Data Center Expert 7.9.3 release notes

[EcoStruxureIT]

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You must have a valid software support contract to receive the Data Center Expert 7.9.3 update file on the EcoStruxure IT Entitlements portal
Log in and then click Software Updates. More information...

If the DCE update files are not available in EcoStruxure IT Entitlements, contact your local technical support to verify your support contract and get access to the update file(s) you need.

Part Numbers Affected

• AP9465
• AP9470
• AP9475
• AP94VMTRL

See the list of the server appliances (AP9465, AP9470, and AP9475) supported by DCE 7.9.x:
Data Center Expert 7.9.0 server hardware requirements

Minimum System Requirements

The DCE console is a stand-alone Java application that runs on systems that meet the following requirements:

• A PC with a 1-GHz or better AMD/Intel processor running a 64-bit operating system:
  Microsoft® Windows® Server 2016 and 2019, Windows 10 and 11

• At least 2 GB of RAM and 20 GB disk space

• Screen resolution should be set to at least 1024 x 768

• Supported browsers: Edge; Mozilla® Firefox®; Google Chrome™
  See Known issues in DCE for details about support for Internet Explorer and Edge

New features

The Data Center Expert 7.9.3 release updates the server operating system to Rocky Linux 8.7.

Enhancements

• Updated default security setting for storage
  NTLMv2 is now the default Security setting for Windows backup and restore in the System > Server Administration Settings > Storage Settings > Windows Repository option.

• Increased default disk space for VM
  The default disk space for the Data Center Expert Virtual Appliance (VM) was increased to 40GB.

• Changed the apcreset default password
  The default apcreset password was changed from apc to apcreset to make the default server username/password format consistent.

• Export alarm configuration lists
  You can now export a copy of the list in the Alarm Configuration > Device Alarm Configurations and Threshold Alarm Configurations views as a *.CSV (the default selection) or *.txt file.

• HTTPS message in web client
  The message when attempting to access the web client using HTTP now states that the desktop and the web client support HTTPS only.

Server operating system

Server OS: Proprietary Rocky Linux 8.7 (RHEL derivative)

Java version: OpenJDK-headless-1.8.0.352

Windows desktop client

Java version: Adoptium 8u352b08

Software vulnerabilities fixed in DCE 7.9.3

• CVE-2019-17567 – Apache HTTP mod_proxy_wstunnel
• CVE-2015-5211 – RFD Attack in Spring Framework
• CVE-2022-21449 – Vulnerability in the Oracle Java SE

See Data Center Expert Security for more information.

Issues Fixed

• Discovered devices no longer disappear after an uncontrolled server shutdown.

• Third-party devices are no longer listed in the Updates > Apply Firmware Updates option.

• NMC3 devices perform scans as expected after a firmware update.

• The desktop client now restarts as expected after changing the server from the File > Change server option or rebooting the server.

• Nested folders are no longer created for subsequent retries after a failed backup.

• Local repository backup progress is now displayed as expected in the System > Server Administration Settings > Server Backup/Restore option.

• A server restart is no longer required after setting the security policy in the System > Server Administration Settings > Server Access > Security Policy option.

• The error message in the System > Users and Group Access option correctly states that the user password minimum is three characters.

• A prompt to restart the client to allow modified map settings to take effect is now displayed as expected.

• Atop service logs are now rotated daily.

Known Issues

• In DCE 7.7.1 and newer, the client launcher does not reopen once DCE restarts after changing system settings or using the File > Change Server option. Create a shortcut and add the -h parameter to the Target path.
  More…

• The Apply button is not enabled once No is selected in the Security Policy confirmation window. Click Cancel and select the Server Access > Security Policy option again to reactivate the Apply button.

• The server reboots without displaying a confirmation when changes are made in the Time Settings option.

• Email notifications might identify the DCE version as 7.9.2 after the server has been updated to DCE 7.9.3. This is a display issue that does not affect functionality. It will be addressed in a future release.

Complete list of DCE known issues

Software update procedure

The following steps are necessary to update DCE 7.9.2 to DCE 7.9.3.

DCE must be at a minimum of 7.9.2 to update to DCE 7.9.3 If you are downloading DCE 7.9.3, you will need access to the Internet. 

You must have a valid software support contract to receive the DCE 7.9.3 update.  If you do not, then you will need to purchase one to receive the update.

The DCE software update files are available in the EcoStruxure IT Entitlements portal.
Log in and then click Software Updates. More information...

If the DCE update files are not available in EcoStruxure IT Entitlements, contact your local technical support to verify your support contract and get access to the update file(s) you need.

IMPORTANT: Do not reboot the server during the update.

The DCE 7.9.3 update performs a data migration that takes under an hour for most systems. The data migration can take longer if the system has thousands of devices and years of history, and varies based on several factors:

• Number of devices

• Number of sensors connected to those devices

• Polling interval

• Frequency at which sensor values change. For example, input voltage to UPSs can fluctuate throughout the day vs. temperature sensors in a strictly controlled environment that almost always report the same value.

You can see the status of the update on the Data Center Expert web client Home page.

NOTICE: Before beginning an update, remember to run a full backup on your DCE by going to System > Server Administration Settings > Server Backup/Restore, create a backup entry and then click Start.

1. Download the upgrade.zip file, or contact Technical Support for assistance.
   Note: The restore.iso file may be needed for later use if a re-installation is required. See Restoring using ISO Format for instructions for restoring your data from a restore.iso file from the ISO format.

2. Extract/expand the upgrade zip file into a separate directory on the hard drive of the system that will be running the DCE Console.

3. Login to your DCE v7.9.2 server with full server access. Now select Updates from the menu bar then Apply Server Update.

4. Click Import and look into the subdirectory where extracted files are placed. The structure of the extracted fields should contain two folders, "BW" and "NBCCore", and an index file, "nbcpkg.lst"

5. Select the "nbcpkg.lst" file and click "Open".

6. The Upgrade/New Packages table will update indicating there is an update available for the DCE server. Check the "Install/Upgrade" option for the package(s) you want to upgrade. Click the Install Selected button to start the upgrade for the selected package(s). You will be prompted to confirm you want to proceed with the update. Click Install Update to start the update process. Do not reboot the server during the update process.

7. When the file transfer completes, DCE will restart and disconnect your console connection. You can point a web browser to the DCE server for status.

8. When the update is complete, point a web browser to the DCE server, and select Install DCE Client.

Restoring Data Center Expert using ISO Format

Warning: Only perform the steps in this section if directed to do so by a Technical Support technician.

Before You Restore:  A system restore will erase all data and restore the DCE hardware server to its factory default settings. Make sure you have a copy of all installed license keys and network settings prior to restore.

1. Download the restore.iso file to create a bootable USB key, or contact Technical Support for assistance.

   For a USB Key, follow the instructions provided in Creating a bootable USB Key (Windows or Linux machine).

2. Place the USB key in the USB port of your DCE appliance.

3. Reboot DCE.

4. When the appliance restarts the system restore process begins automatically. This process takes approximately 10 minutes for the 1U DCE Basic, 15 minutes for 1U DCE Standard or 25 minutes for 2U DCE Enterprise.
   When the restore is complete, you will be prompted to remove the USB key and hit enter to reboot the server.
   Note: If the system boots into the existing DCE version, reboot the server and access the BIOS settings. Adjust the boot sequence to boot from USB first.

5. Once DCE has restarted, configure the DCE network settings.

Migrating a Data Center Expert hardware server to a virtual appliance

Before You Migrate: To migrate a DCE hardware server to a virtual appliance, you must purchase and apply an activation key.  Additionally, you must contact APC Support for new node license keys and application license keys for the virtual appliance.

1. Perform a back up of the DCE hardware server, using the Server Backup/Restore option, accessed from the Server Administration Settings option in the System menu.

2. Deploy the demo version OVA, and configure it using the hardware equivalents for the DCE Basic, Standard, or Enterprise server from which you are migrating. The available disk space for the virtual appliance must be greater than the disk space used by the hardware server. You cannot restore to a virtual appliance with fewer CPU, fewer network adapters, less RAM, or less available disk space than the hardware server. See help for Deploying and configuring a DCE virtual appliance, and DCE virtual appliance equivalent configurations.

3. Perform a restore on the virtual appliance, using the Server Backup/Restore option, accessed from the Server Administration Settings option in the System menu. You cannot restore to a virtual machine other than the DCE virtual appliance.

4. Apply the activation key to the virtual appliance.

5. Log in to the DCE client. In the "License Keys" display, accessed from the Server Administration Settings option in the System menu, apply the new node license keys and application license keys you received from APC Support.

Creating a bootable USB Key (Windows or Linux machine)

Instructions for a Windows machine:

1. InsertUSBkey (no larger than 4GB) into your system.

2. Extract the following file to a temporary directory:
   DCExpertUsbFlashRestore_Win_7.9.3_b.zip

3. Open a command prompt to the temporary directory and run mkDCExpertRestoreUsbKey.bat <iso image filename>. For example: mkDCExpertRestoreUsbKey.bat c:\tmp\restore.iso

4. Answer the prompts as appropriate.

Instructions for a Linux machine:

1. Insert a 2GB (or larger) USB key into your system.

2. Extract the following file to a temporary directory: 
   DCExpertUsbFlashRestore_Linux_7.9.3_b.tar.gz

3. Open a command prompt to the temporary directory and run mkDCExpertRestoreUsbKey.sh <iso image filename>. For example: mkDCExpertRestoreUsbKey.sh /tmp/restore.iso

4. Answer the prompts as appropriate.

Third-party USB key scripts:

The scripts used to create USB keys use the following software:

Software	URL	Windows	Linux
Syslinux	http://syslinux.zytor.com/	X	X
7-zip	http://www.7-zip.org	X
GNU sed	http://unxutils.sourceforge.net	X

You can now choose to compress a backup. The compressed backup is a single tar.gz file with a .dce file extension for easier filename filtering. More..