Performing Initial Setup for the Probe

This chapter contains the following sections:

• Performing Initial Setup for the Probe, on page 1

There are a few configuration tasks that should be performed to ensure that the Probe meets your requirements.

Locating the IP Address of the Probe

To find the IP address being used by the probe, use one of the following methods:

1. The default IP address configuration for the Probe is performed using DHCP. Make sure your DHCP

server is running and can be reached. If no DHCP server is available, the IP address will default to

192.168.1.10.

2. The Probe can be discovered and accessed using the Cisco FindIT Network Discovery Utility that

enables you to automatically discover all supported Cisco devices in the same local network segment as

your computer. You can get a snapshot view of each device or launch the product configuration utility to

view and configure the settings. For more information, see http://www.cisco.com/go/findit.

3. The Probe is Bonjour-enabled and automatically advertises itself using the Bonjour protocol. If you have

a Bonjour-enabled browser, you can find the Probe on your local network without knowing its IP address.

4. If you are using the virtual machine image, you can retrieve the IP address of the Probe from the virtual

machine console. Use your Hypervisor’s management tools to connect to the console of the virtual machine

and log on with the default username: cisco and password: cisco. You will be required to change the

password immediately after logging in. The new password should be a complex, non-dictionary word

using a mixture of character types. A banner will then be displayed showing the current IP address.

If you have installed the Probe on your own Ubuntu or Raspbian Linux installation, you can use the

operating system tools to discover the IP address. For example, you can enter the command ifconfig

at a shell prompt and see a list of interfaces and their addresses displayed.

The credentials set here are used to log on to the probe whenever it is not actively connected to a dashboard.

When connected to a dashboard, the probe must be accessed using the same credentials used to log on to the

dashboard.

Note

Performing Initial Setup for the Probe

5. Locate the IP address assigned by your DHCP server by accessing your router or DHCP server. See your

DHCP server instructions for more information.

Setting Up a Software Probe

A software probe is a probe running in a virtual machine or on a Linux host when there is no Dashboard

running on the same VM or host.

To set up a software probe, follow the steps below:

1. Launch a web browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

2. In the Address field, enter the DHCP-assigned IP address and click Enter.

3. Enter the default user name: cisco and password: cisco. Click Login.

4. You will be prompted to change the username and password for the cisco account. Ensure that the new

password is at least 8 characters in length using at least 3 different character classes. Click Save.

5. Specify the address or hostname of a Dashboard to connect to and click Next.

6. Your browser will be redirected to the Dashboard login screen. Login using administrator credentials for

the Dashboard.

7. Choose to either create a new network or to select an existing network from the drop-down provided. If

you choose to create a new network, then specify a name and location for the network in the boxes provided.

You can enter the address of the network into the appropriate fields. If you enter a partial address, a list

of potential matches will be displayed, and you can select the location from the list. Alternatively, you

can click on the location in the map.

8. Click Finish to be redirected back to the probe GUI.

Setting up an Embedded Probe on a Cisco 100 to 500 Series Product

The process for associating an embedded probe with the dashboard requires explicit configuration on both

the Dashboard and Probe prior to connecting. This process enables the device hosting the embedded probe

to be pre-configured prior to installation, or to be automatically configured using a zero-touch deployment

mechanism such as Network Plug and Play.

Devices running more recent firmware versions support the use of a connection wizard to associate the device

to the dashboard using a similar method to that used with a software probe.

To set up an embedded probe using the connection wizard, do the following:

1. Install the device hosting the embedded probe into the network. Connect to the administration GUI of the

device and navigate to the Cisco Business Dashboard page.

2. Specify the address or hostname of the Dashboard to connect to and click the Connect to Dashboard

button.

3. Your browser will be redirected to the Dashboard login screen. Login using administrator credentials for

the Dashboard.

4. Choose to either create a new network or to select an existing network from the drop-down provided. If

you choose to create a new network, then specify a name and location for the network in the boxes provided.

You can enter the address of the network into the appropriate fields. If you enter a partial address, a list

Performing Initial Setup for the Probe

of potential matches will be displayed, and you can select the location from the list. Alternatively, you

can click on the location in the map.

5. Click Finish to be redirected back to the device GUI.

See the device documentation for more details on the location and use of the CBD agent configuration page.

To manually set up an embedded probe, follow the steps below:

1. Create a new network record for the embedded probe using the steps described in Performing Initial Setup

for the Dashboard.

2. On the Dashboard UI, go to the Inventory and click the plus (+) icon to create a new device record. Fill

in the form with appropriate details for the device that will host the probe, making certain to specify the

correct product ID and serial number. This will allow the dashboard to associate the probe with the correct

network.

3. On the Dashboard UI, go to the My Profile page by clicking on your username at the bottom of the

navigation panel. Use this page to create a new Access Key using the Generate Access Key button. You

can also use an existing access key if you prefer.

The access key used for associating an embedded probe with the dashboard does not need to be a long lived

key. This key only needs to be valid at the time the initial association takes place. Once the probe and dashboard

are associated, the connection is authenticated using limited access, short-lived credentials that are unique to

the network and regenerated periodically.

Note

4. Using the device UI, navigate to the Probe configuration page and fill out the fields provided. At the

minimum, you will need to supply configuration for the dashboard address and port, and access key ID

and secret. If the device is running an older version of the CBD agent, you will also need to specify the

organization and network names. It may also be necessary to configure the dashboard certificate. See

below for more details.

5. Submit the changes. The probe will connect to the dashboard and be associated with the network created

in step 1.

Verifying the Identity of the Dashboard

When establishing a connection to the dashboard, the probe checks to ensure the certificate presented by the

dashboard is valid and can be trusted. For the certificate to be acceptable and the connection to proceed, the

certificate must meet the following conditions:

• The certificate must be signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA), or the certificate itself must be

added to the device configuration as a trusted certificate. Refer the device administration guide for details

on adding a trusted certificate.

• If the dashboard is configured as an IP address, then either the Common Name field or the

Subject-Alt-Name field of the certificate must contain that IP address

• If the dashboard is configured as a hostname, then either the Common Name field or the Subject-Alt-Name

field of the certificate must contain that hostname

Performing Initial Setup for the Probe

Configuring Basic System Settings on the VM image using Web User Interface (Optional)

To configure basic system settings such as IP addressing and time settings for the Probe using the web user

interface, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Administration > Platform Settings.

2. Specify a hostname for the Probe. The hostname is used to identify the Probe on the network.

3. Optionally, specify static IP parameters in the fields provided. By default, the Probe will automatically

determine the IP settings using DHCP.

4. Alternatively, you can set the Probe to use its internal clock for keeping time, or you can specify your

preferred NTP servers. By default, the Probe will synchronize its clock with public NTP servers.

If the hypervisor in use is VirtualBox and the VirtualBox Guest Additions are installed in the VM, the NTP

service - timesyncd - will not operate.

Note

Configuring Basic System Settings on the VM Image through the Command Line (Optional)

As an alternative to configuring basic system settings through the web interface, you can set them using the

command line as follows:

1. Connect to the virtual machine console.

2. Log on using the default username and password set to: cisco. You will be required to change the

password immediately after logging in. The new password should be a complex, non-dictionary word

using a mixture of character types.

3. Enter the command sudo config_vm to perform the initial configuration. The config_vm utility

will prompt you with a series of steps to change the platform settings.

4. First you will be prompted to change the hostname for the Probe. The hostname is used to identify the

Probe on the network. Choose a meaningful name here, or you can skip this step to keep the default

hostname.

5. Next you will be prompted to change the web server ports. If these ports are changed from the default

values, it may also be necessary to change firewall settings in your network.

6. Next you will be prompted to configure the network interface. The options here are static and dhcp (the

default). If you select static, you will be prompted for IP address information, default gateway, and DNS

server addresses. The network interface will be reset if you make changes here.

7. Next you will be prompted to configure the time settings for the Probe. You can opt to configure one or

more NTP servers for time synchronization (recommended), and you will be asked to select the timezone.

If the hypervisor in use is VirtualBox and the VirtualBox Guest Additions are installed in the VM, the NTP

service - timesyncd - will not operate.

Note

8. Finally, you will be asked if you wish to change the bootloader password. The bootloader username and

password can be used on the console at system startup to change the system boot process or recover lost

operating system passwords. The default bootloader credentials are username: root and password: cisco.

Performing Initial Setup for the Probe

Configuring Basic System Settings when the Probe is Embedded on a Cisco Business Product

If you are using a Probe embedded in a Cisco Business product, then the Probe user interface is accessed

through the device administration interface. Consult the device administration guide for more information on

associating the Probe with the Dashboard and making changes to system settings.

Configuring Basic System Settings when the Probe is Co-hosted with Cisco Business Dashboard

A Probe that is co-hosted with Cisco Business Dashboard does not have any user interface. The Probe is

managed entirely through the Dashboard user interface.

Performing Initial Setup for the Probe