Insights On-premises Linux-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.

Insights On-premises v8.2 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 supported only on VMWare.
• Linux OS Installation - This option allows you to install the IOP on various Linux distributions.

To read more about IOP 8.2 Virtual Appliance Based Installation, see here.

IOP 8.2 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 8.2 as a Single (Standalone) mode or as a Cluster mode for better performance in larger-scale 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 steps, once for the master server, and for each data server.
  
  Sizing Examples
  

  # of Sessions	# of Master Roles	# of Data Nodes
  6000	1	2
  9000	1	2
  11000	1	3

Recommended Browser

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

Firewall / Port Settings

The following ports need to be open:

Machine Type	Inbound Open Ports
Standalone	443 8089 9997
Master	443 8089
Data	9887 9997 8089

Note: For Linux-based installations these ports may need to be enabled at the OS level.

More Information About Each Port

Ports	Traffic Source	Usage
9997/tcp	CU monitors	Forwarder(s) send data to the data node(s)
443/tcp	IOP users	IOP U/I
8089/tcp	Data notes Master node CU monitor	Management port -connects between the master node and the data node(s).
9887/tcp	Data nodes	Data replication

Recommended OS for Linux-Based Installation

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

Required Packages for Linux-Based Installation

• Python 3.6
• Docker 18.09.8 (or above)

Sizing Recommendations

Mode		Cores	RAM	Storage
Single (Standalone) installation  Under 5000 Sessions		12 Cores (Minimum)	32 GB	SSD 100 GB (OS volume) 500 GB* (data volume) with 800 IOPs  50 GB to "/var" partition (if mounted on a different filesystem than the OS partition) The data volume must be mounted under “/opt/ iop_volumes”. The recommended file systems for the data volume are ext3, ext4 or xfs. If ext3 or ext4 are chosen for the data volume, the “Reserved block percentage” should be set to 1%, using the following command (as root): tune2fs -m 1 <FILESYSTEM-PATH>. I.e: tune2fs -m 1 /dev/sdb1
Clustered  installation  Over 5000 Sessions	Master Server	12 Cores (Minimum)	32 GB	SSD 100 GB (OS volume) with 800 IOPs 50 GB to "/var" partition (if mounted on a different filesystem than the OS partition)
	Data Servers (We recommend one data server for every 5000 sessions)	8 Cores (Minimum)	16 GB	SSD 100 GB (OS volume) and 1 TB* (data volume) with 800 IOPs 50 GB to "/var" partition (if mounted on a different filesystem than the OS partition) The data volume must be mounted under “/opt/ iop_volumes” The recommended file systems for the data volume are ext3, ext4 or xfs If ext3 or ext4 are chosen for the data volume, the “Reserved block percentage” should be set to 1%, using the following command (as root): tune2fs -m 1 <FILESYSTEM-PATH>. I.e: tune2fs -m 1 /dev/sdb1

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

Insights On-Premises Installation

Checking the Prerequisites

Before you start the IOP installation, check that the prerequisites are met.

Check that the Python and the Docker are installed.

Note: The Syntax can be different between the Linux OS versions.

To check that the Python and the Docker are installed:

1. Connect to your Linux CLI and enter 'python' and press Tab twice.
2.  Run 'docker -v' in the CLI.
   
   • If the components are installed, the following message appears:
     
   • If the components are not installed:
     

If you don't have the Docker installed, you can follow the instructions from one of the sites below:

• Docker - Docks
• Digitalocean

Once the Linux OS is ready, you can start the IOP installation.

To start the IOP installation:

Copy Files From Windows to Linux

To install Insights on your Linux machine, the files must be prepared in advance. If you don’t have the installation files, contact support@controlup.com to receive them.

1. Download the IOP package to your Windows machine.
   • iop_forwarder-8.1.733.XX.msi
   • iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz
   • iopcmd-8.1.733.XX.tgz
2. Copy iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz and iopcmd-8.1.733.XX.tgz to your Linux machine. To copy files from Windows OS to Linux OS you can use the WinSCP tool.
   • Open the WinSCP tool and make a connection to your Linux.
     
   • Copy the files to your Linux user home folder.
     
     
     

Prepare the Files for the Installation

1. Log in to your Linux machine.
2. Move the iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz and iopcmd-8.1.733.<latest build number>.tgz file from the user folder to /opt folder.
   (For example, a typical file name would be: iopcmd-8.1.733.60.tgz if the latest build number published is built 60.) 
   

   • sudo mv iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz /opt/

   • sudo mv iopcmd-8.1.733.<latest build number>.tgz /opt/

3. CD into “/opt/” directory and extract the installation file.

   • sudo tar zxvf iopcmd-8.1.733.<latest build number>.tgz

4. Move the iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz to “/opt/iopcmd/iop_images.tgz” 
   

   • sudo mv /opt/iop_8.1_images_stable.tgz /opt/iopcmd/iop_images.tgz

5. CD into "/opt/iopcmd/" directory.

Installation Process

Prior to installation there a few important things to note:

1. Password:
   • It is recommended to create a strong" password.
   • The password is an Admin password for the IOP and will be used in the future for upgrades.
2. Once the installation is complete, it is recommended to remove the iop_images.tgz from the /opt/iopcmd/ directory.
3. Once the installation is complete, you can connect to your Insights by browsing to https://<Your Server_IP>.

Single (Standalone) Installation

• Run the Install command, and the installation begins
  

  • sudo ./iopcmd install local -t standalone -pwd <Your Password> -p iop_images.tgz

    • For example:

    • sudo ./iopcmd install local -t standalone -pwd abc123 -p iop_images.tgz

Cluster Installation

1.  Run the Install command on the Master server, and the installation begins.

   • sudo ./iopcmd install local -t master -pwd <Your Password> -p iop_images.tgz

     • For example:

     • sudo ./iopcmd install local -t standalone -pwd abc123 -p iop_images.tgz

2. Once the installation is complete, run the Install command on the Data servers

   • sudo ./iopcmd install local -t data -m <DNS name or ip address of Master> -pwd <Your Password> -p iop_images.tgz

Insights On-premises Forwarder Installation

The Insights On-premises (IOP) Forwarder is a component that forwards the activity files from monitor servers to the IOP servers and requires a separate installation. It forwards the data from the ControlUp monitor to the Insights server and must be installed either on a server with a shared activity folder that the monitors can access or on every monitor server. 

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 file.
3. Run the file and the Welcome to the IOP Forwarder Setup Wizard screen appears. Click Next and the Select Installation Folder screen appears.
4. 
5. Use the Folder dropdown menu to select where on the monitor machine the installer should be installed, and click Next to continue.
   
6. Choose the type of installation (Standalone or Cluster) according to the type of Insights installation, and click Next to continue.
   
7. Select the Activity Files path folder location and then enter the IP of your IOP Server machine, and click Next to continue.
   
8. Click Install and the forwarder is installed. A confirmation popup appears once the prcess is complete.