Checking system prerequisites

Edit online

You must check system prerequisites before you install Network Manager or related products.

About this task

You can run a preliminary check of the hardware and software environment on the servers where you want to install Network Manager or related products. You can use IBM Prerequisite Scanner, a separate piece of software, to do this check. This initial check shows you whether you need to upgrade hardware or configure the operating system before you install your products.

In addition to the checks made by the IBM Prerequisite Scanner, the Network Manager installer runs its own checks when you attempt to install your products. The IBM Prerequisite Scanner can check for prerequisites of multiple products. The Network Manager installer checks only for the prerequisites of products that are selected for installation.

Important: The automated checks are not a substitute for understanding the hardware, software, and other prerequisites described in the documentation. Some prerequisites depend on your network or deployment and cannot be automated.

To check system prerequisites for Network Manager 4.2 core components and GUI components, complete the following steps:

Procedure

  1. Download the IBM Prerequisite Scanner V1.2.0.18 or above from IBM Fix Central. Search for “IBM Prerequisite Scanner” or follow this link: https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/swg/selectFixes?parent=ibm%7ETivoli&product=ibm/Tivoli/Prerequisite+Scanner&release=All&platform=All&function=all.
  2. Uncompress the downloaded file into an appropriate directory, for example, /opt/PRS. You do not need to run an installer.
  3. Download the latest Fix Pack of Network Manager. See Downloading Network Manager for details on where to download the product.
  4. Uncompress the downloaded product files.
  5. Copy the configuration files for Network Manager from the prereq_checker directory into a directory such as /opt/ITNM_PRS.

    The configuration files consist of the following files:

    • os.itnm.python_compare.sh: A helper script to check Python prerequisites.
    • os.itnm.python: A script to check Python prerequisites.
    • packageTest.sh: A modified version of the helper script for the prerequisites checker script.
    • prereq_checker.sh: A modified version of the prerequisites checker script.
    • TNM_042000xx.cfg: The prerequisite properties configuration file for Network Manager, where xx is the Fix Pack number.
  6. Copy the file /opt/ITNM_PRS/prereq_checker.sh over the existing file /opt/PRS/prereq_checker.sh.
  7. Copy the file /opt/ITNM_PRS/packageTest.sh over the existing file /opt/PRS/UNIX_Linux/packageTest.sh.
  8. Copy the configuration files os.itnm.python, os.itnm.python_compare.sh, and TNM_042000xx.cfg into the configuration file directory under the root directory for IBM Prerequisite Scanner.
    By default, the configuration file directory is UNIX_Linux. You can specify a different directory by running the IBM Prerequisite Scanner using the optional configHomeDir parameter.
  9. Update the permissions on all the files that you just copied to include execute permissions, using a command such as chmod +x.
  10. To check prerequisites for the Network Manager core components on this server, export the following environment variable:
    export tnmCORE=True
  11. To check prerequisites for the Network Manager GUI components on this server, export the following environment variable:
    export tnmGUI=True
  12. Start the IBM Prerequisite Scanner using the following command:
    ./prereq_checker.sh TNM detail

    This command checks for Network Manager prerequisites because the product code TNM is used. The command checks for prerequisites for the latest version of Network Manager because no version is specified.

    For more information about command-line options, see the documentation about Running Prerequisite Scanner at the IBM Docs site for your version of IBM Prerequisite Scanner: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/prerequisite-scanner

  13. Repeat these steps on each server on which you want to check prerequisites.

Results

The results of the system prerequisites check are displayed on screen and written to file (/opt/PRS/result.txt by default), indicating whether the current server is suitable for installing your choice of components.

For more information about interpreting the scan results, see the documentation about Outputs from scans and formats at the IBM Docs site for your version of IBM Prerequisite Scanner: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/prerequisite-scanner