Install Nutanix LCM Dark Site Bundle on Linux Server

Setup / Configure / deploy / Install the Nutanix LCM : Life Cycle Management Dark Site Server on Linux CentOS / RHEL Server if Nutanix infra is a Dark site / No Internet Access / Nutanix infra is running without Internet Access on Nutanix HCI cluster. So we have option to use the Nutanix LCM offline bundle software for Dark Site.

Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management is the best software program to upgrade / update the Nutanix software and hardware firmware, but Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management need internet access to Nutanix HCI infra.

If you want to use Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management without allowing internet on Nutanix Cluster then you have to install / setup / configure Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management Dark site bundle on Linux CentOS / RHEL server and allow internet only on Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management server only.

Steps to setup / deploy the Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management Dark site server:

1. Prepare the Prerequisites
2. Install the Linux Apache Web Server
3. Install the Nutanix LCM Dark site offline bundle in Linux Machine
4. Configure the Nutanix LCM Dark site Server IP address in Nutanix Prism and Prism Central for update

Prerequisites for Nutanix LCM Dark Site Server

Prerequisites to setup / install / deploy / configure Nutanix LCM Dark site server in Linux Server.

• Linux machine running CentOS 7 Server with GUI
• A static IP address dedicated for your server machine
• A client machine to test your installation
• Nutanix LCM Dark site Server must have internet access

Install Linux Apache Web Server

To install the Linux Apache Web server – Linux machine must have the internet access to update the linux operating system and install the required packages. Lets explore to install the Linux Apache Web server.

Step 1: Install the Linux Server OS ( CentOS 7 ) with GUI – Read more to install the CentOS 7

Step 2: Use the following commands to update the yum repository in your Linux server machine – Login as root account

root# yum update -y

Step 3: Install Apache Web Server package known as httpd package

root# yum install httpd -y
root#  systemctl enable httpd  -->  Enable Apache at system start up

Step 4: Verify that Selinux Firewall must be Enabled and it can be verified using the command below

# getenforce

Output should be “Enabled” OR “Enforcing“

If Selinux Firewall is Disbabled than Enable it through following command:

root# setenforce 1 ---> To Enable Selinux ( Recommended )
root# setenforce 0 ---> To Disable Selinux

Step 5: Allow Apache web service network traffic on Linux Selinux firewall

root# firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=http --permanent
root# firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=80/tcp --permanent
root# firewall-cmd --reload      ---> Reload the firewall service for the changes to take effect

Step 6: Edit the Apache’s main server configuration file, located directory is : /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Note: Ensure that httd.conf file contains the following lines but uncommenting them if they start with hash ‘#’

ServerRoot “/etc/httpd”
DocumentRoot “/var/www/html” #All the documents will be served under this directory hierarchy
ServerName <Your_web_server_IP>|<Fully qualified domain name> #if nameservice is available
Listen <IP_address>:port

Output similar like this:

[root@localhost ~]# vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
ServerRoot “/etc/httpd” 
DocumentRoot “/var/www/html” 
ServerName 192.168.233.134 --> Replace It with your Server IP Address
Listen 192.168.233.134:80
#Listen 80

Step 7: After editing the Apache configuration file, httpd service must be restarted for the above changes to come into effect

root# systemctl restart httpd

Step 8: Now enter the Nutanix LCM Dark site Server IP address in Web Browser – Google Chrome to test the Apache server

Step 9 ( Optional) : If you do not get the Testing 123 Apache Web server test page than execute following command to flush the iptables chain rules.

root# iptables -F
root# iptables -X
root# systemctl stop firewalld     --> Stop firewalld on CentOS 7
root# systemctl disable firewalld   --> Disable firewalld on CentOS 7
root# systemctl status firewalld   --> Check firewalld status

Useful Links

• Iptables Essentials: Common Firewall Rules and Commands
• Use iptables with CentOS 7
• How to Disable SELinux Temporarily or Permanently
• Accessing localhost from another computer over LAN network

Deploy Nutanix LCM Dark Site Package

Now, I show to install the Nutanix LCM dark site offline bundle software in Linux system.

Step 1: Download the Nutanix LCM Dark Site bundle from Nutanix Portal

Step 2: Create directory for Nutanix LCM Dark Site bundle in directory ‘/var/www/html‘

root# cd /var/www/html 
root# mkdir release
root# chmod 755 release
root# cd release

Step 3: An important note here is that Selinux context must be correct and it should be ‘httpd_sys_content_t’.

If it is anything other than ‘httpd_sys_content_t’, then there will be permission related error messages and the access to the website would be denied.

It can be verified using the command below:

root# ls -z /var/www/*

Output similar like this:

If you have found anything else instead of httpd_sys_content_t than run following command:

As the Linux root user, run the chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t /var/www command to change the type of the /var/www/ directory (and its contents) to httpd_sys_content_t:

~]# chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t /var/www/*
 ~]# ls -dZ /var/www/*
 drwxr-xr-x  root root unconfined_u:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t:s0

Step 4: Transfer Downloaded Nutanix LCM Dark Site bundle in directory ‘ /var/www/html/release‘ using WinSCP tool

Step 5: Extract the Nutanix LCM Dark Site bundle in directory: ‘/var/www/html/release‘

[root@lcmserver release]# pwd
 /var/www/html/release
 [root@lcmserver release]# ls -lh
 total 5.2G
 -rw-r--r--. 1 root root 5.2G Oct 17 10:58 lcm_dark_site_bundle_2.2.11203.tar.gz.tar
 [root@lcmserver release]# tar zvxf lcm_dark_site_bundle_2.2.11203.tar.gz.tar
 [root@lcmserver release]# ls -lh
 total 5.2G
 -rw-r--r--. 1 root  root  5.2G Oct 17 10:58 lcm_dark_site_bundle_2.2.11203.tar.gz.tar
 -rw-rw-r--. 1 admin admin  617 Oct 16 05:23 master_manifest.tgz.sign
 drwxrwxr-x. 2 admin admin  16K Oct 16 05:23 modules
 [root@lcmserver release]#

Step 6: Browse the Apache Web Server ‘IP-Address/release‘ in Google Chrome to verify the Nutanix LCM Dark Site Server is working :

Example: http://192.168.233.134/release/

Configure Nutanix Prism to Upgrade / Update

Now, You need to configure Nutanix LCM Dark site server IP Address in Nutanix Prism / Prism Central to upgrade / update the Nutanix Node’s Software and/or hardware firmware.

Step 1: Login to Nutanix Prism / Prism Central

Step 2: Click on Setting Gear Icon > Life Cycle Management > Firmware Updates > Settings > Save

Step 3: Now Click on Source – Select Local Web Server ( Dark Site ) and URL – Enter your Nutanix LCM Dark Site Server IP Address with URL.

Step 4: Perform Inventory to using Nutanix LCM Dark Site Server

Now you have competed the Nutanix LCM – Life Cycle Management Dark Site Linux Server Configuration to upgrade / update the Nutanix Software and firmware.

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