BMC Database Automation components
This topic provides an overview of the different components that comprise BMC Database Automation (BDA) to help give you a general understanding of the pieces that will form a deployment solution in your environment.
BMC Database Automation has two main components — the management server, which is a centralized Linux computer that runs the web user interface and where all of the intelligence in the software lives, and the Agents, which are installed once on each database server under management, regardless of the number of databases running on that computer. The Agent executes all of the commands that are run as part of any provisioning process, such as the installation of the Oracle software, the application of patches, the execution of any custom pre-scripts and post-scripts, and any other tasks that are necessary for the provisioning process.
Note
BMC Database Automation Managers
The BMC Database Automation Manager (Manager) is one or more hosts that run the BMC Database Automation Manager software. The Manager connects to a set of BMC Database Automation Agents (Agents) that are installed on the hosts in your database environment. The Manager creates jobs such as patching, and sends the workflows over the network to the desired Agents, which then execute the commands and report back to the Manager. The Manager also provides storage for the automation content you create.
The Manager software is installed on a single host when the Manager function is implemented in a Standalone configuration. This Manager provides all management functions for your environment and is the sole interface to the Agents. Managers can also be implemented in a Multi-Manager configuration.
The following sections detail the major components of the Manager.
postgresql
This is the underlying transactional database required for installation of the core BMC Database Automation solution. The product's postgresql schema hosts data that includes job history, patch metadata, node information, and user account data, among other things. The postgresql schema is installed from the standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux media and is not shipped as part of BMC Database Automation.
dmanager
This is the product's network daemon which provides persistent connectivity to all Agents that point to this particular Manager (using the Agent configuration file). The dmanager daemon is also used for encryption transmission of all workflows that are built in the middle tier. This tier is also responsible for providing up and down notifications to the middle tier (below) for workflow execution purposes.
mtd
This is the business logic tier of the product; also known as the Middle Tier Daemon (MTD). Workflows are built into something that the target system's Agent (dagent) can understand, and then delivered to the dmanager process for delivery. The MTD also accepts incoming API calls from the GUI as well as third-party clients (if API access is enabled).
Note (Applicable to version 8.9.01 and later)
Starting with version 8.9.01, BDA uses the TLSv1.2 SSL communication protocol by default on the Manager and Agent. Older TLS/SSL protocols are still available on the Manager for backward compatibility.
If the Manager of version 8.9.01 needs to communicate with Agents of version 8.9.00.001 or earlier, you can do so by setting the transport_layer_backward_compatibility_mode parameter to true as follows:
- Add the following line to /app/clarity/dmanager/etc/dmanager.conf:
transport_layer_backward_compatibility_mode=true - Restart the dmanager service.
Warning
If this change is not made, the Agents of versions prior to 8.9.01 that do not support TLSv1.2 will be unable to connect to the manager.
httpd
These are vendor-provided Red Hat Enterprise Linux Apache packages in which the BMC Database Automation web GUI runs. Users can use a web browser to administer the software.
Note
Beginning with patch 4 of version 8.5.00, BMC Database Automation uses the AES128-SHA cipher suite by default on the Manager and Agent. MD5-RC4 is still supported on the Manager for backwards compatibility.
BMC Database Automation 8.5.00.04 has been certified to support Static (1:1) NAT between the following components:
- Content Manager and Satellites
- Satellites and Agents
Dynamic NAT/PAT is not supported.
Optional:
If your organization requires you to disable RC4-MD5 on the Manager, you can do so by explicitly defining AES128-SHA.
- Add the following line to /app/clarity/dmanager/etc/dmanager.conf:
ssl_cipher_list=AES128-SHA - Restart the dmanager service.
This change will stop/prevent pre-8.5.00 Patch 4 agents (which only supported RC4-MD5) from being able to connect to the manager.
BMC Database Automation Agents
The Agent executes commands and reports back to the Manager. It is used as a local command execution mechanism for workflows created by the Manager. The Agent is installed once per target system. This includes virtual machines (VMs), such as Oracle Solaris Zones, AIX LPARs, and other virtualization techniques. The Agent is configured to talk to a Manager over an SSL-encrypted SOAP connection.
BMC Database Automation data warehouse
An optional component of the suite is the reporting data warehouse, a database used to store configuration data historically for reporting purposes. The data itself is also used in integration scenarios for consolidation into an enterprise CMDB or other asset tracking or management system. This database must be an Oracle database, version 10.2 and later. When the reporting function is provided by BMC Database Automation, the data warehouse is referred to as the BMC Database Automation data warehouse. If the reporting function is provided by BMC Decision Support — Database Automation, the data warehouse is referred to as the BMC Decision Support — Database Automation data warehouse.
BMC recommends that it be run on a separate computer from the Manager in production environments.
For more information about the data warehouse, see Data warehouse.
Comments
Log in or register to comment.