Update and configure definition file properties

Definitions properties configure the OpsCenter updater, which automatically downloads and updates the definition files that enable support for different releases of DataStax Enterprise. If an update is found, a remote file named definition_files.tgz is downloaded and applied to the appropriate definitions directory.

The OpsCenter machine must have an internet connection to automatically update the definitions files. Alternatively, you can manually update definition files with an API call or manually update definition files for offline OpsCenter instances.

Definition files configuration properties

Configure the definition file properties in the opscenterd.conf file. The location of the opscenterd.conf file depends on the type of installation:

Package installations: /etc/opscenter/opscenterd.conf
Tarball installations: INSTALL_DIRECTORY/conf/opscenterd.conf

Enable or disable the automatic update. Set the frequency with which to check for definition file updates. Override the default download filename, directory, or port.

[definitions] use_ssl: Specifies whether SSL should be used to get definition file updates. This option requires OpenSSL on the OpsCenter host. The default value is True.
[definitions] definitions_dir: The file system location where definition files are stored. The default location is /var/lib/opscenter/definitions for package installations and INSTALL_DIRECTORY/definitions for tarball installations.
[definitions] auto_update: Specifies whether OpsCenter should automatically attempt to periodically update the definition files. The default value is True.
[definitions] download_host: The host that definition file update requests will be made to. The default host is opscenter.datastax.com.
[definitions] download_port: The port used to request definition file updates on download_host. The default port is 443.
[definitions] download_filename: The name of the tar file on the download_host that contains definition file updates. The default name is definitions_files.tgz.
[definitions] hash_filename: The name of the hash file on the download_host used to determine if the definition file requires an update. The default file is version.md5.
[definitions] sleep: The duration in seconds between checks to update the definition files. The default time is 3600 seconds (1 hour).

Modify the update interval

The definition files are automatically updated every hour by default. Modify the default interval by setting the sleep option in the [definitions] section of opscenterd.conf. The sleep interval should be specified in seconds. For example, set the update interval to 7200 seconds (every 2 hours):

opscenterd.conf

[definitions]
  sleep = 7200

Disable automatic updates of definitions files

Disable the automatic update process by setting auto_update to False in the [definitions] section of opscenterd.conf:

opscenterd.conf

[definitions]
  auto_update = False

Manually update definition files with an API call

You can manually trigger definition updates using the OpsCenter API, whether or not automatic updates are enabled:

Check for definition updates, and, if any are available, download them:
```
curl -X GET http://my.opscenter.host:8888/rc/definition/update
```
The response is true if an update was found and downloaded. The response is false if no update was found.
restart OpsCenter to apply the updated definitions.

Manually update definition files for offline OpsCenter instances

If the OpsCenter machine does not have an internet connection, you can manually update the definitions.

Download the definitions tarball for your version of OpsCenter:
```
https://opscenter.datastax.com/definitions/6.8.39/definition_files.tgz
```
Replace 6.8.39 with your currently installed version of OpsCenter.
If applicable, remove any existing files in the definitions directory. The default location is /var/lib/opscenter/definitions for package installations and install_directory/definitions for tarball installations. The location can be customized with the definitions_dir property in opscenterd.conf.
Unpack the definitions_files tarball into the definitions directory.
restart OpsCenter to apply the updated definitions.