Configuring VPC in a multi-application server environment

You can share the patch analysis workload across multiple installations of the BMC Server Automation Application Server using the configuration described in this section. Each installation of BMC Server Automation Application Server shares the same database and file server and the same installation of Vendor Patch Content.
Depending on your environment, choose one of the following tasks:

Configuring VPC in a UNIX or Linux multi–application server environment

To share the patch analysis workload across more than one BMC Server Automation Application Server, you must perform the following configuration tasks:

Configuring BMC Server Automation Application Server for UNIX or Linux

There is no limit to the number of installations of BMC Server Automation Application Server sharing one installation of Vendor Patch Content. However, you must perform the following actions for each installation:

  • Synchronize date and time on all installations
  • All applications servers should have the same path to the installation directory. If one of the servers has a path of /usr/nsh/, then all other servers should use the same path.
  • Synchronize the keystore files of multiple Application Servers
  • User ID and Group ID defined for the default 'bladmin' user must have the same definition for all installations. Create the 'bladmin' user prior to installation of BMC Server Automation.
  • All installations of the BMC Server Automation Application Server must refer to the same Database and File Server.

Configuring Vendor Patch Content for UNIX or Linux

For those installations of the BMC Server Automation Application Server that will be shared by one installation of Vendor Patch Content, the following tasks must be performed:

  • Install Vendor Patch Content on a server using the Network File System.
  • Use Network File System Version 4 to share the directory on the Network File System server.
  • Configure the Vendor Patch Content installation directory (/usr/nsh/patch) as a Network File System shared directory.
  • Mount the installation directory on the same mount point for all installations of BMC Server Automation Application Server.

  • Begin Vendor Patch Content installation on one of the BMC Server Automation Application Servers and at the prompt, provide the following information:

    Installation parameter prompt

    Enter the following

    Enter the AppServer Installation NSH Path

    The Application Server installation path to the BMC Server Automation Application Server installation directory

    Enter VPC Installation NSH Location

    The mount point for the Vendor Patch Content installation directory

    Installation begins. When the installation menu appears, continue as described in the installation procedure. For more specific information, refer to Performing-the-installation-of-Vendor-Patch-Content.

  • After installation completes, change ownership of the Vendor Patch Content installation directory on the Network File System server using the following command:
    chown -R UID_bladmin:GID_bladmin nfsPathToSharedVPCInstallDirectory

    The default user, 'bladmin,' becomes the owner of the Vendor Patch Content installation directory.

Configuring VPC in a Windows multi–application server environment

While the product is able to run in a Microsoft Windows multiple application server environment, you cannot configure the product to run on all of the Microsoft Windows application servers running BMC Server Automation Vendor Patch Content jobs.

To configure Vendor Patch Content in a Windows multi–application server environment

  1. Install Vendor Patch Content on only one Windows Application Server in a multi–Application Server environment.
  2. Use job execution rules (available from Tools => Administration => Infrastructure Management) to route all Vendor Patch Content jobs through the Application Server where Vendor Patch Content is located.
    This routing would not only include patch analysis jobs but also any Deploy, Linux internal deploy, and cleanup jobs that are used in association with BMC Server Automation Vendor Patch Content.
  3. Modify the extended object named HP-UX Patch Analysis Results, which is used by Vendor Patch Content to display patch analysis results:
    1. Using a client that has authenticated to the Windows Application Server where Vendor Patch Content is installed, select Tools => Configuration Object Dictionary.
    2. Select the HP-UX Patch Analysis Results object and click the Edit Configuration Object icon.

    3. In the Command Script field, insert the following string at the beginning of the command:

      nexec vpcAppServer

      In this string, vpcAppServer is the name of the Windows Application Server where Vendor Patch Content is installed. For example, for the HP-UX Patch Analysis Results extended object, the command would be:

      nexec vpcAppServer perl "c:/<bladelogic>/patch/hpux/Scripts/cust.pl" ??TARGET.NAME??

    4. Click OK.

 

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