IBM Network Advisor
This chapter describes how to deploy IBM Network Advisor in your network. It also describes how to upgrade an existing IBM Network Advisor installation and the corresponding version upgrade path.
It also introduces user, fabric, and dashboard management along with some preferred practices such as call home and weekly backups.
This chapter includes the following sections:
4.1 Planning for server and client system requirements
The following Fabric OS (FOS) platforms are supported by IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2:
•Fabric OS (FOS) V5.0 or later in a pure FOS fabric
•Fabric OS (FOS) V6.0 or later in a mixed fabric
•Fabric OS (FOS) V7.0 or later
For more information about the hardware and software that is supported for IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2, see the “About this document” section of the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual at the following link:
Two IBM Network Advisor storage area network (SAN) packages are available, depending on the size of your SAN network:
•IBM Network Advisor Professional Plus, licensed to manage up to 36 fabrics and 2,560 ports.
•IBM Network Advisor SAN Enterprise option, licensed to manage up to 100 fabrics and 15,000 ports.
 
Requirement: IBM Network Advisor Enterprise is required to manage the SAN768B-2 and SAN768B 8 slot directors.
For more information about features that are supported on each edition, see the “Edition feature support” section of the Network Advisor Software Licensing Guide 12.4.2 at the following link:
4.1.1 Operating system and hardware requirements for Server and Client
The following section describes server and client operating system requirements and selecting the upgrade path when upgrading to Version 12.4.2 from an earlier version of IBM Network Advisor.
To prevent any conflicts with other applications that use the same resources and ports (such as SNMP, web server, and so on), run IBM Network Advisor on a dedicated server.
 
Note: Enterprise edition and Professional Plus edition are not supported on 32-bit operating systems.
Table 4-1 summarizes the required operating systems for the IBM Network Advisor server deployment.
Table 4-1 Server operating system requirements
Operating System
Version
Windows
•2008 R2 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2008 R2 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2008 R2 Enterprise Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 R2 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 R2 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•8 Enterprise (x86 64-bit)
•8.1 Enterprise (x86 64-bit)
Linux
•RedHat Enterprise 6.4 Advanced (x86 64-bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.5 Advanced (x86 64-bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.6 Advanced (x86 64-bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 7.0 Advanced (x86 64-bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 11.3 (x86 64-bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 12 (x86 64-bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.4 (x86 64-bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.5 (x86 64-bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 7.0 (x86 64-bit)
Guest VMs (supports all server OS versions available for Windows and Linux.)
•VMware ESXi 5.11
•VMware ESXi 5.5
•Microsoft Hyper-V (Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2 Data Center)
•KVM (RH 6.5)
Table 4-2 summarizes the client operating system requirements. IBM Network Advisor clients are supported on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Linux systems.
Table 4-2 Client operating system requirements
Operating System
Version
Windows
•7 Enterprise (x86 32-bit)
•8 Enterprise (x86 32-bit)
•8.1 Enterprise (x86 32-bit)
•2008 R2 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2008 R2 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2008 R2 Enterprise Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 R2 Data Center Edition (x86 64-bit)
•2012 R2 Standard Edition (x86 64-bit)
•7 Enterprise (x86 64-bit)
•8 Enterprise (x86 64-bit)
•8.1 Enterprise (x86 64-bit)
Linux
•RedHat Enterprise 6.4 Advanced (x86 32 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.5 Advanced (x86 32 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.6 Advanced (x86 32 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 7.0 Advanced (x86 32 bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 11.3 (32 bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 12 (32 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.4 (x86 32 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.5 (x86 32 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 7.0 (32 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.4 Advanced (x86 64 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.5 Advanced (x86 64 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 6.6 Advanced (x86 64 bit)
•RedHat Enterprise 7.0 Advanced (x86 64 bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 11.3 (x86 64 bit)
•SuSE Enterprise Server 12 (x86 64 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.4 (x86 64 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 6.5 (x86 64 bit)
•Oracle Enterprise 7.0 (x86 64 bit)
Guest VMs (supports all client OS versions available for Windows and Linux.)
•VMware ESXi 5.1
•VMware ESXi 5.5
•Microsoft Hyper-V (Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2 Data Center)
•KVM (RH 6.5)
Table 4-3 summarizes the minimum system requirements for running IBM Network Advisor on Windows and Linux.
Table 4-3 Minimum system requirements for IBM Network Advisor
Resources
Professional Edition
Professional Plus Edition
Installed memory
4 GB (32-bit)
6 GB (64-bit)
6 GB
Processor core count (including physical and logical ones)
2
2
Disk space
10 GB
20 GB
Table 4-4 summarizes the preferred system requirements for running IBM Network Advisor on Windows and Linux based on the size of the environment.
Table 4-4 Minimum system requirements for IBM Network Advisor
Resources
Small
Medium
Large
Installed memory
16 GB
16 GB
16 GB
Processor core count (including physical and logical ones)
2
4
8
Disk space
20 GB
80 GB
100 GB
Note: If you enable supportsave to run periodically or configure the IBM Network Advisor as the upload failure data capture location for monitored switches, then extra disk space is required. Each switch supportsave file is approximately 5 MB, and each upload failure data capture file is approximately 500 KB. To determine the disk space requirements, multiply the frequency of scheduled supportsave commands by 5 MB and the expected upload failure data capture files by 500 KB before the planned periodic purge activity.
4.1.2 Browser requirements for IBM Network Advisor 12.4.2
The use of IBM Network Advisor and the launch of Element Manager (Web Tools) from the application are supported from the following browsers with a Java plug-in:
•Browsers:
 – Windows Internet Explorer 11.0.9 on Windows
 – Firefox 24 and later on Windows or Linux
 – Google Chrome 33 on Windows
•Java Plug-ins: For the current supported Java runtime environment (JRE) version for Network Advisor and Web Tools, refer to the Release Notes.
 
Note: For higher performance, use a 64-bit JRE. If the minimum system requirement is not met, you will be blocked from the configuration and an error message will be displayed.
For information about JRE patches, see the following website:
4.1.3 IBM Network Advisor Server and concurrent client connections
Network Advisor has the following client and server system requirements:
•In the Professional edition, a single server supports a single client, which must be a local client only.
•In Professional Plus and Enterprise editions, a single server supports a maximum of 25 clients, which can be local or remote on 64-bit servers. To support more than eight clients, you must make the following changes to your configuration:
 – Increase the server memory size. You can configure the server memory size from the Options window, Memory Allocations pane. For more information, see the Network Advisor User Manual or online help.
 – Increase the PostgreSQL database shared buffers memory allocation to 1024 MB by editing the Install_Homedatadatabasespostgresql.conf file.
4.2 IBM Network Advisor 12.4.2 upgrade path
The following upgrade path must be followed when upgrading from earlier product versions:
DCFM 10.4.X → Network Advisor 11.1.X → Network Advisor 12.0.X → Network Advisor 12.2.X → Network Advisor 12.3.X or Network Advisor 12.4.X
 
Note: Enterprise and Professional Plus editions are not supported on 32-bit servers. If you are upgrading from an earlier product version running on a 32-bit server and plan to migrate to Enterprise and Professional Plus editions, you will require a 64-bit server. For more information, see “Pre-migration requirements when migrating from one server to another” in the Network Advisor Installation and Migration Guide 12.4.2. The link is shown at the end of this section.
For more information about IBM Network Advisor installation and migration, see the Network Advisor SAN Installation and Migration Guide 12.4.2, which can be found on the following link:
4.3 Downloading the software
Complete the following steps to download the software and documentation from the Brocade IBM Assist website:
1. Go to the Brocade IBM Assist website.
2. Select the highest version number for the latest generally available code. This book shows version 12.4.2.
 – To download the IBM Network Advisor installation file, click Brocade Network Advisor 12.4.x and then Brocade Network Advisor 12.4.2 (IBM) GA.
 – To download the documentation, click Brocade Network Advisor 12.4.2 Manuals and then select the manual that you want to download.
3. Select one of the following links to download the software, as shown in Figure 4-1 on page 55:
 – Network Advisor 12.4.2 (IBM) GA for Windows
 – Network Advisor 12.4.2 (IBM) GA for Linux
Figure 4-1 IBM Network Advisor product download selection
4. Complete the Verification Email window information and click Submit, as shown in Figure 4-2.
Figure 4-2 Verification Email window
An email will be sent to the email address entered. You must follow the email instructions to continue with the next step.
5. Read and complete the Export Compliance form, select I Agree, and click Submit.
6. Read the Brocade End User License Agreement and click I Accept.
7. Click Save in the File Download window.
8. Browse to the location where you want to save the software and click Save.
4.4 Pre-installation requirements
Before you install IBM Network Advisor, ensure that you meet the following requirements:
•To avoid errors, close all instances of the application before you begin the installation or uninstallation procedure.
•For UNIX systems, if you still receive error message after closing the application, enter the following commands:
a. #ps -ef | grep -i “” to list the process ID
b. #kill -9 “Process_ID”, where Process_ID is any management application process
4.4.1 Additional pre-installation requirements for UNIX systems
Ensure that you meet the following requirements for a UNIX system:
•Ensure that an X Server is available for display and is configured to permit X Client applications to display from the host on which they are installing the IBM Network Advisor server. Typically, this simply requires that the system console is present and running with a logged-in user on the X Server-based desktop session, such as KDE or GNOME.
•Ensure that the DISPLAY environment variable is correctly defined in the shell with a valid value. For example, to display to the local console, run export DISPLAY=:0.0, or to display to a remote system that has an X Server running, run export DISPLAY=Remote_IP_address:0.0). You might also need to configure your firewall because it might block the display to the X Server, which listens by default on TCP port 6000 on the remote host.
•To display to a remote system, you must permit the remote display of the X Server by running xhost+IP, where IP is the IP address of the IBM Network Advisor server host from the X-based desktop of the remote system.
•Make sure that you test the DISPLAY definition by running xterm from the same shell from which you run install.bin. A new X terminal window to the destination X Server display should open.
•For Linux OS with the SELinux security policy enabled, ensure that you complete the following steps:
a. Disable the SELinux security policy by running setenforce 0.
c. Enable the SELinux security policy by running setenforce 1.
4.4.2 Mapping a loopback address to the local host
To map the loopback address to the local host, complete the following steps:
1. Open the host file:
 – For Windows, the hosts file is in the WINDOWSsystem32driversetc directory.
 – For Linux, the host file is in the /etc directory.
2. Add the following entries:
 – For an IPV4 machine:
127.0.0.1 localhost
 – For an IPV6 machine:
127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost
3. Save and close the file.
4.5 Syslog troubleshooting
If the default syslog port number is in use, you will not receive any syslog messages from the device. Use one of the following procedures (depending on your operating system) to determine which process is running on the syslog port and stop that process.
4.5.1 Finding the process
To find the process, complete the following steps:
1. Open a command window.
2. Choose one of the following options:
 – On Linux systems, enter netstat -nap | grep 514 and press Enter.
 • The process running on port 514 is displayed.
 • Example output: UDP 0 0 ::ffff:127:0:0:1:514 :::* 27397
 – On Windows systems, enter netstat -anb | find /i “514” and press Enter.
 • The process running on port 514 is displayed.
 • Example output: UDP 127:0:0:1:514 *:* 3328
4.5.2 Stopping the process
Choose one of the following options:
•On Linux systems, enter Kill -9 “<PID>” and press Enter. For example, kill -9 “27397”.
•On Windows systems, enter taskkill /F /PID “<PID>” and press Enter. For example, taskkill /F /PID “3328”. You can also run the following procedure instead:
a. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Windows Task Manager.
b. Click the Processes tab.
c. Click the PID column header to sort the processes by PID.
d. Select the process that you want to stop and click End Process.
4.6 IBM Network Advisor Version 12.4.2 installation
Before you install the application, ensure that your system meets the minimum pre-installation requirements that are described in 4.4, “Pre-installation requirements” on page 56. If you are migrating data (upgrading), see 4.7, “Upgrading to IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2 from an existing IBM Network Advisor installation” on page 75.
This section describes how to perform a new IBM Network Advisor installation on both Windows and UNIX platforms. To do so, you need these privileges:
•On Windows system, you must be an Administrator with read and write privileges.
•On UNIX systems, you must be the root user.
To install IBM Network Advisor, complete the following steps:
1. Choose one of the following options:
 – For a Windows system, navigate to the Download_LocationApplication_NameWindows, right-click install.exe, and select Run as administrator.
 – For a UNIX system, complete the following steps
i. On the management application server, go to Download_Location/Application_Name/UNIX_Platform/bin.
ii. Execute either of the following commands:
./install.bin or sh install.bin
 
Note: On a Linux system, if you double-click the install.bin file, select run. Do not select run in Terminal.
2. Figure 4-3 shows the Introduction window for the installation. Click Next to proceed or Cancel to exit the upgrade.
Figure 4-3 Introduction window for installation
3. A window with the license agreement opens. Accept the IBM Network Advisor license to proceed. After you accept the license agreement, you are prompted for the installation location. Do not install to the root directory (C:Windows or / (UNIX). Figure 4-4 shows the options to select the installation location.
Figure 4-4 Installation folder options
4. After you select the target location, the Pre-Installation Summary window opens, as shown in Figure 4-5. This window describes the product and the target location.
Figure 4-5 Pre-Installation Summary window
5. After you carefully review and agree with the pre-installation summary, click Install to proceed with installation. Figure 4-6 shows the start of the installation process.
Figure 4-6 Installing IBM Network Advisor
6. After the completion of the installation, as shown in Figure 4-7, the Installation Complete window opens. Ensure that the Launch IBM Network Advisor Configuration check box is selected to proceed with the configuration (it is selected by default). Click Done.
Figure 4-7 Installation Complete window
If the local host is not mapped to the loopback address, an error message is displayed. In this case, you must map the loopback address to the local host. To learn how to configure the loopback address, see 4.4.2, “Mapping a loopback address to the local host” on page 57.
If the Launch IBM Network Advisor Configuration check box is cleared, as shown in Figure 4-8, a window opens that prompts you to select the box.
Figure 4-8 Alert window for configuration check box
7. After you select the check box and click Done, the configuration wizard window opens listing the configuration activities like migrating data and settings, choosing the installation type, license, and FTP server, and so on (Figure 4-9). Click Next.
Figure 4-9 Configuration wizard main window
8. The Copy Data and Settings from previous releases window opens and prompts you for a copy of the data and settings from your previous installation. Because this is a new installation, select No, don’t copy any data and settings (Figure 4-10). Click Next.
Figure 4-10 Copy data and settings from previous releases window
9. The Package window opens and prompts you to choose a package. IBM Network Advisor clients are not available in SMI Agent, so you must select SAN with SMI Agent, as shown in Figure 4-11. Click Next.
Figure 4-11 Package selection window
10. The Installation Type window opens and prompts you to choose an installation type, as shown in Figure 4-12.
 
Important: Obtain and store the license in a known secure location before you proceed with the upgrade.
Figure 4-12 Choosing the installation type
There are two options: Licensed version and 120 days trial. Select IBM Network Advisor - Licensed version and click Next.
11. The Server License window opens and prompts you to enter the license details, as shown in Figure 4-13. Input the serial number and license key by clicking Browse and navigate to the location of the file that contains the information. Click Next.
Figure 4-13 Providing license details
12. The FTP / SCP / SFTP Server window opens and prompts you to configure the FTP server, as shown in Figure 4-14.
Figure 4-14 Setting up the servers and protocols for remote file transfers
This window shows the options of Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP server and External FTP/SCP/SFTP server. The server where IBM Network Advisor is installed can also act as an FTP server, so it is a preferred practice to choose the Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP option.
 
Note: If you choose External FTP/SCP/SFTP, ensure that the server where the IBM Network Advisor is installed is also configured as an FTP server because if you do not do so, the Firmware repository feature will not be available.
Select the Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP option and click Next.
13. The Database Administrator Password (dcmadmin) window opens and prompts you to provide the password for the database, as shown in Figure 4-15.
Figure 4-15 Database Administrator password settings
You are presented with two options: Default password and New password. If you know the new password, select that option and provide the password. If you are not sure about the new password, select the Default password option and proceed. You can change the Database password later by using the Server Management Console. Click Next.
14. The Server IP Configuration window opens and prompts you to enter the server IP configuration details, as shown in Figure 4-16. In the Server IP Configuration drop-down box, you can choose a server name only if DNS is configured in the environment. If DNS is not configured, choose the IP address. Click Next.
Figure 4-16 Server IP configuration details
If you select Any on the Preferred Address configuration, the server will listen to all the network requests through any of the IP addresses configured on the server.
15. The Server Configuration window opens and prompts you to provide the port details, as shown in Figure 4-17.
Figure 4-17 Server’s ports details
Complete the following steps:
a. Enter a port number in the Web Server Port# (HTTPS) field (the default is 443):
 • Enable HTTP redirection to HTTPS by selecting the Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS check box.
 • When you enable HTTP redirection, the server uses port 80 to redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS. You can configure the server port settings by using the Options dialog box in the Server Port pane.
b. Enter a port number in the Database Port# field (Default is 5432). Do not use a port number below 1024.
c. Enter a port number in the Starting Port Number field (the default is 24600):
 • For Professional software, the server requires 15 consecutive free ports beginning with the starting port number.
 • For Trial and Licensed software, the server requires 18 consecutive free ports beginning with the starting port number.
d. Enter a port number in the Syslog Port Number field (the default is 514). If the default Syslog port is already in use, you do not receive any syslog messages from the device. To find and stop the process that is running on the default Syslog port number, see 4.5, “Syslog troubleshooting” on page 57.
e. Enter a port number in the SNMP Port Number field (the default is 162).
Click Next to continue.
If you enter a port number that is already in use, a warning displays next to the associated port number field. Edit that port number and click Next.
The IBM Network Advisor installation process validates your server resources against the prerequisites. A notification window like the one shown in Figure 4-18 is displayed if these validations fail. See 4.1.3, “IBM Network Advisor Server and concurrent client connections” on page 53 to ensure all the IBM Network Advisor installation prerequisites are met.
Figure 4-18 Installation pre-requisites not met notification window
16. The SMI Agent Configuration window opens and prompts you to configure the SMI Agent, as shown in Figure 4-19.
Figure 4-19 SMI Agent configuration window
Select Enable SMI Agent, then Enable SSL and enter 5989 as the port number (the default is 5988). Click Next.
17. The SAN Network Size window opens and prompts you to configure the SAN network, as shown in Figure 4-20. Choose the option that best suits your network size and click Next.
Figure 4-20 Network size selection window
Note: Port count is equal to the total number of switch ports to be managed across all fabrics.
18. The Server Configuration Summary window opens, as shown in Figure 4-21. Review the details in the window. If you are satisfied, click Next.
Figure 4-21 Server configuration summary window
19. The Inventory Upload configuration window is displayed, as shown in Figure 4-22. For IBM Network Advisor 12.4.0 and later, a feature called Inventory Upload allows users to send the managed switches’ inventory, their FOS code levels, and licenses to up to five email addresses.
Figure 4-22 SAN Inventory upload configuration window
If you want to receive this information, select Enable and enter the list of email recipients delimited by a semi-colon (;). When you are done, click Next.
20. The Start Server window opens and prompts you to start the server and client, as shown in Figure 4-23. You can start the client after the installation by selecting the Start Client check box, or you can leave it clear to start the client at a later stage.
Figure 4-23 Starting the server and client
Ensure that the Service window (under Administrative Tools) is closed. If the Services window is open, IBM Network Advisor might fail to start.
Select Finish. Services will be started, as shown in Figure 4-24.
Figure 4-24 IBM Network Advisor servers start status window
21. A Security Alert window opens, as shown in Figure 4-25, which prompts you to permit the traffic by accepting the security settings.
Figure 4-25 Security Alert
Select Yes.
22. A login window opens and prompts you to provide the login credentials, as shown in Figure 4-26. The default credentials are administrator/password. After you provide the credentials, click Login.
Figure 4-26 IBM Network Advisor login window
4.7 Upgrading to IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2 from an existing IBM Network Advisor installation
This section describes upgrading an existing IBM Network Advisor installation to Version 12.4.2. For the upgrade path reference, see 4.2, “IBM Network Advisor 12.4.2 upgrade path” on page 53. During the upgrade process, the old version is uninstalled and the new version with an upgraded database is installed.
Before you proceed with the upgrade, back up your configuration. To back up your configuration, go to installation location and copy the IBM Network Advisor 12.4.2 folder.
This section describes upgrading to IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2 on both Windows and UNIX platforms. To do so, you must have these privileges:
•On Windows systems, you must be an administrator with read and write privileges.
•On UNIX systems, you must be the root user.
To upgrade the new application version, complete the following steps:
1. Choose one of the following options:
 – For a Windows system, open the Download_LocationApplication_NameWindowsinstall.exe file.
 – For a UNIX system, complete the following steps:
i. On the management application server, go to the Download_Location/Application_Name/UNIX_Platform/bin directory.
ii. Run one of the following commands:
./install.bin or sh install.bin
 
Note: On a Linux system, if you double-click the install.bin file, select RUN. Do not select RUN in Terminal.
2. The Introduction window opens, as shown in Figure 4-3 on page 58. Click Next to proceed or Cancel to exit the upgrade.
3. A window with the license agreement opens. Accept the license agreement to proceed to the next step. A window opens and prompts you for the installation folder location, as shown in Figure 4-4 on page 59. Select the default location because it is the current IBM Network Advisor installed folder location. If you want to choose a different location, do so now. Click Next.
4. The Pre-Installation Summary window opens, as shown in Figure 4-6 on page 60. Select Install to proceed with the installation.
5. After the installation completes, the Installation Complete window opens, as shown in Figure 4-8 on page 61. Select Launch IBM Network Advisor Configuration and click Done to start the configuration.
6. The Welcome window opens and describes the migrate data and settings, choosing the installation type, license, FTP server, ports, server IP SMI agent, and network size, as shown in Figure 4-10 on page 62. Click Next.
7. The Copy Data and Settings from previous releases window opens and prompts you for a copy of the data and settings from your previous installation, as shown in Figure 4-27. You must provide the folder location where the previous version was installed. This window will also show the minimum IBM Network Advisor version from where you can migrate the data from. For upgrade path information, see 4.2, “IBM Network Advisor 12.4.2 upgrade path” on page 53. Remember that it is not possible to migrate the data from a previous version after the installation completes.
Figure 4-27 Copy Data and Settings from previous releases window
Click Next.
8. The Resource Validation and Data Migration window opens, as shown in Figure 4-28. In this stage, the IBM Network Advisor installation validates all of the server resources that are required for the product installation and starts the data migration process.
Figure 4-28 Resource Validation and Data Migration window
Click Start.
9. A message is displayed to confirm that the data has been successfully migrated, as shown in Figure 4-29.
Figure 4-29 Data migration confirmation message
Click Start.
10. The next window asks for the product license to be entered, as shown in Figure 4-30. If you are upgrading an IBM Network Advisor instance that was already licensed, this window will autopopulate the license information for you. Otherwise, you can enter a new license if you are simultaneously upgrading and licensing the product.
Figure 4-30 IBM Network Advisor License window
11. The FTP / SCP / SFTP Server window opens and prompts you to configure the FTP server, as shown in Figure 4-31.
Figure 4-31 Setting up the servers and protocols for remote file transfers
This window shows the options of Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP server and External FTP/SCP/SFTP server. The server where IBM Network Advisor is installed can also act as an FTP server, so it is a preferred practice to choose the Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP option.
 
Note: If you choose External FTP/SCP/SFTP, ensure that the server where the IBM Network Advisor is installed is also configured as an FTP server because if you do not do so, the Firmware repository feature will not be available.
Select Built-in FTP/SCP/SFTP and click Next.
12. The Server IP Configuration window opens and prompts you to enter the server IP configuration details, as shown in Figure 4-32. In the Server IP Configuration drop-down box, you can choose a server name only if DNS is configured in the environment. If DNS is not configured, choose the IP address. Click Next.
Figure 4-32 Server IP configuration details
If you select Any on the Preferred Address configuration, the server will listen to all the network requests through any of the IP addresses configured on the server.
13. The Server Configuration window opens and prompts you to provide the port details, as shown in Figure 4-33.
Figure 4-33 Server’s ports details
Complete the following steps:
a. Enter a port number in the Web Server Port# (HTTPS) field (the default is 443):
 • Enable HTTP redirection to HTTPS by selecting Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS.
 • When you enable HTTP redirection, the server uses port 80 to redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS. You can configure the server port settings by using the Options dialog box in the Server Port pane.
b. Enter a port number in the Database Port# field (Default is 5432). Do not use a port number below 1024.
c. Enter a port number in the Starting Port Number field (the default is 24600):
 • For Professional software, the server requires 15 consecutive free ports beginning with the starting port number.
 • For Trial and Licensed software, the server requires 18 consecutive free ports beginning with the starting port number.
d. Enter a port number in the Syslog Port Number field (the default is 514). If the default Syslog port is already in use, you do not receive any syslog messages from the device. To find and stop the process that is running on the default Syslog port number, see 4.5, “Syslog troubleshooting” on page 57.
e. Enter a port number in the SNMP Port Number field (the default is 162).
Click Next.
If you enter a port number that is already in use, a warning displays next to the associated port number field. Edit that port number and click Next.
14. The SAN Network Size window opens and prompts you to configure the SAN network, as shown in Figure 4-34. Choose the option that best suits your network size and click Next.
Figure 4-34 Network size selection window
 
Note: Port count is equal to the total number of switch ports to be managed across all fabrics.
15. The Inventory Upload configuration window appears, as shown in Figure 4-35. When you start IBM Network Advisor 12.4.0, a new feature called Inventory Upload allows users to upload the managed switches’ inventory as well as their FOS code levels and licenses to up to five email addresses.
Figure 4-35 SAN Inventory upload configuration window
If you want to receive this information, select the Enable check-box and enter the list of email recipients delimited by a semi-colon (;). When you are done, click Next.
16. The Server Configuration Summary window opens, as shown in Figure 4-36. Review the details in the window. If you are satisfied, click Next.
Figure 4-36 Server configuration summary window
17. The Start Server window opens and prompts you to start the server and client, as shown in Figure 4-37. You can start the client after the installation by selecting the Start Client check box, or you can leave it clear to start the client at a later stage.
Figure 4-37 Starting the server and client
Ensure that the Service window (under Administrative Tools) is closed. If the Services window is open, IBM Network Advisor might fail to start.
18. Select Finish.
The upgrade process finishes by migrating and initializing the database, uninstalling the older IBM Network Advisor version, and starting all of the IBM Network Advisor services, as shown in Figure 4-38.
Figure 4-38 Completing the IBM Network Advisor upgrade installation
19. When the upgrade process completes, a login window opens and prompts you to provide the login credentials, as shown in Figure 4-39. After you provide the credentials, click Login to start using the upgraded IBM Network Advisor.
Figure 4-39 IBM Network Advisor login window
4.8 IBM Network Advisor web client
The IBM Network Advisor web client provides a high-level overview of your network and quick access to dashboard monitors and reports. However, it cannot be used for configuration and management of your fabrics.
Figure 4-40 shows the web client’s main window with its various areas.
Figure 4-40 IBM Network Advisor web client main window
The numbers in Figure 4-40 correspond to these items:
1. Web client banner and toolbar: Displays the Management application server name and status as well as buttons to perform various functions.
2. Left pane: Contains the Expand navigation bar that provides a list of features you can access.
3. Right pane: Displays the detail for the feature that is selected in the left pane.
For more information about the IBM Network Advisor web client, see the “Web Client” section of the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual at the following link:
4.9 User, device discovery, and dashboard management
The following section describes the most common user account management activities, dashboard management, and fabric discovery and management.
4.9.1 User management
The user management application contains the information about the IBM Network Advisor users and their privileges, roles, and assigned Areas of Responsibilities (AORs).
Privileges define which features the users have access to. A role is a group of predefined privileges that is assigned to multiple users who needs access to the same menu options.
An AOR contains selected fabrics and devices, and when applied to users it defines which devices those users are able to manage.
Creating users
By default, the Administrator account is created when you are installing or upgrading IBM Network Advisor. The first time you log in, use the default administrator credentials administrator (for the user ID) and password (for the password). For security reasons, change the administrator default password. To create a user, click Server → Users.
As shown in Figure 4-41 a window opens with the Users, Policy, and Authentication Server Groups tabs. Click the Users tab and then click Add to create a user.
Figure 4-41 Users Management main window
In the Users tab, you can see three main panes: Users, Roles, and AOR. In the Users pane, you can see all the users. When you select a user, you can see their roles and responsibilities in the Roles and AOR panes.
Before you create users, define the email Event Notification settings by clicking the Email Events Notification Setup button on the lower end of the Users main window. Enter your SMTP (email) server IP address, port, and credentials, as shown in Figure 4-42. If these things are not configured, users will not be able of receive Event notifications by using email.
Figure 4-42 Email event notification setup
After you define the email Event Notification, click Add in the Users pane to start creating users. Provide all the user details, as shown in Figure 4-43.
Figure 4-43 Adding a user
When you are satisfied with the user information input, click OK.
While you create users, you can define roles for the SAN administrators by using the Roles tab. You can assign both roles and AOR. Select the roles that you want to assign from the Available Roles / AOR pane and click the right arrow to move them to Selected Roles / AOR pane, and then click OK. For information about modifying the user, see “Modifying user accounts” on page 91.
Modifying user accounts
To modify a user account, click Servers → Users, go to the Users pane, click the account you want to modify, and select Edit. A window opens as shown in Figure 4-44. Select the roles that you want to add / remove and click OK. You can also change the password, email address, and email notification filter.
Figure 4-44 Modifying an existing user
Disabling user accounts
To disable a user account, click Server → Users and then go to the Users pane. Select the user account that you want to disable and click Disable. After you click Disable, a window opens with a warning message that states that if the user is logged in they will be logged out, as shown in Figure 4-45. To enable the account again, select the disabled account and click Enable.
Figure 4-45 Disabling a user account
Deleting user accounts
To delete an account permanently, click Server → Users and then go to the Users pane. Select the user account that you want to delete and click Delete. After you click Delete, a dialog box opens to confirm the deletion, as shown in Figure 4-46. Click Yes to delete the account or No to cancel the deletion.
Figure 4-46 Deleting a user account
Defining password policies for user accounts
As shown in Figure 4-47, you can define different password policies for a user account. You can set the password age and the warning period to alert about the expiration of the current password, and the password history. Also, you can set a policy to define a password with a lockout threshold and the lockout duration. Click View Policy Violators to see any user accounts that were violated.
Figure 4-47 Customizing users policies
For more information about IBM Network Advisor user management, see the “User Account Management” section in the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual on the following link:
4.9.2 Discovering and adding SAN fabrics
This section describes how to discover and add fabrics to IBM Network Advisor. It also explains terms such as seed switch, Fabric Configuration Switches (FCS), and Fabric Discovery.
Seed switch
The seed switch is the switch that IBM Network Advisor uses to communicate with the fabrics. The seed switch uses in-band communication to obtain fabric-wide information about the name server, zoning, and fabric membership from all other switches. There must be one seed switch present in each of the managed fabrics.
The seed switch must ideally be the one running the highest FOS code level in the fabric, prioritizing the DCX backbone chassis for this role. It must also be HTTP reachable by the IBM Network Advisor server.
 
Note: If ipfilter is implemented on the switch, the IBM Network Advisor server IP address must be granted with http (port 80) connectivity to the switch.
Sometimes, the seed switch is auto-selected, such as when a fabric segments or when two fabrics merge. Other times, you are prompted (when an event is triggered) to change the seed switch, such as in the following cases:
•If during a fabric discovery the management application detects that the seed switch is not running a supported version, you are prompted to change the seed switch.
•When one or more switches join the fabric or if the switch firmware is changed on any of the switches in the fabric, the management application checks to make sure that the seed switch is still running a supported version. If it is not, then you are prompted to either upgrade the firmware on the seed switch or to change the seed switch to a switch that is running supported firmware.
If a new fabric is created as a result of a pre-existing fabric segmentation, the management application continues to monitor that new fabric. However, if any switch with a later FOS version joins the fabric, an event is triggered that informs you that the seed switch is not running the latest firmware. The event will suggest that you change the seed switch role to this new switch that is running the highest level of firmware.
 
Note: If a seed switch is segmented or merged, historical data, such as the offline zone database, profile, reports, and Firmware Download profile, can be lost. Segmentation of a seed switch does not result in formation of a new fabric. If a merge occurs, the historical data is lost only from the second fabric.
You can change the seed switch if the following conditions are met:
•The new seed switch is HTTP-reachable from the management application.
•The new seed switch is a primary FCS.
•The new seed switch is running the latest FOS version in the fabric.
This operation preserves historical and configuration data, such as performance monitoring and user-customized data for the selected fabric.
If during the seed switch change, the fabric is deleted but the rediscovery operation fails (for example, if the new seed switch becomes unreachable using HTTP), then you must discover the fabric again. If you rediscover the fabric by using a switch that was present in the fabric before the change seed switch operation was performed, then all of the historical and configuration data is restored to the rediscovered fabric. If you rediscover the fabric by using a switch that was added to the fabric after the fabric was deleted, then the historical and configuration data is lost.
If multiple users try to change the seed switch of the same fabric simultaneously, only the first change seed switch request is run. Subsequent requests that are initiated before the first request completes fail.
If another user changes the seed switch of a fabric you are monitoring, and if you have provided login credentials for only that seed switch in the fabric, then you lose connection to that seed switch.
Seed switch failover
The management application collects fabric-wide data (such as fabric membership, connectivity, name server information, and zoning) by using the seed switch. Therefore, when a seed switch becomes unreachable or there is no valid seed switch, the fabric becomes unmanageable.
When the seed switch cannot be reached for three consecutive fabric refresh cycles, the management application looks for another valid seed switch in the fabric, verifies that it can be reached, and has valid credentials. If the seed switch meets this criteria, the management application automatically fails over to this new switch, which becomes the new seed switch.
It is possible that auto-failover might occur to a seed switch that is not running the latest firmware version. In this instance, any function that has a direct dependency on the firmware version of the seed switch is affected and restricted by the failover seed switch capabilities.
Changing the seed switch
When you change the seed switch for a fabric, the management application performs these checks in the following order:
•Identifies all switches and removes switches running unsupported firmware versions.
•Identifies which of the remaining switches are running the latest firmware versions.
•Filters out switches that are not reachable.
•Identifies which switches are Virtual Fabric-enabled switches (FOS only). If there are Virtual Fabric-enabled switches, the management application uses only these switches as preferred seed switches candidates. If there are no Virtual Fabric-enabled switches, it continues with the next check.
To change the seed switch, complete the following steps:
1. Click Discovery → Fabrics. The Discover Fabrics window opens.
2. Select the fabric for which you want to change the seed switch from the Discovered Fabrics table. If a device joins or merges with a fabric and fabric tracking is active, you must accept changes to the fabric before the new devices display in the Seed Switch window.
3. Click Seed Switch.
If the fabric contains other switches that are running the latest version and are also HTTP-reachable from the management application, the Seed Switch window opens. Otherwise, a message displays that you cannot change the seed switch.
4. Select a switch to be the new seed switch from the Seed Switch window.
You can select only one switch. Only switches that are running the latest FOS version in the fabric are displayed. The current seed switch is not displayed in this list.
5. Click OK in the Seed Switch window.
If you are not already logged in to the seed switch, the Fabric Login window opens. If you are successfully authenticated, the fabric is deleted from the management application without purging historical data, and the same fabric is rediscovered with the new seed switch.
6. Click Close in the Discover Fabrics window.
Fabric Configuration Server policies
The FCS policy in the base FOS can be set on a local switch basis and can be set on any switch in the fabric. The FCS policy is not present by default. It must be created. When the FSC policy is created, the WWN of the local switch is automatically included in the FCS list. Additional switches can be included in the FCS list. The first switch in the list becomes the Primary FCS switch.
For more information about FCS, see the “Configuring Security Policies” section in the Brocade Fabric OS 7.4.1 Administrator Guide, found at the following link:
While it discovers and adds new fabrics, the management application checks to confirm that the seed switch is running a supported FOS version in the fabric. If it is not, the management application prompts you to select a new seed switch.
For a FOS fabric, the seed switch must be the primary FCS. If you use a non-primary FCS to discover the fabric, the management application displays an error and does not allow the discovery to proceed. If the management application has already discovered the fabric, but you then create the FCS policy and the seed switch is not a primary FCS, an event is generated during the next poll.
The management application cannot discover a fabric that is in the process of actively configuring to form a fabric. Wait until the fabric is formed and stable, then reattempt the fabric discovery.
After fabric discovery successfully completes, all clients are updated to display the newly discovered fabric. During fabric discovery, you can define an IPV4 or IPV6 address. However, the management application uses the preferred IP format to connect to the devices.
 
Note: Discovery of a secure FOS fabric in strict mode is not supported.
FCS policy and seed switches
The management application requires that the seed switch is the primary FCS switch at the time of discovery.
Setting the time on the fabric sets the time on the primary FCS switch, which then distributes the changes to other switches.
When the FCS policy is defined, running the configdownload command is allowed only from the primary FCS switch. However, the management application does not check at the time of download that the switch is the primary FCS switch.
 
Discovering specific IP addresses or subnets
To discover specific IP address or subnets, complete the following steps:
1. Click Discover → Fabric. Figure 4-48 shows the discovery procedure.
Figure 4-48 Discovering new fabrics
2. After you provide the required information, click OK to discover and add the fabric.
 
3. To configure the SNMP settings, set the SNMP Configuration to Manual and click the SNMP tab to customize the SNMP protocol version and credentials.
Deleting a fabric from IBM Network Advisor
To delete a fabric from IBM Network Advisor, click Discover → Fabric, select the fabric that you want to delete, and click Delete. A window opens and prompts you to confirm the deletion, as shown in Figure 4-49. Click Yes to delete or No to cancel the deletion.
Figure 4-49 Deleting a fabric on IBM Network Advisor
4.10 New features of IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2
The following features were introduced with IBM Network Advisor V12.4.2:
•FOS 7.4 Platform support
•COMPASS
 – Custom configuration blocks and templates
 – Template configuration from existing switch configuration
 – Create/Edit/Delete user-defined switch groups
 – Link templates to fabrics or user-defined switch groups
 – Monitor configuration drifts on linked switches
 – Dashboard widget to monitor configuration drifts
•IP Storage
 – Display in property sheets
 – Dashboard support for monitoring Port Health
 – Storage port details in Network OS cluster reports
•IP Extension
 – Enhancements to Topology, FCIP Tunnel Config dialog
 – Support to configure FC and IP compression modes
 – Support for quality of service (QoS) distribution settings
 – Adaptive Rate Liming configuration
 – HA config support for existing circuits
•Web Client Enhancements
 – Real Time Graph widget support
 – Dashboard Playback support
 – Event page enhancements
 – REST API enhancements
•Dashboard Enhancements
 – Enhancements to Network Scope Zones and Zone Alias
•MAPS Enhancements
 – Bottleneck detection indication
 – FPI support for new actions that include FMS, Toggle, and SDDQ
 – Selective distribution of policies
 – Clear E-mail support
•Zoning Enhancements
 – Support for Peer, LSAN peer, and Target Driven Peer Zones
•FICON
 – Enhancements to Configure Cascaded FICON Fabric dialog
 – FICON Merge Wizard enhancements
 – Encryption and Compression configuration
•Fault Management Enhancements
 – New KPI widget in Dashboard
 – Master Log enhancements
 – Audit Log enhancements
•Other Enhancements
 – Flow Vision - Zone Alias support
 – Port Decommission enhancements
 – SAN42B-R Base Switch support
 – Fabric Watch deprecation for Fabric OS V7.4.0 and later
 – Embedded server JRE upgraded to version 1.7u80
 – Remote client JRE support for 1.8u51
 – Jserver upgrade to 3.10
For more information about features that are introduced in this and earlier IBM Network Advisor 12 product family versions, see IBM Network Advisor 12 Release Notes at the following link:
4.11 IBM Network Advisor Dashboard overview
The IBM Network Advisor dashboard can be accessed by selecting the Dashboard - Product Status and Traffic tab on the main window. It provides a high-level overview of the network and the current state of the management devices. You can use the dashboards to easily check the status of the devices in the network. The dashboards also provide several features to help you quickly access reports, device configurations, and system logs.
The dashboards update regardless of the currently selected tab (SAN or Dashboard) or the SAN size. However, data might become momentarily out of sync between the dashboards and other areas of the applications. For example, if you remove a product from the network while another user navigates from the dashboard to a more detailed view of the product, the product might not appear in the detail view immediately.
Figure 4-50 illustrates the IBM Network Advisor Dashboard main window and its components.
Figure 4-50 IBM Network Advisor Dashboard main window
The numbers correspond to the following items:
1. Menu bar: Lists commands that you can run on the dashboard. The dashboard also provides a menu to reset the dashboard back to the defaults. You can reset the dashboard back to the default settings by right-clicking and selecting Reset to Default.
2. Toolbar: Provides buttons that enable quick access to windows and functions.
3. Dashboard tab: Provides a high-level overview of the network that is managed by the management application server.
4. SAN: Displays the master log, Minimap, Connectivity map (topology), and product list.
5. Widgets: Displays the operational status, inventory status, event summary, performance monitors, and overall network or fabric status.
6. Master log: Displays all events that have occurred on the management application.
7. Status bar: Displays the connection, port, product, fabric, special event, Call Home, backup status, and server and user data.
The Dashboard be customized according to your needs:
•Network Scope: Sets the network scope to your AOR or custom subset of objects (fabrics, devices, or groups).
•Time Interval: Setting the time interval configures the data display time range for all the applicable widgets. Time Interval in the Scope list allows you to select a specific time range for which you want to display data in the Dashboards or Events page.
•Dashboard Display: You can set the dashboard display to minimize or expand all status widgets and performance monitors and return to the default settings.
•Dashboard Playback: Allows you to use the dashboard control buttons (Rewind, Pause, and Forward) to configure the dashboard to play back the recorded status and performance widget data incrementally or to pause playback.
•Default Dashboards: IBM Network Advisor provides preconfigured dashboards, which provide high-level overview of the network, the current states of managed devices, and performance of devices, ports, and traffic in the network.
•My Dashboards: The My Dashboards list includes all dashboards that you create in IBM Network Advisor. The My Dashboards list does not display until you save a dashboard to My Dashboards in IBM Network Advisor. If you share a dashboard, you created the shared icon displays next to the dashboard name in the My Dashboards list.
•Shared Dashboards: The Shared Dashboards list includes all user-defined dashboards that have been shared with other users in IBM Network Advisor. Shared dashboards display in the following format: dashboard_name (user_name). The Shared Dashboards list does not display until a dashboard is shared with other users.
For more information about these IBM Network Advisor dashboard features and the multiple dashboard widgets, see the “Dashboard customization” section of the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual, at the following link:
4.12 Scheduling daily or weekly backups for the fabric configuration
As a good practice, you should back up the configuration of all your fabrics in your SAN environment on a frequent basis. If the backup is configured at the SAN level instead of selecting individual switches, any new fabric that is discovered is automatically added to the list of fabrics to be backed up to the IBM Network Advisor repository.
To schedule the daily backup of the configuration by using IBM Network Advisor, click Configure → Configuration File → Schedule Backup.
As shown in Figure 4-51 on page 102, select the Enable Scheduled backup check box and schedule the frequency. You can choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly, and as mentioned before the good practice is to create a daily backup schedule. Choose the time window to schedule the backup, and also choose the period of days you want to keep the configuration backups.
The Purge Backup settings range from 7 through 90 days; the default is 30 Days. You can choose all fabrics in the network by selecting Backup all fabrics, or by selecting some of the switches in the network. You should collect a backup of all the fabrics in the environment.
Figure 4-51 shows the scheduling of the backup of all fabrics and discovered switches.
Figure 4-51 Schedule backups of switch configurations window
 
Note: Older 8 Gbps b-type Gen 4 switch platforms require the Enhanced Group Management (EGM) license for this configuration backup procedure and to use the supportSave module.
For more information about switch configuration backups, see the “Configuration file management” section of the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual at the following link:
4.13 Call Home
Call Home notification allows you to configure the management application server to automatically send an email alert or dial in to a support center to report system problems with specified devices (FOS switches, routers, and directors). If you are upgrading from a previous release, all of your Call Home settings are preserved.
If you are installing IBM Network Advisor for the first time in your environment, click Monitor → Event Notification → Call Home, as shown in Figure 4-52, where you see that Call Home is enabled for different call home centers.
Figure 4-52 Call Home configuration main window
Clear the Enabled check boxes for the HP LAN, NetApp email, and Oracle email servers to disable or to hide them. When you clear one of these check boxes, a message is displayed: “Call Home center will be disabled. Do you want to continue?” Select Yes to continue or No to cancel.
 
Note: Call Home is supported on Windows systems for all modem and email Call Home centers and is supported on UNIX for the email Call Home centers.
Call Home allows you to automate tasks that occur when the Call Home event trigger is fired. When a Call Home trigger event occurs, the management application generates the following actions:
1. Sends an email alert to a specified recipient or dials in to a support center.
2. Triggers the supportsave command on the switch (if the supportsave command is enabled on the switch) before sending an alert. The supportsave location is included in the alert.
3. Adds an entry to the master log file and window display.
4. Generates an HTML report for email-based Call Home centers.
Call Home allows you to perform the following tasks:
•Assign devices to and remove devices from the Call Home centers.
•Define filters from the list of events that are generated by FOS devices.
•Edit and remove the filters that are available in the Call Home event filters table.
•Apply filters to and remove filters from the devices individually or in groups.
•Edit individual Call Home center parameters to dial a specified phone number or email a specific recipient.
•Enable and disable individual devices from contacting the assigned Call Home centers.
•Show or hide Call Home centers on the display.
•Enable or disable Call Home centers.
4.13.1 System requirements
Call Home through modem requires the following hardware equipment:
•Any Windows server with an internal or external modem connection
•An analog phone line
Open the Call Home main window by selecting Monitor → Event Notification → Call Home. Select IBM on the Call Home Centers list, and then click Edit Centers. After you select Edit Centers, the Configure Call Home Centers window opens, as shown in Figure 4-53. Select IBM from the Call Home Centers drop-down menu and configure all the required fields, such as Primary Connection, Backup Connection, and Phone Number. Click OK.
Figure 4-53 IBM Call Home Center (modem) configuration settings
4.13.2 Editing an email Call Home center
Email Call Home centers are available for IBM and Brocade. To edit one of these Call Home centers, click Monitor → Event Notification → Call Home, select either IBM E-mail or Brocade, and then select Edit centers. A window to configure the email parameters opens and prompts you to provide your information, as shown in Figure 4-54. After you enter the information, click OK to enable the email Call Home function.
Figure 4-54 IBM Call Home Center (email) configuration settings
For more information about IBM Network Advisor, see the Network Advisor 12.4.2 SAN User Manual at the following link:
 
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