Configuring MC

After you install MC, you need to configure it through a client browser connection. An MC configuration wizard walks you through creating the Linux MC super administrator account, storage locations, and other settings that MC needs to run. Information you provide during the configuration process is stored in the /opt/vconsole/config/console.properties file.

If you need to change settings after the configuration wizard ends, such as port assignments, you can do so later through Home > MC Settings page.

How to Configure MC

Open a browser session.
Enter the IP address or host name of the server on which you installed MC (or any cluster node's IP/host name if you already installed Vertica), and include the default MC port 5450. For example, you'll enter one of:
```
https://xx.xx.xx.xx:5450/ https://hostname:5450/
```
Follow the configuration wizard.

About Authentication for the MC Super Administrator

In the final step of the configuration process, you choose an authentication method for the MC super administrator. You can decide to have MC authenticate the MC super (in which case the process is complete), or you can choose LDAP.

If you choose LDAP, provide the following information for the newly-created MC super administrator:

Corporate LDAP service host (IP address or host name)
LDAP server running port (default 389)
LDAP DN (distinguished name) for base search/lookup/authentication criteria

At a minimum, specify the dc (domain component) field. For example: dc=vertica, dc=com generates a unique identifier of the organization, like the corporate Web URL vertica.com
Default search path for the organization unit (ou)

For example: ou=sales, ou=engineering
Search attribute for the user name (uid), common name (cn), and so on

For example, uid=jdoe, cn=Jane Doe
Binding DN and password for the MC super administrator.

In most cases, you provide the "Bind as administrator" fields, information used to establish the LDAP service connection for all LDAP operations, like search. Instead of using the administrator user name and password, the MC administrator could use his or her own LDAP credentials, as long as that user has search privileges.

If You Choose Bind Anonymously

Unless you specifically configure the LDAP server to deny anonymous binds, the underlying LDAP protocol will not cause MC's Configure Authentication process to fail if you choose "Bind anonymously" for the MC administrator. Before you use anonymous bindings for LDAP authentication on MC, be sure that your LDAP server is configured to explicitly disable/enable this option. For more information, see the article on Infusion Technology Solutions and the OpenLDAP documentation on access control.

What Happens Next

Shortly after you click Finish, you should see a status in the browser; however, for several seconds you might see only an empty page. During this brief period, MC runs as the local user 'root' long enough to bind to port number 5450. Then MC switches to the MC super administrator account that you just created, restarts MC, and displays the MC login page.

Where to Go Next

If you are a new MC user and this is your first MC installation, you might want to familiarize yourself with MC design. See Management Console in Vertica Concepts.

If you'd rather use MC now, the following following topics in the Administrator's Guide should help get you started: