Installation Guide for Linux

Overview

Nectar Endpoint Client Agents are high performance software-based active test agents designed for pre-deployment testing, SLA monitoring, and advanced troubleshooting of multimedia service quality and IP network performance.

Nectar Endpoint Clients can generate test VoIP and videoconferencing calls using a wide range of codecs and payloads, including voice/video/audio media and DTMF sequences for performance testing of IVR systems and conference bridges. In addition, Agents can perform a variety of network diagnostic tests including IP network/path analysis and synthetic transactions with SIP entities and DHCP, DNS/DoT, HTTP/HTTPS, POP/POPS, and SMTP/SMTPS servers. Many test types support multiple session protocols including UDP, TCP, TLS, SIP and SIPS. STARTTLS mode is supported for POP/SMTP tests.

Nectar Endpoint Clients are small software applications that can run as background tasks on Android® mobile devices and a wide range of Linux®- and Microsoft® Windows®-based devices such as PCs, servers, routers, switches, and customer premises equipment in key locations throughout a service network. As they exchange traffic, agents at both ends of each test connection analyze the quality of the voice or video/audio stream using integrated performance analysis technology and provide real-time feedback including Mean Opinion Scores (MOS) and detailed performance and diagnostic metrics.

Nectar's active performance management application provides the centralized management interface for Nectar Endpoint Clients. Agents are authenticated and controlled by the Controller application, while direct user access to test management and test results is provided via the web browser interface of the Reporter.

About this Document

This document provides instructions for installing and configuring Nectar Endpoint Clients on a Linux-based system. For instructions on installing and configuring Nectar Endpoint Clients on a Windows platform, see the Nectar Endpoint Client Installation Guide for Windows.

For information on this and other Nectar products, please visit www.nectarcorp.com.

System Requirements

This chapter provides a list of requirements for the Linux system on which the Nectar Endpoint Client will be installed.

Platform Requirements

Nectar Endpoint Client for Linux is supported for the following operating systems:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS version 6 (32-bit/64-bit)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS version 7 (64-bit)

The platform hardware requirements vary depending on the number of virtual endpoints that have been licensed for the agent. The following are the minimum platform requirements required for installation of a Nectar Endpoint Client on a Linux system:

Ports and Protocols

The following is a list of ports and protocols used by the Nectar Endpoint Client. If the agent will be running behind a firewall, the following ports should be open in your firewall configuration to allow the agent to function properly.

* Default port number.

Firewall Configuration

The following sections provide general guidelines for configuring the Linux firewall to open the ports required by the Agent. For more detailed information about firewall configuration, consult the firewalld or iptables documentation.

Using firewalld (RHEL/CentOS 7.x)

The following firewalld command can be used to implement the required firewall rules in RHEL/CentOS 7.x, while logged in as 'root':

firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=[default_zone] --add-port=[port_number]/[tcp|udp]

For example:

firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=5060/udp

success

Multiple ports can be opened with one command. For example:

firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=5060/tcp --add-port=5060/udp --add-port=40000/tcp --add-port=26022/tcp --add-port=29999-50000/udp

success

After configuring all the necessary ports, enter the following command to reload the firewall service:

firewall-cmd –reload

Using iptables (RHEL/CentOS 6.x)

The following iptables commands can be used to implement the required firewall rules in RHEL/CentOS 6.x, while logged in as 'root':

# inbound TCP management-domain connections

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 40000 -j ACCEPT

# inbound ICMP messages

iptables -A INPUT -p icmp -j ACCEPT

# inbound UDP SIP messages

iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5060 -j ACCEPT

# inbound TCP SIP messages

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5060 -j ACCEPT

# inbound UDP RTP media and UDP P2P probes

iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 29999:50000 -j ACCEPT

# outbound TCP connections to Controller SCP

iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 26002 -j ACCEPT

iptables -P INPUT DROP

iptables -P FORWARD DROP

iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT

service iptables restart

iptables: Setting chains to policy ACCEPT: filter [ OK ]

iptables: Flushing firewall rules: [ OK ]

iptables: Unloading modules: [ OK ]

iptables: Applying firewall rules: [ OK ]

Test Interface IP Addressing

When running an active test on an agent, it is necessary to select a specific local interface and IP address to be used as the test interface. It is therefore strongly recommended that a static IP address be assigned to any network interface that will be used to run tests, rather than using DHCP to assign addresses automatically. If dynamic addressing is used and a test interface IP address changes, it will cause all tests currently running on the old IP address to fail, along with any tests scheduled to run using the old IP address.

Dynamic or static IP assignment can be used for the management domain interface used to communicate with the Controller if it is a dedicated interface that will not be used to run tests. For any interface that will be used as a test interface, static IP addressing is advised.

Installing the Agent

RPM software packages are provided for installing the Nectar Common Utilities Package and Nectar Endpoint Client software onto the host device. Before installation, copy the two RPM files to a folder of your choice on the target host. Ensure that you choose the appropriate versions for your OS version and architecture.

Required Packages

The Nectar Common Utilities Package is a support package required by all Nectar applications for Linux. It is available as a 32-bit or 64-bit application (RHEL/CentOS 7.x requires the 64-bit version).

The installation package file name is:

• tcmy-cmn-util-m.n.b-r.i386.rpm (32-bit)
• tcmy-cmn-util-m.n.b-r.x86_64.rpm (64-bit)

where m.n.b-r is the Nectar Common Utilities version number.

Nectar Endpoint Client software is also available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions (64-bit required for RHEL/CentOS 7.x) The installation package file name is:

• nectarepc-m.n.b-r.el6.i686.rpm(RHEL/CentOS 6.x 32-bit)
• nectarepc-m.n.b-r.el6.x86_64.rpm(RHEL/CentOS 6.x 64-bit)
• nectarepc-m.n.b-r.el7.x86_64.rpm(RHEL/CentOS 7.x 64-bit)

where m.n.b-r is the Nectar Endpoint Client version number.

Installing with the YUM Package Manager

To install the software packages using YUM, use the yum -y localinstall command. For example:

Installing with the RPM Package Manager

To install the software packages using RPM, use the rpm -i[vh] command. For example:

Configuring the Agent

The Nectar Endpoint Client includes a menu-driven configuration tool for configuring the agent parameters, which are saved to the configuration file /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf.

Initial Configuration

Follow the steps below to configure the Nectar Endpoint Client before starting the agent for the first time. (For instructions on using the configuration tool to edit an existing agent configuration, see Modifying Agent Configuration Settings).

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command.
2. Enter the following command to launch the Nectar Endpoint Client configuration tool:
   
   
   TypeScript

   [root]# service nectarepc config

   
   
3. At the Configuration Options menu, enter 1 to begin the initial agent configuration.

Configuration Options:

[1] Initial/Full Configuration

[2] Agent Identification

[3] Management Domain(s)

[4] Logging

[5] Exit

:1

1. At the following prompt, enter a display name for the agent (up to 16 characters max). This name will identify the agent in the Controller. Note: if the display name is left blank, the agent will create its own display name at runtime.

Agent Identification:

Version: 3.0.057 (15:38:56 June 23 2021)

UUID : 1b90bd30-6fb4-11eb-9823-1c3ed9d898e9

Host ID: FF1FA2AE-E3F6-99A3-B336-BA069BB6FF39-9888A400 [Fri Jul 2 10:39:43 2021]

Enter a display-name identifier for the agent (i.e., hostname)

64-char max [] : example_agent

1. At the following prompt, enter an optional description for the agent, such as a location identifier (256 characters max).

Enter a description for the agent (i.e., location)

256-char max [] : This is the agent description

1. (Optional) at the following prompts, enter the Organization ID and Organization Group ID for the agent. These identifiers are used to automatically associate the agent with a specific controller resource group and (if applicable) pool license key for that resource group when the agent connects to the Controller.

Both Organization ID and Organization Group ID must consist of alphanumeric characters only (a-z, A-Z, 0-9). If this agent does not require an Organization ID/Organization Group ID, press Enter at the Organization ID prompt to skip to the next step.

Enter the Organization ID for the agent

63-char max [] : exampleOrgID

Enter the Organization Group ID for the agent

63-char max [] : exampleOrgGroupID

1. At the following prompt, enter the desired syslog level for agent logging, or press Enter to accept the default level (Notice). To disable agent logging, enter NON.

Enter agent's syslog level. One of:

[NON] None - No logging

[ALE] Alerts - Action must be taken immediately

[CRI] Critical conditions

[ERR] Error conditions

[WAR] Warning conditions

[NOT] Notice - Normal but significant conditions (default)

[INF] Informational

[DEB] Debug-level messages for diagnostic

[NOT] :

1. At the following prompt, enter the desired logging level for Controller event logging, or press Enter to accept the default level (Notice). To disable Controller event logging, enter NON.

Enter controller's event logging level. One of:

[NON] None - No logging

[ALE] Alerts - Action must be taken immediately

[CRI] Critical conditions

[ERR] Error conditions

[WAR] Warning conditions

[NOT] Notice - Normal but significant conditions (default)

[INF] Informational

[DEB] Debug-level messages for diagnostics

[NOT] :

2. The next series of prompts concern the management domain configuration. Before an agent can connect to a Controller, both the agent and Controller must be configured with the same management domain name and passphrase. To facilitate management by multiple Controllers, Agents can be configured with multiple management domains.
   
   Enter the number of management domains to add (default is 1).

A Management Domain specifies a network interface and security

credentials for Agent-Controller connections.

How many Management Domains would you like to add? (Max 16)

[1] :

1. At the following prompt, enter the management domain name (from 6 to 64 characters). For a list of allowed characters, refer to the table on page 10.

Enter a (6 to 64 character) name for Domain 1 : nectarprod

1. At the following prompt, enter the management domain passphrase (from 8 to 64 characters). For a list of allowed characters, refer to the table on page 10.

Enter a (8 to 64 character) password for Domain 1 :

1. At the following prompt, enter y if the management domain has administrative privileges, or n if the domain does not have administrative privileges (default is Yes). If the domain has administrative privileges, users of the Controller that shares the same domain are permitted to change configuration parameters on this agent, stop tests in progress, assign/revoke license keys. If the domain does not have administrative privileges, users of the Controller are restricted from performing these administrative functions but can still perform basic tasks such as running tests.
   
   If this is the only management domain being configured on the agent, select Yes. If you are configuring more than one management domain, note that only one of the domains can have administrative privileges.

Domain has administrative privileges? [Yes] :y

1. At the following prompt, enter n if the management domain does not make outbound connections or y if the domain does make outbound connections (default is No). In a typical configuration, all connections between the Controller and agent are inbound (i.e., the Controller initiates the connection with the agent). Typically, it would be necessary to enter Yes if the agent were placed behind a firewall and unable to receive incoming connection requests from the Controller.

Domain makes outbound connections (i.e., if firewalled?) [No] :n

If the answer is No, skip to Step 14. If the response is Yes, you will be prompted to enter one or more outbound Controller addresses (IP address or hostname). To specify a port number, use the format <address>:<port>. If a port number is not specified, the default Controller port of 40001 will be used.

Multiple addresses can be entered as comma-separated values. If multiple addresses are indicated, any connection failure will cause the next address to be attempted. The following are all valid examples:

Outbound controller address list []

: controller.us.nectar.services:40001

1. At the following prompt, enter n if the management domain should not filter inbound connections (from the Controller to the agent) by IP address, or y to filter inbound connections by IP address (default is No). Inbound filtering can be used as an optional security measure.

Domain filters inbound connections by IP address [No] :

If the answer is No, skip to Step 15. If the answer is Yes, you will be prompted to enter a valid IP range for incoming connections. Addresses can be entered in the form of individual IPs, CIDR notation, or a hyphenated address range. The following are all valid examples:

Allowed IP range(s) for inbound []

:192.168.1.110,192.168.1.111,192.168.1.112

:192.168.0.0/22

:192.168.0.0-192.168.3.255

1. Next, the configuration tool will display information about available network devices (i.e., interfaces) and prompt you to select a method for binding an interface to the management domain.

Network interfaces (2):

1) Device name: eth0

Description: e1000

MAC: 08:00:27:17:2C:14 MTU: 1500 Link Speed: 1000.0Mbps

IP: 192.168.1.159

IP: fe80::a00:27ff:fe17:2c14

Status: Admin Enabled | Link Up

2) Device name: lo

MAC: [none] MTU: 0 Link Speed: 100.0Mbps

IP: 127.0.0.1

IP: ::1

Status: Admin Enabled | Link Up

Default IPv4 Gateway:

IP: 192.168.1.1, Net ID: 0.0.0.0, Mask: 0.0.0.0, Metric: 0

DNS Name Servers (4):

1) 192.168.1.14

2) 192.168.1.15

3) 64.238.96.12

4) 66.180.96.12

Select the Management Domain network-device binding type:

[Dev]ice name

[MAC] address

[IP] address

[Any] (Try to choose for me)

[All] available (0.0.0.0 and ::) * NOTE: All mgmt domains must use, if selected.

[Dev] :

The interface can be bound in the following ways:

• 
  
  • Enter Dev (or simply press Enter) to select by the device name (this is the default).
  • Enter MAC to select by MAC address.
  • Enter IP to select by IP address.
  • Enter Any to automatically select a management interface.
  • Enter All to allow the agent to listen on all available interfaces.

After selecting a binding option, press Enter to accept the default suggested interface or enter the correct information for the desired interface. For example:

[Dev] :

Enter the network device name [eth0] :

1. At the next prompt, enter the local TCP port number on which to listen for inbound connections from the Controller (default is 40000). To prevent the agent from listening for inbound connections, enter 0.

Enter the local TCP listener port for inbound connections.

(0 = do not listen) [40000] :

1. At the next prompt, enter one or more device (i.e., interface) names that the agent is permitted to use for management connections to the Controller, or press Enter to accept the default device. If entering more than one device name, use commas to separate them.
   
   Wildcards (* = all, ? = any) are permitted. For example, eth* would include eth0, eth1, eth2, etc.

Management-Device Policy:

Enter list of allowed mgmt device names. Wildcards (e.g., * or ?) permitted. [eth0] :

1. At the next prompt, enter one or more local IP address ranges in CIDR notation that the agent is permitted to use for the specified management device, or press Enter to accept the default (all IPv4 addresses except 169.254.0.0/16 and all IPv6 addresses except fe80::/64). Use semicolons to separate multiple IP ranges. To exclude an IP range, prefix the range with the ! character.

Enter permitted local IP address range(s) in CIDR notation

for mgmt dev 'eth0'. To deny, prefix with '!'.

(e.g. 10.0.0.0/8;192.168.1.0/24;!fe80::/64) [0.0.0.0/0;::/0;!169.254.0.0/16;!fe80::/64] :

1. At the next prompt, press Enter to allow the IP address of the specified management device to migrate if it is reassigned, or enter No to prevent IP address migration.

Allow local mgmt dev IP address to migrate if re-assigned

(i.e., via DHCP)? [Yes] :

1. At the next prompt, enter one or more device (i.e., interface) names that the agent is permitted to use for test connections, or press Enter to accept the default device. If entering more than one device name, use commas to separate them.
   
   Wildcards (* = all, ? = any) are permitted. For example, eth* would include eth0, eth1, eth2, etc.

Enter list of allowed test device names. Wildcards (e.g., * or ?) permitted. [*] :

1. At the next prompt, enter one or more local IP address ranges in CIDR notation that the agent is permitted to use for the specified test device, or press Enter to accept the default (all IPv4 addresses except 169.254.0.0/16 and all IPv6 addresses except fe80::/64). Use semicolons to separate multiple IP ranges. To exclude an IP range, prefix the range with the ! character.

Enter permitted local IP address range(s) in CIDR notation

for test dev 'eth0'. To deny, prefix with '!'.

(e.g., 10.0.0.0/8;192.168.1.0/24;!fe80::/64) [0.0.0.0/0;::/0;!169.254.0.0/16;!fe80::/64] :

1. At the next prompt, press Enter to allow the IP address of the specified test device to migrate if it is reassigned, or enter No to prevent IP address migration.

Allow local test dev IP address to migrate if re-assigned

(i.e., via DHCP)? [Yes] :

1. At the next prompt, enter the number of test retry attempts that the agent should make when the source IP address is unavailable or invalid before aborting the test, or press Enter to accept the default (10 attempts). To disable the retry auto-abort and permit the agent to retry tests indefinitely, enter 0.

Test Abort Conditions:

Number of test retry attempts for unavailable/invalid source IP before auto abort.

range: 0 (ignore) to 700 [10] :

1. At the next prompt, enter the maximum time period (in seconds) that a test can have an unavailable or invalid source IP address before it is automatically aborted, or press Enter to accept the default (3600 seconds, i.e., one hour). To disable the timeout for auto-aborting tests, enter 0.

Maximum period (s) a test may have an unavailable/invalid source IP before auto abort.

range: 0 (ignore) to 604800s [3600] :

When you have finished configuring the management domain[s], the configuration tool will save all settings to the configuration file and exit to the command prompt.

For instructions on starting the agent, see Starting the Agent.

Modifying Agent Configuration Settings

If necessary, you can re-run the configuration tool at any time to modify the existing configuration for an agent.

Performing a Full/Initial Configuration

To review or reconfigure all the agent configuration settings:

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command.
2. If the agent service is running, stop the agent by entering the following command at the prompt:

[root]# service nectarepc stop

Shutting down nectarepc: [ OK ]

1. Enter the following command to execute the configuration script:

[root]# service nectarepc config

1. At the Configuration Options menu, enter 1.

Configuration Options:

[1] Initial/Full Configuration

[2] Agent Identification

[3] Management Domain(s)

[4] Logging

[5] Exit

:1

1. If a configuration file already exists for the agent, you will be asked whether to back up the existing file before making changes. Enter y (or simply press Enter) to back up the existing fi11le or n to skip backing up the file. Files are backed up in the /etc/nectarepc directory as nectarepc.1, nectarepc.2, etc.)

Warning: stored configuration already exists:

-rw-r--r-- root 9962 Feb 15 11:12 /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf

/etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf Backup? [Y] :y

Backing up /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf => /etc/nectarepc/
nectarepc.9...Done.

1. Follow the prompts to review and modify each configuration setting as needed. For a description of each step, refer to Initial Configuration.

Modifying Agent Identification Information

To modify the agent's name or description:

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command. If the agent service is running, stop the agent by entering the following command at the prompt:

[root]# service nectarepc stop

Shutting down nectarepc: . [ OK ]

1. Enter the following command to execute the configuration script:

[root]# service nectarepc config

1. At the Configuration Options menu, enter 2.

Configuration Options:

[1] Initial/Full Configuration

[2] Agent Identification

[3] Management Domain(s)

[4] Logging

[5] Exit

:2

1. If a configuration file already exists for the agent, you will be asked whether to back up the existing file before making changes. Enter y (or simply press Enter) to back up the existing file or n to skip backing up the file. Files are backed up in the /etc/nectarepc directory as nectarepc.1, nectarepc.2, etc.)

Warning: stored configuration already exists:

-rw-r--r-- root 9962 Feb 15 11:12 /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf

/etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf Backup? [Y] :y

Backing up /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf => /etc/nectarepc/
nectarepc.9...Done.

1. At the following prompt, enter a new display name for the agent (up to 16 characters max), or press Enter to use the existing name. This name will identify the agent in the Controller. For a list of allowed characters, see the table on page 10.

Agent Identification:

Version: 3.0.057 (15:38:56 Jun 23 2021)

UUID : 1b90bd30-6fb4-11eb-9823-1c3ed9d898e9

Host ID: C4EEF004-814C-5544-A7CF-6B8192E4E4A0-8000F300 [Fri Jul 2 11:26:57 2021]

Enter a display-name identifier for the agent (i.e., hostname)

16-char max [example_agent] : new_agent_name

At the following prompt, enter a new optional description for the agent, such as a location identifier (256 characters max). For a list of allowed characters, see the table on page 10.

Enter a description for the agent (i.e., location)

256-char max [This is the agent description.] : This is the new description.

An OK response indicates that the changes were saved to the configuration file:

[ OK ]

Modifying the Management Domain(s)

To add, remove, or modify the management domain(s) configured on the agent:

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command.
2. If the agent service is running, stop the agent by entering the following command at the prompt:

[root]# service nectarepc stop

Shutting down nectarepc: . [ OK ]

1. Enter the following command to execute the configuration script:

[root]# service nectarepc config

1. At the Configuration Options menu, enter 3.

Configuration Options:

[1] Initial/Full Configuration

[2] Agent Identification

[3] Management Domain(s)

[4] Logging

[5] Exit

:3

1. If a configuration file already exists for the agent, you will be asked whether to back up the existing file before making changes. Enter y (or simply press Enter) to back up the existing file or n to skip backing up the file. Files are backed up in the /etc/nectarepc directory as nectarepc.1, nectarepc.2, etc.)

Warning: stored configuration already exists:

-rw-r--r-- root 9962 Feb 15 11:12 /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf

/etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf Backup? [Y] :y

Backing up /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf => /etc/nectarepc/
nectarepc.9...Done.

1. The configuration tool will display the existing management domains if any are configured (see example below).

2 Management Domains defined:

1) Name: example_domain

Access Code: 3gAFCZiJgRoBj9i5bGmA/NSwMHIwEKRjKzJYJM0ku9A

Dev: eth0 MAC: [undefined] IP:Port [undefined]

Bind Type: Device Name

Outb Ctrl Addr(s): [undefined]

Outb Data Addr(s): [undefined]

Administrator: Yes

2) Name: domain2

Access Code: NODxT3Q23z9Jn//i7ca.6vQgeR6HbQxoRboFR5bqGh0

Dev: eth0 MAC: [undefined] IP:Port [undefined]

Bind Type: Device Name

Outb Ctrl Addr(s): [undefined]

Outb Data Addr(s): [undefined]

Administrator: No

A)dd, R)emove, M)odify, or Q)uit [Q] :

1. To modify an existing domain, enter M. If more than one domain is configured, at the Modify which domain? prompt, enter the number for the domain or press Enter to accept the default.

A)dd, R)emove, M)odify, or Q)uit [Q] :m

Modify which domain? (1-2) [1] : 1

At each prompt, enter the new configuration setting or press Enter to accept the existing setting. (For a description of each management domain configuration setting, refer to Initial Configuration starting with Step 9 on page 13.)

1. To remove a domain, enter R. At the Remove which domain? prompt, enter the number for the domain to remove. To confirm the deletion, at the Remove <domain name>? prompt, enter y.

A)dd, R)emove, M)odify, or Q)uit [Q] :r

Remove which domain? (1-2) [1] : 2

Remove domain2? [N] : y

Domain removed.

1. When you are finished configuring domain settings, enter Q or press Enter to save the new domain settings to the configuration file.

A)dd, R)emove, M)odify, or Q)uit [Q] :q

[ OK ]

Modifying Logging Options

To modify the configured settings for agent and/or Controller logging:

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command.
2. If the agent service is running, stop the agent by entering the following command at the prompt:

[root]# service nectarepc stop

Shutting down nectarepc: . [ OK ]

1. Enter the following command to execute the configuration script:

[root]# service nectarepc config

1. At the Configuration Options menu, enter 4.

Configuration Options:

[1] Initial/Full Configuration

[2] Agent Identification

[3] Management Domain(s)

[4] Logging

[5] Exit

:4

1. If a configuration file already exists for the agent, you will be asked whether to back up the existing file before making changes. Enter y (or simply press Enter) to back up the existing file or n to skip backing up the file. Files are backed up in the /etc/nectarepc directory as nectarepc.1, nectarepc.2, etc.)

Warning: stored configuration already exists:

-rw-r--r-- root 9962 Feb 15 11:12 /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf

/etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf Backup? [Y] :y

Backing up /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf => /etc/nectarepc/
nectarepc.9...Done.

1. At the following prompt, enter the desired syslog level for agent logging, or press Enter to accept the existing setting.

Enter agent's syslog level. One of:

[NON] None - No logging

[ALE] Alerts - Action must be taken immediately

[CRI] Critical conditions

[ERR] Error conditions

[WAR] Warning conditions

[NOT] Notice - Normal but significant conditions (default)

[INF] Informational

[DEB] Debug-level messages for diagnostic

[NOT] :

1. At the following prompt, enter the desired logging level for Controller event logging, or press Enter to accept the existing setting.

Enter controller's event logging level. One of:

[NON] None - No logging

[ALE] Alerts - Action must be taken immediately

[CRI] Critical conditions

[ERR] Error conditions

[WAR] Warning conditions

[NOT] Notice - Normal but significant conditions (default)

[INF] Informational

[DEB] Debug-level messages for diagnostics

[NOT]

1. An OK response indicates that the configuration changes were saved to the configuration file:

[ OK ]

Agent Service Management

This chapter provides instructions for manually starting, stopping, and restarting the Nectar Endpoint Client and for checking the agent's current running status.

Before executing any of the commands described below, log into the Agent host as 'root' using the su -command.

Starting the Agent

To start the Nectar Endpoint Client, enter the command service nectarepc start while logged in as 'root'. An OK prompt confirms that the nectarepc process has been started.

[root]# service nectarepc start

Starting nectarepc[OK]

Stopping the Agent

To stop the Nectar Endpoint Client, enter the command service nectarepc stop while logged in as 'root'. An OK prompt confirms that the nectarepc process has been stopped.

[root]# service nectarepc stop

Shutting down nectarepc[OK]

Restarting the Agent

To restart the Nectar Endpoint Client, enter the command service nectarepc restart while logged in as 'root'. OK prompts confirms that the nectarepc process has been stopped and restarted.

[root]# service nectarepc restart

Shutting down nectarepc[OK]

Starting nectarepc[OK]

Checking the Agent Status

To check the status of the Nectar Endpoint Client, enter the command service nectarepc status while logged in as 'root'. The response will indicate whether or not the nectarepc process is running (and the PID of the process, if it is running).

[root]# service nectarepc status

nectarepc (pid 9530) is running...

In CentOS/RHEL/OL 7.x, you can obtain additional information about the service by entering the command systemctl status nectarepc:

[root]# systemctl status nectarepc

● nectarepc.service - SYSV: Nectar Endpoint Client active test agent.

Loaded: loaded (/etc/rc.d/init.d/nectarepc; bad; vendor preset: disabled)

Active: active (running) since Mon 2021-02-15 14:35:59 EST; 3min 34s ago

Docs: man:systemd-sysv-generator(8)

Process: 5000 ExecStart=/etc/rc.d/init.d/nectarepc start (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)

...

Uninstalling the Agent

If necessary, use the following instructions to uninstall the Nectar Endpoint Client and the Nectar Common Utilities Package from the host device.

Uninstalling using YUM

To uninstall the Nectar Endpoint Client and Nectar Common Utilities packages using YUM, use the yum -y remove command. For example:

# yum -y remove nectarepc tcmy-cmn-util

Uninstalling using RPM

To uninstall the Nectar Endpoint Client and Nectar Common Utilities packages using RPM, use the following command:

# rpm -e[vh] nectarepc tcmy-cmn-util

Upgrading the Agent

To upgrade an existing installation of the Nectar Endpoint Client:

1. Log into the host device as 'root' using the su - command.
2. Change to the directory containing the new Nectar Endpoint Client RPM.
3. Upgrade the Nectar Endpoint Client by entering one of the following commands at the prompt.

To upgrade the 32-bit version of the Nectar Endpoint Client (RHEL/CentOS 6.x only), enter the following:

[root]# rpm –U nectarepc-m.n.b-r.el6.i686.rpm

where m.n.b-r is the Agent version number.

To upgrade the 64-bit version of the Nectar Endpoint Client on RHEL/CentOS 6.x or 7.x, enter the following:

[root]# rpm –U nectarepc-m.n.b-r.elv.x86_64.rpm

where m.n.b-r is the version number and v is the OS version number (6 or 7).

If the nectarepc service is running, it will be automatically stopped before the upgrade is applied. If the upgrade is successful, you should be returned to the command prompt with no error or confirmation message. For example:

[root]# rpm -U nectarepc-3.0.057-1.el7.x86_64.rpm

Shutting down nectarepc: [ OK ]

[root]#

Existing configuration settings saved in /etc/nectarepc/nectarepc.conf will be migrated to the new agent. To review or change settings, follow the steps described in Modifying Agent Configuration Settings.

1. Start the nectarepc service by entering the service nectarepc start command (see Starting the Agent).

Troubleshooting

The Nectar Endpoint Client for Linux uses the native syslog utility to record information about the operational status of the agent. If you encounter problems with a Nectar Endpoint Client, it may be useful to check the log file for any relevant system or error messages.

The log file is typically located in /var/log/messages, but may be located elsewhere depending on your Linux configuration.

If you are unable to find a solution using the information provided in the log file, contact Nectar Support for further assistance. (See contact information on the back page of this document.)

Agent Will Not Connect to the Controller

If the Agent has been configured with the address and port number for the Controller but is unable to connect to the Controller, a firewall on the Controller host may be blocking connections on the port used to listen for incoming Agent connections (default is TCP 40001). Ensure that the firewall on the Controller host is configured to allow connections on this port, or as an alternative, try to manually add the Agent in the SQmediator Reporter UI.

Upgrading the Agent Causes Previous Configuration to be Lost

Installing a newer version of the agent software may cause existing configuration settings to be overwritten. To avoid losing existing configuration settings, follow the steps described in Upgrading the Agent when upgrading to a new version.