Manage existing Connectors

After you create a Connector, you might need to manage it every now and then. For example, you might want to switch between Connectors if you have more than one. Or you might need to manually upgrade the Connector when using BlueXP in private mode.

Learn how Connectors work.

Operating system and VM maintenance

Maintaining the operating system on the Connector host is your responsibility. For example, you should apply security updates to the operating system on the Connector host by following your company’s standard procedures for operating system distribution.

Note that you don’t need to stop any services on the Connector host when running an OS update.

If you need to stop and then start the Connector VM, you should do so from your cloud provider’s console or by using the standard procedures for on-premises management.

Be aware that the Connector must be operational at all times.

Switch between Connectors

If you have multiple Connectors, you can switch between them to see the Working Environments that are associated with a specific Connector.

For example, let’s say that you’re working in a multi-cloud environment. You might have one Connector in AWS and another in Google Cloud. You’d need to switch between those Connectors to manage the Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running in those clouds.

Step

  1. Select the Connector drop-down, select another Connector, and then select Switch.

    A screenshot that shows the Connector icon in the header and the Switch action.

Result

BlueXP refreshes and shows the Working Environments associated with the selected Connector.

Download or send an AutoSupport message

If you’re having problems, NetApp personnel might ask you to send an AutoSupport message to NetApp support for troubleshooting purposes.

Steps

  1. In the upper right of the BlueXP console, select the Help icon, and select Support.

    A screenshot of the Help menu where Support is the first option listed

  2. Select BlueXP Connector.

  3. Depending on how you need to send the information to NetApp support, choose one of the following options:

    1. Select the option to download the AutoSupport message to your local machine. You can then send it to NetApp Support using a preferred method.

    2. Select Send AutoSupport to directly send the message to NetApp Support.

    A screenshot of the Support Dashboard showing where users can select to download and send AutoSupport messages.

Connect to the Linux VM

If you need to connect to the Linux VM that the Connector runs on, you can do so by using the connectivity options available from your cloud provider.

AWS

When you created the Connector instance in AWS, you provided an AWS access key and secret key. You can use this key pair to SSH to the instance.

AWS Docs: Connect to your Linux instance

Azure

When you created the Connector VM in Azure, you chose to authenticate with a password or SSH public key. Use the authentication method that you chose to connect to the VM.

Azure Docs: SSH into your VM

Google Cloud

You can’t specify an authentication method when you create a Connector in Google Cloud. However, you can connect to the Linux VM instance using the Google Cloud Console or Google Cloud CLI (gcloud).

Google Cloud Docs: Connect to Linux VMs

Upgrade the Connector when using private mode

If you are using BlueXP in private mode, you can upgrade the Connector when a newer version is available from the NetApp Support Site.

The Connector needs to restart during the upgrade process so the web-based console will be unavailable during the upgrade.

Note On hosts that have internet access, the Connector automatically updates its software to the latest version, as long as it has outbound internet access to obtain the software update.
Steps

  1. Download the Connector software from the NetApp Support Site.

  2. Copy the installer to the Linux host.

  3. Assign permissions to run the script.

    chmod +x /path/cloud-manager-connector-offline-<version>

    Where <version> is the version of the Connector that you downloaded.

  4. Run the installation script:

    sudo /path/cloud-manager-connector-offline-<version>

    Where <version> is the version of the Connector that you downloaded.

  5. After the upgrade is complete, you can verify the Connector’s version by going to Help > Support > Connector.

Change the IP address for a Connector

If it’s required for your business, you can change the internal IP address and public IP address of the Connector instance that is automatically assigned by your cloud provider.

Steps

  1. Follow the instructions from your cloud provider to change the local IP address or public IP address (or both) for the Connector instance.

  2. If you changed the public IP address and you need to connect to the local user interface running on the Connector, restart the Connector instance to register the new IP address with BlueXP.

  3. If you changed the private IP address, update the backup location for Cloud Volumes ONTAP configuration files so that the backups are being sent to the new private IP address on the Connector.

    1. Run the following command from the Cloud Volumes ONTAP CLI to remove the current backup target:

      system configuration backup settings modify -destination ""

    2. Go to BlueXP and open the working environment.

    3. Select the menu and select Advanced > Configuration Backups.

    4. Select Set Backup Target.

Edit a Connector’s URIs

Add and remove the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for a Connector.

Steps

  1. Select the Connector drop-down from the BlueXP header.

  2. Select Manage Connectors.

  3. Select the action menu for a Connector and select Edit URIs.

  4. Add and remove URIs and then select Apply.

Fix download failures when using a Google Cloud NAT gateway

The Connector automatically downloads software updates for Cloud Volumes ONTAP. The download can fail if your configuration uses a Google Cloud NAT gateway. You can correct this issue by limiting the number of parts that the software image is divided into. This step must be completed by using the BlueXP API.

Step

  1. Submit a PUT request to /occm/config with the following JSON as body:

    {
  "maxDownloadSessions": 32
}

    The value for maxDownloadSessions can be 1 or any integer greater than 1. If the value is 1, then the downloaded image will not be divided.

    Note that 32 is an example value. The value that you should use depends on your NAT configuration and the number of sessions that you can have simultaneously.

Learn more about the /occm/config API call

Remove Connectors from BlueXP

If a Connector is inactive, you can remove it from the list of Connectors in BlueXP. You might do this if you deleted the Connector virtual machine or if you uninstalled the Connector software.

Note the following about removing a Connector:

  • This action doesn’t delete the virtual machine.

  • This action can’t be reverted—​once you remove a Connector from BlueXP, you can’t add it back.

Steps

  1. Select the Connector drop-down from the BlueXP header.

  2. Select Manage Connectors.

  3. Select the action menu for an inactive Connector and select Remove Connector.

    A screenshot of the Connector widget where you can remove an inactive Connector.

  4. Enter the name of the Connector to confirm and then select Remove.

Result

BlueXP removes the Connector from its records.

Uninstall the Connector software

Uninstall the Connector software to troubleshoot issues or to permanently remove the software from the host. The steps that you need to use depends on whether you installed the Connector on a host that has internet access or a host in a restricted network that doesn’t have internet access.

Uninstall from a host with internet access

The online Connector includes an uninstallation script that you can use to uninstall the software.

Step

  1. From the Linux host, run the uninstallation script:

    /opt/application/netapp/service-manager-2/uninstall.sh [silent]

    silent runs the script without prompting you for confirmation.

Uninstall from a host without internet access

Use these commands if you downloaded the Connector software from the NetApp Support Site and installed it in a restricted network that doesn’t have internet access.

Step

  1. From the Linux host, run the following commands:

    docker-compose -f /opt/application/netapp/ds/docker-compose.yml down -v
rm -rf /opt/application/netapp/ds