What is the Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent and how does it work?

Learn more about the agent used to collect backup data from installed applications

The Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent is required to connect your installed / on-premises backup applications to Bocada Cloud. It was built with flexibility in mind, supports multiple configurations, and a single agent can connect to multiple backup systems in your private network. Once installed and configured, the agent continuously collects backup data so you can monitor and report on it from Bocada Cloud. 

Once you log into Bocada Cloud, you can Add a Connection to a growing list of supported backup applications. 

Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent Requirements:

• This agent must be installed on a machine either with Windows Server 2016 or newer, or a machine running the latest versions of Linux (Alpine, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE Leap, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Enterprise Linux or Ubuntu. See the complete list of Linux operating systems and versions here.)
• The machine must be running 24x7 to ensure proper data collection
• If your machine is running under a firewall, please allow outbound connections to the host backup-api.cloud.bocada.com, port 443
• If your machine is running under a proxy server, please set the proxy settings in Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent after the installation

Where to install the Data Collection Agent

We recommend installing the Data Collection Agent on the backup system when possible to simplify the connection. For example, if you are using Veeam Backup & Replication, we recommend installing the agent on the same server/machine where the Veeam application is installed.

In cases where installation on the backup system itself is not preferred or possible, a single data collection agent can be installed on any Windows machine to collect data from multiple backup systems within the same network.

Do I need multiple Data Collection Agents?

Depending on the networks/environments where your backup systems are located, and how they are configured, you may need only one or multiple data collection agents. 

If you manage backup systems in multiple networks/environments, you will likely need to install a single data collection agent in each network. If a network/environment contains multiple backup systems, you can install a single agent into that network or one on each backup system. 

You can use a RMM to deploy the agent to multiple machines within the same network (see link below).

How does the Data Collection Agent get updated?

By default, the Data Collection Agent is set to automatically update; however, a user can change that setting to manually update it when a new version is available. If it's set to auto-update, then the agent checks for an updated version every hour. If a new version is available, the auto-update triggers a process to manage the update. The process will:

• Close the Agent UI (if it's currently open)
• Download the most recent version (MSI package)
• Check the package integrity
• Install the MSI in the background (using msiexec)
• The MSI installation will automatically stop the Windows Service and then start it again
• At this point, the agent will be running the updated version

Where can I get the link to the Data Collection Agent installer?

Below are links to download and install the Data Collection Agent directly:

• Microsoft Installer (MSI) package
• Linux (DEB)
  • Download from the command line:
    wget https://backup-api.cloud.bocada.com/Bocada_Cloud_Agent_Installer.deb
  • Install the agent package:
    sudo dpkg -i Bocada_Cloud_Agent_Installer.deb
  • Register the agent:
    bocada-agent-cli install -a 01997239-50df-745b-8690-866b4943b746-01997239-50df-7d46-8372-82911926b716
• Linus (RPM)
  • Download from the command line:
    wget https://backup-api.cloud.bocada.com/Bocada_Cloud_Agent_Installer.rpm
  • Install the agent package:
    sudo rpm -i Bocada_Cloud_Agent_Installer.rpm
  • Register the agent:
    bocada-agent-cli install -a 0199723f-a97a-7532-820f-66fdd6f36e20-0199723f-a97a-7a2f-85dd-101863a1db7e