HP Version Control Agent HP Part Number: 367262-009 Published: September 2010 Edition: 1
© Copyright 2004, 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Table of Contents 1 Product overview........................................................................................5 Additional resources................................................................................................................................6 2 Getting started...........................................................................................7 Internet Explorer security settings..........................................................................................
Glossary....................................................................................................33 Index.........................................................................................................
1 Product overview The HP Version Control Agent (VCA) is an HP Insight Management Agent that is installed on a system to enable you to view the HP software and firmware that is installed on that system. The VCA can be configured to point to a repository being managed by the HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM), allowing easy version comparison and software updates from the repository to the system on which the VCA is installed.
• “Changing log settings” - Configure the log to automatically delete older entries reducing maintenance activity for administrators • “Changing log settings” - Change the log settings • Identifying the presence of the TPM before proceeding to install the firmware components In addition to maintaining the software inventory of the system, the VCA integrates with HP SIM. This integration enables administrators to take advantage of the Software Update capabilities of the agent.
2 Getting started To start using the HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM) and the HP Version Control Agent (VCA), use the following steps as a guideline for installing and configuring your machines properly: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Verify that your system meets minimum requirements. For more information regarding minimum requirements, refer to the Version Control Installation Guide. Install and configure the SMH.
IMPORTANT: If an HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM) has not been configured, only the Software and Firmware Inventory of items currently installed on the system are displayed on the Home page. The VCA settings must be configured for full functionality. NOTE: Login accounts, which have Administrator or Operator privileges defined in the SMH, can access all features of the VCA. Logging into the VCA To log into the VCA: 1. 2. 3.
3 Navigating the software The HP Version Control Agent (VCA) provides an interface that enables you to easily navigate through the tabbed pages: • “ The Home page” • “The Log page” Related topics • Viewing overall software status icons • The Home page • The Log page 9
4 The Home page The Home page lists the HP software and version currently installed. The content of the Home page depends on the configuration of the HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM). Refer to “Changing settings” for information regarding the configuration of the VCRM and Reference Support Pack. The following screen shows the Version Control Agent Home page with the current Software Status and the list of the Installed Software.
Viewing overall software status The Overall Software Status icon is not displayed until an HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM) has been configured using the Change Settings link. After a repository has been configured, the Overall Software Status icon is based on a comparison between the installed software or firmware versions and newest components available from the configured VCRM. The overall software status that appears depends on the configuration defined using the Change Settings link.
Icon Status This update contains critical bug fixes. HP requires that you apply this update at your earliest convenience. The repository contains a version of this component that might contain bug fixes or new hardware support. HP recommends that you review information about this version and apply this update appropriately. The installed software versions are the same or newer than the latest versions available at the VCRM.
The Support Pack Version column is not shown if a Reference Support Pack has not been defined using the Change Settings link. After a VCRM and the Reference Support Pack have been configured using the Change Settings link, both the Support Pack Version and the Latest Version columns are listed. The Support Pack Version column displays the component version of software or firmware that is part of the configured Reference Support Pack.
Support Pack. A Custom Software Baseline can be generated using the HP Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM). Related procedures • Changing settings • Viewing overall software status icons Related topics • The Home page • Viewing overall software status icons Showing or hiding software The Show Additional Items Available in the Repository link provides the Available Software list of ProLiant and Integrity Support Packs and components available for installation.
1. 2. Select the Home tab. The Home page appears. Click Change Settings. The Select the Version Control Repository Manager page appears. a. In the Computer Name field, enter the name or IP address of a system with a VCRM installed. Specifying the name of a computer with a VCRM installed allows a more detailed software inventory to be generated and provides a way to update HP software on the system. b.
column on the Home page. If you changed the VCRM settings and do not want to specify a new Reference Support Pack, you can click Finish without specifying a new Reference Support Pack. • Select When checked, software status is based on installed software’s version matching exactly that software’s version in the Reference Support Pack to alert you if software versions do not match.
• Automatic Reboot. Enables the HP Version Control Agent (VCA) to automatically reboot the system if the installation requires a reboot when finished. In the case of a ProLiant and Integrity Support Pack installation, this event occurs after all component installations complete without error. If any component installation returns an error result, the reboot will not occur. Inspect the VCA Log after an installation error to determine whether the system must be restarted.
Related topics ▲ The Home page Printing software status 19
5 The Log page The Log page contains information logged by the HP Version Control Agent (VCA) during its operation. The log is often informational when you are trying to troubleshoot a problem, such as why a specific task failed. The log can be cleared using the Clear the Log tab.
• Informational and Normal events are logged to confirm the internal event, such as startup, or the result of a successful task completion, such as a component install. • Warning events can indicate a condition that might mean a feature of the VCA is not fully operational, such as an incorrect configuration. • Major events are logged when a task or process fails.
Clearing the log If the logs become lengthy and cumbersome, it can become difficult to find the information for which you are searching. The Clear the Log tab enables you to clear the VCA Log. CAUTION: Clearing the HP Version Control Agent log file is irreversible. Use this feature with caution. IMPORTANT: Be sure that you have configure the Internet Explorer security settings properly. For more information, refer to “Internet Explorer security settings”.
4. In the Days to Keep Entries field, enter the number of days that you want to retain the log entries before deleting them. Note: By default, log entries are kept for 90 days. 5. 6. 7. 8. In the Log Entries Displayed Per Page section, select the number of entries that you want to display on each Log page from the dropdown menu. Click Reset to return the Log Settings page and restore the default settings, or Cancel to abort the changes. Click Finish to save the new settings.
6 Troubleshooting HP Version Control Agent Access problems My Install buttons are grayed out in the VCA when I configure the VCA with administrator, operator or even invalid credentials to connect to the VCRM. Solution: The VCRM's SMH has anonymous access enabled. HP recommends that you upgrade the VCRM with the version from the 7.50 HP Management CD.
this specific case, the component setup program detected that the installation succeeded, but will not be complete until the system is rebooted. The VCA does not reboot the system after each component install, but at the end of all installations, to avoid unnecessary restarts. If the installation task was started without the reboot automatically option selected, you must restart the server manually to ensure proper installation of all software.
Solution: HP SIM implements security to ensure that access to management information is available only to authorized users. This security relies on security settings between HP SIM with managed systems. HP SIM will deny access if the trust relationship between HP SIM and the source system's SMH is not configured correctly. To correct this problem, HP suggests the following procedure: 1. 2. 3. Navigate to https://hostname:2381. From SMH, click Settings→Security→Trust Mode. Correct the configuration.
You can create a Custom Software Baseline excluding these components and configure your VCA to use it as its Reference Support Pack. This option enables the Support Pack Version column to exclude these components during its version comparison, which allows your Overall Status to display with a Green icon stating the inventory is current. However, the Latest Version column will continue to display with Yellow icons for these components.
Service and support Support for HP Version Control Agent (VCA) is provided as an adjunct to support of the underlying hardware. The purpose of the HP Support page is to provide you with a variety of product-, service-, and support-related resources. In particular, you can use this page to: • Go to http://www.hp.com/servers/manage. This website is devoted to Systems Management Products. You will find a wealth of product- and service-related information on this portal.
7 Legal notices Warranty The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Hewlett-Packard makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this manual, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be held liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Glossary available software A listing of the software components available in the repository that the VCA has been configured to point to. When browsing directly into a VCA, these additional components can be selected for installation. component A component is a single, self-describing, installable (interactive or silent) binary file containing a single piece of software, such as firmware image, driver, agent, or utility, that is supported by the management and update tools.
Replicate Agent Settings A tool that can be used to copy Web-based agent settings to a group of systems. repository A directory containing ProLiant and Integrity Support Packs and Smart Components. Secure Task Execution (STE) The secure execution of a task from a managed system. This feature of HP SIM ensures that the user requesting the task has the appropriate rights to perform the task, and encrypts the request to protect data from snooping.
Index A S accessing, 7 showing, 15 signing out, 8 software status, 12 B browser errors, 7 C changing, 23 VCA settings, 15 clearing, 23 copyright notice, 31 G getting started, 7 H hiding, 15 Home page HP Version Control Agent, 11 HP ProLiant and Integrity Support Pack, 14 HP Version Control Agent, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 29 change settings, 15 T trademark notices, 31 troubleshooting, 25 reference, 29 U U.S.
