How to Install Cisco iNode Manager

This section describes how to install the Cisco iNode Manager application:

Installation Overview

The Cisco iNode Manager application is based on the next generation architecture that includes Kubernetes and Docker containers. It includes a platform that is extensible and scalable.

The Cisco iNode Manager installer is a self-contained package. The Cisco iNode Manager application installation includes a KVM-based guest OS running CentOS7 that runs Docker images orchestrated by Kubernetes.

The Cisco iNode Manager application is supported on both bare metal server with a CentOS 7 OS and VMware ESXi virtual machine (VM) with VM-in-VM configuration.


Note

  • If you are using a VM, you must enable the HW virtualization.

  • You must have access to the Internet for installing the Cisco iNode Manager application. If necessary, use a proxy server.

System Requirements


Note

The iNode Manager requires the iNode software version to be at 2.0 or later.
Table 1. System Requirements for Cisco iNode Manager Application

Requirement

Description

Operating system

CentOS Linux 7 (core; English distributions only)

CPE OS name

cpe:/o:centos:centos:7

Kernel

Linux 3.10.0-514.6.1.el7.x86_64

Architecture

x86-64

Host version

The Cisco Crosswork Network Automation VM runs on a CentOS 7.2 host

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is also supported

Nested virtualization is not supported

Memory

64 GB

Swap space

4 GB

Disk space

600 GB

CPU

4 cores (16 CPUs)

Interface

Two physical interfaces:

  • One interface for management traffic

  • One interface for data traffic

Processor speed

2.10 GHz or higher

L1 cache

32 K

L2 cache

256 K

L3 cache

30720 K

Open Ports for Cisco iNode Manager

The following table lists the open ports that Cisco iNode Manager application uses to listen for connection requests from devices. For security hardening, this table also specifies whether it is safe to disable the port without any adverse effects to the product.

Disbale the ports that are not needed and are not secure.

Table 2. Open Ports for Cisco iNode Manager

Port

Protocol

Usage

Safe to Disable?

Procedure to Disable

22

TCP

To initiate SSH connections with the server, and to copy files to the Cisco iNode Manager server using SCP or SFTP.

Depends

This might be still needed by older managed devices that only supports TFTP and not SFTP or SCP.

30604

TCP

For browser access to the Cisco iNode Manager server via HTTPS.

No

-

30629

TCP

To allow iNodes to register with iNode Manager.

No

-

8514

UDP

To receive syslog messages from network devices.

No

-

8190

TCP

To receive GCP messages from the RPD

No

-

Install the OS

Procedure

Step 1

Install Linux, such as CentOS7 on the host system or the VM.

Step 2

Log in as root and add a user. 

adduser inadmin
passwd inadmin
Step 3

Make sure that the user is a member of the group which has the privilege to use the sudo command. 

usermod -G wheel inadmin

Configure Network

If the system is not already configured on the network, configure the system using the following procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

Set up a static IP address on CentOS7 by using the nmtui command. 

nmtui
Step 2

Do the following using the text-based menu system.

  1. Edit a connection.

  2. Change the IP address from Automatic to Manual.

  3. Set the static IP addresses and Gateway according to your network.

  4. Set a DNS according to your network.

  5. Set the interface to automatically connect by checking the box.

  6. To quit nmtui interface, use OK, Back, and Quit as needed after saving the changes.

Step 3

Reboot the system and log back in as inadmin to verify that the network is up. 

reboot

Log in as inadmin rather than root.

Install Additional Linux Packages

Install the following additional packages using the following commands. You must have network connectivity to install these packages.
sudo yum install -y wget
sudo yum install -y sshpass
sudo yum clean all

Ping a website and verify the network connectivity.

Snapshot of Virtual Machine


Note

If you are installing the application on a bare metal server, ignore this section.
If you are using a VM, power off and create a snapshot. 
sudo poweroff
Use the virtualization software to take a snapshot and then power the VM back on.

Install Cisco iNode Manager

Procedure

Step 1

Download the Cisco iNode Manager release image tarball (which is about 30 GB) from Cisco Software Central.

Step 2

Unzip and untar the file into a sub directory:


mkdir inodemanager
tar -xvf inodemanager-v1.0.0.180911150500-k8s.tar –C inodemanager
Step 3

Run the installer.

./install.sh inodemanager

The installation may prompt you to enter the sudo password twice. At the end of the installation, the script prompts you to set the password for the inodemanager instance. Note the password you set here.

Note 

You must watch the installation and provide the sudo password the second time before it times out. Or the installation might fail.

The installer automatically adds a DNS entry in /etc/hosts to identify the new VM.

Step 4

Add routes to the VM for both management and CIN network if applicable. Then, run the iptables.sh and ip6tables.sh scripts individually for the management and CIN network as applicable. 

./iptables.sh <HostOS_IP> <GuestOS_IP>
./ip6tables.sh  <HOST_IPv6_ADDRESS>  <GuestOS_IPv6_ADDRESS>
Note 

The IP address of the VM is displayed during the install process. To get the MAC and IP address of the VM, do the following:

MAC Address: 

sudo virsh domiflist vmname | grep robot-br1

IP Address: 

sudo virsh net-dhcp-leases robot-br1 | grep MAC

Access iNode Manager

Access the iNode Manager Web UI using the following URL, where the IP address is the address of the host machine or VM.

https://<host_machine>:30604

You may have to accept the validity of the system's certificate. The default login credentials are the following:

  • Username: admin

  • Password: admin

How to Uninstall the Cisco iNode Manager


Note

Be aware that this procedure removes all of your Cisco iNode Manager data.

Procedure

Step 1

(Recommended) Back up your current data. Uninstalling the Cisco iNode Manager application will permanently delete all data on the bare metal server.

Step 2

On the bare metal server, enter the following commands to remove the VM:

sudo virsh destroy VM_name
sudo virsh undefine VM_name
Step 3

To remove the VM network, enter the following commands:

sudo virsh destroy VM_name
sudo virsh undefine VM_name