Step 2: Create an Activation Configuration in Litmus Edge Manager
Several parameters can be changed for the activation of Litmus Edge devices in the corresponding Litmus Edge Manager installation. It is important to review these options and to carefully implement the correct configuration during the activation of Litmus Edge licenses.
An example of a basic activation configuration can be found in Example: Create a Basic Activation Configuration. Note that this example demonstrates the implementation in a fairly basic configuration, which might not meet your specific needs.
An activation configuration can be configured with limits, license keys, templates and/or template variables. These configurations are all entirely optional. Some of these configurations have existing default values while others can be left blank. These configurations are all implemented in the first four sub-steps and can be skipped if no additional customization is needed.
Generating the details for an activation configuration occurs only in Step 2g: Save while retrieving the key details are in Step 2h: Retrieve Activation Code/URL.
- If you are using a node-locked license, make sure you have a license key for deployment. To get a license key, contact your Litmus account executive.
- If you are using a site-based license, make sure you’ve already applied the license in Litmus Edge Manager. See License Server Management.
Follow these initial steps to access the Activation Configuration options.
- Log in to Litmus Edge Manager.
- Select a company. The Projects pane appears.
- Click a project (the project tile) from the Project pane. The Dashboard pane for the project appears.
- From the navigation panel, navigate to Activation > Configuration. The Activation Configuration pane appears.
Click the Add (+) icon. The Activation Config List/ NEW pane appears.
The button for adding a new activation configuration.
You have the option of configuring limits. Specifically, you can configure the number of edge devices, the lease TTL and the expiration date. If no changes are needed, proceed to the next sub-step.
- Number of edge devices: Enter the number of devices that will share the activation code. The activation code (created after saving) can be used for multiple edge device activations.
- Lease TTL for identity certificate: Enter the number of days the identity certificate for the activation will be valid from the day you activate the edge device.
- Expiration Date: Select the expiration date when the activation code can no longer be used.
You have the option of using either a node-locked or a site license. By default, a node-locked license is selected.
- A node-locked license associates and attaches a license with a Litmus Edge instance. Use this option for assigning one license to each edge device.
- A site license is where Litmus Edge retrieves a license from a Litmus Edge License Server. Use this option to set the license server IP address.
See Site and Node-Locked License Overview for Litmus Edge to learn more.
If no changes are needed, proceed to the next sub-step.
Ensure the site-based license has already been applied in Litmus Edge Manager before activating the device. The site license must be created through Offline activation in License Server Management.
You have the option of adding node-locked license keys manually or uploading them in a file.
To manually add a node-locked license key:
- Click the Add icon. The License Code field drops down.
- Enter or paste the license code in the License key field.
To upload node-locked license keys:
- Click the Upload icon.
- Click Upload From File, navigate to the license .txt file, and then click Open. The licenses appear in the Licenses field on separate lines for each license. Provide the licenses as specified below.
- Click the Upload button in the dialog box to confirm the operation. The licenses appear in the Licenses List and display No in the In Use column.
Please note the following for uploading node-locked license keys:
- Each license must use a separate line in the .txt file.
- A .csv file can be used if you are bulk uploading licenses.
- You can also enter each license using a separate line manually without clicking Upload From File.
You have the option of applying templates when activating a Litmus Edge device. Learn more about Templates.
If the Litmus Edge device doesn't need a template, proceed to the next step.
To add at least one template:
- From the Template section, click the Add icon. The Template Select dialog box appears.
- Select one or more templates from the list, and then click Select. The selected template appears in the Templates list.
You have the option of applying template variables when activating a Litmus Edge device. To use template variables, you'll need to Parameterize a Template first.
If the Litmus Edge device doesn't need any template variables, proceed to the next step.
To add at least one template variable manually:
- From the Template Variables section, click the Add icon. The Add new variable set dialog box appears.
It is possible to add a template variable set applied to all devices.
To add a template variable set applied to all devices:
- From the Add new variable set dialog box, click the Variable set type toggle so that it displays All Devices.
Click Add. The variable set: All devices appears in the Template Variables list.
Litmus Edge Manager User UI : Activation > Configuration : Activation Config 4/7 Add new variables for All Devices- Click the Add icon next to the variable set. A drop-down menu appears, where each line has a separate Variable Name - Variable Value pair.
- In the Variable Name field, enter a variable name.
- In the Variable Value field, enter a variable value.
To add a new template variable for an individual edge device:
- From the Add new variable set dialog box, click the Variable set type toggle so it displays Per Edge Device.
- In the Host Name field, enter the host name for an edge device. To find the host name for an edge device, see Host Information in Configure the Network Settings.
Click Add. The Variable set: per Edge Device: <hostname> appears in the Template Variables list.
Add new variables for per Edge Device- Click the Add icon next to the variable set. A drop-down menu appears, where each line has a separate Variable Name - Variable Value pair.
- In the Variable Name field, enter a variable name.
- In the Variable Value field, enter a variable value.
Multiple template variables can be uploaded using a .csv file. A sample .csv file is available to download from the user interface for customization.
To add at least one template variable using a .csv file:
- From the Template Variables section, click the Upload icon. The Upload variable sets dialog box appears.
(Optional) Click the indicated link (titled 'here') to download a sample .csv file.
The relevant dialog box.- Click Select File, navigate to a variable set .csv file, and then click Open. The selected .csv file appears in the File Name field.
- Click Upload. The variable sets listed in the .csv file appear in the Variable Sets list.
Note: The Provision Options feature is available for Litmus Edge Manager 2.12.0 and later.
To apply the default password policy during activation, select the Password Policy checkbox. If there are multiple password policies, the master default password policy that can't be deleted is implemented.
After activation, you can update the default password policy for individual edge devices.
Note: The Advanced Settings feature is available for Litmus Edge Manager 2.11.0 and later.
When Litmus Edge Manger (LEM) connects to a Litmus Edge (LE) instance, it uses Remote Access. Remote Access has a parameter PersistentKeepalive that you can use to configure how often to send an authenticated empty packet to a Litmus Edge instance for the purpose of maintaining the LEM-LE connection. By default, Remote Access uses 22 seconds.
To set advanced settings, from the Remote Network Persistent Keepalive field, enter a number of seconds between 1-25 (both inclusive).
When done configuring the Activation Configuration, click Save. Once saved, the activation code will then be generated at the Activation Code field.
After saving, the activation code will display underneath the Activation Code section. This code and the Activation URL will be needed when activating a Litmus Edge instance.
To retrieve the activation code/URL:
- Copy to clipboard the Activation Code. It will be needed for activating a Litmus Edge instance. Then, save (paste) the Activation Code in a secure location.
- Copy to clipboard the Activation URL. It will be needed for configuring a Litmus Edge instance. Then, save (paste) the Activation URL in a secure location.
Use the copied Activation Code and Activation URL to Create an Activation Request in Litmus Edge.