Installing a Physical Appliance
Last updated
Last updated
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For customers requiring a turnkey solution, the ThousandEyes can be installed on off-the-shelf hardware such as
Intel NUC
Raspberry Pi
For Raspberry Pi-specific instructions, see .
The combination provides a convenient form-factor that is easily shipped to branch offices, partner sites, and other environments, where provisioning only requires power and a network connection. A downloadable ISO image is used to install Linux Ubuntu LTS, the ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent, and management software onto the hardware.
This article details the hardware requirements and process required to install the ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent on an Intel NUC.
NUC
Intel
NUC i7 NUC i5 NUC i3
RNUC13ANHI70000
NUC13*
For detailed specifications and compatibility matrices for Intel- and manufacturer-validated compatible components, see the links below:
RNUC13ANHI70000: /
NUC
Intel
NUC i7 NUC i5 NUC i3
NUC12WSHi5
NUC12*
For detailed specifications and compatibility matrices for Intel- and manufacturer-validated compatible components, see the links below:
NUC
Intel
NUC i7 NUC i5 NUC i3
NUC11TNHi3, NUC11TNHi5, NUC11TNHi7, NUC11TNHv5, NUC11TNHv7, NUC11TNKi3, NUC11TNKi5, NUC11TNKi7, NUC11TNKv5, NUC11TNKv7
NUC11*
For detailed specifications and compatibility matrices for Intel- and manufacturer-validated compatible components, see the links below:
NUC
Intel
NUC i7 NUC i5 NUC i3
NUC10i7FNH, NUC10i7FNK, NUC10i5FNH, NUC10i5FNK, NUC10i3FNH, NUC10i3FNK, BXNUC10i5FNH1, BXNUC10i3FNH1, BXNUC10i7FNH1
NUC10i*
BXNUC10i*
Crucial: 4GB DDR4-2400 SODIMM 1.2V CT4G4SFS824A
Transcend SSD370S SSD
Specifications and compatibility matrices for Intel- and manufacturer-validated compatible components:
NOTICE: Intel NUC 8th generation systems are only supported for existing deployments.
NUC
Intel
NUC i7 NUC i5 NUC i3
NUC8I7BEH, NUC8I5BEH, NUC8I5BEK, NUC8I3BEH, NUC8I3BEK
Specifications and compatibility matrices for Intel- and manufacturer-validated compatible components:
NOTICE: Intel NUC systems of 6th and 7th generations are only supported for existing deployments.
Intel
NUC i3 NUC i5 NUC i7
NUC6I3SYH,NUC6I3SYK,NUC7I3BNH,NUC7I3BNK NUC6i5SYH,NUC6i5SYK,NUC7I5BNH,NUC7I5BNK NUC6I7SYH,NUC7I7BNH
Crucial
4GB DDR4 2400 MT/S (PC4-19200) SODIMM
CT4G4SFS824A
Transcend
64GB SATA III 6 Gb/s M.2 SSD
MTS800
NOTICE: Intel NUC systems of 5th generation are are only supported for existing deployments.
Intel
NUC i3 NUC i5 NUC i7
NUC5I3RYK, NUC5I3RYH NUC5i5RYK, NUC5i5RYH NUC5I7RYK
Crucial
4GB DDR3 PC3-12800 SODIMM
CT51264BF160B
Transcend
64GB SATA III 6 Gb/s M.2 SSD
MTS800
The following are required:
Wired network connection: The device has to be connected to a network. Wireless connection are not supported.
Note: When the NUC is powered off and it is connected to an operational Ethernet switch, the LED on lower right of the RJ-45 port on the NUC will be lit. This indicates that a Link signal from the switch is active.
DHCP service: A DHCP service for the device to obtain an IP address.
DNS service: DHCP service must provide DNS server information to the device.
The Troubleshooting section below lists common issues and their resolution.
Download the installer that fits the requirement:
Generic Appliance. There are no pre-configurations.
Custom Appliance. Includes Enterprise Agent pre-configurations.
On the ThousandEyes platform, go to Network & App Synthetics > Agent Settings, select Enterprise Agents (top line), click Add New Enterprise Agent button. Select Package Type Appliance. On Physical Appliance Installer click Download - ISO.
On the ThousandEyes platform, go to Cloud & Enterprise Agents> Agent Settings, select Enterprise Agents (top line), click Add New Enterprise Agent. Select Package Type Custom Appliance. Provide the following information:
Appliance Name. Name of the appliance on the ThousandEyes systems and the Linux host name.
Appliance Type, select Physical.
If required, select Add Proxy and specify the Proxy Host and Proxy Port.
Web Server. If the appliance is to be used for Page Load or Transaction test, select On.
SSH Keys. The SSH Public key of the SSH client to be used to access the appliance, for terminal session.
The ISO image can be copied to a USB disk (flash drive) and used as a bootable media on the Intel NUC. The following sections describe the process of creating the bootable USB disk on Mac OS X and Windows.
Insert a USB disk that is at least 1GB in size, into a USB port on the Mac. The disk’s content will be overwritten.
Open a terminal window.
Type diskutil list (OS X) or fdisk -l (Linux) and identify the physical disk you’re interested in imaging. It should be /dev/diskN (OS X) or /dev/sdN (Linux). In the example below, I have a 1GB USB disk in my Mac's USB port:
Run diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN (OS X) or umount /dev/sdN (Linux) to unmount the device (replace N with the actual disk number from the output above):
Next, write the image to disk. Run sudo dd if=<path_to_downloaded_iso> of=/dev/diskN, wait until it completes:
The following instructions are based on Rufus, an open-source application for creating bootable USB flash drives.
Start Rufus.
Connect a USB drive that is at least 1GB in size. The disk’s content will be overwritten. If there is only one USB drive on the Windows system, Rufus automatically selects it and it will be displayed under Device. Otherwise, use the down-arrow to select the desired USB drive.
Click SELECT and browse to select the downloaded ISO image. In the above screen shot, the filename of the selected image is "thousandeyes-pa-0.162.iso."
The screenshot above shows the default settings; they can be left as is. Note that the Cluster size default will vary depending on the size of the USB drive. Leave it to the selected default size.
Click START.
On the next screen, select Write DD Image mode and click OK. DD Image Mode is the recommended format.
Click OK to start the boot disk creation.
When the process completes, remove the USB drive.
The following are intended to be a check list of configurations required for the ThousandEyes application. You should consult the appropriate Intel documentation for the applicable procedures.
Check that the display (monitor) used with the NUC are compatible. Check on the Intel documentation. To verify, power up the NUC with the monitor connected, if the Intel splash screen can be seen, the monitor is compatible.
On the NUC, check that the BIOS version is current. If not the most current, upgrade to the latest version.
The appliance is intended to the an always-on device. Verify that the following are set in the BIOS:
UEFI Boot Support should be disabled.
After Power Failure setting should be set to Last State or Power On.
Verify that the installation environment requirements are satisfied.
Insert the bootable USB disk in one of the USB slots on the NUC.
Power up the NUC.
Tap the F10 key (on the keyboard) to force the BIOS to enter the "Boot" menu.
On the boot device menu, use the arrow keys to select the USB drive and press Enter.
If USB is not shown as an option, power off the NUC, unplug the USB drive, plug it back in and power up the NUC.
Note: The BIOS will recognize the USB drive as a bootable device even if the USB flash drive is blank (nothing in it). If the BIOS does not recognize the USB drive as a valid bootable device, when there is a USB flash drive inserted, check that the BIOS version is current. If not current upgrade to the latest version.
On booting from the USB drive, the installation process will start automatically. No user intervention is required, The initial phase will progress fairly quickly, a progress bar will narrate the progress. The final phase is shown by the "Finishing the installation" screen, "Running preseed," the progress bar will show "14%." The installation process are downloading the required software packages. This screen may remain in this state for about 15 minutes, depending on the speed of the network interface and the delays to the download server. Do not power off the NUC. Leave it until it automatically powers off.
On completing the installation, the NUC will automatically power off.
Remove the installation USB.
If you don't remove it once the installation is complete, the NUC attempts to boot again, restarting the installation process.
Power on the NUC. After the unit boots, the "ThousandEyes Virtual Appliance" screen (shown below) will be displayed. The IP address displayed depends on the network environment of the NUC. Note the provided username and password.
Using a browser, access the provided URL (IP address), and log in using the provided username and password.
The user will be taken to the Appliance Access screen to change the default password.
Skip this step if the installation is a Custom Appliance, as the Account Group Token is included in the image.
For a Generic Appliance installation, the Account Group Token is obtained on the ISO download screen on the ThousandEyes portal, by clicking "Show Account Group Token for Installation."
On the Agent screen, copy the Account Group Token to the field provided.
Verify on the Status screen that all diagnostics are green. Follow up and correct any faults shown on the Status screen.
If network related parameters were changed, for example disabling IP V6 support, reboot the Agent, through the GUI and verify that all the diagnostics are green.
The Enterprise Agent should now appear in the Cloud & Enterprise Agents> Agent Settings> Enterprise Agents page of the ThousandEyes portal.
A USB drive is plugged in, tapping F10 at power-up, on the "Boot" BIOS screen, USB drive is not recognized as a bootable device.
Resolution: Disable UEFI boot support. Check that the BIOS version is current. If not current, upgrade to the latest version.
Ubuntu installation fails with a "blue screen" showing "Malformed IP Address."
Resolution: Verify that the Ethernet connection to the NUC has a link signal. Verify that the Link LED on the RJ-45 port is lit. Verify that there is a DHCP server on the network (broadcast domain) that the NUC is connected to.
Ubuntu installation fails with "No Root File System Defined" message. This situation can occur if USB devices are attached to the NUC via a USB hub.
Resolution: Do not use USB hub to connect keyboard and USB flash drive to the NUC.
The expected blue "ThousandEyes Virtual Appliance" management screen is not displayed. Instead, a black screen with "thousandeyes-va login:" prompt is shown.
This is a symptom of an unsuccessful installation. The agent is missing the te-pa package which, in addition to the web admin interface, provides the physical console functionality.
Resolution: Components of the Virtual Agent are missing. Most likely caused by the lack of non-proxied and unrestricted access to the internet during the appliance installation. Reinstall the appliance in an environment that satisfies the requirements listed in the installation environment requirements.
When the installation completes, keypresses are not recognized.
Resolution: Most likely incomplete installation. Reinstall the appliance in an environment that satisfies the requirements listed in the installation environment requirements.
Any memory configuration supported by the NUC.* A minimum of 2GB, as specified in .
Any single SSD or NVMe disk supported by the NUC*. A minimum of 20GB as specified in .
Any memory configuration supported by the NUC.* A minimum of 2GB, as specified in .
Any single SSD or NVMe disk supported by the NUC*. A minimum of 20GB as specified in .
NUC12WSHi5: /
Any memory configuration supported by the NUC.* A minimum of 2GB, as specified in .
Any single SSD or NVMe disk supported by the NUC*. A minimum of 20GB as specified in .
NUC11TNHi3: /
NUC11TNHi5: /
NUC11TNHi7: /
NUC11TNHv5: /
NUC11TNHv7: /
NUC11TNKi3: /
NUC11TNKi5: /
NUC11TNKi7: /
NUC11TNKv5: /
NUC11TNKv7: /
Any memory configuration supported by the NUC.* A minimum of 2GB, as specified in .
Any single SSD or NVMe disk supported by the NUC*. A minimum of 20GB as specified in .
NUC10i7FNH: ;
NUC10i7FNK: ;
NUC10i5FNH: ;
NUC10i5FNK: ;
NUC10i3FNH: ;
NUC10i3FNK: ;
Any memory configuration supported by the NUC.* A minimum of 2GB, as specified in .
Any single SSD or NVMe disk supported by the NUC*. A minimum of 20GB as specified in .
NUC8I7BEH: ;
NUC8I5BEH: ;
NUC8I5BEK: ;
NUC8I3BEH: ;
NUC8I3BEK: ;
Memory:
Disk: M.2 NVMe and M.2 SSD
Non-proxied and unrestricted access to the Internet: The installation process downloads several software packages from online resources. Consult for the list of online locations.
Note that the custom download will include the required for the Agent to register itself to the ThousandEyes system. Click Generate. It may take take between 15 and 30 minutes to generate the image. An email will be generated once the image is ready to be downloaded.
A copy of Rufus can be obtained from .
Intel documentation can be found .
BIOS update files for the Intel NUC can be found .
See for a comprehensive set of instructions. The following are the minimum required to enable the Physical Agent to communicate with the ThousandEyes platform.
For information on the other parameters, see .
For further assistance, contact .
