Installing Cisco Prime Network Services Controller

This chapter contains the following sections:

Information About the Cisco Prime NSC

The Cisco Prime Network Services Controller (Cisco Prime NSC) is a virtual appliance that provides centralized device and security policy management for Cisco virtual services. Designed to support enterprise and multiple-tenant cloud deployments, the Cisco Prime NSC provides transparent, seamless, and scalable management for securing virtualized data center and cloud environments.

Installation Requirements

Cisco Prime NSC System Requirements

Requirement

Description

Virtual Appliance

Four Virtual CPUs

1.5 GHz for each virtual CPU

Memory

4 GB RAM

Disk Space

One of the following, depending on InterCloud functionality:

  • With InterCloud functionality, 220 GB on shared network file storage (NFS) or storage area network (SAN), and configured on two disks as follows:
    • Disk 1: 20 GB
    • Disk 2: 200 GB
  • Without InterCloud functionality, 40 GB on shared NFS or SAN, and configured on two disks as follows:
    • Disk 1: 20 GB
    • Disk 2: 20 GB

Management interface

One management network interface

Processor

x86 Intel or AMD server with 64-bit processor listed in the VMware compatibility matrix

Note   

You can find VMware compatibility guides at http:/​/​www.vmware.com/​resources/​compatibility/​search.php.

   

VMware

VMware vSphere

ESXi 5.0 or 5.1

VMware vCenter

Release 5.1 (5.0 vCenter supports host version upto 5.0)

   

Interfaces and Protocols

HTTP/HTTPS

—

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

—

   

Intel VT

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT)

Enabled in the BIOS

Web-Based GUI Client Requirements

Requirement

Description

Operating system

Any of the following:
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Apple Mac OS

Browser

Any of the following browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 9.0 or higher
  • Mozilla Firefox 23.0 or higher
  • Google Chrome 29.0 or higher
Note   

If you are running Firefox or IE and do not have Flash, or you have a version of Flash that is older than 11.2, a message displays asking you to install Flash and provides a link to the Adobe website.

Note   

Before using Google Chrome with Cisco Prime NSC, you must disable the Adobe Flash Players that are installed by default with Chrome. For more information, see Configuring Chrome for Use with Cisco Prime NSC.

Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player plugin 11.2 or higher

Firewall Ports Requiring Access

Requirement

Description

80

HTTP/TCP

443

HTTPS

843

Adobe Flash

Information Required for Installation and Configuration

Information Type

Your Information

For Deploying the Cisco Prime NSC OVA

Name

Location of files

 

Datastore location

 

Storage location, if more than one location is available

 
Management port profile name for VM management
Note   

The management port profile is the same port profile that is used for VSM. The port profile is configured in VSM and is used for the Cisco Prime NSC management interface.

IP address

 

Subnet mask

 

Gateway IP address

 

Domain name

 

DNS server

 

NTP server

Admin password

 

Shared secret password for communications between the Cisco Prime NSC, Cisco VSG, and VSM.

 

For Configuring VMware vCenter in Cisco Prime NSC

vCenter name

 

Description

 

Hostname or IP address

 

Shared Secret Password Criteria

A shared secret password is a password that is known only to those using a secure communication. Passwords are designated strong if they cannot be easily guessed for unauthorized access. When you set a shared secret password for communications between the Cisco Prime NSC, Cisco VSG, and VSM, adhere to the following criteria for setting valid, strong passwords:

Do not include the following items in passwords:
  • Characters: & ' " ` ( ) < > | \ ; $
  • Spaces
Create strong passwords based on the following characteristics:
Table 1 Characteristics of Strong Passwords

Strong passwords have...

Strong passwords do not have...

  • At least eight characters.
  • Lowercase letters, uppercase letters, digits, and special characters.
  • Consecutive characters, such as abcd.
  • Characters repeated three or more times, such as aaabbb.
  • A variation of the word Cisco, such as cisco, ocsic, or one that changes the capitalization of letters in the word Cisco.
  • The username or the username in reverse.
  • A permutation of characters present in the username or Cisco.
Examples of strong passwords are:
  • If2CoM18
  • 2004AsdfLkj30
  • Cb1955S21

Configuring Chrome for Use with Cisco Prime NSC

To use Chrome with Cisco Prime NSC, you must disable the Adobe Flash Players that are installed by default with Chrome.


Note

You must perform this procedure each time your client machine reboots. Chrome automatically enables the Adobe Flash Players when the system on which it is running reboots.

    Step 1   In the Chrome URL field, enter chrome://plugins.
    Step 2   Click Details.
    Step 3   Locate the Adobe Flash Player plugins, and disable each one.
    Step 4   Download and install Adobe Flash Player version 11.6.602.180.
    Step 5   Close and reopen Chrome before logging into the Cisco Prime NSC

    ESXi Server Requirement

    You must set the clock to the correct time on all ESXi servers that will run Cisco Prime NSC, ASA 1000V instances, Cisco VSG, or VSM. If you do not set the correct time on the server, the Cisco Prime NSC CA certificate that is created when the Cisco Prime NSC VM is deployed might have an invalid time stamp. An invalid time stamp can prevent you from successfully registering ASA 1000V instances to the Cisco Prime NSC.

    After you set the clock to the correct time on all ESXi servers that run the Cisco Prime NSC, you can, as an option, set the clock on the Cisco Prime NSC as follows:
    • If you set the clock manually, be sure to enter the correct time zone as a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset.
    • If you set the clock by synchronizing with the Network Time Protocol (NTP), you can select the UTC time zone.

    Installing Cisco Prime NSC

    You can deploy the Cisco Prime NSC OVA, resulting in a Cisco Prime NSC VM.

    Before You Begin
    • Set your keyboard to United States English before installing the Cisco Prime NSC and using the VM console.
    • Verify that the Cisco Prime NSC OVA image is available in the vSphere client.
    • Make sure that all system requirements are met as recommended in Cisco Prime NSC System Requirements.
    • Make sure you have the information identified as in Information Required for Installation and Configuration.
    • There is no dependency on the VM hardware version, so the VM hardware version can be upgraded if required.
      Step 1   Use the VMware vSphere Client to log into the vCenter server.
      Step 2   Choose the host on which to deploy the Cisco Prime NSC VM.
      Step 3   From the File menu, choose Deploy OVF Template.
      Step 4   In the Source window, choose the Cisco Prime NSC OVA, then click Next.
      Step 5   In the OVF Template Details window, review the details of the Cisco Prime NSC template, and then click Next.
      Step 6   In the End User License Agreement window, click Accept after reviewing the End User License Agreement, and then click Next.
      Step 7   In the Name and Location window, provide the required information, and then click Next. The name can contain up to 80 characters and must be unique within the inventory folder.
      Step 8   In the Deployment Configuration window, choose Installer from the Configuration drop-down list, then click Next.
      Step 9   In the Datastore window, select the data store for the VM, and then click Next.
      Note   

      The storage can be local or shared remote such as the network file storage (NFS) or the storage area network (SAN). If only one storage location is available for an ESXi host, this window does not display and you are assigned to the one that is available.

      Step 10   In the Disk Format window, click either Thin provisioned format or Thick provisioned format to store the VM vdisks, and then click Next.

      The default is thick provisioned. If you do not want to allocate the storage immediately, use thin provisioned.

      Step 11   In the Network Mapping window, select the management network port group for the VM, then click Next.
      Step 12   In the Properties window, provide the required information, address any errors described in the red text messages below the selection box, and then click Next. If needed, you can enter placeholder information as long as your entry meets the field requirements.
      Note   

      You can safely ignore the Cisco Prime NSC Restore fields.

      Note   

      For choosing the shared secret password, follow the guidelines given in Shared Secret Password Criteria.

      Step 13   In the Ready to Complete window, review the deployment settings information, and then click Finish.
      Caution   

      Any discrepancies can cause VM booting issues. Carefully review the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway information.

      A progress indicator shows the task progress until Cisco Prime NSC is deployed.

      Step 14   After Cisco Prime NSC is successfully deployed, click Close.