Deploy Multiple Machine Agents From a Common Directory

You can deploy the Machine Agent on multiple hosts from one central directory. This setup provides an easier method to update the agent because each agent instance starts from one set of executables in one central location.

Workflow Description

1. Set up the central agent directory:
   1. Install the Machine Agent executables and config files in a central directory, such as an NFS-mounted shared directory.
   2. Specify properties common to all remote agents in this central directory. 
2. Configure each remote host to start an instance of the agent from this central directory:
   1. Specify properties that are unique to the agent on that host, either in a startup script or on the command line. 
   2. Configure a startup script to start an instance of the Machine Agent from the central agent directory.

Set Up the Central Agent Directory

1. Download the latest Machine Agent ZIP file. See Download AppDynamics Software.
2. Unzip the downloaded file to the desired root directory (<central-agent-root-directory>) on the central host.
3. Specify the properties common to all Machine Agent instances running on all remote hosts. Examples of common properties include the account name, and the Controller host and port. You specify these properties in <central-agent-root-directory>/conf/controller-info.xml.  

Configure Each Remote Host to Start an Agent Instance

On each Machine Agent host, specify the properties unique to that agent such as: runtime directory, application name, tier name, and node name. To specify these properties, configure -D parameters in the startup script or on the command line. For example, the startup script on a remote host might include the following command:

<central_agent_root_directory>/bin/machine-agent -Dappdynamics.agent.runtime.dir=<agent_runtime_dir>  -Dappdynamics.agent.applicationName=<application_name>

You should specify a unique runtime directory for each remote host to ensure that log files for each agent instance are saved to a separate directory. The agent log directory is located under the agent runtime directory, which you specify in the -Dappdynamics.agent.runtime.dir system property. The log directory is directly under the runtime directory (<agent-runtime-dir>/logs). 

• Specify the runtime directory as an absolute path in the startup script on the remote host: 

  -Dappdynamics.agent.runtime.dir=<absolute_path_to_local_agent_runtime_directory>

• To change the log directory and file name from the default value, edit the file <machine-agent-home>/confs/logging/log4.xml. Change the value of the "FileAppender" > "fileName" and "FileAppender" > "filePattern" parameters to the desired directory and file name. 
• The file-system permissions must allow creation of the log directory and file.