Installing data collectors on Windows

To gain insights into the capacity and performance of the storage systems in your data center, install data collectors. You also gain insights about your fabrics and switches, such as switch performance.

Before you begin

You can install data collectors on servers or virtual machines that run Windows Server 2016 and later.
Important: Microsoft support of Windows 7 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 ended in January 2020, therefore IBM® Storage Insights no longer supports deploying data collectors to those operating systems. It's strongly recommended that you deploy your data collectors to a supported version of Windows. For more information about end of support for Windows operating systems, see Microsoft support lifecycle.

Before you install a data collector, keep in mind the following considerations:

  • Install data collectors on servers or virtual machines that have access to the devices that you want to monitor and access to the internet to communicate with IBM Cloud®. You can also deploy data collectors in a LAN where routing is configured to allow access across different subnets and on a WAN where devices are located in different geographical locations.
  • On the server or virtual machine where you install the data collector, you must provide at least 1 GB of RAM and 3 GB of disk space.
  • You must have Administrator authority on the server or virtual machine where you install the data collector.
  • Ensure that the operating system on the server or virtual machine where you install the data collector has general or extended support for maintenance and security fixes.
  • To connect to your instance of IBM Storage Insights from the server or virtual machine where you install the data collector, your firewall must be configured to allow outbound communication on the default HTTPS port 443 using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is not supported.
Important:
  • Don't install a data collector on a laptop or personal workstation. Shutting down a laptop or personal workstation or putting it into sleep mode will interrupt data collection. The server or virtual machine where you install a data collector must be available 24X7.
  • Don't install the data collector to a file system that was mounted or mapped under a user login session. These file systems can be temporary and might not persist after the user logs out of the network. Note that you can install a data collector to a system-mounted or mapped file system because those file systems are typically more permanent.
Antivirus software considerations: Installing a data collector involves making use of your operating system in manners typical for installing new application software. If your antivirus software is set on the maximum mode, it might prevent some of your changes from being accepted.
  • To verify that your deployment completes correctly, enable your antivirus software product on the target server or virtual machine to allow new executable files to be created in the installation directory of the data collector. If your antivirus software prevents the monitoring of some of your devices, such as XIV®, Hitachi VSP, Dell EMC, NetApp, or Pure storage, add the related executable files for those devices to your allowlist.
    • If McAfee Adaptive Threat Protection is enabled on the server where an IBM Storage Insights data collector is installed, it might prevent the data collector from starting or stopping. To avoid this issue, open McAfee Adaptive Threat Protection and go to settings. In the Real Protect Scanning (Windows only) section, verify whether Enable client-based scanning is selected. If so, select Low from the Sensitivity level list.
    • If Symantec Endpoint Protection is enabled on the server where an IBM Storage Insights data collector is installed, it prevents the data collector from running properly. To avoid this issue, remove or disable Symantec Endpoint Protection on the server where the data collector is installed.
    • If Trellix endpoint security is enabled on the server where an IBM Storage Insights data collector is installed, it may prevent the data collector from running properly. To avoid this issue, remove or disable Trellix endpoint security on the server where the data collector is installed.
    • If Forcepoint One Endpoint is enabled on the server where an IBM Storage Insights data collector is installed, it may prevent the data collector from running properly. To avoid this issue, remove or disable Forcepoint One Endpoint on the server where the data collector is installed.

    For more information about McAfee Adaptive Threat Protection, see the following links:

About this task

When you install a data collector, you must complete the following tasks:
  • Identify or create a directory on the server or virtual machine where the data collector will run.
  • Download the compressed file that contains the data collector.
  • Extract the contents of the compressed file.
  • Run the command or script that installs the data collector.

Procedure

For each data collector that you want to install, complete these steps:

  1. On the target server or virtual machine where the data collector will run, identify or create an empty directory.
    This directory acts as the permanent location from which the data collector service is run. Ensure that it is on a local system disk that is available at system startup time and is not associated with a Windows user profile, home directory, or network share. The directory name and the names of any directories in the directory path must follow these naming conventions:
    • Directory names must not include spaces or the following special characters: 
      % & ! ( ) { } [ ] ; , ' ` ^ = $ # ~ + @ \ / : * ? " < > |
    • If you plan to add any non-IBM storage systems, directory names must not start with any of the Windows reserved words such as these: 
      CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9,
LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, LPT9
    • The total characters for the names in the directory path must not exceed 50 characters. Here are some examples of directory paths:
      • C:\IBM\SI_DC\
      • D:\IBM_SI_DC\
    • Do not use system-reserved directory paths to install or extract data collectors. Here are some examples of directory paths that you must avoid:
      • C:\
      • C:\Program Files
      • C:\Program Files (x86)
      • C:\ProgramData
      • C:\Users
      • C:\usr
      • C:\Windows
      • C:\Windows\System32
  2. Log in to IBM Storage Insights.
  3. From the Configuration menu, click Data Collectors, and then click Deploy Data Collector.
  4. Click Windows.
  5. Accept the license agreement.
  6. Download the compressed (.zip) file that contains the data collector.
    Note: If the download fails or you want to download the data collector for another operating system, click Download again.
  7. Move the compressed file to the target server and directory that you identified in step 1.
  8. Extract the contents of the compressed file.
    Can't extract the compressed file?: When you download a file from the internet, Windows might classify it as unsafe and prevent you from extracting its contents. If this situation occurs with the compressed file for the data collector, unblock it by completing these steps:
    1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the compressed file and select Properties.
    2. On the General tab in the Properties window, locate the Security section and click Unblock.
    3. Click OK.
    4. Try to extract the contents of the compressed file again.
  9. To install the data collector, choose one of the following installation options. The batch file for each option is located in the directory where you extracted the compressed file. You must have Administrator authority to run these options.
    Installation Options Description
    installDataCollectorService.bat To install the data collector as a service and automatically start it, complete the following steps:
    1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run window.
    2. In the Run window, type cmd.
    3. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run the command prompt as an administrator.
    4. In the command prompt, change to the directory where you extracted the compressed file.
    5. Type installDataCollectorService.bat and press Enter.
    installDataCollectorService.bat nostart To install the data collector as a service, but not start it, complete the following steps:
    1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run window.
    2. In the Run window, type cmd.
    3. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run the command prompt as an administrator.
    4. In the command prompt, change to the directory where you extracted the compressed file.
    5. Type installDataCollectorService.bat nostart and press Enter.
    installDataCollectorService.bat noconfigureproxy To install and start the data collector as a service without configuring a connection to a proxy server, complete the following steps:
    1. Press Windows key+R to open the Run window.
    2. In the Run window, type cmd.
    3. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run the command prompt as an administrator.
    4. In the command prompt, change to the directory where you extracted the compressed file.
    5. Type installDataCollectorService.bat noconfigureproxy and press Enter.
  10. Optional: If you type yes to configure the connection to a proxy server, complete these steps:
    1. Type the host name of the proxy server.
    2. Type the port number of the proxy server.
  11. Optional: If you type yes to authenticate the connection to the proxy server, complete these steps:
    1. Type the user name.
    2. Type the password.

Results

The data collector is installed as a service and is started unless you chose the installDataCollectorService.bat nostart command. After the data collector is started, it runs continuously unless you stop or uninstall the service. It is restarted automatically when the system boots up.

When the data collector is up and running, it attempts to establish a connection to IBM Storage Insights. When the connection is complete, you're ready to start adding your storage systems for monitoring!

Troubleshooting: If you encounter any problems during the installation process, you can open a support case for IBM Storage Insights to get help. For more information, see Getting support.