Allied Telesis Vista Manager Virtual (VST-VRT) Release Notes Version 3.12.1

Introduction

The virtual machine version of Vista Manager is called Vista Manager Virtual (VST-VRT). VST-VRT includes tools to simplify and centralize management and security of your network. It provides an integrated graphical view for monitoring and management of wired, wireless, and third-party devices. The VST-VRT Web GUI allows you to manage the virtual machine and set up and access applications running on it.

This version of VST-VRT is supported on the following virtual platforms:

• Windows Server Hyper-V 2019 or 2022
• Hyper-V Server 2019
• VMWare vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) 7.0, 8.0
• Nutanix AHV 6.5

The VST-VRT upgrade is packaged as a file image in two formats: ISO file (.iso) and VHD file (.vhd). When upgrading, use the installation method and file format that match your virtualization environment and method. The upgrade files are available from the Allied Telesis Support Portal. For full system requirements for VST-VRT, see the Vista Manager EX datasheet.

Application Support in VST-VRT 3.12.1

This VST-VRT version includes the following applications and versions:

What's New in VST-VRT 3.12.1

This VST-VRT version includes support for new application versions, new features, and enhancements. For release notes for Vista Manager EX and its AWC and SNMP plugins, see the Vista Manager EX Release Notes page on our website. For other technical documents for Vista Manager Virtual (VST-VRT) and its applications, see the Vista Manager Virtual Technical Document page on our website.

Upgraded application versions

This VST-VRT version includes support for the following new application versions:

• Vista Manager: Upgraded to version 3.14.0.
• Wireless Controller (AWC): Upgraded to version 3.14.0.
• SNMP (Full): Upgraded to version 2.13.0.
• AMF Cloud: Upgraded to version 5.5.5-0.2.
• RADgate: Upgraded to version 1.1.0.

New virtual platform support

From this version, VST-VRT is supported on the following virtual platforms:

• Windows Server Hyper-V 2019 or 2022
• Hyper-V Server 2019
• VMWare vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) 7.0, 8.0
• Nutanix AHV 6.5

Important Considerations Before Upgrading

This section describes changes that may affect VST-VRT if you upgrade. Please read it carefully before upgrading.

Oracle VM VirtualBox Support

From VST-VRT 3.11.1, VST-VRT does not support Oracle VM VirtualBox version 6.1 and version 5.2 as a virtual platform.

Upgrading VST-VRT

This section describes how to upgrade the VST-VRT software and applications. It covers:

• Backing up application data.
• Upgrading the VST-VRT operating system and GUI on Hyper-V Server.
• Upgrading Vista Manager, AMF Cloud, AMF Security, and RADgate applications.
• Upgrading Wireless Controller (AWC) and SNMP (Full) plug-in applications.

Back up application data

It is recommended to back up application data for all applications regularly and before proceeding with any upgrade. Refer to the relevant application's user manual for specific backup instructions. For Wireless Controller (AWC) or SNMP (Full) plug-in applications, backing up is mandatory as the upgrade process destroys and recreates the application instance.

Backup system data for Vista Manager EX

1. Log into the Vista Manager EX app using an Admin account. You can access it via the VST-VRT Dashboard or by navigating to its IP address.
2. In the Vista Manager EX GUI, navigate to the System Management menu item and then to the Database Management tab.
3. Click the Backup button in the Backup pane.
4. Click Backup again to confirm. This downloads a .tar file backup to your default download location. Save this file in a safe location.

Note: Restoring Vista Manager backups from a newer version into an older version is not supported.

Back up system data for the Wireless Controller (AWC) plug-in application

Before upgrading the Wireless Controller application, back up its system data. Ensure that directories and filenames used for backup and restoration do not contain any multibyte characters.

1. Log into the Vista Manager EX app using an Admin account.
2. From the AWC Plug-in menu, select System Setting. On the System Information page, scroll down to the System Maintenance section, and then to the Backup section.
3. Optionally, check the 'Wireless Client History' and 'Logs on Management Log Page' boxes to include them in the backup.
4. Click the Backup button to start the download.
5. Save the backup file to a safe location. The filename format is: config_atawc-X.X.X_-YYYYMMDDhhmmss.zip.

Back up system data for the SNMP plug-in application

Before upgrading the SNMP Full applications, back up its system data. Ensure that directories and filenames used for backup and restoration do not contain any multibyte characters.

1. Log in to Vista Manager EX using an Admin account.
2. Click the SNMP Plug-in icon in the left menu of the Vista Manager application, then click Version Information in the menu.
3. In the System Settings panel, scroll down to the System Maintenance panel, and then to the Backup section. Click the Backup button.
4. Save the backup file to a safe location.

Upgrade the VST-VRT operating system and GUI on Hyper-V Server

There are two upgrade methods depending on how VST-VRT was installed. Follow the appropriate instructions:

When installing using the .iso image method

1. Get the latest VST-VRT software (e.g., VST_VRT-x.x.x.iso) from the Allied Telesis Support Portal and download it to a directory accessible by your VST-VRT virtual machine.
2. To retain unsaved configurations, log into the VST-VRT GUI and click the Save button. This stores the current state and will reboot VST-VRT.
3. If the virtual machine is running, stop it by right-clicking it in the Hyper-V Manager's Virtual Machines pane and selecting Shut Down.
4. Right-click the virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager, select Settings.
5. Navigate to Hardware > IDE Controller 1 > DVD Drive and specify the new .iso image file in the 'Image file' field. Click OK.
6. Right-click the virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager and select Start. The product will start with the new version.

When installing using the .vhd image method

1. Get the latest VST-VRT software (e.g., VST_VRT-x.x.x.vhd) from the Allied Telesis Support Portal and download it to a directory accessible by your VST-VRT virtual machine.
2. To retain unsaved configurations, log into the VST-VRT GUI and click the Save button. This stores the current state and will reboot VST-VRT.
3. If the virtual machine is running, stop it by right-clicking it in the Hyper-V Manager's Virtual Machines pane and selecting Shut Down.
4. Right-click the virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager, select Settings.
5. Navigate to Hardware > IDE Controller 0 > Hard Drive and specify the new .vhd file in the 'Virtual hard disk' field. Click OK.
6. Right-click the virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager and select Start. The product will start with the new version.

Upgrade Vista Manager, AMF Cloud, AMF Security, and RADgate applications

These applications can be upgraded as a bundle to ensure compatibility with each other and the operating system version. Before upgrading:

• Back up application data for all applications.
• Ensure the VST-VRT operating system and GUI on Hyper-V Server are upgraded (see page 9).

Use the following procedure to dynamically upgrade these applications:

• Vista Manager
• AMF Cloud
• AMF Security
• AT-RADgate

1. In the VST-VRT Dashboard page, click the Upgrade Instances button.
2. Ensure the correct version of the bundle file is displayed in the 'Upgrade to' field. If not, use the dropdown list to select the correct version. Applications that can be upgraded are shown as selected; it is recommended to upgrade all of them.
3. Click the Upgrade Selected button and wait for the upgrade to complete. The Status column shows progress (stop, change to new version, start).
4. It is important to save the state of the VST-VRT operating system after the upgrade. Click the Save button (it turns orange when there are unsaved changes) in the top right corner of the screen. If VST-VRT is rebooted without saving, upgraded applications may revert to old images and fail to start.
5. In the VST-VRT GUI Dashboard, open Vista Manager by clicking the Open button next to AT-Vista-app.
6. Vista Manager EX may prompt you to migrate the database. Select Download Database Backup to make a backup, then confirm you have downloaded it and select Continue Migration.
7. Once migration is complete, your connection may be lost. If so, close and reopen the application from the VST-VRT dashboard.

Upgrade Wireless Controller (AWC) and SNMP (Full) plug-in applications

This manual procedure upgrades these applications by destroying and recreating their instances. This applies to Wireless Controller (AWC) and SNMP (Full). Before upgrading:

• Back up application data (see page 7).
• Upgrade the VST-VRT operating system and GUI on Hyper-V Server (see page 9).

For AWC and SNMP (Full) applications, you cannot:

• Upgrade them as part of a set.
• Use the upgrade procedure from versions earlier than VST-VRT 3.4.1.
• Use the 'Upgrade' button in the VST-VRT GUI.

Instead, use these procedures:

• Destroy and recreate the application instances (see page 16).
• Re-register plug-ins in Vista Manager (see page 18).
• Restore application data from back-up (see page 21).

Destroy and recreate the application instances

In the VST-VRT GUI, follow these steps:

1. For each application, hover over the Instance Information icon (i) and copy all Network settings (Network Type, etc.) into a text file on your computer for later re-input.
2. In the application page, stop the application by clicking the Stop button.
3. Destroy the application by clicking the Destroy button.
4. Click the Configure button.
5. Add an interface to connect the application to your network. Expand the Network section. Select DHCP or add a static IP address, gateway address, and a DNS server if needed.
6. In the Application Configuration dialog box, fill in the storage and network data. Recommended storage values: AWC: 204800 MB, SNMP Full: 102400 MB.
7. Click the Apply button. This creates a new instance. Wait for it to start and for the Open button to appear.

Re-register plug-ins in Vista Manager

If you are using the Wireless Controller (AWC) and SNMP (Full) plug-ins in Vista Manager EX, you will need to re-register them. Follow these steps for each plug-in:

1. On the Vista Manager EX page, navigate to System Management > Plugins.
2. Click +Add Plugin.
3. Enter the server URL, which includes the IP address of the plugin application. For SNMP (Full) plugin: <ip-address>:6443/NetManager. For Wireless Controller (AWC) plugin: <ip-address>:5443/wireless_plugin.
4. Click Register Plugin.
5. Check that the certificate fingerprints match the ones reported in the plugin. Click Confirm Fingerprints. A 'Plug-in updated' message confirms the update.

Restore application data from back-up

For the Wireless Controller and SNMP (Full) applications, use the following procedures to restore system data:

Restore system data for the Wireless Controller plug-in

1. Log in to Vista Manager EX using an Admin account.
2. In the Vista Manager EX menu, navigate to AWC Plug-in > System Setting page.
3. Scroll down to the System Maintenance section, and then to the Restore section. Check the 'Restore System Setting' box and click the Restore button.
4. In the Restore dialog box, click Select File and select the backup file.
5. Click OK to confirm.
6. After restoration is complete, a dialog box will confirm it. Click OK.

Restore system data for the SNMP plug-in

1. Log in to Vista Manager EX using an Admin account.
2. In the left menu of Vista Manager EX, click the SNMP plug-in icon, then click Version Information.
3. In the System Setting panel, scroll down to the System Maintenance panel, and then to the Restore panel.
4. Select the file to restore from and click the Restore button. This restores the data from the backup for the SNMP plug-in application.

Remove obsolete files from memory

You can make more space available by removing obsolete files while keeping the current versions.

1. From the VST-VRT dashboard, navigate to the System > File Management page.
2. Click the Delete button to the right of the obsolete files you want to remove.