Profile Servers in BIUL

Run a profile on a host to gather preinstall check information. This check ensures that a host is prepared for software installs. Profiling requires a credential that is a valid SSH user for a selected host. This credential does not require superuser privileges, but the credential must have write permission on the host’s remote working directory.

By default, the remote working directory is /tmp. You can configure a remote working directory. For more information, see Deployment Settings.

To access the hosts, a valid SSH credential with administrative rights on the host is required.

You can run a profile immediately, or run it as a scheduled task.

Profile a Host Immediately

Run a profile immediately, and the Tasks page appears, with the Task Summary panel open, displaying the results.

  1. Go to the Hosts > Host Inventory page.
  2. Select a host, and then at the far right, click the ellipsis menu icon and select Perform Host Actions.
  1. Select Profile, and then click Next Step.
  1. On the Credential Selection page, select a logon credential to access the remote system. If you cannot log on as root, then select one of the following to run the action with escalated privileges: pbrun, sudo, or sudo su. This might require choosing a second credential.
  1. Select Run Now, and then click Next Step.
  1. Review the Summary page, and then click Finish.
  1. Review the Task page and verify the completed status of attempted actions under Task Summary.
  2. To view more information about Task Status, click Task Details.

Profile a Host as a Scheduled Task

Set up a profile to run as a scheduled task. After the task has run per your schedule, you can open the Tasks page and locate and click the task to see the results in the Task Summary panel.

  1. Go to the Hosts > Host Inventory page.
  2. Select a host, and then at the far right, click the ellipsis menu icon and select Perform Host Actions.
  1. Select Profile, and then click Next Step.
  1. On the Credential Selection page, select a logon credential to access the remote system. If you cannot log on as root, then select one of the following to run the action with escalated privileges: pbrun, sudo, or sudo su. This might require choosing a second credential.
  1. Select Schedule, and the Calendar tool appears.
  2. Select the month, week, and day for the task. The full day hours are displayed. To display just the business hours, at the bottom left of the hours, click the Show business hours button. Click it again for full day hours.
  3. Double-click the top or bottom of the hour you want to select, and the Event scheduling dialog box appears.
  4. Verify/set the Start date and time, and then select the Timezone.
  5. (Optional). Set the number of Retries.
  6. If you want the task to be repeated, select the frequency to repeat.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Click Next Step.
  1. Review the Summary page, and then click Finish.
  1. The Tasks page appears. Verify that the information in the Scheduled Summary panel is accurate.
  2. (Optional). You can update, pause, or delete the schedule by using the buttons at the bottom of the panel.

Profile a Host using a Credential Rule

To avoid requiring password authentication when you run a host profile, configure a credential rule. Use default credentials to run a profile on one or many hosts.

  1. Go to the Hosts > Hosts Inventory page.
  2. Select the hosts you want to profile:
    • Single host: Select the host, and then at the far right, click the ellipsis menu icon and select Profile Host with Default Credentials.
    • Multiple hosts: To select the hosts to profile, check the boxes on the left of the hostnames. From the Actions menu, select Profile Host with Default Credentials.

For more information on setting up default credentials, see Use Credential Rules.