Preparing for installation

BMC recommends that you first install PATROL for Windows Servers on a limited number of development or test computers, then configure and test PATROL for Windows Servers before installing it onto production computers.

Before you install, you must:

Turning off pop-up blocking software before installing

Before installing the PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers solution or any of its components, you must turn off pop-up blocking software. Pop-up blocking software interferes with the functioning of the installation utility.

Unsupported platform option in the installation utility user interface

If you use the installation utility to build an installable image, the Windows NT 4.0 (Intel) platform option is also displayed in the Select Platforms dialog box. This platform is not supported by the PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers solution.

Warning

Do not select the Windows NT 4.0 (Intel) platform when building an installable image.

Extraneous target platform options available in the installation utility user interface

If you use the installation utility to build an installable image, the following extraneous target platform options are displayed in the Select Platforms dialog box:

Windows NT 4.0 (Intel)
Above Windows 2003 (Intel)
Above Windows 2003 (Itanium)
Above Windows 2003 (Opteron/EM64T)

None of the preceding platforms are supported by the PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers solution. Do not select these target platforms when building an installable image.

Checking for product patches or fixes before installing

Product fixes or patches are often available through the BMC Software Web site. Patches correct issues that are found after a product is released. BMC recommends that you check the product page for PATROL for Windows Servers on the BMC Software Customer Support Web page to determine whether a patch is available before you begin installing a product.

Determining how to install products

You can install products on the computer on which you are running the installation utility (local installation), create an installable image of products, use the -serveronly option, or use the Distribution Server. An installable image is a fully configured product image that you can use to install products to multiple computers. With an installable image, you can create one product image with one pass through the installation utility and then use that image to install to remote computers in your environment.

For more information about creating, distributing, and installing installable images, and about using the ctltool, see the PATROL Installation Reference Manual.

Determining the version of the installation utility

The version of the installation utility included on the CD or Electronic Product Download (EPD) image you use to install this product might differ from a version included on another product CD or from a version that you downloaded from the BMC Software Electronic Product Download (EPD) website. You should use the version of the installation utility that comes with the product that you are installing.

To determine the version of an installation utility, perform the following steps:

Open a command prompt.
Navigate to the directory where the installation utility is located.
Enter the one of the following:
- (Windows)Setup.exe -v
- (UNIX) setup sh -v

Determining where to install the PATROL Agent

Install the PATROL Agent on each computer that you want to monitor. When installing the PATROL Agent, select Managed System as the system role during the installation.

Installing the PATROL Agent over an existing installation

If you are installing the PATROL Agent over an existing installation, any manual modifications that you made to the agent.reg file are not applied to the new installation. You must manually reapply the modifications after the new installation.

Extracting installation files after download

This information is relevant only if you downloaded the PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers solution from the BMC Electronic Product Download (EPD) website, .

When extracting multiple components that you downloaded from the BMC EPD website, you must extract them in the order shown:

Installation utility
PATROL Knowledge Module for Windows Servers

Determining where to install KMs

You install the KMs to multiple target computers in the PATROL environment. Each target computer requires different KM related files and information, depending on the computer's system role in the PATROL architecture. When you run the installation utility on a target computer, you must select the appropriate system role for that computer. The installation utility then installs the appropriate files to that target computer based on the system role selected.

Install KMs that you want to use on:

Computers hosting a PATROL Agent
Each computer that you want to monitor should, at a minimum, have the PATROL Agent and the PATROL KM for Microsoft Windows OS. You might want to install other KMs to monitor specific server types such as Exchange Servers, Microsoft SQL Servers, Domain Controllers, Cluster Servers, Terminal Servers, and so on.
When installing these KMs on the PATROL Agent computer, select Managed System as the system role during the installation.
Computers hosting a PATROL console
Install every KM that you want to use on each PATROL console computer.
When installing these KMs on a PATROL console computer, select Console Systems as the system role during the installation.
Computers hosting a PATROL Console Server
If you use the PATROL Console Server, install every KM that you want to use on the PATROL Console Server computer. Install the same KM and the same version of the KM that is running on the PATROL Agents.
When installing these KMs on a PATROL Console Server computer, select Common Services as the system role during the installation.

For more information about the PATROL consoles and PATROL Console Server or RTserver, see the product's respective online help systems and the following documents: