(Agent‑based Windows PNs) Enroll protected nodes

onQ supports both agent‑based and agent‑less PNs. Nodes that are not hosted by VMware require that an agent (onQ Service) be installed. Agent‑based enrollment enables you to use all of the operation and monitoring features that onQ has to offer.

Each agent‑based PN must be “enrolled” with the onQ HA Appliance using the Protect Me button and the onQ EZ Installer, which analyzes your PN and pre-configures it on the onQ Appliance.

Even if you added the new node manually and it appears in the list of protected nodes, you must enroll the node before the onQ Manager can protect it. Previously protected nodes that are still running the onQ Service do not need to be enrolled; in this case, simply add the nodes manually, then start protection.

This Protect Me‑based enrollment instructs the PN to download and extract the QuorumWinBCVSetup<bitVersion>-BCV<build>.ez package from the onQ Portal’s Downloads tab. This package is only used for Protect Me‑based enrollments, not manual installs.

Warning:  In almost all instances, Non‑NTFS partitions are not supported for VSS‑based snapshots. Do not protect such partitions with onQ. Protecting such non‑NTFS partitions might result in the Quorum agent terminating the backup. The only exception is a volume configured with REFS, which is available in Windows Server 2012.

(Recommended) To enroll an agent‑based Windows PN:

Use this procedure if you’re trying to install an agent‑based Windows PN for the first time. You must perform this procedure from the node that you want to enroll. Repeat this procedure for each node that you want to enroll.

1.	RDP to the server that you want to enroll as a PN, then log on as a user with administrative privileges.

2.	From that server, launch a browser (see Browser Support).

3.	Log on to the HA Appliance’s onQ Portal as varadmin.

4.	In the onQ Portal, go to PROTECTION CONFIG tab > Protect Me button, then CONTINUE.

Note:  The protection process instructs the PN to download and extract the QuorumWinBCVSetup<bitVersion>-BCV<build>.ez package from the onQ Portal’s Downloads tab. This package is only used for Protect Me‑based enrollments, not manual installs. The .msi installer only upgrades the onQ service component, while the .ez installer also enables enrollment.

5.	From your browser, run the onQ Service installer (onQEZInstaller.exe) to launch the Setup Wizard.

When prompted by your browser, click Run, the Run again to confirm the Unknown Publisher. If you’re using Firefox, you need to double-click on the executable before you can run the installer.

•	If you don’t install the service within 180 seconds, onQ returns the following error. In this case, simply close the window and repeat this procedure again.

•	If the installer detects that the onQ Manager and the PN are on different subnets, the installer alerts you. Click CONTINUE.

6.	Install the onQ Service by following the on‑screen instructions in the Setup Wizard.

Congratulations, you’ve installed the onQ Service.

7.	Modify PN parameters.

The Modify Protection Parameters dialog presents you with a summary of the PN's proposed configuration.

Specify values for the node parameters, then click SAVE to add the node to the list of protected nodes.

Optionally, you can click SAVE without modifications. You can modify the node at any time.

If the installer fails at this point because there isn’t enough disk space, refer to (Agent‑based PNs) Add protected nodes manually; otherwise, the PN appears in the list.

8.	On the protected node, open the following ports in order for onQ to see the protected node.

•	UDP port 5990

•	TCP ports 5000 and 5990

9.	Verify that the PN appears in the list of protected nodes.

10.	Verify that the onQ Service is running on the PN:

(Alternative) To manually install or reinstall agent‑based Windows PN software:

Use this procedure to:

•

Manually install an agent‑based Windows PN for the first time. Normally, there’s no need to perform this procedure in this case because the Protect Me‑based enrollment, as outlined in (Recommended) To enroll an agent‑based Windows PN:, simplifies the installation process for you by retrieving the appropriate package from the onQ Portal’s Downloads tab. However, you might need to perform a manual enrollment (install) if the initial Protect Me‑based enrollment of the PN failed. Sometimes this happens. For example, old versions of Firefox cannot automatically select the correct operating system version (32-bit or 64-bit) for your PN.

•

Reinstall (aka manually upgrade) node software on a PN that is already on onQ’s protection list so as to fix a PN upgrade or connectivity failure. As outlined in (Agent‑based Windows PNs) Update node software, the automatic upgrade process keeps your PNs up to date. However, sometimes upgrade failures occur, requiring that you reinstall the node software. For example, a PN can go offline and miss an auto‑update.

Note:  There are cases where a Protect Me > Setup Wizard > Repair | Remove methods can resolve most PN upgrade problems, but uninstalling from the Windows Control panel and manually installing as outlined below corrects all issues.

1.	(Existing PNs Only) If this is a previously enrolled PN, uninstall the existing node software on the PN: From the Windows Control panel, select the Quorum onQ Monitor service, then Uninstall.

2.	RDP to the server that you want to protect, then log on to that server as a user with administrative privileges.

3.	From that server, launch a browser (see Browser Support), then log on to the HA Appliance’s onQ Portal as varadmin.

4.	Download the onQ Service installer.

a.	Go to APPLIANCE CONFIG tab > ADVANCED button > DOWNLOADS page.

Warning:  Do not download the .ez file, which is only intended for Protect Me‑based enrollments as outlined in (Agent‑based Windows PNs) Enroll protected nodes, not manual installs. The .msi installer only upgrades the onQ service component, while the .ez installer also enables enrollment.

b.	Scroll down and select the QuorumWinBCVSetup<bitVersion>-BCV<build>.msi file that matches your server’s operating system.

c.	Click the DOWNLOAD button, saving the file to your Downloads folder.

d.	Open the Downloads folder. Execute the newly downloaded msi installer.

5.	Follow the wizard’s instructions to install the onQ Service on the PN.

v3.8 SP1 HF1