Do I have to upgrade past 18.04?
Ubuntu ends free, standard support for 18.04 on April 30, 2023. To ensure that our customers have enough time for a smooth transition, Auvik is allowing Ubuntu 18.04 collectors to continue to connect to the Auvik platform until July 29, 2023, but will not be providing any support for them if there are issues. To continue to use Auvik, customers will need a minimum version of Ubuntu 20.04. After July 29, 2023, Ubuntu 18.04 collectors will no longer be able to connect to the Auvik platform.
Should I start upgrading these collectors now?
Auvik plans to update clients' instances and complete this before the 18.04 EOL date of April 30, 2023.
When will my tenant(s) be upgraded?
Auvik has already begun the process of assisting with the migration of our customers over to the supported, upgraded versions of Ubuntu. Auvik customers have received communications via emails, in-app pop-ups on your site(s), and communications from Customer Success & Support teams. These communications provide instructions and reasons for the upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04. The timing of these communications is to provide you with enough time to complete the migration steps for your collectors.
How long will my tenant be down when the upgrade happens?
The tenant will remain active. Only the collector will be down.
Do in-place upgrades work with this Auvik collector or is a fresh install recommended?
Auvik recommends installing fresh as the connection from the old collector will be blocked and may cause issues.
What type of user intervention is required?
Users will manually need to kick off the installation. Depending on what additional software has been installed on the collector, the user prompts may vary. Most prompts are in line with ‘configuration x has changed, use existing config or accept incoming version.’ like scenarios are listed here.
What data could I lose during this installation?
The Auvik collectors are more or less dumb relay terminals. You will not lose any important data.
Will Auvik automatically upgrade the OS on these devices, or do we need to upgrade?
Auvik will be sending out the update, but due to the limitations of an Ubuntu install, user intervention will be required to complete the installation.
Does Auvik support Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04?
At this time, Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 OVA are supported. The manual upgrade to 20.04 was to allow customers to migrate off 18.04 before EOL. Auvik also supports Ubuntu 22.04 and recommends you do a double upgrade to the latest support version of Ubuntu. There are sources on the internet that will instruct you to do a direct upgrade from 18.04 to 22.04, but Auvik does not support this method at this time.
Is the current .ova file download from Auvik still running 18.04, and if so, when will it be upgraded?
The current download is Ubuntu has been upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04.
Will the 22.04 OVA use the same resources?
No, the OVA has been built to use more resources as it is doing more things as Auvik moves into the future. The disk is set up use up to 32 GB if needed, but it will only use as much as the resources required. The default CPU will now allot four cores along with eight GB of memory.
When will Auvik create a Linux service installer like the one you have for the Windows service collector?
There are no plans to do this at this time. There are too many flavors of Linux to make this a viable option.
Can I just uninstall and reinstall my collector?
Yes, you can if you are more comfortable with that. You will want to use the same IP if you can. Follow the instructions provided here.
Will I have to go through this again when this build of Ubuntu goes EOL?
This will be the last OVA Auvik will be creating for Ubuntu. You will still be able to create a collector using the bask script installed, but Auvik will discontinue building Ubuntu OVA collectors with the release of the 22.04 version.
Could Auvik better lock down this Ubuntu VM?
Auvik will be looking to optionally lock down root access to the OVA after this upgrade to the current OVA collector is complete.
Can’t Auvik lock down the SNMP setup? My client gets flagged on it during security scans.
Not currently. Auvik is focused on ensuring we get a supported Ubuntu version into production before support runs out in April. We do have plans to address this request in the near term. Auvik takes security seriously. Auvik will continue to provide security updates. This specific request will not be actioned until after this version has been released.
Could Auvik add VMWare tools to this build to better integrate with my VMWare instance?
Not currently. This, again, is due to the timing of this Ubuntu upgrade. Auvik is aware of this interest in this or open VM tools. This is one of several improvements to collector setups that are being considered after the completion of this upgrade’s primary goal of installing a supported version is completed.
Why can’t I run this version on a Raspberry PI?
The ARM processor has some current compatibility issues that keep Auvik from officially supporting the OVA build on ARM processor boards. Auvik understands being able to run on a Raspberry PI using the ARM64 processors is a highly requested feature. Auvik is actively exploring the introduction of being able to run a collector image on an ARM64 processor natively.
My security scan flags Auvik for having an FTP server. Can this be turned off?
Auvik is investigating providing the ability to be able to enable or disable this feature. If enabled, Auvik would no longer be able to provide its current backup service for some makes and models. Internal discussions are underway as to how Auvik might best address clients’ needs.
Will Auvik be coming out with a Docker Version of the collector?
Auvik is in active development of creating a Docker collector that will be supported under the X86/X64 (Linux, Win) We expect to have a version ready for production this year. See the Docker FAQ for more information
Why are the requirements for this new version more than the typical 1 CPU, 2GB RAM 8GB storage?
The new resource sizing is our minimum recommended requirement. The reason for this is that in the event that issues arise, our first recommendation will be to raise your collector to those minimums outlined. A note that the recommended storage is dynamic. A virtual machine can be set so that it uses only 35% of the storage; however, as we build greater functionality within Auvik it may need more.
The current upgrades to 20.04 and 22.04 will work with any current resourcing you have deployed. As we are seeing resource issues for collectors deployed in larger environments, Auvik has decided that a unified recommended increase of system resources across all collector deployment types would be the best solution going forward. Auvik is also working on feature improvements with the collector installs that will give customers more control over setup and feature access.
What is dynamic storage, and why does Auvik recommend using this for the OVA install?
Fixed disks use the total amount of space on the host immediately. Dynamic disks grow as you fill them with data. Running the Ubuntu OVA with dynamic storage provides flexibility in case resource demand grows over time. Auvik does not anticipate using all 32GB of storage out of the gate, but having the additional storage allows you flexibility for any additional upgrades that Auvik has planned. In fact, this version can be used as an in-place upgrade under the current Ubuntu 18.04 collectors. Since the 22.04 OVA collector will be supported by Auvik until early 2027, this proactive measure is designed to anticipate any possible increases during this time.
Why will this be the last Ubuntu OVA Auvik will develop?
Unfortunately, upgrading the Ubuntu OVA is not something that can be automated. This limitation is not in line with Auvik's value proposition of being easy to use. Therefore, this will be the last Ubuntu OVA Auvik will be supporting as we are in the process of developing Docker versions to be deployed later this year. The Docker version will be as hassle-free as possible.
I've run into issues with my upgrade following Auvik's instructions on how to upgrade the collector.
How to migrate your Auvik Collector from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04
How to migrate your Auvik Collector from Ubuntu 20.04 to Ubuntu 22.04
With the different modifications to the Ubuntu 18.04 collector that may have occurred, some users have potentially run into issues in certain situations. Auvik has been made aware of these situations and is actively working to resolve these issues as soon as they are brought to our attention. These challenges support Auvik's decision to move to a Docker version of the collector later this year.
Please reach out to Technical Support if you experience any issues and we can help to resolve your concern.
Why would I want to upgrade the collector from 20.04 to 22.04? Isn't 20.04 still supported by Ubuntu?
Auvik will assist in troubleshooting issues with any supported Ubuntu OVA collector versions (including 20.04). If a client is running into issues using 20.04 and opens a support case, Auvik will first troubleshoot using the typical troubleshooting steps. However, if a problem persists, Auvik will recommend upgrading the collector to 22.04 which is currently running in-house and would allow Auvik the ability to troubleshoot further (especially with code-based issues).
Why does it just sit there after the installation, or, why do I get a black screen during initializing the OVA?
Once you install the collector, background processes take place which can sometimes take anywhere from 1 to 3 mins to update based on your installed resource.
What if I purchase(d) Ubuntu Expanded Security Maintenance coverage?
Auvik will support software that is under regular maintenance from the vendor. Ubuntu 18.04 extended support falls outside of those parameters.