Setting up the AppViewX Cloud Connector by Quick Installation using CLI

Note: The installation occurs with the privileges of the user who begins the installation.

Note: The steps for installing the AppViewX Cloud Connector via the native OS assume that you have gone through the system requirements across the following categories: hardware, operating system, Docker, and server and network.

If the host machine does not/cannot fulfill the installation prerequisites, you can set up the AppViewX Cloud Connector via the AppViewX SaaS OVA. To know more about the OVA and for instructions on setting up the AppViewX Cloud Connector using the AppViewX SaaS OVA, click here.

Note: If this AppViewX Cloud Connector installation requires configuring a proxy server, click here for instructions.

To install the AppViewX Cloud Connector using the automated installation script, from the cloud connector details banner, you can either download the installer script or copy the curl command.

Configure the native OS for the cloud connector installation.

Note: Before executing the following instructions, ensure that you have root user permissions.

Create the appviewx user and directory.

useradd appviewx && mkdir /home/appviewx/ && chown appviewx:appviewx /home/appviewx && chmod 700 /home/appviewx

Uninstall the previous version of Docker.

For RHEL, CentOS, and Amazon Linux 2:

sudo yum remove docker \
  docker-client \
  docker-client-latest \
  docker-common \
  docker-latest \
  docker-latest-logrotate \
  docker-logrotate \
  Docker-engine

For Ubuntu

for pkg in docker.io docker-doc docker-compose podman-docker containerd runc; do sudo apt-get remove $pkg; done

Configure the hostname and the nameserver.
1. Configure the hostname: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname "hostname"
2. Add the host IP address at the end of the hosts file.
```
sudo vi /etc/hosts
<ip> <hostname>
```
3. Replace the default nameserver IP address.
```
sudo systemctl stop systemd-resolved.service 
sudo systemctl disable systemd-resolved.service 
sudo rm /etc/resolv.conf 
sudo vi /etc/hosts/ 
<ip> <hostname>
```
4. To configure nameserver, add the IP address of the nameserver to beginning of the resolv.conf
```
sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf 
nameserver <nameserver ip>
```

Add Docker repo and install Docker.

For RHEL and CentOS

sudo yum install -y yum-utils && sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo sudo yum install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io 
sudo systemctl start docker 
sudo systemctl enable docker 
sudo systemctl status docker

For Amazon Linux 2

sudo yum install -y docker containerd 
sudo systemctl start docker 
sudo systemctl enable docker 
sudo systemctl status docker

For Ubuntu

sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg 
#Add Docker’s official GPG key for Ubuntu: 
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings 
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg 
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg 
#Use the following command to set up the repository: 
echo \ 
 "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \  "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | \ 
 sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null 
sudo apt-get update

To install Docker for Ubuntu

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin sudo systemctl start docker 
sudo systemctl enable docker 
sudo systemctl status docker

Add the appviewx user in the Docker group.

sudo groupadd docker 
sudo usermod -aG docker appviewx

Install NTP.

For RHEL and CentOS

sudo yum update -y 
sudo yum install ntp -y 
sudo systemctl restart ntpd 
sudo systemctl enable ntpd 
ntpq -np

For Amazon Linux 2

sudo yum install -y chrony 
sudo systemctl enable chronyd 
sudo systemctl start chronyd 
sudo systemctl status chronyd

For Ubuntu

sudo apt update -y 
sudo apt install ntp -y 
sudo systemctl restart ntp 
sudo systemctl enable ntp 
ntpq -np

Install the additional packages required for the AppViewX Cloud Connector to run.
- For RHEL, CentOS, and Amazon Linux 2
```
sudo yum install bind-utils net-tools telnet tcpdump curl -y
```
- For Ubuntu
```
sudo apt install bind9-utils net-tools telnet tcpdump curl -y
```

Limit the maximum number of processes that the appviewx user can create.

sudo vi /etc/security/limit.conf 
appviewx soft nproc 65536 
appviewx hard nproc 65536 
appviewx soft nofile 65536 
appviewx hard nofile 65536

Allow the appviewx user to run sudo root.

sudo vi /etc/sudoers 
appviewx ALL=(ALL) ALL

To download the required packages, enable the AppViewX repository.

Important: This step is not applicable for Amazon Linux 2.

If access to the internet is restricted, whitelist the AppViewX repository to perform OS patching.

For RHEL and CentOS

mv /etc/yum.repos.d /etc/yum.repos.d_backup 
mkdir -p /etc/yum.repos.d 
mv appviewx.repo /etc/yum.repos.d/appviewx.repo 
yum clean all 
yum update

For Ubuntu

Create a file, appviewx_repo.list, and open it for editing.
```
vi /etc/apt/sources.list.d/appviewx_repo.list
```

Add the following to the appviewx_repo.list file:

#appviewx apt repo 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal universe 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-updates universe 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal multiverse 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-updates multiverse 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-security main restricted 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-security universe 
deb https://repos.appviewx.com/repository/ubuntu focal-security multiverse

Create a file, auth.conf and open it for editing.
```
vi /etc/apt/auth.conf
```
Add the following to the auth.conf file:
```
machine repos.appviewx.com 
login xxxxx 
password xxxxx
```
Note: Contact the AppViewX TAC/CSM team for the login and password.

Create a new directory at the location /home/appviewx and name it cc-installer.
Ensure that the AppViewX Cloud Connector can establish connectivity with the AppViewX SaaS server endpoints over HTTPS (port 443).
To verify connectivity with the AppViewX SaaS servers, use the cURL utility.
```
curl -k --max-time 20 --connect-timeout 20 -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "<<https://AppViewX SaaS server  
 URL>>/socket.io/?EIO=3&transport=polling&t=O11wka_"
```
If connectivity has been established successfully, the command will return the HTTP code 200. If the command returns any other code, it indicates that connectivity is not established.

Access the AppViewX user interface.
In order to set up the AppViewX Cloud Connector instance, you will need to login to the connectivity service’s user interface. The following steps will outline the navigation and steps required to access the AppViewX Cloud Connector's setup interface.
As an additional layer of security, AppViewX issues client certificates to access the AppViewX GUI. The client certificate will be made available as part of the onboarding process. Upload this client certificate to the browser to start accessing the product.
1. Enter your account URL (for example, https://tenant-name.appvx.com/appviewx/login) in the address bar of your browser.
  The AppViewX login page is displayed.
2. Login to AppViewX.
3. Navigate to the cloud connector's setup interface.
  There are three ways you can access the interface for setting up the AppViewX Cloud Connector:
  - From the product landing page (that you will see as soon as you have logged in)
    - Expand the Connectivity section and click .You will be redirected to the Settings :: Cloud Connector page.
  - From the new navigation menu (displayed by default starting product version 2022.1.0 FP3 onwards):
    1. From the menu in the top-right corner of the page, select Platform.
    2. From the Platform menu, under Connectivity, click Cloud Connector.
      The Settings :: Cloud Connector page is displayed.
  - From the old navigation menu:
    Note: For instructions on switching between the new and the old navigation menus, click here.
    1. From the top right corner of the landing page, click the menu icon.
    2. From the menu displayed, navigate to Settings > Cloud Connector.
      The Settings :: Cloud Connector page is displayed.

Install the AppViewX Cloud Connector using the automated script.

To install the AppViewX Cloud Connector using the automated installation script, from the cloud connector details banner, you can either download the installer script or copy the curl command.

From the cloud connector details banner, click Download Installer Script.
OR
Copy the curl command to run the installer script.

On the host machine:

If you have downloaded the installer script, execute the following commands:

chmod +x installer.sh
./installer.sh

If you have copied the curlcommand, to execute the command, paste the command on the command line terminal and press Enter.

Non-Interactive Installation (for CI/CD and automation):

To install the Cloud Connector without interactive prompts — for example, in CI/CD pipelines or infrastructure automation tools — pass all required parameters as command-line arguments using the --non-interactive flag:

chmod +x installer.sh
./installer.sh --non-interactive \
  --master-key <master_key> \
  --datacenter <datacenter_name> \
  --rsocket-url <rsocket_url> \
  --tenant-id <tenant_id>

Table 1. Non-Interactive Installation Arguments
Argument	Description
`--master-key`	The Master Key for authenticating against the target AppViewX tenant. Copy this from Menu > Platform > Cloud Connector > Automated Cloud Connector Setup > Step 2.
`--datacenter`	The name of the data center on which this Cloud Connector will be deployed and registered.
`--rsocket-url`	The RSocket URL of the AppViewX SaaS server.
`--tenant-id`	The unique identifier of the AppViewX tenant.

Important: Do not include sensitive argument values (such as the Master Key) in shell history or shared logs. Use environment variables or a secrets manager to supply these values in automated pipelines.

Internet connectivity on the host machine is validated. The installation proceeds only if the host machine has internet access. In non-interactive mode, the script validates the Master Key and Datacenter against the target tenant, downloads the Cloud Connector artifacts, installs the Cloud Connector, and registers it with AppViewX automatically. Installation and registration results are written to the log for audit and troubleshooting purposes.

Note: For instructions on proceeding with the installation despite not having internet access, click here.

When prompted to Please provide the master key, enter the required details.
To retrieve the master key:
1. Go to (Menu) > Platform > Connectivity > Cloud Connector.
  The Settings :: Cloud Connector inventory page is displayed.
2. From the cloud connector details banner, under Automate Cloud Connector Setup, click Steps to Automate Setup.
3. From the Automated Cloud Connector Setup window, under Step 2, copy the Master Key.
4. Paste the master key in the terminal window and press Enter.
  The cloud connector installation script will check for the prerequisites and trigger the cloud connector installation.
  When the cloud connector instance is successfully installed, a corresponding entry will be listed in the cloud connector inventory.
When prompted, Please enter Datacenter, enter the name of the data center on which this cloud connector will be deployed.
Note: Enabling auto-enrollment protocols is recommended only if the cloud connector is being installed in a demilitarized zone (DMZ) or devices in a restricted environment (that disables them from connecting to the <tenant>-aep directly.
When prompted to enable auto-enrollment protocols, enter y and enter the protocol name(s) you want to enable. For instructions on enabling auto-enrollment protocols, click here.
Note: By default, only the AppViewX certificate is enabled for auto-enrollment. To enable custom certificate for auto-enrollment:
1. Execute the command./avxctl upgrade gateway-cert.
2. When prompted, enter the location of the custom certificate.
On successful completion of the setup, a corresponding instance of this cloud connector is displayed in the inventory.
Note: The cloud connector installation on a OVA-based host machine will not prompt you to select if you want to manage F5 Big-IP devices. However, after the cloud connector has been installed you can copy the iControl jar in the deps/external_libs folder (click here for instructions) and restart the starter and platform pods (click here for instructions), to enable this feature.
Note: Optional, required only for password authentication) In order to successfully execute the installation, AppViewX needs to run a script for which authentication via the .pem file needs to be bypassed. To do this, execute the following commands:
```
sudo sed -i 's/.*PasswordAuthentication.*/PasswordAuthentication yes/g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl restart sshd
```

To approve the cloud connector installation:
1. Go to (Menu) > Platform > Connectivity > Cloud Connector.
  The Settings :: Cloud Connector inventory page is displayed.
2. For the cloud connector instance installed, from the Actions column, click Approve.