Options for monitoring hosts

There are multiple options you can use to monitor your self-managed host. When adding hosts in the Add Data wizard, you have the following options:

• Use the SolarWinds Observability Agent

  • Use this option when you need host-level insights, such as data about metrics, volumes, processes, and installed software, as well as system events and host attributes (uptime, kernel version)

  • This option installs a lightweight agent on the host, using one of the following options: Installer, Ansible, Chef, or Docker

• Use the Network Collector

  • Use this option to monitor distributed network environments, including software applications, storage arrays, or Windows scheduled tasks.

  • Collects metrics, and volume, interface, and sensor data

    See Network Collector.

For more details, see Host monitoring options.

Monitor the host using the SolarWinds Observability Agent

1. In SolarWinds Observability SaaS, click Add Data at the top.

2. In the Add Data dialog Intro, click Monitor my hosts.

3. Click Hosts.

4. Select Use the SolarWinds Observability Agent.

5. Choose your deployment option and click next to continue.

   If you want to install the Agent manually, select how you want to install the agent:

   • Script-based installation (recommended): select this option to run a provided script on the host where you want to install the agent.

   • Installer: select this option to download an installation file and run it using a provided command.

   If you want to use an automated deployment method, select a supported configuration management tool:

   • Ansible

   • Chef

   • Puppet

   • SaltStack

6. Specify an Ingestion token that identifies the Agent when sending the data into SolarWinds Observability SaaS and click Next.

   • To create a new token, select Generate New Token and provide a name for the new token.

   • To use an existing token, select Use Existing Token and select a token from the list.

   Not sure? See Create a new or use an existing ingestion API token?

7. If you selected a manual installation option, complete the Configuration step and click Next.

   1. Select the operating system of your target host.

   2. For Linux, select the architecture of the target host (AMD64 or ARM).

      For Windows, AMD 64 is selected.

   3. Optional: To set up a host name, click Set up host name, and provide a name which will be used to override the default host name.

8. If you selected a manual installation option, complete the Installation step and click Next.

   • For script-based installation, copy the installation script to the clipboard. On the target host, open the command prompt or terminal as an administrator and run the copied script.

   • For Installer-based installation, download the installer to the target host and run it using the provided script.

   The scripts contain a unique ID used to track the installation status. Do not reuse this script.

   The scripts already include all relevant parameters. See SolarWinds Observability Agent installation parameters.

9. If you selected an automated deployment method, use the linked resources to deploy the Agent. Copy the provided parameters to include required attributes or variables.

   For Ansible and Chef, you can use proxy: To set up a proxy, click Set up proxy, and provide the proxy address as proxyAddress, proxyAddress:port, or http://user:password@proxyAddress:port. For proxyAddress, use the proxy IP address, hostname, or domain name.

   • Ansible: Use the Ansible role in galaxy.ansible.com to automatically install the SolarWinds Observability Agent with Ansible.

   • Chef: Use the recipe in supermarket.chef.io to automatically install the SolarWinds Observability Agent with Chef.

   • Puppet: Use the Puppet module in forge.puppet.com to deploy the Agent with Puppet.

   • SaltStack: Use the SaltStack formula in github.com/solarwinds to deploy the Agent with SaltStack.

10. Optional for manual installation: To collect logs, click Enable log monitoring, provide details for collecting logs, and click Deploy to deploy the log monitoring plugin.

11. Optional: On Suggested Alerts, review available alerts and enable alerts you find relevant.

    You need to be Admin or Owner in your organization to manage alerts. See User roles and access levels.

12. Optional for manual installation: When the installation is complete, review the Summary.

    • To change the Agent/Host name and the host display name, click Edit and adjust the name for the Agent/host. The Agent name and the host display name have the same value.

    • To find out more about the target host, click Host Details and continue to the host details page.

    • To review the list of hosts monitored in SolarWinds Observability SaaS, click Host list.

    • To review the Agent details, click Agent Details.

    • To view and manage all Agents and their plugins, click Agent list to continue to the Agents page.

    • If you enabled log monitoring, review the log details. Click Analyze logs to go to the Log Viewer.

    • Review available additional actions, such as Monitor database performance or Add integrations. To perform an action, click the appropriate tile.

To view data collected for the newly configured entity in the Entity Explorer, click the name of the host in the confirmation dialog in the lower-left corner. It may take a few seconds for data to appear for the newly created entity. See Entity Explorer for details.

See Entities in SolarWinds Observability SaaS for an overview of host entities and how they work in SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

Monitor the host using the Network Collector

1. In SolarWinds Observability SaaS, click Add Data at the top.

2. In the Add Data dialog Intro, click Monitor my hosts.

3. Click Hosts.

4. Select Use the Network Collector.

5. On Select Network Collector, select Use existing Network Collector and select the collector you want to poll the new network device by.

   You can only select a Network Collector version 2024.2.10 and later which is Connected. Earlier versions of the collector do not support adding devices and adding devices requires an active connection.

   If you don’t find a suitable collector, deploy a new one or upgrade an existing collector to 2024.2.10.

   

6. On Define Device, specify the network device you want to monitor in SolarWinds Observability SaaS and click Next.

   1. Type a hostname or IP address.

   2. If the device has a dynamic IP address, select Dynamic IP Address. This option requires a complete IP-hostname pair for successful lookup.

      Optional settings

      • To identify the device in SolarWinds Observability SaaS, specify a display name.
      • To add a custom tag to the device, click Add Tag and specify the key and the value for the tag. You can also add tags to the device later on the device details page under the Overview tab.

   3. Select how you want to poll the network device.

      • Select ICMP to monitor the device health by comparing the polled results to predefined threshold values. ICMP polls device status, average response time, or packet loss percentage.

      • Select WMI to monitor metrics, and volume, interface, and sensor data.

        • To use existing credentials, click Use Existing Credentials, select credentials for the discovery, and click Save. The selection order reflects the order in which the credentials will be used in the scan. To change the order, use arrows in the Actions column.

        • To add a new set of WMI credentials, select New, and enter the display name, username, and password. New credentials are added both for the discovery and among existing credentials.

7. On Choose Resources, specify should be monitored on the device and click Next.

   Expand drop-down lists and select items to monitor.

   • Node Details

   • Status & Response Time

   • Volume utilization

   • CPU & Memory

   • Interfaces

   • Networked Storage Resources

   • Asset Inventory

   • Windows Scheduled Tasks.

8. On Summary, review the summary and start the installation.

To view data collected for the newly configured entity in the Entity Explorer, click the name of the host in the confirmation dialog in the lower-left corner. It may take a few seconds for data to appear for the newly created entity. See Entity Explorer for details.

Install the Agent manually

See Install the Agent manually.