N1 Service Provisioning System 4.1 User's Guide

Working with Hosts

Hosts Introduction

A host is an entity (typically a server) on which you install a component. You manage hosts by defining them. To define a host you must enter them into the host repository (or host database), assign them host types, and specify the configuration variables needed to manage each particular host. Within the N1 Service Provisioning System software there are two major groupings of hosts, physical and virtual.

Physical Hosts

A physical host represents a server in your network. Once the host is defined, information about that host is stored in the host database and can be selected as a target for deployment.

There are two functional roles for physical hosts. A physical host can be configured with a Remote Agent and acted upon directly by a Master Server or a Local Distributor. Additionally, a host can be configured as a Local Distributor and act as a software distributor.

Virtual Hosts

A virtual host is a host that is only a source for deployment, such as an instance of an application server. Multiple virtual hosts can exist on a single physical machine. Every virtual host has a parent host, which can be either a physical host or another virtual host. Virtual hosts can be nested arbitrarily, although the outermost parent host must be a physical host.

It can be helpful to think of virtual hosts as containers for sets of related components.

In this example, there are two physical hosts, Host 1 and Host 2. There are five virtual hosts: Servers 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the Admin Server.

Virtual hosts are useful for maintaining multiple instances of an application on a single physical host. They establish a clear distinction between physical machines and the applications running on them. This distinction is especially useful when managing multiple applications that must interact with one another to function.

If your installation requires you to use an administrative server to install and configure hosts, the N1 Service Provisioning System software allows you to define execution plans that specify a virtual or physical host.

Preparing a Host

Before the N1 Service Provisioning System software can work with a physical host, a Remote Agent must be installed on the physical host and the physical host must be prepared. The provisioning software prepares a host by installing OS-specific utilities on the host's Remote Agent. The HTML user interface gives you the option of preparing host when you save its definition. You can also select hosts listed on the Hosts page and prepare them by running the prepare command. The Hosts page identifies hosts that haven't been prepared, yet, by highlighting them in yellow.

Once a host has been prepared, you can perform operations with it, such as running comparisons and performing installations.

Overview of Managing Hosts

Managing a host involves these steps:

Installing a Remote Agent on the host. You can install a Remote Agent either by:
- Running the installer.
- Running the Remote Agent Remote Installer script to install a set of Remote Agents.
Defining the host. You define a host either by:
- Entering the host's data on the Hosts > Detail page and saving the host.
- Running the hdb.h.add command.
  
  Note –
  Once you have completed these first two steps, you can add the host to a host set or query the host with a host search. However, you cannot run plans or perform comparisons on the host until it is prepared.
Preparing the host. You prepare the host either by:
- Leaving the “Prepare Host” check box selected when you save the host with the HTML user interface.
- Selecting the host on the Hosts page and running the “Prepare” command.
  
  Note –
  Once you have prepared the host, you can run plans and perform comparisons on it.

Locked and Unlocked Hosts

When the N1 Service Provisioning System software performs an operation on a host, it locks the host, preventing other plans from operating on it at the same time. Locking a host ensures that one operation, such as an installation, does not undo or overwrite the effects of another. It ensures that the provisioning software can accurately determine the status of a host at any time.

The provisioning software manages the lock automatically. You never need to explicitly lock or unlock a host yourself. However, if the provisioning software indicates that a host is locked, you should wait until its status changes before you try to run a new plan on it.

Hosts and IP Addresses

Each host defined in the N1 Service Provisioning System software must have a unique IP address. You cannot define two hosts, even with different names, that share the same IP address. This restriction helps ensure that one user's work, which might be accessing an address through one host name, doesn't interfere with another user's work, which might be using a different host name to access the same address.

The Hosts User Interface

The Hosts Setup Page

The Hosts Setup page allows you to easily access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches. You can access these major areas of function from either the main work area of the Hosts Setup page or from the left hand menu bar once Hosts Setup is selected.

The Hosts Page

The Hosts page allows you to view a list of the hosts and some basic information about them and to create hosts. The top row of the Hosts Page is used to create new hosts. The rows that follow lists the hosts and displays basic information about each host. The Hosts Page has the following fields.

(Check Box): Marks a host for inclusion when one of the actions are clicked in the Actions for Checked Hosts area. When you initiate one of the Actions for Checked Hosts processes all hosts that are checked will acted upon.
Host: A user definable text string that names the host object. By default, the hosts are listed in alphabetical order by host name. You can change the sort order between ascending and descending by clicking on one of the sort arrows that are in the Hosts header area. The white arrow indicates the sort order. MS, LD, RA, Virtual Identifies the host as either a Master Server (MS), Local Distributor (LD), Resource Agent (RA), or a Virtual Host (Virtual). You can sort the host list by the items in this column by clicking on one of the sort arrows in the header area for this column.
Host Type: A user definable attribute used to categorize hosts. You can sort the host list by the items in this column by clicking on one of the sort arrows in the header area for this column. For more information see Working With Host Types.
OS: Displays the operating system installed on the host. Possible options are any of the supported Windows or UNIX operation systems. This attribute is set at the time the host is created and can not be changed.
Version: Displays the revision level of the host's operating system. This attribute is set at the time the host is created and can not be changed.
Description: An optional user defined text string that describes the host object. This attribute is not used by the provisioning software but can provide meaningful information to the user.
Action: Links that take you to other hosts related pages to either create a new host, view more information about a specific host, view the history of the host, or view the installed components for a specific host.
(Colored Bar): This is a vertical colored bar located to the left of the check box for a given host. It indicates that the host is not prepared. The N1 Service Provisioning System software can not manage a host unless it is first prepared.
Actions for Checked Hosts: From this area you can either prepare or delete the hosts that are checked.

The Host Details Page

The Hosts Details page allows you to view host information and attributes. This page is organized into several general informational and functional sections. The first section addresses the host name, host type, operating system, and attributes. The second section addresses using the Remote Agent on the host. The next section addresses using a host as a Master Server. The next section addresses using a host as a Local Distributor. The next section addresses host relationships. The last section indicates if the host is hidden or not. The Hosts page has the following fields.

General Information

First section of the Hosts Details Page.

Host

A user definable text string that names the host object. This attribute is set at the time the host is created and can be changed using the Hosts Details page by clicking the edit button.

Description

An optional user defined text string that describes the host object. This attribute is not used by the provisioning software, but can provide meaningful information to the user. This attribute is set at the time the host is created, and can be changed using the Hosts Details page by clicking the edit button.

OS

Displays the operating system installed on the host. Possible options are any of the supported Windows or UNIX operation systems. This attribute is set at the time the host is created and can not be changed.

OS Version

Displays the revision level of the host's operating system. This attribute is set at the time the host is created and can not be changed.

Locked Status

Indicates whether the host is locked or not. This is controlled by the provisioning software and cannot be changed by the user.

Last Prepared

Displays the date the host was last prepared or that the host is not prepared yet.

Host Type

Displays the host types.

For more information on host types see Working With Host Types.

For more information on Physical Hosts see Physical Hosts and for Virtual Hosts see Virtual Hosts.

Attributes

A user-definable object that can control some aspect of a deployment. For example, you can define an attribute calling it port and set its default value to 1020. This can then be used to configure the communication port for an application. This attribute is set at the time the host Type is created.

This area contains three fields that displays information about the host attributes.

Attribute - Displays the Attribute name.
Default Value - Displays the default value for the attribute.
Attribute Value - Displays the actual value for the attribute. If this value is different from the default value the background color is different from the rest of the values.

Remote Agent on this Physical Host

This section of the Hosts Details Page displays information regarding the Remote Agent installed on the host.

Connection Type

Displays the communication protocols. For more information, see Network Protocols.

IP Address or Name

Displays the IP Address or IP Host Name for the host. This must match the IP address for the host.

Port

Specifies the user definable port number used for network communication. This must match the port number set during the Remote Agent software installation.

Parent Type

Displays the parent type for the Remote Agent. The Parent Type field is a pull down menu allowing you to choose the Host Type. The options are Master Server and Local Distributor.

Parent Host

Displays the parent host name for the Remote Agent. This defines source host for a deployment.

Advanced Parameters

Displays the XML code used for advance molding. For more information an advanced modelling contact your Sun service provider.

View Connection & Configuration & log...

This is a button that brings up a popup window that displays three separate types of information depending on which button is selected on the popup window.

Connection - Displays host connection information.
Configuration - Displays host configuration information.
Log - Displays host connection log.

Prepare Remote Agent...

This is a button that prepares the Remote Agent on the host. A popup window displays the status of this process while it is running.

Update Remote Agent...

This is a button that updates the Remote Agent on the host. A popup window displays the status of this process while it is running.

This Physical Host is a Master Server

This section displays IP address and port number, if the Master Server software is installed on the host.

IP Address or Name: Displays the IP Address or IP Host Name for the host. This must match the IP address for the host.
Port: Specifies the user definable port number used for network communication. This must match the port number set during the Remote Agent software installation.

Local Distributor on this Physical Host

This section of the Hosts Details Page displays information regarding the Local Distributor if, the software is installed on the host.

Connection Type: Displays the communication protocols. For more information, see Network Protocols.
IP Address or Name: Displays the IP Address or IP Host Name for the host. This must match the IP address for the host.

Port: Specifies the user definable port number used for network communication. This must match the port number set during the Remote Agent software installation.
Parent Type: Displays the parent type for the Remote Agent. The Parent Type field is a pull down menu allowing you to choose the Host Type. The options are Master Server and Local Distributor.

Parent Host: Displays the parent host name for the Remote Agent. This defines source host for a deployment.
Advanced Parameters: Displays the XML code used for advance molding. For more information an advanced modelling contact your Sun service provider.
Host Relationships: This section of the Hosts Details Page displays membership in Host Set(s), and lists any virtual hosts on this host. The following two items relate to this area.
Member of Host Sets: Displays the host sets that this host is a member. There are two links that allow you to either add this host to more host sets or remove this host from host sets.
Virtual Host Children: Lists any virtual hosts on this host.

Other

This is the last section of the Hosts Details Page and allows the user to hide or view a host.

The Host Edit Page

The Hosts Edit page allows you to view and change host information and attributes. This page is organized into several general informational and functional sections. The first section addresses the host name, host type, operating system, and attributes. The second section addresses using the Remote Agent on the host. The next section addresses using a host as a Master Server. The next section addresses using a host as a Local Distributor. The next section addresses host relationships. The next section indicates if the host is hidden or not. The last section indicates if the host is to be updated. The Hosts Edit page has the following fields.

General Information

First section of the Hosts Edit Page.

Host

A user definable text string that names the host object.

Description

An optional user defined text string that describes the host object. This attribute is not used by the provisioning software, but can provide meaningful information to the user.

OS

Displays the operating system installed on the host. Possible options are any of the supported Windows or UNIX operation systems.

OS Version

Displays the revision level of the host's operating system.

Locked Status

Indicates whether the host is locked or not. This is controlled by the provisioning software and cannot be changed by the user.

Last Prepared

Displays the date the host was last prepared or that the host is not prepared yet.

Host Type

A pull down menu the allows you to select one of the user defined host types. For more information on host types see Working With Host Types. Along with one of the user definable hosts type, you must select one of the two radio buttons that indicate whether this is a Physical Host (the default) or a Virtual Host.

For more information on Physical Hosts see Physical Hosts, and for Virtual Hosts see Virtual Hosts.

Attributes

This area contains three fields that displays information about the host attributes.

Attribute - Displays the Attribute name.
Default Value - Displays the default value for the attribute.
Attribute Value - Displays the actual value for the attribute. If this value is different from the default value, the background color is different from the background color of the default values.

Include Remote Agent on this Physical Host

This section of the Hosts Edit Page includes a check box that indicates if the Remote Agent is to be prepared at this time. Once the check box is selected the following items apply. The Remote Agent software must already be installed on the host before it cam be prepared using this section.

Connection Type: A pull down menu to select one of the supported communication protocols. For more information, see Network Protocols.
IP Address or Name: Identifies the IP address to allow a network connection to the host. A host name may also be used if using a host name is supported.
Port: Specifies the user definable port number used for network communication.
Parent Type: A pull down menu that allows you to select the parent type of the deployment source. This is typically either the Master Server or a Local Distributor.
Parent Host: A pull down menu that allows you to select the host name of the source for deployments. The pull down menu lists all the currently defined hosts.
Advanced Parameters: Displays the XML code used for advance modeling. For more information on advanced modeling, contact your Sun service provider.

Include Local Distributor on this Physical Host

This section of the Hosts Edit Page includes a check box that indicates if the Local Distributor is to be prepared at this time. Once the check box is selected the following items apply.

Connection Type: See “Connection Type” above.
IP Address or Name: See “IP Address or Name” above.
Port: See “Port” above.
Test Connection: See “Test Connection” above.
Parent Type: See “Parent Type” above.
Parent Host: See “Parent Host” above.
Advanced Parameters: See “Advanced Parameters” above.

This Physical Host is a Master Server

This section displays IP address and port number if the Master Server software is installed on the host.

IP Address or Name: Displays the IP Address or IP Host Name for the host. This must match the IP address for the host.
Port: Specifies the user definable port number used for network communication. This must match the port number set during the Remote Agent software installation.

Host Relationships

This section of the Hosts Edit Page displays membership in Host Set(s) and lists any virtual hosts on this host. The following two items relate to this area.

Member of Host Sets: Displays the host sets that this host is a member. There are two links that allow you to either add this host to more host sets or remove this host from host sets.
Virtual Host Children: Lists any virtual hosts on this host.

Other

The next section of the Hosts Edit Page allows you to hide or view a host.

Options

This is the last section of the Hosts Edit Page and allows you to update the host with the most recent updates.

How To View Hosts

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

How To View a Host's Configuration

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

Find the row listing the host you're interested in, and click details.

The HTML user interface displays a Host Details page for the host. The Host Details page presents the configuration details of the host.

How To Create Hosts

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

In the top row of the table listing hosts, do the following:
1. Enter a name for the new host in the Host text box
2. Use the pull-down menu to select a host type for the host
3. Enter a brief description of the new host in the Description text box
4. Click create
The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Edit page for the new host.

Use the controls on the Hosts Edit page to configure the new host.
1. In the host type field, use the pull-down menu to select the host type
2. Click the appropriate button to indicate whether this is a physical host or a virtual host. For information about physical hosts and virtual hosts, see Physical Hosts and Virtual Hosts
3. If the host type you selected has attributes associated with it, the Hosts Edit page lists the attributes, along with their default values, in the attribute table. To assign a non-default value to an attribute, enter the value in the attribute column for the attribute row describing the attribute
4. Click the check box that indicates which type of provisioning software application you want to install on this host
5. Configure the connection type, network address, and parent information to correspond to the configuration values you provided the N1 Service Provisioning System software installer when you installed the provisioning software application on this host
  
  Note –
  See N1 Service Provisioning System 4.1 Installation Guide for information on configuring SSL and SSH network connections.
6. To add this host to a host set, click add to host sets... in the hosts relationships area of the page. In the popup window, select the host set you want to add this host to.

Click save.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which now lists the new host.

How To Edit Hosts

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

Find the row listing the host you're interested in, and click details.

The HTML user interface displays a Host Details page for the host. The Host Details page presents the configuration details of the host.

On the Hosts Details page click the Edit button located near the bottom of the page.

Use the controls on the Host Edit page to modify the host's configuration.

When you have finished your modifications, click save.

How To Hide a Host

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

Find the row listing the host you're interested in, and click details.

The HTML user interface displays a Host Details page for the host. The Host Details page presents the configuration details of the host.

Click the check box labeled hidden at the bottom of the page.

Click save.

How To Show a Hidden Host

If the Hosts page is not showing hidden hosts, do the following:

Steps

In the left-hand navigation menu, click hosts Setup.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts Setup page, which allows you to access the three most common tasks; creating hosts, creating hosts sets, and creating host searches.

In the Hosts Setup page, click hosts.

The HTML user interface displays the Hosts page, which displays a list of hosts.

In the upper right corner of the Hosts page, click the check box labeled show hidden hosts.

The HTML user interface updates the Hosts page, which now lists hidden hosts as well as displayed hosts.

Note –
The HTML user interface indicates that a host is hidden by placing a vertical colored bar just to the left of the check box.

Find the row listing the host you want to view, and click details.

The HTML user interface displays a Host Details page for the host. The Host Details page presents the configuration details of the host.

To display the host, so that it always shows up, find the row describing the host you want to hide. Click details.

The HTML user interface displays a Host Details page for the host.

Click the check box labeled hidden at the bottom of the page, so that the box is no longer selected.

Click save.

Summary of CLI Commands for Hosts

The hdb.h commands manage target hosts: physical and virtual hosts whose applications you are managing with the provisioning software.

Table 4–1 Summary of hdb.h Commands


Command	Description
hdb.h.add	Adds a new host.
hdb.h.del	Deletes a host
hdb.h.la	Lists all hosts.
hdb.h.lo	Retrieves information about a host.
hdb.h.lq	Queries for matching hosts.
hdb.h.mod	Modifies an existing host.

The net commands listed below perform networking tasks related to hosts.

Table 4–2 Summary of net Commands


Command	Description
net.gencfg	Generates the Transport Config file for a provisioning software application.
net.ping	Checks connectivity to a Remote Agent or Local Distributor by executing the TCP/IP ping command.
net.traceroute	Uses the IP traceroute utility to find the route to a Remote Agent or Distributor