What Are Network Monitoring Agents & How to Deploy & Configure Them

In this article, we’ll dive into the video where we discuss Network Monitoring Agents in Obkio’s Network Performance Monitoring App. Monitoring Agents (software, hardware, virtual appliances) are deployed in key network locations to monitor performance between all network sites.

This video will also teach you how to create new Monitoring Agents or to modify or delete Agents you already have in your account.

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Networks may be complex. But Obkio makes network monitoring easy. Monitor, measure, pinpoint, troubleshoot, and solve network problems.

Obkio Network Performance Monitoring tool is a simple Network Monitoring and Troubleshooting SaaS solution designed to monitor end-to-end network performance from the end user perspective, and to fulfil the need within the industry for a solution that simplifies network monitoring for all network types.

• 14-day free trial of all premium features
• Deploy in just 10 minutes
• Monitor performance in all key network locations
• Measure real-time network metrics
• Identify and troubleshoot live network problems

Monitoring Agents are lightweight software, hardware, or virtual appliances deployed across your network to measure and monitor network performance. They generate synthetic traffic to simulate real user activity, providing insights into critical metrics like latency, packet loss, jitter, and throughput.

In Obkio’s Network Performance Monitoring App, Monitoring Agents are deployed in key network locations, including your local network, data centers, cloud environments, and even over the Internet. This allows you to monitor end-to-end network performance and quickly identify issues, whether they’re in your internal network, cloud services, or ISP connections.

Deploying and configuring Monitoring Agents in Obkio is a straightforward process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Public Monitoring Agents are pre-deployed by Obkio over the Internet and are ideal for monitoring external network performance. To create a Public Monitoring Agent:

1. Go to the “Agents” tab in Obkio’s app.
2. Click the “plus” icon and select “New Agent.”
3. Choose the “Public Agent” type.
4. Select a Public Agent from the list (e.g., AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).
5. Name the Agent (e.g., “Google Cloud Belgium”) and assign it to the “Public Agents” group.
6. Click “Create.”

Software Monitoring Agents are installed on machines within your network. To create a Software Monitoring Agent:

1. Click the “plus” icon and select “New Agent.”
2. Name the Agent (e.g., “Branch 1”) and choose the “Private Server” mode for quick deployment.
3. Assign the Agent to the “My Agents” group.
4. Click “Create” and follow the installation instructions for your preferred environment (Windows, macOS, Linux, or Docker).

To modify an existing Monitoring Agent:

1. Select the Agent you want to edit from the “Agents” tab.
2. Click the three dots at the top and select “Edit.”
3. Make your changes (e.g., rename the Agent to “My Linux Agent”).
4. Click “Save” to apply the changes.

To delete a Monitoring Agent:

1. Select the Agent you want to delete.
2. Click the three dots at the top and select “Edit.”
3. Scroll down and click “Delete.”
4. Confirm the deletion.

Below is the complete transcript of the video, complete with timestamps, to help you follow along and understand every step of the process.

0:01 Welcome! In this video, we’re looking at the “Agents” tab in Obkio’s Network Performance Monitoring App. You can go to the “Agents” tab to create new Monitoring Agents or to modify or delete Agents you already have in your account.

0:14 You can see here that we currently have 3 Monitoring Agents in this account, including 2 Public Monitoring Agents, which are deployed over the Internet and managed by Obkio.

0:20 They are the “AWS Montréal” and “Azure Québec” Agents.

0:24 We then have a Software Agent, which is a type of Monitoring Agent deployed locally on a machine. I’ve called it “My Agent”.

0:28 If you click on it, you can see that this is a Monitoring Agent that was installed on a macOS machine.

0:35 In this video, you’ll learn how to do 4 things in the “Agent” tab.

0:38 First, create a Public Monitoring Agent, managed by Obkio. Second, create a Software Agent that you will install on a machine in your environment. Third, to modify a Monitoring Agent that is already deployed in your account. And finally, delete an existing Monitoring Agent from your account.

0:55 So I'm going to start by creating a Public Monitoring Agent. To do this, go to the “Agents” tab, click on the “plus” icon and choose “New Agent”.

1:00 From here, choose the type of Monitoring Agent called “Public Agent.” This gives you access to an entire list of Obkio’s Public Agents according to the regions of different popular public cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

1:13 You can also see Public Agents from more regional players in the lists lower down.

1:17 In this example, I'm going to choose the “Google Cloud” version. Then click “Next” and give the Monitoring Agent a name. I’ll call it “Google Cloud Belgium”.

1:27 In the section “Add Agents to Groups,” I'm going to assign it to the “Public Agents group”. Note that these two groups, “My Agents” and “Public Agents”, are created in advance for all new Obkio accounts.

1:35 So I'm going to use the group called “Public Agents” since it's appropriate for Public Monitoring Agents. Then click on “Create.”

1:44 This is how to create a Public Monitoring Agent.

1:50 Next, we’ll create a Software Agent. Following the same steps as earlier, click on the “plus” icon and choose “New Agent”. This time, I keep the name “Software Agent”, and then click “Next”.

2:00 Next, you’ll need to choose the “Agent Mode.” For those new to Obkio who want to quickly deploy their Monitoring Agents, I suggest choosing the “Private Server” mode.

2:11 If you have branches, stores, or warehouses that are not central locations in your organization, you can choose the “Customer” mode.

2:20 For a simple example, I recommend that you choose “Private Server” mode, which is what we are going to do here. Then click “Next”.

2:27 I'm going to name this Monitoring Agent “Branch 1”. Then, assign it to the group called “My Agents.” This is another group provided by default, which includes all the Monitoring Agents you’ve deployed in your account.

2:40 You can set other optional parameters as well, but I'm not going to fill them in here to save time. You can refer to our documentation for more details about each additional parameter.

2:47 Then click on “Create”.

2:50 The Monitoring Agent is now created in the account. All that’s left to do is install it on a machine.

2:54 We provide installation instructions for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Docker to provide flexible deployment options.

3:06 We recommend that you choose the environment that works best for you. There is no “best” choice. It’s all about flexibility.

3:16 Once the Monitoring Agent is installed, click “Close”. If, on the other hand, you don't have the opportunity to install it right away, there’s no problem.

3:23 As you can see, the “Branch 1” Agent will remain gray as long as it is not deployed. When you are ready to complete the installation, simply click on your Monitoring Agent, click “Finish Installation” and you will be able to retrieve the installation instructions to continue deploying.

3:42 To edit an existing Monitoring Agent, select the Monitoring Agent you want to edit, click the three little dots at the top, and then click 'Edit'. This takes you to the menu you saw when creating a Monitoring Agent.

3:54 For this example, I’ll simply change the name of this Monitoring Agent to “My Linux Agent”.

4:04 Then click “Save” to safeguard the changes you made.

4:07 This is the list of all the Monitoring Agents, including “My Linux Agent.”

4:12 I'm going to click on the “Agents” tab to go back to the menu we saw initially.

4:16 Finally, we’ll learn how to delete a Monitoring Agent. To do this, select the Monitoring Agent you wish to delete. For this example, I’ll choose the “Google Cloud Belgium” Agent that I created earlier.

4:24 Click on the 3 small dots on top, and select “Edit.” If you have access to edit the account, you’ll see the “Delete” button at the bottom.

4:31 Click “Delete” again to confirm, and your Monitoring Agent is now deleted.

4:37 And voila! You’ve now learned about everything you can do in the “Agents” tab in Obkio’s App.

Need more tools to excel at network monitoring? Dive into Obkio’s Video Library, filled with tutorials, walkthroughs, real-world use cases, webinars, and much more. Whether you’re just starting out or aiming to fine-tune your network, our videos offer clear, step-by-step instructions to help you maximize Obkio’s potential.

👉 Visit Obkio’s Video Library

Obkio’s Monitoring Agents are the core of its Network Performance Monitoring solution, offering complete visibility across your network. They help you detect and address performance issues before they affect your users. Whether you’re overseeing a local network, cloud services, or ISP connections, Obkio’s Monitoring Agents provide the critical insights needed to maintain optimal network performance.

By mimicking real user activity, Obkio proactively uncovers issues and delivers actionable insights to enhance network performance.

Obkio goes beyond being a monitoring tool – it’s your ally in achieving a smooth and dependable network experience.

• 14-day free trial of all premium features
• Deploy in just 10 minutes
• Monitor performance in all key network locations
• Measure real-time network metrics
• Identify and troubleshoot live network problems