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SnapCenter Software 6.0

Add hosts and install plug-in packages on remote hosts

Contributors netapp-nsriram
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You must use the SnapCenterAdd Host page to add hosts, and then install the plug-in packages. The plug-ins are automatically installed on the remote hosts. You can add a host and install the plug-in packages either for an individual host or for a cluster.

Before you begin
About this task

You cannot add a SnapCenter Server as a plug-in host to another SnapCenter Server.

If you install plug-ins on a cluster (WSFC), the plug-ins are installed on all of the nodes of the cluster.

Steps

  1. In the left navigation pane, select Hosts.

  2. Verify that the Managed Hosts tab is selected at the top.

  3. Select Add.

  4. In the Hosts page, perform the following actions:

    For this field…​ Do this…​

    Host Type

    Select the host type:

    • Windows

    • Linux

    Note The custom plug-ins can be used in both Windows and Linux environments.

    Host name

    Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or the IP address of the host.

    SnapCenter depends on the proper configuration of the DNS. Therefore, the best practice is to enter the FQDN.

    For Windows environments, the IP address is supported for untrusted domain hosts only if it resolves to the FQDN.

    You can enter the IP addresses or FQDN of a stand-alone host.

    If you are adding a host by using SnapCenter and the host is part of a subdomain, you must provide the FQDN.

    Credentials

    Either select the credential name that you created, or create new credentials.

    The credentials must have administrative rights on the remote host. For details, see the information about creating credentials.

    You can view details about the credentials by positioning your cursor over the credential name that you specified.

    Note The credentials authentication mode is determined by the host type that you specify in the Add Host wizard.

  5. In the Select Plug-ins to Install section, select the plug-ins to install.

  6. (Optional) Select More Options to install the other plug-ins.

    For this field…​ Do this…​

    Port

    Either retain the default port number, or specify the port number.

    The default port number is 8145. If the SnapCenter Server was installed on a custom port, that port number will be displayed as the default port.

    Note If you manually installed the plug-ins and specified a custom port, you must specify the same port. Otherwise, the operation fails.

    Installation Path

    The SnapCenter Custom Plug-ins can be installed on either a Windows system or a Linux system.

    • For the SnapCenter Plug-ins Package for Windows, the default path is C:\Program Files\NetApp\SnapCenter.

      Optionally, you can customize the path.

    • For SnapCenter Plug-ins Package for Linux, the default path is /opt/NetApp/snapcenter.

      Optionally, you can customize the path.

    • For the SnapCenter Custom Plug-ins:

      1. In the Custom Plug-ins section, select Browse, and select the zipped custom plug-in folder.

        The zipped folder contains the custom plug-in code and the descriptor .xml file.

        For Storage Plug-in, navigate to C:\ProgramData\NetApp\SnapCenter\Package Repository and select Storage.zip folder.

      2. Select Upload.

        The descriptor .xml file in the zipped custom plug-in folder is validated before the package is uploaded.

        The custom plug-ins that are uploaded to the SnapCenter Server are listed.

    Skip preinstall checks

    Select this check box if you already installed the plug-ins manually and you do not want to validate whether the host meets the requirements for installing the plug-in.

    Use group Managed Service Account (gMSA) to run the plug-in services

    For Windows host, select this check box if you want to use group Managed Service Account (gMSA) to run the plug-in services.

    Important Provide the gMSA name in the following format: domainName\accountName$.
    Note gMSA will be used as a log on service account only for SnapCenter Plug-in for Windows service.

  7. Select Submit.

    If you have not selected the Skip prechecks checkbox, the host is validated to verify whether the host meets the requirements for installing the plug-in. The disk space, RAM, PowerShell version, .NET version, location (for Windows plug-ins), and Java version (for Linux plug-ins) are validated against the minimum requirements. If the minimum requirements are not met, appropriate error or warning messages are displayed.

    If the error is related to disk space or RAM, you can update the web.config file located at C:\Program Files\NetApp\SnapCenter WebApp to modify the default values. If the error is related to other parameters, you must fix the issue.

    Note In an HA setup, if you are updating web.config file, you must update the file on both nodes.

  8. If host type is Linux, verify the fingerprint, and then select Confirm and Submit.

    Note Fingerprint verification is mandatory even if the same host was added earlier to SnapCenter and the fingerprint was confirmed.

  9. Monitor the installation progress.

    The installation-specific log files are located at /custom_location/snapcenter/ logs.