App Layering

System settings

You can specify settings for the following system configuration parameters by clicking the Edit button of each option, making your changes, and then clicking the Save button.

This section describes each appliance setting.

Monitoring and Storage

The following services run on the App Layering appliance:

  • Management service
  • Layering service
  • BITS server service

For more details, go to App Layering services.

Directory Services

You can configure the appliance to connect to a directory service, for example, Active Directory. When you connect to your directory service, you create one or more Directory Junctions to access specific domains or OUs. The appliance does not modify the directory service you connect to. The software caches the attributes for each directory service entry so that if the connection to the directory service is lost temporarily, the software can use the cached information for management tasks.

For more details, go to Directory service.

User Layer Storage Locations

The appliance’s local storage is a layer repository where the appliance creates, composites, and stores layers and layered images. To check the amount of free space in the appliance’s local storage, you can see how much disk space is used in the System module of the management appliance.

For more details, go to Storage.

Network File Share

The Network File Share is used to:

  • Package layers using the Network File Share, rather than a connector for your hypervisor.
  • Publish layered Images to the Network File Share, rather than using a connector for your publishing platform.
  • Serve Elastic Layers.
  • Upgrade the App Layering software.

To configure the Network File Share, specify the following values:

  • SMB File Share Path
  • User Name & password

Then, test the connection to the file share by clicking Test SMB File Share. The test returns a message stating either “Success” or “Failed to mount network file share path”. You can enter a comment describing your changes.

HTTP certificate settings

Displays the currently set security certificate. Use the Upload and Generate buttons to upload an existing certificate or to generate a new one. Optionally, enter a comment that describes the changes you made.

Trusted certificates

When you enter the URL for the application, you are automatically redirected to a secure connection. If you specify HTTPS as the protocol in the URL, and the application does not include a security certificate from a Certificate Authority, you are prompted to bypass the security warnings the first time you access the application.

To eliminate the security warning, upload a trusted certificate that you create.

Requirements

The requirements for the trusted certificate are:

  • It must be a Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) certificate.

  • It must include both the certificate and the key.

  • It does not include a passphrase.

Create a CSR

You need to generate a CSR file to give to the Certificate Provider for a certificate request. Since ELM is based on CentOS Linux, OpenSSL is included. Use the OpenSSL CSR Wizard from DigiCert to generate the required OpenSSL command. You can then use Putty to log on to the console and paste in the OpenSSL command, which generates the CSR. Refer to the OpenSSL commands in the OpenSSL Quick Reference Guide.

Uploading the certificate

  1. Create the PEM certificate.

  2. Log in to the App Layering CacheCloud Infrastructure Management utility.

  3. Select Configuration > Upload SSL Certificate in the left pane.

  4. Browse to the self-signed PEM certificate file and click Upload.

  5. Restart the Management Appliance.

Notification settings

You can configure automatic email notification settings for yourself or other users.

Set up email notifications from the appliance

To set up email notifications, complete the following fields. All fields are required.

  1. In the Mail Server field, enter the name of your email server or SMTP relay server.
  2. In the Mail Server Port field, enter the number of the port that the email server uses for communication.
  3. In the User Name field, enter the user name for the email account you want to use for sending notifications. For example, username@domain.com.
  4. In the Password field, enter the password for the email account.
  5. In the From field, enter an email address to identify the source of the email message. For example, if you enter myaddress@mycompany.com, the email message displays the following in the From box of the received notification:

    App Layering Manager [myaddress@mycompany.com]

  6. In the Recipient List box, enter the email addresses that must receive notifications. Use a comma or semicolon to separate the email addresses.
  7. Click Test Email Configuration to verify that the settings for the email server and account work correctly. If the test succeeds, the software displays a success message and sends the recipients a confirmation email.
  8. Enter a comment, if necessary, and click Save to save the email settings. Any comments you enter appear in the Information view Audit History.

Security and retention settings

  • Specify the number of minutes of inactivity before the management console logs you out.

  • Specify the number of days that the appliance must retain completed Tasks before deleting them.

  • Specify the number of days that the appliance must retain audit log files. After that time elapses, the software begins to overwrite the audit log.

  • Specify the maximum disk space to use for all logs (in MB) and the number of days that the log files must be retained.

  • Optionally, enter a comment that describes the changes you made.

About

This section displays more information about the Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM), such as ELM Version, the Hypervisor being used, and where to go for support.

System settings