Ensure that all prerequisite software is installed on the computers in your
infrastructure.
Important: The icon with a number next to the version of the software (for example:
![9.2.19](../version_icons/Quantum.gif)
) indicates in which application
update of
License Metric Tool support for the
particular software was introduced.
Server requirements
For information about operating systems on which BigFix®, DB2® and MS
SQL Server are supported, see: Supported operating systems.
Table 1. Requirements for the
License Metric Tool server
|
Version |
Description |
BigFix |
- 9.5.x
10.0.x
11.0.x
|
- Requirements
- For information about the requirements, see the following links.
- Bigfix version
-
|
DB2 |
- DB2 11.1 with Fix Pack 1 or higher
DB2 11.5
|
- Availability
-
DB2 is delivered with License Metric Tool
free of charge. However, according to the license agreement, it can be used only by License Metric Tool and by BigFix on condition that BigFix is not shared with other applications.
- Operating system requirements
-
- To use DB2 as a database, License Metric Tool must be installed on Linux®.
- DB2 that is used for License Metric Tool
must also be installed on Linux. Installation on a Windows computer is not supported.
- DB2 version
-
Important: DB2 11.1If you want to
install the License Metric Tool server with DB2 11.1, the BigFix server must use a separate database. BigFix does not support DB2 11.1 and does not plan to support it in the future. Thus, it is recommended to use DB2
11.5.
For the list of databases supported by the BigFix platform, see the following links:
- DB2 Fix Packs
- For the list of available Fix Packs, see the following links.
- DB2 requirements
- For information about the database requirements, see the following links.
- DB2 edition
- Any of the supported DB2 editions is sufficient to work with License Metric Tool regardless of the number of
endpoints. However, some editions (for example, Advanced Server Edition) give you access to advanced
features of DB2.
If you plan to share the database between the License Metric Tool server and the BigFix server, ensure that the edition that you choose is
supported by both servers. For the list of DB2 editions supported by License Metric Tool, see: IBM License Metric Tool 9.2 - supported operating
systems.
- DB2 settings
-
- Use a DB2 instance with default settings. Other required
database settings are configured by License Metric Tool installer.
- Make sure that the file system where the DB2 instance
directory resides is not mounted as
NOSUID or NOEXEC (or
both).
Restriction: If you specify non-default DB2
settings, License Metric Tool might not work properly.
- Download DB2 software
- For more information, see: Downloading and installing DB2.
- ksh for DB2
- ksh is not installed by default in new distributions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Ensure that
you install the package and that the /bin/ksh directory is available on the
computer where you plan to install DB2 before you start the installation of License Metric Tool.
|
MS SQL Server |
- 2014
- 2014 Express®
2016
2016 Express SP2 or higher
2017 with CU15 or higher
2017 Express with CU15 or higher
2019
2019 Express
2022
2022 Express
|
- Availability
-
MS SQL Server is not delivered as part of License Metric Tool.
- Operating system requirements
-
- To use MS SQL Server as a database, License Metric Tool must be
installed on Windows.
- MS SQL Server that is used for License Metric Tool must also be installed on Windows. Installation on a Linux computer is not
supported.
- MS SQL Server version
-
The following considerations apply to specific versions of MS SQL Server.
- MS SQL Server 2016
-
Starting from application update 9.2.13, you can use MS SQL Server 2016 as the
database.
If you used MS SQL Server 2016 with earlier versions of License Metric Tool, your environment was non-compliant
from IBM® perspective because data that was stored in the
database might have been corrupted. Problems with historical data cannot be fixed. However, data
collected after the upgrade to License Metric Tool 9.2.13 is valid and compliant from IBM perspective.
- MS SQL Server 2022 and 2022 Express
Starting
from application update 9.2.32, you can use MS SQL Server 2022 and 2022 Express as a database for
License Metric Tool.If you share the database
between License Metric Tool and BigFix, verify that your version of BigFix supports MS SQL Server 2022 or 2022 Express. At the
time of publishing this documentation, only version 11.0 of BigFix supports these databases.
- MS SQL Server Express edition
-
To use MS SQL Server Express Edition, ensure that the
following conditions are met:
- The database is dedicated to License Metric Tool. It cannot be shared between License Metric Tool and BigFix.
- The environment consists of up to 500 endpoints.
- BigFix is dedicated to License Metric Tool and contains only the License Metric Tool fixlet site. Other applications and
their fixlet sites would increase the required disk space resulting in problems with the
database.
- Additional configuration is required to use MS SQL Server Express. For more information, see: Installing MS SQL Server for License Metric Tool on Windows (BigFix scenario).
The requirements are caused by the fact the Express
Edition limits the disk space available to each database instance.
-
Restriction: The BigFix installer
allows for the installation of an evaluation version of MS SQL Server. However, such version expires
after 180 days and should not be used in a production environment.
- MS SQL Server settings
-
- Ensure that snapshot isolation is enabled in the MS SQL Server. For
information about the requirements, see the MS SQL
Server documentation.
- The support for AlwaysOn solution has not been tested.
- The
AUTO_UPDATE_STATISTICS feature is by default enabled on the MS SQL Server
database. If you disable this feature, performance of the import might be considerably
degraded.
- Permissions and roles
-
- Ensure that the MS SQL Server user has the following
permissions for the BigFix database
(BFEnterprise):
CREATE FUNCTION , CREATE SCHEMA , CREATE
TABLE , CREATE VIEW , EXECUTE , SELECT .
These permissions apply only if the database was installed with default settings and all
customizations and hardening configurations were consulted with IBM support.
- Ensure that the MS SQL Server user has the appropriate role to create the
License Metric Tool database.
- If you create a new database during initial configuration in License Metric Tool, the user must have the
sysadmin role in MS SQL Server.
- If you create an MS SQL Server database manually before the configuration, make sure that the
database is empty and use the
SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CS_AS collation. The user for
such database must have the db_owner role in MS SQL Server.
- Ensure that the MS SQL Server user has the default database schema set to
dbo .
- Ensure that the MS SQL Server user has the default language set to "English"
(not a variety of English).
|
X server |
|
The X server is required if you want to install or uninstall the License Metric Tool server in interactive mode on Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. It is also required if you want to
complete the server configuration by using a browser that is available on the computer where the
License Metric Tool server is installed. Restriction: XMing X Server for Windows is not
supported.
|
Other software requirements
Table 2. Other software requirements for License Metric Tool
Required software |
Required versions |
Comments |
BigFix client |
Ensure that the version of the BigFix client that you install in your environment is
supported by the BigFix platform. |
|
Web Reports |
|
A component of the BigFix platform that is required by License Metric Tool to configure VM managers and to
manage scan configurations. Web Reports can be installed during the installation of BigFix, and must reside on the same server. |
Browser requirements
Table 3. Browser requirements
Browser |
Browser-specific information |
General information |
Chrome 35 or higher |
You can experience problems with checking the detailed information about the
metric quantity on the Metric Quantity History and Maximal Trend Value History graphs on License
Metrics reports. Once you hover over the graph, the information about metric quantity might not be
properly displayed, or might not appear at all. |
|
Firefox 17 Extended Support Release (ESR) or higher ESR editions |
To use TLS 1.2, check whether your version of the browser supports it and
whether it is enabled. Otherwise, use TLS 1.0 for secure communication with SSL. |
- Requirements
-
- JavaScript must be enabled in the browser.
- Minimal supported screen resolution is 1360x768 pixels.
- Recommended screen resolution is 1920x1080 pixels.
- Proxies
- Proxies are supported and depend on the server configuration. With the default configuration,
use SSL proxies. If you disabled SSL on the server, then use HTTP proxies. In big environments, the
connections might time out with time-consuming operations (downloading extensive reports). In such a
case, increase the timeout limit for communication between the proxy and License Metric Tool.
|
Microsoft Edge |
- In reports where IP Address column is enabled, the IP address is a link that is activated by an
external plug-in, such as Skype. To remove the link, disable the plug-in.
- You can experience problems with checking the detailed information about the metric quantity on
the Metric Quantity History and Maximal Trend Value History graphs on License Metrics reports. Once
you hover over the graph, the information about metric quantity might not be properly displayed, or
might not appear at all.
|
Red Hat packages
The following packages are required if you install the components on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Table 4. Red Hat packages that are required
for the installation
Component |
Required packages |
All-in-One installation |
- All packages required for BigFix (listed
below)
- All packages required for DB2 (listed below)
- glibc.x86_64 in version 2.7 or higher
|
BigFix |
- cyrus-sasl-lib.x86_64
- fontconfig.x86_64 (Web Reports only)
- krb5-libs.x86_64
- libpng12.x86_64
- libstdc++.x86_64 and all dependencies
- libXext.x86_64 (Web Reports only)
- libXrender.x86_64 (Web Reports only)
- net-tools.x86_64
- openssl.x86_64
- pam.x86_64 and all dependencies
- unixODBC.x86_64
- unzip.x86_64
- wget.x86_64 (online installation only)
- zlib.x86_64 (Web Reports only)
|
DB2 |
- ksh
- libaio.x86_64
- libstdc++.i686
- numactl.x86_64
- pam.i686 and all dependencies
- psmisc.x86_64
- Red Hat binutils
|