Minimum setup requirements

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Initial setup

The following actions should have been performed during the physical Data Center Expert server installation. Virtual machine setup requirements are here.

• The server was physically installed.
• The server was connected to a power source.

• The public and private local area network (LAN) settings were defined at the server.

  Note: To verify that these settings are defined correctly, log in to the client and go to System > Server Administration Settings > Network Settings.

Log in to the Data Center Expert desktop client and configure the server to use all of the Data Center Expert server's functions and features to monitor and manage your company-wide physical infrastructure devices, and other APC, NetBotz, and 3rd-party devices on your networks.

You can also use a browser to launch to the IP address or hostname of the Data Center Expert Web Client, a real-time overview of active alarms and device details for that server on a computer, tablet, or mobile device.

Minimum setup requirements

There are a several actions you must take to configure the server to perform the most basic functions needed to monitor SNMP devices, Modbus devices, and NetBotz Appliances.

1. If the Data Center Expert client is installed on your machine, go to step 3. Otherwise, do the following:
   1. Use a browser to launch to the IP address or hostname of the server.
   2. Log in to the Data Center Expert Web Client using the Administrator Username and Password and click Download Client in the upper right corner.
2. Click I agree to accept the software license agreement, and follow the on-screen instructions to install the Data Center Expert client.
3. Launch your client and log on at the Data Center Expert server using the Administrator Username and Password.
4. Enter Data Center Expert licenses, if you want to start monitoring more than 25 devices, or to use the separately-licensed Surveillance feature. Otherwise, go to step 5.
   1. Select Server Administration Settings > License Keys in the System menu.

   2. Enter the license keys.

      Note: You can also enter the license numbers for other separately licensed features, in addition to Surveillance.

5. Make sure the administrator credentials include the email address of the person you want notified when alarm conditions directly related to Data Center Expert server operations occur.
   1. Select Users and Device Group Access in the System menu.
   2. Select the Data Center Expert Administrator (apc, by default) in the User and User Group Details section of the Users tab, and click Edit User.

   3. Edit the E-Mail Address credential, if needed.

      Note: You can change the default Username and Password values, as well.

6. Define the e-mail settings the Data Center Expert server will use to send e-mails to the administrator when alarm conditions related to the server operations occur.
   1. Select Server Administration Settings > E-mail Settings in the System menu.
   2. Define the Primary and Secondary tab settings, as needed.
7. Enable the SOCKS server feature to enable communication with any devices you want to monitor on the private LAN, if necessary.
   1. Select Server Administration Settings > Server Access in the System menu.
   2. Enable the SOCKS Server option in the SOCKS Proxy tab.
8. Add a remote NFS or Windows share repository the Data Center Expert server can use instead of the local repository.
   1. Select Server Administration Settings > Storage Settings in the System menu.
   2. Use the Repositories tab to add a remote repository.
   3. Use the Purge Settings tab to define the purge settings you want the repository to use.
9. Define at least one NFS or Windows share location to be used for backup files of the Data Center Expert server configuration data, or its configuration and repositories data.
   1. Select Server Administration Settings in the System menu.
   2. Select Server Backup/Restore in the "Server Administration Settings" display.
   3. Identify the NFS or Windows share location at which backup files will be saved.

   4. Schedule how often those files will be created automatically.

      Note: By default, backup files will be created every Friday at 1:00 AM.

10. Discover the SNMPv1, SNMPv3, Modbus devices, and NetBotz Appliances you want your server to monitor.

    Note: All four device types require their own discovery process, not only on the public LAN, but on the private LAN, as well.

    1. Select Add Devices in the Device menu, or click the green + icon in the Device View.
    2. Select which type of device you want to discover (SNMPv1, SNMPv3, NetBotz Appliance, or Modbus TCP), and click Next.
    3. Define the parameters to be used for the discovery process.
    4. Run the discovery process.
    5. Repeat steps a through d, as needed, to discover all the types of devices you want the Data Center Expert server to monitor (SNMPv1, SNMPv3, NetBotz Appliance, or Modbus TCP), on both the public and private LANs.

11. Define any or all the alarm notifications you want available to the Data Center Expert server for any SNMPv1, SNMPv3, and Modbus devices discovered during step 9.

    Note: Additionally, each NetBotz Appliance has its own unique profiles it can use for alarm conditions at the devices it monitors (see step 13).

    The Data Center Expert server has a Default notification policy. Device alarms and communication link status thresholds for all monitored devices are included in the Default notification policy at device discovery.

    You must create at least one alarm action, and add it to the Default notification policy, or another notification policy you create, before the Data Center Expert server can generate alarm notifications for conditions that occur at monitored SNMP and Modbus devices.

    1. Select Manage Alarm Actions in the Alarm Configuration menu.
    2. Click Create to access the Alarm Action wizard.
    3. In the "Choose Alarm Action Type" display, select the type of alarm you want to create, and click Next.
    4. In the "Configure Alarm Action" display for the selected action, define the settings you want the action to use, and click Finish to exit the wizard.
12. Add alarm actions to the Default notification policy.

    1. In the Alarm Configuration perspective, in the Notification Policies view, select the Default notification policy. Right-click and select Edit.

       Note: To create a new notification policy, right-click or use the Create Notification Policy icon.

    2. Click Add to configure the alarm actions to add to the notification policy. Click Manage Actions to create alarm actions, or modify or remove existing alarm actions on the Data Center Expert server.

       Note: You click Choose Thresholds to add user-created thresholds, for the device groups or devices selected, to the Default notification policy . Communication link status thresholds for monitored SNMP and Modbus devices are added to the Default notification policy at device discovery.

    3. Check-mark one or more actions to configure their notification options, check-mark the actions you want to add to the notification policy, and click OK.

13. Create thresholds for sensor types supported by monitored devices.

    1. Select the sensor type on which you want to add a threshold from the Create Thresholds option in the Alarm Configuration menu. Alternatively, select a device group or device, and right-click to select the Create Thresholds option.
    2. In the "Select Threshold Type" display, select the threshold type you want to add, and click Next.
    3. In the "Select Sensors" display, select the sensor or sensors for which you want to add thresholds, and click Next.
    4. In the "Create Threshold" display, define the settings, and, if desired, click Threshold Scheduling to configure when the Data Center Expert server will generate notifications if the threshold becomes active. Click Next.
    5. In the "Select Notification Policies" display, select the notification policies to which you want to add the alarm threshold, and click Finish to exit the wizard.

14. Define any or all the alert actions you want available to any NetBotz Appliances discovered during step 9, to associate with the alert profiles used for alert notifications. Each NetBotz Appliance has its own unique profiles it can use for alarm conditions at the devices it monitors.

    Note: An alert action must be available to the Data Center Expert server, and to each monitored NetBotz Appliance, for use with their alert profiles.

    1. Select Alert Actions, a NetBotz Appliance Configuration > Alert Settings option in the Device menu.
    2. In the "Select Alert Action Type" display, select an action.
    3. In the "Select Next Action" display, select Create a new alert action.
    4. In the "Select Next Action Devices" display, select the devices for which the action can be used.
    5. Define the action settings.
    6. In the "Choose Next Action" display, select Configure another alert action to repeat steps b through e, as needed, to finish defining all the alert actions for your Data Center Expert server and monitored NetBotz Appliances.

15. Add at least one alert action to the one of the alert profiles used by each NetBotz Appliance for alert notifications.

    Note: The profiles at a NetBotz Appliance may have been defined already using its NetBotz Advanced View. You can edit it to make sure someone in your organization is notified when problems occur.

    1. Select Alert Profiles, a NetBotz Appliance Configuration > Alert Settings option in the Device menu.
    2. In the "Select Parent Device" display, select the parent device (the individual NetBotz Appliance) associated with the profile you want to configure.
    3. In the "Select Alert Profile" display, select the alert profile you wish to modify, and click Next.
    4. Configure the alert profile to include at least one of the alert actions available to the selected parent device.
    5. Repeat steps a through d to add at least one alert action to the alert profile used by each monitored NetBotz Appliance.