Installing Cisco Business Dashboard Probe

An instance of Cisco Business Dashboard Probe is required for each site in your network that you want to manage. The Probe discovers the network, collects performance and configuration data from the discovered devices, and reports that information back to the Dashboard.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Obtaining and Verifying Cisco Business Dashboard Probe Software

Cisco Business Dashboard Probe is provided as a virtual machine image, and as installers for use with the following operating systems:

  • Ubuntu Linux distribution running on an Intel architecture PC.

  • Raspberry Pi OS (formally Raspbian) Linux distribution running on a Raspberry Pi.

To obtain the Linux installers, navigate to https://www.cisco.com/go/cbd-sw. Ensure you select the correct installer for your operating system version.

The Linux installers have been signed by Cisco to ensure that the software has not been tampered with. The Linux installer automatically verifies the cryptographic signature of the package during execution and prior to installation. If the signature verification fails, an error is reported and the installation process aborts. Signature verification is also performed if an upgrade is being performed automatically by the Cisco Business Dashboard Probe application.

Installing Cisco Business Dashboard with Ubuntu Linux

Once you have obtained the Cisco Business Dashboard Probe software, you may install it using the following steps:

  1. Ensure you have a working Ubuntu Linux environment available to host the application. For assistance in setting up Ubuntu Linux, consult the Ubuntu Linux documentation (https://help.ubuntu.com/). The tutorial at https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-server may provide a useful starting point.

  2. Copy the installer file to the Ubuntu Linux PC.

    The network interface of the Linux system should be connected to a VLAN containing the management interfaces for at least one of the network devices. If the Probe is not directly connected to at least one network device, it may be unable to fully discover the network.

  3. Execute the installer using the command sh <filename of installer>. For example sh cbd-probe-2.3.0-ubuntu-focal-amd64.signed.sh. If necessary, enter your password at the sudo prompt.

After the installation process completes, the Probe application will start automatically. Refer to the Cisco%20Business%20Dashboard%20and%20Probe%20Quick%20Start%20Guide for details on how to access the application and perform the initial setup.

Installing on a Raspberry Pi

Once you have obtained the Cisco Business Dashboard Probe software, you may install it using the following steps:

  1. Download the Raspberry Pi OS (formally Raspbian) image available at https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/. The 'lite' image is recommended to maximize the performance of the Probe.

  2. Prepare the Raspberry Pi using the installation guide at https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/README.md.

  3. Copy the Cisco Business Dashboard Probe Raspberry Pi OS installer file to the Raspberry Pi.

    The network interface of the Raspberry Pi should be connected to a VLAN containing the management interfaces for at least one of the network devices. If the Probe is not directly connected to at least one network device, it may be unable to fully discover the network.

  4. Execute the installer using the command sh <filename of installer>. For example, sh cbd-probe-2.3.0-raspbian-buster-armhf.signed.sh. If necessary, enter your password at the sudo prompt.

After the installation process completes, the Probe application will start automatically. Refer to the Cisco%20Business%20Dashboard%20and%20Probe%20Quick%20Start%20Guide for details of how to access the application and perform initial setup.

Removing Cisco Business Dashboard from Ubuntu or Raspbian Pi OS

To remove Cisco Business Dashboard Probe and all its dependencies from an Ubuntu or Raspbian Pi OS system and retain the Probe’s configuration, do the following:

  1. Log on to the operating system using either the console or SSH.

  2. Enter the command sudo apt-get autoremove cisco-business-dashboard-probe and follow the prompts

To completely remove Cisco Business Dashboard Probe, its dependencies and configuration from an Ubuntu or Raspbian system, do the following:

  1. Log on to the operating system using either the console or SSH.

  2. Enter the command sudo apt-get --purge autoremove cisco-business-dashboard-probe and follow the prompts.