Configuring a single default Application Server on the host


 

The single default Application Server configuration is the most common one and can be performed as a last step in the installation of an Application Server. During installation, you use the Post Install Configuration wizard to perform the initial configuration of the Application Server. With this basic configuration, you can start the Application Server and then change it as needed. There are two ways you can perform the initial configuration: 

Configuring the default Application Server using the Post-Install Configuration wizard 

The Post-Install Configuration wizard consolidates the minimum configuration steps that must be performed to set up an Application Server. Although the BMC BladeLogic Application Server Administration console provides command-line mechanisms for configuring all possible Application Server options, only a few must be set to make a TrueSight Server Automation system functional. The Post-Install Configuration wizard presents those essential tasks in a graphical user interface and provides explanatory information for each step in the process. 

Note

For information about an alternative method for configuration of these essential settings through the blasadmin command line, see Using blasadmin to perform initial application server configuration.

The Post-Install Configuration wizard is available for both Windows and UNIX installations. It enables you to set the following configuration options:

  • Database connection parameters — The TrueSight Server Automation Console works in conjunction with an Oracle or SQL Server database server in its middle tier. To configure your database connection, use the configuration wizard.
  • File server — The TrueSight Server Automation Console uses a file server to store large snapshots of files, Network Shell scripts, BLPackages, Windows installable files, and other types of information that is not easily stored in a database. To identify the file server and a directory within the file server, use the configuration wizard.
  • Notification servers — The TrueSight Server Automation Console optionally generates email and SNMP traps that send notifications when a job completes. Use the configuration wizard to identify an SMTP server, the address from which the notification emails originate, and the SNMP destination to which all SNMP traps are sent.
  • Superuser passwords — The TrueSight Server Automation Console provides several predefined users. The RBACAdmin user has full permission to manage roles and users in the Role-based Access Control (RBAC) Manager workspace in the TrueSight Server Automation Console, where you can assign permissions for all users. The BLAdmin user has Read access for all system objects within the TrueSight Server Automation Console. Use the configuration wizard to provide secure remote passwords (SRPs) for the RBACAdmin and BLAdmin users.

Note

Be aware of the following:

  • If your database is not set up or you do not currently have the information to establish a connection to that database, you cannot configure the Application Server. Click Cancel to close the wizard. Obtain the necessary connection information and run the Post-Install Configuration wizard again to complete your system configuration.
  • If you are running the Post-Install Configuration wizard on UNIX, install the OS-specific X Window System (X11) libraries.
  • For the Post-Install Configuration wizard to work properly on an Application Server of type NSH_Proxy, ensure that communication is not based on the ssoproxy (single sign-on) authentication protocol. In the secure file, check whether the following option appears. If it does, remove this option until after you finish using the Configuration wizard:appserver_protocol=ssoproxy

To configure the default Application Server by using the Post-Install Configuration wizard

  1. Before you configure the Application server, add the property local account name for the file server to /etc/rsc/exports (Linux) or C:\windows\rsc\exports (Windows).
    Linux:
    * rw,user=root

    Windows:

    * rw,user=Administrator These permissions grant wide-open access to the file server. For more information, see File-server-requirements.

  2. To start the Post-Install Configuration wizard, do one of the following:
    • Perform an installation that includes installation of the Application Server. The installation program gives you the option of launching the wizard at the end of the installation procedure.
    • From the Windows Start menu, select Programs > BMC Software > BladeLogic Server Automation Suite > Utilities > Application Server Configuration Wizard.
    • Start the wizard manually by running one of the following commands in the directory where TrueSight Server Automation is installed. Enter the following:
      • (Windows)

        bin\blappconf.exe
      • (UNIX)

        ./br/blappconf

        Note

        If you invoke the wizard without passing the -i (install) flag, the wizard displays configuration settings that have already been entered for the Application Server and allows you to change those settings.

        The configuration wizard opens.

  3. Read the introductory page and click Next. The Database page appears.
  4. Choose a Database Type (either Oracle or SQL Server).
  5. If you are not using a custom connection string, provide the following database configuration information (and do not select the Advanced option):
    • Database Server — Host name or IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the server running the database.
    • Database Port— Port the database listens on. By default a TrueSight Server Automation installation uses the following database ports:

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    • Database Name — Microsoft SQL server database name. By default, the database name is bladelogic . (This option is only available for SQL server databases.)
    • SID — System ID of the Oracle database. (This option is only available for Oracle databases.)
    • User ID — User name that the database needs to authenticate your connection.
    • Password — Password assigned to the user ID.
      or...
      If you are using a custom connection string, provide the following database configuration information:
    • User ID — User name that the database needs to authenticate your connection.
    • Password — Password assigned to the user ID.
    • Advanced — Select this option to indicate that you are providing a custom connection string.
    • Connection String — Type the custom connection string in the field below the Advanced check box.
  6. Click Next. The File Server page appears.
  7. Provide the following file server configuration information:
    • File Server Name — Host name or IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the server where data is stored. By default, the file server is created on the same machine as the Application Server.
    • File Server Storage Location — Directory on the file server where data is stored. By default, the directory of the file server is <appserverInstallDirectory>/storage.
  8. Click Next. The Notification Servers page appears.
  9. Provide information identifying an email server by entering the following under SMTP Options:
    • SMTP Server — Name or IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the host managing email. (SMTP stands for simple mail transfer protocol.)
    • E-mail From — email address from which TrueSight Server Automation-generated email is sent. TrueSight Server Automation jobs can generate email upon their completion.
  10. If you are using SNMP trap notifications, provide information identifying the SNMP server by entering the following under SNMP Options:
    • SNMP Server — Name or IP address (IPv4 or IPv6) of the host to which SNMP traps should be sent.
    • SNMP Port — The port on the SNMP server that listens for SNMP traps. By default, the port is set to the standard SNMP port of 162.
  11. Click Next. The User Passwords page appears.
  12. Under both RBACAdmin User and BLAdmin User, enter a password and then retype the password to confirm your entry. If a password is already set, you cannot enter a password.
    Passwords are used to authenticate the RBACAdmin and BLAdmin users through the SRP authentication protocol.
    The RBACAdmin user has full permission to manage roles and users in the RBAC Manager workspace in the TrueSight Server Automation Console, where you can assign permissions for all TrueSight Server Automation users. The BLAdmin user has Read access for all system objects within TrueSight Server Automation. For more information about the RBACAdmin and BLAdmin users, see RBACAdmin-and-BLAdmin-users.
  13. (optional) In the Advanced Configuration panel, set Enable Provisioning for bare metal provisioning. You must also set up the provisioning system, create components used by the provisioning process, prepare devices, and create and execute Provision Jobs that perform the unattended installation of the operating system. For more information, see Implementation-process-for-provisioning.
  14. Click Finish.
  15. After you have created the new Application Server, perform the following step if you have configured the file server agent ACLs. In this case you need to allow access to the file server by adding the newly created Application Server to the exports file of the file server.
    Use the following sample code:<application server 1>,<application server 2>,<application server n...> ro,user=blfsro

    The exports file is located in the /etc/rsc folder in Unix and C:\Windows\rsc folder in Windows. 

Recommendation

BMC recommends that you synchronize the clock on the Application Server and all client machines. Clocks should be synchronized to the minute. For example, if an Application Server is in Boston, where the time is 7:04 Eastern Time, set the clock on client machines in San Francisco to 4:04 Pacific Time.

Using blasadmin to perform initial application server configuration

After performing the installation of the application server, a graphical display might not be available and x-forwarding the display might not be practical. In such cases, you can use command line utilities to configure the application server and set up the initial user passwords.

After performing the steps in the following table, you should be able to start up the application server and log on as BLAdmin or RBACAdmin and continue with the rest of the installation.


Step

How to


Configure the database connection

  1. To set your database driver class, run the following blasadmin command:
    blasadmin set Database DriverClass <your driver class>
    The driver class for Oracle is the oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver. For SQL Server, this is the com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver.
  2. To set your database connection string, run the following blasadmin command:
    blasadmin set Database ConnectionString <your jdbc connection string>
    For Oracle, a simple connection string has the following format: jdbc:oracle:thin:@<databaseHost>:<port>:<sid>
    For SQL Server, a simple connection string has the following format: jdbc:sqlserver://<databaseHost>:<port>;DatabaseName=<databaseName>;SelectMethod=cursor
  3. Set your database user ID and password using the following blasadmin commands:
    blasadmin set Database UserId <your user id>
    blasadmin set Database Password <your database user password>


Configure the file server.

Create the file server directory on the relevant host, using the following blasadmin commands:

blasadmin set FileServer name <file server hostname>
blasadmin set FileServer location <file server directory location>


Configure email settings.

Use the following blasadmin commands:

blasadmin set EmailConfig fromaddress <your From address>
blasadmin set EmailConfig smtpserver <your mail server>


Configure SNMP settings.

Use the following blasadmin commands:

blasadmin set SnmpConfig SnmpPort <snmp port>
blasadmin set SnmpConfig SnmpServer <snmp server>


Set the BLAdmin and RBACAdmin passwords.

Use the bladduser utility with the following commands:

bladduser BLAdmin <password>
bladduser RBACAdmin <password>

Where to go from here

Setting-up-configuration-files

 

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