iTivity™ User Guide

8. Installing and Running the Admin Agent on Linux or UNIX

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8.1 Linux/UNIX System Requirements
8.2 Installing the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX
8.3 Configuring the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX
8.4 Licensing the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX
8.5 Linux/UNIX Admin Agent Commands

iTivity provides a Linux/UNIX version of the Admin Agent that allows remote viewing and control of Linux/UNIX systems. The Linux/UNIX Admin Agent requires its own license (in addition to the iServer license) and also requires that DoubleVision Pro be installed on the Linux or UNIX system.

This chapter explains how to install, license, configure and use the Admin Agent on Linux or UNIX.

8.1  Linux/UNIX System Requirements

The Linux/UNIX version of the Admin Agent requires the following platform.

Software

·         DoubleVision Pro 4.0 or later

·         Any of the following operating systems:

o     Red Hat 9.0 or Red Hat Enterprise or later

o     Solaris SPARC 2.8/2.9 for 32 and 64 bit systems

o     AIX 4.3.3, 5.1, 5.2 32 and 64 bit systems.

o     HP-UX 11.00/11.11 32 and 64 bit systems

o     SCO 3.2.5

Hardware

·         60 MB minimum disk space

·         5MB RAM baseline,
plus 336 KB per connection to Admin Agent

·         300 Mhz minimum CPU

8.2  Installing the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX

Note: For information on configuring the Admin Agent after installation, see Section 8.3, Configuring the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX.

Please follow the instructions provided under your chosen method for obtaining the Admin Agent distribution (via download or CD), then skip to Continuing the Installation for further installation instructions.

Download

1.       Contact Tridia for the URL and password for downloading the Admin Agent Linux or UNIX distribution for your specific operating system.

Example Filename:  adminagent_linux_intel.tar

Note: Many popular Window's based ZIP file utilities do not properly extract the contents of our distribution files. Please do not attempt to use them with any of the distribution files.

2.       Place the downloaded file in your home directory on the Linux/UNIX server where you want to install the Admin Agent.

Example: /home/username/
where username is your actual user name

3.       Skip to Continuing Your Installation.

VIA CD

Note: Reserved for a future release.

CONTINUING YOUR INSTALLATION

1.       Logon as the root user or issue the su command.

2.       Change to the /tmp directory.

cd/tmp [Enter]

3.       To verify the presence of the distribution file, list the directory contents of your home directory:

ls –l /home/username/*.tar [Enter]
where username is your actual user name

4.       Extract the distribution (*.tar) file:

tar xvf /home/username/<filename>

Several files are extracted into the /tmp folder. One of these is the install script.

Note: At this point you can remove the distribution file by moving it to a different directory or using the rm command.

5.       Run the install Admin Agent script.

./install-admin-agent

A Welcome screen is displayed:

6.       Type y to proceed.

The Evaluation License screen is displayed.

7.       After reviewing the license information, type y to proceed.

The Host Registration Port screen is displayed:

8.       Change the port if desired. Otherwise just press Enter.

The Host System Description screen is displayed.

9.       Enter a Description to be used to identify this computer in iTivity iManager. Then press Enter.

The Admin Agent Install Directory Screen is displayed.

10.   Press Enter to accept the default directory, or type a different directory and then press Enter.

If the specified directory does not already exist, you are prompted to confirm creating it. Type Y to confirm.

The program extracts and installs the Admin Agent files.

After the files are extracted, the Installation Code is displayed:

Note: You will need this code to obtain a permanent license. See Section 8.4, Licensing the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX.

11.   Press Enter to continue.

The following screen appears, allowing you to specify whether you want the Admin Agent to start at system startup.

Note: You can also start the Admin Agent from the command line. See Section 8.5, Linux/UNIX Admin Agent Commands.

12.   Type y to start the daemon at boot time or n to cancel this option.

The installation proceeds. The SSL Certificate Verification screen appears.

Note: This screen gives you the option of disabling validation of the iServer encryption certificate. This option should be used only on secure LANs. The recommended best practice is to enable encryption and to ensure the certificates match by manually copying the certificate from the iServer. For example, copy

From (iServer system):
/usr/lib/iTivity/iServer/itivity_data/root.pem

To (Agent System):
/usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data/root.pem

13.   Type n if you intend to copy root.pem or y to disable certificate validation.

The installation proceeds. You are prompted to specify whether or not to remove temporary installation files. Type y to confirm or n to cancel.

If you typed y, the files are removed.

14.   Press Enter to continue.

Installation is now complete.

8.3  Configuring the Admin Agent on Linux/UNIX

8.3.1 Editing the AdminAgent.conf File

For the Linux/UNIX version of the Admin Agent, all configuration settings are controlled by an ASCII text file called AdminAgent.conf, which is placed in the installation directory on the Linux or UNIX computer.

You can change the settings by opening the file in any text editor. The following table describes the settings in the file.

COMMON OPTIONS

 

Programdir

Specifies the directory in which the Admin Agent is installed.  This setting is automatically configured by the Installation program.

Default: /usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent

dataDir

Specifies the directory where the Admin Agent stores information between program invocations. This information includes encryption keys and other data used internally.

Default: /usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data

FilePath

Specifies the license file for use by the Admin Agent.

Default: /usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/LicenseData.txt

vnchostname

vnchostdesc

The agent name and Description as listed in iTivity iManager for this Admin Agent.

The default vnchostname is the Linux/UNIX machine name. The vnchostdesc can be entered during the Installation procedure.

CONNECTOR
OPTIONS

 

randomFile

keyFile

caFile

 

These settings specify the filenames and location of three files used for encryption. The Admin Agent automatically generates default versions of these files the first time it runs. There is no need to change these settings unless the default files in the dataDir directory are not acceptable.

Defaults:

randomFile=/usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data/random.dat

keyFile=/usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data/keys.pem

caFile=/usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data/root.pem


 

autoAcceptAllCerts

This flag enables or disables verification of the encryption certificate received from the iServer.

Enabling this option (setting the value = 1) prevents a change in the encryption certificate on the iServer from blocking access.

Caution: Enabling this function prevents iTivity from detecting a man-in-the-middle attack on the encrypted connection.

The recommended practice is to copy the "root.pem" file from your iServer to the Agent system.  For example,

From:
iServerSystem:/usr/lib/iTivity/iServer/itivity_data/root.pem

To:
AgentSystem:/usr/lib/iTivity/AdminAgent/itivity_data/root.pem

When the root.pem file is copied from the iServer to the Agent system the iServer's certificate will be trusted correctly. At this point, autoAcceptAllCerts can remain disabled and providing a higher level of security.

Default: autoAcceptAllCerts=0

Log File Flags

The following options control which events are written to the Syslog. A value of 1 (one) enables logging and a value of 0 (zero) disables logging.

Syslog facility and priority: iTivity.daemon 

connectSysLogMask

Arrival of an encrypted connection.  Default = 0.

disconnSysLogMask

Closing of an encrypted connection. Default = 0.

startSysLogMask

Agent startup. Default = 1.

stopSysLogMask

Agent shutdown. Default = 1.

allowSysLogMask

Granting of user permission by the Agent. Default = 0

telnetService
SysLogMask

Initiation of a TELNET session with the Agent. Default = 0

ftpServiceSys
LogMask

Granting of FTP access by the Agent. Default = 0

chatServiceSys
LogMask

Granting of Chat access by the Agent. Default = 0

TCP Connection

These settings control the TCP connection ports and interface of the Admin Agent.

transportPort

Must always match proxySvcPort=21800. Default = 21800

iasServerPort

The port for iServer connections. Default = 23800.

iasServerHost

Host DNS for the iServer.

Note: You must enter the DNS name for your iServer here for the Agent to connect.

Default  none.

Example: iserver.acme_heavy_industries.com

transportTimeout

serviceTimeout

These two settings control the timeout behavior of Admin Agent data connections.

transportTimeout - Timeout in milliseconds set for end-to-end or host to host network connections. Keep this value high if using the Internet or other high-latency network transport (such as satellite connections).

serviceTimeout - Timeout in milliseconds for internal or local connections between Admin Agent daemons. 

Defaults:

transportTimeout=90000

serviceTimeout=45000


 

Keep-Alive Settings

These three settings control the keep-alive behavior of Admin Agent data connections.

endToEndKeepAlive

Determines whether the Admin Agent sends keep alive packets. Not supported on all transports. Values are:

1 (one) - send packets
0 (zero) - no packets.

Default = 1.

iasVerifySessionFlag

In addition, the Admin Agent can send application messages to guarantee the connections are viable and detect lost connections more reliably. Set this flag to 1 (enabled) to have the iServer verify session status when there is otherwise no network traffic. Values are 1, enabled, and 0, disabled.

Default = 1.

iasVerifySessionTimeout

If the iasVerifySessionFlag is set to 1, this value controls how often, in seconds, the verification packets are sent.

Default = 240.

connectToIASCycleTime

connectToIASMaxRetries

These settings control the reconnect behavior of the Admin Agent when the connection to the iServer fails. The default is to retry every five minutes for 24 hours.

connectToIASCycleTime is the cycle time specified in milliseconds between reconnect tries. Default = 300000.

connectToIASMaxRetries is the maximum number of retries. Default = 288.

disableSessionDNSLookup

Prevents DNS lookups for new connections to query the host name of the foreign system. This can be useful to improve performance in environments with slow DNS service. Values are:

1 (one) - prevent DNS lookup
0 (zero) - allow lookup

Default = 0.


 

cipherList

Specifies the list of cipher algorithms to be allowed for incoming connections. If you add other ciphers to the list, it is highly recommended that you keep the default setting as an option. If this Admin Agent connects to an iServer or is contacted by an iManager and there is no mutually acceptable cipher algorithm, the connection will fail.

In order for a different cipher to be used, it must also be allowed by the cipherList of the iServer. The recommended best practice is to set the same cipherList in all iTivity systems.

Supported OpenSSL ciphers:

EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA:EDH-DSS-DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-SHA:DES-CBC3-MD5

DHE-DSS-RC4-SHA:IDEA-CBC-SHA:RC4-SHA:RC4-MD5:IDEA-CBC-MD5:RC2-CBC-MD5

RC4-MD5:RC4-64-MD5:EXP1024-DHE-DSS-RC4-SHA:EXP1024-RC4-SHA

EXP1024-DHE-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP1024-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP1024-RC2-CBC-MD5

EXP1024-RC4-MD5:EDH-RSA-DES-CBC-SHA:EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA:DES-CBC-SHA

DES-CBC-MD5:EXP-EDH-RSA-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-EDH-DSS-DES-CBC-SHA

EXP-DES-CBC-SHA:EXP-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-RC4-MD5:EXP-RC2-CBC-MD5:EXP-RC4-MD5

Default: cipherList=DES-CBC3-SHA


 

Connector Port Number

These settings provide the ability to control the port number on which the Connector will attempt to find the local service daemons. Local service daemons listen on the localhost interface and provide local, unencrypted access to services.

commandSvcPort

Remote control authorization and commands. Must always match connectPort=6800

Default = 6800

rfbSvcPort

Unencrypted, raw VNC data

Default = 5900

telnetSvcPort

Telnet daemon

Default = 23

ftpCtlSvcPort

FTP server control port.

Default = 21

ftpDataSvcPort

FTP server data port (passive mode)

Default = 20

proxySvcPort

Forwarded iServer connections. Must always match transportPort=21800

Default = 21800


 

defaultHostPermissions

This setting provides control over which services the iTivity iManager user can access on this Agent system via iTivity. Each individual service is controlled via a bit flag in this integer. (See the Examples below.)

The remote user must first authenticate with the Agent system (See authscheme and PermissionGroup.) before being allowed to access any services. After authentication (and the authorization check), then the remote user is subject to the permissions restrictions listed in the table. A Status of N/A indicates that this service is Not Available in the Linux/UNIX Admin Agent.

Decimal
Value        Status           Description

   1             required         Command Protocol

   2             N/A               View desktop permission

   4             N/A               Control desktop permission

   8             optional          Telnet permission

  16            optional          FTP permission

  32            required         Proxy permission

  64            N/A               Chat permission

 128           optional          TTY remote control permission

 256           optional          TTY listing permission

The default is to allow access to all supported iTivity services (after remote user authenticates and passes authorization check).

Default= 65535

Examples

For FTP access only, use a value of 1 + 16 = 17, since the command protocol is required and the FTP permission has a value of 16.

For telnet access only, use a value of 1 + 8 = 9. 

For TTY Listing and TTY remote control only, use a value of 1 + 128 + 256 = 385

Connector_debugMode

Enables debugging output in the connector daemons. A setting of zero ("0") disables output. As the mode number increases from one ("1") to twelve ("12"), more and more information is written to the log file. This option should be disabled in production systems, unless instructed otherwise by Tridia staff.

Default = 0.

PROCESSOR
OPTIONS

 

permissionGroup

authscheme

These settings control the authentication required of iTivity iManager users to view and control the Admin Agent system.

The authscheme setting controls the way the Admin Agent authenticates. The default setting is “passwd”, which requires that the remote user have an account in the native /etc/passwd database. The other currently valid setting is "none, which disables authentication at the Admin Agent level may be disabled using the “none” setting. This is useful in environments where the iTivity iServer is trusted and its authentication is deemed sufficient. Other authscheme values are reserved for future use.

The permissionGroup specifies the name of the user group with permission to view and access this system via the Admin Agent. To grant a user of iTivity iManager access, simply add the user to this group. To block a user from using the iServer, remove their user id from the group. A user in this group must log in with username and password before viewing this system through iTivity iManager.

Defaults:
permissionGroup = iadmauth
authscheme = passwd


 

logonSysLogMask

logoffSysLogMask

These flags control whether it is recorded in the syslog each time a user of iTivity iManager logs on and logs off of the Agent system. Setting the flags to 1 (one) enables logging and provides an audit log of authentication. Setting the flags to 0 (zero) disables logging.

Syslog facility and priority:  iTivity.authpriv

logonSysLogMask - Log iTivity iManager user logon (succeed or fail). Default = 1.

logoffSysLogMask - Log iManager user logoff (disconnect). Default = 1.

connectPort

connectHost

connectTimeout

These settings specify the TCP network interface and port on which the processor daemon listens for new Admin Agent authentication connections. These connections are internal to the Admin Agent and generally use localhost.

The connectPort value must always match the value of commandSvcPort.

The connectTimeout value specifies the socket timeout for processor connections in milliseconds.

Caution: Tridia strongly recommends that you do not change these settings.

Defaults:
connectPort=6800
connectHost=127.0.0.1
connectTimeout=45000

Processor_debugMode

Enables debugging output in the processor daemon. The default setting of 0 (zero) disables output. As the number increases from 1 to 12, more and more information is written to the log file. This option should be disabled unless instructed otherwise by Tridia staff.

Default: 0 (disabled)

PROXY SERVER
SETTINGS

These settings can be used configure the Admin Agent to connect to the iServer through a proxy server running the SOCKS v5 protocol.

socksMode

One of the following iTivity modes used to define when the Agent uses a Proxy Server to connect:

1  -  Disable.  Only connect to iServer directly, no proxy server used.

2  - Require. Only connect to iServer via proxy, no direct connect.

3  - Fallback. If direct connection fails, then attempt the proxy connection.

4  - Override. If the proxy connection fails, then attempt the direct connection.

s