Monitoring Agent Types

To monitor end-to-end network performance, two end-points are required to monitor the performance. Each end-point is a monitoring agent which exchanges monitoring packets with other agents. To be able to monitor network performance in any scenario, multiple agent types are available to install. This article will go into detail about the differences of each agent type. It will help you select which agent is the best fit for different monitoring scenarios. There are four families of agents and a few variations for each one. The four families are:

• Software
• Hardware
• Virtual Appliance
• Public Monitoring Agents

The Software Agent is installed directly on a new or existing system, either a virtual machine or a barebone system. Like all the other agent types, once it is installed, the agent is kept up-to-date automatically. The OS updates are always the user's responsability. There are four versions of the Software Agent:

• Linux Software Agent: Running on a Linux server or desktop, this agent installs with a single command line that you need to paste in a terminal. The Linux Software Agent is perfect for Linux servers (on-premise or in-the-cloud). It runs on any modern Linux Distribution such as CentOS 7+, Redhat, Debian and Ubuntu. Learn how to install in the Linux Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

• Windows Software Agent: The Windows Software Agent is installed on Windows 8/10 (64-bits) desktops. The Windows Software Agent is perfect for Windows Desktop for both on-premise and remote workers. It can be massively installed with automatic deployment tools and it is completely transparent to the end-user. However, it has some limitations which does not make it the perfect choice for servers. Learn how to install in the Windows Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

• macOS Software Agent: The macOS Software Agent is installed on Mac Computers (MacBook, iMac, Mac, Mac Studio) and is perfect for any workstation or device operating on macOS. The macOS Agent offers simplified installation within minutes and is perfect for remote network monitoring. Learn how to install in the macOS Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

• Docker Software Agent: For people familiar with Docker, there is a Dockerhub Image that is available. The image can be used with or without permanent storage which makes it perfect for container infrastructures such as Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, AWS ECS, etc. It can also be used on any desktop or server running Docker containers. Learn how to install in the Docker Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

The hardware appliance is plug-and-play and perfect for branch offices where IT servers are no longer present. There are only two cables to plug per hardware appliance: Power & Ethernet. There is no configuration to do on the hardware appliance by itself since everything is done in the Obkio App. The association (or pairing) between the hardware appliance and the agent is done with a serial number that is printed on the hardware appliance. Learn how to install in the Hardware Agent Installation Guide.

Here's one hardware appliance available to purchase on the Obkio Store:

• NUC11C4: The NUC11C4 supports up to 25 Network Monitoring Session and Speed Tests up to 500 Mbps. With 4GB of RAM and an Intel 64-bits quad-core CPU, it's usually used in branch locations. Available on the Obkio Store NUC11C4 at $399.

The Virtual Appliance agent is available for many hypervisors on the market. Similar to the hardware appliance, the OS updates for the virtual appliance are executed by the Obkio systems, which makes it very low maintenance. Three versions of the Virtual Appliance agent are available:

• Hyper-V: Perfect for servers running Hyper-V hypervisor. Learn how to install in the Hyper-V Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

• VMware: Perfect for servers running VMware hypervisor. Learn how to install in the VMware Obkio Agent Installation Guide.

These Monitoring Agents are the simplest monitoring agents to use because they are already installed! They are operated by the Obkio Support Team as well as third-party service providers around the world. The complete list is available in the Public Agent Monitoring Directory. Learn how to install in the Public Monitoring Agent Installation Guide.