Configuring Applications for the Restorepoint Synchronization PowerPack

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This section describes how to set up the PowerFlow applications for the Restorepoint Synchronization PowerPack.

Overview of Onboarding SL1 Devices to Restorepoint

You can configure the Restorepoint Synchronization PowerPack to automatically add SL1 devices to Restorepoint when those devices are discovered in SL1. The integration is unidirectional, from SL1 to Restorepoint.

The following workflow describes the process for adding SL1 devices to Restorepoint:

An image of the Restorepoint onboarding application workflow.

See the following topics for detailed steps that cover how to configure settings in SL1 and PowerFlow before you can enable these applications and more.

Creating an SSH Credential in SL1 for Devices

In SL1, create an SSH credential for the devices that you want to discover and add to Restorepoint. SL1 uses this credential to automatically align the "Restorepoint Connectivity" Dynamic Application, which is used when you discover a device and add it to Restorepoint.

If needed, create a new organization in SL1 for the device you want to discover. For more information, see Creating and Editing Organizations.

To create an SSH/Key credential:

  1. Go to the Credentials page (Manage > Credentials or System > Manage > Credentials in the classic user interface).
  2. Click the Create New button and then select Create SSH/Key Credential. The Edit Credential modal page appears.

  1. Supply values in the following fields:
  • Name. Name of the credential. Can be any combination of alphanumeric characters.

  • All Organizations. Toggle on (blue) to align the credential to all organizations, or toggle off (gray) and then select one or more specific organizations from the What organization manages this service? drop-down field to align the credential with those specific organizations.
  • Timeout (ms). Time, in milliseconds, after which SL1 will stop trying to communicate with the device from which you want to retrieve data. The default is 1500.

  • Hostname/IP. Hostname or IP address of the device you want to discover.
  • You can include the variable %D in this field. SL1 will replace the variable with the IP address of the current device (device that is currently using the credential).
  • You can include the variable %N in this field. SL1 will replace the variable with hostname of the current device (device that is currently using the credential). If SL1 cannot determine the hostname, SL1 will replace the variable with the primary, management IP address for the current device.

  • Port. Port number associated with the data you want to retrieve. The default TCP port for SSH servers is 22.

The protocol attribute of your device in Restorepoint is set based on the port specified in this credential. If the port is 23, the attribute is set to telnet/tftp. For all other ports, the attribute is set to ssh/tftp.

  • Username. Username for an SSH or user account on the device to be monitored.
  • Password. Password for an SSH or user account on the device to be monitored.
  • Private Key (PEM Format). Enter the SSH private key that you want SL1 to use, in PEM format.
  1. Click Save.

Creating a Configuration Object in PowerFlow

For this Synchronization PowerPack, you can make a copy of the "Restorepoint Base Config" configuration object, which is the sample configuration file that was installed with the Restorepoint Synchronization PowerPack.

The "Base Config" configuration object contains all of the required variables. Simply update the variables from that object to match your SL1 and Restorepoint settings.

To create a configuration object based on the "Restorepoint Base Config" configuration object:

  1. In the PowerFlow user interface, go to the Configurations page ().
  2. Click the Actions button () for the "Restorepoint Base Config" configuration object and select Edit. The Configuration pane appears:

An image of the configuration object page.

  1. Click Copy as. The Create Configuration pane appears.

  2. Complete the following fields:

    • Friendly Name. Name of the configuration object that will display on the Configurations page.
    • Description. A brief description of the configuration object.
    • Author. User or organization that created the configuration object.
    • Version. Version of the configuration object.

  1. In the Configuration Data field, update the default variable definitions to match your PowerFlow configuration:

    • sl1_url. Type the URL for your associated SL1 system.
    • sl1_user. Type the username for your SL1 system.
    • sl1_password. Type the password for your SL1 system.
    • sl1_db_host. Type the URL for your associated SL1 database.
    • sl1_db_user. Type the username for your SL1 database.
    • sl1_db_password.Type the password for your SL1 database.
    • restorepoint_url. Type the URL for your associated Restorepoint system.
    • restorepoint_api_token. Type the API token for your Restorepoint system. See the Obtaining the API Token in Restorepoint section for steps on getting the token.
    • default_restorepoint_device_type. Type the default device type for your Restorepoint system.
    • default_backup_interval. Type the default time for the Backup Interval for your Restorepoint device.

      • The value for the default_backup_interval field uses the following format: second minute hour * * * * @0@@0@0.

    • create_custom_link. Type a value to create an optional custom link from SL1 to Restorepoint.

      • If you are running SL1 platform version 10.2.0 or later and have custom links enabled, you can set the value to 1 to automatically add the custom link definition for Restorepoint. The default value is False/0.

    • restorepoint_ui_url. Type an optional user access URL that is different than the Restorepoint URL that is used to integrate with PowerFlow.
    • restorepoint_config. Type Enable or Disable to allow device change detection.

      • The restorepoint_config feature requires SL1 platform version 11.2.0 or later. If you are using an earlier version of SL1, this field should always be set to its default value: Disable.

    • timestamp. The "Restorepoint: Get List of Credentials" application queries SL1 for updated credentials and stores the last time that SL1 was queried. Type a value that specifies the number of hours for the application to query SL1 for updated credentials, if no previous time stamp is available (e.g. the first execution of the application). The application will update the credentials in Restorepoint that have been updated in SL1 within the specified number of hours.
    • default_monitoring_monitor_device. Type True or False to enable or disable device monitoring. The default value is True.
    • default_monitoring_fail_after. Type how many failed attempts to onboard a device before PowerFlow will stop attempting to discover the device.
    • default_monitoring_is_ping_type. Type True or False to enable or disable ICMP ping rather than TCP connection. The default value is True.
    • default_monitoring_email_when_down. Type True or False to enable or disable sending an email when the device is down. The default value is False.
    • default_monitoring_email_when_up. Type True or False to enable or disable sending an email when the device is back up. The default value is True.
  2. The other optional values in the Configuration Data field require JSON code to edit their values. Click Toggle JSON Editor to show the JSON code.
  3. In the Configuration Data field, be sure to include the required block of code to ensure that the applications aligned to this configuration object do not fail:

{

"encrypted": false,

"name": "sl1_db_host",

"value": "${config.sl1_host}"

}

 

For example:

{

"encrypted": false,

"name": "sl1_db_host",

"value": "10.2.11.42"

}

  1. To create a configuration variable, define the following keys:
  • encrypted. Specifies whether the value will appear in plain text or encrypted in the JSON file. If you set this to "true", when the value is uploaded, PowerFlow encrypts the value of the variable. The plain text value cannot be retrieved again by an end user. The encryption key is unique to each PowerFlow system. The value is followed by a comma.
  • name. Specifies the name of the configuration file, without the JSON suffix. This value appears in the user interface. The value is surrounded by double-quotes and followed by a comma.
  • value. Specifies the value to assign to the variable. The value is surrounded by double-quotes and followed by a comma.
  1. Click Save. You can now align this configuration object with one or more applications.

Obtaining the API Token in Restorepoint

The following procedure is relevant for Restorepoint 5.4.0 and later.

To obtain your API token for the restorepoint_api_token Configuration Data field:

  1. In Restorepoint, go to the Users page (Administration > Users) and click the API Tokens tab.
  2. Click Add Token and give the token a new description.
  3. Copy and paste the token into the restorepoint_api_token Configuration Data field for the Restorepoint configuration object.

Configuring the Restorepoint Applications in PowerFlow

You can use this Synchronization PowerPack to automatically add an SL1 device, along with associated credential and organization details, to Restorepoint. You can also use this Synchronization PowerPack to automatically collect backup events from Restorepoint. You will need to align the Restorepoint applications with the relevant configuration object in PowerFlow, and, if needed, update any other fields on the Configuration pane for the applications.

To run this Synchronization PowerPack, you must "align" the configuration object to run with the following PowerFlow applications:

  • "Restorepoint: Change detection for backed up devices"
  • "Restorepoint: Get List of Credentials from SL1"
  • "Restorepoint: Get the List of Logs from Restorepoint"
  • "Restorepoint: Onboard Device"
  • "Restorepoint: Sync Devices"
  • "Restorepoint: Update Event info in SL1"

Configuring the Restorepoint Applications

To configure the applications in the PowerFlow user interface:

  1. In the PowerFlow user interface, go to the Applications page and select the application you want to configure.

  2. Click the Configuration button (). The Configuration pane appears:

  3. In the Configuration drop-down, select the configuration object you created earlier. The fields with a padlock icon () are updated with values from the configuration object.

  4. Update any of the other fields that do not have a padlock icon, and then click Save.

    You should schedule the "Get List of Credentials from SL1", "Sync Devices", and "Update SL1 Event Info" applications to run on a regular basis. This will ensure that credentials are updated, new SL1 devices are added to Restorepoint, and SL1 events are updated automatically. For more information, see Scheduling Applications.

  5. Click Save.

Configuring the "Restorepoint: Get the List of Logs from Restorepoint" Application

To align the configuration object with the relevant PowerFlow applications:

  1. In the PowerFlow user interface, go to the Applications page and select the "Restorepoint: Get the List of Logs from Restorepoint" application.
  2. Click the Configuration button (). The Configuration pane appears:

An image of the Configure pane.

  1. In the Configuration drop-down, select the configuration object you created earlier. The fields with a padlock icon () are updated with values from the configuration object.
  2. In the restorepoint_config field, select Enable or Disable to allow device change detection. You should select the same value you entered in the selected configuration object.

    3. The restorepoint_config feature requires SL1 platform version 11.2.0 or later. If you are using an earlier version of SL1, this field should always be set to its default value: Disable.

  3. Click Save.

    4. You should schedule the "Get the List of Logs from Restorepoint" application to run on a regular basis to ensure that backup events are collected automatically. For more information, see Scheduling Applications.

Discovering a Device in SL1 and Running the Sync Devices Application

The next time you discover a device in SL1 and run the "Restorepoint: Sync Devices" application, any devices you discovered in SL1 that are aligned with the “Restorepoint Connectivity" Dynamic Application get added to Restorepoint. Those devices are also part of the Restorepoint Device Group.

If you include the SSH or telnet credential you created earlier in a discovery session, the "Restorepoint Connectivity" Dynamic Application is automatically aligned. Optionally, you can manually align the Dynamic Application with your devices using the credential. Based on the Dynamic Application alignment, the device is also automatically included in a Restorepoint Device Group. For more information about discovering a device in SL1, see  Discovery and Credentials.

To run the "Restorepoint: Sync Devices" application:

  1. Go to the Applications page and select the "Restorepoint: Sync Devices" application.
  2. Click the Run button (). The following actions occur:
  • If the SL1 organization exists as a domain in Restorepoint, the device is added to that domain. Otherwise, a new domain is created in Restorepoint that maps to the SL1 organization.
  • If needed, a new credential is created in Restorepoint that maps to the new SL1 credential.
  • A new device is added in Restorepoint that maps to the new device in SL1 :
  • The device is associated with the appropriate domain and credential.
  • The device is associated with an agent that maps to the SL1 Data Collector monitoring that device, using a pre-defined mapping from the "Restorepoint Base Config" configuration object.
  • The device is configured with a plugin that maps to the SL1 Device Class for that device, using a pre-defined mapping from the "Restorepoint Base Config" configuration object.

Scheduling Applications

You can create one or more schedules for a single application in the PowerFlow user interface. When creating each schedule, you can specify the queue and the configuration file for that application.

To schedule an application:

  1. On the Applications page (), click the Schedule button for the application you want to schedule. The Scheduler window appears:

  1. In the Schedule List pane, click the down arrow icon () next to an existing schedule to view the details for that schedule.

  2. In the Schedule Creator pane, complete the following fields for the default Frequency setting:

  • Schedule Name. Type a name for the schedule.
  • Frequency in seconds. Type the number of seconds per interval that you want to run the application.
  • Custom Parameters. Type any JSON parameters you want to use for this schedule, such as information about a configuration file or mappings.

  1. To use a cron expression, click the Switch to Cron Expression toggle to turn it blue. If you select this option, you can create complicated schedules based on minutes, hours, the day of the month, the month, and the day of the week:

    As you update the cron expression, the Schedule window displays the results of the expression in more readable language, such as Runs app: "Every 0 and 30th minute past every hour on Sat", based on 0,30 in the Minutes field and 6 in the Day of Week field.

  1. Click Save Schedule. The schedule is added to the Schedule List pane. Also, on the Applications page, the Schedule button now displays with a dark blue background:

After you create a schedule, it continues to run until you delete it. Also, you cannot edit an existing schedule, but you can delete it and create a similar schedule if needed.

To view or delete an existing schedule:

  1. On the Applications page, click the Schedule button for the application that contains a schedule you want to delete. The Scheduler window appears.
  2. Click the down arrow icon () to view the details of an existing schedule.
  3. To delete the selected schedule, click the Actions icon () and select Delete.

On the Scheduler window for a PowerFlow application, you can click the Copy as button from the Schedule List pane to make a copy of an existing schedule.