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Prerequisites

Before setting up remote server monitoring with Actvt, ensure your environment meets these requirements.

Quick Setup Available

Want to skip the manual setup? Try our automated installation script that handles everything automatically:

curl -L https://actvt.io/install | bash

Server Requirements​

Operating System​

  • Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS or newer (Recommended)
  • Debian 10 or newer
  • CentOS 7/8 or Amazon Linux 2
  • Root or sudo access for installation and configuration

Hardware Specifications​

Minimum Requirements​

  • CPU: 1 core, any modern x64 processor
  • RAM: 512MB available memory
  • Storage: 100MB free space for Vector
  • Network: Public IP address or accessible endpoint

Network Requirements​

Domain Name​

  • Required: A domain name pointing to your server's public IP
  • DNS Configuration: A record resolving to server IP address
  • Examples: monitoring.yourdomain.com or server1.company.com
  • Free Options: Use services like Cloudflare, Namecheap, or DuckDNS

Port Access​

Port requirements depend on installation mode:

Standalone Mode (dedicated monitoring server):

  • Port 22: SSH access for initial setup
  • Port 80: HTTP for Let's Encrypt certificate verification
  • Port 443: HTTPS (optional, for future use)
  • Port 4096: WebSocket Secure for Actvt connections
  • Firewall: Ability to configure firewall rules

Proxy Mode (behind nginx):

  • Port 22: SSH access for initial setup
  • Port 80: HTTP for nginx and Let's Encrypt
  • Port 443: HTTPS for nginx (Actvt connects via /actvt path)
  • Port 4096: NOT exposed (Vector listens on localhost only)
  • Firewall: Ability to configure firewall rules

See Installation Modes for detailed explanation of each mode.

Software Prerequisites​

On Your macOS System​

  • Actvt Application: Latest version installed
  • Internet Connection: For connecting to remote servers
  • TLS Support: macOS 11+ includes required TLS capabilities

On Remote Server (Will be installed)​

  • Vector: High-performance data pipeline (we'll install this)
  • SSL Certificates: Let's Encrypt or custom certificates (we'll set this up)
  • Firewall: UFW or equivalent (we'll configure this)

Optional GPU Monitoring (NVIDIA Only)​

If you want to monitor GPU metrics:

  • NVIDIA GPU: Any CUDA-compatible GPU
  • NVIDIA Drivers: Latest stable drivers installed
  • nvidia-smi: Command-line GPU monitoring tool (included with drivers)

Optional Enhanced Security (mTLS)​

If you want to require client certificates for connections:

  • OpenSSL: Certificate generation tool (usually pre-installed)
  • wscat: WebSocket testing tool for verifying mTLS (optional, for testing)
  • Certificate Management: Ability to distribute client certificates securely

Benefits of mTLS:

  • Client certificate authentication
  • Prevent unauthorized connections
  • Support multiple team members with unique certificates
  • Certificate revocation capability

See mTLS Security Guide for complete setup instructions.

Testing Prerequisites​

Verify Server Access​

# Test SSH connection
ssh [email protected]

# Check sudo access
sudo whoami
# Should return: root

# Verify internet connectivity
ping -c 4 google.com

# Check available disk space
df -h

Verify Domain Resolution​

# From your Mac, test domain resolution
nslookup your-domain.com

# Should return your server's IP address
ping your-domain.com

Check Port Availability​

# On server, check if port 4096 is free
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 4096
# Should return no results (port is free)

# Test if we can bind to port 4096
sudo nc -l 4096 &
kill %1  # Kill the test process

GPU Prerequisites (Optional)​

# Verify NVIDIA GPU is detected
lspci | grep -i nvidia

# Test nvidia-smi command
nvidia-smi
# Should show GPU information

# Check CUDA version (optional)
nvcc --version

Security Considerations​

Server Security​

  • SSH Keys: Use SSH key authentication instead of passwords
  • Firewall: Keep unnecessary ports closed
  • Updates: Ensure server is running latest security updates
  • User Access: Use non-root user with sudo access

Network Security​

  • TLS Certificates: We'll set up proper SSL/TLS encryption
  • IP Restrictions: Consider restricting access to specific IP ranges
  • VPN Access: Use VPN if monitoring internal/private servers

Troubleshooting Prerequisites​

Common Issues​

"Domain doesn't resolve"

# Check DNS propagation
dig your-domain.com
# Wait up to 24 hours for DNS propagation

"Can't connect to server"

# Test connectivity
telnet your-domain.com 22
# Should connect to SSH

"Permission denied"

# Verify user is in sudo group
groups $USER
# Should include 'sudo'

"Port already in use"

# Find what's using port 4096
sudo lsof -i :4096
# Stop conflicting service if needed

Getting Help​

If you're missing prerequisites:

  1. Server Setup: Most cloud providers offer one-click Ubuntu server deployment
  2. Domain Names: Free options include DuckDNS, FreeDNS, or use cloud provider DNS
  3. SSH Access: Most cloud consoles provide web-based terminal access
  4. Firewall Issues: Cloud provider documentation typically covers security group setup

Next Steps​

Once you've verified all prerequisites:

  1. Install Vector - Set up the data pipeline
  2. Configure TLS - Set up secure connections
  3. Setup Firewall - Configure network access using provider-specific guides

Ready to continue? → Vector Setup Guide