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Hardware Requirements

Number of CPU cores

Each CHARON-AXP emulated CPU requires a corresponding physical core. So the total number of the host CPUs must exceed the number of emulated CPUs since some of the host CPUs must be dedicated to serving CHARON I/O operations and host operating system needs. If several CHARON instances run in parallel, the required number of CPU cores is cumulative.

...

The following table lists the minimum and recommended number of CPUs required for each virtual HP Alpha instance (note that each CHARON instance is able to run on 2 CPU cores hosts, but this configuration does not support emulation of all the virtual CPUs):

CHARON-AXP product	Minimum number of host CPU cores	Recommended number of host CPU cores
HP AlphaServer 400 - HP AlphaServer 4100	2	2
HP AlphaServer DS10/DS10L/DS15	2	2
HP AlphaServer DS20/DS25	4	4
HP AlphaServer ES40/ES45	6	8
HP AlphaServer GS80	10	16
HP AlphaServer GS160	18	32
HP AlphaServer GS320	34	48

...

depends on the amount of HP Alpha memory to be emulated and on the number of CHARON-AXP instances to be executed on one host.
is calculated according to the following formula:
The minimum host memory = (2Gb + the amount of HP Alpha memory emulated) per CHARON-AXP instance.

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Disk storage

The total amount of disk space required for CHARON-AXP can be calculated as a sum of all the disk/tape image sizes plus 50 MB for the CHARON software plus the space required for the host operating system. Temporary disk storage is often needed when setting up a new virtual machine (for source disks backups storage, software installation kits, etc...).

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Software Requirements

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 78.x , - 64bit
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 67.5 - 6.10, x - 64bit
Linux Centos 8.x - 64bit
Linux Centos 7.x , 64bit- 64bit
VMware ESXi 5.5 and 6.x 0 up to 6.7 (requires a supported Linux operating system on top of a ESXi virtual machine)

...

Login as the superuser ("root") on the host system. Because Sentinel HASP runtime relies on 32-bit compatibility libraries to run on Linux, the 32-bit compatibility libraries must be installed before continuing. If the emulator host has access to a package repository, either local or remote, use the following command:
# yum install glibc.i686
Sometimes it is not possible to use an online repository for the installation of 32-bit glibc package. In this case the procedure described in the appendixes has to be used: glibc.i686 installation without Internet connection
.
Create a directory for the CHARON-AXP distribution , copy the TAR.GZ files there and change to this directory as shown in the following example:
# mkdir /charon_dist# cp /tmp/charon-axp-4.11-20403.el74.tar.gz /charon_dist
# cd /charon_dist
.
On RHEL 7.x and CentOS 7.x.
On RHEL/CentOS 7 and 8, the "libev" package is required. If it is reported as missing during CHARON installation on RHEL 7.x /8, check that the repository "extras" is included and enabled, if not, include and enable it. Please refer to your Linux distribution administrator's guide.
Example for RHEL 7.x:
# yum-config-manager --enable rhel-7-server-extras-rpms

Warning

title	WARNING

If you plan to install CHARON-VAX on the same server, both products, CHARON-AXP and CHARON-VAX, will have to be the same build number.
If you upgrade from a previous version of CHARON-AXP, please stop all running CHARON virtual machines and , uninstall CHARON products and reboot the Linux server (recommended) before proceeding with the installation steps described below.

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Distribution preparation

Extract the contents of the distribution TAR.GZ files to the current directory:

...

Copy the download kit (in /tmp for example) to the folder created in the previous chapter:

# cp /tmp/charon-axp-<VER>-<BN>.<ZZ>.tar.gz /charon_dist

where:

...

Item	Description
VER	Version of CHARON-AXP product, for example 4.11
BN	Build Number of CHARON-AXP product, for example

...

20404
ZZ	CHARON-AXP target operating system identifier

...

where:

ZZ = "el8" for CentOS/Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
ZZ = "el74" for CentOS/Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

...

ZZ = "el65" for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

...

Example:

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Extract the contents of the distribution .tar.gz file to the current directory:

# cd /charon_dist# tar -xvzf charon-axp-<VER>-<BN>.<ZZ>.tar.gz

Example:

# tar -xvzf charon-axp-4.11-

...

20404.el74.tar.gz

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As a result, the new directory "charon-axp-<VER>-<BN>.<ZZ>" will be created.

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Switch to that directory:

# cd charon-axp-<VER>-<BN>.<ZZ>

Example:

# cd charon-axp-4.11-

...

20404.el74

The distribution directory contains the following RPM files:

File name	Description
`aksusbd-7.63-1.i386.rpm`	HASP Run-time
`charon-axp-VER-BN.ZZ.x86_64.rpm`	CHARON-AXP

...

aksusbd-7.63-1.i386.rpm

...


`charon-license-VER-BN.ZZ.x86_64.rpm`	CHARON Libraries
`charon-`

...

mtd-VER-BN.ZZ.x86_64.rpm

...

MTD utility

charon-

...

utils-VER-BN.ZZ.x86_64.rpm

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CHARON Utilities

Example:

# ls
aksusbd-7.63-1.i386.rpm
charon-axp-4.11-

...

20404.el74.x86_64.rpm
charon-license-4.11-

...

20404.el74.x86_64.rpm charon-

...

mtd-4.11-

...

20404.el74.x86_64.rpm charon-

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utils-4.11-

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20404.el74.x86_64.rpm

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Installation

Issue the following command to install all the RPM files present in the directory:

# yum # yum install *.rpm

Enter "y" to agree to install all the listed packages.

...

Dependencies Resolved

================================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
================================================================================
Installing:
aksusbd i386 7.63-1 /aksusbd-7.63-1.i386 2.9 M
charon-axp x86_64 4.11-20403 20404 /charon-axp-4.11-2040320404.el74.x86_64 260 M
charon-license
x86_64 4.11-20403 20404 /charon-license-4.11-2040320404.el74.x86_64 2.9 M
charon-utils
x86_64 4.11-20403 20404 /charon-utils-4.11-2040320404.el74.x86_64 1.8 M charon-mtd x86_64 4.11-20403 20404 /charon-mtd-4.11-2040320404.68704.el74.x86_64 1.2 M

Transaction Summary
================================================================================
Install 4 Packages

Total size: 267 M
Installed size: 267 M
Is this ok [y/d/N]: y

...

Downloading packages:
Running transaction check
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded
Running transaction (shutdown inhibited)
Installing : aksusbd-7.63-1.i386 1/4
Starting aksusbd (via systemctl): [ OK ]
Installing : charon-utils-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 2/5 Installing : charon-mtd-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 3/5
Installing : charon-license-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 4/5
Installing : charon-axp-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 5/5
Verifying : aksusbd-7.63-1.i386 1/5
Verifying : charon-license-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 2/5
Verifying : charon-axp-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 3/5
Verifying : charon-utils-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 4/5 Verifying : charon-mtd-4.11-2040320404.x86_64 4/5

Installed:
aksusbd.i386 0:7.63-1 charon-axp.x86_64 0:4.11-20403 20404
charon-license.x86_64 0:4.11-20403 20404 charon-utils.x86_64 0:4.11-2040320404 charon-mtd.x86_64 0:4.11-2040320404

Complete!

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...

If "putty" terminal emulator is going to be used as an additional option copy the following file to your home directory:

...

# mkdir -p $HOME/.config/putty/sessions (if it does not already exist)# cp /opt/charon/putty/sessions/CHTERM-VT100 $HOME/.config/putty/sessions

Info

Note that the "charon-utils" package has the following dependencies:

ethtool
bridge-utils
net-tools
iproute
NetworkManager

During "charon-utils" installation using "yum", these packages will be installed automatically if some of them are absent on the host system.

...

By default CHARON is installed in the "/opt/charon" directory. It has the following subdirectories:

Directory	Description
/bin	Contains all the executable files
/cfg	Contains the configuration files templates
/doc	Contains the documentation
/log	Contains the log files
/disks	Contains the disk containers
/drivers	Contains the CHARON drivers

...

Create a specific user account named "charon" for running CHARON:

# useradd # useradd -G disk,tape,cdrom,dialout,lock -c "Charon User" -m charon
# passwd charon

Any existing user can also be used to run CHARON. In this case issue the following command to include this existing user into these specific groups:

# usermod# usermod -G disk,tape,cdrom,dialout,lock -g <user name> <user name>

Example:

# usermod# usermod -G disk,tape,cdrom,dialout,lock -g tommy tommy

...

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Re-login to apply changes.

Note
The specific account created above does not allow the use of physical consoles "`/dev/tty<N>`" as CHARON consoles. If you plan to map CHARON console to "`/dev/tty<N>`" use only the "root" account for running CHARON.

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License installation

Regular HASP USB dongle

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Copy the aksusbd-7.63-1.i386.rpm and charon-license-4.9-<build>.<OS identifier>.x86_64.rpm files (see above) to the server, for example to "/tmp".
Login as "root" on the server.
Switch to that directory.
Install the copied files using "yum".
Example:
# cd # cd /tmp
# yum # yum install aksusbd* charon-license-*

...

Note

If multiple licenses are available, it is possible to check them using the "-all" parameter with the hasp_srm_view utility in the following way:

# hasp

# hasp_srm_view -all

It it also possible to display the license content for one specific key using the "-key" parameter and specifying the Key Id (see "# hasp_srm_view -h" for more)

...

Invoke the system default web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:1947 to display the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" (ACC) web interface.
Click on "Sentinel Keys" link to open the corresponding page.
Make sure that one and only one CHARON HASP or SL license is present.

To facilitate troubleshooting, Stromasys recommends to enable logging from the Sentinel Admin Control Center as described in this article: Enabling logging in Sentinel Admin Control Center.

Problem	Action
No license is displayed	Make sure that all the recommendations above about remote access to the host are fulfilled (if remote access takes place), that the HASP USB key is not broken and its LED indicator is lit (meaning that it is used by the host).
Only one License key / SL is seen and its content is incorrect	Contact STROMASYS to request a new license update.
Several License keys / SLs are displayed	Remove all of them except the one provided by STROMASYS for the just installed version of CHARON.

...

Info

It is also possible to leave several licenses available to CHARON-AXP at the same time but in this case they have to be specified in the configuration file.

Example:

set session license_key_id=1877752571

It is also possible to have one "main" and one "backup" license in case the main license becomes unavailable:

set session license_key_id="1877752571,354850588"

CHARON-AXP checks its licenses from time to time starting with the main license. If it becomes unavailable, it attempts to access the backup license.

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Interfaces Dedicated to State
---------- ------------ ------------
eth0 host connected to host
eth1 host disconnected from host lo host unmanaged by host virbr0-nic bridge unmanaged by bridge

================================================================== bridge name bridge id STP enabled interfaces ================================================================== virbr0 8000.5254004608c0 yes virbr0-nic

==================================================================

select action:
1 - Dedicate to CHARON
2 - Release to host
3 - Create Bridge with TAPs
4 - Remove Bridge
5 - Add VLAN
6 - Remove VLAN
7 - Print status
8 - Exit
:> 1

...

To choose an interface to be used for CHARON networking, do the following:

# ifconfig# ifconfig

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:60:52:0A:A9:1E

...

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:C0:26:60:FB:15

...
eth2 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1A:92:E1:3F:7F

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Determine what additional parameters are currently set to "on" on the host network adapter to be used by CHARON using the following command:

# e# ethtool -k <device>

Example:

# ethtool # ethtool -k eth1
Offload parameters for eth1:
rx-checksumming: on
tx-checksumming: on
scatter-gather: on
tcp-segmentation-offload: off
udp-fragmentation-offload: off
generic-segmentation-offload: on
generic-receive-offload: off
large-receive-offload: off

Use "ethtool" to switch off all the offload parameters:

# e# ethtool -K <device> <parameter> off

Example:

# ethtool # ethtool -k eth1
Offload parameters for eth1:
rx-checksumming: on
tx-checksumming: on
scatter-gather: on
tcp-segmentation-offload: off
udp-fragmentation-offload: off
generic-segmentation-offload: on
generic-receive-offload: off
large-receive-offload: off

...

Let's suppose the name of the file is "offload_off_eth1.txt". To execute it on system startup, execute the following command (example):

# cat offload_off_eth1.txt >> /etc/rc.d/rc.local

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Upgrade

...

from previous version

To upgrade an already installed CHARON-AXP kit to a more recent one:

Ensure your license allows you to upgrade to that version. If not, please generate a C2V file and send it to STROMASYS for update. See CHARON-AXP for Linux utilities - 'hasp_srm_view' utility
Prepare the new kit RPM files as it is described in "Before installation 695402677" and "Distribution preparation 695402677" sections.
Stop all running CHARON-AXP instances.
Make sure that no template files (i.e. "es40.cfg.template") have been used for your specific configuration otherwise copy those files to a dedicated folder.
Login as "root" user.
Remove the old CHARON-AXP version as described in the "CHARON-AXP for Linux deinstallation" chapter and reboot the Linux server (recommended).
Proceed with the instructions on the new kit installation as described in the "695402677" section.
Once installation is completed, it is recommended to reboot the Linux server (possible issues with licenses detection could occur).
Install the license for the new CHARON-AXP as described in the "License installation 695402677" section.
Start all the CHARON-AXP services stopped at step #3.

Note

If you did not reboot your Linux server at step 6, you may experience issues with 'aksusbd' service installation and then license detection.

Example:

Installing : aksusbd-8.13-1.x86_64 1/5Failed to execute operation: Access deniedFailed to restart aksusbd.service: Access denied

To solve this problem, remove all Charon installed product and restart from step 6 above.

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Versions Compared

Old Version 104

New Version Current

Key

Hardware Requirements

Number of CPU cores

Disk storage

Software Requirements

Distribution preparation

Installation

License installation

Regular HASP USB dongle

Upgrade

from previous version

Page Comparison

Versions Compared

Old Version 104

New Version Current

Key

Hardware Requirements

Number of CPU cores

Disk storage

Software Requirements

Distribution preparation

Installation

License installation

Regular HASP USB dongle

Upgrade

from previous version