Release Notes

Introduction

nShield® Monitor is an Entrust nShield® HSM monitoring solution. It is delivered as a virtual appliance (OVA format) to operate in a VMware virtualization environment, and as a Hyper-V image to operate in the Microsoft Hypervisor environment.

These release notes apply to version 2.9.7 of nShield Monitor. They contain information specific to this release such as new features, defect fixes, and known issues.

The Release Notes may occasionally be updated with issues that have come to light after this release has been made available. Please check Entrust nShield Support at https://nshieldsupport.entrust.com for the most up to date version of this document and the nShield Monitor user documentation.

Access to support is available to customers under maintenance. Please contact Entrust nShield Support at nshield.support@entrust.com to request an account.

Purpose of this release

nShield Monitor version 2.9.7 addresses a number of known issues and introduces a number of enhancements over the previous 2.9.5 release, including:

  • Improvements to system upgradepkg functionality.

  • Documentation clarity on configuring secure LDAP.

  • Latest security updates.

Changes in this release

The nShield Monitor 2.9.7 release introduces a number of enhancements. These are discussed in the following sections.

Improvements to system upgradepkg functionality

Several improvements have been made to the system upgradepkg functionality offered by nShield Monitor. A separate document, nShield Monitor Package Installation Guide, provides guidance on its use and also details the packages which can be upgraded.

Documentation clarity on configuring secure LDAP

The nShield Monitor Installation and User Guide now provides additional information on how to configure secure LDAP.

Defect fixes

The following table lists the defects fixed with this release.

Reference Description

NM-907

Password partially echoed to screen on change if containing non-supported character

NM-910

"Save User" button not activated when user changes own auto-logout duration

NM-911

A user is unable to change their own auto-logout duration

NM-913 NM–914

Cosmetic improvements to the Setup Wizard

NM-920

Sort icon disappears on first use when viewing logs

NM-918 NM–927

system upgradepkg branding improvements

Known issues

The following table lists the known issues with this release.

Reference Description

NM-880

Generated OTPs do not adhere to password complexity settings. For example, use of special characters.

Upgrading from previous releases

To use nShield Monitor v2.9.7 either:

  • Load a new instance of nShield Monitor

  • Use the upgrade .cmf file to upgrade an existing nShield Monitor installation

If upgrading from any version before v2.5.5, you must first upgrade to v2.5.5 before upgrading to version v2.9.7. We recommend taking a backup before upgrading, see the nShield Monitor Installation and User Guide for further information.
From version 2.5.5, nShield Monitor only supports the monitoring of nShield HSMs. Only nShield Monitor upgrade files are supported.

Contact Entrust nShield Support for further information.

Compatibility

nShield Monitor is provided as a CMF to upgrade images in Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) format and the Microsoft Hyper-V format. The OVA / Hyper-V image includes a 64-bit Linux based OS and OVT.

For the latest information on compatibility and system requirements, see the nShield Monitor Installation and User Guide.

Hypervisor compatibility

The OVA can be installed on the following virtual platforms:

  • vSphere ESXi 6.0

  • vSphere ESXi 6.5

  • VMware Workstation 12

  • VMware Workstation 14

  • VMware Fusion 10

  • Oracle VirtualBox 6.0

The Hyper-V image can be installed on the following virtual platforms:

  • Microsoft Hyper-V

  • Microsoft Azure

Host server requirements

The host server should meet the following requirements:

  • 64-bit host OS

  • CPU: 2 core 2.0GHz multicore CPU (can be increased as needed)

  • Memory: 8GB dedicated memory for nShield Monitor (can be increased)

  • Network: Single network attached interface to bridged or physical network

  • Disc size to sufficiently accommodate a minimum OVA download size of 1.1 GB or Hyper-V image size of 3.3 GB. Size on disc:

    • 2.3 GB (OVA) / 3.3 GB (Hyper-V) (thin provisioned)

    • 326.0 GB (OVA) (thick provisioned)

nShield compatibility

nShield Monitor is compatible with the following nShield HSM models and software versions:

  • nShield Edge, Solo+, Solo XC, Connect+ and Connect XC with Security World software v12.40 and higher.