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Table Of Contents
Release Notes for CiscoWorks Network Compliance Manager 1.6.04
Installing the CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04 Patch
What's Been Fixed in CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04
Additional CiscoWorks NCM Configurations
Additional Required Applications
Accessing the CiscoWorks NCM Documentation Set
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
Release Notes for CiscoWorks Network Compliance Manager 1.6.04
Published: July 2012, OL-27554-01
These release notes are for CiscoWorks Network Compliance Manager (NCM) 1.6.04.
CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04 is a patch release that you can install on top of CiscoWorks NCM 1.6, 1.6.01, 1.6.02 or 1.6.03.
Note
The Docs tab provided in the CiscoWorks NCM user interface might not include links to the latest documents. Therefore, we recommend that you access the CiscoWorks NCM documentation set using the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6923/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
Contents
This document contains the following sections:
•
Installing the CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04 Patch
•
What's Been Fixed in CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04
•
Additional CiscoWorks NCM Configurations
•
Additional Required Applications
•
Accessing the CiscoWorks NCM Documentation Set
•
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
Introduction
CiscoWorks NCM tracks and regulates configuration and software changes in a multivendor network environment. It provides visibility into network changes and tracks compliance with a broad variety of regulatory, IT, corporate governance, and technology requirements. CiscoWorks NCM helps IT staff identify and correct trends that could lead to problems, such as network instability and service interruption.
CiscoWorks NCM is integrated with CiscoWorks and is initially launchable from the CiscoWorks home page. CiscoWorks NCM is interoperable with other CiscoWorks applications, such as the LAN Management Solution (LMS) bundle through the Common Services Device Credential Repository (DCR).
Installing the CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04 Patch
To install the CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04 patch:
Step 1
Unzip the patch bundle on the CiscoWorks NCM server.
Step 2
Run the patch script.
For Windows, execute the patch.bat script from the command line.
For Linux or Solaris, execute the patch.sh script using the following commands:
% sh patch.sh
or
% ./patch.sh
A log file named patch.log is created in the <CWNCM_Install_Directory>/server/log/ directory, when the patch script is executed. The errors that occur during the installation process are logged in the patch.log file.
The patch installer creates a subdirectory named patch_backups in the root of the CiscoWorks NCM installation directory. This subdirectory includes a directory with the patch build number. The files that are changed by the patch installer are backed up in this directory. The backup.log file lists the files that are backed up and the original location of the files.
In a Multimaster or Horizontal Scalability environment, apply this patch to all NCM servers.
To remove the patch and roll back to the pre-patch state:
Step 1
Stop the NCM Management Engine.
Step 2
Manually restore the files listed in the backup.log file to their original locations.
Step 3
Back out any changes made to the .rcx files, if applicable.
Step 4
If the Java Runtime Environment has been upgraded on the NCM management server, back out that update.
Step 5
Restart the NCM Management Engine.
For Microsoft Windows users the backup.log file lists the following files as backed up:
•
asm-3.1.jar
•
jersey-core-1.4.jar
•
jersey-server-1.4.jar
•
jsr311-api-1.1.1.jar
•
Rtr2900.zip
•
Rtr3900.zip
However, these files are not in the backup directory. You can safely ignore these files as they are newly added in 1.6.04 and should not have been added to the backup.log file.
For customers who removed 9.00.02 build:6748-042811, the Command Scripts list might include two new entries with Script Name ????. These two scripts are the same as the Update Interface scripts, and can be ignored.
What's Been Fixed in CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04
Table 1 describes the issues fixed in CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.04.
Fix for QCCR1B105606
This fix enables a new task option for specifying whether NCM should overwrite the startup configuration with the current running configuration at the completion of the task.
To enable this option:
Step 1
Add the following lines to the adjustable_options.rcx file:
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Take Snapshot">false</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Discover Driver">disabled</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Run ICMP Test">disabled</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Deploy Passwords">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Deploy Config">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Configure Syslog">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Run Command Script">false</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Run Diagnostics">false</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Synchronize Startup and Running">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Update Device Software">false</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Backup Device Software">false</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Reboot Device">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Run Device Script">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/Delete ACLs">true</option>
<option name="DeviceInteraction/EnforceConfigurationSave/VLAN Task">true</option>
Note
Following configures the default enforce_save setting for various device tasks. They can be overridden by user when scheduling tasks. The task type used here must be taken from TaskType.java(friendlyNames).
Step 2
Reload the .rcx settings by running the "reload server options" command from the NCM proxy or by restarting the NCM services.
Supported Platforms
Table 2 shows the supported platforms for CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.x.
Table 2 Supported Platforms for CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.x
Operating System Architecture 32-bit 64-bit1Windows Server 2008 R2
x86_64
X
Windows Server 2003 SP2
X86_32
X
Sun4u, Sun4v
X
RedHat RH AS 44
x86_32
X
RedHat RHEL Server 5
x86_64
X
SuSE Enterprise Linux Server 10
x86_64
X
1 CiscoWorks NCM 1.6 full installs are supported only on 64-bit architecture. You can upgrade from an existing 32-bit CiscoWorks NCM platform to a 64-bit platform. If you are using a RHEL 5 Server x64, it is required that you upgrade to 64-bit platform.
2 Before installing CiscoWorks NCM 1.6 on a Solaris 10 platform, you must reconfigure the Syslog server on Solaris 10 to ignore the remote Syslog messages. The Solaris Zone on which CiscoWorks NCM runs must use a dedicated Network Interface Card (NIC).
3 A large amount of swap space is required due to the fork() system call on Solaris. When you fork a 24 GB process, Solaris allocates 24 GB in the swap file. If the 24 GB is not available in swap, the fork() system call fails.
4 The last supported CiscoWorks NCM version on this platform is CiscoWorks NCM 1.5.x.
The following operating systems are no longer supported:
•
Windows 2000
•
Solaris 9
•
Red Hat AS3
•
SuSE 9
Note
For all operating system upgrades, please see the respective vendor documentation or contact your system support personnel. Cisco is not responsible for issues that might arise during third-party product upgrades.
Supported Databases
Table 3 shows the databases that are supported by CiscoWorks NCM 1.6.x.
Except for modest deployments without full enterprise scale and performance requirements, the application server and database server should be on separate physical machines. In addition, the database server should be dedicated to CiscoWorks NCM, rather than serving multiple applications.
Note
CiscoWorks NCM 1.6 does not support the use of Microsoft SQL Named Instances.
The following databases are no longer supported:
•
Oracle 9i and Oracle 9.2
•
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
•
MySQL 3
Note
For all database upgrades, please see the respective vendor documentation or contact your database analyst. Cisco is not responsible for issues that might arise during third-party product upgrades.
Additional CiscoWorks NCM Configurations
If you have configured a High Availability Distributed System, the database requirements for Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server include:
If you have configured a Horizontal Scalability environment, the database requirements for Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server include:
See High Availability Distributed System Configuration Guide for CiscoWorks Network Compliance Manager for information on configuring High Availability Distributed System environment.
See Horizontal Scalability User Guide for CiscoWorks Network Compliance Manager for information on configuring Horizontal Scalability environment.
Note
High Availability and Horizontal Scalability environments are not supported for MySQL.
Virtual Environments
Note the following points while running CiscoWorks NCM in a virtual environment:
•
VMWare guests can be run on a VMWare ESX 3.5 or VMWare ESX 4.0 server (preferred). It is important that the Disk I/O be split. The ESX server must have two arrays, one for the ESX operating system and one for the virtual machines.
•
Use of Vmotion is not recommended.
•
If you plan to use virtual machines for both CiscoWorks NCM and your database, ensure that they are running on different VMWare Guests. Note that this only works if you set a limit on managed devices and keep it low. It is recommended that you have the database on a different ESX host so there is no conflicting I/O on the array.
•
If you plan to run VMWare in a Distributed System or Horizontal Scalability environment, the maximum number of CiscoWorks NCM Cores should not exceed two.
•
Some VMWare Guests time drift. Syncing to an external time source can solve this issue.
The CiscoWorks NCM VMWare Guest system requirements are double that of standalone server requirements.
CiscoWorks NCM can be network intensive, therefore, if you have many virtual machines sharing a virtual switch and network interface card, you could experience unexpected behavior, including time-outs and failed tasks. In addition, each virtual environment is different and could function differently under loads with shared VM Guests.
If you observe any performance issues while running CiscoWorks NCM in a virtual environment, do the following:
•
Increase hardware resources.
•
Ensure that resources are dedicated through your ESX Administrator.
•
Decrease the number of VMWare Guests running simultaneously.
•
Add a dedicated network interface card to the ESX server for CiscoWorks NCM to use exclusively.
Significant performance degradation has been seen on ESX servers running multiple virtual machines where one or more virtual machine was under heavy load. It is critical that the ESX server running CiscoWorks NCM in a virtual environment be properly resourced to avoid performance degradation.
Note
The number of managed devices does not have as significant of an impact on performance as the number of concurrent tasks. If performance issues are seen, reduce the number of concurrent tasks and ensure that CiscoWorks NCM is getting the appropriate resources.
Additional Required Applications
You need to install the following applications:
•
CiscoWorks NCM supports the following browsers:
–
Mozilla Firefox 3.x and higher
–
Internet Explorer 7.x and higher
Note
Windows pop-up blockers must be disabled for the browser. Cookies must be enabled for the browser.
•
Microsoft Excel 2000 or higher, if you are viewing Summary Reports from the CiscoWorks NCM server.
•
Adobe® Acrobat Reader™ version 4.0 or higher if you are viewing CiscoWorks NCM documentation from the CiscoWorks NCM server.
•
ActivePerl 5.8.x (for Windows).
•
Perl 5.8.x (for Solaris and Linux). The CiscoWorks NCM Convert-to-Perl script feature uses Perl.
•
Perl Net::SSH::Expect module (for using the Connect module with SSH)
Note
Third-party products mentioned in this documentation are manufactured by vendors independent of Cisco. Cisco makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.
Hardware Requirements
CiscoWorks NCM requires the following minimum hardware:
Accessing the CiscoWorks NCM Documentation Set
All or any part of the CiscoWorks NCM documentation set, including this document, might be upgraded over time. Therefore, we recommend that you access the CiscoWorks NCM documentation set using the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6923/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
Tip
To cut and paste a two-line URL into the address field of your browser, you must cut and paste each line separately to get the entire URL without a break.
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
Subscribe to the What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.
Open a service request online at:
http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/servicerequest
View a list of Cisco worldwide contacts at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_worldwide_contacts.html
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
© 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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