Linux Agent Deployment
Add Node Wizard - Push Deployment
Deploying the Linux Agent to an individual machine is as simple as adding the node to Orion via the Add Node Wizard. To begin, navigate to [Settings -> All Settings -> Add Node], enter the IP address or fully qualified host name of the Linux host you'd like managed in the "Polling Hostname or IP Address" field, and select the "Windows Servers: Agent" radio button from the available "Polling Method" options. Next, enter the credentials that will be used to both connect to the Linux host and install the agent software. The credentials provided here should have 'root' or equivalent level permissions. Note that the credentials provided here are used only for initial deployment of the agent. Future password changes of the account credentials provided here will have no impact on the agent once it is deployed.
The Agent is deployed to the Linux host using a combination of SSH and SFTP requiring TCP port 22 be open from the Orion server (or additional polling engine) to the Linux endpoint you wish to manage for push deployment to function properly.
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Once credentials are provided click "Next" at the bottom of the page. You will then be prompted to start the installation of the Linux Agent. Click "Start Install" and the progress indicator will appear. When finished, you will be taken through the rest of the Add Node Wizard flow where you can select which resources you wish to monitoring on the host.
| Install Agent Prompt | Installing Agent Progress Indicator | List Resources |
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![Install Agent Software.png]() | ![Installing Agent Software.png]() | ![List Resources.png]() |
Manual - Pull Deployment
In some scenarios it may not be possible for the Orion server to push the agent to the Linux host over SSH. This is not uncommon when the host you wish to manage resides behind a NAT or is hosted in the cloud. While firewall policy changes, port forwarding, or one-to-one address translations could be made to facilitate push deployment of the agent, in many cases it may be far easier to perform a manual deployment of the agent to those hosts.
The Linux Agent can be downloaded from the Orion web interface to the Linux host by going to [Settings -> All Settings -> Agent Settings -> Download Agent Software] and selecting "Linux" from the options provided and clicking "Next". In the following step of the Wizard select "Manual Install" and click "Next". Finally, In the third and final step of the wizard is where you will select the Linux distribution you will be installing the Agent on, as well as bitness of the OS (32 or 64bit). Here you can also configure any advanced options the agent will use when it is installed, such as which polling engine the Agent should be associated with in Agent Initiated (Active) mode, or the listening port the Agent will use when running in Server Initiated (Passive) mode.
| Select Agent Type | Select Deployment Method | Choose Agent Settings & Distribution |
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![Select Agent Type.png]() | ![Agent Deployement Type.png]() | ![Agent Distribution.png]() |
Once selecting all the appropriate configuration options, click the "Generate Command" button at the bottom of the page. This will generate a dynamic installation command based upon the the settings chosen above, which can then be copied and pasted into an SSH or X-Windows session on the Linux host. The Linux machine will then download and install the appropriate agent software from the Orion server using those pre-configured options.
![Copy Install Command.png]()
Paste the generated command into your Linux terminal session and press 'enter' to start the download and install process.
![Console Session Install Agent.png]()
The command will begin downloading, then installing the Agent onto the machine. When complete, the agent service will automatically start on the Linux host registering with the Orion server, and becoming a managed node.
![Agent Download and Install.png]()
Once registered select your newly added agent node and click "Choose Resources" from the 'Manage Agents' view to select items on the node you would like to monitor.
![Choose Resources.png]()
Mass Deployment - Repository
With the introduction of the Linux Agent in SAM 6.3 Beta 3, the Orion server and Additional Web Servers are now also Linux repositories for the Agent. This method can be utilized for mass Agent deployment using automation and orchestration tools such as Puppet and Chef. It also means you can use the same native built-in package management tools for the Agent, as you would any other package on the Linux operating system. Now you can install the Linux Agent the same way you might install or update BIND or Apache, using 'yum', 'apt-get', or 'zypper' depending upon your distribution. To utilize 'yum', 'apt-get', or 'zypper' for installing the agent you must first register the Orion repository with your operating system. To do so, navigate to [Settings -> All Settings -> Agent Settings -> Download Agent Software -> Linux] and select 'Install via Package Management Tool (e.g. yum, apt)'.
![yum.png]()
Based upon the distribution selected in the drop down (1), a command line string is dynamically generated. Simply click the 'Copy' button (2), then paste this string into an SSH session for the Linux host you want to add the repository to and press 'Enter'. Once the repository is added to the host, you can use the appropriate 'yum', 'apt-get', or 'zypper' command to install the agent from the repository. Simply click the 'Copy' button (3) and once again, paste this command into the SSH session to install the Agent. The Agent will then be downloaded from the Orion repository and installed on the host.
Select Distribution
| Add Repository to Host |
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![Linux Repository.png]() | ![SSH Add Repository.png]()
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| Install Agent | Configure Agent |
CopyPaste Command From Step #3 Above ![yum install.png]()
| IP/Hostname, Username & Password ![Configure Agent.png]()
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When installation is complete, all that remains is to configure the agent by typing 'service swiagentd init'. This will bring up the Linux Agent configuration settings where you will need to provide the IP, hostname, or FQDN of the Orion server or Additional Polling Engine (option #2). Then enter your Orion 'admin' or equivalent credentials used to login to the Orion web interface (Options 4 & 5). When complete, save your changes and exit (Option 7). This will then register the agent with the Orion server and begin managing it as a node.
| Add Node Wizard | Pull Deployment
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| Deployment via Repository | Manual Installation |
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