HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

This QuickStart describes the installation of a HiveManager Virtual Appliance.

Introduction to HiveManager Virtual Appliance

Before you can install the HiveManager Virtual Appliance, you must first install a VMware product, such as
VMware ESXi hypervisor on your server1.
The HiveManager Virtual Appliance is a virtual machine that you can download in an .ova (Open Virtual
Appliance) file format and deploy on a VMware ESXi hypervisor running on a physical device on your
corporate network. The ESXi hypervisor is a server dedicated to running VMs (virtual machines), and VMs are
containers that can run their own operating systems and execute applications. If you do not already have
VMware ESXi deployed, you can obtain free ESXi software from the following location:
www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/esxi-and-esx/overview.html.
You also need to install VMware vSphere Client on your management system, and use it to access the ESXi
hypervisor and HiveManager Virtual Appliance. Computers running Windows support vSphere Client.

Server Hardware Requirements

The following are the minimum hardware requirements to support the number of APs deployed.
Recommended minimum hardware requirements for deploying 1,500 APs:

Processor: Dual Core 2 GHz or better

Memory: 8 GB total dedicated to HiveManager Virtual Appliance (4 GB dedicated to the VM and 4 GB
dedicated to the database)
Disk: 256 GB, 15,000 revolutions per minute (15 K RPM) Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drive 6 Gbps

Recommended minimum hardware requirements for deploying 5,000 APs:

Processor: 2X Quad Core CPUs or better

Memory: 8 GB total dedicated to HiveManager Virtual Appliance (4 GB dedicated to the VM and 4 GB
dedicated to the database)
Disk: 500 GB, 15 K RPM SAS 6 Gbps (minimum of 256 GB dedicated to the database)

1. You can also install VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion (Mac version) on your computer, and then install
HiveManager Virtural Appliance.

For more information: Aerohive Release Notes Online Docs and Videos HiveMind 1
Installing an ESXi Hypervisor on a Server HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

Recommended minimum hardware requirements for deploying 15,000 APs:

Processor: 4X Quad Core CPUs or better

Memory: 16 GB total dedicated to HiveManager Virtual Appliance (8 GB dedicated to the VM and
8 GB dedicated to the database)
Disk: 500 GB, 15 K RPM SAS 6 Gbps (minimum of 256 GB dedicated to the database)
Dual Node: Same hardware requirements on both application and database server nodes

Installing an ESXi Hypervisor on a Server

Complete the following steps to install an ESXi hypervisor on a server or dedicated PC that meets the
minimum requirements noted in "Server Hardware Requirements" on page 1.

The following procedure assumes that you have a keyboard and monitor attached to the device you
intend to make the ESXi host.

1. From the VMware website, register for a free account and download ESXi 4x or later. ESXi 3 does not
support the HiveManager Virtual Appliance.
2. Burn the ESXi image to a CD or DVD.
You will use this disc to install the image on the virtualization host.
3. Load the disc with the ESXi image on the host and boot it up from the disc.
4. After accepting the end user license agreement, follow the onscreen VMware ESXi installer instructions
to select a hard disk on which to install ESXi, set a keyboard layout preference, and define an ESXi
hypervisor root admin password.
When the installation is complete, remove the disc and reboot the system.
5. After the system reboots, press the F2 key to log in to the ESXi Direct Control User Interface using the root
admin password that you just set.
Check if the host received its network settings through DHCP. If so, note its IP address. If not, configure
static network settings through the onscreen interface.
6. On your management system, open a browser and make an HTTP connection to the ESXi hypervisor IP
address.
Click Download vSphere Client, and download and install VMware vSphere Client on your system.

Figure 1 HiveManager Virtual Appliance

HiveManager Virtual Appliance

Virtual Virtualization host

Virtual host switch HiveManager 10.1.1.5/24
10.1.1.5/24 10.1.1.8/24

Internal network
Switch 10.1.1.0/24

Aerohive devices

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

HiveManager Virtual Appliance Software

The 64-bit HiveManager ESXi Virtual Appliance software that is available from two sources:
• USB flash drive delivered to you by Aerohive
Connect the drive to a USB port on your host or VMware ESXi server and follow the procedure for
"Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance" on page 3 to import the .ova file to your VMware ESXi
server.

Figure 2 Aerohive HiveManager Virtual Appliance USB Flash Drive

• Software download from the Aerohive Support Software Downloads portal

Log in to the Aerohive Support Software Downloads portal, download the HiveManager Virtual
Appliance OVA-formatted file to your local directory, and follow the procedure for "Installing the
HiveManager Virtual Appliance" on page 3 to import the .ova file to your VMware ESXi hypervisor server.
The 64-bit .ova (Open Virtual Appliance) formatted file is ready for import to your VMware EXSi hypervisor
server. The following example shows the HiveManager release 6.1r2 file available on the Aerohive Support
Software Downloads portal:
• HM-6.1r2-64bit-ESXi—6.1r2 HiveManager 64bit Virtual Appliance ESXi in Open Virtual Appliance format

Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance

After you have installed the ESXi hypervisor, you are ready to install the 64-bit ESXi Virtual Appliance .ova file.
As described in "HiveManager Virtual Appliance Software" on page 3, you can install the HiveManager
Virtual Appliance .ova file from a USB flash drive provided by Aerohive or download the software from the
Aerohive software downloads website.

Deploying the HiveManager Virtual Appliance OVF Template

You can deploy an OVF (Open Virtualization Format) template from an OVA (Open Virtual Appliance)
directory copied from the Aerohive USB flash drive or the Aerohive Software Download website. An OVF
template is a distribution package of several files contained in a single directory that comprises an XML
descriptor, metadata, and other information for the OVF package. This directory is distributed as an OVA
package that contains the OVF directory within a .tar archive file. An .ova file contains a virtual machine
that is prepackaged and ready for deployment.
Use the VMware vShpere Client to install the HiveManager Virtual Appliance OVF template onto your
VMware ESXi host. To install this software, you must have root administrator credentials.

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

1. Launch VMware vSphere Client, enter the IP address that you defined for the ESXi hypervisor, and then
log in with the root admin credentials you set when you installed the ESXi hypervisor.
By default, ESXi has two virtual networks: Management Network and VM Network. Both networks are
bound to the vSwitch0 virtual switch, which in turn connects to the vmnic0 physical adapter. The
interface for the ESXi hypervisor is bound to the management network. The interfaces of the virtual
machines that you deploy—such as the HiveManager Virtual Appliance—can be bound to the VM
network or to another network that you define.

2. Click File > Deploy OVF Template.

The Deploy OVF Template wizard launches.

3. Browse to the source location of your OVA-formatted file, verify that the path to our OVA file is correct,
click Open, and then click Next.
The OVF Template Details window appears.

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

4. Verify the OVF template details are correct, and then click Next.
The Name and Location window appears.
5. You can accept the current name or change the unique name of the .ova file, and then click Next.
The Host/Cluster window appears.
6. Select the host or cluster on which you want to run the HiveManager Virtual Appliance from the list of
hosts and clusters, and then click Next.
If you selected a cluster, the Specific Host window appears listing the available specific host names.
7. Select the host within the cluster on which you want the HiveManager Virtual Appliance to run, and then
click Next.

The Disk Format window appears.

8. You can accept or change the current datastore disk format and disk space in gigabytes, select the
provisioning option, and then click Next.
Make sure you select a datastore that is large enough for the virtual machine and all of its virtual disk
files. You can also choose whether you want your storage to be thin provisioned or thick provisioned.
• Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed: When you select this option, the HiveManager Virtual Appliance claims
the entire amount of configured hard disk space from the virtualization host; however, the
HiveManager Virtual Appliance does not immediately overwrite sectors with zeroes if it is not
currently using them. As a result, any preexisting data occupying the claimed sectors might be
recoverable from the host.
• Thick Provision Eager Zeroed: When you select this option, the HiveManager Virtual Appliance claims
the entire amount of configured hard disk space from the virtualization host and immediately
overwrites all allocated—but as yet unused—sectors with zeroes. This option will take longer during
the initial deployment.

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

• Thin Provision: When you select this option, the ESXi hypervisor allocates only enough host disk space
to the HiveManager Virtual Appliance for it to start, leaving the rest of the disk space for other virtual
machines to use if needed. Note that one disadvantage to this approach is that the HiveManager
Virtual Appliance might run more slowly as it reclaims disk space as needed.
Aerohive recommends selecting either of the thick provisioning options for better performance. Thin
provisioning is useful for space-demanding VMs. After you make your selection, click Next.
The Network Mapping window appears.
9. Map the HiveManager to the VM Network destination. When the mapping is correct, click Next.

10. Confirm that your deployment settings are correct, select the Power on after deployment check box to
start the HiveManager Virtual Appliance, and then click Finish.

Configuring the HIveManager Virtual Appliance

Configure the following parameters of the HiveManager Virtual Appliance within the VMware console after
it boots up:
1. From the tabs across the top of the VMware window, click Console to view the status of the
HiveManager Virtual Appliance as it boots up.
After it completes booting up, the login prompt appears.
2. Log in to the console with the following default credentials:
HiveManager Login: admin
Password: aerohive

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

3. From the VMware console for the HiveManager Virtual Appliance, you can access the HiveManager
startup script wizard and change HiveManager Virtual Appliance network settings along with many
other settings. Configure the HiveManager Virtual Appliance to have a MGT IP address in the same
subnet as that configured for the hypervisor.

To release the cursor and exit the VMware console when finished accessing the CLI, press the CTRL
and ALT keys simultaneously and move your mouse button.

HiveManager Login: admin

Password: aerohive
1) Network Settings and Tools
2) Display System Information
3) Advanced Product Configuration
4) Reboot Appliance
5) Shut down the System
6) Change CLI Shell Password
7) Logout of shell
Please make a choice:
4. To list the network setting options, enter 1 (Network Settings and Tools).
5. To list the current IP address, netmask, and default gateway settings, enter 1 (View/Set
IP/Netmask/Gateway/DNS Settings).
6. To change the IP address and netmask settings and make sure the MGT IP address is in the same subnet
as your hypervisor, enter 1 (IP Address and Netmask for MGT Port) and enter the new settings.
7. To change in the default gateway IP address, enter 2 (Default Gateway) and enter the IP address of
the default gateway.
8. To change in the domain name server IP address, enter 4 (DNS Configuration) and enter the IP
address of the DNS server that you want HiveManager to use.
9. To restart network services on the HiveManager Virtual Appliance, enter 6 (Restart Network
Services) and then enter y to confirm the operation.
After the HiveManager Virtual Appliance restarts, the new settings will be operational, and the following
message appears:
Restart network services successfully.

Accessing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance GUI

1. After the HiveManager Virtual Appliance processes have started, open a web browser on your
computer, and browse to the IP address that you configured through the CLI.
A certificate warning appears. This is normal because HiveManager Virtual Appliance uses a self-signed
certificate and your browser does not have the CA certificate that signed it. Consequently, your browser
cannot verify the certificate. Simply choose the option to continue to the website.
2. When the Login screen appears, enter the default user name and password:
Username: admin
Password: aerohive

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Installing the HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

The Aerohive Networks, Inc. End User License Agreement appears.

3. Read it over, and if you agree with its content, click Agree.
4. A prompt to enter an entitlement key appears. Enter the key that you received in an email from
Aerohive.
If you did not receive a key for some reason, you can still use the product without an entitlement key for
a 30-day grace period from the time of your initial login. During that time, send your sales order number
and customer ID to orderentry@aerohive.com with a request for a HiveManager Virtual Appliance
entitlement key.
When you receive an email response with the key, copy and paste it in the Entitlement Key field on the
Home > Administration > License Management page in the Entitlement Key field, and then click Enter.
After you log in to the HiveManager Virtual Appliance GUI, you can get information about the contents
of any page by clicking the Help button in the upper right corner of the page.
For further information about configuring Aerohive products, refer to Aerohive product documentation,
such as the Aerohive Deployment Guide, and follow the instructions in the computer-based training (CBT)
modules. The documentation and CBTs are available online at http://www.aerohive.com/techdocs.

Upgrading HiveManager Software

It might be necessary to upgrade the HiveManager software to the latest release.
To upgrade HiveManager software, from the Aerohive update server:
1. Click Home > Administration > HiveManager Operations > Update Software, and then select File from
update server.
If a more recent release is available, it appears in the Software Version List.
If you have the most recent version, a message appears informing you that you have the most recent
HIveManager image, and there are no newer versions available.
2. To download a more recent version, click Download in the Action column for the software image that
you want.
3. After the download completes, reboot HiveManager by clicking Home > Administration > HiveManager
Operations > Reboot Appliance > Reboot.
To download HiveManager software from the Aerohive Support site and load it from your local
management system:
1. Log in to and download software images from the Aerohive Customer Support Portal at
http://www.aerohive.com/support/login.
2. Click Home > Administration > HiveManager Operations > Update Software, and then enter the
following:
• Choose either Update and clear the alarms and event logs or Full update (which keeps existing log
entries, if there are any).

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VMware Tools for HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

• Select File from local host, and then browse to the software image.
• To save the new software and reboot HiveManager, click OK.

VMware Tools for HiveManager Virtual Appliance

You can install the VMware Tools suite for your HiveManager Virtual Appliance to increase performance and
use VMware advanced features. VMware Tools is a set of utilities and drivers that increases the performance
of a virtual machine and aids its management. VMware ESXi version 4.1 and later hypervisors support the
VMware Tools suite. VMware Tools supports:
• Increased efficiency in memory allocation—allows you install a memory control driver for
HiveManager that provides increased efficiency in memory allocation. The memory control driver
allows the host to recover from memory issues in a manner that the guest OS, which is an operating
system in addition to the host (such as Windows, Linux, Unix, Macintosh, and other operating systems)
has control.
• Ability to shut down HiveManager gracefully—allows you to shut down and restart HiveManager
using the toolbar. Without VMware Tools, the only way to shut down the virtual machine (VM) is to
force the ESXi hypervisor to shut down. The operating system on the VM kills the running processes
and does not gracefully shut down the VM.
• Improved clock synchronization—allows you to resolve clock synchronization issues. Because virtual
systems have multiple CPUs, clock drift becomes an issue unless the proper host synchronization
driver is installed. Synchronization of the clock in the virtual machine with the clock on HiveManager
is improved.

Installing VMware Tools

VMware Tools are supported on HiveManager Virtual Appliance version 6.1r3 or later. You can install the
tools from the ESXi hypervisor console without accessing the shell.
You can SSH into HIveManager Virtual Appliance to access the CLI, and then launch the VMware vShpere
Client GUI after step 3 to install the tools, or you can use the VMware vShpere Cient console to access the
CLI.
To install VMware Tools using the VMware vShpere Client console to access the HiveManager Virtual
Appliance CLI:

To release the cursor and exit the VMware console when finished accessing the CLI, press the CTRL
and ALT keys simultaneously and move your mouse button.

Log in to the HiveManager Virtual Appliance CLI and complete the following steps:
1. To list the network settings, enter 1 (Network Settings and Tools).
2. To view the VMware options, enter 12 (VMware Related Options).
3. To install the VMware Tools, enter 2 (Install VMware tools).
The following message appears:
Please select "Install/Upgrade VMware Tools" from your VMware Guest Menu, then
return here and select Y below. Continue with Install (Y/N).
4. To launch the VMware Guest menu for HiveManager Virtual Appliance, right-click the HiveManager
Virtual Appliance name, select Guest from the pop-up menu that appears, and then select
Install/Upgrade VMware Tools.
The Install/Upgrade in VMWare Tools dialog box appears.

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VMware Tools for HiveManager Virtual Appliance HiveManager Virtual Appliance QuickStart

5. Select the Autmatic Tools Upgrade in the Install/Upgrade Tools dialog box and then click OK to have
vCenter automatically upgrade VMware Tools and reboot HiveManager Virtual Appliance.
6. Return to the HiveManager Virtual Appliance console CLI and enter Y.
The following message appears: VMware Tools installation may take serverl minutes, please
don’t cancel unti it is done. VMware Tools installation starting ...
After the installation is finished, the following message appears: VMware Tools Installation done.

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