1 product overview – HP Insight Foundation Software for ProLiant User Manual

Page 5

1 Product overview

The

(VCA) is an

that is installed on a system to

enable you to view the HP software and firmware that is installed on that system. The VCA can be configured
to point to a

repository

being managed by the

HP Version Control Repository Manager

(VCRM), allowing

easy version comparison and software updates from the repository to the system on which the VCA is installed.

The VCA provides

version control

and system update capabilities for a single HP system. The VCA determines

system software status by comparing each

component

installed on the local system with the set of individual

components or a specified ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack listed in the VCRM.

An entire ProLiant or Integrity Support Pack can be updated by clicking the install icon located next to the
system software status icon. Individual components are provided with check box to select for installation.

VCA is enhanced to identify the presence of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on a TPM-enabled Windows
operating system. VCA supports installation/upgrading of both System ROM and option ROM components
on TPM-based systems. If VCA detects TPM module as being enabled, the user will be provided with a
checkbox to continue with the installation. The Install button on the component installation page of VCA is
enabled when the user confirms the decision to go ahead with the installation, confirming that the user is
aware of the recovery procedures by selecting the Continue checkbox.

NOTE:

TPM is a secure microcontroller with cryptographic functionalities. It works with supporting software

and firmware to prevent unauthorized access to a system. TPM with BitLocker measures a system state and
upon detection of a changed ROM image, locks the user out of accessing the Windows file system if the
user cannot provide the recovery key.

The VCRM and the VCA are integrated with the

System Management Homepage

(SMH), which is the

standard single-server management tool in the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack.

HP Systems Insight

Manager

(HP SIM), also part of the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack, uses the VCRM and VCA to facilitate

software versioning, update, and tasks related to it.

The VCA is available for Windows and Linux operating systems. The VCA is an integrated part of the SMH
that is designed to display the

available software

inventory of the system on which it is installed. The VCA

also allows the installation, comparison, and update of system software from a repository that is managed
by a VCRM.

Users with administrator or operator privileges can access the VCA to maintain the

software inventory

the system manually. The installation of components and configuration activities are logged to a log file at
the system. The VCA logs activities, such as software installations. However, installations done outside the
VCA do not appear in this log.

The VCA enables you to view the software installed on selected HP equipment, the available updates, and
whether the installed software is compliant with the latest updates found in the selected repository. In addition,
you can add or update HP software on the system remotely, using the browser interface of the VCA.

You can use the

Replicate Agent Settings

feature in HP SIM to update multiple servers with VCA settings.

For more information regarding the Replicate Agent Settings feature, refer to the online HP SIM help
system.

The VCA permits:

•

“Viewing installed software”

- View the currently installed software

•

“Changing settings”

- Select a VCRM as a reference point for obtaining software updates

•