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Implementation Guide › CA User Activity Reporting Module and Virtualization › Creating CA User Activity Reporting Module Servers using Virtual Appliances › Creating a Completely Virtual Environment

Creating a Completely Virtual Environment

If you do not yet have a CA User Activity Reporting Module environment implemented, you can create an all-virtual log collection environment. This scenario assumes that have a sufficient number of physical servers available, each with a group of at least four processors, to install each of the intended CA User Activity Reporting Module servers.

Install one CA User Activity Reporting Module server to act as a management server. During configuration, do not send event logs to this server or use this server to generate reports. Configuring your environment in this way maintains the event log collection throughput required for enterprise-level production.

Generally, you install two, four-processor CA User Activity Reporting Module servers in place of each of the appliance-class servers you would typically install when using certified hardware. (Appliance-class servers have a minimum of eight processors.)

The process you follow to create a virtual environment using virtual appliance includes the following procedures.

  1. Download the virtual appliance package.
  2. Install a CA User Activity Reporting Module virtual server for management functions.
  3. Install two or more virtual appliance servers for collection and reporting.
  4. Configure the virtual appliance servers as described in the section on installing a CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

Important! If you want to provision a CA User Activity Reporting Module server using the virtual appliance, the Application Instance Name of the primary CA User Activity Reporting Module server must be CAELM.

Download the Virtual Appliance Package

The distribution image for the CA User Activity Reporting Module virtual appliance is available from Support Online from the Downloads link. There are five files that you must download:

Install a CA User Activity Reporting Module Server Manually

When you install the virtual appliance manually, perform the following tasks:

  1. Deploy an OVF template.
  2. Set the Resource settings.
  3. Power on the provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module server.
Deploy an OVF Template

You can specify the properties of virtual appliance in an OVF template. VMware uses this template to provision a CA User Activity Reporting Module server. Use the VMware vSphere Client to deploy the OVF template.

Note: The screenshots in the following procedures contain sample data for your reference. These sample screenshots are in reference to VMware vSphere Client 4.0.0. We recommend that you specify data appropriate to your environment.

To deploy an OVF template

  1. Click Start, All Programs, VMware vSphere Client on the computer where VMware vSphere Client is installed.

    The VMware vSphere Client dialog opens.

  2. Enter the IP address or host name of the VMware vCenter Server you want to connect in the IP address/Name field.
  3. Enter the login credentials in the User name and Password fields.
  4. Click Logon.

    The application window opens.

  5. Select the location where you want to provision a CA User Activity Reporting Module server under a Datacenter in the left pane.
  6. Click File, Deploy OVF Template.

    The Deploy OVF Template window appears. By default, the Deploy OVF Template window displays the Source page. You must enter the location of the OVF template in this page.

    Note: The pages displayed in the Deploy OVF Template window vary according to the VMware vSphere Client version and settings you are using.

  7. Choose the Deploy from file option, and click Browse to select the location of the OVF template.
  8. Navigate to the OVF template location from the Open dialog, select the OVF template, and click Open.

    The path of the OVF template location is displayed in the Deploy from file field.

    The Source page contains the Deploy from file radio button, and the Browse button to locate the OVF template stored on your local computer.

  9. Click Next.

    The OVF Template Details page opens. This page displays the details stored in the OVF template such as the download size, available disk size, and vendor name.

  10. Verify that there is a minimum of 350 GB disk space on the VMware server, and then click Next.

    The OVF Template Details page displays the details of the selected OVF template.

    The End User License Agreement page opens. This page displays the license agreement for third-party products. You must accept this license agreement to install CA User Activity Reporting Module.

  11. Read the license text.

    The End User License Agreement page displays the license text of CA and the third-party products.

  12. Click Accept, and click Next.

    The Name and Location page opens. This page lets you add a name to identify the CA User Activity Reporting Module server, and specify the datacenter where you want to provision the CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

  13. Enter the CA User Activity Reporting Module server name the Name field, select the Datacenter from Inventory Location, and then click Next.

    Note: By default, the name specified in the OVF template is displayed in the Name field.

    In the Name and Location page, enter the name of the new CA User Activity Reporting Module server in the Name field, and select an Inventory Location.

    The Deployment Configuration page opens. The Deployment Configuration page lets you specify the configuration mode of the CA User Activity Reporting Module server you want to provision.

  14. Select Medium or Large from the Configuration drop-down, and then click Next.

    In the Deployment Configuration page, select the type of deployment you want.

    If you select medium, VMware provides four CPUs with 8 GB RAM for each CPU. If you select large, VMware provides eight CPUs with 8 GB RAM for each CPU.

    Note: We highly recommend that you use a medium deployment configuration to provision a collection server, and a large deployment configuration to provision a management or reporting server.

    The Host / Cluster page opens. This page appears only if you have not selected the resource pool before you start importing the OVF template. The Host / Cluster page displays the datacenter you selected and its available clusters. You must specify the cluster location under the datacenter where you want to provision the CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

  15. Select a cluster under the datacenter, and then click Next.

    In the Host / Cluster page, select the cluster location.

    The Properties page opens. This page contains the Host settings and CA User Activity Reporting Module settings.

  16. Enter values for each field using the information you gathered in the Installation Worksheet, and then click Next.

    In the Host Settings frame of the Properties page, enter the values for each host setting.

    In the CA Enterprise Log Manager Settings frame of the Properties page, enter the values for each CA Enterprise Log Manager setting.

    The Ready to Complete page opens. This page displays a summary of the details you have entered in the previous pages.

  17. Verify the entered details, and then click Finish.

    The Ready to Complete page summarizes the details you have entered in the previous pages. Verify these details.

    The message Opening VI target is displayed. The deployment status of the virtual appliance is displayed. If the installation is successful, the virtual appliance is listed under the datastore you selected in the left pane.

  18. (Optional) If you want to make changes to the entered details, do the following:
    1. Click Back repeatedly in the Deploy OVF Template window until you navigate to the relevant page.
    2. Make the necessary changes.
    3. Click Next repeatedly in the Deploy OVF until you navigate to the Ready to Complete page.

More information:

Virtual Appliance Installation Worksheet

Set the Resource Settings

After you import the OVF template, you must manually set the resource settings to improve the performance of the provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

Note: Verify that you set the CD/DVD Drive to Client Device.

Follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the new CA User Activity Reporting Module Virtual Appliance in the left pane, and click Edit Settings.

    The <CA User Activity Reporting Module Virtual Appliance name> - Virtual Machine Properties window appears.

  2. Click the Option tab in the window.
  3. Click the Resources tab in the window.
  4. Select the CPU option under the Settings column, and select High from the Shares drop-down in the Resource Allocation section.

    The selection of the CPU setting in the left pane displays its details in the right pane. Select High from the Shares drop-down.

  5. Select the Memory option under the Settings column, and select High from the Shares drop-down in the Resource Allocation section.

    The selection of the Memory setting in the left pane displays its details in the right pane. Select High from the Shares drop-down.

  6. Click OK.

Note: For more information about the Resource settings, go to www.vmware.com.

Power on the Provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module Server

You must power on the CA User Activity Reporting Module server to start running it.

To power on a CA User Activity Reporting Module server

  1. Select the new CA User Activity Reporting Module server in the left pane of the VMware application window.
  2. Click the Power On option under Basic Tasks of the Getting Started tab in the right pane.

    The CA User Activity Reporting Module server is powered on.

Note: Verify that a primary CA User Activity Reporting Module server is running before you power on a secondary CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

Install a CA User Activity Reporting Module Server Silently

When you install the virtual appliance silently, you must perform the following tasks:

  1. Invoke the OVF Tool.
  2. Set the Resource settings.
  3. Power on the provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

The following table describes the parameters used to deploy CA User Activity Reporting Module using the OVF tool. You must specify these parameters as command line arguments in the command line.

Required information

Value

Comments

Host Specific Settings

HOSTNAME

hostname for this CA Enterprise Log Manager server

For example:

CA-ELM1

Specify the host name for this server using only supported characters for hosts. Industry standards recommend A-Z (case-insensitive), 0-9, and hyphen, where the first character is a letter and the final character is alphanumeric. Do not use the underscore character in a host name, or append a domain name to this host.

Note: The host name must not exceed 15 characters.

ROOT_PASSWORD

new root password

Create and confirm a new root password for this server.

IP_ADDRESS

relevant IPv4 address

Enter a valid IP address for this server.

SUBNET_MASK

relevant IP address

Enter a valid subnet mask for use with this server.

DEFAULT_GATEWAY

relevant IP address

Enter a valid subnet mask and default gateway for use with this server.

DNS_SERVERS

relevant IPv4 addresses

Enter one or more DNS server IP addresses in use in your network.

The list is comma-separated with no spaces between entries.

If your DNS servers use IPv6 addressing, enter these addresses in that format.

DOMAIN_NAME

your domain name

Enter the qualified domain name in which this server operates, for example, mycompany.com.

Note: The domain name must be registered with the Domain Name Server (DNS) server in your network to enable resolution of the hostname to IP address.

acceptAllEulas

Accept

Accept the CA license agreement to continue provisioning a CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

deploymentOption

medium or large

If you select medium, VMware provides four CPUs with 8 GB RAM for each CPU. If you select large, VMware provides eight CPUs with 8 GB RAM for each CPU.

TIMEZONE

your desired time zone

Select the time zone where this server resides.

NTPLOCATION

relevant hostname or IP address

Enter the host name or the valid IP address of the NTP server from which the CA User Activity Reporting Module server gets date and time information.

Application Specific Settings

LOCAL_REMOTE_EEM

Local - for the first installed server (management server)

 

Remote - for each additional server

Indicate whether you plan to use a local or a remote CA EEM server.

For a management CA User Activity Reporting Module server, choose Local. The installation prompts you to create a password for the default EiamAdmin user account.

For each additional server, choose Remote. The installation prompts you for the management server name.

Regardless of whether you chose local or remote, you must use the EiamAdmin account ID and password to log on to each CA User Activity Reporting Module server the first-time.

REMOTE_EEM_LOCATION

IP address or hostname

Enter this value only if you select Remote in the Local or Remote server option.

Enter the IP address or host name of the management CA User Activity Reporting Module server that you installed first.

The host name must be registered with the DNS Server.

If you want to use a local CA EEM server, the default value is none.

EEM_PASSWORD

EiamAdmin account password

Record the password for the default administrator account, EiamAdmin.

Your CA User Activity Reporting Module server requires these account credentials for the initial login.

If you are installing the management server, you are creating and confirming a new EiamAdmin password here.

Make a note of this password as you must use it during the installations of other CA User Activity Reporting Module servers and agents.

Note: The password you enter here is also the initial password for the default caelmadmin account that you use to access the CA User Activity Reporting Module server directly through ssh.

You can create additional administrator accounts to access the CA EEM functions after installation, if desired.

FIPS_MODE

Yes or No

Specifies if the virtual appliance must run in FIPS mode or non-FIPS mode. If you choose to use a local CA EEM server, you can choose any mode. If you choose to use a remote CA EEM server, you must choose the mode that the remote CA EEM server uses.

More information

Adding Virtual Servers to Your Environment

Deploying Virtual Servers Rapidly

Creating a Completely Virtual Environment

Invoke the OVF Tool from a Command Line

Note: You must install the OVF Tool 1.0.0.0 before you perform the silent installation.

You must pass the configuration parameters as command line arguments to invoke the OVF Tool.

Note: We highly recommend that you use a medium deployment configuration to provision a collection server, and a large deployment configuration to provision a reporting server. We also recommend that you use thick deployment method as outlined in the VMware documentation.

To invoke the OVF Tool from command line

  1. Open the command prompt on the computer where VMware vSphere Client is installed.
  2. Execute the following command to invoke the OVF Tool: 
    ovftool -dm=thick --acceptAllEulas --name=value --deploymentOption=value --prop:ROOT_PASSWORD=value --prop:LOCAL_REMOTE_EEM=value --prop:REMOTE_EEM_LOCATION=value --prop:EEM_PASSWORD=value --prop:FIPS_MODE=value --prop:IP_ADDRESS=value --prop:SUBNET_MASK=value --prop:HOSTNAME=value --prop:DEFAULT_GATEWAY=value --prop:DNS_SERVERS=value --prop:DOMAIN_NAME=value --prop:TIMEZONE=value --prop:NTPLOCATION=value <OVF_Name.ovf> vi://username:password@hostname_of_VMware_vSphere_Client/Datacenter/host/hostname

    The message Opening VI target is displayed. The deployment status of CA User Activity Reporting Module server is displayed. If the installation is successful, the CA User Activity Reporting Module server is listed under the datastore you selected in the left pane.

    Note: If a property value contains space, enclose the property value in double quotes (""). For example, if the OVF name is CA ELM, enter the value as "CA ELM.ovf".

Example

ovftool -dm=thick --acceptAllEulas --name="example_server" --deploymentOption=medium --prop:ROOT_PASSWORD="example_password" --prop:LOCAL_REMOTE_EEM=Local --prop:REMOTE_EEM_LOCATION=none --prop:EEM_PASSWORD=calmr12 --prop:FIPS_MODE=Yes --prop:IP_ADDRESS=172.168.0.0 --prop:SUBNET_MASK=10.0.0.0 --prop:HOSTNAME="example_server1" --prop:DEFAULT_GATEWAY=198.168.0.0 --prop:DNS_SERVERS=198.168.10.20,198.168.10.25 --prop:DOMAIN_NAME=example.com --prop:TIMEZONE=Asia/Kolkata --prop:NTPLOCATION=198.168.10.30 "C:\Program Files\CA ELM\CA Enterprise Log Manager.ovf" "vi://administrator:password@examplevmwarehost/ELMQAvAppDatacenter/host/10.0.10.0"
Set the Resource Settings

After you import the OVF template, you must manually set the resource settings to improve the performance of the provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

Note: Verify that you set the CD/DVD Drive to Client Device.

Follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the new CA User Activity Reporting Module Virtual Appliance in the left pane, and click Edit Settings.

    The <CA User Activity Reporting Module Virtual Appliance name> - Virtual Machine Properties window appears.

  2. Click the Option tab in the window.
  3. Click the Resources tab in the window.
  4. Select the CPU option under the Settings column, and select High from the Shares drop-down in the Resource Allocation section.

    The selection of the CPU setting in the left pane displays its details in the right pane. Select High from the Shares drop-down.

  5. Select the Memory option under the Settings column, and select High from the Shares drop-down in the Resource Allocation section.

    The selection of the Memory setting in the left pane displays its details in the right pane. Select High from the Shares drop-down.

  6. Click OK.

Note: For more information about the Resource settings, go to www.vmware.com.

Power on the Provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module Server

You must power on the CA User Activity Reporting Module server to start running it.

To power on a CA User Activity Reporting Module server

  1. Select the new CA User Activity Reporting Module server in the left pane of the VMware application window.
  2. Click the Power On option under Basic Tasks of the Getting Started tab in the right pane.

    The CA User Activity Reporting Module server is powered on.

Note: Verify that a primary CA User Activity Reporting Module server is running before you power on a secondary CA User Activity Reporting Module server.

Verify the Installation of a Virtual CA User Activity Reporting Module Server

When you power on the provisioned CA User Activity Reporting Module server, a URL to access CA User Activity Reporting Module is displayed in the Console tab of the VMware vSphere Client window. Use this URL and the following default login credentials to access CA User Activity Reporting Module:

Default Username: EiamAdmin

Default Password: The password you entered during the CA User Activity Reporting Module server installation procedure

More information

Adding Virtual Servers to Your Environment

Deploying Virtual Servers Rapidly

Creating a Completely Virtual Environment