Installing the PPT Software

Installing the PPT Software
 
 
This chapter provides the step-by-step procedure of installing Cisco Policy Provisioning Tool (PPT) software using the GUI-based as well as the console-based installation wizard. Additionally it provides instructions that need to be followed before starting the PPT installation so that it completes successfully.
This chapter includes the following topics:
 
 
Before You Begin
This section enables you to preview and ensure each of the step is successful before you start the PPT installation process. Detailed installation instructions follow.
 
Step 1 - Verifying System Requirements
Hardware requirement is the first thing you need to verify if it has been provisioned properly for your application. This includes:
SunOS extappsdev-t5220 5.10 Generic_137111-06 sun4v sparc SUNW,SPARC-Enterprise-T5220
In the above ouput, the user has to look at 5.10, which is the SunOS. Other highlights of this output include SunOS, SUNW, and SPARC-Enterprise-T5220.
The output for this command on RHEL machine looks like following:
Linux pnstextappsucs2 2.6.18-186.el5 #1 SMP Wed Jan 27 18:11:22 EST 2010 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
In the above ouput, the user has to look at 2.6.18-186.el5, which is the Linux version.
Verifying minimum requirements for RAM and hard-disk as mentioned in the System Requirements section of the chapter. On the Sun Solaris machine, RAM related information can be verified by executing the prtdiag command which is available in /usr/platform/<platform>/sbin. Here <platform> is the platform name, as seen in the uname -a command. On RHEL machine, this information can be verified by executing the free -m command.
note_smallImportant: The user should use grep option while entering the prtdiag command, as the output of this command displays many other fields which might be confusing.
The sample commands looks like following:
./prtdiag | grep “Memory size”
The output of the above command looks like following:
Memory size: 1024 Megabytes
The disk space related information can be verified by entering df -hl command. This command, on execution, displays complete information pertaining to all the local partitions.
The sample output of the free -m command on Red Hat Linux machine looks like following:
     total       used     free     shared     buffers     cached
Mem:  2011       1547      463          0        197        815
-/+ buffers/cache:535     1476
Swap: 1983         0      1983
 
Step 2 - Unpacking the PPT Application Files
PPT installation package is distributed as a single zipped file. Once the file is obtained, it must be copied to the PPT server and extracted. For the extraction of installer archive, unzip program can be used.
On Solaris 10 OS, unzip should be present at /usr/bin. Extracting the zip file results into following two files:
It is recommended that you copy the zip file to a temporary directory on the server.
 
Step 3 - Installing the PPT
This step consists of choosing the desired installation method: console-based or the Graphical User Interface (GUI-based) and performing the physical installation onto the PPT server.
There are three software components that are installed as part of this procedure. They are:
note_smallImportant: PPT software installation can be done only by the root user.
 
Step 4 - Configuring PostgreSQL Database System Environment
Before you start installing the PPT onto the PPT server, there are numerous system environment parameters settings that should be configured. While PostgreSQL will be installed during the GUI-based installation procedure, these settings must be configured manually.
These parameter strings determine how the PostgreSQL database engine processes, stores, and retrieves information contained in the various databases stored using the UNIX file subsystem. Add the following parameter values to the ‘system’ file in the /etc/ directory and reboot the machine before continuing with the installation of the PPT:
 
Step 5 - PPT Network Considerations
To ensure proper installation and operation of the PPT, the following network considerations must be implemented:
If there is a firewall between the PPT client and server, the required port has to be opened on the firewall. Refer to the Default TCP Port Utilization section for the exact port number which has to be opened.
 
Default TCP Port Utilization
PPT uses Various TCP ports for both client-server communication as well as communication with managed systems, i.e. IPCF and SSC. If firewalls are used on these interfaces, these ports are required to be opened on the firewall to allow outgoing requests on the port.
The following table lists the ports for which firewall must allow access for a port on that communication path.
Default TCP Port Utilization Table
note_smallImportant: In case, the PPT is installed on the same machine which also has other external application installed, e.g. Web Element Manager (WEM), then refer to the patch information for that application and make sure that the relevant patch is applied.
 
PPT Installation Methods
Once the pre-installation verification of different aspects is complete, you are ready for the PPT installation.
The PPT and its supportive components, the Apache Web server and PostgreSQL database engine, can be installed using one of the following two methods:
GUI-based installation: Requirements for the GUI-based installation method include:
Console-based installation: This method is available to all the users, especially for those who do not have an X-Windows client available for remote network connectivity to the PPT server via Telnet or SSH. However a Linux terminal is required with Telnet or SSH connectivity.
 
GUI-Based PPT Installation Wizard
Follow the step-by-step instructions given below to install PPT using the GUI-based installation wizard.
Step 1
Step 2
./inst
The PPT Installer dialog appears:
Step 3
Click Next to proceed.
Step 4
/<ppt_install_dir>/ which is /users/ppt by default
note_smallImportant: This is the OS level administrator user of PPT. The admin login can be an already existing user, or it can be a new user who will be created during installation
note_smallImportant: Only SSL, i.e. HTTPS, connection is allowed between the PPT client and PPT server. Non SSL connections are not allowed.
note_smallImportant: If you specify a port other than the default port then all front-end applications (including PSQL) must specify the same port for communication.
note_smallImportant: Successful installation of the PPT application requires that the Apache Server be started. The default setting is to enable it. Though prompts are provided to disable, it is highly recommended that you do not modify the default behavior.
Step 5
Click Done to exit the GUI-based installation wizard.
After the installation is complete, you can explore the PPT application by entering the following URL in the address bar of the browser in client machine:
https://<ip_address>:<port_number>/
where ip_address is the IP address of the machine where PPT server is installed and port_number is the port number to which apache is listening for the client requests. In case the default port, the URL would be limited to the ip_address only.
note_smallImportant: Please contact Cisco support for default Username and Password in order to login to the PPT application after installation.
Caution_iconCaution: The pop-up blocker in the Internet browser must be disabled before logging in to the PPT application, because the post-login window opnes as a pop-up.
 
Console-Based PPT Installation Wizard
Follow the step-by-step instructions given below to install PPT using the console-based installation wizard.
Step 1
Step 2
./inst -i console
A series of messages appear, as following:
Extracting the JRE from the installer archive...
Unpacking the JRE...
Extracting the installation resources from the installer archive...
Configuring the installer for this system's environment...
Launching installer...
Preparing CONSOLE Mode Installation...
Step 3
Step 4
On successful installation, the following messages appears on screen:
Install Complete
----------------
Policy Provisioning has been successfully installed to:
/users/<ppt_install_dir>
Installation logfile located at:
/users/<ppt_install_dir>/PolicyProvisioning_InstallLog.log
Start Policy Provisioning component as:
cd /users/<ppt_install_dir>
./pptctl start
./pptctl stop
After the installation is complete, you can explore the PPT application by entering the following URL in the address bar of the browser in client machine:
https://<ip_address>:<port_number>/
where ip_address is the IP address of the machine where PPT server is installed and port_number is the port number to which apache is listening for the client requests. In case the default port, the URL would be limited to the ip_address only.
note_smallImportant: Please contact Cisco support for default Username and Password in order to login to the PPT application after installation.
Caution_iconCaution: The pop-up blocker in the Internet browser must be disabled before logging in to the PPT application, because the post-login window opnes as a pop-up.
 

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