Reducing installation time by installing products in parallel

You can quickly install the entire BMC Cloud Lifecycle Managment stack by installing certain products in parallel and skipping the default product dependencies.

To do this, you must use the setup.cmd –J release_dependencies=true (Windows) or setup.sh –J release_dependencies=true (Linux) flag when you launch the installer. The installer no longer checks any product dependencies during installation. You now can manually promote the appropriate product nodes and execute the installs. As a result, you can execute specific product installations in parallel instead of waiting for one product to finish before you launch another install. You can finish more product installations in less time and so reduce the overall deployment time.

This topic contains the following information:

Video series – Reducing installation time by installing products in parallel

This video series discusses reducing installation time by installing products in parallel.

The following video (5:13) provides an overview on how to reduce time during installations. 

https://youtu.be/DnFc4yPU5BQ

The following video (8:53) lists the important milestones during reduced-time installations. 

https://youtu.be/ohJuOexnzSk

The following video (5:17) shows the final steps in reduced-time installations.

https://youtu.be/UL8c_VIOFvU

Internal and external product dependencies typically used during installation

The following chart lists the internal and external product dependencies typically used during installation. For example, installing BMC Network Automation depends on finishing installations of Cloud Portal and Database - Primary, Cloud Portal and Database – Primary Post Configuration, and Atrium Core – Web Registry Components. Skipping the dependency check allows you to install products in any order. As a result, carefully follow the steps described in To install products in the proper sequence when you do not check dependencies so that you do not corrupt or crash the installation. 

This chart uses the following abbreviations:

• EAR = BMC ARSystem Server – Cloud Portal and Database
• AR Post = Cloud Portal and Database – Post Install Configuration
• AtriumWS = Atrium Core – Web Registry Components
• BSA FS = BMC Server Automation - File Server
• BSA AppSvr = BMC Server Automation - Application Server & Console
• BSA Post – BMC Server Automation - Application Server Post Install configuration
• AMREPO = Atrium Orchestrator - Access Manager and Repository
• CDP = Atrium Orchestrator - Configuration Distribution Peer
• Content = CLM Content
• BAO Post = BMC Atrium Orchestrator Post Install Configuration
• BNA = BMC Network Automation
• Cloud Database Extensions
• Platform Mgr = Cloud Platform Manager
• Cloud Portal AR Extensions
• My Cloud Service Console
• Cloud Portal Web Application
• BNA DA = BMC Network Automation Device Agent
• BBAR = BMC Bladelogic Advanced Repeater
• PXE = PXE Server

Before you begin

• Meet all the prerequisites for a fresh installation before you start.
• Do not run Cloud Database Extensions and Atrium Web Services in parallel, because both product point to the same AR System server. If the Cloud Database Extensions installation is in progress, the Atrium Web Services installation finds the AR System server busy and likely will fail.
• Make snapshots and database backups when prompted by the installer.

To install products in the proper sequence when you do not check dependencies

Use the following order when you install the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management products and you skip the dependency check. 

1. Launch the installer.
   1. On Windows, enter setup.cmd –J release_dependencies=true.
   2. On Linux, enter setup.sh –J release_dependencies=true.
2. When you are prompted that the installer is launched with the release dependencies set to true, click Next to continue.
3. Install the BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management installer on the installer host.
4. Install NSH on the installer host
5. Select New Deployment and then select the Small Deployment type.
6. Select both the Control and Workload tiers.

7. Enter the target hosts for products used in a Small Deployment cloud environment.

   Note

   Workload tier component installs are optional.
8. Install RSCD agents on all the hosts.
9. Install the BMC ARSystem Server - Cloud Portal and Database, BMC Network Automation Device Agent, and BMC Bladelogic Advanced Repeater products in parallel.
   Because product dependencies are not being checked, the Currently Installing tree lists these three products as being concurrently installed.

   1. Enter the user inputs in the Cloud Portal and Database installation and start the installation process. 

      Note

      Because Cloud Portal and Database approximately an hour to install, you will start and finish installing several other products in parallel, for example, the Mid Tier, BMC Server Automation Application Server, and so on. 
   2. Enter the user inputs in the BMC Network Automation Device Agent installation and finish the installation.
   3. Enter the user inputs in the BMC Bladelogic Advanced Repeater and finish the installation.
10. Manually promote the AR System Mid-Tier, BMC Server Automation - File Server, BMC Server Automation Application Server, and Atrium Orchestrator Access Manager and Repository nodes from Upcoming Installs to Currently Installing.
    The following screenshot shows four products being concurrently installed. 
    
    You now can install these products in parallel.
    1. Enter the Cloud Portal and Database host name when the AR System Mid-Tier installation prompts you.
       Even though the Cloud Portal and Database is being concurrently installed, the Mid Tier installation will not check the dependencies and allows the installation to continue.
    2. After BMC Server Automation Application Server is finished, immediately start installing BMC Server Automation Console.
    3. After Atrium Orchestrator Access Manager and Repository is finished, immediately start and finish the following installations: 
       
       1. BMC Atrium Orchestrator CDP
       2. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management Content
       3. BMC Server Automation Console
11. After BMC ARSystem Server – Cloud Portal and Database is finished, immediately start AR Post Install Configuration.
12. After AR Post Install Configuration is finished, start and finish the following installations:
    • Atrium Core – Web Registry Components
    • BMC Server Automation Post Install Configuration

    • Atrium Orchestrator Post Install Configuration

13. (Optional) Click the green check mark to review your successful installations.
    
14. (Optional) After BMC Server Automation Post Install Configuration is finished, install the PXE server.
15. After Atrium Core – Web Registry Components is finished, start and finish the following installations:
    • Cloud Database Extensions 
    • BMC Network Automation
16. After Cloud Database Extensions is finished, start and finish the Platform Manager installation.
17. After Platform Manager is finished, start and finish the following installations:
    • Cloud Portal AR Extensions
    • CLM Self Check Monitor
    • Cloud Portal Web application
18. Exit the install planner or continue installing other products.
    The following screenshot shows the results of the accelerated Small Deployment (applies to both version 4.5 and version 4.6). In about 3-5 hours, 18 products were successfully installed in the BMC IDD Lab.
     

Where to go from here

Verifying the installation