ePolicy Orchestrator cluster backup and disaster recovery procedure
Technical Articles ID:
KB75497
Last Modified: 1/2/2020
Environment
McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.x
Summary
This article provides cluster backup and disaster recovery steps for ePO.
IMPORTANT:
- This procedure is intended for use by network and ePO administrators only. McAfee does not assume responsibility for any damage incurred because it is intended as a guideline for disaster recovery. All liability for use of the following information remains with the user.
- It is preferable to use the built-in Disaster Recovery feature. Use these steps only if a valid Snapshot was not created and a manual recovery is needed.
- If you are going from a 32-bit to a 64-bit operating system, or installing ePO to a different path, use article KB71078.
NOTES:
- The agent uses either the last known IP address, DNS name, or NetBIOS name of the ePO server. If you change any one of these settings, make sure that the agents have a way to locate the server. The easiest way to accomplish the task, is to retain the existing DNS record and change it to point to the new IP address of the ePO server. After the agent cans successfully connect to the ePO server, it downloads an updated Sitelist.xml with the current information.
- You can also use this procedure to migrate the ePO cluster to another system. But, it is preferable to use the built-in Disaster Recovery feature to migrate the ePO server to another system.
Preparation
For a smooth recovery, do not perform a backup while the server is in the middle of installing an extension.
Before backing up the ePO cluster
If possible, open the Windows Cluster Administrator/Management tool and set all ePO services to offline:
- On Windows Server 2008 and later: Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Failover Cluster Management.
- On Windows Server 2003: Click Start, Program Files, Administrative Tools, Cluster Administrator.
Otherwise, make sure that no one is performing the following actions during the backup:
- Installing, uninstalling, or upgrading an extension
- Updating the ePO database configuration
Backing up the ePO cluster
- Use the following to back up the SQL database (normally named ePO_ServerName, where the ServerName is your ePO server name):
- For details about backing up the ePO database using OSQL commands, see article KB67591.
- For details about backing up the ePO database using SQL Server Management Studio, see article KB52126.
- You must back up the following folder paths from the Share drive that was specified during installation:
Example: ( S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\...)
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\extensions
The default path to ePO software extension information.
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\conf
The default path to needed files used by the ePO software extensions.
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\keystore
These keys are for ePO agent-to-server communication and the repositories.
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\DB\Software
All products that have been checked in to the Master Repository are located here.
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\DB\Keystore
The Agent, Server, and Repository Keys that are unique to your installation are located here. Failing to restore this folder results in all client systems being unable to communicate with the server, and you have to redeploy the agent to all systems. Also, you must check in all deployable packages again.
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\Apache2\conf
The server configuration settings for Apache, the SSL certificates needed to authorize the server to handle agent requests, and console certificates are located here.
NOTE: Failure to back up and restore these directory structures require a reinstallation of ePO to create new ones. Also, it might require a clean database installation and redeployment of agents to all client systems.
Recovering the ePO cluster
- Delete the ePO database on the SQL Server. If you do not know how to perform the MSSQL operation, see the Microsoft tech note at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms177419.aspx or contact Microsoft Support.
- If restoring ePO to the same system, uninstall ePO. Make sure that there is no ePO folder in the original installation path after the software is uninstalled.
NOTE: Renaming the existing ePO folder and leaving the old folder in place, might interfere with the new installation. It is recommended that you remove the old directory completely.
- Reinstall ePO to the same version and Update (Patch) level as the server you are restoring. Installation must follow the steps included in the ePO Installation Guide (section: 'Perform cluster installation').
NOTE: To verify the ePO Update (patch) level, look at the Version field in the backed-up Server.ini file (\ePolicy Orchestrator\DB\). Then cross reference it with KB59938.
IMPORTANT: You must reinstall ePO to the exact same directory path as the previous installation for this article to apply. Failure to do so, causes initializations of extensions to fail when the restore is complete. When the installation path is different, then follow the steps in KB71078.
- Apply any additional patches, hotfixes, or POCs to ePO that had been previously applied.
- After installing, open the Windows Cluster Administrator/Management tool and set all McAfee ePO services to offline:
- On Windows Server 2008: Click Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Failover Cluster Management.
- On Windows Server 2003: Click Start, Program Files, Administrative Tools, Cluster Administrator.
- Restore the database.
NOTE: Restore the database so that you do not require the ePO database configuration to be updated (for example: Same name, host, port). Otherwise, you have to update the restored DB.PROPERTIES file in S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\conf\orion with the new information before starting the server.
- Delete the following folders, and replace them with the corresponding folders that were backed up earlier in step 2:
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\extensions
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\conf
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\bin\Server\keystore
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\DB\Software
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\DB\Keystore
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\Apache2\conf
- Set only the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Application Server Service resource to online.
- Open the Configure Database Settings page at: https://<servername>:8443/core/config. If you do not use the default port (8443), substitute your correct console logon port.
- Under Configure Database Settings, verify the following entries:
Database server name
Database server instance
Database server port
Database name
User name
User domain
User password
If any changes are made to these entries, make sure that you click Test Connection (bottom-right corner). This action verifies that the connection to the database is successful with the new settings before continuing.
- If any changes are made to the Configure Database Settings page, do the following:
- Click Apply (to save the changes).
- Restart the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Application Server Service.
- Attempt to log on to the ePO console. If you are unable to log on, review all steps performed in this article and make sure that they have been properly completed. If you can't resolve the console logon issue, contact Technical Support for further assistance before proceeding.
To contact Technical Support, log on to the ServicePortal and go to the Create a Service Request page at https://support.mcafee.com/ServicePortal/faces/serviceRequests/createSR:
- If you are a registered user, type your User Id and Password, and then click Log In.
- If you are not a registered user, click Register and complete the required fields. Your password and logon instructions will be emailed to you.
NOTE: You must be able to log on for the rest of the recovery steps to work.
- Rename the SSL.CRT folder (see the path below) to SSL.CRT.OLD. Then manually create an empty folder named SSL.CRT in the same path; otherwise, the setup fails to create a new certificate:
S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt
- Click Start, Run, type cmd, and click OK.
- Change directories to your ePO installation path (default is S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\).
- In the ePO directory, run the following command:
Rundll32.exe ahsetup.dll RunDllGenCerts ePO_server_name console_HTTPS_port Admin_username Password "installdir\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt"
Where:
ePO_server_name - The ePO server NetBIOS name
Console_HTTPS_port - The ePO console port (default is 8443)
Admin_username - The administrator (use the default ePO administrator console account)
Password - The password to the ePO administrator console account
Installdir\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt - The installation path to the Apache folder (default installation path: S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt)
Example
Rundll32.exe ahsetup.dll RunDllGenCerts eposervername 8443 administrator password "S:\ePolicy Orchestrator\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt"
IMPORTANT:
- This command fails, if you have enabled User Account Control (UAC) on this server. If the server is running Windows Server 2008 or later, disable this feature. You can find more information about UAC at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709691(WS.10).aspx.
- This command is case sensitive. The ahsetup.log (found in installdir\Apache2\conf\ssl.crt), provides information about whether the command succeeded or failed. It also states whether it used the files located in the ssl.crt folder.
- Set the following service resources to online, and then start them:
- McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Event Parser
- McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator Server
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