Veritas NetBackup™ Virtual Appliance Documentation

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (3.2)
Platform: NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  1. Getting to know the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    1. NetBackup Virtual Appliance product description
      1.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server role
      2.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server role
      3.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server role
      4.  
        About NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
    2.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance supported features
    3.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance documentation
    4.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.2 new features, enhancements, and changes
    5.  
      Known limitations of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.2 release
    6.  
      Operational Notes for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.2 release
  2. Preparing to deploy the appliance
    1.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance product files (OVF templates)
    2.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance deployment methods
    3. NetBackup Virtual Appliance deployment guidelines
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment checklist
  3. Deploying and configuring the appliance
    1. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a combined master and media server appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a combined master and media server appliance
      3.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
      4.  
        Completing the initial configuration of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
    2. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a media server appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a media server appliance
      3.  
        Configuring a master server to communicate with an appliance media server
      4.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server
    3. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a master server
      3.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
    4. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a CloudCatalyst appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a CloudCatalyst appliance
      3. Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
        1.  
          Deploying certificates for a credentials broker when the master server is an appliance
  4. Post initial configuration procedures
    1.  
      About modifying the NetBackup Virtual Appliance settings
    2.  
      Adding a permanent license key if an evaluation license key expires
    3.  
      Managing license keys on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  5. Appliance common tasks
    1.  
      Common tasks in NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  6. Storage management
    1. About NetBackup Virtual Appliance storage configuration
      1. About viewing storage space information using the Show command
        1.  
          Viewing all storage information
        2.  
          Viewing disk information
        3.  
          Viewing partition information
        4.  
          Viewing the partition distribution on disks
      2.  
        Resizing a partition
      3.  
        Troubleshooting resize-related issues
      4.  
        Moving a partition
      5.  
        Monitoring the progress of storage manipulation tasks
      6.  
        Scanning storage devices using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
      7.  
        Adding storage space for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      8.  
        Removing an existing storage disk
    2. About OpenStorage plugin installation
      1.  
        Installing the OpenStorage plugin
      2.  
        Uninstalling the OpenStorage plugin
  7. Deduplication pool catalog backup and recovery
    1.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication pool catalog backup policy
    2.  
      Automatic configuration of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication pool catalog backup policy
    3.  
      Manually configuring the NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication pool catalog backup policy
    4.  
      Manually updating the NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication pool catalog backup policy
    5.  
      Recovering the NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication pool catalog
  8. Network connection management
    1.  
      About IPv4-IPv6-based network support
    2.  
      Network settings for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    3.  
      Configuring DNS and host name mapping for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    4.  
      Setting the date and time on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    5.  
      Configuring static routes on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    6.  
      Expanding the bandwidth on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  9. Managing users
    1.  
      About managing NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    2.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance account types
    3.  
      Adding NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    4.  
      Deleting NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    5.  
      Adding NetBackup Virtual Appliance user groups
    6.  
      Deleting NetBackup Virtual Appliance user groups
    7.  
      Granting roles to NetBackup Virtual Appliance users and user groups
    8.  
      Revoking roles from NetBackup Virtual Appliance users and user groups
    9. About user name and password specifications
      1.  
        About STIG-compliant password policy rules
    10.  
      Changing NetBackup Virtual Appliance user passwords
    11.  
      About password management and recovery
    12. About authenticating LDAP users
      1.  
        Adding or modifying an LDAP server configuration on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Importing an LDAP server configuration for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Setting the SSL certification for LDAP on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        Exporting an LDAP server configuration from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      5.  
        Unconfiguring LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      6.  
        Disabling LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      7.  
        Enabling LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      8.  
        Adding an LDAP attribute mapping on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      9.  
        Deleting an LDAP attribute mapping on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    13. About authenticating Active Directory users
      1.  
        Adding an Active Directory server configuration
      2.  
        Unconfiguring Active Directory user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    14.  
      About authentication using smart cards and digital certificates
    15. About authenticating Kerberos-NIS users
      1.  
        Adding a Kerberos-NIS authentication configuration on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Unconfiguring Kerberos-NIS user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    16.  
      Generic user authentication guidelines
    17. About user authorization on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance user role privileges
      2.  
        About the Administrator user role
      3.  
        About the NetBackupCLI user role
    18. Creating NetBackup administrator user accounts
      1.  
        Logging on as a NetBackup administrator
      2.  
        Managing NetBackup administrator user account passwords
      3.  
        Viewing NetBackup administrator user accounts
      4.  
        Auditing NetBackup administrator accounts
    19.  
      Deleting NetBackup administrator user accounts
  10. Using the appliance
    1. About configuring Host parameters for your appliance on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Configuring data buffer options on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Configuring lifecycle parameters on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Managing NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication
      4. About BMR integration
        1.  
          Enabling BMR from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    2. About Copilot functionality and Share management
      1.  
        Creating a Share
      2.  
        Editing a Share
      3.  
        Deleting a Share
      4.  
        Moving a Share
      5.  
        Viewing Share information from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
      6.  
        NFS export options
    3. About NetBackup Virtual Appliance as a VMware backup host
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance as backup host: component overview
      2.  
        Notes on NetBackup Virtual Appliance as a VMware backup host
    4. About running NetBackup commands from the appliance
      1.  
        Running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Creating a NetBackup touch file from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Best practices for running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        About NetBackup operating system commands
      5.  
        Known limitations of running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    5. About mounting a remote NFS
      1.  
        Mounting a remote NFS drive
      2.  
        Unmounting an NFS drive
    6. About Auto Image Replication from a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Prerequisites for Auto Image Replication
      2.  
        Configuring a replication target
      3.  
        Determining the appliance deduplication password
    7.  
      Generating certificates
  11. Monitoring the appliance
    1.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance alerts
    2.  
      Setting up email notifications for a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    3.  
      Setting up SNMP notifications for a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    4.  
      Enabling and disabling Call Home from the appliance shell menu
    5.  
      Configuring a Call Home proxy server from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    6. About SNMP
      1.  
        About the Management Information Base (MIB)
    7. About Call Home
      1.  
        Understanding the Call Home workflow
      2.  
        About the Product Improvement Program
    8.  
      About AutoSupport
    9.  
      About storage email alerts
  12. Appliance security
    1. About Symantec Data Center Security on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Auditing the SDCS logs on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Viewing SDCS audit log details
      3.  
        Changing the SDCS log retention settings on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        About SDCS event type codes and severity codes on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      About data security
    3.  
      About data integrity
    4.  
      About data classification
    5.  
      About data encryption
    6.  
      About SSL usage
    7.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance intrusion detection system
    8.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance intrusion prevention system
    9.  
      Major components of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance OS
    10.  
      OS STIG hardening for NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    11.  
      Unenforced STIG hardening rules
    12.  
      FIPS 140-2 conformance for NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    13.  
      Vulnerability scanning of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    14.  
      About the appliance login banner
    15. Setting the appliance login banner
      1.  
        Creating the appliance login banner
      2.  
        Removing the appliance login banner
    16.  
      Log Forwarding feature overview
  13. Upgrading the appliance
    1. About upgrading to NetBackup Virtual Appliance software version 3.2
      1.  
        Supported upgrade paths
      2.  
        Preflight check before the upgrade
      3.  
        Appliance behavior during upgrades
      4.  
        About corresponding NetBackup software versions
      5.  
        About the Appliance Install Manager
    2. Requirements and best practices for upgrading NetBackup appliances
      1.  
        Upgrade time estimation
    3.  
      Pre-upgrade tasks for appliance upgrades
    4. Methods for downloading appliance software release updates
      1.  
        Downloading software updates directly to a NetBackup appliance
      2.  
        Downloading software updates to a NetBackup appliance using a client share
    5.  
      Installing a NetBackup Virtual Appliance software update using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    6.  
      Troubleshooting upgrade issues
  14. NetBackup client upgrades with VxUpdate
    1.  
      About VxUpdate
    2.  
      VxUpdate repository management
    3.  
      Deployment policy management
    4.  
      Manually initiating upgrades from the master server using VxUpdate
    5.  
      Manually initiating upgrades from the client using VxUpdate
    6.  
      Deployment job status
  15. Appliance restore
    1.  
      About appliance restore
    2.  
      Creating an appliance checkpoint from the appliance shell menu
    3.  
      Rollback to an appliance checkpoint from the appliance shell menu
    4.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance factory reset
    5.  
      Factory reset best practices
    6.  
      How to factory reset the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  16. Decommissioning and Reconfiguring
    1.  
      About decommissioning a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      Decommissioning a NetBackup Virtual Appliance with the media server role
  17. Troubleshooting
    1.  
      About troubleshooting the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      About contacting Technical Support
    3.  
      Determining the NetBackup Virtual Appliance serial number
    4. About disaster recovery
      1.  
        Recovering a NetBackup appliance master server using NetBackup catalog restore
    5. About NetBackup support utilities
      1.  
        NetBackup Domain Network Analyzer (NBDNA)
      2.  
        NetBackup Support Utility (NBSU)
    6.  
      Troubleshooting NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment issues
    7.  
      Error messages displayed on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    8.  
      NetBackup status codes applicable for NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    9.  
      Installing an EEB
    10.  
      Rolling back an EEB using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
  18. Appliance logging
    1.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance log files
    2.  
      Viewing log files using the Support command
    3.  
      Where to find NetBackup Virtual Appliance log files using the Browse command
    4.  
      Enabling and disabling VxMS logging
    5.  
      Gathering device logs on a NetBackup virtual appliance
    6. About forwarding logs to an external server
      1.  
        Uploading certificates for TLS
      2.  
        Enabling log forwarding
      3.  
        Changing the log forwarding interval
      4.  
        Viewing the log forwarding configuration
      5.  
        Disabling log forwarding
  19. Commands overview
    1.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    2.  
      Logging on to the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    3.  
      Using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    4.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu command views
  20. Appendix A. Appliance commands
    1.  
      Appliance > Master
    2.  
      Appliance > Media
    3.  
      Appliance > ShowDedupPassword
    4.  
      Appliance > Status
    5.  
      Appliance > Configure
  21. Appendix B. Manage commands
    1.  
      Manage > Software > Delete
    2.  
      Manage > Software > Download
    3.  
      Manage > Software > List
    4.  
      Manage > Software > Install
    5.  
      Manage > Software > Share
    6.  
      Manage > Software > Readme
    7.  
      Manage > Software > Rollback
    8.  
      Manage > Software > Cancel
    9.  
      Manage > Software > DownloadProgress
    10.  
      Manage > Software > UpgradeStatus
    11.  
      Manage > Software > VxUpdate
    12.  
      Manage > Storage > Show
    13.  
      Manage > Storage > Add
    14.  
      Manage > Storage > Create
    15.  
      Manage > Storage > Delete
    16.  
      Manage > Storage > Edit
    17.  
      Manage > Storage > Monitor
    18.  
      Manage > Storage > Move
    19.  
      Manage > Storage > Remove
    20.  
      Manage > Storage > Resize
    21.  
      Manage > Storage > Scan
    22.  
      Manage > OpenStorage > Install
    23.  
      Manage > OpenStorage > List
    24.  
      Manage > OpenStorage > Readme
    25.  
      Manage > OpenStorage > Share
    26.  
      Manage > OpenStorage > Uninstall
    27.  
      Manage > MountPoints > List
    28.  
      Manage > MountPoints > Mount
    29.  
      Manage > MountPoints > Unmount
    30.  
      Manage > License > Add
    31.  
      Manage > License > List
    32.  
      Manage > License > ListInfo
    33.  
      Manage > License > Remove
    34.  
      Manage > Certificates > Generate
    35.  
      Manage > Certificates > Delete
    36.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > Create
    37.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > Delete
    38.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > List
    39.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > PasswordExpiry
  22. Appendix C. Monitor commands
    1.  
      Monitor > Uptime
    2.  
      Monitor > Who
    3.  
      Monitor > NetworkStatus
    4.  
      Monitor > Top
    5.  
      Monitor > MemoryStatus
    6.  
      Monitor > SDCS
    7.  
      Monitor > NetBackup
    8.  
      Monitor > Hardware
  23. Appendix D. Network commands
    1.  
      Network > Configure
    2.  
      Network > Date
    3.  
      Network > DNS
    4.  
      Network > Gateway
    5.  
      Network > Hostname
    6.  
      Network > Hosts
    7.  
      Network > IPv4
    8.  
      Network > IPv6
    9.  
      Network > LinkAggregation
    10.  
      Network > NetStat
    11.  
      Network > NTPServer
    12.  
      Network > Ping
    13.  
      Network > SetProperty
    14.  
      Network > Show
    15.  
      Network > TimeZone
    16.  
      Network > TraceRoute
    17.  
      Network > Unconfigure
    18.  
      Network > WANOptimization
  24. Appendix E. Reports commands
    1.  
      Reports > Deduplication
    2.  
      Reports > Process
  25. Appendix F. Settings commands
    1.  
      Settings > Deduplication
    2.  
      Settings > LifeCycle
    3.  
      Settings > LogForwarding
    4.  
      Settings > NetBackup
    5.  
      Settings > Password
    6.  
      Settings > SystemLocale
    7.  
      Settings > Share
    8.  
      Settings > Sysctl
    9.  
      Settings > NetBackup DNAT
    10.  
      Settings > Notifications > LoginBanner
    11.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > LDAP
    12.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > ActiveDirectory
    13.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > Kerberos
    14.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > LocalUser
    15.  
      Settings > Security > Authorization
    16.  
      Main > Settings > Security > Certificate
    17.  
      Main > Settings > Security > STIG
    18.  
      Main > Settings > Security > FIPS
    19.  
      Settings > Alerts > CallHome
    20.  
      Settings > Alerts > SNMP
    21.  
      Settings > Alerts > Email
    22.  
      Settings > Alerts > Hardware
  26. Appendix G. Support commands
    1.  
      Support > Checkpoint
    2.  
      Support > DataCollect
    3.  
      Support > Disk
    4.  
      Support > Errors
    5.  
      Support > FactoryReset
    6.  
      Support > InfraServices
    7.  
      Support > iostat
    8.  
      Support > Logs
    9.  
      Support > Maintenance
    10.  
      Support > Messages
    11.  
      Support > NBDNA
    12.  
      Support > nbperfchk
    13.  
      Support > NBSU
    14.  
      Support > Processes
    15.  
      Support > Reboot
    16.  
      Support > Service
    17.  
      Support > Shutdown
    18.  
      Support > Storage SanityCheck
    19.  
      Support > Storage Reset
    20.  
      Support > Test

Installing a NetBackup Virtual Appliance software update using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu

Use the following procedure to start the appliance upgrade.

Note:

If you have enabled the STIG feature on an appliance and you need to upgrade it or install an EEB on it, do not plan such installations during the 4:00am - 4:30am time frame. By following this best practice, you can avoid interrupting the automatic update of the AIDE database and any monitored files, which can cause multiple alert messages from the appliance.

To install a downloaded release update using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu

  1. Check to make sure that the following required updates and pre-upgrade tasks have already been performed:
    • All jobs have been stopped or suspended and all SLPs have been paused.

    • The Support > Test Software command has been run and it returned a Pass result.

  2. Log in to the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu.

    Note:

    Veritas recommends that you log in using the shell menu from the virtual machine console, for example, the Virtual Machine Console in the vSphere Web Client, instead of an SSH session.

  3. To install the software release update, run the following command:

    Main_Menu > Manage > Software > Install patch_name

    Where patch_name is the name of the release update to install. Make sure that this patch name is the one that you want to install.

  4. Monitor the preflight check and watch for any Check failed messages.
    • If no Check failed messages appear, you are prompted to continue to the next step to start the upgrade.

    • If any Check failed messages appear, the upgrade is not allowed. You must resolve the reported failures, then launch the upgrade script again so that the preflight check can verify that the failures have been resolved. Click on the UMI links (V-409-xxx-xxxx) for information about how to resolve the reported issues.

    • If any Check failed messages indicate that a RHEL version third-party plug-in was not found, you must obtain the plug-in from the appropriate vendor. Refer to the following topic for installation details:

      See Pre-upgrade tasks for appliance upgrades.

  5. After all preflight check items have passed, and before the upgrade begins, you must first select how the upgrade process should respond if any errors occur during the upgrade. The following prompt appears:
    If an error occurs during the upgrade, do you want to immediately enforce an automatic rollback? [yes, no]

    Enter yes to immediately enforce an automatic rollback.

    Enter no to pause the upgrade process and investigate the errors.

  6. After all preflight check items have passed, you may need to trust the CA certificate and the host ID-based certificate to start the upgrade process.

    To trust and deploy the CA certificates, do the following:

    • Verify the CA certificate detail and enter yes to trust the CA certificate, as follows:

      To continue with the upgrade, verify the following CA 
      certificate detail and enter "yes" to trust the CA certificate.
      CA Certificate Details:
           Subject Name : /CN=nbatd/OU=root@abc.example.com/O=vx
             Start Date : Jul 14 12:59:18 2017 GMT
            Expiry Date : Jul 09 14:14:18 2037 GMT
       SHA1 Fingerprint : 31:E9:97:2E:50:11:51:7C:D6:25:7F:32:86:3D:
                          6B:D5:33:5C:11:E2
      
      >> Do you want to trust the CA certificate? [yes, no](yes) 
      
    • If the security level of the master server is Very High, you must manually enter an authorization token to deploy the host ID-based certificate on the appliance, as follows:

      >> Enter token:

    • If the security level of the master server is High or Medium, the authentication token is not required. The host ID-based certificate is automatically deployed onto the appliance.

    For more information about security certificates, refer to the chapter "Security certificates in NetBackup" in the NetBackup Security and Encryption Guide.

  7. Master server upgrades from software versions 3.1.1 and earlier require you to provide a registration key for the Veritas Smart Meter feature. The upgrade process displays the following instructions to obtain the key file and upload it to the appliance:
    • Log in to the Veritas Smart Meter site with your VEMS credentials and go the Registration Keys page.

    • The following shares have been opened on this appliance:

      CIFS share \<hostname or ip>\incoming_patches\customer_registration/

      NFS share <hostname or ip>:/inst/patch/incoming/customer_registration/

      Mount one of these share paths.

    • Upload the veritas_customer_registration_key.json file to the mounted share path.

      Once the file is uploaded, you can continue with the upgrade for this Master server.

      If you need assistance, contact Veritas Support.

  8. To check the upgrade status before the AIM window appears, enter the following command:

    Main_Menu > Manage > Software >UpgradeStatus

    The system reboots two times during the upgrade process. After the first reboot, any SSH-based connections to the server are unavailable until the reboot process has completed. This condition may last two hours or more, depending on the complexity of the appliance configuration. It is important that you do not attempt to manually reboot the appliance during this time. You can use the console of the virtual machine to view the system status. In addition, you may view the logs under /log or wait for the appliance to send an email upon completion of the upgrade process.

    During the upgrade process, you can open the AIM window to view the upgrade progress and the estimated remaining time.

  9. If problems are detected during the post-upgrade self-test, the AIM window shows the upgrade status as Paused. Other SSH sessions and email notifications also indicate this status.

    To clear the Paused status, perform the following tasks:

    • Press the V key to switch to the Verbose view to see the logs. If there are any Unique Message Identification (UMI) codes for the errors, search for them on the Veritas Support website to get more detailed information.

    • Try to fix the problem that the AIM window reports.

      If you need to use the shell menu, log on to the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu through an SSH session. When the AIM window appears, press the S key to close it.

    • Go back to the AIM window on the IPMI console.

      If you tried fixing the problem, press the A key to attempt the self-test again. If you cannot fix the problem, contact Technical Support or press the R key to roll back the appliance to the previous software version.

  10. After the upgrade has completed, the AIM window shows a summary of the upgrade results.

    After

    the disk pools are back online, the appliance runs a self-diagnostic test. Refer to the following file for the test results:

    /log/selftest_report_<appliance_serial>_<timedate>.txt

    If SMTP is configured, an email notification that contains the self-test result is sent.

  11. Refer to the following topic for tasks that may be required after the upgrade has completed: