Enterprise Agents
ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents are Linux-based software agents that you deploy and manage within your own network infrastructure, providing dedicated monitoring capabilities that are not shared with other customers, unlike ThousandEyes Cloud Agents. Enterprise Agents require only modest hardware resources and can be deployed across a variety of environments, including data centers, branch offices, and IaaS platforms, as virtual machines, Linux packages, Docker containers, or ISO images on supported hardware. Using active and passive monitoring, Enterprise Agents provide visibility into application performance, network paths, and dependencies from within your own environment.
Deployment Types
Enterprise Agents can be installed in several different ways depending on your existing infrastructure and technical preferences.
Linux Package
The Linux package is installed directly onto a compatible Linux operating system, such as Ubuntu or Red Hat. This method is ideal if you already have Linux servers running in your environment and want to add the agent software to them. Once installed, the agent runs quietly as a standard background service. This is a great choice if you prefer to control the security and compliance policy of the host running the agent.
Docker Container
The Docker image is a lightweight, pre-configured container that runs on any Linux host with Docker installed. This deployment type is great for modern, containerized environments because it is quick to download, easy to start, and isolates the agent software from the rest of the host system.
Docker running on Windows and Mac is not currently supported.
Virtual Appliance
The ThousandEyes Virtual Appliance (TEVA) is a ready-to-use virtual machine that includes both the operating system and the agent software. You can deploy a TEVA agent into hypervisor environments like VMware ESXi, Oracle VirtualBox, or Microsoft Hyper-V. This is a great choice if you want a plug-and-play solution with a built-in web management console for easy configuration.
Physical Appliance
The ThousandEyes Physical Appliance (TEPA) is a dedicated hardware solution where the operating system and agent are installed directly onto small factor devices like an Intel NUC or a Raspberry Pi. TEPA agents are ideal for locations where you need a physical device, providing the edge visibility into a branch office or remote site.
Cisco Devices
Enterprise Agents can be installed on a range of supported Cisco devices, using Cisco Application Hosting, Catalyst Center, the SD-WAN Manager, MX Platform, and the Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software (NFVIS). This allows you to gain network visibility without needing to purchase or manage additional servers or hardware.
Common System Requirements
The following table outlines the key hardware requirements common to all Enterprise Agents, both with and without the BrowserBot module included.
The BrowserBot module performs page load and transaction tests.
CPU count
2
2
RAM
2 GB
1 GB
Hard disk space
20 GB
20 GB
Network interface
Required
Required
Internet connection
Required
Required
For deployment-specific requirements, refer to the relevant installation documentation.
Supported Operating Systems
ThousandEyes supports installing the Enterprise Agent on the following x64 (64-bit) operating systems:
AlmaLinux 8 and 9
Amazon Linux 2 and 2023
Oracle Linux 8 and 9
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9
Rocky Linux 9
Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
Access to the appropriate package repositories (APT, YUM, or APK, depending on the operating system) is required.
BrowserBot only works on Ubuntu if run inside a Docker container, due to operating system and Linux kernel dependencies. Amazon Linux 2 does not support BrowserBot.
While ThousandEyes Docker-based Enterprise Agents and Cisco devices using Cisco Application Hosting are built on Alpine Linux, ThousandEyes does not support the native installation of Enterprise Agents on Alpine Linux.
There is currently no native version of the Enterprise Agent software for Microsoft Windows or macOS. If you use these operating systems, you must use a virtualization product to host a ThousandEyes Virtual Appliance (TEVA).
Next Steps
To install an Enterprise Agent, see Enterprise Agent Installation. You will need to review the prerequisites and ensure your environment is configured correctly before choosing your deployment method.
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