Linux Authentication & Troubleshooting for Agentless Data Collector (ADC)

Overview

To collect data from Linux servers using the Cloudamize Agentless Data Collector (ADC), the collector requires SSH access with proper sudo privileges. This guide covers the creation of the necessary user accounts and the configuration of permissions across different Linux distributions.

General User Creation & Root Permissions

For the ADC to function correctly, the service account must have elevated privileges to run discovery commands.

Creating a Service User

1. Create the user: sudo useradd [username]

2. Set the password: sudo passwd [username]

Granting Sudo Access (Universal Method)

1. Navigate to the /etc directory: cd /etc

2. Open the sudoers file using the safe editor: sudo visudo
   

   

3. Locate the User Privilege section (usually under root ALL=(ALL) ALL).
   

   

4. Add the following line for your new user: [username] ALL=(ALL) ALL

5. Save and exit (In visudo/vi: Press Esc, type :wq!, and press Enter).

Distribution Specific Configuration

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) / CentOS

On Red Hat-based systems, it is often preferred to manage permissions via the wheel group.

1. Create and password-protect the user as shown in the Section General User Creation & Root Permissions.

2. Enable the wheel group: Open sudo visudo and ensure the following line is NOT commented out (remove the # if present): %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
   

   

3. Add the user to the group: sudo usermod -aG wheel [username]
   

   

4. Verify: Check the group membership to ensure the user was added correctly.
   

   

Ubuntu / Debian

Ubuntu uses the sudo group for administrative access.

1. Create and password-protect the user as shown in Section 1.

2. Add the user to the sudo group: sudo usermod -aG sudo [username]
   

   

3. Verify permissions: Switch to the new user: su - [username]. Test sudo access: sudo whoami (The output should be root).
   

   

Important Requirements & Troubleshooting

Sudo Requirements

• requiretty: Ensure that requiretty is disabled in the /etc/sudoers file. The Cloudamize ADC cannot collect data if requiretty is set to true, as it prevents sudo commands from running without a real interactive terminal.

Authentication Failures

If the ADC reports authentication errors or cannot resolve the node:

• Credentials: Ensure the username and password provided in the ADC UI match the credentials created on the Linux host.

• Connectivity: Ensure port 22 (SSH) is open between the ADC Windows machine and the Linux target.

• Logs: If issues persist, collect the log files from the following locations:

  • Windows (ADC Side): C:\Program Files(x86)\CloudamizeAgentlessDC\log_backup.txt

If you see any issues, please capture a screenshot of the error output and collect the log_backup.txt file from the following directory on the server:
C:\Program Files (x86)\CloudamizeAgentlessDc\log_backup.txt
Please attach both the screenshot and the log file in an email to helpdesk@cloudamize.com for further investigation.