Here we are with the first time HPE StoreOnce VSA configuration dialog. For this part of the configuration we’ll use the Web GUI or Console. For those who want to review the previous steps about the virtual appliance deployment and configuration of the HPE StoreOnce VSA operating system itself the following articles give an idea on how to perform this in a home lab environment:
For this article we’ll run the Configuration Wizard. This wizard gives the options to configure the parameters for:
- Time and Date
- User Management
- License Management
- Optional Hardware
- Network Configuration
- Storage
- Email Configuration
These settings are a one time setup only. They will appear at the login until disabled as per screenshot below. Of course should the requirements and hardware change over time we can re-run this menu from the Configuration Wizard option in the Navigation panel.
As soon as we proceed by clicking on Advanced we also get two more option to configure the Email Server Settings and Notifications
Configure Time and Date
This is the first option to configure and surely one of the most important. From the Time and Date GUI page, you will be able to view the current date and time setting, as well as set the date, time, and time zone, and configure NTP servers. Should the VSA connect with an Active Directory Server environment for example we can point to this specific NTP Server. Otherwise the built-in NTP client details work fine. Let’s make sure Time and Date are correct though. Also let’s make sure there is not too much time difference between other servers in the network and this server. Ideally not more than 5 mins to avoid exceptions and services communication issues
Eventually from the Modify button we can enter the desired values to point to either an internal or external NTP server publicly available like NTP Server pool in UK. We can add a maximum of two NTP servers.
User Management
By default HPE StoreOnce includes two types of roles for users: Administrator and User. HPE StoreOnce by default includes these two users with the pertinent passwords as per initial installation text Wizard. Of course it is possible to change the passwords using the GUI. Additionally we can add more users created locally or imported from Active Directory. So let’s take a quick look at the user roles and types.
Roles:
Administrator Role:Â has access to pretty much anything to fully manage the StoreOnce installation. By default username and password are “Admin” and “admin”. Ideally we want to change the administrative account password to something else even if we are doing a test configuration in our home lab. If we forget the newly assigned password we can always login with the “HPresetpassword“ account that is only available on the local console.
User Role: this role has access to the GUI and CLI for monitoring and viewing purposes. Default Username and Password are “Operator” “operator”
Types:
Local User: this type of users are created and log in locally. Authentication is done using the StoreOnce appliance.
External User:: this type of users belong to an Active Directory domain. Authentication happens using respective domain credentials with Microsoft Active Directory Server.
External Group: this type of users refer to a Microsoft Active Directory group. Members of the group in AD log in as domain users. StoreOnce appliance can still define the permissions granularly. So for example it is possible to have one Admin user and Operator users in the same AD group.
The screenshot below shows the options and are very easy to follow.
License Management
Next item to configure is the License. A single license key enables the appliance and all features including StoreOnce Catalyst, Replication, and Security Pack features. In our case we’ll benefit from a free 1 TB license for 3 years
At the time of writing StoreOnce virtual appliance includes a trial license of up to 60 days. This license with the name of “Instant-on license” is available for all StoreOnce Systems and is a single license that enables two features, StoreOnce Catalyst and StoreOnce Replication. This allows to try out these features in StoreOnce appliances without having to purchase a full license in advance.
So what happens when the instant-on license expires? For VSA deployments of the StoreOnce appliance we simply need to enter the information as detailed in the entitlement document we’ll receive as soon as we provide the serial number of the deployed appliance. This will generate an LTU document (License To Use) with the license details. In the case of the free StoreOnce VSA when the instant-On license expires all the features will still be enabled but will be tied to the 1 TB of storage space. Which by the way is still a good amount of storage for home lab scenarios.
Network Configuration
In the case of the network configuration we can use this wizard to create or review the existing configuration we have already seen in the previous article. Unless there are specific reasons to change the previous setup we can just review the configured settings.
When we exit the configuration GUI from the Navigator panel we can still review the Network settings
This page shows the current network configuration. This is the active configuration and cannot be edited. However, the current configuration is a copy of the last activated configuration. The original remains (inactive) and can be modified.
The current configuration page has two tabs.
- Configuration shows the settings that have been applied to the configuration by the user.
- Status shows the actual settings that are reported based upon that configuration.
Email Configuration
Last steps for this Configuration GUI is about the Email setup as per screenshots below.
We can also define which email notifications will reach specific recipients based on the severity level: Alert, Warn and Info. Last but not least in the Navigator menu also includes the ability to send SNMP traps to other systems.
Storage Configuration
Finally the Configuration GUI is ready to commit any changes we apply plus the links to create the “Storage” we’ll use as a target for our Backups or to simply store Data. We’ll cover this step in the next articles with focus on StoreOnce appliance de-duplication capabilities. In particular the next articles will focus on the StoreOnce as a Backup Copy target and VTL provider for “air-gapped” backups
Conclusions
This concludes this part of the configuration for the StoreOnce appliance. Very easy and very quick. Should we need to change our settings this Configuration GUI is always available in the Navigator menu as Configuration Wizard.
In the meantime let’s take a look at the status page and make sure all services are running as expected. Next article will cover the creation of a NAS Share on StoreOnce where we can store our Backup Copies to take advantage of the de-duplication capabilities.
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