Download Preparing an Endpoint

Best Practice for the Promotion of Agents Being Managed by ISD
This document describes best practices for installing an IBM System Director (ISD) agent on an endpoint.
It also describes best practice for upgrading an agent from one version to another.
Several key concepts are described:
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Downloading the correct agent install packages
Preparing an agentless endpoint for the installation of an ISD agent
The installation of an ISD agent on to an agentless endpoint
Upgrading an endpoint running an existing ISD agent to a more recent ISD agent
Resolving failed or partial upgrades.
This document only applies to endpoints running the Microsoft Windows operating system. This
document assumes you have already downloaded the Agent Install package and/or the Update Manager
package that you wish to install or deploy. If you have not downloaded the appropriate packages follow
the instructions in the section Download the Right Packages.
Download the Right Packages
Depending on what it is you wish to do, the IBM ISD websites provide access to four different packages
you might need while using this guide. The three listed below and one Update Fix Pack for all of ISD.
Follow the link below to obtain:
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The Pre-Requisite Checking Utility: This is the Pre-Requisite Checking utility described in this
paper.
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Agent Install packages for manual deployment: This is the package you need if you want to run
an interactive GUI install program on an endpoint that has no agent currently installed.
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Agent Install packages for remote deployment: This is the package you need if you want to run
an install program on an endpoint that has no agent currently installed and you want to do it
from within ISD.
https://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/iwm/web/reg/pick.do?source=dmp&lang=en_US
The screenshot below shows a portion of the screen that displays when you follow the link above. The
three key items are numbered and correspond to the three bullet items above.
Fix Central
The following link is used to download a collection of fixes in one package. Known as Fix Central this is
the site that provides packages used by Update Manager to promote an agent from an older version of
ISD to a more recent one. This package is for the entire ISD server not just for a single agent. Contained
within the package are individual updates for various agents.
http://www-933.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes
How to Download and Import
This link describes the process you should follow to download packages when your ISD server does not
have direct access to the web.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/director/v6r2x/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.director.updates.h
elps.doc/fqm0_t_um_updates_director_manual_download.html
Check for Updates
This is the link you should follow if you want instructions on how ISD will automatically check for
updates and download them for you. This approach assumes ISD connectivity to the web.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/director/v6r2x/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.director.updates.h
elps.doc/fqm0_t_um_checking_for_new_updates.html
Preparing an Endpoint
This section applies to an endpoint that does not have an ISD agent already installed. Before installing an
ISD agent customers should make sure that the endpoint meets the minimum requirements for
installing and running an ISD agent. An automated pre-requisite checking tool is available for download
from the link provided above. Deploy the tool to an endpoint and run it. Examine the output and
resolve any errors.
For customers who use an image to deploy an operating system and who have standard configurations
for ports and firewalls across all their systems, only need run this pre-requisite checking on a few sample
endpoints since all endpoints will be similarly configured. Customers who have a variety of operating
systems and configurations in their environment will need to complete these pre-requisite checks for
each type.
Installing an Agent for the First Time
Customers installing an ISD agent to an endpoint not already running an ISD agent have two choices
available to them.
1. Run a traditional manual install program on the endpoint.
2. Run a remote deployment from within ISD using the agent install wizard.
Running a Traditional Manual Install Program on the Endpoint
Customers who wish to run a traditional, manual, interactive install program on an endpoint should
follow these key steps.
1. If already discovered in ISD, remove the endpoint by removing the OS object representing the
endpoint.
2. Search for the endpoint using Find a Resource and remove any other objects that are found.
3. Repeat the search using both IP Address and Hostname.
4. If appropriate, complete the pre-requisite checking described in the section above.
5. Deploy the install program to a temporary folder on the endpoint.
6. Run the install program, responding to the wizard screens with your selections.
7. Upon completion return to the ISD console.
8. Discover the endpoint and unlock/request access.
9. Confirm that both an Operating System (OS) object and a Server object are created.
10. Run Inventory collection on the OS object
Run a remote deployment with the agent install wizard.
This section describes the steps you should follow to deploy an agent to an endpoint that is running
DCOM only. Customers who wish to deploy an agent to multiple endpoints at the same time without
having to access each one and run an interactive installation program should follow these steps.
1. Ensure that the endpoint is already discovered and unlocked checking to see that DCOM is
available.
2. Perform Inventory collection on the endpoint.
3. Right click the OS object(s) representing the endpoint(s) in Resource Navigator.
4. Select Release Management  Install Agent
5. The Agent Install wizard opens allowing you to select the agent you wish to install.
6. Note: If you did not import the update package as described earlier in this document then you
will not be given a choice of agents in the wizard.
7. Complete the wizard and then run the install task.
8. Monitor the progress of the install process. Following completion, wait an additional 30 minutes
for background processing to complete before attempting to use the endpoint.
9. Should the install fail the task will complete with a status of “Complete with Errors”. See the
section below on troubleshooting a failed install.
Upgrade an existing Agent
Version 5.x  6.2.1 /6.3.x
The choices here are similar to those described above. If not already discovered in to ISD you can install
the agent as described in this paper and then discover and unlock as you would any other endpoint. If
the endpoint is already discovered and you wish to use ISD to perform the upgrade then follow the steps
below.
Customers running version 5.x who have already discovered and unlocked the endpoint and who wish to
upgrade to 6.x should follow the steps below.
1.
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Check the OS object in Resource Navigator and make sure that it is green/unlocked
Right click on the OS object and select Release Management  Install Agent
Complete the wizard screens being sure to select the 6.2.1 Common Agent.
Run the task and wait at least 30 minutes for background processing to complete.
Remove the endpoint from ISD by removing the OS object representing the endpoint.
Search for the endpoint using Find a Resource and remove any other objects that are found.
Repeat the search using both IP Address and Hostname.
Discover the endpoint, request access and run inventory collection.
Check the Properties on the OS object to see if CAS is the discovered protocol.
Version 6.x  6.2.1.6.3.x
Customers running version 6.x of the Common Agent on an endpoint who wish to upgrade to the next
version should follow the steps below. This section assumes you have downloaded and imported the
update package containing the new version of the agent.
Pre-Requisite checking is not required in this scenario since the endpoint already has a CAS agent and
hence has already met the pre-install requirements.
1. Check that the OS object for the endpoint in Resource Navigator is green/unlocked.
2. Check that the version of existing agents is consistent. For example, if the Platform Agent is 6.2
then the Common Agent must also be 6.2. If they do not match see the section on trouble
shooting an agent install.
3. Perform an Inventory collection on the OS object of the endpoint.
4. In Resource Navigator right click on the OS object representing the endpoint
5. Select Release Management  Show Needed Updates.
6. Follow the wizard screens accepting all the default settings.
7. When you reach the screen showing all the needed updates, select only the updates having the
latest version, for example 6.2.1. Be sure to select them all.
8. Run the update task.
9. Monitor the install progress and upon completion wait 30 minutes for background processing to
complete.
Note: Statements on wizard screens that refer to restarting do not mean restarting the OS. They mean
restarting agent services following the install and should be left at their default settings.
Note: Failing to select all the associated updates will result in an error during the install. In our example,
if you are upgrading to CAS 6.2.1 you must select every entry in the table that has a version number of
6.2.1.
Note: Should you decide not to use the Update Manager path and instead decide to deploy the agent
install on to the endpoint and run the traditional install process you will first need to remove the
endpoint from ISD. Then run the uninstall program on the endpoint followed by the install program.
Finally you will need to manage the endpoint back in to ISD since traditional discovery and request
access will not work. See Footnote One for the steps to manage back a common agent.
Recognizing Failed or Partial Upgrades
Customers who encounter errors during the install or upgrade of an agent might see errors.
Symptoms of a partial or failed upgrade include:
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Task completes with a status of “Complete with Errors”
Management Software column in Resource Navigator shows different versions for the Platform
and Common agents
Following install the Management Software column in Resource Navigator continues to show
the old agent version or DCOM only in spite of waiting 30 minutes for processing to complete.
The endpoint status changes to “Offline” and requesting Access always fails.
Resolving a failed or partial install or upgrade requires an examination of the logs to determine why it
failed. Logs are provided in the console and on the endpoint in the \windows folder.
Clean up an endpoint following a failed agent install or upgrade.
Customers who encounter a failed install or a partial upgrade situation need to identify the cause of the
failure. The most common causes are environmental where some key element on the endpoint causes
the install program to fail. Network related issues can also be problematic.
Examine the logs provided in the ISD console. If you see network related errors repeat the install
process.
If you do not see network/connectivity errors then the simplest way to debug a failed install is to run a
traditional interactive install on the problematic endpoint. Here are the steps to follow:
Since a partial install might have completed, try to uninstall the agent using the Control Panel Uninstall
capability.
Should the uninstall fail because the install did not complete contact IBM for a remove utility that will
scrub the partially installed agent from the system.
Run an interactive install program. When it fails it will give you the reason for the failure which you can
then troubleshoot.
All install logs are located on the endpoint:
Platform Agent - <WINDOWS_INSTALL_FOLDER>\platinst_XXXXXX_XXXXXXX.log
Common Agent - <WINDOWS_INSTALL_FOLDER>\diragentinst_XXXX_XXXXX.log
Where XXX represents a date and time stamp.
Footnote One: When upgrading a Common agent from outside of ISD by going to the endpoint and
running an interactive uninstall and reinstall of the Common agent you need to manage the endpoint
back in to ISD rather than use the traditional discovery and request access approach.
To manage back, access the endpoint using Remote Access. Open a command prompt and navigate to
<AGENT_INSTALL_FOLDER>\ibm\director\agent\runtime\agent\toolkit\bin
Run this command – configure –amhost <IP_ADDRESS_OF_AGENT_MANAGER> -passwd XXXXX
Where XXXXX is the password used when installing ISD.
To obtain the IP Address of the agent manager open a command prompt on the ISD server and run this
command.
smcli getAgentManagers