5.2.3.1. CentOS Software Appliance

This guide applies to any VM supporting OVA/OVF images. If you use another VM, or have special requirements for the installation, you can install following the general server installation process.

Prerequisites

Working VM environment. If unsure about setting up VM, consult your IaaS provider.

Download Virtual Software Appliance

YSoft provides a complete Virtual Software Appliance including CentOS 7 and latest release of SAFEQ Cloud (for full package specifications, see the Complementary Information section below).
The Virtual Software Appliance is a pre-configured virtual machine image, ready to run on a hypervisor such as VMware Hardware Workstation 11.x and above, Fusion 7.x and above, ESXi 6.0 and above,Oracle VirtualBox 5.x ,Xen or Hyper-V.

You can download the latest Virtual Software Appliance from the YSoft Partner Portal (YSoft SAFEQ Cloud > Software)

Install the Virtual Software Appliance

1. In your VM manager, chose the appropriate menu option to ‘Open’.
   - If using VMware, choose ‘File’ > ‘Open’, then navigate to the Virtual Software Appliance. Follow the on-screen guided instructions.
2. When the Virtual Software Appliance is imported: Verify/adapt VM settings:
   (1) Memory size (default 4 GB)
   (2) Processor (recommended: 1 processor / 2 cores)
   (3) Options -> VMware tools: verify “Synchronize guest time with host”; no need to “update automatically”, appliance use open-vm-tools updated with CentOS
   
3. Start the VM
4. At the login prompt enter: hcpadmin and as password enter: eop

!The appliance VM comes setup with default keyboard mapping: US keyboard

5. Appliance Welcome screen gives you a comprehensive view of the setup
   Note these important values, they will be customized/updated in the following section with the install script.
   (1) Time zone
   (2) Appliance hostname
   (3) Network settings (Public IP denotes an active Internet connection)
   (4) Prompt to launch SAFEQ Cloud install script

*From here on you can continue the installation in your VM manager or remotely connect to the Appliance using an “ssh client” such as MobaXterm or Putty (see Complementary Information) with: hcpadmin / eop

Install SAFEQ Cloud software

1. At the prompt (4) enter the password (eop) to launch the install script with ‘sudo’ privilege
2. Follow the script guidance. You will be prompted for:
   1. Option to change keyboard layout during installation
   2. Customize the complete hostname in FQDN form (e.g.: appliance-01.customer.com)
   3. Customize network settings: for ex change to Manual IP address (do NOT change network profile name)
   4. Customize Time Zone
   5. When SAFEQ Cloud installer opens, read and accept license agreement, accept installation directory, and choose ‘Extra secondary server’
   6. When prompted for ‘Connection details’, provide required info for primary server address and account name.
   7. Accept to autostart all services and finish installation.
   8. Firewall ports are updated as needed.
   9. At installation completion, you are presented with instruction how to use ‘cockpit’ admin tool.

*Now, the SAFEQ Cloud Gateway is ready. Follow the Server Administration Interface section to continue SAFEQ Cloud setup.

Optional recommended post-installation tasks

• Connect to the Appliance via “ssh client” with user/password: hcpadmin / eop
• Customize the hcpadmin password with a strong one using this command:
  $ passwd
• Change network settings for static IP address, if not done during installation:
  $ sudo nmtui
• Change keyboard:
  • To list all available keymaps:
    $ sudo localectl list-keymaps
  • To temporarily change system’s keymap, e.g. to ‘English UK keyboard’:
    $ sudo loadkeys uk
  • or To permanently change system’s keymap, e.g. to ‘English UK keyboard’:
    $ sudo localectl set-keymap uk

Complementary Information

Installation log

To check installation log you can type the following in CentOS:
more /home/SAFEQ Cloudadmin/Hybrid_Install_Log

SSH clients

• Windows:
  • Putty https://www.putty.org/
  • MobaXterm https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/
• MacOSX:
  • Terminal App:
    • Launch it and then from the menu select Shell -> New Remote Connection.
    • This will give you a connections manager window.
      

SAFEQ Cloud Software Appliance characteristics

• CentOS 7.6 1810 minimal iso with kernel: Linux 3.10.0-957.5.1.el7.x86_64
• RAM: 4096 MB
• HDD : 20 GB
• Keyboard layout: US

• Pre-installed packages:
  • ghostscript
  • fontconfig
  • freetype
  • foomatic-filters
  • wget
  • bzip2
  • python-gobject
  • pygobject2
  • net-tools
  • bind-utils
  • telnet
  • vim
  • nano
  • dialog
  • kbd
  • chrony
  • yum-cron
  • yum-utils
  • traceroute
  • rsync
  • storaged
  • udisks2
  • cockpit
  • cockpit-storaged
  • setroubleshoot-server
  • open-vm-tools

• Network:
  • Bridged
  • Nic : vmxnet3
  • Interface : ens160
  • Network Manager profile: “Wired connection 1”
    • IPV4 : DHCP
    • IPV6 : ignore
  • Hostname: SAFEQ Cloud-appliance.mycompany.com
  • Firewalld default zone: work

• Admin user: hcpadmin / eop

• Pre-loaded software in /home/SAFEQ Cloudadmin/
  • SAFEQ Cloud install script: Latest version 3.1
  • SAFEQ Cloud bin installer: Latest version 3.1.1