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NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector Installation and Configuration Guide for Veritas NetBackup

Last Published: 2025-03-04

Product(s): NetBackup IT Analytics (11.5)

Configure Data Collector on NetBackup primary with version lower than 10.1.1

Step-1: HTTPS requirement

The default NetBackup IT Analytics configuration is HTTP Port 80 between the Data Collector and the Portal and between the User's Web Browser to the Portal. If HTTP is not acceptable in your environment, you will need to configure HTTPS before proceeding. Once the Data Collection policy configuration is complete, continue to Step-2: Add Data Collector on NetBackup IT Analytics Portal.

If HTTP is acceptable, you can also configure SSL at the end of the configuration process once you have completed the remaining steps.

Step-2: Add Data Collector on NetBackup IT Analytics Portal

Once logged in to the Portal:

Select Admin > Data Collection > Collector Administration.
Click Add Collector.

On the Add Collector screen, you will need to define the Collector Name, Passcode and select the Portal Domain you wish to associate with the Data Collector and your auto-upgrade options. Please refer to the table below for additional details regarding each field.

Although you can have any name for the Data Collector, it is recommended that the Data Collector name be the hostname of the NetBackup primary server. In the example below, the NetBackup primary server name is used followed by "_DC" as an abbreviation for Data Collector.

Table: Field description

Field	Description
Collector Name*	The collector name cannot include a space and is case sensitive. The names should match exactly as entered in the Data Collector configuration screen and the Data Collector Installer screen. Edit the unique name assigned to this Data Collector. The Data Collector will use this value for authentication purposes. Changing the Collector ID or passcode requires manual changes to the corresponding Data Collector server. Collection will break if these corresponding changes are not made.
Passcode*	Edit the passcode assigned to this Data Collector. It can be any character sequence. Unlike other system passwords (which are encrypted and then saved) this Data Collector passcode is not encrypted prior to saving in the database and may appear as clear case in certain files. It simply is intended as a "handshake" identification between the Data Collector and the policy. Changing the Collector ID or passcode requires manual changes to the corresponding Data Collector server. Collection will break if these corresponding changes are not made. You can use the following OS-specific special characters in the passcode. Make sure the special characters you include are supported on the OS where the Data Collector is installed. You can specify from one to 128 characters in your passcode. Linux: !@#%^* Windows: !@#$%^&*()
Short Notes	Descriptive notes associated with this Data Collector.
Enable SSL	Both secure (SSL) and non-secure Data Collectors can send data to the same Portal. Check this box to select the secure communication protocol (https) that the Data Collector will use. This check box will not appear in the dialog box if SSL is not enabled in your environment. The Portal data receiver must be listening for https traffic; for example: https://agent.mycollector.com
Auto-upgrade aptare.jar	Indicate if you want this configuration file upgraded automatically. This part of the Data Collector is responsible for event and metadata processing threads. The .jar file contains the processing and parsing logic for data collection. The latest versions can be downloaded automatically and applied to the collector during upgrades. It is recommended that this setting be set to Yes.
Auto-upgrade Upgrade Manager	Indicate if you want this configuration bundle upgraded automatically. This Data Collector component is responsible for managing Data Collector upgrades. The latest versions can be downloaded automatically and applied to the collector during upgrades. It is recommended that this setting be set to Yes.

Click OK. You will now be presented with the following message, indicating that a .json file has been created. This file is required when you configure and register your data collector.

Click OK. Get the .json file path.

Download the .json file and copy it to the NetBackup primary server when you configure the Data Collector.

Step-3: Install the Data Collector

Refer Chapter 4: Installing Data Collector Software. This section assumes that you will install a NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector 11.4 or greater, which will allow you to register the data collector using a .json file. When complete, resume at Step 4.

Installing the Data Collector software

Step-4: Configure the Data Collector

If configuring the Data Collector for a non-clustered NetBackup primary running a NetBackup version earlier than 10.1.1, configure the Data Collector manually using a response file.

For a NetBackup server, proceed to Step-4A: Configure the NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector manually for NetBackup.
For NetBackup Appliances or NetBackup Flex Appliances proceed to Step-4B: Configure Data Collector for NetBackup Appliances (including Flex appliance).
For NetBackup deployment on Kubernetes, proceed to Step-4C: Configure NetBackup IT Analytics for NetBackup deployment on Kubernetes.

Step-4A: Configure the NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector manually for NetBackup

This section details the steps required to manually configure the Data Collector using a .key file. This configuration requires editing a response file to configure the distributed Data Collector, installed by default on the non-clustered NetBackup primary. The Veritas NetBackup primary server installation will deploy NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector binaries automatically on Windows ( C:\Program Files\Veritas\AnalyticsCollector) and Linux (/usr/openv/analyticscollector).

The NetBackup IT Analytics Portal must be already installed in your data center and a Data Collector entry must be added via the Collector Administration screen of the portal for each NetBackup primary server before you perform this configuration. See Step-2: Add Data Collector on NetBackup IT Analytics Portal.

To configure the Data Collector manually on Windows:

Create a response file as a batch script responsefile.cmd with the contents shown. These are the responses to the user input required to configure the Data Collector.

COLLECTOR_REGISTRATION_PATH=<path to the .json file> 
HTTP_PROXY_CONF=N 
HTTP_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTP_PROXY_PORT= 
HTTPS_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTPS_PROXY_PORT= 
PROXY_USERNAME= 
PROXY_PASSWORD= 
PROXY_EXCLUDE=

Update the value for each field with appropriate data. A sample response file is also available in the installer media in x64\ITA_DC\responsefile.cmd.

Run the command shown:

"C:\ProgramData\Veritas\NetBackup IT Analytics\DC\configure.cmd" 
\RESPFILE:response_file_path \INSTALL_TYPE:CONFIG

Validate the Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics by going to C:\Program Files\Veritas\analyticscollector\mbs\bin\ and running this command: checkinstall.bat.
If the Data Collector is configured with the Portal, the response is displayed as  SUCCESS.
Note:
The host name in Data receiver URL, executed from the NetBackup Primary, must resolve to the Portal server's IP address.

To configure the Data Collector manually on Linux using key file:

Create a response file with the contents shown. These are the responses to the user input required to configure the Data Collector.
```
COLLECTOR_REGISTRATION_PATH=<path to the .json file> 
HTTP_PROXY_CONF=N 
HTTP_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTP_PROXY_PORT= 
HTTPS_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTPS_PROXY_PORT= 
PROXY_USERNAME= 
PROXY_PASSWORD= 
PROXY_EXCLUDE= 
```
A sample response file is available on the install media and from /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/responsefile.sample on the primary server.
Update the value for each field with appropriate data.

Run the command:

/usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/dc_installer.sh -c responsefile_path

Validate the Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics by navigating to /usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/ and running ./checkinstall.sh. If the Data Collector is able to communicate with the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal, the response is displayed as  SUCCESS.
Note:
The host name in data receiver URL, executed from the NetBackup Primary, must resolve to the Portal server's IP address.

Step-4B: Configure Data Collector for NetBackup Appliances (including Flex appliance)

You can configure a Data Collector on the primary server pod using the following steps: From NetBackup version 10.3 Cloud Scale release, Data Collector on primary server pod is supported. The below steps to configure the Data Collector on a primary server must be performed as a root user. On a Flex appliance, connect to the primary server pod first and then switch to the root user using sudo. On a NetBackup Appliance, access shell by creating NetBackup CLI user.

To configure NetBackup IT Analytics for NetBackup deployment:

Create a DNS server entry in such a way that IP of the Portal must be resolvable to a single FQDN. IP of the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal must be resolved to:
```
itanalyticsagent.<yourdomain> 
```
Note the following:
- If the Portal URL is itanalyticsportal.<yourdomain>, then ensure to add the DNS entries for the following hostnames: itanalyticsagent.<yourdomain>
- If the Portal URL is aptareportal.<yourdomain>, then ensure to add the DNS entries for the following hostnames: aptareagent.<yourdomain>
Collect the <your-collector-name>.key for the new Data Collector by accessing the Portal link and creating a collector and copy it to the host machine from where NetBackup primary is deployed.
Collect the <your-collector-name>.json  file for the new Data Collector by accessing the Portal link and creating a collector and copy it to the host machine from where NetBackup primary is deployed.
For more information, refer to the  Data Collector Encryption section in NetBackup IT Analytics User Guide.
Create a new folder analyticscollector at persisted location (for example, /mnt/nbdata/) using the following commands:
```
cd "/mnt/nbdata/" 
mkdir analyticscollector 
```
Copy <your-collector-name>.key or <your-collector-name>.json  file to /mnt/nbdata/analyticscollector inside the NetBackup primary host or container.
In case the data-receiver is configured with self-signed certificate (https). User must add the certificate in the data collector.
See Configure the Data Collector to trust the certificate section in the NetBackup IT Analytics Administrator Guide.
Connect to the NetBackup primary host or the container.

Navigate to /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/ location and perform the following.

Open the responsefile.sample and add the following parameters:

COLLECTOR_REGISTRATION_PATH=<path to .json file> 
HTTP_PROXY_CONF=N 
HTTP_PROXY_ADDRESS=
HTTP_PROXY_PORT=
HTTPS_PROXY_ADDRESS=
HTTPS_PROXY_PORT=
PROXY_USERNAME=
PROXY_PASSWORD=
PROXY_EXCLUDE=

Configure the Data Collector with the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal as follows.
Note:
If the Data Collector installed is of a lower version than the Portal, wait for the Data Collector auto-upgrade to finish before you proceed.
For NetBackup Appliance version 5.3 or later:
- Run the following command as a NetBackup CLI user:
```
/usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/dc_installer.sh -c /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/responsefile.sample
```
- To verify the Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics Portal, run:
```
/usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/checkinstall.sh
```
For NetBackup Appliance version 5.1.1:
- Run the following command as a NetBackup CLI user:
```
sudo /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/dc_installer.sh -c /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/responsefile.sample
```
- To verify the Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics Portal, run:
```
sudo /usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/checkinstall.sh
```
If you are on Flex Appliance:
- Connect to the primary server container and then switch to root user using sudo and run:
```
/usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/dc_installer.sh -c /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/responsefile.sample
```
- To verify the Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics Portal, run:
```
/usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/checkinstall.sh 
```
If the Data Collector is configured with the Portal, it will display SUCCESS.
Note:
If there is a version mismatch of aptare.jar between Data Collector and Portal, execution of checkinstall.sh command will trigger an auto-update of the Data Collector.

Check the Data Collector services status by running the following command and ensure that the following Data Collector services are up and running:

/usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/aptare_agent status

Output of the above command:

IT Analytics Zookeeper Server is running (pid: 16137).
IT Analytics Kafka Server is running (pid: 16145).
IT Analytics WatchDog is running (pid: 7225).
IT Analytics MetaDataCollector is stopped.
IT Analytics EventDataCollector is stopped.
IT Analytics DataCollector process is running (pid: 7365).
IT Analytics On-demand process is running (pid: 7361).
IT Analytics Message Relay Server process is running (pid: 7366)

Step-4C: Configure NetBackup IT Analytics for NetBackup deployment on Kubernetes

You can configure Data Collector on the primary server. Following are the steps for respective configurations. From NetBackup version 10.3 Cloud Scale release, Data Collector on primary server is supported. The following steps to configure the NetBackup IT Analytics Data Collector need to be performed as root user. Connect to the primary server pod and then switch to root user using sudo.

To configure NetBackup IT Analytics for NetBackup deployment

Create a DNS server entry in such a way that IP of the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal must be resolvable to a single FQDN. IP of the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal must be resolved to:
```
itanalyticsagent.<yourdomain>
```
Note the following:
- If the Portal URL is itanalyticsportal.<yourdomain>, then ensure to add the DNS entries for the following hostnames:
```
itanalyticsagent.<yourdomain> 
```
- If the Portal URL is aptareportal.<yourdomain>, then ensure to add the DNS entries for the following hostnames:
```
aptareagent.<yourdomain>
```
Collect <your-collector-name>.key for the new Data Collector by accessing the Portal link and creating a collector and copy it to the host machine from where Kubernetes cluster is accessed. For more information, see Data Collector Encryption section in NetBackup IT AnalyticsUser Guide.
Copy  <your-collector-name>.key to /mnt/nbdata/analyticscollector inside the NetBackup primary pod using the command:
```
kubectl cp <keyfile-name> <namespace>/<primary-pod-name>:/mnt/nbdata/analyticscollector
```
In case the data-receiver is configured with self-signed certificate (https), you must add the certificate in the data collector.

Execute the following command on the primary server pod:

kubectl exec -it -n <namespace> <primaryServer-pod-name> -- bash

Navigate to /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/ location and perform the following:

Open the responsefile.sample and add the following parameters:

COLLECTOR_REGISTRATION_PATH=<path to the .json file> 
HTTP_PROXY_CONF=N 
HTTP_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTP_PROXY_PORT= 
HTTPS_PROXY_ADDRESS= 
HTTPS_PROXY_PORT= 
PROXY_USERNAME= 
PROXY_PASSWORD= 
PROXY_EXCLUDE=

Run  this  command to configure Data Collector with Portal.

/usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/dc_installer.sh -c /usr/openv/analyticscollector/installer/responsefile.sample

Validate Data Collector integration with NetBackup IT Analytics by performing the following:
- Go to usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/.
- Run the command:
```
./checkinstall.sh 
```
If Data Collector is configured with the Portal, it will display as SUCCESS.
Note:
If there is a version mismatch of aptare.jar between Data Collector and Portal, execution of checkinstall.sh command will trigger an auto-update of the Data Collector.

Check the Data Collector services status by running the following command and ensure that the following Data Collector services are up and running:

/usr/openv/analyticscollector/mbs/bin/aptare_agent status

Output of the above command:

IT Analytics WatchDog is running (pid: 13312).
IT Analytics MetaDataCollector is stopped.
IT Analytics EventDataCollector is stopped.
IT Analytics DataCollector process is running (pid: 13461).
IT Analytics On-demand process is running (pid: 13463).
IT Analytics Message Relay Server process is running (pid: 13471)

Step-5: Verify the Data Collector is online from the Portal

Login to the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal.
Go to Admin > Data Collection > Collector Administration and verify whether the Data Collector is Online.

Step-6: Confirm that the Data Collector is updated

On the NetBackup IT Analytics Portal, go to Admin > Data Collection > Collector Updates and select the Data Collector for which the component needs to be upgraded.

Step-7: Configure the data collection policy

Refer to Chapter 3: Configuring NetBackup Collection Policies . Once the Data Collection Policy configuration is complete, continue to Step 8.

Configure a Veritas NetBackup Data Collector Policy

Step-8: Confirm that the NetBackup data collection policy is collecting data

Select Collector Administration and confirm that the Policy State column is showing Collecting, for the Veritas NetBackup collection policy, or has a green check mark under the Status column, indicating a successful collection. Note that you may need to Refresh the screen for several minutes.