Server Management › Install CA Configuration Automation Agents Remotely

Install CA Configuration Automation Agents Remotely

CA Configuration Automation uses the access and configuration details from the assigned Access Profile to install CCA Agents remotely on managed servers.

To install a CCA Agent on a server, the product requires information about the target server operating system, the IP address, and the listening port. You can obtain these details from the Server Details page. The remote agent installation program automatically detects whether the target server uses a 32- or 64-bit operating system. The installation program then installs the corresponding agent version.

Note: The access profile user account must be valid on both the Grid Node host and the remote server where you install the agent.

The user types that an access profile defines must also meet the following requirements:

Local user

A local user ID in the access profile must exist on the Grid Node host and the remote server on which you install the agent. Both user IDs must have the same password, which must also exist in the access profile.

Domain user

When the access profile defines a domain user account and the Grid Node host or the remote server on which you install the agent belongs to a workgroup, then the computer with the password specified in the access profile requires a local user account. Therefore, when the computer belongs to a workgroup, the product uses a local account even though the access profile defines a domain.

You cannot install CA Configuration Automation Agents remotely in the following circumstances:

• When the target server resides behind a firewall.
• When the root directory on the target server does not have enough space to copy the installation program.
• When the administrative shares are removed from a target Windows server.
• When a discovery operation assigns an operating system of "Linux or UNIX" to a target Linux server. Manually change the operating system to Linux before you install the CA Configuration Automation Agent.
• When you want to install from a Linux or UNIX CA Configuration Automation Server to a Windows 2003 or 2008 server.
• When the target UNIX server is not running Secure Shell. To determine whether the server is running Secure Shell, run the following command:

  # ps -ef | grep sshd
  

  The target server allows root access through Secure Shell (SSH/FTP) and enable SFTP in the SSH daemon configuration file. To ensure that the target server allows the root user Secure Shell access, run the following command from the root account of a different computer:

  # ssh <target_installation_server_name>
  

  Note: The root user must have Secure Shell login permissions.

Follow these steps:

1. Click the Management link, and then click the Servers tab.
2. On the Servers tab, select the check box for each server on which to install an agent.
3. From the Select Actions drop-down list, select Agent Actions, Install Agents.

   The Current Activity column displays "Agent Installation in Progress." When the installation finishes, the product clears the Current Activity column.

   Notes:

   • Ensure that the install directory specified in the access profile is a valid Windows or UNIX path. You can also use a System Environment variable as discussed in the Use Environment Variables section to define the installation directory.
   • If you install on a former CA Configuration Automation managed agentless server, rediscover the services that reference it to get the available components and component folders. For more information, see Refresh Services.

Use Environment Variables in Install Directory

Consider the following standards for using the environment variables in Install Directory:

• Use the following pattern:

  $<VARIABLENAME>$

  Where the <VARIABLENAME> is an environment variable that is defined on a target system.

Examples:

• Refer the %ProgramFiles% environment variable on a target machine as $ProgramFiles$ in the access profile.
• Specify the C:\Program Files\CA\CCAAgent installation path as $ProgramFiles$\CA\CCAAgent  in the access profile.

• Ensure that a specific environment variable is defined on the target machine for the CCA agent installation
• The $ character is not supported in the agent installation path or the environment variable. If $ character is used, follow the $<VARIABLENAME>$ pattern.
• Restart the CCA Grid node, or the CA Configuration Automation Server if the environment variables do not get resolved during the remote agent installation.