Geneos ["Geneos"]
Geneos
You are currently viewing an older version of the documentation. You can find the latest documentation here.

Quickstart: Windows

Overview

The data collected by the Netprobe depends on the plug-ins you choose to run. For most cases, the Netprobe needs to be installed onto the machine or server to be monitored.

This guide walks you through the full setup and installation of a Netprobe on a Windows machine.

Prerequisites

Caution: Beginning Geneos version 5.0.0, this component is only compatible with other Geneos components that are version 3.6.0 or higher. For more information, see the Geneos Compatibility Matrix.

System requirements

The following table lays out the minimum requirements for machines running the Netprobe:

Specification Minimum requirement
CPU Multi-core
Memory 4 GB
NIC 100 Mbps
Disk 200 MB
Port

A port must be open on any system running a Netprobe.

The default Netprobe port is 7036. Each system should be visible to the Gateway.

For more information on supported Windows versions, see the 5.x Compatibility Matrix.

Java requirements

Java may be required in order to run certain plug-ins. For more information, see Application and plug-in specific information in Geneos Compatibility Matrix.

Download the Netprobe files

For Windows, you can download the following Netprobe binaries:

  • Through an executable installer (geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.setup.zip). This is an installer for the WindowsNetprobe package. The installer is packaged in a ZIP file.

  • Through a ZIP package (geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.zip). You can only use this option when upgrading from a previous installation.

You can get the latest binaries from ITRS Downloads. For more information on what a download package includes, see Files included in the Netprobe package.

Install a new Netprobe

There are two ways to install a Netprobe. The first one is the default process as described in the procedure below. The second one is the automatic process, where installation prompts are skipped. For more information, see Silent installation.

  1. Download the installer package (geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.setup.zip).
  2. Extract the installer executable from the package.
  3. Run the installer on the machine where you will run the Netprobe.
  4. Go through the steps on the Windows Netprobe x64 Setup Wizard. Click Next > at the end of each screen:

    Note: The Setup Wizard walks you through configuring the Netprobe. You may revisit some of these options later, after the Netprobe is installed.

    1. In Select Destination Location, specify the installation directory. By default, this is C:\Program Files\NetprobeNT.
    2. In Geneos NetProbe Options, specify the service name and listen port. By default, these are NetprobeNT_64 and 7036, respectively.
    3. If you would like for the Netprobe to run commands without requiring a password, tick the checkbox.
    4. In Configure Netprobe Secure Connections, tick the checkbox if you want to run the Netprobe in secure mode. If you do, you must specify the certificate file and key.

      5. Note: You can specify the certificate file and key, regardless of whether or not you want the Netprobe to run securely. This is because a plug-in called the REST API plug-in manages secure connections using the same certificate file and key specified on the Netprobe.

    5. In Configure Netprobe Secure Chain, tick the first checkbox if you want the Netprobe to enforce certificate validation on incoming connections. If you do, you must specify the certificate chain.
    6. If you want the Netprobe to enforce certificate validation on Gateway connections, tick the second checkbox.
    7. In Configure Self-Announcing or Floating Netprobe, tick the checkbox if you want to run the Netprobe accordingly. If you do, you must specify the configuration file.
    8. In Select Components, check that you are installing the Netprobe as you configured throughout the Setup Wizard.
    9. In Ready to Install, complete the installation by clicking Install.
    10. After the Setup Wizard loads the next screen, exit by clicking Finish.

    5. Success: The Netprobe is now running as a service. You may stop or start the Netprobe at any time from the Windows Services app.Stop the Netprobe service

Silent installation

You have an option to skip user input during installation by executing the following command: 

geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.setup.exe /silent

Another option for silent installation is by using the command-line option /verysilent, which also skips user interaction and additionally hides the progress of the extraction of the files.

For more information about the command-line options, see Binary command-line options in Netprobe Command-line Options

Uninstall the Netprobe

If needed, you can silently uninstall the Netprobe by executing the following command in the Netprobe directory:

unins000.exe /silent

Upgrade an existing Netprobe

Stop the Netprobe service

Before you upgrade a Netprobe, make sure to stop the Netprobe service first:

  1. Open the Services app. To find it, press ⊞ Win and type services.
  2. In the Services app, look for NetprobeNT_64, or the service name you assigned to the Netprobe.
  3. Right-click on the Netprobe service and select Stop.

To restart the service, right-click on the Netprobe service and select Start.

You can upgrade the Netprobe using either the installer or the ZIP package.

Upgrade the Netprobe using the installer

When you upgrade the Netprobe using the installer, follow the steps in Install a new Netprobe. Make sure to provide the same inputs on the Setup Wizard as you did when you installed the Netprobe for the first time.

Success: The Netprobe is upgraded and is once more running as a service. You may stop or start the Netprobe at any time from the Windows Services app.

Upgrade the Netprobe using the ZIP package

  1. Download the ZIP file (geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.zip).
  2. Using a file archiver, extract the netprobe folder inside the ZIP file, onto any destination in the local machine.
  3. Check the Netprobe service is stopped. For guidance, see Success: The Netprobe is now running as a service. You may stop or start the Netprobe at any time from the Windows Services app.Stop the Netprobe service.
  4. Move the contents of the netprobe folder to the Netprobe installation directory. By default, the installation directory is C:\Program Files\NetprobeNT. However, it may be different if you configured a different directory during a new installation.
    • Windows may recognise that the file contents are identical. If prompted, select Replace the files in the destination.
    • Windows may enforce administrator permission to move the files. If prompted, select Continue.
  5. If you used a different service name for the Netprobe during installation, check that the netprobe.windows_64.exe application file matches the old one. For example:
    • If your service name is 'my-probe', delete the older instance of my-probe.exe, then rename netprobe.windows_64.exe to my-probe.exe.
  6. Restart the Netprobe service from the Windows Services app.

Success: The Netprobe is upgraded with newer files.

Start the Netprobe

By default, the Netprobe starts running as a service once you install it on a Windows machine. Nonetheless, you can opt to start the Netprobe in a few ways:

Installer

When you install a new Netprobe using the installer, you will be prompted with the most common start options. Afterwards, the Netprobe starts to run as a service.

Windows Netprobe installer GUI

Command line (installer)

You can opt to run the installer in the command line and add the start options in the same command. For example:

geneos-netprobe-<version>.windows-x64.setup /verysilent /setup=<full path or URL to file>

Afterwards, the Netprobe starts to run as a service.

Command line (process)

You can opt to run the Netprobe as a one-time process by running the executable in the Netprobe package from the command line. This is useful for debugging. For example:

netprobe.windows_64.exe -setup <full path or URL to file>

Start options