22.10. Resolving and Preventing Software Issues
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| Another bottleneck could result from outdated drivers or control software. The performance of hardware drivers and control software typically increases over time as their development is optimized. In a computing environment, it is possible that performance issues could be a combination of older components and heavy usage reaching a point where degradation is beginning to occur. You might need to assess the organization's IT infrastructure to establish a software version control baseline. Updating drivers or software is not a difficult task, but it can become a daunting one in a large or complex environment. HP has developed several methods to manage the download and application of new drivers and control software. At its simplest, updating the driver or software on a system is as easy as locating the update, retrieving it, and applying it. For simple environments, going to the HP Web site and downloading an individual update for a single computer is the most efficient. In a large or complex environment, use a combination of HP Insight Manager 7, Version Control Repository Manager, and Version Control agents to manage a centralized repository that distributes HP system software. 22.10.1 Obtaining Software and DriversThe HP Web site is the first place to look for updated drivers and software. Software packages called SoftPacks are posted on the Web site upon release and are available for download. This method of distribution is faster than waiting for a software distribution on CD to ship. At the Software and Drivers home page, select the product platform, and then search by computer family, model, language, and operating system to locate the correct SoftPack. Instructions for each SoftPack are contained in a Read-me file, which is downloaded automatically with the SoftPack. All the drivers, utilities, support software, and ROMs you need to keep HP products running at peak performance are available from http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/index.html. 22.10.2 System Software Maintenance StrategyA carefully planned system software maintenance strategy maximizes server stability and availability. By developing well-regulated system software baselines for business servers, you can reduce the time required to update or troubleshoot existing servers and ensure that new servers are set up with tested and stable software configurations. HP provides two agent-layer applications, Version Control Repository Manager (VCRM) and Version Control agents, which are used for HP software deployment. These applications facilitate both version management and updates of HP system software running on HP ProLiant servers. The VCRM catalogs HP system software either proactively downloaded into the customer's environment through ActiveUpdate or manually downloaded from the HP Web site. You can create custom groupings of HP system software. The Version Control agents maintain system software status for a single HP ProLiant server by comparing the software contents of the target server with the most recent contents of the VCRM, or through a PSP or customer-defined Support Paq within the VCRM. The Version Control agents also enable you to upgrade individual components or Support Paqs on a single-server basis. When the Version Control agents are used in conjunction with Insight Manager 7, you can view software status and update system software across multiple servers. 22.10.3 Software Maintenance ArchitectureTo ensure that HP servers provide maximum uptime with minimal maintenance, HP has developed ProLiant advanced server management technologies to integrate the following:
The tight integration of these advanced technologies reduces server management efforts, enabling administrators to work issues, resolve problems, and deploy server software from remote locations by means of a standard Web browser. Insight Manager 7, together with Version Control agents and VCRM, introduces an architecture for version managing and updating HP system software. The software maintenance architecture enables you to select a baseline set of software (BIOS, drivers, and agents) as the point of reference for version control across a portion of or the entire managed environment. VCRM and Version Control agents are Web-enabled management agents. Insight Manager 7 uses these management agents and others to facilitate the following management tasks:
22.10.3.1 ACTIVEUPDATEActiveUpdate is a Web-based client application that keeps IT administrators directly connected to HP for proactive notification and delivery of the latest software updates. Content delivered through ActiveUpdate includes the following:
Note Refer to the ActiveUpdate user guide for a complete description of all ActiveUpdate functions. The user guide is included in the ActiveUpdate download. For online help, click the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of the ActiveUpdate window. ActiveUpdate uses software filters and a customizable profile to ensure that users receive only those software updates relevant to their environment. The subscription pages topic tree structure enables users to drill down and select not only their hardware platforms but also the operating system they are running. From the Web site, you can select the models, operating systems, and languages for the SoftPack files you want to download. You must submit your subscription to receive downloads. ActiveUpdate benefits include the following:
You can install the ActiveUpdate client software from the Management CD or by accessing http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/activeupdate/index.html. 22.10.3.2 VERSION CONTROL REPOSITORY MANAGERVCRM is a Web-enabled agent designed to manage a repository containing PSPs and individual server software Smart Components. The repository is maintained by using ActiveUpdate or by copying software directly to the repository from the SmartStart CD, another repository, or the HP Web site. Users with administrative privileges can access the repository to perform repository maintenance tasks manually. The agent automatically updates a database whenever a PSP or Smart Component is added to the repository. All activities that affect the repository are logged to a log file on the server where the VCRM agent is installed. The VCRM enables administrators and operators to perform the following tasks to maintain the repository:
In addition to managing repositories, VCRM integrates with Insight Manager 7 to provide a catalog of software that is available in the repository. The VCRM is available through the Change Management software option. 22.10.3.3 VERSION CONTROL AGENTSVersion Control agents are Web-enabled agents designed to display the software inventory of the server on which the agents are installed. Version Control agents also allow the installation, comparison, and update of server software from a repository that is managed by VCRM. Users with administrator and operator privileges can access the Version Control agents to maintain the software inventory of the server manually. The agents query the SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) each time the user views the inventory page. All activities that affect the software inventory are logged to a log file. Component installations are logged to a log file at the server, such as software installations; however, installations performed outside the Version Control agent do not display in the log. The Version Control agents enable administrators and operators to perform the following tasks to maintain the software inventory of the server:
Version Control agents integrate with Insight Manager 7 to enable administrators and operators to use the one-to-one deployment capabilities of the agent and to deploy PSPs and Smart Components on multiple target servers that need server software updates. Deploying PSPs and Smart Components from a single repository or multiple repositories saves time and is important in standardizing software maintenance and deployment procedures on distributed systems. For maximum manageability and flexibility across operating system platforms, each repository that is created should be located on shared network drives managed by a Windows domain or Active Directory security. It should be updated automatically by ActiveUpdate, and it should be managed by VCRM. 22.10.4 Creating a Software RepositoryYou can create a software repository on any system by using standard operating system commands to create a folder or directory. You can create a default repository folder when you install Insight Manager 7. Create the repository folder, browse to the Version Control repository, and point to that folder from the Options panel. Insight Manager 7 is not limited to using the repository on the Insight Manager 7 server. Insight Manager 7 can use and deploy software from any repository, provided that the following two conditions are met:
Note For optimal integration with the software deployment features of Insight Manager 7, ensure that VCRM manages each repository. 22.10.5 Maintaining a Repository with ActiveUpdateAfter you create a repository, it must be populated with PSPs and Smart Components before deployment on the target servers. You can maintain the repository by using ActiveUpdate, the HP Web site, or the HP SmartStart CD. ActiveUpdate is the preferred solution for maintaining repositories automatically. ActiveUpdate delivers the latest PSPs and Smart Components directly to a specified repository. Each installation of ActiveUpdate maintains one repository. The repository can be located either on the server where ActiveUpdate was installed or on a remote network drive. In both cases, the system user ID that updates the repository must have write access to the repository. By using the network-based repository feature of ActiveUpdate, you can ensure that all updates are always readily available for deployment from standardized locations. 22.10.6 Software Management and Deployment SolutionsInsight Manager 7 simplifies software maintenance and resolves some of the problems users experience. To deploy software, know the following properties about the devices that are managed:
22.10.6.1 SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONSAdministrators and operators should (1) have access to a repository, and (2) understand the options for selecting a PSP. "Equal to" is the only comparison you can use with a PSP. Insight Manager 7 cannot determine whether a PSP was actually installed on a system, only whether all the components in a PSP are installed on a system. A device will be returned by this query if, and only if, every component in the PSP is on the device. ! Important Create a copy of the PSP used on your system before you deploy to other systems to ensure that the same configurations are used. Ensure that the query results are correct. Information is accessed from the SQL database table that was populated by a Software Version Status Polling task. This table is updated when software is installed with the Deploy Software or Firmware Insight Manager 7 task. If software was installed or uninstalled on systems without using Insight Manager 7 and after a Software Version Status Polling Task last ran, this query might not return the correct results. For detailed information, refer to the Software Deployment user guide at http://www.hp.com/support. 22.10.6.2 SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OPERATING SYSTEMS REQUIREMENTSInsight Manager 7 is the primary engine used to perform one-to-many version controls. The Version Control agents identify what software needs to be installed and then pull the software from the Version Control repository. To ease the deployment, the software already installed on managed servers displays. Software from multiple operating systems can be deployed, including Windows Server 2003. 22.10.6.3 DEPLOYMENT OPTIONSThe two deployment methods are one-to-one (1:1) and one-to-many (1:n). With 1:1, only one device is updated. This deployment option enables you to browse to the Version Control agent and see a simple software inventory page for a list of installed components. With 1:n, several devices are updated at the same time. This method
To create a 1:n deployment task, you must create a query defining the devices and then attach a control task to the query. 22.10.7 Product Change NotificationThe PCN service provides the latest information on hardware and preinstalled software changes for HP products. Through ActiveUpdate 2.0 or the PCN Web site, HP communicates changes as soon as they are identified, which gives customers adequate time to plan. The PCN program provides up to 60 days advance notice of upcoming hardware and software changes to HP products. HP Change Control is another facet of PCN. HP Change Control and PCN programs have two goals. First, to minimize potentially disruptive changes to Intel-based HP desktops, workstations, and servers. And second, to provide advance notification of changes to these product lines. Features of HP Change Control and PCN include the following:
The secure PCN Website can be accessed at http://www.hp.com/united-states/subscribe/. |
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