Private OneSystem Deployment Guide

OneSystem
Version 3.1.1

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© 2017 Exablox, Inc.

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Document Number OB_POSDG-03, Version 3.1.1, January 2017

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Private OneSystem Deployment

Guidelines

Private OneSystem Requirements ............................................................................... 4

Firewall Settings for Private OneSystem URLs and IP addresses .................................... 4

Deployment Overview ................................................................................................ 4

Configuring Private OneSystem................................................................................... 5

Commands for Private OneSystem Management (running on VMware vSphere) ........... 12

Upgrading Private OneSystem in Virtual Environments with Internet Access................. 14

Downloading an Updated Private OneSystem version to Install at a Later Time ............ 15

Upgrading Private OneSystem in Virtual Environments without Internet Access ............ 15

OneSystem and Private OneSystem Comparison ........................................................ 19

Private OneSystem FAQs .......................................................................................... 20

Known Issues with Private OneSystem Deployments .................................................. 22

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1.1 - Private OneSystem Requirements

• OneBlox 4312 running release OneBlox 2.9 or later.
• Any OneBlox that has been previously connected to https://onesystem.exablox.com or
https://private.onesystem.exablox.com. Please contact support@exablox.com BEFORE
connecting to Private OneSystem.
• Private OneSystem OVA must be installed on VMware vSphere 5.5 or vSphere 6.0, with a
vSphere client or vCenter server.
• The Private OneSystem OVA requires 2 vCPU cores, 4 GB RAM, and at least 80GB hard disk
space. This configuration will support approximately 40 OneBlox 4312 under management.
• An SMTP mail server must be provided for OneSystem messages, alerts, and alarms.
• A DNS server must be available and organizations may add their own domain as a host name
(e.g., http://onesystem.mycompany.com).
• Please refer to the Exablox User Guide 2.15.1 or later (for network configuration and OneSystem
registration steps).
• Firewall settings specific to Exablox.

1.2 - Firewall Settings for Private OneSystem URLs and IP addresses

IP Address(es) Port # Purpose
exablox-images.s3.amazonaws.com 443 Used to update Private OneSystem
*.docker.io 443 Used to download Private OneSystem OVA
ssh-private.exablox.com 52.8.152.11 443 Used for support to access OneBlox over a reverse SSH tunnel
telemetry.exablox.com 54.241.1.16 443 Used to upload log files from a OneBlox
download.exablox.com 443 Used to download Private OneSystem OVA

1.3 - Deployment Overview

The following is a deployment overview to successfully deploy Private OneSystem and OneBlox.

1. Locate one of the MAC addresses of the OneBlox to be managed by Private OneSystem—this can
be done through the web console (using the OneBlox 4312 User Guide, see “How do I pair
OneBlox 4312 using the web console?”).
2. Download the Private OneSystem OVA from https://download.exablox.com.

3. Deploy Private OneSystem as a VM on a VMware vSphere server.

4. Add the Private OneSystem host name to your DNS host list. This should include the organizations
domain (e.g., http://onesystem.mycompany.com).
5. Register as a new user on your Private OneSystem VM.

6. Configure OneBlox, through the web console, to use your Private OneSystem.

7. Register OneBlox with Private OneSystem to begin managing and configuring OneBlox.

8. Use backup software, such as Veeam, NetBackup, StorageCraft, and/or VMware cloning/
snapshots to protect Private OneSystem. It is every customer’s responsibility to protect Private
OneSystem as there is no way for Exablox support to recover a Private OneSystem deployment.

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1.4 - Configuring Private OneSystem

Follow these steps to configure the Private OneSystem:
Step 1. Using the OneBlox 4312 User Guide, see “How Do I Install OneBlox 4312” and install the
OneBlox to get access to the web console.
Step 2. Using the web console found in step 1, click on the link "here" to open the configuration
page. On the Network tab, select one of the MAC addresses in the network configuration view of
the web console. Only one OneBlox MAC address is needed to validate the download of the Private
OneSystem OVA. Click on 'Return to Web Console Panel' in the upper right and leave the web
console browser page open for future use.

Step 3. The Private OneSystem software is available for download from

https://download.exablox.com. The download requires a valid OneBlox MAC address from step 2.

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The web console supports “copy and paste” of the displayed MAC address directly to the download
web page form. The download file is a VMware “.ova” file, about 4GB in size.

Step 4. Using either the vSphere web client or the vCenter server, deploy the OneSystem
software. Within the appropriate vSphere server, select "Deploy OVF Template". There are a few
wizard options to complete the installation—use the default choices. Select Power On the virtual
machine when complete.

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Select Deploy OVF Templat on the desired host.

Locate the Private OneSystem .ova file to be installed.

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Name the OVF Template.

Select the virtual disk format and the datastore.

Step 5. SSH into the Private OneSystem VM with the following:

# ssh osconfig@<IP Address>

"osconfig" is the username and "config" is the password.

Step 6. Configure Private OneSystem and select a custom URL to manage OneBlox.

To view the current IP settings:

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Enter # network status

To set the IP address values:

# network set static address=<addr> netmask=<nm> gateway=<gw>
dns=<server1[,server2]...>

Confirm the network settings by entering:

# network status

To configure SMTP services:

# smtp config host=<host> port=<port> user=<user@example.com><password=<pass>

To view the SMTP configuration:

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# smtp list

NOTE: Private OneSystem enables organizations to enter the SMTP server user name/password
or leave this blank.

To configure the custom Private OneSystem URL:

# external-url set <http://onesystem.mycompany.com>

Optionally configure Proxy server:

# proxy set http://<user>:<pass>@<proxy ip>:<port>

Verify the Private OneSystem URL is correct by entering # external-URL

Important: Use http:// and not https:// when configuring the Private OneSystem URL. Make note of
the exact Private OneSystem URL that will be used to configure each OneBlox.

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Step 7. Start Private OneSystem by entering # onesystem start. A series of messages will
appear on the console; the service requires about 2 minutes to start. The final startup message is
“Completed”.

Step 8. Add the Private Onesystem URL entry to the DNS server host list. This is the same name
used when setting the external-URL. The Private OneSystem VM should have external access and
ensure that ssh-private.exablox.com 52.8.152.11 is available for Exablox support to
securely access OneBlox.
Step 9. Use a web browser to access Private OneSystem at:
<http://onesystem.mycompany.com>
Step 10. Within Private OneSystem, select ‘register’ and create a new OneSystem service and
user (for additional details please refer to the OneBlox 4312 User Guide—see "How do I Manage
OneBlox-Creating a OneSystem Account and Login"). A confirmation email will be sent to verify the
account. If the email is not received in 10 minutes, check the spam folder.

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Step 11. Using the OneBlox web console, click on the link "here" to the configuration page.
Select the ‘Management’ tab. Enter the custom Private OneSystem URL, under OneSystem
Location, and click the Apply button.

Step 12. Once the Private OneSystem option is selected, there is another checkbox to enable
Exablox Support access. It is highly recommended that you enable this feature.

Important: Please backup the Private OneSystem VM as you do other applications running in your
virtual environment. There is no way for Exablox to backup and recover your Private OneSystem
VM. Configuration details WILL BE lost if Private OneSystem can not be recovered.

1.5 - Commands for Private OneSystem Management (running on

VMware vSphere)
At any time, you may run # help to see a list of available commands.
# help

Available Commands
avahi Enable/Diable avahi-daemon service
changepassword Change the password for the CLI user osconfig.
exit Exit command line interface shell
exportdb Export OneSystem database and configuration.
external-url Configure the external URL used for this OneSystem.
help List available commands
hostname Show and set hostname of the server.
importdb Import OneSystem database and configuration.
network Configure Networking
onesystem Manage OneSystem-- start, stop, restart, upgrade etc.
proxy Configure a proxy for upgrade and reporting.
reboot Reboot the operating system

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smtp Show and config SMTP settings

status Show OneSystem status

### For more details use: <command> help

# help external-url

Miscellaneous Admin
reboot Reboot the Private OneSystem
changepassword Change the password for the CLI user.
exit Exit the CLI.
status Display the status of the OneSystem.

Upgrade Commands
onesystem checkupgrade Check to see if a new OneSystem release is available.
onesystem upgrade Upgrade to the latest OneSystem release. Will download and
activate the new version without any further user input. During
activation the OneSystem operation be interrupted.

Advanced Upgrade Commands

onesystem upgrade download Download the latest OneSystem release, but do not activate it.
OneSystem operation is not interrupted.
onesystem upgrade rollback If there is a problem during activating or starting a new OneSys-
tem release, use this command to roll back to using the previous
release. This MUST be done after onesystem activate and
BEFORE onesystem start

OneSystem Application Control

onesystem restart Restart the OneSystem application
onesystem start Start the OneSystem application
onesystem [stop | shutdown] Stop the OneSystem application

SMTP Configuration
smtp config host=<host> port=<port> user=<user@example.com> password=<pass>
smtp config host=<host> port=<port>
smtp list

Private OneSystem URL Configuration

external-url set <http://onesystem.mycompany.com> Set the Private OneSystem URL
external-url Verify the Private OneSystem URL name

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Network Configuration
network set static address=<addr> netmask=<nm> gateway=<gw> dns=<server1[,server2]...>
network set dhcp
network status

Proxy Configuration
proxy set http://<user?:<pass>@<proxy ip>:<port>

proxy set http://<proxy ip>:<port>

proxy list

Manage Avahi, which provides name resolution for the OneSystem hostname on your
local network.
avahi disable Disable the avahi-daemon
avahi enable Enable the avahi-daemon

Exporting and Importing Private OneSystem Database

Command Required Parameters

exportdb protocol=smb host=<nas hostname/ip> share=<share name>

importdb protocol=smb host=<nas hostname/ip> share=<share name>

Command Required Parameters if share is restricted with username and password credentials

exportdb protocol=smb host=<nas hostname/ip> share=<share name> user=<user> password=<password>

importdb protocol=smb host=<nas hostname/ip> share=<share name> user=<user> password=<password>

1.6 - Upgrading Private OneSystem in Virtual Environments with

Internet Access
1. Connect to Private OneSystem.
Connect to Private OneSystem via ssh. You may use the IP address or Private OneSystem URL.
The username = ‘osconfig’ and password = ‘config’.
# ssh osconfig@<IP_Address>
# config

Alternatively:

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# ssh osconfig@sean.exablox.com
# config

2. Check if there is a Private OneSystem upgrade available.

# onesystem checkupgrade

3. Upgrade Private OneSystem.

# onesystem upgrade

NOTE: The Private OneSystem VM will automatically restart after the upgrade completes. Please
plan accordingly for a brief interruption.

4. You may verify the version of Private OneSystem.

# status

5. You may now upgrade the OneBlox managed through Private OneSystem by navigating to the
OneBlox view and clicking the teal ‘Update Now’ button.

1.7 - Downloading an Updated Private OneSystem version to

Install at a Later Time
With the # onesystem upgrade command, it automatically downloads and installs the updated
Private OneSystem version. Alternatively, if admins would like to independently download the
newer version and install at a later time, follow these steps.

1. Download the updated Private OneSystem.

# onesystem upgrade download

2. To complete the installation at another given time, run the upgrade command.
# onesystem upgrade

3. You may verify the version of Private OneSystem.

# status

4. You may now upgrade the OneBlox managed through Private OneSystem by navigating to the
OneBlox view and clicking the teal ‘Update Now’ button.

1.8 - Upgrading Private OneSystem in Virtual Environments without Internet

Access
For Private OneSystem environments that do not have internet access, communication can be
configured with the proxy server. If done, the upgrade may be done may upgrade with
# onesystem upgrade process. If a proxy server can not be configured, the upgrade procedure
is different as it requires admins to export the original Private OneSystem configuration and then
import the configuration to the new Private OneSystem VM. Before beginning, visit
https://download.exablox.com to download the latest OVA. Please refer to step 2 in “Configuring
Private OneSystem” on page 5.

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The migration is accomplished by having the original Private OneSystem mount an SMB network
share and writing a tar.gz file to the share. After the export is complete, the new Private
OneSystem VM can mount the share, import the file, and complete the upgrade/migration.
Additionally, during this process, the original Private OneSystem will be powered down. Please
plan for approximately 30 minutes of downtime.

1. Connect to Private OneSystem.

Connect to the original Private OneSystem via ssh with the username = ‘osconfig’ and password =
‘config’
# ssh osconfig@<IP_Address>
password = ‘config’

2. Export the original Private OneSystem.

# exportdb protocol=smb host=192.168.201.105 share=Private_OneSystem_Export

If you are accessing a restricted share export the original Private OneSystem with the following:
# exportdb protocol=smb host=192.168.201.105 share=Private_OneSystem_Export
user=sean password=<enter_password>

This will write a file named ‘onesystem_data<#>.tar.gz’ at the root of the specified share. The
<#> in the file name is a number that increases if the same share has been used as a Private
OneSystem export target in the past. The first time the export occurs, the file name will be
‘onesystem_data1.tar.gz’ and the second export will be ‘onesystem_data2.tar.gz’.

3. Through VMware, power down the original Private OneSystem VM.

4. Install the new Private OneSystem OVA as VM. This is the same procedure as in “Configuring
Private OneSystem” on page 5.

Important: Only install the OVA as a VM. Configuring Private OneSystem will follow the import
process in step 5.

5. Connect to the new Private OneSystem VM.

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Connect to the original Private OneSystem via ssh with the username = ‘osconfig’ and password =
‘config’
# ssh osconfig@<IP_Address>
# password = ‘osconfig’

6. Import the original Private OneSystem database.

# importdb protocol=smb host=192.168.201.105 share=Private_OneSystem_Export

7. Enter ‘Y’ to confirm.

This will overwrite the new/blank Private OneSystem database with the original Private OneSystem
database and the OneBlox configuration details.

8. Configure the new Private OneSystem VM with the original Private OneSystem configuration
details.
As in “Configuring Private OneSystem” on page 5, set the IP address, SMTP, and Private
OneSystem URL configuration details with the exact settings of the original Private OneSystem
details.
Set the IP address information:
# network set static address=<addr> netmask=<nm> gateway=<gw>
dns=<server1[,server2]...>

Verify network settings:

# network status

Set the SMTP configuration. If the SMTP server does not require username and password, you
may leave out the last two arguments.
# smtp config host=<host> port=<port> user=<user@example.com> password=<pass>

Verify SMTP settings:

# smtp list

Set the Private OneSystem URL:

# external-url set <http://onesystem.mycompany.com>

Verify the Private OneSystem URL:

# external-url

9. Start Private OneSystem. At the end of the process it will say ‘completed’.

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# onesystem start

10. Now that Private OneSystem has been upgraded, the original database has been migrated to
the new Private OneSystem VM, navigate to each OneBlox and upgrade the OneBlox software by
clicking the teal ‘Update Now’ button.

For example, with Private OneSystem 3.1, there is an upgrade to OneBlox 2.15.3 available. You
may view the release notes here: https://exablox.io/useinfo

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1.9 - OneSystem and Private OneSystem Comparison

OneSystem Private OneSystem

Responsibility for maintenance, Exablox Customer
monitoring, infrastructure man-
agement

Responsibility for OneSystem Exablox Customer

availability for management

Availability of new OneSystem As soon as Exablox releases Less frequent and dependent on
Feature them customer’s ability to schedule
Private OneSystem upgrade

Ability to upgrade OneBlox to Anytime Less frequent upgrades

the latest release

OneSystem Subscription Fee Equal to Private OneSystem Equal to OneSystem

Ability to use Two Factor Google Authenticator or Google Authenticator

Authentication Mobile SMS

Ability to view OneBlox historical Yes with Proxy Server

capacity reporting and trending

Use of device certificates for Yes No

secure OneBlox and OneSys-
tem communication

Ability to manage OneBlox with No Yes

no internet connectivity

Exablox Support proactively Yes No

monitoring status of OneBlox

Ability for Exablox support to Yes Yes

secure access OneBlox

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1.10 - Private OneSystem FAQs

What’s the main difference between OneSystem and Private OneSystem?

With OneSystem, Exablox deploys, maintains, upgrades, monitors, protects, and globally proac-
tively supports every OneBlox deployed in customer’s data center. For customers that do not
have internet access or have another business case for local management of OneBlox, Private
OneSystem may be deployed locally. However, customers now take the management, mainte-
nance, and upgrade responsibility.

Who’s responsible for the deployment and installation of Private OneSystem?

Customers may download the Private OneSystem Docker container and then deploy the con-
tainer as a virtual machine in either VMware vSphere 5.5 or 6.0 environments. Customers must
be familiar with VMware administration to deploy Private OneSystem.

Does Exablox provide any VMware licenses?

No. All VMware licenses and necessary server hardware are the customer’s responsibility.

Who’s responsible for the backup and recovery of Private OneSystem?

Each customer is solely responsible for protecting the Private OneSystem virtual machine. If Pri-
vate OneSystem can not be recovered, OneBlox configuration details will be lost. Exablox has no
ability to recover Private OneSystem.

Is it possible to make Private OneSystem highly availability through clustering?

Currently Exablox does not provide a way to cluster Private OneSystem. If high availability is a
concern, customers may use OneSystem, hosted by Exablox.

Who’s responsible to upgrade and maintain the Private OneBlox virtual machine?
It’s every customer’s responsibility to upgrade and maintain Private OneSystem. Exablox will
notify customers when upgrades are available, and customers can then schedule the appropriate
maintenance window to remain current with OneSystem and OneBlox software.

Does Private OneSystem require public internet access?

For ongoing management and operations, Private OneSystem does not require internet access.
All OneBlox must be on a network that can be routed to the Private OneSystem virtual machine
for active management. For Private OneSystem and OneBlox upgrades, customers must provide
internet access for the Private OneSystem VM to download the updated software.

How are email alerts and notifications sent?

Customers must configure an SMTP server so Private OneSystem may send email alerts and noti-

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fications. Currently Exablox does not receive the alerts so Exablox support will not be able to pro-
actively respond to incidents. There will be a configuration option in the future for Exablox to
receive the same alerts and notifications.

Are there any feature differences between Exablox’s cloud-based OneSystem and Private
OneSystem?
Yes. There are three differences as of Janurary 2017. First, Private OneSystem can not use mobile
SMS notifications for two step verification. Google Authenticator is the supported method for
two step verification with Private OneSystem. Second, historical reporting of capacity utilization,
deduplication data reduction ratios, and recovery point objectives are only available with Private
OneSystem that is configured with external Proxy server communication. Third, OneBlox and
OneSystem device certificates are not supported with Private OneSystem.

In the future there will be more differences in features available with Exablox’s cloud-based
OneSystem and Private OneSystem.

Is there a different user interface?

No. Private OneSystem and Exablox’s cloud-based OneSystem look the same.

Does Exablox globally monitor and support Private OneSystem?

No. At this time, Exablox can not globally monitor Private OneSystem deployments. It’s highly
recommended that customers proactively monitor OneBlox conditions for storage capacity utili-
zation, remote replication status, and other critical functions.

Can Exablox support remotely access OneBlox managed through Private OneSystem?
Yes. If customers enable remote support access, Exablox support can securely access OneBlox
through Private OneSystem.

Is Private OneSystem secure?

Yes. Private OneSystem is digitally signed. After download and before installation, it ensures
nothing has changed.

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1.11 - Known Issues with Private OneSystem Deployments

• Two Step Verification works with Google Authenticator, but not SMS to the mobile device.
• SMARTOne information is not uploaded to Exablox. Disk alarms will still be delivered locally, if
removed or failed, but SMARTOne data is currently unavailable.
• Historical reporting is only available with proxy server configuration. Viewing the Ring and Mesh
pages in OneSystem will provide storage capacity, data reduction ratios, and remote replication
recovery points.

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