Insights On-premises Virtual Appliance-based Installation - Version 8.1 and Above

The Insights On-premises (IOP) component captures, indexes, and correlates real-time data in a searchable repository from which you can view a variety of dashboards, graphs, reports, alerts, etc.
The following are prerequisites for an Insights server in the On-premises topology.
Insights On-premises v8.1 contains significant improvements in performance and user experience.

This version of Insights is available in 2 installation modes:

• Virtual Appliance - This option comes as an OVA that runs Photon OS Linux distribution.

Currently, it only supports VMware ESXi 6.5 or higher.

• Linux OS Installation - This option allows you to install the IOP on various Linux distributions.

To read more about IOP 8.1 Linux-Based Based Installation, click here.
IOP 8.1 contains the IOP Forwarder. This component forwards the activity files from the monitor servers to the IOP servers.

Insights On-premises Prerequisites

You can install IOP 8.1 as a Single (Standalone) variation or as a Cluster for better performance in larger environments.

• Single (Standalone) - Recommended for companies with 5000 sessions or less, in which case only one Linux server or virtual appliance needs to be used.
• Cluster - Recommended for companies with 5000 sessions or more. In this variation, several Linux servers must be prepared: one for the master role and one data role for every 5000 sessions. In cluster mode, you need to repeat the installation for each server.

Sizing Examples

Recommended Browser

We recommend a Chromium-based browser such as Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Firewall / Port Settings

The following ports need to be open:

More Information About Each Port

Recommended OS for a Linux-based Installation

• Photon OS 3.0
• CentOS 7 (or above)
• ubuntu 16.4 (or above)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6
• Additional operating systems are supported, subject to RPQ

Required Packages for a Linux-Based Installation

• Python 3.6
• Docker 18.09.8 (or above)

Sizing Recommendations

The following is a general estimation of resources needed for both OVA and Linux-based installations. For further clarifications, please consult with our technical support team to assess your environment’s specific needs.

*The disk size may vary depending on the data retention period.

OVA Deployment

To install Insights, you have to prepare some installation files in advance. If you don’t have the installation files, contact support@controlup.com to receive them.
To install the IOP OVA:

1. Login to your V-Sphere with your Admin account.
2. Right-click on one of your hosts, and choose Deploy OVF Template… and the Select an OVF template window appears.
   
3. Select the Local file and clickChoose Files to choose the IOP OVA file.
   
4. Specify the virtual machine name and select the data center that the virtual machine will be under and select the host where the virtual machine will be deployed.
5. Click Next on the Review details page once you have ensured that the details are correct.
6. Select the Virtual Disk format and the virtual machine storage policy (both of the “thick” formats are recommended for better performance and flexibility)
7. In the Customize Template page, specify the following for each section:
   1. Host Name Details:
      • Required: Hostname of the appliance. (i.e. iop_server)
      • Recommended: The DNS domain name of the appliance.
   2. Networking:
      • For DHCP - leave them all empty
        Note

        If you are installing a clustered IOP, it is recommended to use a static network configuration, instead of a DHCP.

        • IP Address: IP + CIDR for the machine. (Default: DHCP)
          Example: CIDR notation for a static IP - 10.10.10.10/24
        • Default Gateway - The default gateway address for this virtual machine. (Default: DHCP)
        • DNS - The IP address of the DNS server of the organization. (Default: DHCP)

3. Credentials:

   • Required: Password for the root user of the virtual machine.
     • Password details:
       • It is recommended to use a strong password.
       • This is an Admin password for the IOP.
       • This password is to be used in all future upgrades.

4. Appliance Settings:

   • Required:
     • Machine type. (Standalone/Master/Data)
     • If you choose 'Data' as your machine type - specify the DNS/IP of the master appliance.

9. Review the selected settings and click Finish and the virtual machine is ready for configuration, as described in the following section.

Post Installation Configuration

Once the virtual machine is installed it must be configured before starting it.

The default disk capacity for IOP data volume is set to 150 GB.

To increase disk capacity for standalone/data machines:

1. Right-click on your virtual machine name from the list on the left.
2. Choose the Edit Settings… option.
3. Change the number for the Hard disk 2 option to the capacity you want.

Finalizing the Virtual Based Appliance Installation

Once all configurations have been set, you must launch the console and complete the installation to begin using it.

To finalize the installation:

1. Click on the green button to start the machine.
2. To see the console logs, go to the Summary section in your virtual machine page, and click the Launch Web Console option under the image square.
3. Choose the Web Console option and click OK. (The login to the virtual machine is “root”.)

When the installation is complete, you can connect to your Insights by going to https://<Server_IP> .

Once the installation is complete the IOP Forwarder must be installed to receive activity files.

Insights On-premises Forwarder Installation

The Insights On-premises (IOP) Forwarder is a component that forwards the activity files from monitor machines to the IOP servers. You have to install the IOP Forwarder separately on each server where you set up a shared activity folder that either the monitor machines can access or you can install the forwarder on each monitor machine. 

During the ControlUp On-premises installation, you must choose a location for the activity files.
If you choose a local folder, then you need to install the IOP Forwarder on each monitor. If you choose a shared location, you need to install only one IOP Forwarder.

To install the IOP Forwarder:

1. Login to your monitor windows machine.

2. Contact support@controlup.com to receive the iop_forwarder_stable.msi

3. Run the iop_forwarder_8.1.733.XX.msi file and click Next to begin the installation:
   

4. Use the Folder dropdown menu to select where on the monitor machine the installer should be installed, and click Next to continue.
   

5. Choose the type of installation (Standalone or Cluster) according to the type of Insights installation, and click Next to continue.
   

6. Select the Activity Files path folder location and then enter the IP of your IOP Server machine, and click Next to continue.
   

7. Click Install and the forwarder is installed. A confirmation popup appears once the process is complete.