W-ClearPass Policy Manager Tech Note Installing or Upgrading W-ClearPass 6.6 on a Virtual Machine This document describes the procedures for installing and upgrading W-ClearPass Policy Manager 6.6 on a Virtual Machine. Information is provided for both ESXi® and Hyper-V™ installations.
Virtual appliance recommendations are adjusted to align with the requirements for W-ClearPass hardware appliances. If you do not have the VA resources to support a full workload, then you should consider ordering the W-ClearPass Policy Manager hardware appliance. Be sure that your system meets the recommended specifications required for the Policy Manager Virtual Appliance. The W-ClearPass VMware ships with a 20 GB hard disk volume.
n 1000 GB disk l 2 Gigabit virtual switched ports l Functional IOP rating for a 40-60 read/write profile for 4K random read/write = 105 CP-VA-25K (25K Virtual Appliance OVF) l 24 Virtual CPUs n Underlying CPUs are recommended to have a PassMark® of 9900 or higher l 64 GB RAM l Disk space: n 1000 GB disk space required for existing deployments (upgrading from 6.3.6, 6.4.7, or 6.5.
3. Select the .ovf file from the folder where the W-ClearPass Policy Manager Zip file was extracted. The Deploy OVF wizard opens with the OVF Template Details page displayed. (OVF, or Open Virtualization Format, is a standard for distributing virtual appliances or software to virtual machines) Figure 1 Deploy OVF Template Wizard, OVF Template Details 4. Click Next. 5. On the End User License Agreement page, click Accept, and then click Next. 6.
7. On the Disk Format page, leave the default option of Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed, and then click Next. Figure 3 Deploy OVF Template Wizard, Disk Format 8. On the Ready to Complete page, do not select the “Power on after deployment” check box. Just click Finish. Figure 4 Deploy OVF Template Wizard, Ready to Complete You will need to reconfigure the VM settings by adding a hard disk before you power on.
1. On the vSphere client, navigate to the deployed virtual machine, right-click on it, and select Edit Settings. Figure 5 vSphere Client, Edit Settings 2. Click Add to add another hard disk. Figure 6 Virtual Machine Properties, Add Hard Disk 6 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
3. On the Device Type page of the Add Hardware wizard, select Hard Disk, and then click Next. Figure 7 Add Hardware Wizard, Device Type 4. On the Select a Disk page, select Create a new virtual disk, and then click Next. Figure 8 Add Hardware Wizard, Select a Disk Installing or Upgrading to 6.
5. On the Create a Disk page, set the Disk Size to the correct requirements for your virtual appliance version. See "Recommended ESXi Server Specifications" on page 1. Figure 9 Add Hardware Wizard, Create a Disk 6. Leave the default settings on the Advanced Options page (the Virtual Device Node should be SCSI(0:1)), and then click Next. Figure 10 Add Hardware Wizard, Advanced Options 8 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
7. The Ready to Complete page displays the disk details for verification. If the disk size matches the requirements described in "Recommended ESXi Server Specifications" on page 1 and the disk provisioning setting is Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed, click Finish. Figure 11 Add Hardware Wizard, Ready to Complete Power On and Configure the VM 1. Power on the virtual machine. You should see the following in the vSphere client: Figure 12 “Enter appliance type to continue” 2.
Figure 13 Number Entered to Indicate Appliance Option 4. The system requirements are displayed for the appliance model you entered, along with your current system configuration. Compare these to make sure your system meets the new system requirements. For more information, see "Recommended ESXi Server Specifications" on page 1. Figure 14 System Requirements Comparison, and “Enter ‘y’ or ‘Y’ to proceed” 10 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
5. When you have verified that your system meets the new requirements, press y. The W-ClearPass 6.6.0 setup and installation begins. You should see the following information, and W-ClearPass will reboot at least once: Figure 15 Initializing Disk Figure 16 “First boot setup DONE” Installing or Upgrading to 6.
After that reboot the W-ClearPass VM is configured, and will power on and boot up within a couple of minutes. The whole process from Deploying the OVF image to the final startup screen should take between 30 and 40 minutes. 6. After the W-ClearPass VM launches correctly, you should see the following banner displayed: Figure 17 Banner 7. When you see the banner, you can log in by following the instructions in the W-ClearPass Policy Manager 6.6.0 Getting Started Guide.
Figure 18 Add Hardware, Advanced Options, Virtual Device Node Figure 19 New Hard Disk in Devices List 4. Power on the W-ClearPass Policy Manager instance. Installing or Upgrading to 6.
5. In the example we’re using, the information shows that you are now in a CP-VA-500 virtual appliance and about to morph to a CP-VA-25K. Figure 20 “Press “y” or “Y” to proceed” 6. Press y. The setup and installation begins. 14 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 21 7. The system requirements are displayed for the appliance model you entered, along with your current system configuration. Compare these to make sure your system meets the new system requirements. For more information, see "Recommended ESXi Server Specifications" on page 1. 8. When you have verified that your system meets the new requirements, press y. The W-ClearPass 6.6.0 setup and installation begins.
Figure 22 Select the Virtual Machine Instance 2. Select Automatic Tools Upgrade. This option ensures that the VM instance is upgraded to the highest supported stable version for the respective version of ESXi server it is hosted on. Figure 23 Automatic Tool Upgrade Option 3. Click OK. 4. The console displays a message that the VMware Tools upgrade has been initiated and is in progress. The process takes approximately five minutes to complete.
Hyper-V Installations This section describes how to install W-ClearPass on a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine, including: l "Hyper-V Installation Process Overview" on page 17 l "Recommended Hyper-V Server Specifications" on page 17 l "Installing W-ClearPass Policy Manager on a Hyper-V Virtual Machine" on page 18 l "Morphing a Hyper-V Version" on page 28 l "Caveats, Hyper-V" on page 35 Hyper-V Installation Process Overview The process of installing W-ClearPass on a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machin
Supported Hyper-V Versions The following Microsoft Hyper-V versions are supported: l Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 l Hyper-V on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 CP-SW-EVAL (Evaluation VHDX) l 2 Virtual CPUs l 4 GB RAM l 80 GB disk space CP-VA-500 (500 Virtual Appliance VHDX) l 8 Virtual CPUs n Underlying CPU is recommended to have a PassMark® of 3000 or higher l 8 GB RAM l Disk space: n 500 GB disk space required for existing deployments (upgrading from 6.5.
l "Import the Virtual Machine " on page 19 l "Add a Hard Disk to the Hyper-V Virtual Machine" on page 20 l "Power On and Configure the VM" on page 24 Import the Virtual Machine 1. Download and unzip the Hyper-V package from the Download Software > ClearPass > Policy Manager > Current Release > Hyper-V folder on the Support site (http://download.dell-pcw.com) . 2. From Hyper-V Manager, right-click to select the Hyper-V server and select the Import Virtual Machine option.
5. In the Choose Import Type step, select Copy the virtual machine. Figure 25 Import Virtual Machine Window, Choose Import Type 6. After it is imported, select the VM, right click, and choose properties. The Settings configuration window opens, where you will add the hard disk. Add a Hard Disk to the Hyper-V Virtual Machine 1. Select the SCSI Controller option. Figure 26 Hyper-V Settings, SCSI Controller Option 20 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
2. Add a hard drive and verify the following values: l Controller = SCSI Controller l Location = 1 Figure 27 Hyper-V Settings, Adding Hard Drive 3. Click New below the Virtual Hard Disk option. The New Virtual Hard Disk wizard opens. Figure 28 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Before You Begin Installing or Upgrading to 6.
4. Select the following options while creating the disk: l Disk Format: VHDX Figure 29 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Choose Disk Format l Disk Type: Fixed Figure 30 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Choose Disk Type l 22 | Disk Size: n EVAL = 80 GB n 500 = 1000 GB n 5K = 1000 GB n 25K = 1800 GB Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Using a CP-VA-500 VHDX as an example, the following images show the name and location, disk configuration, and summary steps. For more information about the correct requirements for your virtual appliance version, see "Recommended Hyper-V Server Specifications" on page 17. Figure 31 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Specify Name and Location Figure 32 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Configure Disk Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 33 New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard, Summary 5. Click Apply in the main window, and then click OK. Power On and Configure the VM 1. Power on the virtual machine. You should see the following: Figure 34 “Enter appliance type to continue” 24 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
2. Enter the number for the appropriate appliance type (do not enter the appliance model itself). Options include: n 1) CP-SW-EVAL n 2) CP-VA-500 n 3) CP-VA-5K n 4) CP-VA-25K So, for example, to install a CP-VA-500, you would enter the number 2. Figure 35 Number Entered to Indicate Appliance Option 3. The system requirements are displayed for the appliance model you entered, along with your current system configuration. Compare these to make sure your system meets the new system requirements.
Figure 36 “Enter ‘y’ or ‘Y’ to proceed” 4. When you have verified that your system meets the new requirements, press y. The W-ClearPass 6.6.0 setup and installation begins. You should see the following information, and W-ClearPass will reboot at least once. 26 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 37 Initializing Disk 5. After that reboot the W-ClearPass VM is configured, and will power on and boot up within a couple of minutes. The whole process from Deploying the VHDX image to the final startup screen should take between 30 and 40 minutes. Installing or Upgrading to 6.
6. After the W-ClearPass VM launches correctly, you should see the following banner: Figure 38 Banner 7. When you see the banner, you can log in by following the instructions in the W-ClearPass Policy Manager 6.6.0 Getting Started Guide. Morphing a Hyper-V Version A Hyper-V virtual machine can be morphed to a higher-value virtual appliance by using the morph-vm command as follows: 1. Power off the VM. 2. Open Settings and make the following modifications: a.
Figure 39 Hardware, RAM Settings Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 40 Hardware, CPU Settings b. Add an additional disk with the recommended disk size for the larger VM: (1) Select SCSI(0:2) Controller. (2) Select the Hard Drive option and then click Add. (3) In the next screen, specify the following values: Controller = SCSI(0:2) Controller 1 Location = 2 (4) In the Media section, click New. 30 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 41 Hardware, Controller Settings (5) Add a new VHDX hard disk of Fixed size, and size equivalent to the requirements for the larger VM disk size. Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 42 Choose Disk Type and Size (6) Specify the name and location. Figure 43 Specify Name and Location (7) Configure the disk size and click Finish. 32 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 44 Configure Disk Size 3. After adding the hard disk, power on the original VM and, using SSH, log in to it as appadmin. 4. Run the command ‘system morph-vm and follow the prompts. Figure 45 System Morph-VM Command 5. The existing hardware version and the new hardware version are displayed, along with a warning that you cannot revert to the existing version after the morphing process is started. When you are ready to proceed, press y. Installing or Upgrading to 6.
Figure 46 Version Comparison and Warning 6. The system requirements are displayed for the appliance model you entered, along with your current system configuration. Compare these to make sure your system meets the new system requirements. For more information, see "Recommended Hyper-V Server Specifications" on page 17. Figure 47 34 | Installing or Upgrading to 6.
When you have verified that your system meets the new requirements, press y. The W-ClearPass 6.6.0 setup and installation begins. Caveats, Hyper-V This section describes caveats to be aware of with Hyper-V. Low Network Performance on Hyper-V Due to NIC Cards In lab conditions, we noticed that the network latency increases and throughput decreases due to certain features in the NIC not working as expected. This affects network throughput to any OS installed on a Hyper-V server.
