Athena EPP (Endpoint Protection Platform)

Athena EPP (formerly Sangfor Endpoint Secure) integrates NGAV, EDR, and endpoint management into a single, powerful solution for comprehensive endpoint protection.
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6.0.4R4
Athena EPP (Endpoint Protection Platform) {{ breadTitle }} User Manual Installation and Deployment Athena EPP Manager Deployment Software Deployment
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Software Deployment

{{ $t('productDocDetail.updateTime') }}: 2025-12-30

You can implement software deployment for the Athena EPP manager in three ways: OVA image-based, ISO image-based, and script-based. Their scenarios are as follows.

  1. OVA image-based deployment: Applicable to scenarios involving virtualization platforms such as VMware and Sangfor Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI).
  1. ISO image-based deployment: Applicable to scenarios involving physical servers or virtualization platforms.
  2. Script-based deployment: Applicable to environments that do not support OVA and ISO image-based deployment.

Recommendations and differences:

  1. Strongly recommended: OVA image-based deployment. As the OVA package contains the Athena EPP manager and the underlying Ubuntu system, you can directly use the Athena EPP manager after importing the OVA package. The Athena EPP manager and the underlying Ubuntu system are installed after deployment.
  1. Recommended: ISO image-based deployment. The ISO package contains the Athena EPP manager and the underlying Ubuntu system. After installing the ISO package using a CD/DVD drive, USB device, or disk, the Ubuntu system is first installed, followed by the installation of the Athena EPP manager. This method takes longer than OVA image-based deployment and is recommended for environments not supporting OVA image-based deployment. The Athena EPP manager and the underlying Ubuntu system are installed after deployment.
  2. Not recommended: Script-based deployment. This method will be phased out in future versions. Avoid using it whenever possible. This method applies to scenarios not supporting OVA and ISO image-based deployment. If the customer wants to adopt this method, apply for a special installation package containing only the Athena EPP manager. Since the underlying operating system is from the customer, the deployment may fail due to missing dependencies, missing drivers, or version incompatibility. The Athena EPP manager is installed after the deployment.
    1. Installation Package Download

Download URL: https://community.sangfor.com/plugin.php?id=service:download/

Path: Self Services > Download.

1.For OVA image-based deployment, download the OVA installation package.

2.For ISO image-based deployment, download the ISO installation package.

3.Download the Athena EPP upgrade package of the corresponding architecture for the version upgrade.

2.1.1.2OVA Image-Based Deployment

1.The following procedure is based on Sangfor HCI, which is an example for your reference when using other virtualization platforms.

2.When creating a virtual machine, please allocate a network card in advance. Otherwise, the installation will fail.

3.If deploying MGR on third-party platforms such as Vmware, please check whether the hard disk interface type can be set independently in the virtual machine settings of the platform. Be sure to select "SCSI" instead of "IDE".

Steps

Step 1.Import the Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) template.

Import the OVA template, as shown in the following figure:

During the image import process, the console will display the installation progress. The deployment finishes after the import is complete, without the need to perform additional operations.

Step 2.Configure network settings.

  1. Log in to the web console of the Athena EPP manager, press Alt+F9 to go to the IP address configuration page, select Set Management IP Address, and click OK, as shown in the following figure.

  1. Enter the password of the admin account, and click OK. The default account and password are both "admin".

  1. Configure the corresponding IP address, subnet mask, and gateway IP address as instructed, and save the configurations.

Step 3.Configure the DNS network.

Supported browsers include Internet Explorer 10 and later, Firefox, Google Chrome, 360, and Microsoft Edge.

  1. Based on the modified IP information, log in to the EPP manager  (https://x.x.x.x). The default account is "admin" and the default password is "admin".
  2. Go to System > System > Network > Interfaces, and specify the IP address configured for the management interface of the Athena EPP manager, as shown in the following figure.

  1. Configure DNS servers.

Go to System > System > Network > Advanced, and configure a preferred DNS server and an alternate DNS server, as shown in the following figure.

The Athena EPP manager requires DNS servers to resolve domain names for antivirus database updates.

Step 4.Configure routing information.

Go to System > System > Network > Routing, and configure a route, as shown in the following figure.

The Athena EPP manager requires a route to connect to the Internet and communicate with endpoints.

2.1.1.3ISO Image-Based Deployment

Step 1.Prepare for the installation.

For installation on physical servers, use software such as UltraISO to burn the ISO template to a blank USB device or DVD. For installation on virtual machines, directly import the ISO image or mount a disk first.

Step 2.Install the Athena EPP manager.

During the image import process, the console will display the installation progress. The deployment finishes after the import is complete, without additional operations.

You do not need to log in to the server as the root user. If you have special requirements, call +60 12711 7129 (7511) to obtain the root password.

Step 3.Configure network settings.

Refer to Step 2 in Chapter 2.2.1.2 "OVA Image-Based Deployment".


2.1.1.4Script-Based Deployment

Prioritize OVA and ISO images for the Athena EPP manager deployment and use script-based deployment only in environments that do not support OVA/ISO image-based deployment.

Before script-based deployment, prepare a server, install a compatible operating system on the server, configure network settings (including the server IP address, routing information, gateway, and DNS servers) for the server, and test the network connectivity of the server.

Step 1.Upload the installation package.

Upload the installation package (with the extension .pkg) and the installation script (with the extension .sh) to the same directory on the server, verify the MD5 checksum after the upload is complete to ensure package integrity, and run the chmod u+x manager_deploy.sh command to make the installation script executable.

Packages whose name includes "offline" indicate offline installation packages. Select an offline Athena EPP installation package based on your operating system and architecture.

Step 2.Run the installation script.

Run the installation script by using the following command. Replace the package name and keep 127.0.0.2 unchanged:

./manager_deploy.sh package_name.pkg 127.0.0.2

The installation is complete once the prompt "Deploy XXX.pkg OK" appears.

Step 3.Configure network settings.

Network settings vary with the underlying operating systems and system versions. The following examples demonstrate how to configure interfaces and restart services on common operating systems.

Linux: vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-XXX, systemctl restart network.service

Ubuntu: vi /etc/netplan/XX-network-manager-all.yaml, netplan apply

Example 1: Linux

Check the interface information and find the management interface eth0.

Open the configuration file of eth0. Set BOOTPROTO to static, set ONBOOT to yes to start the interface at boot time, and specify network settings (IPADDR, NETMASK, GATEWAY, and DNS). After the modifications, press ESC, type ":wq", and then press Enter to quit the file.

Run systemctl restart network or service network restart to restart the network service for the interface configurations to take effect.

Run ifconfig to check the interface configurations.

Example 2: Ubuntu

Check the interface information and find the management interface ens18.

Run vi /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml.

The number in the preceding command may vary with the environment. Go to the directory /etc/netplan/ for the accurate file name.

Modify the network settings, including addresses (IP address and subnet mask), gateway4 (gateway), and nameservers (DNS servers). After the modifications, press ESC and type ":wq" to quit the file.

Run netplan apply to restart the network service for the interface configurations to take effect.

Run ifconfig to check the interface configurations.