Deployment
VirtualMetric DataStream Directors support flexible deployment options to match your infrastructure requirements and operational preferences. Whether you're running on physical hardware, virtual machines, or containerized environments, Directors can be deployed to optimize performance while maintaining data sovereignty.
Deployment Overview
Directors are lightweight, containerized services that process security telemetry data locally while connecting to the DataStream cloud platform for configuration management. This architecture ensures your sensitive data remains within your controlled environment while providing centralized management capabilities.
Supported Deployment Models
Standalone Director
- Single Director instance handling all data processing
- Recommended for most production deployments
- Simple configuration and management
- Suitable for small to medium-scale environments
Clustered Director (Coming Soon)
- Multiple Director instances with load balancing and high availability
- Automatic failover and redundancy
- Horizontal scaling capabilities
- Ideal for mission-critical, high-volume environments
Deployment Options
Physical Server Deployment
Deploy Directors directly on dedicated physical hardware for maximum performance and complete infrastructure control.
Advantages:
- Maximum performance and resource allocation
- Complete control over hardware specifications
- No virtualization overhead
- Ideal for high-throughput environments
Considerations:
- Higher infrastructure costs and maintenance overhead
- Limited flexibility for resource scaling
- Longer deployment and provisioning times
Virtual Machine Deployment
Deploy Directors on virtual machines across various hypervisors and cloud platforms for balanced performance and flexibility.
Advantages:
- Flexible resource allocation and scaling
- Cost-effective resource utilization
- Simplified backup and disaster recovery
- Platform agnostic (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS, Azure, GCP)
Considerations:
- Slight performance overhead from virtualization
- Dependency on hypervisor platform stability
Recommended VM Specifications:
| Workload Size | CPU Cores | Memory | Storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 2-4 cores | 8GB RAM | 50GB | Development/testing, < 10K EPS |
| Medium | 4-8 cores | 16GB RAM | 100GB | Standard production, 10K-50K EPS |
| Large | 8+ cores | 32GB RAM | 200GB+ | High-volume production, > 50K EPS |
Container Deployment
Deploy Directors in containerized environments for modern infrastructure management and orchestration capabilities.
Docker Deployment:
- Single-host container deployment
- Simplified dependency management
- Easy scaling and updates
- Ideal for development and small production environments
Kubernetes Deployment:
- Multi-node orchestration with automatic scaling
- Built-in service discovery and load balancing
- Rolling updates with zero downtime
- Enterprise-grade high availability and resilience
Container Advantages:
- Consistent deployment across environments
- Rapid scaling and resource optimization
- Integrated monitoring and logging capabilities
- DevOps-friendly CI/CD integration
Platform-Specific Considerations
Linux Director Deployment
Performance Benefits:
- Network-based collectors (syslog, TCP, SNMP) operate more efficiently
- Lower resource overhead for network processing
- Superior performance for high-volume data ingestion
- Native support for Unix/Linux system integration
Agent Connectivity:
- Windows Agent: Full support for Windows systems via VirtualMetric Agent
- Linux Agentless: Complete support via SSH-based connections
- Windows Agentless: Not supported (Microsoft deprecated WinRM support)
Recommended For:
- High-volume network data collection environments
- Mixed Windows/Linux infrastructure with agent-based monitoring
- Cost-sensitive deployments requiring maximum efficiency
Windows Director Deployment
Agentless Connectivity:
- Windows Agentless: Full support via WinRM protocols
- Linux Agentless: Complete support via SSH connections
- Universal Agent: Support for both Windows and Linux systems
Integration Benefits:
- Native Windows service integration
- Active Directory authentication support
- PowerShell-based management capabilities
- Seamless Windows ecosystem integration
Recommended For:
- Windows-centric environments
- Organizations requiring agentless Windows monitoring
- Environments with existing Windows management infrastructure
Installation Process
Standalone Director Installation
The standard installation process follows a guided setup through the DataStream web interface:
-
Access Director Creation
- Navigate to Home > Fleet Management > Directors
- Click "Create director" to begin setup process
-
Configure Director Properties
- Assign unique Director name for identification
- Select "Standalone" installation type
- Choose appropriate platform (Self-managed recommended)
-
Generate Installation Scripts
- System generates platform-specific installation scripts
- Unique API key created for secure cloud connectivity
- Scripts provided for both PowerShell (Windows) and Bash (Linux)
-
Execute Installation
- Run provided script with administrative privileges on target system
- Installation downloads and configures Director service
- Automatic service registration and startup configuration
-
Verify Connectivity
- Use built-in connection verification tool
- Confirm Director successfully connects to DataStream platform
- Complete setup process once connectivity is established
Network Requirements
Outbound Connectivity:
- Port 443 (HTTPS) for DataStream cloud platform communication
- DNS resolution for *.virtualmetric.com domains
- Certificate validation requires accurate system time
Inbound Connectivity:
- Configure based on data source requirements
- Common ports: 514 (Syslog), 1514 (Secure Syslog), 162 (SNMP)
- Custom ports as defined in device configurations
Firewall Configuration
Outbound Rules (Required):
- Allow HTTPS (443) to *.virtualmetric.com
- Allow DNS queries for name resolution
- Allow NTP for time synchronization
Inbound Rules (As Needed):
- Open ports for configured data collection protocols
- Allow management access (SSH for Linux, RDP for Windows)
- Configure source restrictions based on security policies
Deployment Best Practices
Security Considerations
Network Security:
- Deploy Directors in appropriate network segments
- Implement network access controls and monitoring
- Use dedicated service accounts with minimal privileges
- Enable logging and audit trails for security monitoring
Data Protection:
- All sensitive data processing occurs locally on Director
- Only configuration metadata transmitted to cloud platform
- Implement encryption for data at rest and in transit
- Regular security updates and patch management
Performance Optimization
Resource Allocation:
- Monitor CPU and memory utilization patterns
- Allocate sufficient disk space for logging and buffering
- Configure appropriate network interface capacity
- Plan for peak load scenarios and growth
Data Processing Efficiency:
- Optimize YAML pipeline configurations for performance
- Implement efficient parsing and transformation rules
- Use appropriate batch sizes for different data sources
- Monitor processing latency and throughput metrics
High Availability Planning
Backup and Recovery:
- Regular configuration backups and version control
- Document recovery procedures and test regularly
- Implement monitoring and alerting for service health
- Plan for disaster recovery scenarios
Redundancy Options:
- Deploy multiple Directors for critical environments
- Implement load balancing for high-availability scenarios
- Consider geographic distribution for disaster recovery
- Plan for seamless failover procedures
Troubleshooting Deployment Issues
Common Installation Problems
Script Execution Failures:
- Verify administrative privileges for installation
- Check network connectivity to download servers
- Ensure required dependencies are installed
- Review firewall and proxy configurations
Service Startup Issues:
- Confirm system meets minimum requirements
- Verify proper file permissions and ownership
- Check for port conflicts with existing services
- Review system logs for detailed error messages
Connectivity Problems:
- Validate outbound HTTPS connectivity
- Confirm DNS resolution for required domains
- Check system time synchronization
- Verify API key accuracy and format
For detailed troubleshooting procedures, refer to the Directors Troubleshooting documentation.
Advanced Deployment Scenarios
Multi-Site Deployments
For organizations with multiple locations or data centers:
- Deploy Directors at each site for local data processing
- Implement centralized configuration management
- Coordinate routing and aggregation strategies
- Plan for inter-site connectivity and failover
Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
For regulated industries requiring specific compliance:
- Implement appropriate data retention and disposal policies
- Configure audit logging and compliance reporting
- Ensure data sovereignty and jurisdictional requirements
- Plan for regulatory audit and inspection procedures
Scalability Planning
As your environment grows:
- Monitor resource utilization and performance trends
- Plan for vertical and horizontal scaling options
- Consider migration to clustered deployments
- Implement capacity planning and forecasting procedures
Next Steps
Once you've selected your deployment approach:
- Prepare Infrastructure - Set up target systems with required specifications
- Configure Networking - Implement firewall rules and connectivity requirements
- Install Director - Follow the guided installation process in the DataStream interface
- Configure Data Sources - Set up devices and data collection points
- Test and Validate - Verify data flow and processing functionality
- Monitor Operations - Implement ongoing monitoring and maintenance procedures
For specific installation guidance, access the Director Configuration interface through Home > Fleet Management > Directors and follow the step-by-step setup wizard.