Configuring Local Repositories Upload Mode

This topic helps you to configure and switch to Local Repositories Upload Mode.

To configure and switch to the Local Repositories Upload Mode, on the Image Library dashboard, click Upload Mode.
Figure 1. Image Library dashboard


Important: The analysis “OSD Local Relay Repositories Information” (55) must be enabled to use Upload Mode wizard.
If the analysis is not activated, a warning notification is displayed to activate the analysis. To enable the analysis, click Activate.
Figure 2. Activate analysis warning


When the analysis “OSD Local Relay Repositories Information” (55) is activated, you can configure the Local Repositories Upload Mode.
Figure 3. Local Repositories Upload Mode configuration environment.


Note: When the Local Repositories Upload Mode is enabled, the total size of the OS image that have been already imported in your Image Library is reported in the wizard and it will be moved to the local repositories.
Note: You must use a dedicated folder for the primary repository of the local repositories upload mode and it must not contain any external file or folder.

Adding a primary local repository

You can start the configuration by adding the Primary Local Repository. You can possibly define some relays to work as local repositories for the OS images at deployment time for the target computers that are below them in the download chain.

Complete the following steps to add a primary local repository:
  1. Click Add button on the Primary Local Repository section.

  2. Define the following Primary local repository parameters:

    Upload Buffer Space (GB)
    The minimum buffer space size in GB on primary local repository partition and on relay repository caches to allow the upload of a new OS image. By default, it is 10 GB.
    Shared Path
    The writable samba shared network folder that works as primary local repository. It must be reachable from the console computer where the Local Repository Upload Mode is being configured.
    User name and Password
    The user credentials to connect to the shared path.
    Security mode
    Applicable only in the case of Linux local relay repositories with direct connection to the primary local repository share. This security mode is used to mount it via samba client.
When a Primary Local Repository definition is saved, the connection with the provided details is tested and the status of the test is reported in the Status column.

When the primary local repository is configured, if its connection has been successfully tested, a green icon is displayed in the Status column. The local repositories upload mode can be enabled, if this has enough space to contain the OS images already imported in the environment.

Adding the Local relay repositories

You can optionally configure the local relay repositories before enabling the Local Repository Upload Mode or define them later. To deploy the OS image on the target computer, a relay cache must contain the OS image in its download chain.

  1. Click Add on the Local Relay Repositories section.

    A wizard opens and displays all the relay computers that are subscribed to the OS Deployment and Bare Metal Imaging site. Select the desired relay computer to define it as the local repository.

  2. You can optionally define a custom session relevance to filter them. You can select a relay computer and click on Next.
  3. Use On/Off toggle switch to enable or disable the local relay repository.

    An active local relay repository is automatically synchronized with the OS images on the primary local repository during the following scenarios:
    • when enabling the Local Repositories Upload Mode.
    • when a new OS image is uploaded when the Local Repositories Upload Mode is enabled.
    A local relay repository can work with two different types of connection to the primary local repository:
    Via console computer

    The samba connection to the local relay repository cache will be carried out from the console computer to copy/delete/synchronize OS images from primary local repository and to check the following factors:

    1. If the connection can be established
    2. Cache free space
    3. OS images present

    Provide the Shared Path, User name, and Password to access the relay http server root (wwwrootbes) directory. Ensure it is a writable samba shared network folder. It must be reachable from the console computer where the Local Repository Upload Mode is being configured.

    The Shared Path field is pre-filled with a default string, but it must be checked and eventually changed to the correct one.

    When the Local Relay Repository definition is saved, the connection with the provided information is tested and its status is reported in real time in the Status column.

    Direct
    The connection to the primary local repository will be established directly from the relay computer through a BigFix client action to copy/delete/synchronize OS images from the primary local repository when these tasks are run. The information on free space and OS images cached is displayed when the result of the analysis 55 is reported. The Shared Path, User name and Password fields are disabled and not needed for this type of connection.