Documentation forSolarWinds Platform Self-Hosted

Docker requirements, deployment command examples, and container removal steps

This topic applies only to the following products:

SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted

SAM — VMAN

The Container Monitoring feature supports Docker, an open container platform designed to help build, ship, and run applications. The Docker Engine is the client-server application that serves as the core of the container runtime environment. It provides the foundation to run individual containers that each include:

  • An image file, which serves as a snapshot of the required application. This read-only file is a template with instructions for creating a Docker container.
  • A configuration file.

To monitor Docker containers, you'll need:

  • Docker Engine 17.12 or later.
  • A Compose YAML file, version 3.5 or later.
  • SSH access to the master server.
  • Sudo privileges on the master server.
  • A weaveworks/scope:1.13.2 image in the Docker repository.

Required ports include:

  • 80: Used to download the configuration file from the SolarWinds Platform server.
  • 4043: Container port (internal Docker communication).
  • 6784: Report/wave status (internal Docker communication).

    An alternative to using port 80 is to download the file manually and send it to a Docker host.

Docker image

Starting with 2024.1, the Docker monitoring image was updated to include the latest security fixes. The image has the v5_stable tag. You can find it under: https://hub.docker.com/r/solarwinds/orion/tags

If you are running an earlier image (tagged for example v4_stable), manually edit the deployment file shipped with SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted.

Upgrade the CMAN Docker image (Kubernetes 1.22 and earlier)

  1. Launch the Container Management wizard for Docker. To do so, click Settings > All Settings > Manage Container Services.

  2. Select the Docker service to edit, click Edit, and go to the Deployment Commands screen.

  3. Run the first two commands. The second command downloads the docker-compose.yaml file.

  4. Open the docker-compose.yaml file, and search for “image: solarwinds/orion:v4_stable”.

  5. Replace “image: solarwinds/orion:v4_stable” with “image: solarwinds/orion:v5_stable”. Save the change and complete the wizard.

    The image version changes to v5_stable.

Docker installation commands

When you add a container service, the Manage Container Service wizard generates commands that you can copy to the Windows Clipboard.

  1. Connect to the master Linux server via SSH
  2. Open a command line.
  3. Run each command to download the docker-compose.yaml file. Use superuser privileges.

SolarWinds recommends that you execute commands in a directory that does not already have a docker-compose.yaml file. Consider creating a new Orion directory on the server where you can run commands.

Delete Docker containers and container images from nodes

Before deleting a container service on the Manage Container Services page, remove Orion containers and images from the node manually with Docker commands.

  1. Connect to the node via SSH.
  2. Retrieve IDs for the sw_orionaggregator and sw_orionmonitor containers with the following command: 
    sudo docker ps | grep sw_
  3. To delete sw_orionaggregator and sw_orionmonitor containers, run the following commands for each ID:
    sudo docker stop [container_id]

sudo docker rm [container_id]
  4. Get a list of images and note the IDs for the docker.dev.local/scope2orion and weaveworks/scope:latest containers by running this command:
    sudo docker images
  5. Run the following command for each image ID and container acquired in step 4: 
    sudo docker rmi [image_id]

The service status switches to Down on the Container Services page. Now you can delete the container service by selecting its check box and clicking Delete.