Linux Installation Guide

This chapter provides instructions for installing and performing the initial configuration of the Nectar Endpoint Client (henceforth EPC) on Linux systems.

In most Linux EPC deployments, a high-capacity license will be used, allowing the client to operate as a Hub. This license will be assigned by a Nectar administrator.

Installing the Nectar EPC

Prerequisites

For Linux systems, the Nectar EPC installation software is provided as a .rpm package, available here.

Prior to installation, please confirm that the target hardware meets the required specifications by reviewing the Linux Hub Requirements document.

Important

These instructions do not reference the exact RPM filename (E.g. nectarepc-3.1.156-1.el9.x86_64.rpm). Instead, wildcards (E.g. /*.rpm) are used to the commands remain valid for future EPC versions.

Installation Procedure

1. Download the latest EPC .rpm file to your workstation and transfer it to the target Linux system using your preferred method (USB, SCP, etc.).

   The following steps outline a USB transfer:

   1. Insert and Mount the USB

      1. Identify the USB device

         $ lsblk

      2. Create a mount directory for the USB

         $ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb

      3. Mount the USB device

         Example: $ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb

   2. Create a working directory for the EPC

      $ mkdir -p ~/epc

   3. Copy the EPC installation package to the EPC directory

      $ cp /mnt/usb/*.rpm ~/epc/

2. Navigate to EPC directory, then convert the .rpm to .deb if the target system is Debian/Ubuntu (see Linux Hub Requirements). This guide recommends using the Alien conversion utility.

   $ cd ~/epc

   $ sudo alien -d *.rpm

3. Install the EPC.

   1. RHEL / Rocky / Alma / Oracle Linux

      $ sudo dnf install ./*.rpm

   2. Ubuntu/Debian

      $ sudo apt install ./*.deb

4. The EPC is now installed and will start automatically (this behavior is intended for upgrades). Stop the service before applying the initial configuration.

   $ sudo nectarepc stop

5. Configure the EPC.

   1. $ sudo nectarepc config

   2. Select 1 (Full Config)

   3. Enter a detailed display name

      1. Valid characters for the agent's name include the following a-z A-Z 0-9 $ * + ? ^ ! . = @ _ ~ - : Spaces are not allowed

   4. [Optional] Enter a description

   5. Enter the Organization ID and Group ID provided to you

   6. Set the logging level to DEB (Debug)

   7. Enter the management domain and password provided to you

   8. Enter the controller address: neccontroller.us.nectar.services:443

   9. Set Outbound Controller is Fixed to false

   10. Select Quit to save the configuration

6. Start the EPC service.

   $ sudo nectarepc start

7. Verify that the EPC status is Running.

   $ sudo nectarepc status

Uninstalling the EPC

To uninstall the EPC:

1. Navigate to the directory containing your EPC

   $ cd ~/epc

2. Stop the EPC

   $ sudo nectarepc stop

3. Remove the EPC with the command corresponding to OS version

   1. Debian/Ubuntu

      $ sudo apt remove nectarepc

   2. RHEL / Rocky Linux / Oracle Linux / AlmaLinux

      $ sudo dnf -y remove nectarepc

      or

      $ sudo rpm -e[vh] nectarepc

Troubleshooting

If the EPC was installed and configured successfully but is unable to execute tests, check to make sure that the agent is not being blocked by the firewall. For a list of ports that must be open for the agent to function properly, refer to Ports and Protocols.

For additional questions and concerns, please contact support@nectarcorp.com