Instruction Manual

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.
The VCA provides version control and system update capabilities for a single HP system. The
VCA determines system software status by comparing each component installed on the local
system with the set of individual components or a specified ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack
listed in the VCRM. Individual components or an entire ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack can
be updated by clicking the install icon located next to the system software status icon.
The VCRM and the VCA are integrated with the System Management Homepage (SMH), which is
the standard single-server management tool in the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack. HP
Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM), also part of the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack, uses the
VCRM and VCA to facilitate software versioning, update, and tasks related to it.
The VCA is available for Windows and Linux operating systems. The VCA is an integrated part
of the SMH that is designed to display the available software inventory of the system on which it
is installed. The VCA also allows the installation, comparison, and update of system software
from a repository that is managed by a VCRM.
Users with administrator or operator privileges can access the VCA to maintain the software
inventory of the system manually. The installation of components and configuration activities
are logged to a log file at the system. The VCA logs activities, such as software installations.
However, installations done outside the VCA do not appear in this log.
The VCA enables you to view the software installed on selected HP equipment, the available
updates, and whether the installed software is compliant with the latest updates found in the
selected repository. In addition, you can add or update HP software on the system remotely,
using the browser interface of the VCA.
You can use the Replicate Agent Settings feature in HP SIM to update multiple servers with VCA
settings. For more information regarding the Replicate Agent Settings feature, refer to the
online HP SIM help system.
The VCA permits:
• “Viewing installed software” - View the currently installed software
• “Changing agent settings” - Select a VCRM as a reference point for obtaining software
updates
• “Viewing overall software status” - Select a ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack as a managed
baseline
• “Viewing HP ProLiant and HP Integrity Support Pack details” - View the details associated
with a ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack or individual software component that is in the
version control repository
• “Updating software” - Install a ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack or individual software
component from the version control repository
• “Printing software status”- Print the installed software inventory and software status
• “Viewing the log” - View the VCA log
• “Clearing the log” - Clear the VCA log.
• “Changing log settings” - Configure the log to automatically delete older entries reducing
maintenance activity for administrators
• “Changing log settings” - Change the log settings
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