Extreme Networks EPICenter, EPICenter 7.1 Installation Manual
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide
Version 7.1
Extreme Networks, Inc.
3585 Monroe Street
Santa Clara, California 95051
(888) 257-3000
(408) 579-2800
http://www.extremenetworks.com
Published: July, 2010
Part Number: 100368-00 Rev. 02
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© 2010 Extreme Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide2
Contents
Chapter 1: EPICenter Installation Overview ....................................................................................... 5
EPICenter Installation Overview ....................................................................................................5
The EPICenter Server ............................................................................................................5
The EPICenter Client .............................................................................................................6
System Requirements..................................................................................................................7
Windows Vista/XP/2003 Server/2008 Server ............................................................................7
Sun Microsystems Solaris 10 .................................................................................................8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ....................................................................................................8
Browser Requirements for Launching the EPICenter Client ........................................................9
Upgrading from Earlier Versions of EPICenter ..............................................................................10
Upgrading EPICenter to a Service Pack Release .....................................................................10
Obtaining a License Key for the EPICenter Server.........................................................................10
Evaluation Licenses.............................................................................................................11
Permanent Licenses ............................................................................................................11
Chapter 2: Installing the EPICenter 7.1 Server ................................................................................ 13
Installing the EPICenter Server...................................................................................................13
User Permissions ................................................................................................................14
Local Name Resolution for the Server....................................................................................14
Required Patches for Solaris ...............................................................................................14
Setting the Run Level for Linux ............................................................................................14
Installation Overview ...........................................................................................................14
Server Installation Steps ......................................................................................................15
Adding or Upgrading a License Key.............................................................................................18
Adding a License for an Upgrade Product ..............................................................................19
Starting and Stopping the EPICenter Server .................................................................................19
Starting the Server on Windows ............................................................................................19
Starting the Server on Linux or Solaris...................................................................................20
Stopping the Server on Windows...........................................................................................20
Stopping the Server on Linux or Solaris .................................................................................20
Configuring the EPICenter Server for NATed Client Connections ....................................................20
Installing EPICenter on a Multi-Homed Server..............................................................................21
Setting the EPICENTER_SERVER_ADDRESS Environment Variable .........................................21
Configuring a Multi-Homed Server with Separate Management and Client Access Networks........22
Configuring the Multi-Homed Server for Client Access from Both Networks ...............................24
Installing a Difference Viewer .....................................................................................................24
Enabling SSH for Secure Communications...................................................................................24
The EPICenter SSH Enabling Key .........................................................................................25
Uninstalling the EPICenter Server Software .................................................................................26
Uninstalling the Server on Windows ......................................................................................26
Uninstalling the Server on Linux or Solaris.............................................................................26
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 3
Chapter 3: Launching the EPICenter 7.1 Client................................................................................ 27
About the Client Initialization Process .........................................................................................27
Launching the Client Application ................................................................................................27
Disabling Installation of Desktop Shortcuts ..................................................................................30
Configuring the Firefox Browser for the Java Plug-In .....................................................................31
Chapter 4: Upgrading the EPICenter Software ................................................................................. 33
EPICenter Software Upgrade Overview.........................................................................................33
Installing a Service Pack Release................................................................................................34
Installing a Service Pack on Windows Systems .......................................................................34
Uninstalling the Service Pack on Windows Systems ................................................................35
Installing a Service Pack on Solaris or Linux Systems .............................................................36
Uninstalling the Service Pack on Solaris or Linux Systems ......................................................37
Chapter 5: Migrating the Database to EPICenter 7.1 ........................................................................ 39
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide4
1 EPICenter Installation Overview
This chapter provides an overview of the installation or upgrade of EPICenter 7.1. It covers the
following topics:
● EPICenter Installation Overview on page 5
● The EPICenter Server on page 5
● The EPICenter Client on page 6
● System Requirements on page 7
● Browser Requirements for Launching the EPICenter Client on page 9
● Upgrading from Earlier Versions of EPICenter on page 10
● Obtaining a License Key for the EPICenter Server on page 10
EPICenter Installation Overview
EPICenter is a powerful yet easy to use client-server application for centralizing the management of a
network of Extreme Networks switches and selected third-party devices. EPICenter offers a
comprehensive set of network management tools that are easy to use from a client workstation with a
web browser and the appropriate Java plug-in. The EPICenter software can be installed on systems
running Windows Vista, XP, 2003 Server, or 2008 Server, on SPARC workstations running Solaris 10, or
on systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.
There are several options for installing the EPICenter 7.1 software, depending on whether you already
have versions of EPICenter installed, or whether this is a new EPICenter installation.
The EPICenter Server
The EPICenter Server requires a license key, installed into the Server, to enable clients to connect to the
Server. You can perform the installation successfully without an EPICenter license, but you will need to
add a license key (either an evaluation or a permanent key) by running the License Manager, in order to
use the EPICenter product. License key installation is separate from the EPICenter Server installation.
You can run the License Manager at any time to add or upgrade licenses.
The installation process is very similar under Windows, Solaris, or Linux.
● See “Installing the EPICenter Server” on page 13 for detailed instructions.
● See “Adding or Upgrading a License Key” on page 18 for instructions on running the License
Manager.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 5
EPICenter Installation Overview
There are several additional (optional) components you may want to install along with your EPICenter
Server: a Difference viewer you can use to compare configuration files within the Configuration
Manager, and the SSH enabling key, which enables EPICenter to use SSH2 instead of Telnet to
communicate to the devices EPICenter manages (assuming the devices are enabled to use SSH), and to
securely upload and download configuration files.
● See “Installing a Difference Viewer” on page 24 for instructions on obtaining and installing a
difference viewer.
● See “Enabling SSH for Secure Communications” on page 24 for information on enabling EPICenter
to use SSH.
Upgrading the EPICenter Server
If you have a previous version of EPICenter installed on the same system, you will have the option of
migrating your database information as you perform the installation. The instructions for installing
EPICenter 7.1 include information on migrating your database (see “Installing the EPICenter Server” on
page 13).
From time to time Extreme Networks may choose to release updates to EPICenter as a Service Pack
release. On systems with a previously installed release of the EPICenter 7.1 Server, you can upgrade to a
service pack release by installing an EPICenter 7.1 Service Pack patch. See “Upgrading EPICenter to a
Service Pack Release” on page 10 for details.
NOTE
If you have been running a Beta version of the EPICenter 7.1 software, you must uninstall the Beta version and do a
new install of the final version. You cannot upgrade a Beta version of the EPICenter 7.1 software to the General
Availability release of the software.
The EPICenter Client
The EPICenter client is an application that is launched from a Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla
Firefox browser. A browser is also required to display EPICenter reports and to view the EPICenter
online Help.
The EPICenter client can run on a different type of system from the Server—for example, you can run
the client on a Windows system connected to an EPICenter Server installed on a Linux system.
No software installation is required for a client to connect to the EPICenter Server; however, the Java
1.6.0_10 plug-in is required, and you will be prompted to install it if it is not already present.
There is no separate installation package for the EPICenter Client. When you connect to the EPICenter
Server with a browser and launch the EPICenter Client, any required files are downloaded and installed
on your system automatically.
No license is needed to run the EPICenter Client; however, the EPICenter Server must have a valid
license installed before any client connections are allowed.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide6
System Requirements
System Requirements
The following sections specify the system requirements for installing and running EPICenter 7.1.
Please check the most current EPICenter Release Notes for any additional or changed requirements for the
EPICenter release you are installing.
Windows Vista/XP/2003 Server/2008 Server
The EPICenter Server. The system requirements for the EPICenter Server under Microsoft Windows are
as follows:
● Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional with SP1 or later, Windows 2003 Server, or
Windows 2008 Server running on an Intel Pentium-compatible CPU.
Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system are supported.
● 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended.
If the Gold upgrade license is installed to allow up to 2,000 devices, up to 4 GB may be needed for
very large numbers of devices (1000 or more).
● 2 GB disk space available, NTFS filesystem recommended.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
● 1 GHz or greater Pentium-compatible processor (2 GHz or greater recommended).
The EPICenter Server software requires the 1.6.0_10 Java runtime package, which is included in the
Server installation. No separate installation is needed.
NOTE
Additional disk space may be needed to hold alarm logs and other runtime data. The amount of space depends on
the number of devices and the number of traps and syslog messages generated by the managed devices.
The EPICenter Client. The system requirements for the EPICenter Client under Microsoft Windows are as
follows:
● Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional with SP1 or later, Windows 2003 Server, or Windows 2008
Server running on an Intel Pentium-compatible CPU.
● A monitor that supports at least 1024 x 768 resolution, and 16-bit color. Your system display settings
must be set for at least 65536 colors.
● 512 MB RAM minimum (up to 1 GB recommended).
● 256 MB of disk space, NTFS filesystem recommended.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
● A browser (Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer) is required to launch the EPICenter
Client, display reports, and view the EPICenter online Help.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 7
EPICenter Installation Overview
Sun Microsystems Solaris 10
The EPICenter Server. The EPICenter Server software, version 7.1, is supported under the Sun Solaris
Operating Environment on SPARC workstations. The system requirements for the Server and Client are
as follows:
● 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended.
If the Gold upgrade license is installed to allow up to 2,000 devices, up to 4 GB may be needed for
very large numbers of devices (1000 or more).
● 400 Mhz or better processor
● 2 GB disk space available.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
The EPICenter Server software requires the 1.6.0_10 Java runtime package, which is included in the
Server installation. No separate installation is needed.
NOTE
Additional disk space may be needed to hold alarm logs and other runtime data. The amount of space depends on
the number of devices and the number of traps and syslog messages generated by the managed devices.
The EPICenter Client. The system requirements for the EPICenter Client under Solaris are as follows:
● A monitor that supports at least 1024 x 768 resolution, and 16-bit color. Your system display settings
must be set for at least 65536 colors.
● 512 MB RAM minimum. (Up to 1 GB recommended.)
● 256 MB disk space available.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
● A browser (Mozilla Firefox) is required to launch the EPICenter Client, display reports, and view the
EPICenter online Help.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
The EPICenter Server. The EPICenter Server software, version 7.1, is supported under Red Hat
Enterprise Linux version 5. Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions are supported, only on X-86 based
platforms. The system requirements are as follows:
● 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended.
If the Gold upgrade license is installed to allow up to 2,000 devices, up to 4 GB may be needed for
very large numbers of devices (1000 or more).
● 1 GHz or greater Pentium-compatible processor (2 GHz recommended).
● 2 GB disk space available.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
● A GUI/Desktop environment must be installed on the server machine.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide8
System Requirements
The EPICenter Server software requires the 1.6.0_10 Java runtime package, which is included in the
Server installation. No separate installation is needed.
NOTE
Additional disk space may be needed to hold alarm logs and other runtime data. The amount of space depends on
the number of devices and the number of traps and syslog messages generated by the managed devices.
The EPICenter Client. The system requirements for the EPICenter Client under Red Hat Enterprise Linux
are as follows:
● A monitor that supports at least 1024 x 768 resolution, and 16-bit color. Your system display settings
must be set for at least 65536 colors.
● 512 MB RAM minimum (1 GB recommended).
● 256 MB disk space available.
● Swap space equal to double the amount of memory. For example, if you have 512 MB of RAM, you
should have 1 GB of swap space.
● A browser (Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or higher) is required to display reports and view the EPICenter
online Help.
Browser Requirements for Launching the EPICenter Client
The EPICenter Client is launched from a browser window. EPICenter uses signed applets: you will be
prompted to accept the security certificate from Extreme Networks the first time you try to launch the
applet.
NOTE
The Java Plug-In version 1.6.0_10 is required for the EPICenter client. If this version of the plug-in is not already
installed, you will be prompted to download it the first time you try to launch the EPICenter client.
Ta bl e 1 lists the browsers that are supported by the EPICenter 7.1 release. A browser is also required to
display EPICenter reports and the EPICenter online Help.
Table 1: EPICenter 7.1 supported browsers
Platform Minimum Browser Configuration
Windows Internet Explorer™ 6.0 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or
Sun Solaris 10 Mozilla Firefox 1.5, 2.0, or 3.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5 Mozilla Firefox 1.5, 2.0 or 3.0
higher
NOTE
For the Mozilla Firefox browser, you must install the Java plug-in, and then link it to the Firefox browser. See
“Configuring the Firefox Browser for the Java Plug-In” on page 31
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 9
EPICenter Installation Overview
Upgrading from Earlier Versions of EPICenter
If you have EPICenter 6.0 or 7.0 installed, you can migrate your database information to EPICenter 7.1
as part of the upgrade process. Follow the instructions for installing the EPICenter 7.1 release in
Chapter 3, “Installing the EPICenter 7.1 Server” or “Migrating the Database to EPICenter 7.1”. Also see
Chapter 5, “Upgrading the EPICenter Software” for additional upgrade information. Migration from
versions of EPICenter earlier than 6.0 is not supported.
NOTE
You cannot upgrade from a Beta Release of EPICenter 7.1. You must uninstall and re-install the EPICenter 7.1
software.
Upgrading EPICenter to a Service Pack Release
From time to time Extreme Networks may elect to release updates to the current EPICenter release as
Service Packs. Service Packs are minor releases that provide fixes for known problems from previous
releases.
A Service Pack is released as a patch release that integrates the Service Pack fixes into an existing
EPICenter installation. If you already have the EPICenter 7.1 software installed on your system when a
Service Pack is released, you can add the Service Pack fixes by installing the patch release. See
“Installing a Service Pack Release” on page 34 for installation instructions.
If you are still running the previous major release (that is, you are running EPICenter 5.1 and have not
yet upgraded to EPICenter 7.1 when an EPICenter 7.1 Service Pack is released) you can upgrade to the
EPICenter 7.1 Service Pack release by following the normal installation instructions, then applying the
Service Pack patch.
After you upgrade the EPICenter 7.1 Server to a Service Pack release, if any files are necessary to run
the EPICenter Client on your system, they are downloaded and installed automatically when you
launch the client.
Obtaining a License Key for the EPICenter Server
To log in to the EPICenter Server from an EPICenter Client, EPICenter must be configured with a valid
base license. Upgrades such as the Silver Upgrade or Gold Upgrade also require their own license keys.
The License Manager is a separate utility from the EPICenter Server installation. You can run the
License Manager at any time to add a key or upgrade an evaluation key to a permanent key. See
“Adding or Upgrading a License Key” on page 18.
EPICenter supports both permanent and evaluation licenses. An evaluation license allows you to run
the product for 30 days. A permanent license has no time limit. You can install the software without a
license key, but you cannot connect to it from an EPICenter Client. (If you install the product without a
license key, you can add the key later using the License Manager, as described in “Adding or
Upgrading a License Key” on page 18.)
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide10
Obtaining a License Key for the EPICenter Server
Both permanent and evaluation license keys are 14-character keys that start with EP and are followed
by 12 additional upper- and lower-case alphabetic characters, numbers, and special characters such as
“+”.
The license key is NOT the same as the activation key, which starts with “AC,” and is found on the
License Agreement shipped with your purchased product. You use the activation key to obtain a
permanent license key as described below.
Evaluation Licenses
You do not need an activation key to obtain an evaluation license key. To obtain an evaluation license
key, go to
Select the option to obtain an evaluation license key. You are asked to enter your name, company
information, and similar information, and an e-mail address to which your license key should be sent.
Your evaluation license key will be sent to you by return e-mail.
If your evaluation license expires before you have finished evaluating the product, you can request
another evaluation key—up to three evaluation keys for a total of 90 days of evaluation use.
http://www.extremenetworks.com/go/epickey.htm.
Permanent Licenses
To obtain a permanent license key, you must provide your activation key, found on the License
Agreement shipped with your purchased product.
To request a permanent key, go to
obtain a permanent license key.
Fill in the requested information, and enter your activation key. The activation key is a 14-character key
that starts with “AC” found on the License Agreement you received when you purchased the product.
Your permanent license key will be sent to you by return e-mail.
http://www.extremenetworks.com/go/epickey.htm. and select the option to
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 11
EPICenter Installation Overview
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide12
2 Installing the EPICenter 7.1 Server
This chapter describes how to install or upgrade the EPICenter 7.1 Server software in Windows, Solaris,
and Linux. It contains the following sections:
● Installing the EPICenter Server on page 13
● Installation Overview on page 14
● Server Installation Steps on page 15
● Adding or Upgrading a License Key on page 18
● Starting and Stopping the EPICenter Server on page 19
● Configuring the EPICenter Server for NATed Client Connections on page 20
● Installing EPICenter on a Multi-Homed Server on page 21
● Installing a Difference Viewer on page 24
● Enabling SSH for Secure Communications on page 24
● Uninstalling the EPICenter Server Software on page 26
Installing the EPICenter Server
The EPICenter Server can be installed in the following environments:
● Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional with SP1 or later, Windows 2003 Server, or
Windows 2008 Server running on an Intel Pentium-compatible CPU
or
● Solaris 10 running on a SPARC system
or
● Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 5
See “System Requirements” on page 7 for memory, CPU, disk and other requirements.
CAUTION
If you are running an evaluation version of the EPICenter 7.1 software, and you want to retain the information in
your EPICenter database, DO NOT REINSTALL the EPICenter software to upgrade to a permanent license.
Reinstalling EPICenter will reinitialize the database, which erases all information in the database. To
update an evaluation copy of the EPICenter Server to a licensed copy without reinitializing the
database, follow the update procedure described in “Adding or Upgrading a License Key” on page 18.
If you have EPICenter 6.0 or 7.0 installed, you can migrate your database, configuration information,
and data to EPICenter 7.1 as part of the upgrade process. Migration from versions of EPICenter earlier
than 6.0, or from ExtremeWare Enterprise Manager, is not supported.
EPICenter Installation and Upgrade Guide 13
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