* We are upgrading the NetWitness server from 10.6.x to 11.x. This is NOT a Series 4S hybrid.
* The system has SD Cards enabled in the BIOS and you would like to disable them. When we disable the SD cards in the BIOS the upgrade does not detect an eligible root file system and only allows to reinstall instead of upgrading.
* When we enable the SD cards in the BIOS the upgrade does detect an eligible root file system and then it allows the upgrade.
NOTE: The Series 4S Hybrids do not support this process. Leave the SD cards enabled and upgrade/migrate per the upgrade instructions.
WorkaroundThe workaround propose shows a way to upgrade without further use of the SD card. It includes procedures to disable the SD card and relocating the backup files onto a network share. This way we will able to proceed with the upgrade and have the NetWitness environment running without the use of SD card.
Assumptions: Backup script is on a CentOS 6 system that is NOT the NetWitness Server (in our case we used archiver)
Backups will reside on CentOS 6 System that is NOT the NetWitness Server (in our case we used the archiver)
1. Make Backups using nwbackup script 4.0 with -u switch
2. Insert buildstick or iso using iDRAC
3. Reboot system
4. Press F10
5. Disable SD Cards in BIOS (For more detailed information on disabling SD Cards in BIOS check
this article on buildsticking 10.4.0.2B)
6. Reboot
7. Press F11
8. Bios Boot manager
9. Boot from Buildstick/Virtual Media
Image description10. Press Enter to install 11.x
11. Type "y" to clear disk configuration
Image descriptionImage description12. Reboot
13.Press F11
14. Bios Boot manager
15. Boot from Buildstick/Virtual Media
16. Press Enter to install 11.x
17. Type "n"
18. Type "R" to Reinstall
Image description19. Base OS Will install
20.System will Reboot Automatically
Image description21. Login as "root"
22. Password is "netwitness"
Image descriptionImage description23. Start Configuring the network.
24. type "netconfig -p" -- this will show the network interfaces
Image description25. type netconfig --interface <interface from -p here> --static --ip <system ip here> --netmask <system net mask here> --gateway <network gateway here> --verbose
26. netconfig --interface eth0 --static --ip 10.0.0.67 --netmask 255.255.255.0 --gateway 10.0.0.1 --verbose
Image description27. Create backup directories
mkdir /var/netwitness/database
mkdir /var/netwitness/database/nw-backup
Image description28. Copy backup files from the backup server
scp 10.0.0.20:/var/netwitness/database/nw-backup/2018-05-15/saserver60* /var/netwitness/database/nw-backup
scp 10.0.0.20:/var/netwitness/database/nw-backup/2018-05-15/all-systems-master-copy /var/netwitness/database/nw-backup
scp 10.0.0.20:/var/netwitness/database/nw-backup/2018-05-15/esa60-10.0.0.63-controldata-* /var/netwitness/database/nw-backup
Image descriptionImage descriptionImage description29. Run Setup from iDRAC Console as it takes a long time, 1 hour or more in vm environment. Putty is dependent on a reliable network connection.
nwsetup-tui
Image description30. Accept agreement
31. Yes - 11.1 NWServer
Image description 32. Upgrade (From Previous Vers.)
Image descriptionImage description33. Verify Backup Directory /var/netwitness/database/nw-backup
34. Create Master Password
35. Create Deploy Password
36. Select 1 - The Local Repo (on the NW Server)
37. Apply Custom firewall Rules
38. Select 1 - Upgrade Now
39. Reboot host after install finishes
40. System will be successfully migrated
Image descriptionImage description
This process is an optional process for disabling SD cards on Series 4S appliances. It is not a requirement for upgrading Series 4S appliance from 10.6.x to 11.x.
Do not use this process on Series 4S Hybrids. Hybrids keep NetWitness database data on the local server. Following this guide will cause data loss. If you have questions please contact RSA NetWitness Support.