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SnapCenter Software 5.0

Add hosts and install SnapCenter Plug-in for Microsoft Windows

Contributors netapp-nsriram netapp-asubhas
PDFs

You can use the SnapCenter Add Host page to add Windows hosts. The SnapCenter Plug-in for Microsoft Windows is automatically installed on the specified host. This is the recommended method for installing plug-ins. You can add a host and install a plug-in either for an individual host or a cluster.

Before you begin

  • You must be a user that is assigned to a role that has the plug-in install and uninstall permissions, such as the SnapCenter Admin role.

  • When installing a plug-in on a Windows host, if you specify a credential that is not built-in or if the user belongs to a local workgroup user, you must disable UAC on the host.

  • The SnapCenter user should be added to the “Log on as a service” role of the Windows Server.

  • You should ensure that the message queueing service is in running state.

  • If you are using group Managed Service Account (gMSA), you should configure gMSA with administrative privileges.

    Configure group Managed Service Account on Windows Server 2012 or later for Windows File System

About this task

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

  • Windows plug-ins

    • Microsoft Windows

    • Microsoft Exchange Server

    • Microsoft SQL Server

    • SAP HANA

    • Custom plug-ins

  • Installing plug-ins on a cluster

    If you install plug-ins on a cluster (WSFC, Oracle RAC, or Exchange DAG), they are installed on all of the nodes of the cluster.

  • E-series storage

    You cannot install the Plug-in for Windows on a Windows host connected to E-series storage.

Note SnapCenter does not support adding of the same host (plug-in host) to SnapCenter if the host is already part of a workgroup and changed to another domain or vice versa. If you want to add the same host, you should remove the host from SnapCenter and add it again.
Steps

  1. In the left navigation pane, click Hosts.

  2. Ensure that Managed Hosts is selected at the top.

  3. Click Add.

  4. In the Hosts page, do the following:

    For this field…​ Do this…​

    Host Type

    Select the Windows type of host.

    SnapCenter Server adds the host and then installs the Plug-in for Windows if it is not already installed on the host.

    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 fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

    You can enter the IP addresses or FQDN of one of the following:

    • Stand-alone host

    • Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)

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

    Credentials

    Select the credential name that you created or create the new credentials.

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

    Details about credentials, including the user name, domain, and host type, are displayed by placing your cursor over the credential name you provided.

    Note The 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.

    For new deployments, no plug-in packages are listed.

  6. (Optional) Click More Options.

    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 default path is C:\Program Files\NetApp\SnapCenter.

    You can optionally customize the path. For SnapCenter Plug-ins Package for Windows, the default path is C:\Program Files\NetApp\SnapCenter. However, if you want, you can customize the default path.

    Add all hosts in the cluster

    Select this check box to add all of the cluster nodes in a WSFC.

    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

    Select this check box if you want to use group Managed Service Account (gMSA) to run the plug-in services.

    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. Click Submit.

    If you have not selected the Skip prechecks checkbox, the host is validated to see whether it meets the requirements to install the plug-in. The disk space, RAM, PowerShell version, .NET version, and location 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. Monitor the installation progress.