Initializing and configuring IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 Appliance

When theDataPower® XC10 Appliance hardware has been installed and connected, you are ready to initialize and configure the appliance.

Before you begin

To perform the initial configuration, you must use a serial connection. The serial connection must be between an ASCII terminal or a PC running terminal emulation software to the serial port on the appliance. If you are using a PC for the serial console, you must use a PC-based serial communications program for Windows or Linux. You can use a dedicated hardware device, such as a VT100-style console, or a PC running an emulator, such as HyperTerminal or Minicom. To make this connection, use the provided serial cable.
Note:
  1. Use the serial cable that was provided with the appliance. Other serial cables might not work with the appliance.
  2. If the terminal or PC is not equipped with a serial port, use a USB-to-serial converter cable.

Before defining the base configuration, gather the following information:

About this task

Use this task to initialize your DataPower XC10 Appliance for the first time. The first time you sign onto your appliance the process is slightly different from signing on afterward.
CAUTION:
  1. See the important information about preserving the xcadmin user ID and password in xcadmin password.
  2. Do not attempt to physically open the case of the appliance. Opening the case triggers a security fault and the appliance no longer operates. It must then be returned to IBM® for remanufacturing, which erases all data on the appliance.
  3. Do not misplace the serial cable that was included with the appliance. You need this cable for the initial appliance setup, and it could also be needed later for problem determination. This cable has been specially designed to work with this appliance. Other serial cables might not work with this appliance.

Perform the initial, base firmware configuration. This configuration is the minimal configuration to add a DataPower XC10 Appliance to your environment.

Procedure

  1. Initialize the appliance. Use the following procedure:
    1. Connect your serial console to the appliance using the serial cable supplied with the appliance. You must connect the serial cable to the CONSOLE connector on the front of the device and have the ASCII terminal or a PC running terminal emulation software running, so you can see messages from the appliance as it starts. Configure the emulation software with 9600 baud 8N1 (8 bits per character, no parity, 1 stop bit), and no flow control. Use the supplied serial cable for this connection. If your serial console does not have a serial port but has only a USB port, then use a USB-to-serial adapter. The recommended terminal emulation on the serial console is VT100.
    2. Ensure that the appliance is on. If the appliance is not turned on, toggle the power switch to the ON position. The power switch is on the rear of the appliance. Wait for a few seconds for the appliance to boot. When the appliance is on:
      • The green power LED light illuminates on the front of the appliance and the fans start.
      • The login prompt displays. For the initial appliance configuration, log in with the user ID and password: xcadmin/xcadmin.
    3. Accept the DataPower XC10 Appliance license agreements. Before proceeding, for the first time, you must accept the licenses. Type Accept, Reject, or StartOver at each license prompt.
    4. Configure the MGMT Ethernet port. This port must be a public IP address. This IP address must be accessible by data grid client applications. Provide the IP address in classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) format. You can define additional private Ethernet ports in the user interface. See Managing the IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 Appliance Ethernet interfaces for more information.
    5. Configure the default gateway for the MGMT Ethernet port.
    6. Press Enter to set the network information. When the network configuration completes, the console prompt displays.
    7. Set the Domain Name System (DNS) servers. Use the following command: set-dns-servers <valid DNS server>. For example, you might type in the following text and press Enter:
      set-dns-servers 9.42.106.2
    8. Manually restart your appliance. Type in the following text and press Enter:
      device restart
  2. Update the appliance firmware. To download or update the WebSphere® DataPower XC10 Appliance firmware, you must have Appliance administration permissions. The appliance is not required to have connectivity to the external internet to retrieve the firmware update. For more information about downloading or updating firmware, see Updating the firmware.
  3. If you are installing the firmware for the first time on a new appliance, you must run the clear-all command on the appliance. Complete the following steps after the restart from the firmware upgrade finishes:
    1. Establish a connection with the appliance using the xcadmin user. See Using the command line interface to run operations on your appliance for more information.
    2. Run the clear-all command.
      Console> clear-all
      Force Stopped all XC-10 processes
      Deleting configuration data and logs
      Deleting grid data
      CAUTION:
      Do not run any other commands before running the clear-all command. Running other commands can create problems with your appliance configuration.
    3. After you run the clear-all command, you can use the start-progress command to monitor the percentage of completion for the restart. When the start-progress command displays a response of STARTED, you can log into the user interface.
      CAUTION:
      Do not run any other commands while the clear-all command is running. Only use the start-progress command to monitor the progress.
  4. To secure the configuration, change the password for the xcadmin user. You can change the password with the following command:
    user password <old_password> <new_password>
  5. Verify the configuration. Use the user interface with a Web browser to verify the configuration.
    Attention: The verification procedure assumes that the host name for the Ethernet interface is myXC10.ibm.com.

    To access the user interface from a browser, use the following procedure:

    1. Open a Web browser. From a network-connected PC, open your Web browser.
    2. Enter the URL. In the address bar, enter the URL defined during the device initialization. For example: https://myXC10.ibm.com.
      Note: Use the https protocol, not http.
    3. Log on to the appliance. Log on to the appliance with the local XCADMIN account and password. The password you are entering is in clear text so it is not displayed.
    4. Click Log In.

      If the Welcome page displays, authentication of the local XCADMIN account is successful.

  6. Complete the configuration.

Results

The initial set up for the WebSphere DataPower XC10 Appliance is complete.

What to do next

Configure your appliance settings in the user interface. These settings include users and user groups, security, e-mail delivery, Domain Name System (DNS) servers, and date and time settings. See Configuring your appliance for more information.