent is installed on a host computer that is behind a Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall, perform the following actions:

    • Specify -Djava.rmi.server.hostname=VALUE, an additional startup parameter during installation. Replace VALUE with the host name of the TrueSight Network Automation agent.
    • Ensure that the host name of the TrueSight Network Automation agent that you specify resolves to a public IP address from the TrueSight Network Automation server and resolves to a private IP address from the TrueSight Network Automation agent itself, by modifying hosts file accordingly.

14. Installation Preview panel: Review the summary information, and then click Install.
    A panel appears indicating that the installation completed successfully.

15. Finish and log file panel: Review the summary information. To view the installation log file, click View Log. The name of the log file is bcan_install_log.txt. The location of the file is determined by the %TEMP%environment variable in Windows.
    
    

    Note

    When the installation completes, you are reminded of the RMI port (Default: 1099) that is used to communicate between the application server and the remote device agent. Ensure that this port is not blocked by any firewall.

16. When you are finished, click Done.
    As part of a successful remote device agent installation, the following services are installed: 
    • TrueSight Network Automation Agent Service
    • (Optional) BCA-Networks TFTP server 

Where to go next

• If you want to install additional components on your Windows server, see Installing optional components on Windows.

• If you have completed the installation, go to Configuring after installation.

  Note

  If you want to set up your TrueSight Network Automation system in a stand-alone configuration, see Performing a quick start configuration.