vSTREAM Agent on Windows: Difference between revisions

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A complete and detailed installation guide is available on [https://my.netscout.com MyNetscout].
A complete and detailed installation guide is available on [https://my.netscout.com MyNetscout].
You can install vSTREAM Agent on a virtual or physical machine running one of the following 64-bit Microsoft Windows versions:
*Windows Server 2012 R2 (minimum of R2 required regardless of SP level)
*Windows Server 2016
*Windows Server 2019*
(*) not officially supported by NETSCOUT, but successfully tested by COMCERT.


 
 
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{{#invoke:Message box|ambox |type=speedy|text=vSTREAM Agent is a new product in the 6.2.1 release and must be installed as a fresh release. Legacy vSCOUT and vSTREAM-EMB agents cannot be upgraded to vSTREAM agent..}}
{{#invoke:Message box|ambox |type=speedy|text=Starting with release 6.2.1, vStream Agent is an entirely new product and must be installed as a fresh release. Legacy vScout and vStream Embedded agents cannot be upgraded to vStream Agent and MUST be removed. vStream Agent requires a different type of license than vScout and vSTREAM Embedded.}}


 
 


{{#invoke:Message box|ambox |type=content|text=This article applies to vSTREAM Agent versions 6.2.1 and above. For vSTREAM Embedded version 6.2.0 and below, read the article [[vSTREAM_Embedded_on_Linux|vSTREAM Embedded on Linux]].}}
{{#invoke:Message box|ambox |type=content|text=This article applies to vStream Agent versions 6.2.1 and above. For vStreal Embedded version 6.2.0 and below, read the article [[vSTREAM_Embedded_on_Windows|vStream Embedded on Windows]].}}


 
 
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Some considerations before we start:
Some considerations before we start:


*We don't want to use NetScout's default communication ports as they are reltively common and could be in use on the host, now or in the future.  
*You don't want to use NetScout's default communication ports as they are relatively common and could be in use on the host, now or in the future.  
*We prefer using the hostname to identify the vSTREAM Agent (VSTA) in Device Configuration.  
*You want to see the name of the agent in Device Configuration to be identical to the host's name.  
*We know the IP address of the nGeniusONE Server (NGS).  
*You know the IP address of the nGeniusONE Server (NGS). 
*You are familiar with nGeniusONE  
*You are familiar with nGeniusONE  
*You are familiar with Linux CLI
*You are familiar with Windows CMD and/or PowerShell


 
 
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=== Firewall ===
=== Firewall ===


These communication are required.  Make sure they are allowed by every firewall in the path between the host running VSTA and NGS:
These communication are required.  Make sure they are allowed by every firewall in the path between the host running vStream Agent and NGS:


From NGS to VSTA (basic communication = <u>required</u>):
From NGS to vStream Agent (basic communication = <u>required</u>):


*tcp/7080  
*tcp/7080  
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*tcp/7501  
*tcp/7501  


From VSTA to NGS (NetScout Discovery Protocol = <u>recommended</u>):
From vStream Agent to NGS&nbsp;


*udp/395&nbsp;  
*udp/395&nbsp;  


From VSTA to any Next Generation InfiniStream (NGIS)&nbsp; (packet forwarding = <u>recommended</u>)
From vStream Agent to any&nbsp;InfiniStream NG


*GRE (IP protocol number 47) or&nbsp;udp/50100  
*GRE (IP protocol number 47) or&nbsp;udp/50100  
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=== Pre-configuration considerations ===
=== Pre-configuration considerations ===


*vSTREAM Agent offers the posibility to store detailed records (XDR) and data packets on the host.&nbsp; The amount of disk space used for this purpose is limited.&nbsp; It must be at least 1GB/10GB respectively.&nbsp; Any value configured below this value will effecitvely&nbsp;disable that functionality.&nbsp; We recommend to start with 1GB and 10GB for the XDR store and packet store respectivily.&nbsp;&nbsp;  
*vStream Agent offers the posibility to store application session detailed records (ASR) and data packets on the host itself.&nbsp; The amount of disk space used for this purpose is restricted; it must be at least 1GB/10GB respectively.&nbsp; Any value configured below this value will effecitvely&nbsp;disable that functionality.&nbsp; We recommend to start with 1GB and 10GB for the XDR store and packet store respectivily.&nbsp;&nbsp;  
*vSTREAM&nbsp;Agent can monitor more than one interface and those interfaces can be different from the interface used to communicate with NGS and NGIS.  
*vStream&nbsp;Agent can monitor more than one interface and those interfaces can be different from the interface used to communicate with NGS and NGIS.  


In th example below, VSTA will be&nbsp;configured with a 1GB XDR store and a 10GB packet store and is instructed to&nbsp;use&nbsp;eth0 as both management and monitor interface.&nbsp; <u>Please add an additional CPU and 1GB RAM for each additional interface to be monitored.</u>
In the example below:
 
*vStream Agent will be&nbsp;configured with a 1GB ASR store  
*vStream Agent will be&nbsp;configured with a 10GB Packet store  
*Interface eth0 is used for both management and monitor interface  
*vStream Agent is allowed to use 2 CPU and 4 GB of memory on&nbsp;the host


&nbsp;
&nbsp;


=== Create storage path ===
From 1 to 16 vCPU can be assigned to vStream Agent to spread the load workload among each processor but at the cost of additional licenses. Valid ranges for allocated memory are 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 10240, 12288, 14336 and 16384).


The path where to store XDR records and packets must be created upfront.&nbsp; In our example, we decided to use /opt/nsagentstrore for that purpose:
&nbsp;
<pre># mkdir /opt/nsagentstore</pre>
 
{{#invoke:Message box|ambox |type=content|text=Keep in mind that vStream Agent uses up to the equivalent of 100% of the number of vCPUs assigned to it. vStream Agent processes may appear on more than the number of vCPUs assigned, but the total usage will never exceed 100% of the total vCPUs assigned.}}


&nbsp;
&nbsp;


=== Create configuration files ===
&nbsp;


Create the&nbsp;file <code>/tmp/nsagent_config.cfg</code>&nbsp;with the follwing content.&nbsp; Replace <IP_NGS> with the IP address of NGS:
=== Create custom storage path ===
<pre>export NSCOMM_PORT=395
export NSCONSOLE_PORT=7501
export HTTP_PORT=7080
export HTTPS_PORT=7443
export NSCONFIG_SERVER_IP=<IP_NGS>
export MON_INF=eth0
export MGMT_INF=eth0
export NUM_CPUS=1
export MEM_SIZE=2048
export STORAGE_PATH=/opt/nsagentstore
export XDRSTORE_SIZE=1000
export PKTSTORE_SIZE=10000
export NUM_FWD_CPUS=1</pre>


Create the file <code>/tmp/nsprobeid</code> with the following content. Replace HOSTNAME with the actual hostname or any string value you need to proper identify this vSTREAM Enbedden in nGeniusONE. The name can be up to 127 characters long.&nbsp; It can only contain alphanumerical characters, period (.) and hyphen (-). NO SPACES, NO UNDERSCORE (_), NO SPECIAL CHARACTERS:
A&nbsp;custom path where to store XDR records (\xdr) and packets (\pkt) must be created upfront. In our example, we decided to use <code>E:\nsagentstore</code> for that purpose.
<pre><hostname></pre>
 
If the path does not exist, vSTREAM Agent will use the default storage path located at:
 
%INSTALLDIR%\rtm\pa\data


&nbsp;
&nbsp;
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=== Installation ===
=== Installation ===


Copy the most recent version of the rpm to the /tmp directory on thehost. It is recommended to keep the original file name for future reference.
==== Visual C++ ====
<pre># cd /tmp
 
# wget https://comcert.box.com/shared/static/is-6210-NNN-vSTREAM_EMB.x86_64.rpm
We prefere to use the MSI installer and silent install as this method can be automated.
# mv something.rpm is-6110-668-vSTREAM_EMB.x86_64.rpm
 
# md5sum is-6110-668-vSTREAM_EMB.x86_64.rpm
Before you can install vSTREAM Agent using the MSI installer, you must download and install&nbsp;at least one of the following versions of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
*2015
*2017
*2019
 
<span style="background-color:#FFFF00;">One of these versions&nbsp;may already be present on the target machine.</span>
 
&nbsp;
 
 
 
==== vSTREAM Agent ====
 
Now, download the vStream Agent msi installer to the target machine's <code>c:\temp</code> folder.&nbsp; If that folder doesn't exits, create it.
 
Open a command shell as Administrator and run the following command to install the agent:
<pre>msiexec /i c:\temp\vStream_agent.msi /qn INSTALLDIR=C:\NETSCOUT\vSTREAM HTTP_PORT=7080 HTTPS_PORT=7443 NSCOMM_PORT=395 NSCONSOLE_PORT=7501 NSCONFIG_SERVER_IP=10.165.30.183 MON_INF=1 MGMT_INF=1 NUM_CPUS=2 MEM_SIZE=4096 XDRSTORE_SIZE=1000 PKTSTORE_SIZE=10000 CONFIG_PARAMS="STORAGE_PATH=E:\nsagentstore NUM_FWD_CPUS=1 "
</pre>
</pre>


Run the rpm. There are no dependencies to be installed. If you omit the --prefix argument, the installation directory will be /usr/lib/NetScout/.&nbsp; If you specify for example "--prefix=/opt" vSTREAM Embedded will be installed in /opt/NetScout/
<span style="background-color:#FFFF00;">If the target server has&nbsp;multiple network interfaces, you may want to select the desired interface by substituting the interface's number (here 1) by its name as found by running&nbsp;ipconfig.&nbsp; The monitor (MON) and ad management interface (MGMT)&nbsp;can also be modified after installation with the&nbsp;nstray utility found in&nbsp;%INSTALLDIR%\rtm\bin.</span>
<pre># yum localinstall is-6210-NNN-vSTREAM_EMB.x86_64.rpm --nogpgcheck --prefix=<target directory></pre>
 
Installation is silent and will take about 35s to complete (more on a busy system).&nbsp; To see if the installation has finished, check MSI***.log or look for the running processes (see Test).


&nbsp;
&nbsp;
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=== Test ===
=== Test ===


Check if the vSCOUT Agent rvice is running:
==== Logs ====
<pre># systemctl status vstream</pre>
 
Logs are located in&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>%temp%</code>
 
==== Check for running processes ====
 
To check if vStream Agent is running, open Task Manager > Processes and look for the following Background processes.&nbsp; All these processes must be running.
 
*nsprobe
*procmanager
*paservice (32 bit)
*tfaengine.exe
 
You may also run the following command
<pre><INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\ps.bat
</pre>
 
==== Stop/start/restart ====
 
To stop the agent, run the following batch file:
<pre><INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\stop.bat
</pre>
 
To start the agent, run the following batch file:
<pre><INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\start.bat</pre>
 
&nbsp;
 
=== Cleaning up ===


Stop/Start/Restart the service with the following commands:
We recommend removing all the temporary configuration files from the c:/temp direcotory after verification.
<pre># systemctl stop vstream
# systemctl start vstream
or
# systemctl restart vstream</pre>


&nbsp;
&nbsp;


=== Clean-up ===
=== Uninstall ===
 
If for any reason the agent needs to be uninstalled, open Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program. This is the preferred way for removing the agent.


We recommend removing all the temporary configuration files from the /tmp direcotory after verification.&nbsp; These files cannot be used to reconfigure the agent.
Use the following command to perform a silent uninstallation of vStream Agent:
<pre>msiexec /x is-6210-xxx-vSTREAM_agent-x64.msi /qn</pre>
 
The original&nbsp; install folder <INSTALLDIR>&nbsp;should not exist or be empty after successful removal of the agent.&nbsp; We recommend removal of this folder once verified.


&nbsp;
&nbsp;


=== Modifying the configuration ===
&nbsp;


To modify the configuration, edit this file and restart the agent:
&nbsp;
<pre># vi /usr/lib/NetScout/rtm/config/nsagent_config.cfg
</pre>

Latest revision as of 12:14, 3 April 2021

 


Introduction

This is a simplified installation procedure that has been thoroughly tested by our engineers on virtual as well as physical host.

A complete and detailed installation guide is available on MyNetscout.

You can install vSTREAM Agent on a virtual or physical machine running one of the following 64-bit Microsoft Windows versions:

  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (minimum of R2 required regardless of SP level)
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2019*

(*) not officially supported by NETSCOUT, but successfully tested by COMCERT.

 

Solution

 

 

 

Before you install

Some considerations before we start:

  • You don't want to use NetScout's default communication ports as they are relatively common and could be in use on the host, now or in the future.
  • You want to see the name of the agent in Device Configuration to be identical to the host's name.
  • You know the IP address of the nGeniusONE Server (NGS). 
  • You are familiar with nGeniusONE
  • You are familiar with Windows CMD and/or PowerShell

 

Firewall

These communication are required.  Make sure they are allowed by every firewall in the path between the host running vStream Agent and NGS:

From NGS to vStream Agent (basic communication = required):

  • tcp/7080
  • tcp/7443
  • tcp/7501

From vStream Agent to NGS 

  • udp/395 

From vStream Agent to any InfiniStream NG

  • GRE (IP protocol number 47) or udp/50100

 

Pre-configuration considerations

  • vStream Agent offers the posibility to store application session detailed records (ASR) and data packets on the host itself.  The amount of disk space used for this purpose is restricted; it must be at least 1GB/10GB respectively.  Any value configured below this value will effecitvely disable that functionality.  We recommend to start with 1GB and 10GB for the XDR store and packet store respectivily.  
  • vStream Agent can monitor more than one interface and those interfaces can be different from the interface used to communicate with NGS and NGIS.

In the example below:

  • vStream Agent will be configured with a 1GB ASR store
  • vStream Agent will be configured with a 10GB Packet store
  • Interface eth0 is used for both management and monitor interface
  • vStream Agent is allowed to use 2 CPU and 4 GB of memory on the host

 

From 1 to 16 vCPU can be assigned to vStream Agent to spread the load workload among each processor but at the cost of additional licenses. Valid ranges for allocated memory are 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 10240, 12288, 14336 and 16384).

 

 

 

Create custom storage path

A custom path where to store XDR records (\xdr) and packets (\pkt) must be created upfront. In our example, we decided to use E:\nsagentstore for that purpose.

If the path does not exist, vSTREAM Agent will use the default storage path located at:

%INSTALLDIR%\rtm\pa\data

 

Installation

Visual C++

We prefere to use the MSI installer and silent install as this method can be automated.

Before you can install vSTREAM Agent using the MSI installer, you must download and install at least one of the following versions of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.  

  • 2015
  • 2017
  • 2019

One of these versions may already be present on the target machine.

 


vSTREAM Agent

Now, download the vStream Agent msi installer to the target machine's c:\temp folder.  If that folder doesn't exits, create it.

Open a command shell as Administrator and run the following command to install the agent: 

msiexec /i c:\temp\vStream_agent.msi /qn INSTALLDIR=C:\NETSCOUT\vSTREAM HTTP_PORT=7080 HTTPS_PORT=7443 NSCOMM_PORT=395 NSCONSOLE_PORT=7501 NSCONFIG_SERVER_IP=10.165.30.183 MON_INF=1 MGMT_INF=1 NUM_CPUS=2 MEM_SIZE=4096 XDRSTORE_SIZE=1000 PKTSTORE_SIZE=10000 CONFIG_PARAMS="STORAGE_PATH=E:\nsagentstore NUM_FWD_CPUS=1 "

If the target server has multiple network interfaces, you may want to select the desired interface by substituting the interface's number (here 1) by its name as found by running ipconfig.  The monitor (MON) and ad management interface (MGMT) can also be modified after installation with the nstray utility found in %INSTALLDIR%\rtm\bin.

Installation is silent and will take about 35s to complete (more on a busy system).  To see if the installation has finished, check MSI***.log or look for the running processes (see Test).

 

Test

Logs

Logs are located in  %temp%

Check for running processes

To check if vStream Agent is running, open Task Manager > Processes and look for the following Background processes.  All these processes must be running.

  • nsprobe
  • procmanager
  • paservice (32 bit)
  • tfaengine.exe

You may also run the following command 

<INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\ps.bat

Stop/start/restart

To stop the agent, run the following batch file: 

<INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\stop.bat

To start the agent, run the following batch file: 

<INSTALLDIR>\rtm\bin\start.bat

 

Cleaning up

We recommend removing all the temporary configuration files from the c:/temp direcotory after verification.

 

Uninstall

If for any reason the agent needs to be uninstalled, open Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program. This is the preferred way for removing the agent.

Use the following command to perform a silent uninstallation of vStream Agent: 

msiexec /x is-6210-xxx-vSTREAM_agent-x64.msi /qn

The original  install folder <INSTALLDIR> should not exist or be empty after successful removal of the agent.  We recommend removal of this folder once verified.

 

 

 

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