HP Version Control 7.0 Installation and Configuration Guide
1 Product overview
Today's distributed enterprise networks are some of the most complex ever constructed. As
companies deploy more business-critical applications, these networks continue to rapidly expand,
becoming more sophisticated and requiring servers that support the latest technological innovations.
In this fast-changing environment, any loss of availability translates into a loss of time and money,
and manageability has become the leading success criterion for today's highly competitive
businesses.
HP systems provide maximum uptime with minimal maintenance. HP has developed advanced
server management technologies, such as the HP Version Control Repository Manager (HP VCRM),
HP Version Control Agent (HP VCA), and HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM). The tight integration
of these advanced technologies reduces server management efforts, enabling administrators to
work issues, resolve problems, and install server software from remote locations by means of a
standard web browser.
HP VCRM
The HP VCRM is a repository that stores the software and firmware components used to support
ProLiant servers on Windows and Linux platforms. By default, the HP VCRM is installed on the HP
SIM Central Management Server, however you can specify a custom directory or server location.
You can use the HP VCRM as a central point to define software baselines and to automate the
installation and change management of HP software and firmware updates to production systems.
The HP VCRM catalogs system software and firmware that is stored where the HP VCRM is installed.
The software and firmware can be manually downloaded from
http://www.hp.com/servers/swdrivers directly to the file system, or you can use the HP VCRM to
automatically download software or manually upload software from any web client. Software is
organized into groups by function and operating system. You can view detailed information about
each piece of software by clicking the software component name. The HP VCRM also enables you
to create customized groupings of software, which can then serve as a system software baseline
for the entire managed environment or a subset of your environment.
NOTE: If you use the automatic download feature for software updates, then you must ensure
that either the HP VCA is configured and directed to the HP VCRM or the operating systems are
selected for PSP download through HP VCRM Installer GUI during installation/upgrade, web page
GUI during configuration, or through the CLI option. However, if you manually upload software
updates, then you must also manually update the HP VCRM. In this case, the HP VCA need not
point to the HP VCRM.
HP VCA
The HP VCA is an Insight Management Agent that is installed on a server to enable you to view
the HP software and firmware that is installed on that server. The HP VCA can be configured to
point to a repository being managed by the HP VCRM, enabling easy version comparison and
software update from the repository to the server on which the HP VCA is installed.
The HP VCA provides version control and system update capabilities for a single HP system. The
HP VCA determines server software status by comparing each component installed on the local
system with the set of individual components or a specified ProLiant and Integrity Support Packs
listed in the HP VCRM. You can also update individual components or multiple components by
checking the checkbox. The entire ProLiant and Integrity Support Packs can be installed by clicking
the install icon located next to the system software status icon.
The installation of single or multiple software components on an individual system can be initiated
from the HP VCA, which retrieves the software from the HP VCRM. To install multiple components
6 Product overview