I have multiple on-premise (SQL) databases, do I need to have an agent installed for each?

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If you're onboarding with BrightGauge with SQL databases, then you're in a great position.  BrightGauge can often get the best performance by connecting to SQL databases by using the BrightGauge Agent to connect the SQL database to our servers.  If you are looking at adding multiple databases, then often times you only need just 1 agent installation as long as in the same network.  That statement though is a bit general, so here are some frequent network setups and ways that the BrightGauge Agent can be used:

• I have 2+ SQL databases all at the same location behind the same firewall and router

This is the most common setup in BrightGauge and the easiest in terms of on-premise setups.  All you need to do is install the BrightGauge Agent on one machine (it can be any machine that has .Net 4.0 installed), create one firewall exception for the designated port for the Agent and that machine, and then connect it to the BrightGauge website by using the same Agent IP and Port information for all SQL connections, but using the appropriate Database information (should be different for each SQL connection).

What you'll need:

• 1 Agent install
• 1 firewall exception for the designated port
• 1 NAT route of the exception to the machine the agent is installed on

• I have multiple SQL databases, but they are in different locations.  They ARE connected by a VPN/tunnel.

This is a very similar situation to the one above.  Because the databases are connected by a tunnel, it means that each database can communicate locally without interference by a firewall.

What you'll need:

• 1 Agent install
• 1 firewall exception for the designated port
• 1 NAT route of the exception to the machine the agent is installed on

This setup can be a bit tricky though as VPN/tunnels can introduce latency to the queries our Agent makes, which depending on your SQL server can cause easier timeouts.  If this is a possibility, we would suggest installing the agent once in each network to reduce such complications (look at the next bullet point for guidance on that).

• I have multiple SQL databases and they are in different locations.  They are NOT connected by a VPN/tunnel.

With the databases at different locations, it means that each database will need it's own agent to communicate with the BrightGauge servers.

What you'll need:

• X Agent installs (where X is the number of SQL databases you wish to connect)
• X firewall exceptions for the designated ports. You'll need to use a different port for each Agent installation.
• X NAT routes for the exceptions to the machines the agents are installed on

• I have multiple SQL databases at the same location, behind the same firewall, but network rules prevent them from easily communicating

This is a complicated setup but not impossible to work around.  The BrightGauge Agent will need to see both databases without hindrance.  This means that the default SQL ports (1433 for MS-SQL and 3389 for mySQL) will need to be open between the location of the BrightGauge agent and the SQL databases.  Most often this can be a hassle, so an easier setup is to install the BrightGauge Agent on each database locally.  This means that you'll need to have a different firewall exception for each time you install the BrightGauge Agent.

What you'll need:

• X Agent installs (where X is the number of SQL databases you wish to connect)
• X firewall exceptions for the designated ports.  You'll need to use a different port for each Agent installation.
• X NAT routes for the exceptions to the machines the agents are installed on

If you need help with the agent itself, documentation can be found here: Using the BrightGauge Agent with common issues here.

Once the Agent is installed, here's a general document to get your datasource added in, with datasource specific links found in this section.

If you have any questions, please contact Support by selecting Help > Open a Ticket from the top menu bar.