The HP VCA (Version Control Agent) is an HP Insight Management Agent that is installed on a system to enable you to view the HP software and firmware that is installed on that system. The HP VCA can be configured to point to a repository being managed by the HP Version Control Repository Manager (HP VCRM), allowing easy version comparison and software updates from the repository to the system on which the HP VCA is installed.

The HP VCA provides version control and system update capabilities for a single HP system. The HP VCA determines system software status by comparing each component installed on the local system with the set of individual components or a specified HP Service Pack for ProLiant listed in the HP VCRM.

An entire HP Service Pack for ProLiant can be updated by clicking the install icon located next to the system software status icon. Individual components are provided with check box to select for installation.

HP VCA is enhanced to identify the presence of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on a TPM-enabled Windows operating system. HP VCA supports installation/upgrading of both System ROM and option ROM components on TPM-based systems. If HP VCA detects TPM module as being enabled, the user will be provided with a checkbox to continue with the installation. The Install button on the component installation page of HP VCA is enabled when the user confirms the decision to go ahead with the installation, confirming that the user is aware of the recovery procedures by selecting the Continue checkbox.


[NOTE: ]

NOTE: TPM is a secure microcontroller with cryptographic functionalities. It works with supporting software and firmware to prevent unauthorized access to a system. TPM with BitLocker measures a system state and upon detection of a changed ROM image, locks the user out of accessing the Windows file system if the user cannot provide the recovery key.


The HP VCRM and the HP VCA are integrated with the HP System Management Homepage (HP SMH), which is the standard single-server management tool in the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM), also part of the ProLiant Essentials Foundation Pack, uses the HP VCRM and HP VCA to facilitate software versioning, update, and tasks related to it.

The HP VCA is available for Windows and Linux operating systems. The HP VCA is an integrated part of the HP SMH that is designed to display the available software inventory of the system on which it is installed. The HP VCA also allows the installation, comparison, and update of system software from a repository that is managed by a HP VCRM.

Users with administrator or operator privileges can access the HP VCA to maintain the software inventory of the system manually. The installation of components and configuration activities are logged to a log file at the system. The HP VCA logs activities, such as software installations. However, installations done outside the HP VCA do not appear in this log.

The HP VCA enables you to view the software installed on selected HP equipment, the available updates, and whether the installed software is compliant with the latest updates found in the selected repository. In addition, you can add or update HP software on the system remotely, using the browser interface of the HP VCA.

You can use the Replicate Agent Settings feature in HP SIM to update multiple servers with HP VCA settings. For more information regarding the Replicate Agent Settings feature, refer to the online HP SIM help system.

The HP VCA permits:

In addition to maintaining the software inventory of the system, the HP VCA integrates with HP SIM. This integration enables administrators to take advantage of the Software Update capabilities of the agent.

Additional resources

For additional resources, go to http://www.hp.com/servers/manage.

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