Using the PowerMedia XMS Admin Console

The PowerMedia XMS Admin Console (also referred to herein as "Console") is a secure web-based GUI used to manage PowerMedia XMS. The Console can be reached using a web browser and the PowerMedia XMS IP address.

If DHCP is used to provide the PowerMedia XMS IP address, it will be necessary to access the system to determine the address assigned to it. Shell access to the system may be done either by the terminal used during installation or by secure shell (ssh) access. The "root" user’s default password is "powermedia". If you wish to change the password, do so before proceeding.

Note: For stand-alone RPM installations, password modification is not necessary as the installation script does not change the password to "powermedia" as it does with the .ISO install.

CentOS HTTPS Setup for Console Use

Secure HTTP is used to communicate between the administrator’s browser and the PowerMedia XMS Admin Console’s interface. HTTPS usually requires a security certificate linked to the provider’s domain and signed by a trusted third party.

With PowerMedia XMS, it is not possible to provide a certificate tied to any one domain because the PowerMedia XMS is intended to be installed in many different situations by different administrators. For this reason, a "self-signed" (non-verified) certificate is shipped with PowerMedia XMS. The procedure for creating and installing non-verified certificate on CentOS can be found at http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Https. The web browser used to access the Console will detect the use of this self-signed certificate and flag it as a security exception.

Access the Console directly using HTTPS by adding the IP address in browser’s address space. For example, https://<ip_address_of _eth0>.

Note: If HTTP is used the query will be redirected to HTTPS on port 443.

Accessing the console will trigger a security exception. Handling the security exception depends on the web browser being used. Refer to the following table for instructions when using one of the four most common browsers.

Browser	Security Exception	Action	Comment
Firefox	Connection is not trusted	Understand the Risks/Add Exception/Confirm Security Exception	Security exception remains permanently in effect
Google Chrome	Site’s security certificate is not trusted	Proceed Anyway	Security exception will be seen again on starting Google Chrome
Internet Explorer	Problem with website’s security certificate	Continue	Security exception will be seen again on starting new Internet Explorer window
Safari	Cannot verify identity of the website	Continue	Security exception will be seen again on starting Safari

Recurring security exceptions can be overcome on Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari. First, add mapping in the "hosts" file:

xms.localhost <xms_server_ip_address>

Next, add the xms.localhost certificate into the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store. Hosts may be found on Linux systems under /etc, and on Windows systems under C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc. This differs depending on the web browser in use.

Google Chrome
Crossed-out lock and https symbols will be seen when the Console screen is accessed. Click on the Lock Symbol > Certificate Information > Details > CopytoFile and work through the Certificate Export Wizard to save the xms.localhost certificate. It can then be imported into Chrome. Use Tools > Options > Under the Hood > HTTPS-SSL Manage Certificates > Trusted Root Certification Authorities to import.
Internet Explorer
A Certificate Error will be seen next to the URL entry. Install the xms.localhost certificate using Certificate Error > View Certificates > General Tab > Install Certificate and work through the Certificate Import Wizard. The xms.localhost certificate will end up in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store.
Safari
A pop-up warning will be seen on accessing the Console. Install the xms.localhost certificate using Show Certificate > Install Certificate and work through the Certificate Import Wizard. The xms.localhost certificate will end up in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store.