Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Table Of Contents

Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Information About Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Prerequisites for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Secure Client Communications

Default Administrator Credentials

Downloading and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Using a Web Browser to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client without using Java Web Start Launcher

Restarting the Cisco DCNM Client

Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client

Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM Client

Additional References

Related Documents

Standards

Feature History for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

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This chapter describes how to install and launch the Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) client.

This chapter includes the following sections:

•Information About Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

•Prerequisites for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

•Secure Client Communications

•Default Administrator Credentials

•Downloading and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

•Restarting the Cisco DCNM Client

•Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client

•Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM Client

•Additional References

•Feature History for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Information About Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

The Cisco DCNM client is a Java application. When you finish installing the Cisco DCNM client on your system, the Cisco DCNM client automatically starts. After installing the Cisco DCNM client, whenever you need to restart the Cisco DCNM client, use the Cisco DCNM client software image on your system for the quickest start. If a more recent version of the Cisco DCNM client is available, the Cisco DCNM client automatically downloads that version to your system.

Prerequisites for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Installing and using the Cisco DCNM client have the following prerequisites:

•Your system must be running a supported operating system to install and use the Cisco DCNM client software. For more information about client system requirements, see the Cisco DCNM Release Notes, Release 5.x, which are available at the following site:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

•The installation process uses Java version 1.5.0_11. If your system does not have that version of Java, the installation process will install it to your system.

The Cisco DCNM client installer requires Internet access to download the Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE. If the system cannot access the Internet, use another system to download the Java installer and copy it to the system that you want to install the Cisco DCNM client on. You can download Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE from the Java[tm] Technology Products Download website, at http://java.sun.com/products/archive. The Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE is listed as JRE 5.0 Update 11.

If your network environment requires a proxy connection to permit the download of the Java installer, ensure that the proxy settings are configured in Internet Options, available from the Control Panel. For more information, see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/proxy_note.html.

•Some Cisco DCNM features require a license. Before you can use licensed features, install the Cisco DCNM license. For more information about licensed features or for detailed steps for the license installation, see the Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x.

Secure Client Communications

By default, communication between the Cisco DCNM client and server is unencrypted; however, you can enable Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to protect client-server communications. Enabling SSL encryption does not affect how users download, install, and log into the Cisco DCNM client.

For information about enabling secure client communication, see the Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x.

Default Administrator Credentials

When you install Cisco DCNM, you specify the default administrator account, which is a Cisco DCNM local user. If you use RADIUS or TACACS+ authentication servers to control access to the Cisco DCNM client, the default administrator account provides you access if no authentication servers for the current authentication mode are reachable.

If no one has administrative access to Cisco DCNM, you can reset the local administrator account or change Cisco DCNM server authentication settings by reinstalling the Cisco DCNM server software. For more information, see the Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x.

Downloading and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

The Cisco DCNM client is available from the web server that is included on the Cisco DCNM server. You can download and launch the Cisco DCNM client either by using a web browser or by using a command prompt.

When you download and launch the Cisco DCNM client, it automatically saves an image of the software on your local system and starts the Cisco DCNM client. Later on, when you start the Cisco DCNM client, you can quickly start it by using the image on your local system.

This section includes the following topics:

•Using a Web Browser to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

•Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

•Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client without using Java Web Start Launcher

Using a Web Browser to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

You can use a web browser to download and launch the Cisco DCNM client.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE must be installed on the computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on.

The computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on must meet the client system requirements. For details about the client system requirements, see the Cisco DCNM Release Notes, Release 5.x, available at the following site:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 On the computer that you want to use the Cisco DCNM client on, open a web browser and go to the following address:

http://server_IP_address_or_DNS_name:web_server_port/dcnm-client/index.html

For example, if the Cisco DCNM server IP address is 172.0.2.1 and the web server port is 8080, use the following address:

http://172.0.2.1:8080/dcnm-client/index.html 

The browser shows the Cisco DCNM client page.

Step 2 Click Launch DCNM Client.

The Cisco DCNM server sends the dcnm.jnlp file to the browser. This file should be opened with the Java Web Start Launcher.

Step 3 If the browser prompts you, choose to open the dcnm.jnlp file. You do not need to save the file.

The Cisco DCNM client installer verifies that Java is already installed on your system. If the installer does not find the supported version of Java on the computer, the installer prompts you to install Java version 1.5.0_11.

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Note The Cisco DCNM client installer requires Internet access to download the Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE. If the system cannot access the Internet, use another system to download the Java installer, copy it to the system that you want to install the Cisco DCNM client on, install Java, and restart the Cisco DCNM client installation. You can download Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE from the Java[tm] Technology Products Download web site, at http://java.sun.com/products/archive. The Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE is listed as JRE 5.0 Update 11.

If your network environment requires a proxy connection to permit the download of the Java installer, ensure that the proxy settings are configured in Internet Options, available from the Control Panel. For more information, see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/proxy_note.html.

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Step 4 If the installer prompts you to install Java version 1.5.0_11, follow these steps:

a. Click OK to begin installing the supported version of Java.

b. If a security warning notifies you that the Java installer was digitally signed by an expired certificate, click Run to continue the installation.

c. Complete the Java installation wizard.

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Tip To specify whether the supported version of Java is the default version used by browsers installed on the computer, choose Custom setup on the License Agreement dialog box. Later in the Java installation, on the Browser Registration dialog box, you can specify the browsers that should use the Java version that is supported by Cisco DCNM.

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The Cisco DCNM client installs on the computer.

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Note You might need to wait a minute or longer while the installer installs the software.

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The Cisco DCNM client login window opens.

For detailed login steps, see the "Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client" section.

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Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

You can use a command prompt to download and launch the Cisco DCNM client.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE must be installed on the computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on.

The computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on must meet the client system requirements. For details about the client system requirements, see the Cisco DCNM Release Notes, Release 5.x, available at the following site:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 On the computer that you want to use the Cisco DCNM client on, access a command prompt.

Step 2 Use the cd command to change the directory to the bin directory under the Java version 1.5.0_11 installation directory, as follows:

cd path

where path is the relative or absolute path to the bin directory. For example, on Microsoft Windows, the default path to the Java version 1.5.0_11 bin directory is C:\Program Files\dcm\Java\jre1.5.0_11\bin.

Step 3 Enter the applicable command:

•For Microsoft Windows:
javaws.exe server_IP_address_or_DNS_name:web_server_port/dcnm-client/dcnm.jnlp

•For RHEL:
./javaws server_IP_address_or_DNS_name:web_server_port/dcnm-client/dcnm.jnlp

The Java Web Start Launcher retrieves the dcnm.jnlp file from the Cisco DCNM server and installs the Cisco DCNM client on the computer.

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Note You might need to wait a minute or longer while the installer installs the software.

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The Cisco DCNM client login window opens.

For detailed login steps, see the "Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client" section.

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Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client without using Java Web Start Launcher

You can use a command prompt to download and launch the Cisco DCNM client in standalone mode without using the Java Web Start Launcher.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The Java version 1.5.0_11 JRE must be installed on the computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on.

The computer that you want to run the Cisco DCNM client on must meet the client system requirements. For details about the client system requirements, see the Cisco DCNM Release Notes, Release 5.x, available at the following site:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

In addition, access the computer where the DCNM server is installed. Copy the dcnm-client.zip file to a directory on the DCNM client computer where you can later unpack its files.

•On a Windows DCNM server, the dcnm-client.zip file is located in the <DCNM_INSTALL_LOCATION>\dcm\dcnm\ui-client file path.
The default for <DCNM_INSTALL_LOCATION> is C:\Program Files\Cisco Systems.

•On a RHEL DCNM server, the dcnm-client.zip file is located in the <DCNM_INSTALL_LOCATION>/dcm/dcnm/ui-client file path.
The default for <DCNM_INSTALL_LOCATION> is /usr/cisco.

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Note The Cisco Fabric Manager cross launch feature is not supported when the DCNM client is installed in standalone mode. (The DCNM client in standalone mode is not a Java Web Start application.)

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DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 On the computer that you want to use the Cisco DCNM client on, access a command prompt.

Step 2 Set JAVA_HOME to the location where the Java JRE is installed.
For example:

•For Microsoft Windows:
set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_11

•For RHEL:
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jre1.5.0_11

Step 3 Use the cd command to change to the directory where you copied dcnm-client.zip.

Step 4 Unpack the dcnm-client.zip file and extract the dcm-client.bat and dcm-client.sh files.

Step 5 Run the script that is appropriate for your computer.

•For Microsoft Windows, run the dcnm-client.bat script.

•For RHEL, run the dcnm-client.sh script.

The Cisco DCNM client login window opens.

For detailed login steps, see the "Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client" section.

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Restarting the Cisco DCNM Client

If you have previously downloaded and launched the Cisco DCNM client on a computer, you can later start the Cisco DCNM client by using one of the shortcuts that the installer added to the computer.

When you start the Cisco DCNM client, it connects to the Cisco DCNM server and checks if the Cisco DCNM client that is available on the Cisco DCNM server is a newer version than the locally installed Cisco DCNM client. How the Cisco DCNM client starts varies depending upon the result of the version check, as follows:

•If the locally installed Cisco DCNM client is the same version as the Cisco DCNM client that is available on the Cisco DCNM server, the Cisco DCNM client window opens quickly.

•If the locally installed Cisco DCNM client is older than the version of the Cisco DCNM client that is available on the Cisco DCNM server, the Cisco DCNM client automatically downloads from the Cisco DCNM server and replaces the locally installed Cisco DCNM client before the Cisco DCNM client window opens.

For detailed login steps, see the "Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client" section.

Logging Into the Cisco DCNM Client

When you log into the Cisco DCNM client, you must specify a valid Cisco DCNM user account.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

You should know the following information before logging into the Cisco DCNM client:

•A valid Cisco DCNM username and password.

•The IP address or DNS name of the Cisco DCNM server. In a clustered-server deployment, this should be the IP address or DNS name of the master server.

•The Cisco DCNM server port number. By default, the server port number is 1099.

•Proxy server address, HTTP port number, and Socks port number, if a proxy server is required by your network environment.

DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 Start the Cisco DCNM client. If you have previously downloaded and launched the Cisco DCNM client on the computer, you can start the client by using one of the shortcuts added to the computer by the client installer. For detailed steps about downloading and launching the client, see one of the following topics:

•Using a Web Browser to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

•Using a Command Prompt to Download and Launch the Cisco DCNM Client

The Cisco DCNM client login window opens.

Step 2 In the DCNM Server field, enter the DNS name or the IP address of the Cisco DCNM server. By default, this field lists the address or name specified the last time the client logged into a server. If you are logging into the client after downloading it, this field lists the address of the server that you downloaded the client from.

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Note If your Cisco DCNM deployment uses a clustered-server environment, enter the DNS name or IP address of the master Cisco DCNM server.

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Step 3 In the Username field, enter your Cisco DCNM username. If you are logging into Cisco DCNM for the first time after installing the server, enter the local administrator name that you specified during the server installation. For more information, see the "Default Administrator Credentials" section.

Step 4 In the Password field, enter the password for the Cisco DCNM username that you specified.

Step 5 (Optional) If you need to change the Cisco DCNM server port, do the following:

a. If the Port field is not visible, click More >>.

b. Enter the port number in the Port field.

The default Cisco DCNM server port number is 1099; however, you can specify a different port number when you install or reinstall the Cisco DCNM server.

Step 6 (Optional) If you need to use a proxy server to connect to the Cisco DCNM server, do the following:

a. If the "Connect to the DCNM server with a proxy server" check box is not visible, click More >>.

b. Check Connect to the DCNM server with a proxy server.

The Proxy Server area appears below the check box.

c. In the Address field, enter the IP address of the proxy server.

d. In the HTTP Port and Socks Port fields, enter the port numbers on which the proxy server accepts HTTP and Socks connections.

e. (Optional) If the proxy server requires authentication, check Authentication and enter a valid username and password in the fields provided.

Step 7 Click Login.

The Cisco DCNM client opens. For information on how to use the Cisco DCNM client, see Chapter 3, "Using the Cisco DCNM Client."

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Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM Client

You can uninstall the Cisco DCNM client from a computer.

DETAILED STEPS

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Step 1 Click Start > Control Panel > Java.

The Java Control Panel dialog box opens.

Step 2 In the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings.

The Temporary File Settings dialog box appears.

Step 3 Click View Applications.

The Java Application Cache Viewer dialog box opens.

Step 4 Select the Cisco DCNM Client application and click Remove Selected Application.

Java uninstalls the Cisco DCNM client image from your computer.

Step 5 Close the Java Application Cache Viewer.

Step 6 On the Temporary File Settings dialog box, click OK.

Step 7 On the Java Control Panel dialog box, click OK.

Step 8 If you want to reinstall the Cisco DCNM client, see the "Downloading and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client" section.

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Additional References

For additional information related to installing and launching the Cisco DCNM client, see the following sections:

•Related Documents

•Standards

Related Documents

Related Topic	Document Title
How to use the Cisco DCNM client	Chapter 3, "Using the Cisco DCNM Client"
Starting or stopping a Cisco DCNM server	Chapter 16, "Starting and Stopping Cisco DCNM Servers"
The process of deploying Cisco DCNM in your organization	Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x
Installing a Cisco DCNM server	Cisco DCNM Installation and Licensing Guide, Release 5.x

Standards

Standards	Title
No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature.	—

Feature History for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client

Table 2-1 lists the release history for this feature.

Table 2-1 Feature History for Installing and Launching the Cisco DCNM Client 

Feature Name	Releases	Feature Information
Using a command prompt to download the client.	5.0(2)	Support was added for this feature.
Proxy support for the Cisco DCNM client.	5.0(2)	Support was added for this feature.