2.2 Upgrading the Forge Appliance

When you have completed the backup of the Forge appliance, use the Forge 11 Upgrade Kit to upgrade it from version 2 to version 3. Before you begin this process, make sure that you have your ESXi 5.5 license available (the older ESX 5.1 license will not be valid after you upgrade).

This section includes the following information:

2.2.1 About the Forge 11 Upgrade Process

At a high level, the Forge 11.0, Appliance Version 3 upgrade process consists of the following major steps:

  • Reconfiguring the RAID controller

  • Re-installing the hypervisor

  • Re-deploying Forge software (including the Forge Management VM and the Appliance Configuration Console (ACC)

  • Re-licensing all components

NOTE:The upgrade process erases all data in the Forge appliance's local storage.

2.2.2 What You Need

Before you start upgrading Forge, make sure that you have the following prerequisites:

A Forge 11.0 Upgrade Kit

Contact PlateSpin Support to request a kit.

A VMware ESXi 5.5 license

Contact PlateSpin Support for help to retrieve your license.

A Microsoft license for the Forge VM operating system (Windows Server 2012)

Contact PlateSpin Support for help to retrieve your license.

A Microsoft license for the Forge database (SQL Server 2014)

Contact PlateSpin Support for help to retrieve your license.

A PlateSpin Forge 11.0 license

Post-upgrade requirement for unlocking the product’s business functionality.

See Product Licensing in the PlateSpin Forge 11.0 User Guide.

2.2.3 Reconfiguring RAID on the Hardware

On first boot of the hardware, you use the PERC configuration utility to configure the RAID controller for PlateSpin Forge.

To configure the RAID controller:

  1. During the computer boot sequence, wait approximately 24 seconds for this screen,

    then press Ctrl+R to launch the PERC configuration utility.

  2. In the configuration utility, configure the PERC RAID controller with multiple logical disks spanning all six physical disks in a single RAID 5 array:

    1. Delete all existing disk groups:

      IMPORTANT:Remember, deleting a disk group also deletes the data on that disk group.

      1. On the Virtual Disk page, select an existing disk group, then press F2 to open the Operations dialog box.

      2. In the dialog box, select Delete Disk Group.

        Figure 2-1 PERC config utility: “Virtual Disk” initial page display on Dell PowerEdge 720 hardware

      3. Repeat Step 2.a.a and Step 2.a.b until all disk groups are deleted.

    2. Create a new disk group for the Forge system:

      1. On the Virtual Disk page, select the root of the tree view, PERC XXX Mini and press F2 to open the Operations dialog box.

      2. In the dialog box, select Create New VD to open the Create New VD page.

        Figure 2-2 PERC config utility: “Create New VD” page displayed on Dell PowerEdge 720 hardware

      3. On this the page, configure the new virtual disk by completing the following fields:

        • Raid Level: Select RAID-5.*

          *On Dell PowerEdge 610 hardware, select RAID-1.

        • Physical Disks: Select all available physical disks.

          NOTE:Disk sizes might vary.

        • VD Size: If the PERC Controller displays the disk size in MB, enter 307200. If the disk size is displayed in GB, enter 300.

        • VD Name: Enter ForgeSystem.

        Click OK when these fields are completed.

    3. Create a new disk group for the Forge failover VMs:

      1. On the Virtual Disk page tree view, select Disk Group: 0, RAID 5 and press F2 to open the Operations dialog box.

      2. In the dialog box, select Add New VD to open the Add VD in Disk Group 0 page.

      3. On this the page, configure the new virtual disk for the failover by completing the following fields:

        • VD Size: Enter the default maximum size for the rest of the disk (that is, 4355 GB or greater).

        • VD Name: Enter FailoverVMs.

        Click OK when these fields are completed.

    4. Configure the VD disks: to fast initialize:

      1. On the Virtual Disk page tree view, select Virtual Disks > <disk_name> and press F2 to open the Operations dialog box.

      2. In the dialog box(es), select Initialization > Fast Init. > OK.

      3. Repeat Step 2.d.a and Step 2.d.b for each virtual disk.

    The final RAID configuration should look like this:

    Figure 2-3 PERC config utility: “Virtual Disk” final page display on Dell PowerEdge 720 hardware

  3. Press Esc to exit the controller configuration utility.

  4. (Conditional) Press Ctrl+Alt+Del if prompted.

    The server reboots.

2.2.4 Installing the Hypervisor and Forge Components

This section provides information about installing the hypervisor and Forge software components in your appliance.

Installing VMware ESXi 5.5.0 to the Appliance

PlateSpin Forge requires VMware ESXi 5.5 to control the Forge Management VM. You need to make sure that you have the PlateSpin Forge 11.0.0 Installation CD to proceed with the installation.

To install VMware ESXi 5.5.0 to the Forge Appliance:

  1. Power on the appliance and press F11 at the boot prompt.

  2. While at the boot prompt, insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive.

    It might take some time for the Boot Manager utility to be displayed.

  3. On the Boot Manager Main Menu, select BIOS Boot Menu to launch the BIOS Boot Manager.

  4. In the BIOS Boot Manager utility, navigate to the option that lets you boot from an optical device (for example, a SATA optical drive), then press Enter.

    NOTE:The name of the optical device might vary, depending on the device driver installed on the appliance.

  5. On the Forge ESXi build installation menu, select ESX Scripted Install for the Forge Appliance, then press Enter to load the ESXi installer.

    The installation progress updates on the screen and moves through several stages. When the process is completed, the following dialog box is displayed prior to the system reboot:

    NOTE:If you choose not to attend the installation, the system reboots on its own. You will see the ESXi console when you return.

    If you encounter problems during the installation, see Section 3.4, Errors Occurring During ESXi Installation of this guide.

  6. In the dialog box, press Enter to reboot the system (or let the system reboot itself), then continue with the instructions in Connecting the Forge Administrative Computer.

Connecting the Forge Administrative Computer

To continue with the installation and configuration of the appliance, you need to connect directly to it through another computer, an “administrative computer.” You should have been using a Windows notebook computer (that is, a “laptop”) for this purpose in the past.

This section includes the following information:

Connecting the Appliance and the Administrative Computer

For licensing and configuration tasks in this section, use the following procedure to connect your administrative computer to the Forge hardware appliance. This requires setting up a physical connection, configuring with a static IP address in the same subnet as Forge, then re-connecting the administrative computer to the Forge appliance. It also includes establishing a management connection, which enables the administrative computer to configure aspects of the Forge appliance software.

This section includes the following information:

Establishing a Physical Connection

To establish a physical connection between the administrative computer and the Forge Appliance:

  1. Use one of these methods:

    Connection through a Network Switch: Connect both units to a network switch or a hub through an Ethernet network cable:

    Direct Connection: Connect your PlateSpin Forge appliance and the computer directly through a crossover cable:

  2. Turn on the power at the Forge appliance. Wait at least 10 minutes for the system to fully start before trying to connect.

  3. Access the TCP/IP properties of the administrative computer’s wired LAN adapter and assign it an IP address (192.168.1.205) and an associated subnet mask (255.255.255.0).

    NOTE:Do not use the following IP addresses:

    • 192.168.1.200 - used by the hypervisor

    • 192.168.1.210 - used by the Forge VM (assigned by an automatic appliance configuration utility).

  4. Save the settings and close the LAN Properties applet.

Establishing a Management Connection through the vSphere Client

When the administrative computer has been connected physically, you need to establish the management connection between the administrative computer and the ESXi hypervisor and the Forge Management VM. The connection is enabled through the VMware vSphere Client on the administrative computer. By using the vSphere client on the administrative computer, you can access the ESXi hypervisor and the Forge Management VM.

You already installed ESXi 5.5 on the Forge Appliance. From the administrative computer’s physical connection to the Forge Appliance, you can access and download the vSphere Client.

NOTE:You will need a connection to the Internet for the download to be successful. You can either copy the link location and download the client while you are connected, or you can manually download the vSphere Client from the VMware download site (see the procedure below).

On the administrative computer, use the following steps to install the VMware Infrastructure Client program:

  1. From a browser, enter the Forge Host address to open the VMware ESXi 5.5 Welcome page, then select Download vSphere Client.

  2. At the download location, run the vSphere Client installation .exe.

  3. Launch the vSphere Client login, then connect to the PlateSpin Forge using these parameters:

    IP address: 192.168.1.200

    User name: root

    Password: Password1

    The vSphere Client opens, connected to the hypervisor.

Deploying the OVF Template

Included in the PlateSpin Forge 11 Appliance Upgrade/Rebuild Kit is the PLATESPINFORGE01.ovf file used in the PlateSpin Forge 11.0.0.x release build.You will deploy this .ovf file during the installation process to import the Forge VM into ESXi.

Use the following steps to deploy the OVF template:

  1. From the PlateSpin Forge 11 Appliance Upgrade/Rebuild Kit download site, select and download the following files and copy them to the same location on the administrative computer.:

    • PLATESPINFORGE01-disk1.vmdk

    • PLATESPINFORGE01-disk2.vmdk

    • PLATESPINFORGE01-file1.flp

    • PLATESPINFORGE01.mf

    • PLATESPINFORGE01.ovf

    NOTE:The OVF template uses the other files from the kit to create the Forge Management VM.

  2. In the vSphere Client (see Installing VMware ESXi 5.5.0 to the Appliance), click File > Deploy OVF Template.

  3. In the Deploy OVF Template dialog box, browse to the location where you downloaded the .ovf file, then click Next.

  4. In the Name field of the Name and Location view, enter PLATESPINFORGE01 as the name for the imported PlateSpin Forge Management VM, then click Next.

  5. From the Storage view, select ForgeSystem as the destination storage location, then click Next.

  6. From the Disk Format view, select Thick Provision Eager Zeroed, then click Next.

  7. From the Ready to Complete view, select Power on after deployment, then click Finish.

    The VM import process should complete after approximately 15 minutes.

  8. In the vSphere client, locate the Forge Management VM (PLATESPINFORGE01), right-click the VM, then rename it to PlateSpin Forge Management VM.

  9. In the vSphere client, click the Console tab, then click inside the remote console window.

  10. At the Product Key Settings page, enter the product key.

  11. On the Administrator Account Settings page, set the administrator password as Password1, click Finish, then log in (ensure that you press Ctrl+Alt+Insert to log in to the VM).

2.2.5 Licensing Microsoft Products on the Forge Management VM

NetIQ subscribes to a Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement, allowing us to pre-install Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2014 on the Forge Management VM without activating a license for either installation. You are not required to obtain a license from Microsoft yourself. Contact NetIQ Support for assistance with questions or issues regarding Microsoft product licensing.

WARNING:You must activate your Windows license key before you perform any PlateSpin Forge operations.

Licensing Windows Server 2012

There are two methods you can use to activate the Windows Server 2012 license:

Offline License Activation by Phone

To license Windows Server 2012 offline for the Forge Management VM and log in for the first time:

  1. In the program tree view of the vSphere client (on the administrative computer), select the PlateSpin Forge Management VM item and click the green Play button to power it on (if it is not already on).

  2. Click the Console tab, then click inside the remote console window.

  3. On the Windows Server 2012 desktop, right-click the Start button, then select Command Prompt (Admin) to open the command line interface with administrative privileges.

  4. At the command line, enter slui 4.

    The command launches the Software Licensing User Interface (Wizard) used for calling Microsoft for manual license activation.

  5. In the interface, select your country or region, dial the toll-free number provided by Microsoft, write down the confirmation ID provided by the Microsoft automated phone system, then click Enter confirmation ID.

  6. In the Enter your confirmation ID Wizard page of the interface, enter the confirmation ID you obtained from Microsoft, then click Activate Windows.

Multiple Activation Key License Activation

As an OEM provider, you might have already made Volume Licensing arrangements with Microsoft to automate and manage the activation process of Volume Licensing media. Under such an arrangement, you could have a Multiple Activation Key License (MAK) that allows the use of a command line licensing tool.

To license Windows Server 2012 for the Forge Management VM using a command line:

  1. In the program tree view of the vSphere client (on the administrative computer), select the PlateSpin Forge Management VM item and click the green Play button to power it on (if it is not already on).

  2. Click the Console tab, then click inside the remote console window.

  3. On the Windows Server 2012 desktop, right-click the Start button, then select Command Prompt (Admin) to open the command line interface with administrative privileges.

  4. At the command line, enter slmgr.vbs /ipk <MultipleActivationKey>.

    The command launches a a visual basic script that configures licensing on the Windows 2012 Server. After the script executes, a pop-up dialog box confirms that the product key is installed successfully.

  5. In the dialog box, click OK to finish the key installation.

Licensing the SQL Server 2014

To license the SQL Server 2014 for the Forge Management VM:

  1. Open the remote console window of the running Forge Management VM, click Start, then select the Apps arrow located at the lower-left corner of the Start screen.

  2. In the Apps tiles array, expand the list, then scroll right to find SQL Server 2014 Installation Center.

    IMPORTANT:Do NOT select the SQL Server Installation Center app listed in the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 category.

  3. In this Installation Center app, click Maintenance > Edition Upgrade.

  4. On the Edition Upgrade dialog box, select Enter the product key, then enter the product key you obtained from Microsoft to activate the SQL Server 2014 OEM license on the Forge Management VM.

  5. On subsequent upgrade dialog boxes, click Next or Upgrade until the licensing process is complete, then close the licensing application.

IMPORTANT:The Microsoft SQL Upgrade window does not display a progress bar. Because upgrading might take a few minutes, you need to wait for an indication that the upgrade completed before you close the dialog box.

2.2.6 Licensing the ESXi 5.5 Hypervisor

NetIQ subscribes to a VMware Volume Licensing agreement, allowing us to pre-install ESXi 5.5 on the Forge Management VM without activating a license for the installation. As the OEM reseller and NetIQ partner, you need to activate the vSphere OEM license as you prepare each Forge Appliance for shipping.

Obtaining the vSphere Product Key

To obtain the OEM Product Keys:

  1. Contact VMware Support, using one of regional telephone numbers listed on its Support Contacts page.

  2. Advise the support representative of the VMware Customer number for NetIQ (supplied in the Forge 11 Appliance Build Kit) and that you are activating a license for PlateSpin Forge.

    The representative will provide an ESXi 5.5 OEM product key.

  3. Write down the ESXi 5.5 OEM product key for later use.

Activating the ESXi 5.5 License

To activate the ESXi 5.5 license for the Forge Management VM:

  1. In the tree view of the VIC client, select the ESXi server node, click the Configuration tab, then click Licensed Features.

  2. In the upper right corner of the client interface, click Edit and select Assign a new license key to this host.

  3. In the Assign License dialog box, enter your license key and click OK.

2.2.7 Running the Forge Appliance Configurator

After its components are installed, the Forge Appliance is ready for configuration.

To configure the Forge Appliance after installation:

  1. On the Windows desktop of the Forge Management VM, double-click the Configure Forge Appliance shortcut.

    The tool runs for about two minutes. The configuration is complete when the system console displays a SUCCESS message at the command prompt.

  2. Shut down the Forge Management VM in Windows (Settings > Power > Shut down).

2.2.8 Backing Up the Factory VM

As a precaution after the installation and configuration, you need to back up the Forge Management VM (a.k.a. the “Factory VM”) on the Forge Appliance.

To back up the Factory VM:

  1. Verify that the Forge Factory VM is shut down.

  2. At the local console of the Forge Appliance (that is, the Dell Server iDRAC), press Alt+F1.

  3. Log in as root (password: Password1).

  4. At the console prompt, enter the following command:

    python /opt/platespin/config/backup_forge_vm.py -f
    

    Wait for the Python script to complete the factory backup process:

2.2.9 Restarting the Appliance

To restart the Forge appliance software:

Some aspects of the appliance configuration do not take effect until the next boot. You must reboot the appliance to complete the rebuild process.

  1. Remove the Forge 11.0 Installation CD.

  2. At the console prompt, enter the reboot command and press Enter.

    The shutdown sequence switches screens, hiding the shutdown process.

  3. Press Alt+F2 to return to the screen displaying the shutdown sequence.

    Forge is now rebuilt and is in the same state as it was when it left the factory.

2.2.10 Configuring the Appliance for Immediate Use

To begin the configuration of the appliance, reconnect your administrative computer and use the browser-based Forge Appliance Configuration Console (Forge ACC) utility.

To configure the appliance:

  1. Power on the appliance hardware.

  2. Configure Forge by following the instructions in the Appliance Configuration Procedure section of the PlateSpin Forge 11.0 Getting Started Guide.

2.2.11 Launching the PlateSpin Forge Web Client

Most of your interaction with the appliance takes place through the browser-based PlateSpin Forge Web Client.

The supported browsers are:

  • Google Chrome, version 34.0 and later

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 11.0 and later

  • Mozilla Firefox, version 29.0 and later

NOTE:JavaScript (Active Scripting) must be enabled in your browser:

  • Chrome: From the Chrome menu, select Settings, scroll to and select Show advanced settings..., select Content Settings > Allow all sites to run JavaScript.

  • IE: From the Tools menu, select Internet Options > Security, click Custom level. . ., scroll to and select Active scripting, select Enable, select Yes at the warning dialog box, click OK, click Apply > OK.

  • Firefox: Click Tools > Options > Content, then select the Enable JavaScript option.

To launch the PlateSpin Forge Web Client from any computer:

  1. Open a web browser and go to:

    http://<hostname | IP_address>/Forge

    Replace <hostname | IP_address> with the hostname or the IP address of your Forge VM.

    If SSL is enabled, use https in the URL.

The first time you log into PlateSpin Forge, the browser is automatically redirected to the License Activation page.

2.2.12 Product Licensing

To license PlateSpin Forge 11.0, you must have a license activation code. If you do not have a PlateSpin Forge license activation code, request one through the Customer Center website. A license activation code will be emailed to you.

You have two options for activating your product license: online or offline.

Online License Activation

For online activation, PlateSpin Forge Web must have Internet access.

NOTE:HTTP proxies might cause failures during online activation. Offline activation is recommended for users in HTTP proxy environments.

To activate a Forge license online:

  1. In the PlateSpin Forge Web Client, click Settings > Licenses > Add License. The License Activation page is displayed.

  2. Select Online Activation, specify the email address that you provided when placing your order and the activation code you received, then click Activate.

    The system obtains the required license over the Internet and activates the product.

Offline License Activation

For offline activation, you need to obtain a license key over the Internet by using a machine that has Internet access.

NOTE:To obtain a license key, you must have an eLogin account. If you are an existing PlateSpin customer and you don’t have an eLogin account, you must first create one. Use your existing PlateSpin username (a valid email address registered with PlateSpin) as input for your eLogin account username.

To activate a Forge license when offline:

  1. In the PlateSpin Forge Web interface, click Settings > License, then click Add license. The License Activation page is displayed.

  2. Select Offline Activation.

  3. Use your hardware ID to create a license key file at the PlateSpin Product Activation website. This also requires a user name, password, the email address that you provided when placing your order and the activation code you received.

  4. Type the path to the file or browse to its location and click Activate.

    The license key file is saved and the product is activated based on this file.