How to use the NetWorker Software Administration Wizard

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The NetWorker 'Software Administration Wizard' is a GUI option within the NMC that allows you to Upgrade Individual or Multiple client computers at the same time. It is extremely valuable in an environment that has many dozen or hundreds of clients to manage and upgrading each of them one-by-one would take weeks or months.

This is a Graphical or GUI tool. There is also a way to do the same thing using a command line option by using the nsrpush command. In some situations that might be better. But the Software Administration Wizard leverages the nsrpush command to perform its functions as well.

The Wizard supports the following operations (each option will be discussed in more detail below):

  • Manage your software repository. Add or remove packages from your software repository.
  • Inventory your NetWorker clients. Discover the currently installed software your client machines.
  • Update your NetWorker clients. Distribute the latest software to your clients.
  • Monitor inventory and update activity.

How To locate and open the Software Administration Wizard

  1. Open the NetWorker Management Console (NMC)
  2. On the Configuration menu, Right-Click and select Software Administration Wizard.
  3. Click ‘Next' in the Welcome to the Software Administration Wizard page.

How To Manage your Software Repository.

Use the Software Administration Wizard to ADD or REMOVE information about software packages in the repository, from a GUI.

  1. In the Select Operation window, “Add or remove products from my software repository” then click Next.
  2. In the Software Repository Operations window, select Add or Remove software products from the repository, then click Next.
  3. In the Select Products to Add or Remove window, select the products, then click Next.
  4. If the operation completes successfully, then click Ok when the pop up window appears. If the operation fails, review the nsrcpd.raw file located in the /nsr/logs (UNIX) or NetWorker_install_path\nsr\logs (Windows) directory for further details.

How To Inventory your NetWorker clients

  1. Click “Discover the currently installed software products on my NetWorker clients.” It will take a few moments to gather the info and show you a list of all your clients.
  2. From the list, highlight the client you wish to inventory. It will offer you a chance to monitor the progress of the inventory as well.

How To Update your NetWorker clients

A client inventory must always be done before upgrading. You will need to perform a recent ‘Discovery' of the currently installed software products on your NetWorker Clients.

There are TWO options for upgrading your clients.... either by Individual Client or All Clients with a single version.

By Client:

This will upgrade ONLY the clients that you choose.

  1. Start the Software Administration Wizard and click Next.
  2. Select Upgrade the software on my NetWorker clients and click Next.
  3. Select the option By Client. This will upgrade on the clients that you select. Click Next.
  4. Select the appropriate hosts, and click Next.
  5. A list of hosts and installed products appears. Select the hosts and products, and click Next.
  6. The Monitor Activity window appears and provides the status of upgrade job in the top table and the status of each client upgrade operation in the bottom window, for the selected upgrade job. When the upgrade job contains many clients, the job might take awhile to complete.
  7. Click Finish.

By Version:

This will upgrade ALL clients to a new software version.:

  1. Start the Software Administration Wizard, click Next.
  2. Select Upgrade the software on my NetWorker clients, and click Next.
  3. Select the option By Product and Version. This will upgrade all clients to a new software version. Click Next.
  4. Select one or more products that you want to update on the clients. For example, select NetWorker and NMDA. The wizard may display multiple versions of a product. To update the host, select only one version.
  5. Click Next. A list of clients and products appear, one client and product per line. Only clients with a software version that is earlier than the version selected in the Select Products to upgrade window appear.
  6. Select one or more of the client/product combinations to update, click Next.
  7. In the Monitor Activity window, review the status of the upgrade operation, then click Finish.

NOTE: You cannot use the Software Administration Wizard to push NetWorker software to clients under certain conditions. EMC knowledge document KB-199686 'Software Administration Wizard Limitations'

How To Monitor inventory and update activity

    Select the ‘Monitor inventory and update activity' and it will open up a GUI window with two different views. The top view contains the active and recent master jobs. The bottom view contains the individual client jobs which are contained within the selected master job. Select a master job to see the corresponding client jobs.
    It will show you if the job status and even the Start and Completion time of the job. It also offers other information about any warnings or what phase the job process is in.