Determine disk space requirements

Disk space will depend on the number of PCAP files you want to process daily.

Initial specifications depending on the number of PCAP files to be processed daily:

The Agility Monitoring Stack, which includes a comprehensive metrics, logging, and traces platform requires allocating additional resources:

• CPU: 2

• Memory: 4GB

• Disk: 40GB

The disk requirement applies either to the boot disk, when it is the sole storage option, or to the external disk when it is used as an alternative.

Choose your installation

A simple and straightforward way to utilize AGILITY is by provisioning an existing Cloud image. This option is available in both public and private cloud environments.

The access to the VM image will be provided by B-Yond.

On-Premises Virtualization Platforms

• OpenStack

• VMware

Public Clouds

• AWS: The AMI (Amazon Machine Image) ID will be shared with target account.

• Azure: The Azure VM image will be shared with target subscription/tenant.

• Google Cloud: The Google Cloud VM image will be shared with target organization.

If you are using other Cloud providers or virtualization solutions, you may need to convert the qcow2 or VMware disk images to the format required by your platform. Consult the documentation of your specific provider or platform for instructions on image conversion.

Begin Installation

OpenStack

From the email sent from B-Yond, download the qcow2 image specifically configured for OpenStack.

1. (As an administrator) Create an image:

   glance image-create --disk-format qcow2 --container-format bare --file ./Agility-X.YY.Z-AlmaLinux-X-GenericCloud-X.Y-YYYYMMDD.x86_64.qcow2 --min-disk 25 --min-ram 2048 --name Agility-X.Y.Z

2. (As an administrator) Create a member for the glance image:

   glance member-create <image-id> <member-id>

3. (As an administrator) Accept the membership for the glance image:

   glance member-update <image-id> <member-id> accepted

4. (As a user) Create a VM using the image (minimum use m1.medium which is 2 CPU / 4096 RAM / 40G disk):

openstack server create --flavor <your-flavor> --image <image-id> agility  --nic net-id=<network-id> --security-group <your-security-group> --key-name <your-key>

VMware ESXi

From the email sent from B-Yond, download the provided VMware disk image specifically configured for VMware virtualization environments.

1. To import a virtual machine stored on a VMware Hosted product to an ESX/ESXi host, run:

   vmkfstools -i virtual_machine.vmdk /vmfs/volumes/datastore/my_virtual_machine_folder/virtual_machine.vmdk

2. Create the VM using the imported disk. Option Guest OS: Other Linux (64-bit).

3. Using the console login as root , password almalinux.

4. Set up static network configuration, e.g. using nmtui.

5. Increase VM disk size:
   -Increase disk size from ESXi
   -Rescan using echo 1>/sys/class/block/sda/device/rescan
   -Recreate the partition 2 with fdisk

   printf "d\n\nn\n\n\n\np\nw\n" | fdisk /dev/sda

   -Increase the filesystem size using xfs_growfs /dev/sda2

6. Configure ssh options, e.g. set authorized keys for default cloud-user almalinux or another user.

Public Clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.)

Follow the procedures specified by your Cloud provider. These procedures typically include the following steps:

• Image selection: Choose the AGILITY VM image obtained from B-Yond or the converted image.

• Shape specification: Specify the number of virtual CPUs (vCPUs) and RAM for the instance.

• Boot disk specification: Define the size and type of the boot disk.

• Networking configuration: Configure the network settings for the VM.

• Public SSH key(s): Provide the SSH key(s) that will be used to access the VM.

• Provide an init-cloud script to run (this is in general an optional step).

Access the VM

1. SSH in using the cloud-user and the associated private key:
   –           Generic Cloud: almalinux
   – AWS - AMI: ec2-user

   ssh -i <private_key> <cloud-user>@<vm_ip>

2. Verify that all components are up and running:

   sudo su -

   kubectl get pods -A

   All Kubernetes pods should be in Runningand Ready status.

3. Access the user interface (UI):
   Open your browser and put the AGILITY VM IP, .e.g https://10.0.0.1/cv/
   Use the following credentials:
   username: agility-admin@b-yond.com
   password: agility-admin@b-yond.com

Configure DNS Servers (Optional)

The DNS server is by default provided via DHCP. This section is relevant if you need to specify an additional DNS server or if the DHCP option is unavailable.

To configure nameservers, domain search suffixes, etc., use the NetworkManager tool:

1. Check the current DNS configuration:

   cat /etc/resolv.conf

   Example output:

   cat /etc/resolv.conf
   # Generated by NetworkManager
   nameserver 169.254.169.254

2. Identify the network connection to configure:

   sudo nmcli con show

   Example output:

   NAME         UUID                                  TYPE      DEVICE
   System eth0  5fb06bd0-0bb0-7ffb-45f1-d6edd65f3e03  ethernet  eth0
   cni0         4e4c9ecf-cc82-49eb-bda6-99317c953691  bridge    cni0
   flannel.1    021d7133-dad5-4a02-a035-b11009ac943a  vxlan     flannel.1

3. Add a new DNS server:

   sudo nmcli con mod <connection-name> +ipv4.dns <dns-server-ip>
   sudo nmcli con up <connection-name>For example, to add Google’s DNS server to the device eth0, the commands will be:

   sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0" +ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8
   sudo nmcli con up "System eth0"

4. To check the change run again:

   $ cat /etc/resolv.conf
   # Generated by NetworkManager
   nameserver 8.8.8.8
   nameserver 169.254.169.254

Removing DHCP DNS

If you need to remove the DNS server specified by DHCP, run the following commands:

sudo nmcli con mod <connection-name> ipv4.ignore-auto-dns yes
sudo nmcli con up <connection-name>

This will leave only the DNS servers configured manually.

Changing the domain name

If you need to change to domain name, use the ipv4.dns-search option. Ensure that the correct fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is set before by using the hostnamectl set-hostname command.

Executed the following commands:

sudo nmcli con mod <connection-name> +ipv4.dns-search <domain>
sudo nmcli con up <connection-name>

For example, to add a domain name in the search list (here http://example.com ), run:

$ sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0"  +ipv4.dns-search example.com 
$ sudo nmcli con up "System eth0"
Connection successfully activated (D-Bus active path: /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/5)
$ cat /etc/resolv.conf
# Generated by NetworkManager
search example.com
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 169.254.169.254

Configure System Clock (Optional)

AGILITY VM facilitates clock synchronization using the Chrony service, which is enabled by default and synchronizes with a pool of public NTP servers.

Using a Custom NTP Server

To synchronize the VM clock with a specific NTP server:

1. Check the current configured servers:

   chronyc sources

   Example output:

    $ chronyc sources
   MS Name/IP address         Stratum Poll Reach LastRx Last sample
   ===============================================================================
   ^- 68.64.173.196                 2  10   377   132  +6288us[+6288us] +/-  119ms
   ^- tick.srs1.ntfo.org            3   9   377    57   -693us[ -693us] +/-  148ms
   ^* http://ntp1.wiktel.com        1  10   377   738   +362us[ +214us] +/-   22ms
   ^+ 23.150.40.242                 2  10   377   103  -1361us[-1361us] +/-   32ms

2. Add your server definition in the file /etc/chrony.conf:

   server <my-server-ip>

   For example, using a public cloud NTP server:

   echo "server 169.254.169.254" | sudo tee -a /etc/chrony.conf

3. Comment out the entry pool 2.almalinux.pool.ntp.org iburst to enforce using only the specified NTP server:

   sudo sed -i '/^pool 2\.almalinux\.pool\.ntp\.org iburst/s/^/#/' /etc/chrony.conf

4. Restart the Chrony service:

   sudo systemctl restart chronyd

5. Check the changes were applied (Wait until the status changes from ^? to ^*, it might take several minutes):

   chronyc sources

   Example output:

   $ chronyc sources
   MS Name/IP address         Stratum Poll Reach LastRx Last sample
   ===============================================================================
   ^* 169.254.169.254               2   6     3    51   -491us[ -491us] +/-   23ms

6. Enable NTP and trigger a synchronization:

   sudo timedatectl set-ntp true
   sudo chronyc -a makestep

7. Verify the clock is synchronized:

   timedatectl

   Example output:

   $ timedatectl
                  Local time: Mon 2024-03-11 22:05:42 UTC
              Universal time: Mon 2024-03-11 22:05:42 UTC
                    RTC time: Mon 2024-03-11 22:05:43
                   Time zone: UTC (UTC, +0000)
   System clock synchronized: yes
                 NTP service: active
             RTC in local TZ: no

8. To confirm Chrony tracking, run the command:

   chronyc tracking
   The output also shows the configured NTP server:

   The output also shows the configured NTP server:

   Reference ID    : A9FEA9FE (169.254.169.254)
   Stratum         : 3
   Ref time (UTC)  : Mon Mar 11 22:06:03 2024
   System time     : 0.000000751 seconds slow of NTP time
   Last offset     : -0.000023889 seconds
   RMS offset      : 0.000017941 seconds
   Frequency       : 18.960 ppm slow
   Residual freq   : -0.001 ppm
   Skew            : 0.011 ppm
   Root delay      : 0.000524478 seconds
   Root dispersion : 0.010530258 seconds
   Update interval : 1026.3 seconds
   Leap status     : Normal

9. Ensure the Chrony service is available after reboot:

   sudo systemctl enable chronyd

Configure the time zone

Your system’s time zone settings are stored in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory. To ensure your system is set to the appropriate time zone, such as Europe/Paris, execute the following command:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Paris

Additionally, you can confirm your current time zone by inspecting the /etc/localtime file:

ls -l /etc/localtime

Attach an External Disk (Optional)

In cases where external disk attachment is necessary, follow these steps. This will depend on the type of external disk used.

Prepare the VM

1. Access the VM using ssh

2. Stop the processes

   sudo su -
   
   systemctl stop k3s

3. Place the persisted data into a different location:

mv /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage-bkp

NFS example

1. Create a directory on your Ubuntu system to serve as the mount point for the NFS share:

   sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage

2. Edit the /etc/fstab file as root using a text editor, such as nano or vim:

   sudo nano /etc/fstab

3. Add an entry at the end of the /etc/fstab file to specify the NFS share and the mount point. The entry should follow this format:

   <NFS_server_IP_or_hostname>:<remote_directory> <local_mount_point> nfs defaults 0 0

4. Replace  with the IP address or hostname of the NFS server,  with the path of the directory you want to mount, and  with the path of the local mount point you created in Step 1.
   For example, if the NFS server IP address is 192.168.1.100 and the remote directory you want to mount is /data, the entry would look like this:

   192.168.1.100:/data /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage nfs defaults 0 0

5. Save the changes and exit the text editor.

6. To mount all entries listed in /etc/fstab, you can use the mount -a command.

Ensure that your VM has network connectivity to the NFS server and that you have the necessary permissions to access the NFS share.

Block volume example

Your AGILITYloud provider gives you the ability to provision block storage and attach the disk to your VM. Follow the recommended procedures. E.g., it involves several iscsi commands executions.

1. Once attached, format the disk (e.g., sdb):

   export DEV_PATH=sdb
   export MOUNT_PATH=/var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage
   
   sudo mkfs.ext4 -m 0 -F -E lazy_itable_init=0,lazy_journal_init=0,discard /dev/${DEV_PATH}
   
   sudo mkdir -p ${MOUNT_PATH}
   sudo mount -o discard,defaults /dev/${DEV_PATH} ${MOUNT_PATH}
   sudo chmod 775 ${MOUNT_PATH}

2. Persist the changes:

   sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.backup
   
   UUID=$(sudo blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/${DEV_PATH})
   echo $UUID
   
   echo UUID=$(sudo blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/${DEV_PATH}) ${MOUNT_PATH} ext4 _netdev,nofail 0 2 | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Restore data

1. Copy the data to the newly mounted external location:

   sudo su -
   cp -R /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage-bkp/* /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage/

2. Start the processes:

   systemctl start k3s

3. Wait a few seconds and ensure that all services are in the Running state:

   kubectl get pods -n agility

4. Verify that the system is functioning correctly by performing tasks in the UI.

5. Once you have confirmed everything is working as expected, you can delete the old data:

   rm -fr /var/lib/rancher/k3s/storage-bkp