Installing the Continuous Optimization Agent

If you have installed the Gateway Server to collect data, you must install the Continuous Optimization Agent on the infrastructure that you want to monitor.

A Continuous Optimization Agent collects data from the managed systems in your environment. After collecting data, the Agent transfers it to the Gateway Server. You can install the Continuous Optimization Agent silently.

You must install the Continuous Optimization Agent on each managed system from which you want to collect data. You can use one of the following installation methods:

  • Shell script: You can install the Agent using the shell script. The script uses the AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt file, which contains the parameters used for configuring the Agent.
  • Docker container: You can install the Agent using a Docker container. The installation involves loading and running the Docker image on a Docker host. When you run the Docker image, the Docker container is created, and the Agent within the container is started. The Agent starts collecting the system-level metrics from the Docker host. The Docker host can be in an on-premises environment or a cloud environment, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.

To prepare to install the Continuous Optimization Agent on Windows

  • Verify that the user account for installing the Continuous Optimization Agent has administrator rights. 
  • Configure the Terminal Services on systems to prevent the installer from deleting the temporary folder while exiting installation. Ensure that the installer does not use temporary folders for each session.

To prepare to install the Continuous Optimization Agent on UNIX and Linux

  • Ensure that you are using a non-privileged and non-root user account for installing the Continuous Optimization Agent.
  • If you are installing the Continuous Optimization Agent on a Ubuntu Linux system, ensure that the libxtst6 package is installed.
    To install the libxtst6 package:

    1. Download the package from Ubuntu packages.

    2. Run the following command:
      dpkg -l | grep -i libxtst6

To install the Continuous Optimization Agent by using a shell script

To install the Agent on a Windows systems, ensure that you open the command prompt as an administrator for running the commands.

  1. Log in to the system where you want to install the Continuous Optimization Agent.
    • (Windows) Log in as a user with administrator privileges.
    • (UNIX and Linux) Log in as a non-root user.
  2. In BMC Helix Continuous Optimization, navigate to Administration > System > Downloads.
  3. In the Continuous OptimizationAgents tile, select the platform for which you want to download Continuous Optimization Agent, and click Download.
  4. Extract the Continuous Optimization Agent installer files to a temporary directory.
    • (Windows) Extract  TSCO_Agent_ver22.2.00_MSwindows.zip
    • (UNIX and Linux) Run the following command:
      tar -xvzf TSCO_Agent_ver22.2.00_<platform>_<architecture or image>.tar.gz

      For example, 
      tar -xvzf TSCO_Agent_ver22.2.00_Linux_x86-64.tar.gz
      tar -xvzf TSCO_Agent_ver22.2.00_Solaris_SPARC.tar.gz
  5. (Optional) To change the default values of the installation properties, complete these steps:
    1. Navigate to the directory that contains the extracted files.
    2. Open the AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt file.

    3. Update values of the required parameters.

    4. Save the changes. 
  1. Run the following command to install the Agent:
    • (Windows) <path_to_install.bat>\install.bat -DOPTIONS_FILE=<path_to_AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt>
      For example, C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\installer\install.bat -DOPTIONS_FILE="C:\AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt"
    • (UNIX and Linux) ./install.sh -DOPTIONS_FILE=<path_to_AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt> 
      For example, ./install.sh -DOPTIONS_FILE=/installer/AgentSilentInstallOptions.txt

  2. (UNIX and Linux) Run the following command as a root user to configure the Agent:

    1. Change to the root user.
    2. Change to the installation directory and run the following command:
      ./b1config<version>.sh
      where version indicates the version of the installed Continuous Optimization Agent.

To verify the installation

On Windows

  1. At the command prompt, enter services.msc
  2. Confirm that the BGS_SDService service is running.

On UNIX and Linux

Run this command to ensure that the agent daemon service (/etc/bgs/SD/bgssd.exe -d /etc/bgs/SD -s) is running as a non-root user:
ps -ef | grep bgs

You can update values of the Agent configuration parameters whenever required. For more information, see Configuring-the-Continuous-Optimization-Agents.

To install the Continuous Optimization Agent by using a Docker container

  1. Log in as a root user to the Linux system where you want to install the Agent.
  2. Change to the directory containing the Agent installer files that you downloaded from the Downloads page (Administration > System > Downloads).
  3. Run the following command to load the zipped Docker image to a local repository:
    docker load -i tsco-agent-linux-x86_64_<version>.tar.gz
    For example,
    docker load -i tsco-agent-linux-x86_64_22.2.00.0.0.tar.gz
  4. Run this command to verify that the Docker image is loaded:
    docker images
    For example, 
    $ docker images | grep tsco-agent
    Sample output: bmcsoftware/tsco-agent-linux-x86_64   22.2.00.0.0   7bbb7a3fae1d   29 hours ago   200MB

  5. Run the following command to create a container from the image and start the Agent within the container:

    docker run -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/ho-agent-linux-x86_64:<version>

    For example,

    docker run -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/ho-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0

    Argument

    Used to

    Example syntax of the Docker run command

    --name <value>

    Provide a name to a Docker container. You can use this name in other Docker commands instead of Docker ID. You cannot start a new container with a similar name in the following scenarios:

    • A Docker container with the same name is already running.
    • An instance of a Docker container that uses the same name is available in the Docker container repository.

    We recommend that you use a container name such as tsco_agent.

    To start a container with the tsco_agent name that is already in use, do the following steps:

    1. Stop the Docker container:
      $ docker stop tsco_agent
    2. Remove the stopped container:
      $ docker rm tsco_agent

    You can now start a new container instance with the tsco_agent name.

    docker run --name tsco-agent -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/
    tsco-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0

    --restart=always

    Restart a running Docker container after rebooting the Docker host.

    docker run --name tsco-agent --restart=always -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace 
    bmcsoftware/tsco-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0

    where -v tsco-agent-vol is mounted in the container as the /usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace directory. This directory is used for storing data, logs, and state information. If you do not specify this parameter, agent data and logs are stored within the container instead of the volume on the host. 
    We also recommend adding the following arguments to the Docker run command:

  6. (Optional) Configure the Agent history by adding one of the following arguments to the Docker run command: [ -H e|d|D ]

    Argument

    Example syntax of the Docker run command

    Result of running the Docker run command

    - H e

    docker run --name tsco-agent --restart=always -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /::/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/tsco-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0 - H e

    The Agent history is enabled. This is the default setting.

    - H d

    docker run --name tsco-agent --restart=always -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/tsco-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0 - H d

    The Agent history is disabled.

    - H D

    docker run --name tsco-agent --restart=always -d --pid=host --network=host --ipc=host --privileged -v /:/host:ro -v tsco-agent-vol:/usr/adm/best1_agent_workspace bmcsoftware/tsco-agent-linux-x86_64:22.2.00.0.0 - H D

    The Agent history is disabled and the old history files are deleted. You can use this option to remove the old history files after upgrading the Agent.

  7. Run this command to check the status of the Agent process:
    ps -ef | grep bgsagent

 

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