HP Insight Foundation Software for ProLiant User Manual
HP Version Control Agent
HP Part Number: 367262-401
Published: April 2011
Edition: 1
© Copyright 2004, 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Table of Contents
1 Product overview........................................................................................5
Additional resources................................................................................................................................6
2 Getting started...........................................................................................7
Internet Explorer security settings...............................................................................................................7
Logging in.............................................................................................................................................7
Logging into the VCA.........................................................................................................................8
Logging out............................................................................................................................................8
Logging out of the HP Version Control Agent.........................................................................................8
3 Navigating the software..............................................................................9
4 The Home page.......................................................................................11
Viewing overall software status...............................................................................................................12
Viewing overall software status icons.......................................................................................................12
Viewing installed software......................................................................................................................13
Viewing HP ProLiant and HP Integrity Support Pack details..........................................................................14
Viewing the Reference Support Pack........................................................................................................14
Showing or hiding software....................................................................................................................15
Changing settings.................................................................................................................................15
Updating software................................................................................................................................17
Refreshing inventory data.......................................................................................................................19
Printing software status..........................................................................................................................19
5 The Log page...........................................................................................21
Viewing the log....................................................................................................................................21
Viewing details for single log entry..........................................................................................................22
Clearing the log....................................................................................................................................23
Changing log settings............................................................................................................................23
6 The Help page.........................................................................................25
Search Form.........................................................................................................................................25
Related Topics......................................................................................................................................25
7 Troubleshooting........................................................................................27
HP Version Control Agent.......................................................................................................................27
Access problems..............................................................................................................................27
HP SIM problems.............................................................................................................................27
Log problems..................................................................................................................................27
Print problems.................................................................................................................................28
ProLiant Support Pack problems.........................................................................................................28
Replicate Agent Settings problems......................................................................................................28
Repository problems.........................................................................................................................29
Software inventory problems.............................................................................................................29
Miscellaneous problems.........................................................................................................................30
Service and support..............................................................................................................................31
Windows events...................................................................................................................................31
8 Legal notices............................................................................................33
Table of Contents 3
Warranty.............................................................................................................................................33
U.S. Government License........................................................................................................................33
Copyright Notice..................................................................................................................................33
Trademark Notices................................................................................................................................33
Glossary....................................................................................................35
Index.........................................................................................................37
4 Table of Contents
1 Product overview
The
HP Version Control Agent
enable you to view the HP software and firmware that is installed on that system. The VCA can be configured
to point to a
easy version comparison and software updates from the repository to the system on which the VCA is installed.
The VCA provides
system software status by comparing each
components or a specified ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack listed in the VCRM.
An entire ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack can be updated by clicking the install icon located next to the
system software status icon. Individual components are provided with check box to select for installation.
VCA is enhanced to identify the presence of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on a TPM-enabled Windows
operating system. VCA supports installation/upgrading of both System ROM and option ROM components
on TPM-based systems. If VCA detects TPM module as being enabled, the user will be provided with a
checkbox to continue with the installation. The Install button on the component installation page of VCA is
enabled when the user confirms the decision to go ahead with the installation, confirming that the user is
aware of the recovery procedures by selecting the Continue checkbox.
NOTE: TPM is a secure microcontroller with cryptographic functionalities. It works with supporting software
and firmware to prevent unauthorized access to a system. TPM with BitLocker measures a system state and
upon detection of a changed ROM image, locks the user out of accessing the Windows file system if the
user cannot provide the recovery key.
repository
version control
being managed by the
(VCA) is an
and system update capabilities for a single HP system. The VCA determines
HP Insight Management Agent
that is installed on a system to
HP Version Control Repository Manager
component
installed on the local system with the set of individual
(VCRM), allowing
The VCRM and the VCA are integrated with the
standard single-server management tool in the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack.
Manager
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
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
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
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 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
• “Updating software” - Install a ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack or individual software component from
• “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
(HP SIM), also part of the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack, uses the VCRM and VCA to facilitate
available software
Replicate Agent Settings
or Integrity Support Pack or individual software component that is in the version control repository
the version control repository
feature in HP SIM to update multiple servers with VCA settings.
System Management Homepage
(SMH), which is the
HP Systems Insight
inventory of the system on which it is installed. The VCA
software inventory
of
5
• “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.
Additional resources
For additional resources, go to http://www.hp.com/servers/manage.
Related topics
▲ The Home page
6 Product overview
2 Getting started
To start using the
use the following steps as a guideline for installing and configuring your machines properly:
1. Verify that your system meets minimum requirements. For more information regarding minimum
requirements, refer to the
2. Install and configure the SMH. For more information regarding the SMH, refer to the
Homepage Installation Guide
3. Install and configure the VCRM with an
from the server where you are installing the VCA. One VCRM can support many VCAs, so in most
cases, you need only one repository. However, multiple repositories might be required for large or
widely dispersed enterprises.
4. Install and configure the VCA on the target system. Installing the VCRM before installing the VCA enables
you to configure the VCA to use data in the repository specified from the Change Settings link in the
VCA. For more information regarding installing the VCRM, refer to the
Guide
5. Browse to the
in.
6. Configure the VCA to use data provided by the repository defined by the Change Settings link.
Procedures
• Changing settings
• Updating software
• Viewing installed software
Related topics
HP Version Control Repository Manager
Version Control Installation Guide
.
.
System Management Homepage
(VCRM) and the
.
HP ProLiant and Integrity Support Pack
(SMH) located at https://hostname:2381 to log
HP Version Control Agent
Version Control Installation
(VCA),
System Management
on a machine accessible
• The Home page
• The Log page
• Viewing overall software status icons
Internet Explorer security settings
By default, Internet Explorer security settings block some actions performed by the HP Version Control Agent.
To correctly configure Internet Explorer security settings, HP recommends that you add the SMH URL to
Internet Explorer's Trusted Sites.
To add the SMH to Internet Explorer's Trusted Sites:
1. From Internet Explorer, click Tools→Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Select the Trusted sites icon.
4. Click Sites.... The Trusted sites dialog box appears.
5. In the Add this Web site to the zone field, enter https://hostname:2381/ and click Add.
6. Click OK to save your changes and close the Trusted sites dialog box.
7. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.
Related topics
• Viewing the log
• Troubleshooting
Logging in
Access the
web browser. For information about which browsers are supported, refer to the
Guide
HP Version Control Agent
.
(VCA)
graphical user interface
(GUI) from any network client using a
Version Control Installation
Internet Explorer security settings 7
IMPORTANT: If an
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. To access the VCA with access to all available features, you must log into the SMH with administrator
or operator level access.
2. Navigate to https://hostname:2381. The Login page appears if Anonymous Access is disabled.
If Anonymous Access is enabled, the SMH page appears.
3. After you have logged in, you can browse directly to the VCA by entering
https://hostname:2381/vcagent in the browser address field, or you can open it in a new
browser window by clicking the HP Version Control Agent link from the SMH under Integrated Agents,
or in the Version Control status box on the Home tab. The VCA page appears.
NOTE: In SMH 3.x and later, the Version Control (VCA and VCRM) agents links are available only under
the Version Control status box on the Home tab and it opens in the same window. The Integrated Agents
will be available in Webapps tab, but there is no link available for any agent.
Related topics
HP Version Control Repository Manager
(VCRM) has not been configured, only the
• Getting started
• Logging out
Logging out
Logging out of the HP Version Control Agent
You are logged out automatically from the
after approximately 15 minutes of inactivity.
To log out:
1. Browse to the VCA. You can click the servername Homepage link on the VCA banner.
2. Click the Sign out link in the upper right corner.
3. Close the web browser.
Related topics
▲ Logging in
System Management Homepage
and
HP Version Control Agent
8 Getting started
3 Navigating the software
The
HP Version Control Agent
tabbed pages:
• “The Home page”
• “The Log page”
• “The Help page”
Related topics
• Viewing overall software status icons
• The Home page
• The Log page
• The Help page
(VCA) provides an interface that enables you to easily navigate through the
9
10
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
for information regarding the configuration of the VCRM and
The following screen shows the Version Control Agent Home page with the current Software Status and the
list of the Installed Software.
HP Version Control Repository Manager
Reference Support Pack
(VCRM). Refer to “Changing settings”
.
The HP Version Control Agent Home page permits the following:
• “Viewing overall software status”
• “Viewing overall software status icons”
• “Viewing installed software”
• “Viewing HP ProLiant and HP Integrity Support Pack details”
• “Viewing the Reference Support Pack”
• “Showing or hiding software”
• “Changing settings”
• “Updating software”
• “Refreshing inventory data”
• “Printing software status”
Related procedures
• Logging in
• Logging out
Related topics
• Viewing overall software status icons
• Viewing overall software status
11
Viewing overall software status
The Overall Software Status icon is not displayed until an
has been configured using the Change Settings link. After a
Software Status
newest
component
icon is based on a comparison between the installed software or firmware versions and
s available from the configured VCRM. The
HP Version Control Repository Manager
repository
overall software status
has been configured, the
that appears depends
(VCRM)
Overall
on the configuration defined using the Change Settings link. You can configure the Overall Software
Status to display a Major status if the server software version does not match the
Reference Support Pack
version. When both a repository and Reference Support Pack have been configured, the Overall Software
Status icon is based on a comparison between the installed software or firmware versions and the software
or firmware versions in the Reference Support Pack.
For more information regarding the Software Status icons, refer to “Viewing overall software status icons”.
NOTE: If any custom software baseline is set as the reference support pack and the complete software in
the custom software baseline is not available in the Installed Software list, then the uninstalled softwares will
be listed in Not Installed list, and the overall status changes to Major only when the When checked, force
VCA to consider all the components in reference support for software status calculation and report
items that are not installed checkbox is selected when configuring a custom software baseline as reference
support pack.
IMPORTANT: Software status is based on a comparison of installed software against what is available in
the repository. You can configure software status to display
Major
when the server software version does
not match the Reference Support Pack version using the Change Settings link. If there are no comparable
items in the repository, the status is considered
current
.
To view overall software status, click the Home tab. The Home page appears.
Related procedures
• Changing settings
• Updating software
Related topics
• Viewing overall software status icons
• Navigating the software
Viewing overall software status icons
NOTE: Click a Software Status icon to access the
be accessed, help displays describing how to configure the VCA or trust relationship on that system.
NOTE: There is a Software Status icon for every system except HP-UX.
The status is based on comparing the
installed versions
HP Version Control Agent
against versions in the
StatusIcon
There are different reasons why an Unknown status icon might
display:
• The VCA does not have an
Manager
• The configured VCRM is not reachable or does not respond
to HTTP requests, for example, the system or service is down
or the password has been changed.
• A VCA cannot be detected on the system or cannot
communicate with the VCA.
(VCRM) configured.
(VCA). If the VCA cannot
repository
HP Version Control Repository
.
Status Values When no Reference Suppor t Pack is Set
Note: The status is that of the latest version of the component in the configured repository.
12 The Home page
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