Installing a New KeyControl Cluster Node from an ISO Image

This procedure describes how to use the HyTrust-provided ISO image to install and configure a new KeyControl that you want to add to an existing cluster. If you want to configure a standalone KeyControl node or the first node in the cluster, see Installing the First KeyControl Node from an ISO Image.

Important: Make sure that all KeyControl nodes reside on devices that are not encrypted. KeyControl has its own internal encryption, and it must be available to provide the keys for the encrypted devices before the encrypted devices can be accessed.

Before You Begin 

  • If you are installing KeyControl on an existing VM, make sure that there is no important data currently on the target system. The installer will overwrite all data on the selected disks.
  • Make sure that the target VM can access the HyTrust DataControl ISO image.
  • Make sure the target VM meets the basic system requirements described in System Requirements.

Note: The following procedure is based on vCenter Web Client version 6.5.0. If your version of the vCenter Web Client is different from what is described below, please see your vCenter documentation for details about the ISO deployment process.

Procedure 

  1. Log into the vSphere Web Client.
  2. Create a new virtual machine using the settings appropriate to your environment.

  3. When you are prompted to select a guest OS, set the following:

    Field

    Setting
    Guest OS Family Linux

    Guest OS Version

    Centos 7 (64-bit)
  4. Click Next.

  5. On the Virtual Hardware tab of the Customize hardware page, make sure the VM configuration meets the following system resource recommendations:

    Resource

    Demo or
    Proof of Concept

    Standard
    Installation

    Large
    Installation
    CPUs 2 2 4
    RAM

    4 GB

    		 8 GB 16 GB
    Disk

    60 GB

    60 GB

    140 GB

    The rest of the options on this tab should be configured to match your vSphere environment.

  6. Connect the KeyControl version 5.2 installation ISO image to the VM so that the VM will boot from this ISO image when you power on the VM. How you do this depends on how your vSphere environment is configured and what options you have available.

    For example, you could upload the KeyControl ISO image to a datastore that vSphere can access and then attach the datastore ISO image as a CD/DVD drive that is connected when the VM powers on. After KeyControl is successfully installed, it automatically disconnects the CD/DVD drive so that it will not boot from that drive again should the node be restarted.

  7. Power on the KeyControl VM and have it boot from the KeyControl version 5.2 installation ISO image .

  8. When the VM boots from the ISO image, it will begin installing CentOS.

    Note: The installer will post messages as the CentOS operating system install proceeds. Some parts of the OS take longer to install than others, and there may be times when no new messages appear for over ten minutes. Do not attempt to cancel or restart the installation procedure during this time.

    The installer will automatically reboot the VM as needed.

    When then installer has finished, it displays a prompt asking for a password for the htadmin account.

  9. Enter a password for the KeyControl system administration account htadmin and press Enter. The password must contain at least 6 characters and cannot contain spaces or any non-ASCII characters.

    This password controls access to the HyTrust KeyControl System Console that allows users to perform some KeyControl administration tasks. It does not permit a KeyControl user to access the full OS.

    Important: Make sure you keep this password in a secure place. If you lose the password, you will need to contact HyTrust Support. For security reasons, KeyControl does not provide a user-accessible password recovery mechanism.

  10. The System Configuration page asks if you want to use DHCP for the node. We highly recommend that you do not do this, as the KeyControl node should always be available at a set IP address. Make sure No is selected and press Enter to acknowledge this message.
  11. On the Confirm Network Configuration page, enter the appropriate network information for the KeyControl node. When you are done, press Enter to save this information.

  12. On the System Configuration page, review the configuration settings and press Enter if you are ready to configure the node.

    The installer configures KeyControl and then starts the appropriate services. This process will take a few minutes to complete. When the installer has finished, KeyControl displays a confirmation dialog stating that the setup was completed successfully.

  13. Review the confirmation dialog that provides the URL of the KeyControl webGUI (also known as the Management IP Address).

    When you are done, press Enter to finish the installation. KeyControl displays the CentOS login prompt.

  14. Log into the webGUI on the KeyControl node you want to join with the cluster.

  15. On the Welcome to KeyControl screen, click Join an Existing Cluster.

    The Join Existing Cluster window displays.

  16. On the Get Started page, review the overview information to determine that you are ready to begin. This includes: 

    • Access to the cluster you are joining the node to. We recommend that you open the webGUI for the cluster in a different tab or browser window.
    • Permissions on both this node and the cluster node so you can download and import the required certificates and files.
    • A passphrase to use during the joining process. The passphrase must contain 12 alphanumeric characters. It cannot contain spaces or special characters. This phrase is a temporary string used to encrypt the initial communication between this node and the existing KeyControl cluster.
    • Verifying that both this node and the cluster node are running the same KeyControl version and build. The version number for the cluster node is on the Settings > System Upgrade page.
  17. Click Continue.
  18. On the Download CSR page, click Generate and Download CSR.
  19. Click Continue.
  20. Switch to one of the existing nodes in the cluster and navigate to the Cluster page.
  21. Select Actions > Add a Node.

  22. On the Add a Node window, upload the CSR that you downloaded from the new node (in .pem format) and enter a passphrase to use during the joining process.

  23. Click Save and Download Bundle to download the certificate bundle from the cluster node.

    The certificate bundle is a .zip file you must unpack. It contains both an encrypted SSL certificate in .p12 format and a CA certificate in .pem format.

  24. Click OK to close the Add a Node window.
  25. Return to the new node and click Continue.
  26. On the Node page, upload the encrypted SSL certificate and CA certificate that you downloaded from the cluster node, enter the IP address or hostname of any node in the existing cluster, and enter the passphrase that you selected.

  27. Click Join.

    During the joining process, a status page is displayed on the new node. Do not refresh the browser while this is in process.

    The cluster will automatically be placed in maintenance mode.

    The node will restart after the join is complete.

  28. When the node has successfully restarted, click Login.

What to Do Next 

  • To create a dedicated webGUI account with Cloud Admin privileges that you can use to install the HyTrust DataControl Policy Agent, see Creating a Cloud Admin User Account.
  • To create at least one Cloud VM Set into which you can put the VMs you plan to encrypt, see Creating a Cloud VM Set.