install monsvr v2.x

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Commercial in Confidence Page 1

Initial Installation of the Smartmon Monitoring Server (Monsvr)

For Monsvr Version 2.x


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Acceptance and Release Notice

This is a managed document. All copies of this document preceding this release are

obsolete and shall be destroyed.

Version Status:

Release

Number

Author(s)Date Reason for Version

0.1 19/05/2008 First Draft

0.2 2/06/2008 Revision

0.3 6/03/2009 Revision

0.4 6/05/2009 Revision

0.5 6/06/2009 Revision


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Table of Contents

1 Overview....................................................................................................... 4

1.1 VMware...................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Virtual Appliance ......................................................................................... 4

2 Prerequisites................................................................................................. 5

2.1 IP Communications...................................................................................... 5

2.1.1 Highly desirable IP Access................................................................. 5

2.2 CPU/RAM/Disk Resources ............................................................................. 5

2.3 VMware Server Version ................................................................................ 5

3 Installing VMware Server.............................................................................. 7

3.1 Selecting the Appropriate Host Environment ................................................... 7

4 Installing the Virtual Appliance..................................................................... 8

4.1 Virtual Machine Files .................................................................................... 8

4.2 Installing the Virtual Machine ........................................................................ 8

4.2.1 Detailed Instructions ......................................................................... 8

4.3 Configuring the Virtual Machine....................................................................13

5 Using the Virtual Appliance......................................................................... 15

5.1 Demonstration Mode...................................................................................17

5.2 Activating the Monsvr .................................................................................19


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1 Overview1.1 VMwareThe Monitoring Server (Monsvr) is a virtual appliance, that is, it runs as a virtual machineunder VMware. It has been specifically developed using VMware Server, although the

virtual machine format could be converted to run under VMware ESX Server. It could alsobe converted, although not ideal in a server-based production environment, to run underVMwares desktop virtualisation products such as VMware Workstation or VMware Player.

1.2 Virtual ApplianceOnce you have the VMware virtualisation product installed you need to point to thevirtual machine folder and start the virtual machine. When the virtual machine starts it

will initially come up in demo mode. In this mode, you can access the monitoringinterface to gain a feel for it. When you are ready you can request that the demoappliance be converted to a fully operational and start monitoring your own network.


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2 Prerequisites2.1 IP CommunicationsOnce the Monsvr is installed, for proper operation, it needs to communicate via theInternet to the Master Monsvr. Whilst it is possible to use a proxy server, the ideal

configuration provides direct Internet access to the Master Monsvr via TCP port 443(SSL) for outbound traffic only. It is possible to fall back to using HTTP over port 80 (notrecommened), if required.

Ideally, the monitoring environment relies on as little other infrastructure as possible,since if the other infrastructure fails, the monitoring server may also fail. Hence, werecommend that for production environments, you do not use a proxy server but providedirect Internet access for the Monsvr with as few hops as possible.

2.1.1 Highly desirable IP AccessThis section describes network access that is highly desirable. Although, not strictlyrequired for operation, without it the operation will most likely be degraded.

The use of NTP (Network Time Protocol) is strongly recommended. Without it, the clock

may drift and the timestamps of any alerts and logging will be meaningless. Since thevirtual machine is shipped configured to synchronise its clock to its host, the use of NTPon the host machine is also highly desirable.

NTP requires UDP port 123 for correct operation. By default, if you do not set configure

any NTP servers, the Monsvr will attempt to use some Internet based servers and hencewill require you to open UDP port 123 on your external firewall for outbound traffic only.

If you have an internal NTP server then you can configure this into the Monsvr and noexternal NTP access will be required.

The Monsvr needs to be able to send email for problem notifications, ideally to aninternal SMTP server. For this purpose it requires outgoing TCP port 25 with access to theSMTP server (if one has been configured as recommended).

The Monsvr needs to be able to receive email for problem acknowledgements. For thispurpose it requires incoming TCP port 25.

2.2 CPU/RAM/Disk ResourcesThe Monsvr is configured to use 256MB of host RAM, although in practice it may use lessthan this. If you have a large monitored environment it may be a good idea to increase

the amount of RAM assigned to the virtual machine. To increase the RAM assigned to thevirtual machine use the VMware Server Console while the Monsvr is shutdown. There isno need to do this immediately.

The Monsvr Virtual Machine is configured with an 8GB disk image. Although it uses muchless than this, this size has been chosen to allow for growth. In practice, it will use more

than 8GB as Vmware requires some working space for each virtual machinel.

The CPU requirements of the Monsvr will depend on the monitored environment. Theywill not be large, but will place additional load on the host that the virtual machine is

running on.

2.3 VMware Server VersionUse the version of VMware Server that came with the Monsvr Virtual Appliance.


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The virtual appliance was developed using a specific version of VMware Server. It is idealto use this specific version to ensure correct operation the VMware Tools service thatruns inside the virtual machine.

VMware Tools assists with memory management, controlling the power status(on/off/reboot) and time synchronisation of the virtual machine. An incorrect version of

VMware Server may mean that VMware Tools does not run correct and hence the virtualmachine may not perform optimally.

Running under VMware ESX or another product may require a totally different version ofVMware Tools.


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3 Installing VMware ServerThe first stage of installation is to install and run a VMware virtualisation product.

Accompanying this document you will find the VMware Server Administration Guide.

There are two components that you need to install:

1. VMware Server2. VMware Management Interface (VMware Server Console)The installation instructions for installing VMware Server onto a Windows server start onpage 26 of the guide.

The instructions for installing VMware Server Console start on page 48 of the guide.

Follow these instructions to install VMware Server. Depending on where your VMware

Server package came from, you may find that the server and the console are part of thesame installation.

3.1 Selecting the Appropriate Host EnvironmentAs VMware Server is a hosted product, that is, it runs on top of another OperatingSystem, you need to select a host and Operating System combination that is as stable as

possible. The selection of a production server with redundant hardware and a provenhistory of stability is a good choice.

Additionally, you need to consider that the virtual machine will consume CPU, RAM anddisk resources and that this may grow over time depending on the monitored

environment.


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4 Installing the Virtual Appliance4.1 Virtual Machine FilesCopy the virtual machine files to a suitable location on your server. The folder contentsshould look similar to this:

4.2 Installing the Virtual MachineThis process simply involves adding the virtual machine to the VMware Server inventory

by opening the virtual machine files and starting the virtual machine. Detailed, step-by-step instructions follow.

4.2.1 Detailed InstructionsStart the VMware Server Console. Connect to the Local host as below.


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From the File menu, select Open. This presents you with the following:

Select the Browse button, and navigate to the folder where you placed the virtualmachine files. Select the VMX file as shown below.


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Press the Open button. The virtual machine is now included in VMware Serversinventory.


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Before starting the virtual machine, we need to ensure that it will startup automaticallywhen the host Operating System does. Click the Edit Virtual Machine Settings link.

On the Options Tab, select the Startup/Shutdown option. On the right hand side change

On host startup to Power on Virtual Machine, and

On host shutdown to Power off Virtual Machine.

Click the OK button


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Start the virtual machine by selecting the Start this virtual machine link.

When prompted to Create a new identifier, select Create and press the OK button

The virtual machine should now start and proceed to boot. After a minute or so, the bootprocess will complete and the virtual machine will sit at its login prompt. The monsvrmay reboot a couple of times to correctly configure itself.


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4.3 Configuring the Virtual MachineOnce the virtual machine is running you can configure its network settings. By default it

comes shipped to use DHCP and if your network has a DHCP server, it will already have aDHCP assigned IP Address. Once in production, the ideal IP configuration is to staticallyassign an IP Address, Default Gateway/Router, Hostname, DNS Servers, and NTP

Servers. However, during the demo process a DHCP configured address will suffice.

To change the IP configuration you need to login to the virtual machine. To do this, clickinto the console window and login as the user: config, with the password: config. You willbe presented with a menu where you can provide the IP configuration to suit yournetwork.

This same menu also allows you to test the settings to ensure proper communications

can be established. You must have already saved the settings in order to test them.

If you change DHCP settings on your DHCP server and need the Monsvr to pickup thechanges, there are 2 options.

1) wait until the lease expires you control this period of time from the DHCP server2) reboot the monsvr. You can do this simply by clicking the Reboot button. The Rebootbutton has a red and green arrow pair and sits on the VMware Server console next to thePower On/Off and Suspend buttons:


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Once you click into the virtual machine window, your mouse cursor will disappear. Toreturn your mouse cursor to Windows, press CTRL-ALT.


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5 Using the Virtual Appliance

Once the virtual machine has an IP Address, it will be visible on your network. You can

test this by pinging it.

The primary access to the Monsvr is via a web browser. On the VMware Server console,you can see the hostname and IP Address that are currently configured into the virtualmachine, either via DHCP or statically assigned.

In the example below the hostname is localhost and the IP Address is 192.168.9.13

In this example, the hostname localhost probably indicates that no hostname has beenassigned via DHCP. In this case, you may need to reconfigure your DHCP server,

statically assign a hostname (login in as config/config), make local DNS changes or evenreboot the Monsvr. If no valid hostname can be obtained by the Monsvr, you may needto access it by using the IP Address.

You can access the Monsvr using the following URL:

http://HOSTNAME or http://IPADDRESS (this is called the Monsvr Main Page)

where HOSTNAME is the hostname assigned to the Monsvr and IPADDRESS is the IPAddress assigned to the Monsvr.


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The very first time you access the Monsvr Main Page you will need to set the MonsvrTimezone.

Select the appropriate Timezone and press the Set button.

Then you can go to the Monsvr Main Page.


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5.1 Demonstration ModeWhen you initially connect to the Monsvr using your browser, you are presented with the

the publicly available read-only monitoring interface. From here it is possible to see thestatus of the monitored network. You will also see that the Monsvr is running in demomode.

Demo mode allows you to browse around the interface, even accessing the Nagios

Interface (where most of your day-to-day operations would occur). The demonstrationuser name is: demo1, password: demo1. The demonstration mode is monitoring ademonstration network with the following architecture:


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5.2 Activating the MonsvrWhen you are ready to activate your Monsvr and convert it to an active monitoring

server to monitor your network simply, click on one of the following links on the mainweb page:

New Smartmon users will need to complete the form details and we will be in touch with

you to help configure your monitoring setup and activate the Monsvr.

Existing users are able to add the Monsvr themselves using the Smartmon Portal athttps://www.smartmon.com.au/portal

install monsvr v2.x

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