Installing or Upgrading the Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software in Centralized Mode

This chapter contains details of procedures for installing and upgrading NDB in centralized mode.

Before your proceed with the upgrade/ install procedures in this chapter, compare the md5sum between the NDB CCO image and image file copied to linux. Use the following command to check (linux): 

cisco@NDB-virtual-machine:~/3.8.1/$ md5sum ndb1000-sw-app-k9-3.8.1.zip
Displayed output: c2d273dce4abbba03c06aeee8774b901 ndb1000-sw-app-k9-3.8.1.zip

This chapter contains the following topics:

Installing or Upgrading the Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software in Centralized Mode


Important

Beginning with Cisco Nexus Data Broker, Relese 3.8.1, you can directly upgrade the previous versions of Cisco Nexus Data Broker to the latest Cisco Nexus Data Broker version.


Note

To add a device to NDB in centralized mode, use the device IP address or the device hostname.

  • To complete a new installation of Cisco Nexus Data Broker, see the Installing the Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software section.

Installing the Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software in Centralized Mode

Complete these steps to install Cisco Nexus Data Broker software in Centralized mode:

Procedure

Step 1

In a web browser, navigate to www.cisco.com.


Step 2

Under Support, click All Downloads.


Step 3

In the center pane, click Cloud and Systems Management.


Step 4

If prompted, enter your Cisco.com username and password to log in.

Step 5

In the right pane, click Network Controllers and Applications, and then click Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

The file information for Release 3.8.1 is displayed: Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software Application: ndb1000-sw-app-k9-3.8.1.zip

Step 6

Download the Cisco Nexus Data Broker application bundle.

Step 7

Create a directory in your Linux machine where you plan to install Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

For example, in your Home directory, create CiscoNDB.

Step 8

Copy the Cisco Nexus Data Broker zip file into the directory that you created.

Step 9

Unzip the Cisco Nexus Data Broker zip file.

The Cisco Nexus Data Broker software is installed in a directory called xnc. The directory contains the following:

  • runxnc.sh file—The file that you use to launch Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

  • version.properties file—The Cisco Nexus Data Broker build version.

  • configuration directory—The directory that contains the Cisco Nexus Data Broker initialization files.

    This directory also contains the startup subdirectory where configurations are saved.

  • bin directory—The directory that contains the following script:

    • xnc file—This script contains the Cisco Nexus Data Broker common CLI.

  • etc directory—The directory that contains profile information.

  • lib directory—The directory that contains the Cisco Nexus Data Broker Java libraries.

  • logs directory—The directory that contains the Cisco Nexus Data Broker logs.

    Note 

    The logs directory is created after the Cisco Nexus Data Broker application is started.

  • plugins directory—The directory that contains the OSGi plugins.

  • work directory—The webserver working directory.

    Note 

    The work directory is created after the Cisco Nexus Data Broker application is started.

Note 

To migrate from OVA-based Openflow to Native Openflow, see the Uninstalling Cisco Plug-in for OpenFlow chapter.

Upgrading the Application Software in Centralized Mode Using CLI

Use the upgrade command to upgrade to Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1.


Note

  • Once you upgrade to Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1, you cannot use the downgrade option to rollback to a previous release. You have to use the configuration archive that is created during the upgrade process to rollback the software.

  • When you upgrade the software to Cisco Nexus Data Broker Release 3.2 or later release, the hostname should not be changed during the upgrade process. If the hostname is changed during the upgrade process, the upgrade might fail. If you are upgrading from release 2.x, 3.0 and 3.1, the domain name configuration in the switch should be removed before upgrading the software.

  • When you run the upgrade command, the installation and the configuration are upgraded. However, any changes you made to the shell scripts or configuration files, for example, config.ini, are overwritten. After you complete the upgrade process, you must manually reapply your changes to those files.

Before you begin

  • Stop all controller instances that use the Cisco Nexus Data Broker installation. This will avoid conflicts with the file system, which is updated during the upgrade.

  • For NDB configuration upload or Backup/Restore process, first bring up the NDB instance where configuration is uploaded or where Backup/Restore is done, then start rest of the nodes in the cluster.

  • Backup up the NDB configuration. For more information, see Backing Up or Restoring the Configuration Using NDB GUI section.

  • If you are using high availability clustering, stop all application instances in the cluster to ensure that there are no inconsistencies.

  • Back up your config.ini file.


Important

You should manually backup your config.ini file before upgrading, because the backup process does not back them up for you. If you do not backup your files before upgrading, any changes you made will be lost.


Note

When you run runxnc.sh script, there is a thread in the script that monitors the log and the Cisco Nexus Data Broker JAVA process to monitor the health of the Cisco Nexus Data Broker. The default value for this option is 30 Seconds.

Procedure

Step 1

In a web browser, navigate to Cisco.com.

Step 2

Under Support, click All Downloads.

Step 3

In the center pane, click Cloud and Systems Management.

Step 4

In the right pane, click Network Controllers and Applications, and then click Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

Step 5

Download the Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1 applicable bundle: Cisco Nexus Data Broker Software Application—ndb1000-sw-app-k9-.zip

Step 6

Create a temporary directory in your Linux machine where you plan to upgrade to Cisco NDB.
Step 7

Unzip the Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1 zip file into the temporary directory that you created.
Step 8

Navigate to the xnc directory that was created when you installed the Cisco Nexus Data Broker release earlier.

Step 9

Backup your Cisco Nexus Data Broker release installation using your standard backup procedures.

Step 10

Stop running all Cisco Nexus Data Broker release processes.

Step 11

Navigate to the xnc/bin directory in the temporary directory that you created for Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1 upgrade software.

Step 12

Upgrade the application by entering the ./xnc upgrade --perform --target-home {xnc_directory_to_be_upgraded} [--verbose] [--backupfile {xnc_backup_location_and_zip_filename}] command.

You can use one of the following options:

Option Description

--perform --target-home {xnc_directory_to_be_upgraded}

Upgrades the Cisco XNC Monitor Manager intallation to Cisco NDB.

--perform --target-home {xnc_directory_to_be_upgraded} --backupfile {xnc_backup_location_and_zip_filename}

Upgrades the Cisco XNC Monitor Manager installation to Cisco NDB and creates a backup.zip file in the directory path that you set.

Note 

  • You must provide the name of the backup file and the .zip extension.

  • The backup file should not be saved in the xnc directory with current NDB installation or its subdirectory.

--verbose

Displays detailed information to the console. This option can be used with any other option and is disabled by default.

--validate --target-home {xnc_directory_to_be_upgraded}

Validates the installation.

./xnc help upgrade

Displays the options for the upgrade command.

Step 13

Navigate to the xnc directory where you originally installed Cisco XNC Monitor Manager.

Step 14

If TLS certification is enabled between NDB server and NXOS switch, copy the tlsTrustStore and tlsKeyStore files to /xnc/configuration from the old xnc backup.

Step 15

Start the application processes that you previously stopped.

Note 

  • Clear the browser cache. Use Shift+Ctrl+Delete keys to clear the cache.

  • Press Ctrl–F5, or press the Cmd, Shift, and R keys simultaneously when you access through a web UI following an upgrade.

Step 16

If the secondary/cluster NDB server is configured, start the server.

Note 

If TLS certification is enabled, start the secondary/cluster using the commands as shown below: 


./runxnc.sh -tls -tlskeystore ./configuration/tlsKeyStore -tlstruststore ./configuration/tlsTrustStore
cd bin
./xnc config-keystore-passwords --user <NDB_username> --password <NDB_password> --url https://<Cluster_NDB_IP>:8443 --verbose --prompt --keystore-password <keystore-password> --truststore-password <truststore-password>

Upgrading the Application Software in Centralized Mode Using GUI

Complete the following steps to upgrade the application software in the Centralized mode using GUI:

Procedure

Step 1

Log into NDB.
Step 2

Navigate to the System tab under Administration.

The System Administration window is displayed.

Step 3

Click Download Configuration to download the switch configuration file in a .zip file format.

The default name of the zip file is configuration_startup.zip.

OR

Navigate to the Backup/Restore tab under Administration > System tab. Click Backup and Backup Locally to download the configuration in zip file format.

Step 4

Stop the current NDB instance using the runxnc.sh -stop command.

Example:

./runxnc.sh -stop
Step 5

If TLS certification is enabled between NDB server and NXOS switch, copy the tlsTrustStore and tlsKeyStore files to /xnc/configuration from the old xnc backup.

Step 6

Start the new NDB installation using the runxnc.sh -start command.

Example:

./runxnc.sh -start
Step 7

Navigate to the Backup/Restore tab under Administration > System tab.

Step 8

Click Restore Locally and upload the configuration_startup.zip

Step 9

Restart the new NDB instance using the runxnc.sh -restart command.

Example:

./runxnc.sh -restart

Upgrading NDB Using the Hitless Method

You can upgrade Cisco NDB using the either the upload or the CLI upgrade hitless methods.

Upgrading Cisco NDB - Hitless Method (Using Upload)

You can upgrade Cisco NDB to Release 3.8.1 with the hitless method using upload.

Before you begin

If the Cisco NDB version is earlier than Release 3.8, you must edit the config.ini file and update the skipConfigurtionStateDBfiles key to false on both the controllers, and restart all the earlier version controllers.

Procedure
Step 1

Log into NDB.
Step 2

Navigate to the location (/home/3.8.1/xnc) of the xnc for Release 3.8.1 in both, server 1 and server 2.

Step 3

Navigate to the System tab under Adminstration to view the System Administration window.

Step 4

Navigate to Administration > system > Backup/Restore > Backup > Backup now locally to download the configuration in zip file format and save it on your local desk.

Note 
The server that is started first will become the primary server, while the second server will become the member.
Step 5

Verify the versions of the servers to confirm that it displays Release 3.8.1. Also, verify that the primary server and member is assigned.

Step 6

If TLS certification is enabled between NDB server and NXOS switch, copy the tlsTrustStore and tlsKeyStorefiles to /xnc/configuration from the old xnc backup.

Step 7

Navigate to Administration > system > Backup/Restore > Restore > Restore locally to upload the configuration to the primary server. Stop Cisco NDB on the second server and restart the first server. After you restart the server, Release 3.8.1 configurations are successfully uploaded in Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1 Verify all the configurations.

Step 8

If secondary / cluster NDB server is configured, start the server.

Note 

If TLS certification is enabled, start the secondary/cluster using the commands as shown below: 


./runxnc.sh -tls -tlskeystore ./configuration/tlsKeyStore -tlstruststore ./configuration/tlsTrustStore
cd bin
./xnc config-keystore-passwords --user <NDB_username> --password <NDB_password> --url https://<Cluster_NDB_IP>:8443 --verbose --prompt --keystore-password <keystore-password> --truststore-password <truststore-password>

Upgrading NDB - Hitless Method (Using CLI)

You can upgrade Cisco NDB to Release 3.8.1 with the hitless method using CLI.

Before you begin

If the Cisco NDB version is earlier than Release 3.8, you must edit the config.ini file and update the skipConfigurtionStateDBfiles key to false on both the controllers, and restart all the earlier version controllers.

Procedure
Step 1

Stop both the servers.
Step 2

Navigate to the the s server location /home/3.8.1/xnc/bin and enter the . /xnc upgrade --perform --target-home {xnc directory to be upgraded} --verbose command.

Note 
You must provide the location of the XNC directory in the target home. For example, provide the location of the 3.8.1 XNC directory which is /home/3.8.1/xnc.
Step 3

Navigate to the the secondary server location /home/3.8.1/xnc/bin and enter the . /xnc upgrade --perform --target-home {xnc directory to be upgraded} --verbose command.

Note 
You must provide the location of the XNC directory in the target home. For example, provide the location of the 3.8.1 XNC directory which is /home/3.8.1/xnc.
Step 4

If TLS certification is enabled between NDB server and NXOS switch, copy the tlsTrustStore and tlsKeyStore files to /xnc/configuration from the old xnc backup in the primary and secondary servers.

Step 5

Navigate to the Cisco NDB Release 3.8.1 XNC directory in the primary server and start Cisco NDB using the ./runxnc.sh –start command.

Step 6

Login to Cisco NDB and verify that the Cisco NDB version is displayed as Release 3.8.1. Verify that the primary configuration and the other configurations are retained.

Step 7

If secondary / cluster NDB server is configured, start the server.

Note 

If TLS certification is enabled, start the secondary/ cluster using the commands as shown below: 


./runxnc.sh -tls -tlskeystore ./configuration/tlsKeyStore -tlstruststore ./configuration/tlsTrustStore
cd bin
./xnc config-keystore-passwords --user <NDB_username> --password <NDB_password> --url https://<Cluster_NDB_IP>:8443 --verbose --prompt --keystore-password <keystore-password> --truststore-password <truststore-password>

Starting the Application

Procedure

Step 1

(Optional) Change the default password that is supplied with Cisco Nexus Data Broker by entering the reset-admin-password [--wait-seconds {wait_time} --password {password}] command.

The {password} variable resets the administrator password to the value that you specify by restarting the user manager. The {wait_time} is the number of seconds to wait while the user manager restarts. The minimum {wait_time} value is 5 seconds and the maximum is 60 seconds.

Note 

  • If double ENTER is used instead of entering a value for the password, the password is set to the default values, for example, admin/admin.

  • The password must be from 8 to 256 characters, contain both uppercase and lowercase characters, and have at least one number and one nonalphanumeric character.

  • If you leave the password blank, it is reset to the factory default of "admin".

  • Each time that you reset the administrative password, make sure that the new password meets these requirements to enable you to log in to Cisco NDB.

Step 2

Navigate to the xnc directory and start Cisco Nexus Data Broker by entering the ./runxnc.sh command.

Note 

When you are running xnc for the first time, the URL that you need to connect to and the port that it is listening on are displayed on the screen. For example, when you run the ./runxnc.sh script, the following message is displayed on the screen: Web GUI can be accessed using below URL: [https://<IP_address>: 8443].

You can use one of the following options:

Option Description

no option

Starts Cisco Nexus Data Broker with the default option.

-jmxport port_number

Enables JMX remote access on the specified JVM port.

-debugport port_number

Enables debugging on the specified JVM port.

-start

Starts Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

-start port_number

Starts Cisco Nexus Data Broker on the given port.
-stop

Stops Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

-restart

Restarts Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

-status

Displays the status of Cisco Nexus Data Broker with process ID.

-console

Starts Cisco Nexus Data Broker with the login console.

-help

Displays the options for the ./runxnc.sh command.

-tls

Enables TLS secure connections between Cisco Nexus Data Broker and OpenFlow switches.

To enable TLS, start the controller by entering the ./runxnc.sh -tls -tlskeystore keystore_file_location -tlstruststore truststore_file_location command.

-osgiPasswordSync

To set the OSGi web console password same as the XNC password if the XNC password is changed.

Note 

This step is optional. If the application is started without this option, the OSGi console can be accessed through the default credentials.

Note 

Use runxnc.sh script to start Cisco Nexus Data Broker. You have to set a path variable named JAVA_HOME. It sets the path variables that are used for startup and launches the OSGi framework with the specified options. If a user attempts to start the Cisco Nexus Data Broker application with Java version lower than 1.7, an error message is displayed and the application aborts. To resolve the issue, upgrade your current Java version and restart Cisco Nexus Data Broker. If the current Java Version used is lower than 1.8.0_45, a warning message is issued before the start that Upgrade to 1.8.0_45 or above is recommended.

Verifying The Application Status

Procedure

Step 1

Open a command window where you installed Cisco XNC.

Step 2

Open a command window where you installed Cisco Nexus Data Broker.

Step 3

Navigate to the xnc directory that was created when you installed the software.

Step 4

Verify that the application is running by entering the ./runxnc.sh -status command.

The controller outputs the following, which indicates that the controller is running the Java process with PID 21680: 

Controller with PID:21680 -- Running!
Note 
Nexus Data Broker can be accessed using Web browser at: 
https://Nexus_data_broker_ip:8443

What to do next

Connect the switches to the controller. For more information, see the configuration guide for your switches.