The first step in getting started with installing Mividas various products is to add the Mividas Installer virtual machine to your server network.
Where this server should be set up depends on your particular network environment. For examples and more detailed network schemas, please see the documentation Network schematics.
Before you start, you should review the Server specifications for the Mividas virtual machine. Also, please review the Network port requirements before you continue.
Find our deployment guide below, which can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.
Download the Mividas Installer VM
Start by downloading our Installer VM, which is available generic OVA format that works in both VMWare ESXi-based environments (VMware 6.5 and later is supported), or KVM for linux-based virtualization. The latest version can always be found at https://www.mividas.com/downloads/.
The image is based on Debian 11 using Linux kernel v5.10.
Initial VM deployment and network settings
When you first start up the virtual machine, you will immediately be presented with a list of choices that you can easily navigate using the arrow keys. The first section is for your network settings:
- Refresh status
Run this to see the current status of the machine, such as which IP number has been assigned via DHCP, as well as disk space and usage, which can both be helpful during installation. - Change hostname for server
Here you can set the hostname for the server that will primarily be used for internal documentation. This will also help when monitoring entries in different types of event logs. - Change IP-settings on first/second NIC
Choose this option to switch between using DHCP or to manually entering IP numbers and other network settings such as gateway and DNS servers. The first NIC should be the one using the standard gateway, the second NIC (optional) for internal network access using static routes where applicable - Set DNS-servers
This option allows you to specify a standalone DNS server to apply to the server. Even if DHCP is used, an override DNS or similar setup might be used, which you then can specify here. - Set NTP-servers
You can also manually specify which NTP servers to use. This can, for example, be useful for a more secure network with a dedicated internal server which you can then enter an IP number or hostname for. Bear in mind that if a hostname is specified, it requires an available working DNS server. - Set HTTP-proxy
Use this option if you lock outgoing HTTP(s) request in your network. Allows all requests to go through your local proxy where you can verify the traffic and lock down addresses that are not allowed. - Set static routes
This option is available for you who have several different nets in your network. Then you can easily make sure that all traffic goes through the default gateway, but that e.g. 10.0.0.0/24 should instead go through a router that has ip-number 192.168.1.100.
Some choices may require a restart to take effect. You can choose to either restart after each step or, if you prefer, you can complete all settings and then restart at the end of your setup.
When you are satisfied with your network settings, select ‘Continue’ at the bottom of the list. This takes you to the next section on security settings displayed on the next page.
Server security settings
After selecting ’Continue’ from the network settings section will bring you to the security settings for your server.
- Set password for admin system account
Here you can create a system user who can then log in to the linux console to, for example, troubleshoot or change specific settings. - Disable SSH-login using password
Choose this option to disable login via SSH with a password. SSH is enabled with the help of SSH keys by default, and not by using a password.
Without this option it can be difficult to log in as an admin user, as your SSH key is not stored. It is easy to temporarily activate SSH login using a password, add your SSH key and then deactivate this option for increased security. - Disable further changes using boot console-wizard
If you select this option you will no longer be able to access the security section. This means, for example, that for security reasons you can no longer add admin users without first logging in.
When you have chosen your options in this section, select ‘Continue’ at the bottom of the list to proceed. As long as you have not selected ‘Disable further changes using boot console-wizard’, you can always return to these security choices later on to make additional changes.
Mividas VM deployment now completed
Selecting ‘Continue’ from the security settings section means you now have completed setting up the new server. If you have made changes to any of the sections that require a restart, you can now restart the machine before proceeding to the next step.
You will now see the status view of the Mividas Installer VM, including if the Mividas Installer is running and filesystem information. The following options are available:
- Refresh status
This will update the current status view. - Network settings
Brings up the network settings described in more detail above. - Security settings
Brings up the security settings view described in more detail above. - Login shell
Will let you login to the VM terminal shell. - Upgrade installer
Even when it is possible to update the Mividas Installer from the web interface, there is also the choice directly from the terminal if, for example, Mividas Installer can not be reached via the browser. Note that this option does not work in offline environments. - Hard drive cleanup
This option lets you cleanup data from your VM including debug logs/raw call data, old versions and unused images.
On the status view you should also see the IP number that applies to the machine. You are now ready to start adding products from the Mividas product suite.
To proceed, write down the URL of the Mividas Installer displayed in the command line and enter the URL in your web browser to start the Mividas Installer. You may now continue with the Mividas Installer documentation.