Automated agent installation

To simplify the initial Agent deployment, upload the Agent packages to the Avantra Server as described in Preparing the Avantra Agent Deployment.

note

You can also download the agent packages directly from our central download repository in the Customer Hub, under Software Downloads.

You can use tools like curl or wget (or even a browser) to download the agent packages over the very same network connection that will later be used by the Agent itself.

The standard installation as described in Installing the Avantra Agent involves logging into each server remotely and performing the installation. This manual method may not scale very well. There are other options to install Avantra Agent on Linux and on Windows remotely.

note

The procedure here describes the initial Agent deployment. For all subsequent updates, Avantra features an automatic Agent update, please see Upgrading Agents Automatically.

Deploy Avantra Agents to Linux remotely

You can deploy the Avantra Agent remotely to Linux servers using SSH, given you can remote access the server, the OS user you use is the same you run the Avantra Agent with, and this user can run passwordless sudo commands. See Red Hat Developer Documentation: How to enable sudo on Red Hat Enterprise Linux for more information.

You may use the following small script as a template or check for the latest version in our Bitbucket Repository: Install Avantra Agent via SSH.

#!/bin/sh -xe
# -----------------------------------------------------------
# Change the following variables according to your needs
#
# AVANTRA_HOST  is the Avantra server's dns name or IP address
# AGENT_VERSION is the version of an Avantra Agent uploaded
#               to the UI
# JAVA_INSTALL  is the command to install Java 8. Adapt to
#               your distro
# AGENT_USER    is the OS user on the target system that runs
#               the Avantra agent, is accessible by SSH, and
#               can run sudo without a password.
# DISTDIR       is the directory the agent is going to be
#               installed to
# SERVICE_NAME  is the name of the service in systemd
#
# Run as:
# ssh <AGENT_USER>@<TARGET> 'sh -s' < deploy-avantra-agent.sh
# -----------------------------------------------------------
AVANTRA_HOST=
AGENT_VERSION=
JAVA_INSTALL="yum install -y java-1.8.0-openjdk" # Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora
# JAVA_INSTALL="zypper install -y java-1_8_0-openjdk" # SUSE
AGENT_USER=
DISTDIR=/opt/avantra
SERVICE_NAME=avantra-agent
## -- install java
sudo $JAVA_INSTALL
## -- install agent --
sudo mkdir -p "$DISTDIR" \
    && sudo chown -R $AGENT_USER: "$DISTDIR" \
    && cd "$DISTDIR" \
    && sudo -u $AGENT_USER curl -s http://$AVANTRA_HOST:9050/AgentUpdate/agent-$AGENT_VERSION.bin -o agent-$AGENT_VERSION.bin \
    && sudo -u $AGENT_USER chmod 755 ./agent-$AGENT_VERSION.bin \
    && sudo -u $AGENT_USER ./agent-$AGENT_VERSION.bin -- --silent --start=no
## -- create service file for systemd --
sudo cat <<ENDSVCFILE | sudo tee "/etc/systemd/system/$SERVICE_NAME.service" > /dev/null
[Unit]
Description=Avantra Agent $AGENT_VERSION
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=$DISTDIR/agent/rc.agent start
ExecStop=$DISTDIR/agent/rc.agent stop
User=$AGENT_USER
KillMode=process
Type=forking
PIDFile=$DISTDIR/agent/log/agent.pid

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
ENDSVCFILE
## -- allow $AGENT_USER to sudo systemctl --
sudo cat <<ENDSUDOERSFILE | sudo tee "/etc/sudoers.d/$AGENT_USER" > /dev/null
$AGENT_USER ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl start $SERVICE_NAME
$AGENT_USER ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl stop $SERVICE_NAME
$AGENT_USER ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl restart $SERVICE_NAME
ENDSUDOERSFILE
sudo visudo -cf "/etc/sudoers.d/$AGENT_USER"
## -- enable service --
sudo systemctl enable "/etc/systemd/system/$SERVICE_NAME.service" \
    && sudo systemctl start $SERVICE_NAME

Adapt the following variables:

Variable	Description
AVANTRA_HOST	The DNS name or IP address of the Avantra Server
AGENT_VERSION	The version (e.g. 20.5.1) of the Avantra Agent you have uploaded to the Avantra Server.
AGENT_USER	The OS user to run the Avantra Agent with. <sid>adm may be a good choice for servers hosting SAP application servers. Otherwise, choose an existing OS user.
JAVA_INSTALL	The OS command to install the Java Runtime Environment 8 on your Linux host.

Afterwards, use the following command to install the Avantra Agent remotely:

ssh <AGENT_USER>@<TARGET> 'sh -s' < avantra-agent-deploy.sh

Deploy Avantra Agents to Windows remotely

You can deploy the Avantra Agent remotely to Windows servers using PowerShell Remoting.

note

PowerShell Remoting works easiest in an Active Directory environment. If you do not have setup PowerShell Remoting already, the setup of PowerShell Remoting may require more effort than you can potentially with the Agent deployment. Your mileage may vary.

note

You need to set the Execution Policy on the computer you intend to run the script appropriately: Check if your security policies allow such a change. You probably want to consider the value RemoteSigned.

You may use the following small script as a template or check for the latest version in our Bitbucket Repository: Install Avantra Agent via PowerShell.

# - Upload the Avantra Agent installer as a package to the Agent Update rpository
# - Adapt these variable according to your needs
# - Modify the execution policy to allow running powershell scripts
[string]$user = '<DOMAIN\user>'          # Access to the remote system
[string]$target = '<target-host>'        # The remote system
[string]$avantrahost = '<avantra-server>' # The FQDN of the Avantra Sever
[string]$agentversion = '23.2.0'         # The agent version (uploaded to the repository)
[string]$javapath = 'C:\Program Files\Java'
# Adapt this to the latest version: Make your choice on https://adoptium.net/en-GB/temurin/releases/?version=8, get the full download link
[uri]$javaurl = 'https://objects.githubusercontent.com/github-production-release-asset-2e65be/.......filename%3DOpenJDK8U-jdk_x64_windows_hotspot_8u372b07.zip&response-content-type=application%2Foctet-stream'

# There should be no need to change anything below this line

[uri]$agenturl = 'http://' + $avantrahost + ':9050/AgentUpdate/agent-' + $agentversion + '-setup.exe'

# Self-elevate the script if required
if (-Not ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] 'Administrator')) {
    if ([int](Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_OperatingSystem | Select-Object -ExpandProperty BuildNumber) -ge 6000) {
        $CommandLine = "-File `"" + $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path + "`" " + $MyInvocation.UnboundArguments
        Start-Process -FilePath PowerShell.exe -Verb Runas -ArgumentList $CommandLine
    Exit
    }
}

$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName $target -Credential $user

Invoke-Command -Session $session -ScriptBlock {
    param($javaurl, $agenturl, $javapath)
    [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
    Invoke-WebRequest `
        -Uri $javaurl `
        -OutFile 'C:\Windows\Temp\java-installer.msi'
    Invoke-WebRequest `
        -Uri $agenturl `
        -OutFile 'C:\Windows\Temp\agent-installer.exe'
    msiexec /i C:\Windows\Temp\java-installer.msi /quiet `
        ADDLOCAL="FeatureMain,FeatureEnvironment,FeatureJarFileRunWith,FeatureJavaHome,FeatureOracleJavaSoft" `
        INSTALLDIR=`"$javapath`"
    C:\Windows\Temp\agent-installer.exe /S /JAVA_PATH=`"$javapath`" /START_SERVICE=1 /PORT=9051 /D=C:\Program Files\avantra
} -ArgumentList $javaurl,$agenturl,$javapath
    Remove-Item -path 'C:\Windows\Temp\java-installer.msi'
    Remove-Item -path 'C:\Windows\Temp\agent-installer.exe'
Remove-PSSession $session

Adapt the following variables:

Variable	Description
$user
Use this (Domain) user to access the remote system

$target| The name of the remote system|

$avantrahost| The DNS name or IP address of the Avantra Server|

$agentversion| The version (e.g., 24.0.0) of the Avantra Agent you have uploaded to the Avantra Server.|

$javaurl| The URL of the .msi of the Java 17 Runtime Environment you want to install. Go to https://adoptopenjdk.net/releases.html[AdoptOpenJDK Latest release], choose OpenJDK 8 (LTS) with the Hotpsot JVM. Select Windows for the operating system and x64 for the architecture. Right-click on *msi next to JRE in order to retrieve the direct link.

Finally run

PS> .\deploy-avantra-agent.ps1

in an elevated PowerShell.

Agent mass deployments

There is an option to perform large-scale deployments using Ansible. We provide an example playbook for the remote deployment of Avantra Agents to Linux and Windows servers.

note

This is an example Ansible playbook demonstrating how to install Java and the Avantra Agent on Linux and Windows. The purpose is to illustrate the tasks all in one file. It is by no means a good way to design an Ansible playbook.

Please adapt at least the variables master_host and agent_version. You may also check for the latest version in our Bitbucket Repository.

# NOTE:
# This is an example ansible playbook demonstrating how to install Java
# and the Avantra Agent on Linux and Windows. The purpose ist to illustrate
# the tasks all in one file. It is by no means a good way to design an
# ansible playbook.
#
- name: Install Java 8 JRE and Avantra Agent
  hosts: all
  vars:
    # Adapt this value to your Avantra Server, if you have uploaded the agent
    # packages. Or see the comments below how to use direct download links.
    - avantra_host: your.avantra.server
    # Adapt to the agent version
    - agent_version: 23.2.0
    - agent_dir: /opt/avantra
    - agent_win_dir: ansible_env['ProgramFiles']\avantra
    - agent_user: avantra
    - create_user: true
    - agent_service: avantra-agent

  tasks:
  - name: Install Java 8 on SUSE
    become: true
    package: >
      name=java-1_8_0-openjdk
      state=latest
    when: ansible_os_family == 'SUSE'

  - name: Install Java 8 on RedHat
    become: true
    package: >
      name=java-1.8.0-openjdk
      state=latest
    when: ansible_os_family == 'RedHat'

  - name: Install AdoptOpenJdk Java 8 on Windows
    when: ansible_os_family == 'Windows'
    block:
      - name: Get AdoptOpenJDK release info
        win_uri:
          url: "https://api.adoptopenjdk.net/v2/info/releases/openjdk8\
            ?openjdk_impl=hotspot&os=windows&arch=x64&release=latest\
            &type=jre&heap_size=normal"
          return_content: true
          follow_redirects: all
        register: release_info
      - name: Find installer url
        set_fact:
          release_url: >-
            {{
              (release_info.content | from_json).binaries | map(attribute='installer_link') | list +
              (release_info.content | from_json).binaries | map(attribute='installer_name') | list
            }}
      - name: 'Download artifact {{ release_url[1] }}'
        win_get_url:
          url: '{{ release_url[0] }}'
          dest: '%TEMP%'
          force: true
        register: file_downloaded
        retries: 20
        delay: 5
        until: file_downloaded is succeeded
      - name: Install from remote
        win_package:
          path: '{{ file_downloaded.dest }}'
          state: present

  - name: Create user and directory on Linux
    when: ansible_system == 'Linux'
    block:
    - name: Create User
      become: true
      when: create_user
      user:
        name: "{{ agent_user }}"
        state: present
    - name: Create directory
      become: true
      file:
        path: "{{ agent_dir }}"
        state: directory
        owner: "{{ agent_user }}"
        group: "{{ agent_user }}"
        mode: 0755

  - name: Download and Install Avantra Agent on Linux
    when: ansible_system == 'Linux'
    block:
    - name: Download Agent
      get_url:
        # NOTE: You can also head to downloads.avantra.com, generate a direct
        # download link, and use it here. Keep in mind that these generated
        # links expire after 12 hours.
        url: http://{{ avantra_host }}:9050/AgentUpdate/agent-{{ agent_version }}.bin
        dest: /tmp
        mode: '0755'
    - name: Install Agent
      command: /tmp/agent-{{ agent_version }}.bin -- --silent --start=no
      become: true
      become_user: "{{ agent_user }}"
      args:
        chdir: "{{ agent_dir }}"
    - name: Create Systemd Service file
      become: true
      copy:
        dest: /etc/systemd/system/{{ agent_service }}.service
        content: |
          [Unit]
          Description=Avantra Agent
          After=network.target

          [Service]
          ExecStart={{ agent_dir }}/agent/rc.agent start
          ExecStop={{ agent_dir }}/agent/rc.agent stop
          User={{ agent_user }}
          Type=forking
          KillMode=process
          PIDFile={{ agent_dir }}/agent/log/agent.pid

          [Install]
          WantedBy=multi-user.target
    - name: Enable Agent service
      become: true
      service:
        daemon_reload: yes
        name: "{{ agent_service }}"
        enabled: yes
        state: started
    - name: Enable agent_user to run systemctl
      become: true
      copy:
        dest: /etc/sudoers.d/{{ agent_user }}
        content: |
          {{ agent_user }} ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl start {{ agent_service }}
          {{ agent_user }} ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl stop {{ agent_service }}
          {{ agent_user }} ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl restart {{ agent_service }}
        validate: 'visudo -cf %s'

  - name: Install Avantra Agent on Windows
    win_package:
      # NOTE: You can also head to downloads.avantra.com, generate a direct
      # download link, and use it here. Keep in mind that these generated
      # links expire after 12 hours.
      path: http://{{ avantra_host }}:9050/AgentUpdate/agent-{{ agent_version }}-setup.exe
      creates_path: '{{ agent_win_dir }}'
      arguments:
        - /S
        - /START_SERVICE=1
        - /PORT=9051
        - /D={{ agent_win_dir }}
      state: present
    when: ansible_os_family == 'Windows'

Post-installation setup

After you have deployed the Avantra Agents, please follow the steps described in section [preparing-the-installation] of the Product Guide.

note

There is nothing wrong if you do this after the agent deployment although the Product Guide says Preparing.

The transport request mentioned there is already available at /opt/avantra/AgentUpdate on the Avantra Server. It can be accessed in the same way (via HTTP) as described in the Product Guide (and as described in the deployment steps above).

note

Please also consider steps 3 to 6 of Installing the Agent on Linux. Replace the OS user xandria referenced there with whatever you have chosen for AGENT_USER above.