Installing Spectrum on Linux Using CLI (distinst)

Products

Spectrum Network Observability

Issue/Introduction

Use the distinst command-line tool to install DX NetOps Spectrum on Linux. This method is the recommended alternative if you experience GUI installation failures due to X11/latency issues, or if you do not have root/sudo password access.

When running a standard distributed install of Spectrum on Linux, you run sdiclinux.exe and feeds it the HII and Password files to use for the installation. sdiclinux.exe requires a password file that contains either the password of the root user or of a user that has been configured for sudo access as outlined in the "Grant Limited Root Permissions" section of the documentation.

If you do not have sudo root privileges but can su or sudo su to the root user without having to enter a password, you can run the distributed install using the distinst program and feed it the same information from the HII file as when running sdiclinux.exe but without the need for a password file.

Environment

Product: DX NetOps Spectrum
OS: Linux

Resolution

Using distinst

Use the distinst program to perform a distributed installation using a Host Information (HII) file.

Copy the install media to the local machine.
Uncompress and untar the install media.
Log in as the root user.
Navigate to the /sdic/linux directory.
If the SRAdmin daemon is not currently installed, install it using the instructions in the "Manually Install SRAdmin Daemon on Linux" section of the documentation.

Create an HII file. Define the parameters using the following format:

text

remote_host=spectrum.example.com
l_handle=4install_dir=/app/spectrum
install_owner=spectrum
main_loc_serv=spectrum.example.com
vcd_path=/app/repository/25_4_10
ss_install=yes
oc_install=no
xtn_install=yes
install_type=full
locale=en_US

Run the distinst command, referencing your HII file: ./distinst from_file=<name_of_hii_file>

Alternative: Command Line Arguments

Alternatively, you can run the distinst command by specifying parameters directly in the command line:

./distinst remote_host=spectrum.example.com l_handle=4 install_dir=/app/spectrum install_owner=spectrum main_loc_serv=spectrum.example.com vcd_path=/app/repository/25_4_10 ss_install=yes oc_install=no xtn_install=yes install_type=full locale=en_US

Troubleshooting GUI Installation Failures

If you are performing a GUI installation and the session terminates unexpectedly, this is typically due to X11/X-Windows latency or connection stability.

Ensure SRAdmin is running as the intended install user (not root, if the install user is different).
If the GUI continues to fail, use the distinst CLI method documented above as the primary resolution.
Ensure that the DISPLAY variable is correctly set and that there is no firewall interference between the X-client and X-server.

The "distinst" command line install on Linux is failing with no errors

Additional Information

You many need or want to run the install without the password if you have special characters in the password and/or you cannot get around this error:

<hostname> UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect

For example:

sldclr4: Starting Test
sldclr4: Starting Test
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: Starting Test
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: Starting Test
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: UpdateVSRuntime: Unable to connect.
sldclr4: Starting Test
sldclr4: Make sure the username and password are correct and the time on sldcr4 is within 2 minutes

Command syntax for distinst:

usage(): distinst
install_dir=<path> (required)
install_owner=<username> (required if not patch)
vcd_path=<vcd path> (required)
main_loc_serv=<location server> (required if not patch)
remote_host=<remote host to install on>
srad_user=<username for remote host>
srad_pass=<password for remote host>
locale=<locale for language files to be installed>
[ install_type=full|minimal (default=full) ]
[ exclude_parts=<PART-NUMBER>,<PART-NUMBER> ]
[ ignore_disk_space=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ l_handle=<landscape handle> (required unless ss_install=no)
[ oc_install=yes|no (default=no unless OneClick install is detected) ]
[ patch=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ remove_vnmdb_lock=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ rptdb_preserve=preserve|removealldata|removeeventdata (default=preserve) ]
[ same=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ overwrite=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ server_password=<passwd> ( optional, Windows only ) ]
[ server_username=<user> ( optional, Windows only ) ]
[ srm_source_host=<hostname>
(optional if SRM install default=no migration) ]
[ srm_source_password=<passwd>
(optional if SRM install default=no migration) ]
[ srm_ss_servers=<serverlists>
(separated by ";", optional if SRM install
default=main location server) ]
[ ss_install=yes|no (default=yes) ]
[ test_only=yes|no (default=no) ]
[ tomcat_port=##### (default=8080 on Unix)
(default=80 on Windows) ]
[ tomcat_root=<tomcat root directory>
(default=oc install directory) ]
[ xtn_install=yes|no (default=yes) ]
[ huge_landscape_handle=yes|no (default=no)
("yes" for huge landscape handle type ; "no" for legacy landscape handle type) ]

If you prefer to use the GUI install and your user has no password, make sure that the SRAdmin process is running as the install user and not root.

For instance:

You are going to install as specadmin.
You see SRAdmin is running as root, so you stop and restart it as your specadmin user:

./SRAdmin --start
Verify it is running as specadmin
Run the ./setuplin.exe as the specadmin user.
The GUI will not ask for a username or password.