Install the zRemote
The zRemote is an aggregation and data processing component that installs in the distributed environment. The zRemote offloads much of the OneAgent processing from the code modules, thereby reducing the MSU load incurred in instrumenting mainframe applications.
Sizing guidelines
The sizing of the box where the zRemote runs depend on the anticipated load volume (i.e., transactions/second that should be processed by the zRemote). Please see the general guidelines below for planning the sizing.
- For development environments, a small or medium-sized box should be fine
- For production environments, we recommend at least a large or extra-large box
| Hardware requirements | Small (DEV) | Medium (DEV) | Large (PROD) | X-Large (PROD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipated transactions/second | 4,000 | 7,500 | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| Required CPU cores (e.g., Xeon E5-2600 series) | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Required memory | 4GB | 6GB | 8GB | 16GB |
| Required disk space | 20GB | 20GB | 20GB | 20GB |
Installation
The zRemote is downloaded and installed automatically during the ActiveGate installation procedure. You only need to select the Route z/OS traffic to Dynatrace option during ActiveGate installation. No further configuration of the zRemote is required, as it obtains all necessary settings from the ActiveGate.
By default, the zRemote listens on port 8898 for connections from the zLocal, running as part of zDC in the mainframe. You can configure it to listen on a different port by using the zdclistenerport parameter in ruxitagent.conf. You should ensure that this port is not blocked by a firewall.
- The zRemote isn't supported by Environment ActiveGates that are configured for multi-environment support.
- The zRemote must route z/OS traffic to another ActiveGate, which in turn routes the traffic to Dynatrace.
Supported operating systems
- Windows x64
- Linux x64
Host groups
A LPAR can be assigned to a host group by setting the [HostGroup] attribute in ruxitagent.conf. A LPAR can belong to only one host group.
Host groups come handy when you need to organize multiple LPARs connecting to a single zRemote.
To assign a LPAR to a host group, specify the group name in between a pair of [HostGroup] attributes in ruxitagent.conf. The [HostGroup] attribute pair can occur anywhere in the ruxitagent.conf file.
[HostGroup]
<LPAR_Name1>=<HostGroupName>
<LPAR_Name2>=<HostGroupName>
[HostGroup]
The LPAR name is the 8 characters logical partition name defined in the LPARNAME() parameter in IEASYMxx member in the mainframe host.
The LPAR name is also displayed in the zDC job log. Check the zDC job log for ZDC053I message for the LPAR name.
ZDC053I LPAR NAME:IBMSYS1 CVTSNAME:DTVX SERNO:00000000000xxxxx MODEL:nnn TYPE:tttt
The following requirements apply to the <HostGroupName> string:
- Can contain only alphanumeric characters, hyphens (
-), underscores (_), and dots (.) - Must not start with
dt. - Maximum length is 100 characters
- In host settings, only the General, Monitoring mode, and Detected processes are applicable for a host group pertaining to a z/OS host.
- Auto-update of zRemote overwrites the
ruxitagent.confcontents. Therefore your host group settings inruxitagent.confwill be lost after an auto-update of zRemote. This will be fixed in the upcoming releases. We recommend to create a backup of configuration.
Stop and restart the zRemote service
Under unusual circumstances, it may be necessary to stop or restart the zRemote service. You can use the following commands to stop/restart the zRemote service.
You need root privileges to execute these commands.
To query the current status of the zRemote service:
service zremote status
To stop, start, or restart the zRemote service:
service zremote stop|start|restart|forcestop
The difference between stop and forcestop is that the stop command instructs the process to execute its controlled shutdown routine, while forcestop forces the process shutdown.
You need admin privileges to execute these commands.
On Windows, stopping/starting the zRemote service can be done using the Services tab of the Windows Task Manager. You can also use the following command:
sc stop|start|restart "Dynatrace zRemote"
The sc command is asynchronous, so you need to query the status of the service, to determine when it has fully stopped:
sc query "Dynatrace zRemote"
Uninstall the zRemote
Although the zRemote is installed automatically during ActiveGate installation, it isn't removed when the ActiveGate is removed. You must uninstall the zRemote separately.
You need root priviliges to execute this command.
/bin/sh /opt/dynatrace/zremote/uninstall.sh
As the zRemote is managed by a standard MSI installation package, it can be uninstalled via the standard Windows list of installed programs, or via the usual command-line and Powershell commands for un-installing programs.