Index


Overview

Statseeker can be deployed to Google's Cloud platform. This document details the process of creating a Google Cloud Statseeker deployment via the Google Cloud Console (GUI) and the Google Cloud SDK Shell (CLI).

Note:

  • Any screenshots presented, and processes described were accurate at the time of writing this document but may become out-of-date due to changes made to the Google Cloud platform

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Requirements

This process assumes that you have a working knowledge of the Google Cloud platform and portal, and requires that you have:

  • A valid Google Cloud subscription with access to Google Compute Engine services
  • Access to a pre-configured Project, or permission to create a Project
  • Access to a pre-configured Storage Bucket, or permission to create a Storage Bucket
  • The Google Cloud SDK Shell installed on the local machine (required for Statseeker v5.6.2+ only)
  • A Statseeker v5.6.0(+) installation image
    • Depending on the format of the image, you may need access to a Linux system to re-format the image prior to use on the Google Cloud platform, see Format Installation Image for details
  • A valid Statseeker license

For access to Statseeker files/licenses suitable for your needs, please contact:

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Format Installation File

The Google Cloud platform expects the installation image used when configuring Compute Engine Services to be provided in a specific format. Depending on the Statseeker version you are intending to use, the installation image format provided by Statseeker will be either:

If you have a Statseeker VHD you will need to format this image prior to uploading to Google Cloud.

  • Rename the VHD to disk.raw - Google Cloud explicitly looks for this file
  • Tar and compress this image using a specific operation switch (requires access to a Linux system)

Use the following commands on a Linux CLI to rename and process the installation image:

# cp <your_statseeker_vhd_filename>.vhd  disk.raw
# tar --format=oldgnu -Szcf <output_filename>.tar.gz disk.raw


Example:

# cp statseeker.vhd disk.raw
# tar --format=oldgnu -Szcf statseeker-5.6.2.tar.gz disk.raw

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Authenticate and Set Project

If you are either creating a Statseeker v5.6.2 VM (via the GUI or CLI), or creating a pre-v5.6.2 via the CLI, then you will need to authenticate with the Google Cloud SDK Shell and set the default project.

  • Open the previously installed Google Cloud SDK Shell console and run the following commands
 gcloud auth login
 gcloud projects create <PROJECT_ID> # omit this step if you have a suitable project
 gcloud config set project <PROJECT_ID>


Example:

 gcloud auth login
 gcloud projects create my-statseeker-project
 gcloud config set project my-statseeker-project

Upload Statseeker Installation Media

The Statseeker TAR file created in the previous step needs to be uploaded to a Google Cloud Storage Bucket before it can be used to Statseeker server instances.

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Create Storage Bucket
  • Login to your Google Cloud Account
  • From the main menu, select Cloud Storage and select your chosen Project
  • Click Create Bucket and Name your bucket
  • Set Location, Storage Class, and Access Control to suit your requirements
  • Click Create

Via the CLI
 gsutil mb -p <PROJECT_ID> gs://<BUCKET_NAME>


Example:

 gsutil mb -p my-statseeker-project gs://my-statseeker_bucket

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Uploading Installation File
  • Login to your Google Cloud Account
  • From the dashboard, select Cloud Storage and select your chosen Project
  • Select the bucket that will contain the Statseeker installation file and click Upload Files
  • Locate and select the Statseeker TAR

Once uploaded the Statseeker image will be displayed in the bucket.

Via the CLI
 gsutil cp <IMAGE_ARCHIVE> <CLOUD_STORAGE_BUCKET>


Example:

 gsutil mb -p statseeker-5.6.2.tar.gz gs://my-statseeker_bucket

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Create Image

We need to create a Google disk image from the uploaded installation file.

Note: creating the image via the Google Cloud Console (GUI) is only valid for Statseeker pre-v5.6.2. For Statseeker v5.6.2 (and higher) this step must be performed via the Google Cloud SDK Shell (CLI).
  • Login to your Google Cloud Account and select your chosen Project
  • From the main menu, select Compute Engine > Images
  • Click Create Image
  • Name the image
  • Set Source = Cloud Storage file and select the Statseeker installation file that was previously added to your storage bucket
  • Set Location, Family, Description, Tags and Encryption as needed for your organization
  • Click Create



The image creation process may take a few minutes to complete your image listing will update with the new image once complete.

Via the CLI
Note: the following command block has been formatted for readability. Depending on your Google Cloud SDK Shell deployment, breaking the commands over multiple lines may not be supported.
You may need to remove the trailing back-slash (\) and line-breaks as we have done for the CLI Examples, which are all presented as single-line content.
gcloud compute images create <IMAGE_NAME> \
	--project=<PROJECT_ID> \
	--description="<IMAGE_DESCRIPTION>" \
	--source-uri=<IMAGE_URI> \
	--labels=version=<IMAGE_VERSION> \
	--storage-location=<REGION> \
	--guest-os-features="UEFI_COMPATIBLE" # this line is only required for Statseeker v5.6.2, omit for earlier versions
Note: the --guest-os-features="UEFI_COMPATIBLE" flag is only applicable for Statseeker v5.6.2 (and higher), omit this line for earlier versions.

Example:

gcloud compute images create statseeker-562-image --project=my-statseeker-project --description="statseeker562" --source-uri=gs://my-statseeker_bucket/statseeker-5.6.2.tar.gz --labels=version=562 --storage-location=australia-southeast1 --guest-os-features="UEFI_COMPATIBLE"

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Create Statseeker Virtual Machine

  • Login to your Google Cloud Account and select your chosen Project
  • From the main menu, select Compute Engine > Images
  • Locate your Statseeker image and select Actions > Create Instance
  • Set the VM Name, hostname (see below), and Region\Zone - these items cannot be altered after the VM is created
Note: Unless you specify a custom hostname, Google Cloud uses the automatically created internal DNS name as the hostname. If the generated hostname is >64 characters it will cause the generation of the SSL certificate to fail (An x509 Certificate only allows 64 characters in the commonName field). To specify a hostname:

  • Select Advanced options > Networking
  • Specify the custom Hostname

The hostname can be verified after VM creation by:

  • Going to VM Instances and selecting your Statseeker instance to open Instance Details
  • Review the Hostname section (this section is only visible if a custom hostname has been applied).
  • Specify the Machine Configuration and Boot Disk to suit your needs according to the Statseeker System Requirements
  • Set Firewall = Allow HTTPS traffic
  • Click Create

Via the CLI
 gcloud compute instances create <INSTANCE_NAME> \
	--hostname=<HOSTNAME> \
	--project=<PROJECT_ID> \
	--zone=<ZONE> \
	--machine-type=<MACHINE_TYPE> \
	--subnet=<SUBNET> \
	--network-tier=<NETWORK_TIER> \
	--maintenance-policy=<MAINTENANCE_POLICY> \
	--scopes=<SCOPES> \
	--tags=<TAGS> \
	--image-project=<PROJECT_ID> \
	--boot-disk-size=<DISK_SIZE> \
	--boot-disk-type=<DISK_TYPE> \
	--boot-disk-device-name=<DEVICE_NAME>


Example:

gcloud compute instances create my-statseeker-server --hostname=my-hostname.example.com --project=my-statseeker-project --zone=australia-southeast1-b --machine-type=e2-standard-2 --subnet=default --network-tier=PREMIUM --maintenance-policy=MIGRATE  --scopes=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/devstorage.read_only,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/logging.write,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/monitoring.write,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/servicecontrol,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/service.management.readonly,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/trace.append --tags=https-server --image=statseeker-562-image --boot-disk-size=250GB --boot-disk-type=pd-balanced


The VM will be created, the list of VM instances will be updated with your new Statseeker VM, and the Statseeker installation process will begin.

  • Select the new Statseeker VM instance to view the VM's details
  • Select Logs > Serial port 1 (console) to view the current state of the Statseeker installation process

  • Refresh the log output until the login prompt is displayed
  • Access the Statseeker server's web UI in your local browser via HTTPS at the VM's external IP address

Via the CLI
 gcloud compute \
	--project=<PROJECT_ID> instances get-serial-port-output <INSTANCE_NAME> \
	--zone=<ZONE> \
	--port=1 # Returns the console output


Example:

gcloud compute --project=my-statseeker-project instances get-serial-port-output my-statseeker-server --zone=australia-southeast1-b --port=1

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Server Licensing

By default, the Statseeker web server will use HTTPS in conjunction with a self-signed certificate. Modern browsers will view self-signed certificates as potentially suspect and post an alert prior to loading the Statseeker interface for the first time. To suppress any future alerts for that specific certificate:browser combination:

  • Follow the browser prompts to acknowledge the risk and add an exception for the certificate

For details on how to upload and use alternative SSL certificates, or configure the server to use HTTP instead, see Web Server Configuration.

You will then be prompted with a login screen.

  • User Name - admin
  • Password - statseeker

Once logged in to the web interface you will be prompted with the Statseeker License configuration screen.

  • Enter your Server ID and select Download a new Key
Note: to obtain a Server ID, contact your Regional Sales Manager.

It may take a minute or two to obtain your license key.

  • Select the checkbox to accept the Statseeker license
  • Select Save to activate the license key

The screen will update to display the license details.

  • Click Next
Multi-Disk Servers

If your Statseeker server has multiple disks you will be given the option to assign another disk as the repository for Statseeker data. This screen will only be displayed if Statseeker detects more than one disk.

Prepare Secondary Disk for Statseeker Data

Optionally, you can store all Statseeker data on another disk on the server. Assigning a disk as the repository for Statseeker data will delete all current content on the disk.

To store Statseeker data on a second disk:

  • Select the disk that will act as the Statseeker data repository - all existing data on this drive will be erased
  • Click Save and Continue, then confirm the decision when prompted

You may need to re-authenticate with the server once this process has been completed.


You will now be presented with the Server Summary screen, containing a range of details pertinent to your Statseeker installation.

Server Summary and Final Steps

The Server Summary details the configuration of your Statseeker server with options to update this configuration and initiate basic server administration tasks.


Edit Server Date/Time

This is an optional step, adjust the settings if required.

  • Click the associated Edit link on the Server Summary page
  • Use the calendar control to edit the date and/or time
  • Use the drop-down to modify the timezone for the server
  • Click Save when done

Note: adjusting the server date or time will require a server restart to apply the changes. On clicking the Save button you will be prompted to confirm your action. Clicking Yes in the confirmation modal will restart your Statseeker server.

The configuration changes will be saved, and the server will be restarted to apply those changes.

Once the changes have been applied you will be returned to the Date/Time/NTP Configuration screen (in Display mode) to confirm that the changes have been applied correctly.

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Edit NTP Configuration

To edit the NTP server settings:

  • Click the associated Edit link on the Server Summary page
  • Enter the address of the NTP server to use
  • Click the associated Delete button to remove unwanted NTP server entries
  • Click Save when done

When you click Save Statseeker will attempt to contact the specified NTP servers and:

  • Inform you if it is unable to receive a response from the NTP server, no changes have been applied at this point
  • If it receives a valid response from the NTP server, apply the changes and return the Date/Time/NTP Configuration screen (in Display mode), enabling a Test button that can be used to confirm the validity of the current configuration.


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Configure an HTTP Proxy Connection

To add or edit the HTTP proxy configuration:

  • Click the Network > Edit link on the Server Summary page
  • Enter the required proxy server details
  • Click Save to apply the configuration


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Edit the Network Configuration

To edit the existing network configuration:

  • Click the Network > Edit link on the Server Summary page
  • Enter the required details
  • Click Save to apply the configuration


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Edit Interface Configuration

To edit the existing network configuration:

  • Click the associated Edit link on the Server Summary page
  • Click Edit to reconfigure the interface, optionally click Clear to remove the current configuration before editing

  • Enter the required details
  • Click Save to apply the configuration
  • Click Close to return to the Server Summary


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Admin Tool

The Admin Tool is used to manage your Statseeker server and houses a large amount of functionality including:

  • Statseeker server licensing and configuration (operating system, web server, SSL certificates, authentication options, backups, custom packages, etc.)
  • Network discovery and device management
  • User accounts
  • Group management
  • Alerting and event management
  • Server Maintenance and Troubleshooting

See Server Administration for additional information.

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Restore from Backup

This option allows you to restore a previous Statseeker server backup onto the newly created server. The backup will restore both the Statseeker server configuration (optionally including SSL certificates) and network data (as recorded up until the backup was created)

For more information see Backup and Restoration Processes.

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Create Users (optional)
Note: this functionality is available from the Admin Tool after installation.

This option allows you to configure additional Statseeker user accounts, see User Accounts. for details on account creation. This step can be skipped as user account creation is available from within the Admin Tool after installation is complete.

There are some limitations to creating user accounts at this time:

  • User Authentication - only File authentication is available at this time. Other authentication methods (LDAP, RADIUS, SAML) can be configured post-installation, see User Authentication for details
  • Group Selection - as no groups have been created\populated at this time, only the All Groups super-group is available, see Grouping Overview for details

The additional actions offered are:

  • Back - return to the installation Server Summary
  • Log Out - complete the installation process and log out of the Statseeker server
  • Finish Setup - complete the installation process, you will be sent to Dashboards (the default Statseeker landing page, see Console Options for updating this default)

Run Network Discovery
Note: this functionality is available from the Admin Tool after installation.

Statseeker's network discovery process is used to add networked devices, interfaces, and other SNMP enabled components on your network to Statseeker. Statseeker can then collect configuration information and timeseries data from those devices to be used for polling, reporting, and alerting purposes.

Statseeker v5.6.2

Network Discovery

  • Click Run Network Discovery
  • Click Add A New Range, see IP Address Ranges for assistance
  • Expand the SNMP Credentials section and click Add A New Credential
  • Configure the SNMP Credentials required to communicate with the devices you wish to monitor (multiple sets of SNMP Credentials can be configured), see SNMP Credentials for assistance
  • Click Start Discovery
Note:

  • The Network Discovery options presented in the installation screen are limited. Additional Discovery modes and a range of options for tailoring Discovery are available, see the Discovery Process for details.
  • The Discovery process can take some time to complete, this being dependent upon factors such as the size, speed and responsiveness of the network and devices

A running Discovery Summary and detailed output Log are updated throughout the process. Statseeker stores these details, the server’s Discovery history is available for review or download.

IPv6-Only Networks

The Discovery option available from the installation screen is limited to Discovery Using Ranges, so it is not compatible for IPv6-only networks. For IPv6-only networks:

  • Select Admin Tool
  • Select Network Discovery – Advanced Options > Hosts File
  • Populate the Hosts file with the IPv6 devices to be monitored
  • Select Network Discovery > Discovery My Network
  • Click the Customize option under Network Discovery
  • Set IP Address Ranges > Ranges Source = Use rangers from Hosts file
  • Expand the SNMP Credentials section and click Add A New Credential
  • Configure the SNMP Credentials required to communicate with the devices you wish to monitor (multiple sets of SNMP Credentials can be configured), see SNMP Credentials for assistance
  • Click Start Discovery
Statseeker v5.6.0 - v5.6.1

The initial Discovery options available from Installation present only a subset of Discovery functionality, being restricted to:

  • Discovery via IP Ranges
  • Discovery of SNMPv2 devices only
  • Enter the SNMP Community strings (one per line) required to communicate with the devices that will be monitored
  • Specify the IP range within which to look for network devices, a single include/exclude rule per line
  • Click Start Discovery

If the options presented here are not suitable for your environment:

Finish Setup

The Statseeker Dashboard Homepage will be displayed providing access to the default dashboards as well as a news panel detailing recent updates with links to associated documentation and videos. The main Statseeker Console and reporting panels are available from the main navigator.


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Apply Service Packs

Check for and apply any Service Packs applicable to your version of Statseeker. Contact Customer Support if you require any assistance.

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Update Default Passwords

The installation process creates the following administrative system accounts:

  • admin – the web user administrator account
  • statseeker – the system user account used by the Statseeker application
  • root – the superuser account in the backend operating system

You will need to update the passwords assigned to these accounts. To do this:

  • Select Admin Tool > Statseeker Administration > OS Configuration
  • Click Edit (top-right)
  • Update the passwords for the root, statseeker, and admin accounts

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