Installing the Cisco DCNM

This chapter contains the following sections:

Installing Cisco DCNM on Windows

Perform the following tasks to install Cisco DCNM on Windows.

Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM on Windows

Perform this procedure to uninstall Cisco DCNM on Windows.

Note

We recommend that you follow these steps in the same order.

Before you begin

You must remove the Cisco DCNM instance completely before you use the same server to install a different version of DCNM.

Procedure

Step 1

Stop Cisco DCNM Services.
Step 2

Uninstall the Postgres database.
Step 3

Uninstall the Cisco DCNM.
Step 4

Navigate to C:\Users\Administrator location, and delete .cisco_mds9000 folder.

Step 5

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Zero G Registry location, and delete the Zero G Registry folder.

Step 6

Navigate to C:\Users\Administrator location, and delete InstallAnywhere folder.

Step 7

Ensure that all the ports required for Cisco DCNM installation are free and available.
Step 8

Delete the Cisco DCNM directory.
Step 9

Restart the Windows VM.

Downloading the Cisco DCNM Windows Installer and Properties File

The first step to installing the DCNM on Windows is to download the dcnm.exe file.


Note
If you plan to use Federation application functions, you must deploy the dcnm.exe file twice.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to the following site: http://software.cisco.com/download/ .

Step 2

In the Select a Product search box, enter Cisco Data Center Network Manager.

Click on Search icon.
Step 3

Click on Data Center Network Manager from the search results.

A list of the latest release software for Cisco DCNM available for download is displayed.
Step 4

In the Latest Releases list, choose .
Step 5

Locate the DCNM Windows Installer and click the Download icon.

The installer file is of the format .
Step 6

Locate the DCNM Silent Installer Property Files and click the Download icon.

This file will be used during Silent Installation.
Step 7

Save both the files to your directory that will be easy to find when you begin the installation.

Installing Cisco DCNM on Windows Using the GUI

Perform the following steps to install DCNM Windows using the GUI:

Procedure

Step 1

Locate the dcnm.exe file that you have downloaded.

Double click on the dcnm.exe file.

InstallAnywhere progress bar appears showing the progress.
Step 2

On the Introduction screen, read the instructions.

Choose a vendor from the OEM Vendor drop-down list.

  • Cisco Systems, Inc─to install Cisco Data Center Network Manager.

  • IBM─to install the IBM Data Center Network Manager.

Click Next.

Step 3

Check Add server to existing federation checkbox if DCNM is installed as a secondary appliance in a Federation setup.

Step 4

Check Secure Ciphers checkbox to allow only switches with strong ciphers to be discovered by DCNM.

Step 5

To install DCNM-SAN and SMI-S for the first time, choose the location for installation. In the Install Location field, click Choose, and provide the appropriate folder path. Click Restore Default Folder if DCNM is installed as a part of the Federation setup.

Click Next.

Step 6

Choose the appropriate RDBMS for the DCNM server.

Select the database that is based on your requirement.

  • Install PostgreSQL—Installs the PostgreSQL database that is bundled along with the dcnm.exe.

  • Existing PostgreSQL 9.4

  • Existing Oracle 10g/11g/12c

  • Existing Oracle 10g/11g/12c RAC

    In the Service Name field, enter the service name of the Oracle RAC server. Enter a maximum of three host IP addresses. Click OK. The DB URL is generated.

If the Cisco DCNM installer detected an existing RDBMS installation, the DB URL field shows the hostname.

Cisco DCNM installation with existing PostgresSQL requires an existing schema with the same name as the DCNM username, which is owned by the same username. When there are no schemas existing with the DCNM username, or if you do not have the ownership of the schema with the same dcnmuser name, the tables are created in the default schema, which is known as “public”.

Note 

You cannot upgrade the DCNM Server with tables created in the default public schema.
Note 
In Oracle, when a new user is created, a schema name with the same name as the username is created automatically.

In the DCNM DB User field, enter the username that the Cisco DCNM uses to access the database. In the DCNM DB Password field, enter the password for the database user account that you specified. If you select Add Server to an existing federation, modify the database URL by selecting the corresponding RDBMS option. Because all the servers in federation refer to the same database, you must provide the dcnmuser name and password of the primary server.

Click Next. Review the limitations with Oracle Database and click OK.

Click Next.

Step 7

In the Port Configuration Options screen, choose the interface and web ports for Cisco DCNM.

  • From the Server IP Address list, choose the IP address that you want to use for the Cisco DCNM server. The list shows only the IP addresses currently that are assigned to network interfaces on the server system.

  • If you want to change the port that the Cisco DCNM-SAN web server listens to, enter the new port number in the SAN Web Server Port field. By default, the Cisco DCNM-SAN web server listens to TCP port 443.

    Note 
    During Cisco DCNM installation, use port numbers that are not commonly used. For example, 87 and 23 are reserved or restricted web ports.

Click Next.

Step 8

In the Choose archive Folder for DCNM screen, provide a folder path to store device configuration files, user preferences and so on.

Perform one of the following:

  • Click Choose to select a path to store the DCNM LAN archive directory.

    Note 
    If you must choose a remote system, provide the UNC path. For example: //Server/Share/directorypath.

  • Click Restore Default Folder to retain the default folder.

    Note 
    Ensure that this folder is accessible by all nodes in the Federation setup.

Click Next.

Step 9

In the Local User Credentials screen, provide a valid username and password to access both DCNM SAN and DCNM LAN appliances.

  • In the Admin Username field, enter a name for a Cisco DCNM server user. The installer creates the Cisco DCNM server user and assigns the Administrator role to it.

  • In the Password field, enter a password for the user, and in the Confirm Password field, reenter the password.

    Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly:

    • It must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

    • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

    • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for any deployment mode: <SPACE> & $ % ‘ “ ^ = < > ; :

Click Next.

Step 10

In the Authentication Settings screen, choose the authentication method that the Cisco DCNM server should use to authenticate users who log on to the Cisco DCNM client. You can choose one of the following:

  • Local—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by the Cisco DCNM server user accounts only.

  • RADIUS—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by a RADIUS server.

  • TACACS+—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by a TACACS+ server.

You can configure LDAP authentication after installing DCNM.

Note 

After TACACS/RADIUS/LDAP is enabled, Local user "admin" cannot be accessible. This is default behavior.

Only if the TACACS/RADIUS/LDAP server is not reachable or down, the Local user will be validated and will be able to login.

If LDAP/RADIUS/TACACS server is reachable and authentication fails on TACACS/LDAP/RADIUS then no fall back to local.
Step 11

If you chose RADIUS or TACACS+, do the following:

  1. In the primary server address field, enter the IPv4 address of the server in dotted-decimal format.

  2. In the primary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  3. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

  4. In the secondary server address field, enter the IPv4 address of the server in dotted-decimal format.

  5. In the secondary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  6. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

  7. In the tertiary server address field, enter the address of the server in the dotted-decimal format.

  8. In the tertiary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  9. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

Click Next.

Step 12

In the Choose Shortcut Folder screen, specify path where you want to create the DCNM icons.

If you want the installer to create the shortcuts for all users who can log into the server system, check the Create icons for All Users check box.

Click Next.

Step 13

In the Pre-Installation Summary screen, review the installation configuration.

Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration.

Click Next.

Step 14

On the confirmation window, click Yes to begin the DCNM installation.

The progress bar description shows the process during the installation.
Step 15

On the Install Complete screen, the installed components are listed. Click Done to start the DCNM server.

Wait until the DCNM is deployed on the system.

The prompt will return after the silent install is complete.
Step 16

Open a browser and enter https://<<DCNM_server_IP_Address>>.

Press Return key to launch the Web Interface of Cisco DCNM on Windows for LAN and SAN Management.

Installing Cisco DCNM Windows in a Server Federation Environment using GUI

To install DCNM in a server federation environment:

Before you begin

Ensure that you have installed DCNM on the Primary server. Follow the instructions provided in Installing Cisco DCNM on Windows Using the GUI section.

Procedure

Step 1

While installing DCNM on the Secondary server, check Add server to existing federation checkbox.

This makes the DCNM installed as a secondary appliance in a Federation setup. The Pre-installation Summary screen displays the Federation status and nodes in the Federation Settings area.

Step 2

Check Secure Ciphers checkbox to allow only switches with strong ciphers to be discovered by DCNM, only if the Secure Ciphers was enabled on the Primary.

Cisco DCNM uses both strong and weak ciphers when connecting to switches. If user you wants to use only strong ciphers for network, select the checkbox. Ensure that the switches in your network support strong ciphers before you select checkbox, as DCNM will not be able to connect to switches which do not support strong ciphers.

Step 3

Modify the database URL by selecting the corresponding RDBMS option.

Note 
All the servers in federation refer to the same database, and therefore you must provide the DCNM user name and password of the primary server. Also, you must provide the database user name and password of the primary server.

The user name and password of the database are same for all the server installation forming the federation. Similarly, the user name and password of DCNM are same for all the server installation forming the federation.

Installing Cisco DCNM Windows through Silent Installation

Cisco DCNM supports Silent installation only on Local Authorization mode and not on Remote Authorization mode.

Perform the following steps to install DCNM Windows through silent installation.

Procedure

Step 1

Unzip, extract and open the installer.properties file and update the following properties. 

#-----------------BASIC Properties---------------------
DCNM_IP_ADDRESS=<ip_address_of_host_machine>
USER_INSTALL_DIR=C:\\Program Files\\Cisco Systems
INSTALLATION_TYPE=NEW_INSTALL
#INSTALLATION_TYPE=UPGRADE
SAN_FEDERATION=FALSE
#SAN_FEDERATION=TRUE
Step 2

Configure the database parameters.

If you are using PostgreSQL database, edit this block:

#------------------DATABASE Properties--------------------
#User can configure these properties to use existing database or
# install fresh Postgres as database for the DCNM. Existing database
# can be postgres (remote or local), Oracle (remote or local)
# or it can be Oracle RAC.
#----------------------------------------------------
USE_EXISTING_DB=FALSE
#USE_EXISTING_DB=TRUE

PG_DB_PATH=C:\\Program Files\\Cisco Systems\\dcm\\db

#----------New Postgres---------------------------------
DCNM_DB_URL=jdbc\:postgresql\://localhost\:5432/dcmdb
DCNM_DB_NAME=dcmdb
SELECTED_DATABASE=postgresql
DCNM_DB_USERNAME=dcnmuser
DCNM_DB_USER_PASSWORD=dcnmuser

If you are using the Oracle database, edit this block:

#------------------DATABASE Properties--------------------
#User can configure these properties to use existing database or
# install fresh Postgres as database for the DCNM. Existing database
# can be postgres (remote or local), Oracle (remote or local)
# or it can be Oracle RAC.
#----------------------------------------------------
USE_EXISTING_DB=FALSE
#USE_EXISTING_DB=TRUE

ORA_DB_PATH=C:\\oraclexe\\app\\oracle\\product\\10.2.0\\server
Step 3

Configure the user credentials for DCNM.

#-----------------User Configuration-----------------
#DCNM User Configuration Properties
#If you want to use special characters in DCNM_ADMIN
#credentials,Please use escape character(\) before 
#the symbol [For eg. Password  "an$6x12" must be specified as "an\$6x12" ].
#----------------------------------------------------

DECRYPT_PASSWORDS=FALSE
DCNM_ADMIN_USER=admin
DCNM_ADMIN_USER_PASSWORD=admin123

#-----------------User Configuration-----------------
Step 4

Enable the Secure Ciphers.

#----------------Secure Ciphers-------------------------------------
#DCNM uses both strong and weak ciphers when connecting to switches
#If user wants to use only strong ciphers for connection, please set
#property to TRUE. Make sure your switches support strong ciphers before
#setting the property as DCNM will not be able to connect to switches which
#support only weak ciphers.

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURE_CIPHER=FALSE
#SECURE_CIPHER=TRUE
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5

Configure IBM Raven to install IBM Data Center Network Manager.

#------------------------------IBM Raven Support----------------------
#Set true if Vendor is IBM, by default false
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

IBM_INSTALL=FALSE /*Does not install IBM Data Center Network Manager*/
#---------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 6

Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the Cisco DCNM Windows software and run the appropriate installer by using the following command:

dcnm-release.exe -i silent -f path_of_installer.properties_file

You can check the status of installation in the Task Manager process.
Step 7

Open a browser and enter https://<<DCNM_server_IP_Address>>.

Press Return key to launch the Web Interface of Cisco DCNM for SAN Management.

Installing Cisco DCNM on Linux

Perform the following tasks to install Cisco DCNM on Linux.

Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM on Linux

Perform this procedure to uninstall Cisco DCNM on Linux.

Note

We recommend that you follow these steps in the same order.

Before you begin

You must remove the Cisco DCNM instance completely before you use the same server to install a different version of DCNM.

Procedure

Step 1

Stop DCNM services on the DCNM server using the /root/Stop_DCNM_Servers command.

Step 2

Uninstall the Postgres database using the <<dcnm_directory_location>/db/uninstall-postgresql command.

Step 3

Uninstall the Cisco DCNM Server using the /root/Uninstall_DCNM command.

Step 4

Delete the hidden .cisco_mds9000 file, using the rm -rf .cisco_mds9000 command.

Step 5

Delete the Zero G Registry using the rm -rf /var/.com.zerog.registry.xml command.

Step 6

Delete the hidden InstallAnywhere folder using the rm -rf .InstallAnywhere command.

Step 7

Ensure that all the ports required for Cisco DCNM installation are free and available.
Step 8

Delete the DCNM directory using the rm -rf /usr/local/cisco/* . Delete the DCNM directory if you've saved in any other directory.

Step 9

Restart the RHEL system.

Uninstalling the Cisco DCNM on Linux

The following sample shows the list of commands that you must run, to uninstall te Cisco DCNM on Linux.

[dcnm-linux]# /root/Stop_DCNM_Servers
[dcnm-linux]# /<<dcnm_installed dir>>/db/uninstall-postgresql
[dcnm-linux]# /root/Uninstall_DCNM
[dcnm-linux]# rm -rf .cisco_mds9000
[dcnm-linux]# rm -rf /var/.com.zerog.registry.xml
[dcnm-linux]# rm -rf .InstallAnywhere
[dcnm-linux]# rm -rf /usr/local/cisco/*
[dcnm-linux]# restart
[dcnm-linux]#

Downloading the Cisco DCNM Linux Installer and Properties File

The first step to installing the DCNM on Linux is to download the dcnm.bin file.


Note
If you plan to use Federation application functions, you must deploy the dcnm.bin file twice.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to the following site: http://software.cisco.com/download/ .

Step 2

In the Select a Product search box, enter Cisco Data Center Network Manager.

Click on Search icon.
Step 3

Click on Data Center Network Manager from the search results.

A list of the latest release software for Cisco DCNM available for download is displayed.
Step 4

In the Latest Releases list, choose Release 11.1(1).

Step 5

Locate the DCNM Linux Installer and click the Download icon.

The installer file is of the format dcnm-installer-x64.11.1.1.bin.

Step 6

Locate the DCNM Silent Installer Property Files and click the Download icon.

This file will be used during Silent Installation.
Step 7

Save both the files to your directory that will be easy to find when you begin the installation.

Installing Cisco DCNM on Linux Using the GUI

Perform the following steps to install DCNM Linux using the GUI:

Procedure

Step 1

Locate the dcnm-installer-x64.<release-name>.bin file that you have downloaded.

Run the dcnm.bin installer file.

InstallAnywhere progress bar appears showing the progress.
Step 2

On the Introduction screen, read the instructions.

Choose a vendor from OEM Vendor drop-down list.

  • Cisco Systems, Inc─to install Cisco Data Center Network Manager

  • IBM─to install IBM Data Center Network Manager

Click Next.

Step 3

Check Add server to existing federation checkbox if DCNM is installed as a secondary appliance in a Federation setup.

Step 4

Check Secure Ciphers checkbox to allow only switches with strong ciphers to be discovered by DCNM.

Step 5

To install DCNM-SAN and SMI-S for the first time, choose the location for installation. In the Install Location field, click Choose, and provide the appropriate folder path. Click Restore Default Folder if DCNM is installed as a part of the Federation setup.

Click Next.

Step 6

Choose the appropriate RDBMS for the DCNM server.

Select the database that is based on your requirement.

  • Install PostgreSQL—Installs the PostgreSQL database that is bundled along with the dcnm.bin.

  • Existing PostgreSQL 9.4—Existing PostgreSQL database that is already set up, with a clean schema.

  • Existing Oracle 10g/11g/12c—Existing Oracle database that is already set up, with a clean schema.

  • Existing Oracle 10g/11g/12c RAC—Existing Oracle database that is already set up, with a clean schema.

In the Service Name field, enter the service name of the Oracle RAC server. Enter a maximum of three host IP addresses. Click OK. The DB URL is generated.

If the Cisco DCNM installer detected an existing RDBMS installation, the DB URL field shows the hostname.

Note 
Cisco DCNM installation with existing PostgresSQL requires an existing schema with the same name as the DCNM username, which is owned by the same username. When there is no schema existing with the DCNM username, or if you do not have the ownership of the schema with the same dcnmuser name, the tables are created in the default schema, known as “public”.

If the tables are created in the default schema, you may encounter authentication issues after upgrading Cisco DCNM. You will have to create a schema with the sane name as the DCNM username owned by the same username. For instructions, see User and Schemas.

Note 
In Oracle, when a new user is created, a schema name with the same name as the username is created automatically.

In the DCNM DB User field, enter the username that Cisco DCNM user uses to access the database. In the DCNM DB Password field, enter the password for the database user account that you specified. If you select Add Server to an existing federation, modify the database URL by selecting the corresponding RDBMS option. Because all the servers in Federation refer to the same database, you must provide the dcnmuser name and password of the primary server.

Click Next. Review the limitations with Oracle Database and click OK.

Click Next.

Step 7

In the Port Configuration Options screen, choose the interface and web ports for Cisco DCNM.

  • From the Server IP Address list, choose the IP address that you want to use for the Cisco DCNM server. The list shows only the IP addresses currently that are assigned to network interfaces on the server system.

  • If you want to change the port that the Cisco DCNM-SAN web server listens to, enter the new port number in the SAN Web Server Port field. By default, the Cisco DCNM-SAN web server listens to TCP port 443.

    Note 
    During Cisco DCNM installation, use port numbers that are free. For example, 87 and 23 are reserved or restricted web ports.

Click Next.

Step 8

In the Choose archive Folder for DCNM screen, provide a folder path to store device configuration files, user preferences and so on.

Perform one of the following:

  • Click Choose to select a path to store the DCNM archive directory.

    Note 
    If you must choose a remote system, provide the UNC path. For example: //Server/Share/directorypath.

  • Click Restore Default Folder to retain the default folder.

Click Next.

Step 9

In the Local User Credentials screen, provide a valid username and password to access DCNM SAN appliances.

  • In the Admin Username field, enter a name for a Cisco DCNM server user. The installer creates the Cisco DCNM server user and assigns the Administrator role to it.

  • In the Password field, enter a password for the user, and in the Confirm Password field, reenter the password.

    Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly:

    • It must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

    • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

    • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for any deployment mode: <SPACE> & $ % ‘ “ ^ = < > ; :

Click Next.

Step 10

In the Authentication Settings screen, choose the authentication method that the Cisco DCNM server must use to authenticate users who log on to the Cisco DCNM client. You can choose one of the following:

  • Local—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by the Cisco DCNM server user accounts only.

  • RADIUS—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by a RADIUS server.

  • TACACS+—Cisco DCNM client users are authenticated by a TACACS+ server.

Step 11

If you chose RADIUS or TACACS+, do the following:

  1. In the primary server address field, enter the IPv4 address of the server in dotted-decimal format.

  2. In the primary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  3. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

  4. In the secondary server address field, enter the IPv4 address of the server in dotted-decimal format.

  5. In the secondary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  6. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

  7. In the tertiary server address field, enter the address of the server in the dotted-decimal format.

  8. In the tertiary server key field, enter the shared secret of the server.

  9. (Optional) If you want to ensure that Cisco DCNM can communicate with the server, click Verify.

Click Next.

The Choose Link Folder is skipped and by default the location is /root directory.

Step 12

In the Pre-Installation Summary screen, review the installation configuration.

Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration.

Click Next.

Step 13

On the confirmation window, click Yes to begin the DCNM installation.

The progress bar description shows the process during the installation.
Step 14

On the Install Complete screen, the installed components are listed. Click Done to start the DCNM server.

Wait until the DCNM is deployed on the system.
Step 15

Open a browser and enter https://<<DCNM_server_IP_Address>>.

Press Return key to launch the Web Interface of Cisco DCNM for SAN Management.

Installing Cisco DCNM Linux in a Server Federation Environment Using GUI

To install DCNM in a server federation environment:

Before you begin

Ensure that you have installed DCNM on the Primary server. Follow the instructions in Installing Cisco DCNM on Linux Using the GUI section.

Procedure

Step 1

While installing DCNM on the Secondary server, check Add server to existing federation checkbox.

This makes the DCNM installed as a secondary appliance in a Federation setup. The Pre-installation Summary screen displays the Federation status and nodes in the Federation Settings area.

Step 2

Check Secure Ciphers checkbox to allow only switches with strong ciphers to be discovered by DCNM, only if the Secure Ciphers were enabled on the Primary.

Cisco DCNM uses both strong and weak ciphers when connecting to switches. If you use only strong ciphers for the network, select the checkbox. Ensure that the switches in your network support strong ciphers before you select checkbox, as DCNM will not be able to connect to switches which do not support strong ciphers.

Step 3

Modify the database URL by selecting the corresponding RDBMS option.

Note 
All the servers in federation refer to the same database, and therefore you must provide the DCNM username and password of the primary server. Also, you must provide the database username and password of the primary server.

The username and password of the database are same for all the server installation forming the federation. Similarly, the username and password of DCNM are same for all the server installation forming the federation.

Installing Cisco DCNM Linux Through Silent Installation

Cisco DCNM supports Silent installation only on Local Authorization mode and not on Remote Authorization mode.

Perform the following steps to install DCNM Linux through silent installation.

Procedure

Step 1

Unzip, extract, and open the installer.properties file and update the following properties. 

#-----------------BASIC Properties---------------------
DCNM_IP_ADDRESS=<ip_address_of_host_machine>
USER_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/cisco/dcm
INSTALLATION_TYPE=NEW_INSTALL
#INSTALLATION_TYPE=UPGRADE
SAN_FEDERATION=FALSE
#SAN_FEDERATION=TRUE
Step 2

Configure the database parameters.

If you are using PostgreSQL database, edit this block:

#--------------New Postgress---------------------------
PG_DB_PATH=/usr/local/cisco/dcm/db

#PG_DB_PATH=/opt/dctest/cisco/dcm/db /*non-default installation directory*/
#BACKUP_FILE=/opt/dctest/cisco/dcm/dcnm/bin/<backup-filename> /*non-default backup file directory*/

DCNM_DB_URL=jdbc\:postgresql\://localhost\:5432/dcmdb
DCNM_DB_NAME=dcmdb
SELECTED_DATABASE=postgresql
DCNM_DB_USERNAME=dcnmuser
DCNM_DB_USER_PASSWORD=dcnmuser
#CLEAN_DATABASE=TRUE

If you are using the Oracle database, edit this block:

#------------------DATABASE Properties--------------------
#User can configure these properties to use existing database or
# install fresh Postgres as database for the DCNM. Existing database
# can be postgres (remote or local), Oracle (remote or local)
# or it can be Oracle RAC.
#----------------------------------------------------
USE_EXISTING_DB=FALSE
#USE_EXISTING_DB=TRUE
ORA_DB_PATH=C:\\oraclexe\\app\\oracle\\product\\10.2.0\\server
Step 3

Configure the Data Path for DCNM.

#---------------------DATA PATH----------------
#Data path is the folder location where DCNM LAN related 
#information like Config archives, templates etc. are stored.
# In DCNM LAN Cluster mode this folder has to be a shared folder.
#For linux and windows it will be different as the folder structure vaires
#----------------------------------------------------

DATA_PATH=/usr/local/cisco/dcm/dcnm
#---------------------DATA PATH----------------
Step 4

Configure the user credentials for DCNM.

#-----------------User Configuration-----------------
#DCNM User Configuration Properties
#If you want to use special characters in DCNM_ADMIN
#credentials,Please use escape character(\) before 
#the symbol [For eg. Password  "an$6x12" must be specified as "an\$6x12" ].
#----------------------------------------------------

DECRYPT_PASSWORDS=FALSE
DCNM_ADMIN_USER=admin
DCNM_ADMIN_USER_PASSWORD=admin123

#-----------------User Configuration-----------------
Step 5

Enable the Secure Ciphers.

#----------------Secure Ciphers-------------------------------------
#DCNM uses both strong and weak ciphers when connecting to switches
#If user wants to use only strong ciphers for connection, please set
#property to TRUE. Make sure your switches support strong ciphers before
#setting the property as DCNM will not be able to connect to switches which
#support only weak ciphers.

#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURE_CIPHER=FALSE
#SECURE_CIPHER=TRUE
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 6

Configure IBM Raven to install IBM Data Center Network Manager.

#------------------------------IBM Raven Support----------------------
#Set true if Vendor is IBM, by default false
#---------------------------------------------------------------------

IBM_INSTALL=FALSE /*Does not install IBM Data Center Network Manager*/
#---------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 7

Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the Cisco DCNM Linux software and run the appropriate installer by using the following command:

dcnm-release.bin -i silent -f path_of_installer.properties_file

You can check the status of installation by using the following command ps -ef | grep ‘LAX’ . The prompt will return after the silent install is complete.

Step 8

Open a browser and enter https://<<DCNM_server_IP_Address>>.

Press Return key to launch the Web Interface of Cisco DCNM on Linux for SAN Management.

Installing DCNM on Open Virtual Appliance

This chapter contains the following sections:

Downloading the Open Virtual Appliance File

The first step to install the Open Virtual Appliance is to download the dcnm.ova file. Point to that dcnm.ova file on your computer when deploying the OVF template.


Note
If you plan to use HA application functions, you must deploy the dcnm.ova file twice.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to the following site: http://software.cisco.com/download/ .

Step 2

In the Select a Product search box, enter Cisco Data Center Network Manager.

Click Search icon.

Step 3

Click Data Center Network Manager from the search results.

A list of the latest release software for Cisco DCNM available for download is displayed.
Step 4

In the Latest Releases list, choose Release 11.3(1).

Step 5

Locate the DCNM Open Virtual Appliance Installer and click the Download icon.

Step 6

Save the dcnm.ova file to your directory that is easy to find when you start to deploy the OVF template.

Deploying the Open Virtual Appliance as an OVF Template

After you download the Open Virtual Appliance file, you must deploy the OVF template from the vSphere Client application or the vCenter Server.


Note
Deploy two OVAs for the HA setup.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the vCenter Server application and connect to the vCenter Server with your vCenter user credentials.

Note 
ESXi host must be added to the vCenter Server application.

Depending on the version of the VMware vsphere web HTML5 interface may not work properly when deploying Huge or Compute OVA, as it does not allow users to specify extra disk size. Therefore, we recommend that you use Flex interface for deploying VMs.

If you're deploying OVF template using the ESXi 6.7, the installation fails if you use Internet Explorer browser with HTML5. Ensure that you one of the following options to successfully deploy OVF template with ESXi and 6.7:

  • Mozilla Firefox browser, with HTML 5 support

    Use flex interface if HTML 5 is not supported

  • Mozilla Firefox browser, with flex\flash support

  • Google Chrome browser, with HTML 5 support

    Use flex interface if HTML 5 is not supported
Step 2

Navigate to Home > Inventory > Hosts and Clusters and choose the host on which the OVF template is deployed.

Step 3

On the correct Host, right-click and select Deploy OVF Template.

You can also choose Actions > Deploy OVF Template.

Deploy OVF Template Wizard opens.
Step 4

On the Select template screen, navigate to the location where you have downloaded the OVA image.

You can choose the OVA file by one of the following methods:

  • Select the URL radio button. Enter the path of the location of the image file.

  • Select Local File radio button. Click Browse. Navigate to the directory where the image is stored. Click OK.

Click Next.

Step 5

Verify the OVA template details and click Next.

Step 6

On the End User License Agreement screen, read the license agreement.

Click Accept and click Next.

Step 7

On the Select name and location screen, enter the following information:

  • In the Name field, enter an appropriate name for the OVF.

    Note 
    Ensure that the VM name is unique within the Inventory.

  • In the Browse tab, select Datacenter as the deployment location under the appropriate ESXi host.

Click Next.

Step 8

On the Select configuration screen, select the configuration from the drop-down list.

  • Choose Small (Lab or POC) to configure the virtual machine with 8 vCPUs, 24GB RAM.

    Choose Small for proof-of-concept and other small-scale environments with fewer than 50 switches that are not expected to grow with time.

  • Choose Large (Production) to configure the virtual machine with 16 vCPUs, 32GB RAM.

    We recommend that you use a Large deployment configuration when you are managing more than 50 devices to leverage better RAM, heap memory, and CPUs. For setups that could grow, choose Large.

  • Choose Compute to configure the virtual machine with 16 vCPUs, 64GB RAM.

    You must have DCNM deployed in Compute mode to use applications in your deployment.

  • Choose Huge to configure the virtual machine with 32 vCPUs, 128GB RAM.

    We recommend that you choose this configuration if you are deploying the SAN Insights features.

Click Next.

Step 9

On the Select a resource screen, select the host on which you want to deploy the OVA template.

Click Next.

Step 10

On the Select storage screen, based on the Datastore and Available space choose the disk format and the destination storage for the virtual machine file.

  1. Select the virtual disk format from the drop-down list.

    The available disk formats are:

    Note 
    Choose one of the thick provision types if you have enough storage capacity as required by the virtual appliance and want to set a specific allocation of space for the virtual disks.

    • Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed: The space that is required for the virtual disk is allocated when the virtual disk is created. The data that remains on the physical device is not erased when the virtual disk is created but is zeroed out on demand later on first write from the virtual disk.

    • Thin Provision: The disk space available is less than 100 GB. The initial disk consumption is 3GB and increases as the size of the database increases with the number of devices being managed.

    • Thick Provision Eager Zeroed: The space that is required for the virtual disk is allocated when the virtual disk is created. Unlike the Lazy Zeroed option, the data that remains on the physical device is erased when the virtual disk is created.

      Note 

      With 500G, the DCNM installation will appear to be stuck with option Thick Provision Eager Zeroed. However, it takes longer time to complete.

  2. Select the VM storage policy from the drop-down list.

    By default, no policy is selected.

  3. Check the Show datastores from Storage DRS clusters to view the clusters datastores.

  4. Select the destination storage for the virtual machine, available in the datastore.

Click Next.

Step 11

On the Select Networks screen, map the networks that are used in the OVF template to networks in your inventory.

  • dcnm-mgmt network

    This network provides connectivity (SSH, SCP, HTTP, HTTPS) to the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance. Associate this network with the portgroup that corresponds to the subnet that is associated with the DCNM Management network.

  • enhanced-fabric-mgmt

    This network provides enhanced fabric management of Nexus switches. You must associate this network with the port group that corresponds to management network of leaf and spine switches.

  • enhanced-fabric-inband

    This network provides in-band connection to the fabric. You must associate this network with port group that corresponds to a fabric in-band connection.

    Note 

    If you do not configure enhanced-fabric-inband network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

From the Destination Network drop-down list, choose to associate the network mapping with the port group that corresponds to the subnet that is associated with the corresponding network.

If you are deploying more than one DCNM Open Virtual Appliance for HA functionality, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Both OVAs must have their management access (eth0), enhanced fabric management (eth1) and inband management (eth2) interfaces in the same subnet.

  • Each OVA must have their eth0-eth1 and eth2 interfaces in different subnets.

  • Both OVAs must be deployed with the same administrative password. This is to ensure that both OVAs are duplicates of each other for application access. Do not use the following characters in your password:

Click Next.

Step 12

On the Customize template screen, enter the Management Properties information.

Enter the IP Address (for the outside management address for DCNM), Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway.

Note 
During Native HA installation and upgrade, ensure that you provide appropriate Management Properties for both Active and Standby appliances.

Ensure that add valid values for the Management Network properties. Properties with invalid values will not be assigned. The VM will not power on until you enter valid values.

From Release 11.3(1), for Huge and Compute configurations, you can add extra disk space on the VM. You can add from 32GB up to 1.5TB of disk space. In the Extra Disk Size field, enter the extra disk size that will be created on the VM.

Click Next.

Step 13

On the Ready to Complete screen, review the deployment settings.

Click Back to go to the previous screens and modify the configuration.

Click Finish to deploy the OVF template.

You can see the deployment status in the Recent Tasks area on the vSphere Client.
Step 14

After the installation is complete, right click on the installed VM and select Power > Power On.

Note 
Before you power on the VM, ensure that you have reserved appropriate resources for the VM, such as CPU and memory, based on the chosen deployment configuration.

You can see the status in the Recent Tasks area.
Step 15

Navigate to the Summary tab and click Settings icon and select Launch Web Console.

A message indicating that the DCNM appliance is configuring appears on the screen.

***************************************************************
Please point your web browser to
https://<IP-address>:<port-number>
to complete the application
***************************************************************

Copy and paste the URL to the browser to complete the installation, using the Web Installer.

What to do next

The DCNM installer creates a _deviceImage-0.iso in the DCNM VM folder and mounts the ISO permanently to the VM. If this ISO is removed or the CD/DVD is disconnected, the VM will not boot. The VM will enter Emergency Mode and prompt you with the message:Give root password for maintenance. If the VM is down, CD/DVD drive can be disconnected. However, after you power it up again, the VM will enter Emergency Mode and provide a prompt.

You can choose to install DCNM in Standalone mode or Native HA mode. For more information, see Installing the Cisco DCNM OVA in Standalone Mode or Installing the Cisco DCNM OVA in Native HA mode.

Installing the Cisco DCNM OVA in Standalone Mode

Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab and hit Enter key. A welcome message appears.

To complete the installation of Cisco DCNM from the web installer, perform the following procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

Step 2

On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation – Standalone radio button.

Click Continue.

Step 3

On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly.

  • It must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

  • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

  • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for all platforms:

    <SPACE> " & $ % ' ^ = < > ; : ` \ | / , .*

Select the Show passwords in clear text checkbox to view the password you have typed.

Click Next.

Step 4

In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose SAN Only installation mode for the OVA DCNM Appliance.

Check the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox, if you want to deploy Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

The Compute nodes will be displayed on the Cisco DCNM Web UI > Applications > Compute. You can add the compute nodes to a Cluster, later.

Note 

If Enable Clustered Mode is selected, applications such as, Config Compliance, EPL, and NIA, and NIR won’t work until you install the compute nodes.

Click Next.

Step 5

On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

  • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

  • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

    Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

  • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

    The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

Click Next.

Step 6

On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

Figure 1. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

  1. In the Management Network area, verify if the auto-populated IP Address and Default Gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

    Note 
    Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

    (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

  2. In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

    Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

    Note 

    If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

  3. In the In-Band Network area, enter the IP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network.

    The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

    Note 

    If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

Click Next.

Step 7

On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

The Cluster Mode configuration area appears only if you have selected the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox in Step Step 4.

Note 

In Clustered mode, the Cisco DCNM Applications run on separate DCNM Compute Nodes.

  1. In the Out-of-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

    The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses from the eth1 subnet. For example: Use 10.1.1.240/28 if the eth1 subnet was configured as 10.1.1.0/24 during installation.

    This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

  2. In the Out-of-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

  3. In the In-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

    The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses eth2 subnet. For example: Use 11.1.1.240/28 if the eth2 subnet was configured as 11.1.1.0/24 during installation.

    This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

  4. In the In-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the in-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

Click Next.
Step 8

On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

A progress bar appears showing the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

A success message appears with the URL to access DCNM Web UI. 

***************************************************************
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed.
DCNM Web UI is available at
https://<<IP Address>>:2443
You will be redirected there in 60 seconds.
Thank you
***************************************************************
Note 

If the Cisco DCNM is running behind a firewall, ensure that you open the port 2443 to launch Cisco DCNM Web UI.
Note 

If you try to access the DCNM Web UI using the Management IP address while the installation is still in progress, an error message appears on the console. 

***************************************
*Preparing Appliance*

***************************************

What to do next

Log on to the DCNM Web UI with appropriate credentials.

Click the Settings icon and choose About DCNM. You can view and verify the Installation type that you have deployed.

If you have configured inband management (eth2) IP addresses for device management, login to standalone server and configure the inband network reachability from eth2 of the server to the switches by using the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switches-fabric-links-IP-subnet/mask
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switch-loopback-IP-subnet>/mask
For example: If you have four switches with all fabric links connected through 10.0.0.x/30 subnet, and if all switches are configured with the loopback interface for inband reachability in subnet 40.1.1.0/24, use the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 10.0.0.0/24
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 40.1.1.0/24

Installing the Cisco DCNM OVA in Native HA mode

The native HA is supported on DCNM appliances with ISO or OVA installation only.

By default, an embedded PostgreSQL database engine with the Cisco DCNM. The native HA feature allows two Cisco DCNM appliances to run as active and standby applications, with their embedded databases synchronized in real time. Therefore, when the active DCNM is not functioning, the standby DCNM takes over with the same database data and resume the operation.

Perform the following task to set up Native HA for DCNM.

Procedure

Step 1

Deploy two DCNM Virtual Appliances (either OVA or ISO).

For example, let us indicate them as dcnm1 and dcnm2.

Step 2

Configure dcnm1 as the Primary node. Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab of dcnm1 and press Enter key.

A welcome message appears.

  1. On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

  2. On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation - HA Primary radio button, to install dcnm1 as Primary node.

    Click Continue.

  3. On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

    Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly.

    • It must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

    • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

    • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for Linux, Windows, OVA, and ISO platforms:

      <SPACE> " & $ % ' ^ = < > ; : ` \ | / , .*

    Select the Show passwords in clear text checkbox to view the password you have typed.

    Click Next.

  4. In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose installation mode for the DCNM Appliance.

    Check the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox, if you want to deploy Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

    The Compute nodes will be displayed on the Cisco DCNM Web UI > Applications > Compute. You can add the compute nodes to a Cluster, later.

    Note 

    If Enable Clustered Mode is selected, applications such as, Config Compliance, EPL, and NIA, and NIR won’t work until you install the compute nodes.

    Click Next.

  5. On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

    • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

      Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

    • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

      The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

    From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

    Click Next.

  6. On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

    Figure 2. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

    • In the Management Network area, verify is the auto-populated IP Address and Default gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

      Note 
      Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

      (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

    • In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

      Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

      Note 

      If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the VIP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network. The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

      Note 

      If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

    • In the Internal Application Services Network area, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

      All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

      Note 

      Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.

    However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

    Click Next.

  7. On the HA Settings tab, a confirmation message appears.

    You are installing the primary DCNM HA node.
Please note that HA setup information will need to
be provided when the secondary DCNM HA node is
installed.

    Click Next.

  8. On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

    All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

    The Cluster Mode configuration area appears only if you have selected the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox in Step 2.d.

    Note 

    In Clustered mode, the Cisco DCNM Applications run on separate DCNM Compute Nodes.

    1. In the Out-of-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

      The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses from the eth1 subnet. For example: Use 10.1.1.240/28 if the eth1 subnet was configured as 10.1.1.0/24 during installation.

      This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

    2. In the Out-of-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

    3. In the In-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

      The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses eth2 subnet. For example: Use 11.1.1.240/28 if the eth2 subnet was configured as 11.1.1.0/24 during installation.

      This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

    4. In the In-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the in-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

    Click Next.

  9. On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

    Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

    A progress bar appears to show the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

    A warning message appears stating that the setup is not complete until you install the Secondary node.

    WARNING: DCNM HA SETUP IS NOT COMPLETE!
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed on
this HA primary node.
However, the system will be ready to be used only after installation
of the secondary node has been completed.
Thank you.
Step 3

Configure dcnm2 as the Secondary node. Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab of dcnm2 and hit Enter.

A welcome message appears.

  1. On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

  2. On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation - HA Secondary radio button, to install dcnm2 as Secondary node.

    Click Continue.

  3. On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

    Note 

    The password for the secondary node must be the same as the Administrative password for primary, as entered in Step 2.c.

    Click Next.

  4. In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose the same installation mode that you selected for the Primary node.

    Note 
    The HA installation fails if you do not choose the same installation mode as Primary node.

    Click Next.

  5. On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

    • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

      Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

    • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

      The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

    From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

    Click Next.

  6. On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

    Figure 3. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

    • In the Management Network area, verify is the auto-populated IP Address and Default gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

      Note 

      Ensure that the IP Address belongs to the same Management Network as configured on the Primary node for HA setup to complete successfully.

      Note 
      Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

      (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

    • In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

      Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

      Note 

      Ensure that the IP Address, IP address gateway, and the IPv6 address belong to the same Out-of-Band Network as configured on the Primary node for HA setup to complete successfully.

      Note 

      If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

      You can also configure an IPv6 address for out-of-band management network.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the IP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network. The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

      Note 

      If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

      However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

    • In the Internal Application Services Network area, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

      All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

      Note 

      Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.

    Click Next.

  7. On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

    All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

    Note 

    Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.
    Click Next.

  8. On the HA Settings tab, configure the system settings..

    • In the Management IP Address of primary DCNM node field, enter the appropriate IP Address to access the DCNM UI.

    • In the VIP Fully qualified Host Name field, enter hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • Enter the Management Network VIP address, VIPv6 address, and OOB Network VIP address appropriately.

      Note 
      If you have configured the Management network using IPv6 address, ensure that you configure the Management Network VIPv6 Address.

    • Enter OOB Network VIPv6 Address to configure IPv6 address for VIP.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the VIP Address for the in-band network.

      This is the VIP address for the In-Band network. This field is mandatory if you have provided an IP address for In-Band network in the Network Settings tab.

    • Enter the HA ping IP address if necessary.

      HA_PING_ADDRESS, must be different from the DCNM Active and Standby addresses.

      You must configure the HA ping IP Address to avoid the Split Brain scenario. This address must belong to Enhanced Fabric management network.

    Click Next.

  9. On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

    Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM OVA Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

    A progress bar appears to show the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

    A success message appears with the URL to access DCNM Web UI.

    ***************************************************************
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed.
DCNM Web UI is available at
https://<<IP Address>>:2443
You will be redirected there in 60 seconds.
Thank you
***************************************************************
    Note 

    If the Cisco DCNM is running behind a firewall, ensure that you open the port 2443 to launch Cisco DCNM Web UI.

What to do next

Log on to the DCNM Web UI with appropriate credentials.

Click the Settings icon and choose About DCNM. You can view and verify the Installation type that you have deployed.

If you have configured inband management (eth2) IP addresses for device management, login to standalone server and configure the inband network reachability from eth2 of the server to the switches by using the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switches-fabric-links-IP-subnet/mask
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switch-loopback-IP-subnet>/mask
For example: If you have four switches with all fabric links connected through 10.0.0.x/30 subnet, and if all switches are configured with the loopback interface for inband reachability in subnet 40.1.1.0/24, use the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 10.0.0.0/24
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 40.1.1.0/24

Installing DCNM on ISO Virtual Appliance

This chapter contains the following sections:

Downloading the ISO Virtual Appliance File

The first step to installing the ISO Virtual Appliance is to download the dcnm.iso file. You must point to that dcnm.iso file on your computer when preparing the server for installing DCNM.


Note
If you plan to use HA application functions, you must deploy the dcnm.iso file twice.

Procedure

Step 1

Go to the following site: http://software.cisco.com/download/ .

Step 2

In the Select a Product search box, enter Cisco Data Center Network Manager.

Click on Search icon.
Step 3

Click on Data Center Network Manager from the search results.

A list of the latest release software for Cisco DCNM available for download is displayed.
Step 4

In the Latest Releases list, choose Release 11.3(1).

Step 5

Locate the DCNM ISO Virtual Appliance Installer and click the Download icon.

Step 6

Locate the DCNM VM templates at DCNM Virtual Appliance definition files for VMWare (.ovf) and KVM (domain XMLs) environment and click Download.

Step 7

Save the dcnm.iso file to your directory that will be easy to find when you being the installation.

What to do next

You can choose to install DCNM On KVM or Baremetal servers. Refer to Installing the DCNM ISO Virtual Appliance on KVM or Installing the DCNM ISO Virtual Appliance on UCS (Bare Metal) for more information.

Installing the DCNM ISO Virtual Appliance on UCS (Bare Metal)

From Release 11.3(1), you can install Cisco DCNM ISO using an additional mode where the physical interfaces are bound together for a port channel or ethernet channel configured as a trunk with the management traffic, out-of-band traffic, and in-band traffic separated in different VLANs.

Ensure that the switch is configured correctly for bundled interface mode. The following shows a sample switch configuration for bundled interface mode: 

vlan 100
vlan 101
vlan 102
interface port-channel1
  switchport
  switchport mode trunk

interface Ethernet101/1/1
  switchport mode trunk
  channel-group 1
  no shutdown

interface Ethernet101/1/2
  switchport mode trunk
  channel-group 1
  no shutdown

interface Ethernet101/1/3
  switchport mode trunk
  channel-group 1
  no shutdown

interface Ethernet101/1/4
  switchport mode trunk
  channel-group 1
  no shutdown

Perform the following tasks to install the DCNM ISO virtual appliance on UCS.

Procedure

Step 1

Launch Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC).

Step 2

Click the Launch KVM button.

You can either launch Java-based KVM or HTML-based KVM.
Step 3

Click the URL displayed on the window to continue loading the KVM client application.
Step 4

On the Menu bar, click Virtual Media > Activate Virtual Devices.

Step 5

Click Virtual Media and choose one of the following mediums to browse and upload DCNM ISO images from the following:

  • Map CD/DVD

  • Map Removable Disk

  • Map Floppy Disk

Navigate to the location where the ISO image is located and load the ISO image.
Step 6

Select Power > Reset System (warm boot) and Ok to continue and restart the UCS box.

Step 7

Press F6 interrupt the reboot process when the server starts to select a boot device. The boot selection menu appears.

For more information about using the UCS KVM Console window, see the Cisco UCS Server Configuration Utility, Release 3.1 User Guide at the following URL:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/sw/ucsscu/user/guide/31/UCS_SCU/booting.html#wp1078073
Step 8

Use the arrow keys to select Cisco Virtual CD/DVD and press Enter. The server boots with the DCNM ISO image from the mapped location.

Note 

The following image highlights UEFI installation. However, you can also choose Cisco vKVM-Mapped vDVD1.22 for BIOS installation. ISO can be booted in both modes, BIOS, and UEFI.

UEFI is mandatory for a system with minimum of 2TB disks.

For Cisco UCS with the disk size of 2TB or higher and with 4K sector size drivers, the UEFI boot option is required. For more information, see UEFI Boot Mode.

Step 9

Select Install Cisco Data Center Network Manager using the up or down arrow keys. Press Enter.

The option shown in the following image appears when the ISO image is booted with UEFI.

Step 10

On the Cisco Management Network Management screen, select the mode to configure the network.

Enter 1 to configure the Cisco DCNM network interfaces from the available physical interfaces.

Enter 2 to configure the Cisco DCNM network interfaces from the available physical interfaces that are bundled together to form a single port-channel, configured as a trunk.

Step 11

If you entered 1, to install Cisco DCNM ISO in un-bundled interface mode, select the interface for the networks. The list of available interfaces is displayed on the screen.

Choose the Management Interface (eth0) and Out-of-Band interface (eth1) from the Network Interface List. You can also configure the in-band interface (eth2) if necessary.

Note 

If you do not configure In-Band interface, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

Step 12

If you entered 2, to install Cisco DCNM ISO in bundled interface mode, perform the following tasks:

  1. Select interface from the list to form a bundle.

    Note 

    A minimum of one physical interface must be a part of the bundle.

    Enter q after you enter all the interface that must be added to the bundle.

  2. Enter the VLAN IDs to be used for Management Network, Out-Of-Band Network and In-band Network Select interface from the list to form a bundle.

    Verify and confirm if the correct VLAN IDs are assigned.

    Note 

    The VLAN IDs for Management Network and Out-Of-Band Network can be the same when Management Network and Out-Of-Band Network use the same subnet (that is, when eth0/eth1 are in the same subnet)

Step 13

Review the selected interfaces. Press y to confirm and continue with the installation.

Step 14

Configure the Management Network for Cisco DCNM. Enter the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway. Press y to continue with the installation.

After the installation is complete, the system reboots and a message indicating that the DCNM appliance is configuring appears on the screen. 

***************************************************************
Please point your web browser to
http://<IP-address>:<port-number>
to complete the application
***************************************************************

Copy and paste the URL to the browser to complete the installation using the Web Installer.

What to do next

You can choose to install DCNM in Standalone mode or Native HA mode. Refer to Installing Cisco DCNM ISO in Standalone Mode or Installing the Cisco DCNM ISO in Native HA mode for more information.

Installing the DCNM ISO Virtual Appliance on KVM

Perform the following tasks to install the ISO virtual appliance on KVM.

Procedure

Step 1

Unzip and extract dcnm-va-ovf-kvm-files.11.3.1.zip and locate the dcnm-kvm-vm.xml file.

Step 2

Upload this file on the RHEL server that is running KVM to the same location as the ISO.
Step 3

Connect to the RHEL server running KVM via SCP File transfer terminal.
Step 4

Upload the dcnm-va.11.3.1.iso and dcnm-kvm-vm.xml to the RHEL server.

Step 5

Close the file transfer session.
Step 6

Connect to the RHEL server running KVM via SSH terminal.
Step 7

Navigate to the location where both the ISO and domain XMLs is downloaded.
Step 8

Create the VM (or Domains, as they are known in the KVM terminology) using the virsh command.

need info on dcnm-kvm-vm-huge.xml

sudo virsh define [dcnm-kvm-vm-huge.xml | dcnm-kvm-vm-compute.xml | dcnm-kvm-vm-large.xml | dcnm-kvm-vm-small.xml]
Step 9

Enable a VNC server and open the required firewall ports.
Step 10

Close the SSH session.
Step 11

Connect to the RHEL server running KVM via a VNC terminal.
Step 12

Navigate to Applications > System Tools > Virtual Machine Manager (VMM).

A VM is created in the Virtual Machine Manager.
Step 13

From Virtual Machine Manager, edit the VM by selecting the VM in the listing. Click Edit > Virtual Machine Details > Show virtual hardware details.

Step 14

In the Virtual Hardware Details, navigate to Add Hardware > Storage.

Step 15

Create a hard disk with Device type withe the following specifications:

  • device type: IDE disk

  • cache-mode: default

  • storage format: raw

We recommend that you use storage size of 500GB.
Step 16

Select IDE CDROM on the edit window of the Virtual Machine and click Connect.

Step 17

Navigate to dcnm-va.iso and click OK.

Step 18

Select both the NICs and assign appropriate networks that are created.

Step 19

Power on the Virtual Machine.

Note 
Before you power on the VM, ensure that you have reserved appropriate resources for the VM, such as CPU and memory, based on the chosen deployment configuration.

The operating system is installed.
Step 20

On the Cisco Management Network Management screen, select the interface for the networks. The list of available interfaces is displayed on the screen.

Choose the Management Interface (eth0) and Out-of-Band interface (eth1) from the Network Interface List. You can also configure in-band interface (eth2) if necessary.

Note 

If you do not configure in-band interface (eth2), Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

Step 21

Press y to confirm and continue with the installation.

Step 22

Configure the Management Network. Enter the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway. Press y to continue with the installation.

After the installation is complete, the system reboots and a message indicating that the DCNM appliance is configuring appears on the screen. 

***************************************************************
Please point your web browser to
http://<IP-address>:<port-number>
to complete the application
***************************************************************

Copy and paste the URL to the browser to complete the installation using the Web Installer.

What to do next

You can choose to install DCNM in Standalone mode or Native HA mode. Refer to Installing Cisco DCNM ISO in Standalone Mode or Installing the Cisco DCNM ISO in Native HA mode for more information.

Installing Cisco DCNM ISO in Standalone Mode

Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab and hit Enter key. A welcome message appears.

To complete the installation of Cisco DCNM from the web installer, perform the following procedure.

Procedure

Step 1

On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

Step 2

On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation – Standalone radio button.

Click Continue.

Step 3

On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly.

  • It must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

  • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

  • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for all platforms:

    <SPACE> " & $ % ' ^ = < > ; : ` \ | / , .*

Select the Show passwords in clear text checkbox to view the password you have typed.

Click Next.

Step 4

In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose SAN Only installation mode for the OVA DCNM Appliance.

Check the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox, if you want to deploy Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

The Compute nodes will be displayed on the Cisco DCNM Web UI > Applications > Compute. You can add the compute nodes to a Cluster, later.

Note 

If Enable Clustered Mode is selected, applications such as, Config Compliance, EPL, and NIA, and NIR won’t work until you install the compute nodes.

Click Next.

Step 5

On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

  • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

  • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

    Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

  • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

    The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

Click Next.

Step 6

On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

Figure 4. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

  1. In the Management Network area, verify if the auto-populated IP Address and Default Gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

    Note 
    Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

    (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

  2. In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

    Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

    Note 

    If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

  3. In the In-Band Network area, enter the IP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network.

    The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

    Note 

    If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

Click Next.

Step 7

On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

The Cluster Mode configuration area appears only if you have selected the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox in Step Step 4.

Note 

In Clustered mode, the Cisco DCNM Applications run on separate DCNM Compute Nodes.

  1. In the Out-of-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

    The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses from the eth1 subnet. For example: Use 10.1.1.240/28 if the eth1 subnet was configured as 10.1.1.0/24 during installation.

    This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

  2. In the Out-of-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

  3. In the In-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

    The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses eth2 subnet. For example: Use 11.1.1.240/28 if the eth2 subnet was configured as 11.1.1.0/24 during installation.

    This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

  4. In the In-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the in-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

Click Next.
Step 8

On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

A progress bar appears showing the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

A success message appears with the URL to access DCNM Web UI. 

***************************************************************
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed.
DCNM Web UI is available at
https://<<IP Address>>:2443
You will be redirected there in 60 seconds.
Thank you
***************************************************************
Note 

If the Cisco DCNM is running behind a firewall, ensure that you open the port 2443 to launch Cisco DCNM Web UI.
Note 

If you try to access the DCNM Web UI using the Management IP address while the installation is still in progress, an error message appears on the console. 

***************************************
*Preparing Appliance*

***************************************

What to do next

Log on to the DCNM Web UI with appropriate credentials.

Click the Settings icon and choose About DCNM. You can view and verify the Installation type that you have deployed.

If you have configured inband management (eth2) IP addresses for device management, login to standalone server and configure the inband network reachability from eth2 of the server to the switches by using the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switches-fabric-links-IP-subnet/mask
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switch-loopback-IP-subnet>/mask
For example: If you have four switches with all fabric links connected through 10.0.0.x/30 subnet, and if all switches are configured with the loopback interface for inband reachability in subnet 40.1.1.0/24, use the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 10.0.0.0/24
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 40.1.1.0/24

Installing the Cisco DCNM ISO in Native HA mode

The native HA is supported on DCNM appliances with ISO or OVA installation only.

By default, an embedded PostgreSQL database engine with the Cisco DCNM. The native HA feature allows two Cisco DCNM appliances to run as active and standby applications, with their embedded databases synchronized in real time. Therefore, when the active DCNM is not functioning, the standby DCNM takes over with the same database data and resume the operation.

Perform the following task to set up Native HA for DCNM.

Procedure

Step 1

Deploy two DCNM Virtual Appliances (either OVA or ISO).

For example, let us indicate them as dcnm1 and dcnm2.

Step 2

Configure dcnm1 as the Primary node. Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab of dcnm1 and press Enter key.

A welcome message appears.

  1. On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

  2. On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation - HA Primary radio button, to install dcnm1 as Primary node.

    Click Continue.

  3. On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

    Adhere to the following password requirements. If you do not comply with the requirements, the DCNM application may not function properly.

    • It must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one alphabet and one numeral.

    • It can contain a combination of alphabets, numerals, and special characters.

    • Do not use any of these special characters in the DCNM password for Linux, Windows, OVA, and ISO platforms:

      <SPACE> " & $ % ' ^ = < > ; : ` \ | / , .*

    Select the Show passwords in clear text checkbox to view the password you have typed.

    Click Next.

  4. In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose installation mode for the DCNM Appliance.

    Check the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox, if you want to deploy Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

    The Compute nodes will be displayed on the Cisco DCNM Web UI > Applications > Compute. You can add the compute nodes to a Cluster, later.

    Note 

    If Enable Clustered Mode is selected, applications such as, Config Compliance, EPL, and NIA, and NIR won’t work until you install the compute nodes.

    Click Next.

  5. On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

    • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

      Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

    • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

      The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

    From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

    Click Next.

  6. On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

    Figure 5. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

    • In the Management Network area, verify is the auto-populated IP Address and Default gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

      Note 
      Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

      (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

    • In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

      Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

      Note 

      If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the VIP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network. The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

      Note 

      If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

    • In the Internal Application Services Network area, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

      All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

      Note 

      Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.

    However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

    Click Next.

  7. On the HA Settings tab, a confirmation message appears.

    You are installing the primary DCNM HA node.
Please note that HA setup information will need to
be provided when the secondary DCNM HA node is
installed.

    Click Next.

  8. On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

    All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

    The Cluster Mode configuration area appears only if you have selected the Enable Clustered Mode checkbox in Step 2.d.

    Note 

    In Clustered mode, the Cisco DCNM Applications run on separate DCNM Compute Nodes.

    1. In the Out-of-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

      The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses from the eth1 subnet. For example: Use 10.1.1.240/28 if the eth1 subnet was configured as 10.1.1.0/24 during installation.

      This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

    2. In the Out-of-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

    3. In the In-Band IPv4 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the out-of-band IPv4 network to be used in the Clustered Mode.

      The address must be a smaller prefix of available IP addresses eth2 subnet. For example: Use 11.1.1.240/28 if the eth2 subnet was configured as 11.1.1.0/24 during installation.

      This subnet must be a minimum of /28 (16 addresses) and maximum of /24 (256 addresses). It should also be longer than the east-west pool. This subnet is assigned to containers, to communicate with the switches.

    4. In the In-Band IPv6 Network Address Pool, enter the address pool from the in-band IPv6 network to be used in the Clustered Mode. The address pool must be an IPv6 subnet.

    Click Next.

  9. On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

    Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

    A progress bar appears to show the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

    A warning message appears stating that the setup is not complete until you install the Secondary node.

    WARNING: DCNM HA SETUP IS NOT COMPLETE!
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed on
this HA primary node.
However, the system will be ready to be used only after installation
of the secondary node has been completed.
Thank you.
Step 3

Configure dcnm2 as the Secondary node. Paste the URL displayed on the Console tab of dcnm2 and hit Enter.

A welcome message appears.

  1. On the Welcome to Cisco DCNM screen, click Get Started.

  2. On the Cisco DCNM Installer screen, select Fresh Installation - HA Secondary radio button, to install dcnm2 as Secondary node.

    Click Continue.

  3. On the Administration tab, enter the password that is used to connect to all the applications in the Cisco DCNM Open Virtual Appliance.

    Note 

    The password for the secondary node must be the same as the Administrative password for primary, as entered in Step 2.c.

    Click Next.

  4. In the Install Mode tab, from the drop-down list, choose the same installation mode that you selected for the Primary node.

    Note 
    The HA installation fails if you do not choose the same installation mode as Primary node.

    Click Next.

  5. On the System Settings, configure the settings for the DCNM Appliance.

    • In the Fully Qualified Hostname field, enter the hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • In the DNS Server Address field, enter the DNS IP address.

      Beginning with Release 11.2(1), you can also configure the DNS server using an IPv6 address.

    • In the NTP Server field, enter the IP address of the NTP server.

      The value must be an IP or IPv6 address or RFC 1123 compliant name.

    From Release 11.3(1), you can configure more than one DNS server and NTP server.

    Click Next.

  6. On the Network Settings tab, configure the network parameters.

    Figure 6. Cisco DCNM Management Network Interfaces

    • In the Management Network area, verify is the auto-populated IP Address and Default gateway address are correct. Modify, if necessary.

      Note 

      Ensure that the IP Address belongs to the same Management Network as configured on the Primary node for HA setup to complete successfully.

      Note 
      Beginning with Cisco DCNM Release 11.2(1), you can also use an IPv6 address for the Management Network.

      (Optionally) Enter a valid IPv6 address along with the prefix to configure the Management address and the Management Network Default IPv6 Gateway.

    • In the Out-of-Band Network area, enter the IP address, gateway IP Address. If DCNM is on the IPv6 network, configure the network with an IPv6 Address.

      Out-of-band management provides a connection to the device management ports (Typically mgmt0).

      Note 

      Ensure that the IP Address, IP address gateway, and the IPv6 address belong to the same Out-of-Band Network as configured on the Primary node for HA setup to complete successfully.

      Note 

      If the out-of-band network is not configured, you cannot configure Cisco DCNM in Cluster mode.

      You can also configure an IPv6 address for out-of-band management network.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the IP Address and gateway IP Address for the in-band network. The In-Band Network provides reachability to the devices via the front-panel ports.

      Note 

      If you do not configure in-band network, Endpoint Locator and Telemetry features are not operational.

      However, you can edit the network properties after installation, if required, using the appmgr update network-properties command. For more information, see Editing Network Properties Post DCNM Installation.

    • In the Internal Application Services Network area, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

      All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

      Note 

      Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.

    Click Next.

  7. On the Applications tab, in the IPv4 Subnet field, enter the IP subnet to access the applications that run internally to DCNM.

    All the applications use the IP Address from this subnet.

    Note 

    Ensure that you configure the same IP subnet on both the Primary HA and the Secondary HA node.
    Click Next.

  8. On the HA Settings tab, configure the system settings..

    • In the Management IP Address of primary DCNM node field, enter the appropriate IP Address to access the DCNM UI.

    • In the VIP Fully qualified Host Name field, enter hostname that is a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as per RFC1123, section 2.1.

    • Enter the Management Network VIP address, VIPv6 address, and OOB Network VIP address appropriately.

      Note 
      If you have configured the Management network using IPv6 address, ensure that you configure the Management Network VIPv6 Address.

    • Enter OOB Network VIPv6 Address to configure IPv6 address for VIP.

    • In the In-Band Network area, enter the VIP Address for the in-band network.

      This is the VIP address for the In-Band network. This field is mandatory if you have provided an IP address for In-Band network in the Network Settings tab.

    • Enter the HA ping IP address if necessary.

      HA_PING_ADDRESS, must be different from the DCNM Active and Standby addresses.

      You must configure the HA ping IP Address to avoid the Split Brain scenario. This address must belong to Enhanced Fabric management network.

    Click Next.

  9. On the Summary tab, review the configuration details.

    Click Previous to go to the previous tabs and modify the configuration. Click Start Installation to complete the Cisco DCNM OVA Installation for the chosen deployment mode.

    A progress bar appears to show the completed percentage, description of the operation, and the elapsed time during the installation. After the progress bar shows 100%, click Continue.

    A success message appears with the URL to access DCNM Web UI.

    ***************************************************************
Your Cisco Data Center Network Manager software has been installed.
DCNM Web UI is available at
https://<<IP Address>>:2443
You will be redirected there in 60 seconds.
Thank you
***************************************************************
    Note 

    If the Cisco DCNM is running behind a firewall, ensure that you open the port 2443 to launch Cisco DCNM Web UI.

What to do next

Log on to the DCNM Web UI with appropriate credentials.

Click the Settings icon and choose About DCNM. You can view and verify the Installation type that you have deployed.

If you have configured inband management (eth2) IP addresses for device management, login to standalone server and configure the inband network reachability from eth2 of the server to the switches by using the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switches-fabric-links-IP-subnet/mask
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet switch-loopback-IP-subnet>/mask
For example: If you have four switches with all fabric links connected through 10.0.0.x/30 subnet, and if all switches are configured with the loopback interface for inband reachability in subnet 40.1.1.0/24, use the following commands:
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 10.0.0.0/24
dcnm# appmgr setup inband-route --subnet 40.1.1.0/24

Launching SAN Client and Device Manager

This following sections explain the various methods to launch Cisco DCNM SAN Client and Device Manager.

Launching SAN Client and Device Manager from Web UI

To launch Cisco DCNM SAN Client and Device Manager from the Cisco DCNM Web UI, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to Cisco DCNM Web UI after installing Cisco DCNM SAN deployment.
Step 2

Click on the gear icon, and click DCNM SAN & DM.

Save the dcnm-client.zip to your directory.

Step 3

Extract the contents of dcnm-client.zip to dcnm-clientzip/bin directory.

Step 4

To launch the SAN Client and Device Manager:

  • For Windows deployment:

    Double-click on the FMClient.bat file to launch the Cisco DCNM SAN Client.

    Double-click on the DeviceManager.bat to launch the Cisco DCNM Device Manager.

  • For Linux deployment:

    Run ./FMClient.sh Script to launch SAN Client.

    Run ./Devicemanager.sh script to launch Device Manager.

Launching SAN Client and Device Manager from DCNM Server

By default, the SAN Client and Device Manager are installed along with the Cisco DCNM Server, when you install DCNM. To launch Cisco DCNM SAN Client and Device Manager from the Cisco DCNM Server, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the DCNM server.
Step 2

Navigate to Cisco Systems\dcm\fm\bin\ directory.

Step 3

To launch the SAN Client and Device Manager:

  • For Windows deployment:

    Double-click on the FabricManager.bat file to launch the Cisco DCNM SAN Client.

    Double-click on the DeviceManager.bat file to launch the Cisco DCNM Device Manager.

  • For Linux deployment:

    Run the ./ FabricManager.sh script to launch the Cisco DCNM SAN Client.

    Run the ./DeviceManager.sh script to launch the Cisco DCNM Device Manager.

Launching DCNM SAN Client from DCNM SAN for Windows deployment with SSL enabled

When you install Cisco DCNM for Windows with custom SSL configured on the DCNM server, you can’t launch the SAN Client. Modify the certificates to launch the SAN Client successfully.

To modify the certificates and launch the DCNM SAN Client from Windows Deployment, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Extract public key using the keytool.exe -exportcert -file dcnmweb.crt -alias sme C:\[DCNM Install directory]\cisco\dcm\wildfly-14.0.1.Final\Standalone\configuration\fmserver.jks command. 

// extract public key from the new fmserver.jks and save it to dcnmweb.crt,  alias “sme”,  password “fmserver_1_2_3”
c:\[DCNM install dirrectory]\dcm\java\jdk11\bin>keytool.exe -exportcert -file dcnmweb.crt -alias sme C:\[DCNM Install directory]\cisco\dcm\wildfly-14.0.1.Final\Standalone\configuration\fmserver.jks
Enter keystore password:  
Certificate stored in file <dcnmweb.crt>
c:\[DCNM install dirrectory]\dcm\java\jdk11\bin>dir
chain-cert.pem  dcnmweb.crt  jjs         keytool  rmiregistry
dcnm.csr        java         jrunscript  rmid
Step 2

Generate key store using the keytool.exe -importcert -trustcacerts -file dcnmweb.crt -keystore fmtrust.jks -storetype jks command. 

// generate key store without password,  during the command,  just use random password  dcnm123
c:\[DCNM install dirrectory]\dcm\java\jdk11\bin>keytool.exe -importcert -trustcacerts -file dcnmweb.crt -keystore fmtrust.jks -storetype jks
Enter keystore password:  
Re-enter new password: 
Owner: CN=Lin, OU=cisco, O=cisco, L=sj, ST=ca, C=US
Issuer: CN=rhel144, OU=DCBu, O=Cisco, L=BGL, ST=KA, C=IN
Serial number: 1086
Valid from: Wed Nov 13 12:17:23 PST 2019 until: Thu Nov 12 12:17:23 PST 2020
Certificate fingerprints:
         SHA1: F8:19:CB:79:FC:93:08:54:74:9A:BC:F3:8F:CB:9C:A7:22:56:3D:0F
         SHA256: 8F:06:1F:72:15:FD:12:B5:E9:43:E4:61:0E:00:E0:1C:96:CE:9C:90:82:3C:5C:EA:A1:49:A8:A9:66:9B:86:31
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Subject Public Key Algorithm: 2048-bit RSA key
Version: 3

Extensions: 

#1: ObjectId: 2.16.840.1.113730.1.13 Criticality=false
0000: 16 1D 4F 70 65 6E 53 53   4C 20 47 65 6E 65 72 61  ..OpenSSL Genera
0010: 74 65 64 20 43 65 72 74   69 66 69 63 61 74 65     ted Certificate

#2: ObjectId: 2.5.29.35 Criticality=false
AuthorityKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: C9 1E 9B 17 EF AE E4 AF   7A E3 88 BC 2D C9 B9 E9  ........z...-...
0010: FC EC 40 82                                        ..@.
]
]#3: ObjectId: 2.5.29.19 Criticality=false
BasicConstraints:[
  CA:false
  PathLen: undefined
]

#4: ObjectId: 2.5.29.14 Criticality=false
SubjectKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: 9A 9E B4 98 95 8C 9F FB   0B 57 A5 6D 78 EB 8D C1  .........W.mx...
0010: BB 80 00 DE                                        ....
]
]

Trust this certificate? [no]:  yes
Certificate was added to keystore
c:\[DCNM install dirrectory]\dcm\java\jdk11\bin>dir
chain-cert.pem  dcnmweb.crt  java  jrunscript  rmid
dcnm.csr        fmtrust.jks  jjs   keytool     rmiregistry
Step 3

Copy the newly created fmtrust.jks to \fm\lib\fm directory. 

c:\[DCNM install dirrectory]\dcm\java\jdk11\bin>cp fmtrust.jks ..\..\..\fm\lib\fm
cp: overwrite â..\..\..\fm\lib\fm\fmtrust.jks? y
Step 4

Locate the dcnm-client.zip, downloaded from Web UI or DCNM server.

Step 5

Unzip and replace the vin\fmtrust.jks with the newly created fmtrust.jks file.

Step 6

Run the FabricManager.bat batch file to launch the Cisco DCNM SAN Client.

Launching DCNM SAN Client from DCNM SAN for Linux deployment with SSL enabled

When you install Cisco DCNM for Linux with custom SSL configured on the DCNM server, you cant launch the SAN Client. You must modify the certificates to launch the SAN Client successfully.

To modify the certificates and launch the DCNM SAN Client from Linux Deployment, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Extract public key using the ./keytool -exportcert -file dcnmweb.crt -alias sme -keystore /usr/local/cisco/dcm/wildfly-14.0.1.Final/standalone/configuration/fmserver.jks command. 

// extract public key from the new fmserver.jks and save it to dcnmweb.crt,  alias “sme”,  password “fmserver_1_2_3”
[root@dcnm-lnx1 bin]# ./keytool -exportcert -file dcnmweb.crt -alias sme -keystore /usr/local/cisco/dcm/wildfly-14.0.1.Final/standalone/configuration/fmserver.jks
Enter keystore password:  
Certificate stored in file <dcnmweb.crt>
[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 bin]# ls
chain-cert.pem  dcnmweb.crt  jjs         keytool  rmiregistry
dcnm.csr        java         jrunscript  rmid
Step 2

Generate key store using the ./keytool -importcert -trustcacerts -file dcnmweb.crt -keystore fmtrust.jks -storetype jks command. 

// generate key store without password,  during the command,  just use random password  dcnm123
[root@dcnm-lnx1 bin]# ./keytool -importcert -trustcacerts -file dcnmweb.crt -keystore fmtrust.jks -storetype jks
Enter keystore password:  
Re-enter new password: 
Owner: CN=Lin, OU=cisco, O=cisco, L=sj, ST=ca, C=US
Issuer: CN=rhel144, OU=DCBu, O=Cisco, L=BGL, ST=KA, C=IN
Serial number: 1086
Valid from: Wed Nov 13 12:17:23 PST 2019 until: Thu Nov 12 12:17:23 PST 2020
Certificate fingerprints:
         SHA1: F8:19:CB:79:FC:93:08:54:74:9A:BC:F3:8F:CB:9C:A7:22:56:3D:0F
         SHA256: 8F:06:1F:72:15:FD:12:B5:E9:43:E4:61:0E:00:E0:1C:96:CE:9C:90:82:3C:5C:EA:A1:49:A8:A9:66:9B:86:31
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Subject Public Key Algorithm: 2048-bit RSA key
Version: 3

Extensions: 

#1: ObjectId: 2.16.840.1.113730.1.13 Criticality=false
0000: 16 1D 4F 70 65 6E 53 53   4C 20 47 65 6E 65 72 61  ..OpenSSL Genera
0010: 74 65 64 20 43 65 72 74   69 66 69 63 61 74 65     ted Certificate


#2: ObjectId: 2.5.29.35 Criticality=false
AuthorityKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: C9 1E 9B 17 EF AE E4 AF   7A E3 88 BC 2D C9 B9 E9  ........z...-...
0010: FC EC 40 82                                        ..@.
]
]

#3: ObjectId: 2.5.29.19 Criticality=false
BasicConstraints:[
  CA:false
  PathLen: undefined
]

#4: ObjectId: 2.5.29.14 Criticality=false
SubjectKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: 9A 9E B4 98 95 8C 9F FB   0B 57 A5 6D 78 EB 8D C1  .........W.mx...
0010: BB 80 00 DE                                        ....
]
]

Trust this certificate? [no]:  yes
Certificate was added to keystore
[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 bin]# ls
chain-cert.pem  dcnmweb.crt  java  jrunscript  rmid
dcnm.csr        fmtrust.jks  jjs   keytool     rmiregistry
[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 bin]# pwd
/usr/local/cisco/dcm/java/jdk11/bin
Step 3

Copy the newly created fmtrust.jks to /fm/lib/fm directory. 

[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 bin]# cp fmtrust.jks ../../../fm/lib/fm
cp: overwrite â../../../fm/lib/fm/fmtrust.jks? y
Step 4

Locate the dcnm-client.zip, downloaded from Web UI or DCNM server. 

[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 dcm]# cd fm/download/
[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 download]# pwd
/usr/local/cisco/dcm/fm/download
[root@dcnm-M5-2-lnx1 download]# ls
dcnm-clientzip.zip
// for remote access, in fm/download/dcnm-clientzip.zip,  replace bin/fmtrust.jks with this new fmtrust.jks
Step 5

Replace the fmtrust.jks in the /bin directory with the newly created fmtrust.jks file.

Step 6

Run the ./ FabricManager.sh script to launch the Cisco DCNM SAN Client.