The Tool Desk
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What you need before installing
The Sysdig agent is the component that collects host and process telemetry from your VPS and sends it to Sysdig Monitor. Installation changes the operating system, loads a kernel data-collection driver, and makes an outbound connection to Sysdig. Treat it as a privileged system service rather than a user-level monitoring script.
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- A Sysdig account with administrator access. The setup flow is under the integrations area, and an agent access key is required.
- A supported Linux distribution. The published examples include Debian 10 or later, Ubuntu 18 or later, CentOS 7 or later, and RHEL 7 or later. Other distributions may also be supported, so verify your exact release in the current installation screen.
- Kernel 3.10 or later. Check the running kernel, not only the distribution version, because VPS images can use a provider-supplied kernel.
- Outbound TCP port 6443. The agent must reach the regional collector. Check both the VPS firewall and any provider-level firewall or security-group rules.
- Root or equivalent administrative privileges. The generated installer and packaged installation need to install files, configure a service, and select a kernel driver.
On the VPS, record the basic environment before making changes:
uname -r
cat /etc/os-release
iduname -r confirms the active kernel, /etc/os-release identifies the distribution and release, and id shows whether the current shell has the privileges needed to install an agent. If you use a non-root account, run the generated command through sudo only when the command supplied by Sysdig explicitly supports it.
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Choose an installation method
Sysdig exposes more than one deployment route. For a single Linux VPS, the Quick Start wizard is usually the shortest path. A package installation is preferable when you need to control repository management, driver settings, or configuration through your normal operating-system tooling. Standalone binaries, containers, and a Kubernetes DaemonSet are aimed at other deployment patterns, including Host Shield, rather than a straightforward one-host VPS install.
| Method | Best for | Effort | Customisation | Kernel considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Start wizard | One VPS or a small number of manually managed hosts | Lowest; the console generates the command | Tags and account selection are entered in the console | The generated installer detects or configures the supported driver; still verify the kernel requirement first |
| Package installation | Repeatable builds, configuration management, and Debian/Ubuntu administration | Higher; headers, signing key, repository, package, and driver settings are separate steps | Highest; driver selection and package lifecycle are explicit | Install matching kernel headers and choose eBPF or the kernel module in /etc/default/dragent |
| Standalone binary, container, or Kubernetes DaemonSet | Specialized deployments and Host Shield workflows | Variable | Depends on the deployment format | Follow the current Host Shield instructions for the supported driver and runtime |
Console terminology is not perfectly consistent across documentation. Some pages refer to the classic agent, while others use Host Shield. If your account displays a slightly different label, look for the Linux host-agent integration rather than assuming the feature is missing.
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This route is the most direct way to put one Linux VPS under monitoring. It avoids manually reconstructing repository URLs or package names and gives you a command tied to your Sysdig account.
- Sign in as an administrator. Open Sysdig Monitor with an account allowed to create or manage integrations.
- Open the integration. Go to Integrations, choose Sysdig Agent, and select the Linux option. The exact wording can change as the console is updated.
- Create or select an agent account. The wizard associates the host with your Sysdig account and exposes the access key needed by the installer.
- Enter host tags. Add the labels you will use to find the VPS later. Common examples follow a
key:valuepattern such asrole:webserverorlocation:europe. Confirm the current validation rules in the wizard before relying on punctuation, capitalization, or multiple values. - Copy the generated snippet exactly. Do not retype the access key or replace the regional settings. Treat the snippet as a secret-bearing command and keep it out of public tickets, shell history shared with other users, and source repositories.
- Connect to the VPS. Use an administrative shell on the intended server, confirm the distribution and kernel, and run the snippet supplied for Linux.
- Wait for registration. Return to the integration or host view and look for the new machine. Initial inventory and metrics may take a short interval to appear; do not run the installer repeatedly while waiting.
- Record the host identity. Use the tags and the VPS hostname to distinguish this machine from similarly named servers, especially if you install the agent on a template image.
Inspect a generated script before execution when your organization requires change review. The important checks are that it targets the expected distribution, uses the intended account, and does not contain a key copied from a different environment. If the script is truncated, wrapped by a terminal, or copied with an extra prompt character, return to the wizard and copy it again instead of repairing it by guesswork.
Install with Debian or Ubuntu packages
The packaged route gives you more control but requires more decisions. The exact repository address, signing-key procedure, and package name can change, so use the commands shown by the current Sysdig Linux instructions rather than copying an old blog post.
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1. Install matching kernel headers
The driver needs headers that correspond to the running kernel. On Debian or Ubuntu, install the header package for the kernel reported by uname -r, then confirm that the package manager completed without unresolved dependencies. A provider’s custom kernel may not have a matching header package in the distribution repository; in that case, choose a supported kernel or use the driver path documented for that VPS image.
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uname -r
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)The final command is a conventional Debian/Ubuntu example, not a substitute for the current Sysdig prerequisites. If your image uses a different package naming scheme, follow that distribution’s header instructions.
2. Trust the repository and add the package source
Import Sysdig’s current GPG key using the vendor’s documented method, verify that the key is associated with the expected repository, and add the repository for your exact Debian or Ubuntu release. Avoid downloading a key or repository definition from an unrelated script repository. A package source for the wrong release can install incompatible dependencies even when the agent package itself appears to install correctly.
3. Install the agent package
Refresh package metadata and install the agent package named in the live Sysdig instructions. Keep the package manager’s output: it identifies missing libraries, blocked post-install scripts, and driver-build failures that are otherwise difficult to diagnose.
4. Select the driver in /etc/default/dragent
The driver choice is configured in /etc/default/dragent. Use the universal eBPF driver when the VPS runs Linux kernel 5.8 or newer and the current agent supports it. Use the kernel-module driver on older kernels. Do not select eBPF solely because the distribution is new; the running kernel version is the relevant test.
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5. Start and verify the service
Enable and start the service using the service-management commands appropriate to your distribution, then inspect its status and recent logs. The package documentation supplies the service name and any required post-install command. A running process alone is not proof of successful monitoring: the host must also register in Sysdig Monitor and begin reporting telemetry.
Choose between eBPF and the kernel-module driver
Driver selection determines how the agent obtains low-level Linux events. The documented recommendation is the universal eBPF driver for kernel 5.8 and above, with the kernel-module driver recommended for older kernels.
| Running kernel | Recommended choice | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 5.8 or newer | Universal eBPF driver | Confirm that the VPS provider has not disabled required kernel capabilities and that the installed agent version supports the kernel |
| 3.10 through 5.7 | Kernel-module driver | Install matching headers and ensure the module can build or load on the provider’s kernel |
VPS providers sometimes restrict kernel features, module loading, or privileged operations. If a supported kernel still fails driver initialization, check the agent log for the specific capability or module error before changing kernels. Switching drivers without reading the log can turn a solvable header problem into a longer outage.
Configure useful host tags
Tags make a VPS findable when you have more than one host or when dashboards and alerts are grouped by role. The examples shown in Sysdig’s setup material use a key-and-value form, including role:webserver and location:europe. Treat those as examples: confirm the current console’s accepted syntax and whether tag values are case-sensitive.
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- Location: record a region or site name that matches your own naming scheme.
- Environment: distinguish production, staging, and development hosts.
- Ownership: identify the team responsible for responding to alerts.
Use stable values rather than transient details such as an automatically assigned public IP. If a VPS is rebuilt, retaining the same role and environment tags makes dashboards easier to maintain, while the hostname and instance identity can still distinguish the replacement host.
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Open the network path to Sysdig
The agent needs outbound TCP port 6443 to Sysdig’s regional collector. “Outbound” matters: many VPS firewalls allow incoming SSH while denying new egress connections. Check every control point that can filter traffic:
- The operating-system firewall, such as UFW, firewalld, nftables, or a provider image’s custom rules.
- The VPS provider’s security group, network ACL, or egress policy.
- An enterprise NAT gateway or proxy between the VPS and the public internet.
- DNS resolution and routing, if the collector hostname supplied by the agent cannot be resolved.
Permit outbound TCP 6443 to the regional collector specified by your Sysdig account rather than opening all inbound ports. If your organization uses an egress allowlist, obtain the current collector destinations from the Sysdig console or live documentation; collector addresses can vary by region and may change.
An older third-party repository references TCP port 6666. Do not use that value to override the current Linux-agent requirement: the documented port for this setup is 6443. Copying firewall rules from an old or unofficial guide is a common cause of an agent that installs successfully but never appears online.
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Verification should cover the operating system, the agent process, the network path, and the Sysdig UI.
- Check the service state. Confirm that the agent service is active and has not exited after a driver or configuration error.
- Read recent logs. Look for access-key errors, collector connection failures, TLS or DNS errors, and driver initialization messages. Capture the first error after startup; later retries often obscure the original cause.
- Confirm the driver. Ensure the selected eBPF or kernel-module mode matches the running kernel and that the required headers or capabilities are present.
- Check egress policy. Verify that TCP 6443 is permitted through both local and provider firewalls and that the VPS can resolve the collector endpoint shown in its configuration.
- Find the host in Sysdig Monitor. Search by hostname and tags, then confirm that current CPU, memory, process, and network data are advancing rather than showing a one-time inventory.
- Test a harmless change. Generate normal activity, such as opening a new shell or checking a service status, and confirm that the host view updates. Do not create artificial load merely to prove the agent is alive.
If the service is active but no host appears, prioritize the access key, collector region, DNS, and outbound policy. If the host appears but low-level events are missing, prioritize the driver and kernel checks.
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Troubleshoot common installation failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The installer refuses the operating system | The release is outside the supported examples or the script cannot identify a custom image | Confirm the exact distribution release in the current Sysdig support list; do not force a package for a different release |
| Kernel requirement failure | The running kernel is older than 3.10 | Move the VPS to a supported kernel or image before installing; changing only the user-space distribution does not change the active kernel |
| Header package cannot be found | The provider uses a custom kernel or the package source is incomplete | Check uname -r, enable the correct distribution repository, and ask the provider for matching headers or a supported kernel |
| eBPF initialization fails | The kernel is older than 5.8, lacks required capabilities, or the agent cannot use eBPF in the VPS environment | Use the kernel-module driver where appropriate, or follow the current compatibility guidance for the provider’s kernel |
| Module build or load fails | Missing or mismatched headers, restricted module loading, or an incompatible kernel configuration | Match headers to the active kernel, inspect the first module error, and check provider restrictions before reinstalling |
| Agent is running but offline in the console | Outbound TCP 6443, DNS, proxy, or collector-region problem | Check local and provider egress rules and compare the configured regional endpoint with the account’s current instructions |
| Access-key authentication fails | Key was copied incorrectly, revoked, or associated with another account | Generate or copy a fresh key from the administrator integration flow and protect it as a credential |
| Two hosts appear indistinguishable | Identical hostnames or missing tags | Assign stable role, environment, and location tags and verify the hostname presented by each VPS |
Operate the agent safely after installation
Protect the access key
The access key authorizes agent registration. Do not publish the generated command in a public issue, paste site, image, or shared shell transcript. If you believe the key was exposed, rotate it through the administrator integration workflow and update affected hosts using the current Sysdig procedure.
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Keep the driver aligned with kernel changes
A VPS kernel upgrade can change driver compatibility even when the distribution release remains the same. After a planned kernel update, check the new uname -r, confirm matching headers, and verify that the agent starts and reports after reboot. Do not assume that a previously working kernel module will load unchanged on a new provider kernel.
Use change control for package updates
For packaged installations, keep the repository definition, signing-key change, package version, and driver setting in your configuration-management records. Test updates on a non-production VPS when possible, especially if the update changes driver behavior.
Review tags as infrastructure changes
When a VPS changes role, update its tags so alerts continue to route to the right dashboards and team. Avoid encoding secrets, customer data, or full command lines in tag values; tags are metadata intended for identification and filtering.
Costs, editions, and naming
The installation material establishes the account and access-key prerequisites but does not establish a universal price or license allowance. Availability, retention, and feature limits depend on the Sysdig plan and account configuration. Check the current Sysdig pricing and contract terms before budgeting a rollout; do not infer cost from the installer itself.
Documentation may call the monitored component a classic agent, while the console may present Linux Agent or Host Shield labels. Those names describe related but not always identical workflows. Follow the option that explicitly targets Linux host monitoring, and confirm the generated command’s destination before running it on a production VPS.
A repeatable checklist for each VPS
- Administrator access and a valid Sysdig agent access key are available.
- The distribution release is supported and the running kernel is 3.10 or newer.
- Matching kernel headers are installed when the selected driver requires them.
- The driver matches the kernel: universal eBPF for 5.8 or newer when supported, kernel module for older kernels.
- Outbound TCP 6443 to the correct regional collector is allowed through local and provider firewalls.
- Tags use the current console’s accepted key-and-value syntax.
- The service is active, logs show successful initialization, and the host appears with current telemetry in Sysdig Monitor.
- The access key and generated installer command are not exposed in shared logs or repositories.
Following that sequence gives you a monitored host without relying on an unofficial port number or an installer built for a different Linux release.
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