OmniAgent

Overview

OmniAgent is the host-level execution component of vuSmartMaps that enables data collection and monitoring as part of the Auto Discovery Instrumentation (ADI) framework. It runs on target systems and is responsible for executing discovery, data collection, and monitoring tasks defined by the platform.

Within the ADI workflow, OmniAgent works in coordination with the vuSmartMaps platform to discover hosts, identify entities, and initiate monitoring using appropriate probes when ADI monitoring is enabled. ADI discovery and monitoring behavior is controlled through the ADI_ENABLED configuration. When enabled, hosts running OmniAgent are automatically discovered, inventoried, and monitored by ADI. When disabled, hosts and entities are not discovered, updated, or monitored by the ADI module.

OmniAgent manages and runs multiple probes on a host, where each probe is responsible for collecting specific telemetry data such as metrics, logs, or service-level insights. It continuously monitors probe health and ensures reliable data reporting by handling failures and recovery scenarios.

note

In the NG 3.1.0 release, ADI capabilities are focused on APM Java Traces running on standalone Linux environments. Support for additional technologies such as .NET, Python, and Node.js, broader operating systems including Windows, AIX, and Solaris, additional telemetry types such as Metrics, Logs, and Browser RUM, and containerized environments (Docker and Kubernetes) is planned for future releases.

OmniAgent communicates securely with the vuSmartMaps platform to:

• Register and onboard hosts
• Receive monitoring configurations and policies
• Report telemetry data and probe health status
• Support automated discovery and instrumentation workflows

By acting as the execution layer within ADI, OmniAgent enables seamless, automated, and policy-driven observability without requiring manual setup on individual hosts.

tip

Think of OmniAgent as the execution engine on each host. While the platform decides what to monitor and how, OmniAgent ensures that monitoring is actually performed reliably on the system.

Why OmniAgent is Required

• OmniAgent serves as the execution layer of the Auto Discovery Instrumentation (ADI) framework. It enables automated host discovery, probe deployment, telemetry collection, configuration synchronization, and health monitoring without requiring manual intervention on individual hosts.
• By centralizing monitoring orchestration in the platform and delegating execution to OmniAgent, organizations can onboard and manage large-scale environments consistently and efficiently.

When to Use OmniAgent

Deploy OmniAgent when you need to:

• Onboard servers into ADI monitoring.
• Automatically discover hosts and entities.
• Deploy and manage monitoring probes.
• Collect infrastructure telemetry.
• Manage monitoring configurations centrally.
• Enable automated observability workflows.
• Reduce manual monitoring setup activities.
• Standardize monitoring across environments

OmniAgent Architecture Overview

The OmniAgent architecture explains how vuSmartMaps enables automated discovery, configuration, and monitoring of hosts using the Auto Discovery Instrumentation (ADI) framework. It follows a platform-driven model where the vuSmartMaps platform defines monitoring behavior, and OmniAgent executes those instructions on each host.

vuSmartMaps Platform Layer

This layer provides centralized orchestration, configuration, and monitoring through the Host Landscape interface Please refer to DataStudio > Host Landscape.

• Host Landscape (ADI UI): Serves as the primary interface to view hosts, entities, OmniAgent health, probe status, and monitoring lifecycle.
• Monitoring Configuration & Policies: Define what needs to be monitored across environments and host groups. These configurations are applied automatically to discovered hosts.
• OmniAgent Control Module: Sends configuration updates to agents and receives host status, probe health, and monitoring state information.

Control & Communication Layer

This layer represents the secure communication channel between the platform and OmniAgent running on each host.

• Configuration Updates: Monitoring configurations and policies are pushed from the platform to OmniAgent.
• Heartbeats & Health Updates: OmniAgent continuously sends status updates, including host availability and probe health.
• Telemetry Flow: Data collected by probes is sent to the vuSmartMaps platform for processing, analysis, and visualization.

Target Host Layer

Each monitored host runs OmniAgent, which executes monitoring tasks locally.

• OmniAgent (Execution Layer): Receives configurations from the platform and manages the execution of monitoring tasks. It ensures probes are running correctly and handles recovery in case of failures.
• Probes: Lightweight components responsible for collecting specific telemetry such as system metrics, logs, or service-level data.
• Sub-processes: Internal processes spawned by probes to efficiently perform data collection and reporting.

OmniAgent Role and Responsibilities

OmniAgent acts as the execution layer within the Auto Discovery Instrumentation (ADI) framework, responsible for carrying out monitoring and data collection tasks on each host. It operates based on configurations and policies defined by the vuSmartMaps platform, ensuring consistent and automated observability across environments.

Its primary responsibilities include:

Configuration Management

OmniAgent receives monitoring configurations and policies from the vuSmartMaps platform and applies them locally. These configurations determine which probes should run and what data should be collected.

Probe Lifecycle Management

OmniAgent manages the execution of probes on the host. This includes ensuring that required probes are running and functioning correctly. Probe lifecycle actions such as start, stop, or restart are handled automatically based on configuration changes or system conditions.

Monitoring and Reporting

OmniAgent continuously monitors the health of the host and its probes. It sends regular updates to the platform, including:

• Agent availability and connectivity
• Probe health and status
• Reporting activity and data flow

These updates are reflected in the Host Landscape and OmniAgent tab.

Self-Healing and Recovery

OmniAgent detects failures or inconsistencies in probe execution and attempts recovery actions such as restarting affected probes. This ensures continuity of data collection without requiring manual intervention.

Secure Communication

OmniAgent maintains a secure communication channel with the vuSmartMaps platform to:

• Receive configurations
• Send telemetry data
• Report health and status updates

Access control and authorization are managed at the platform level, while OmniAgent enforces execution of only the configurations it receives.

OmniAgent Communication with Probes

OmniAgent maintains continuous communication with all probes running on a host to ensure reliable data collection and stable monitoring execution. It coordinates probe activity based on configurations received from the vuSmartMaps platform and ensures that probes operate in alignment with the defined monitoring policies.

Heartbeat and Status Updates

Probes periodically send status and heartbeat updates to OmniAgent. OmniAgent aggregates this information and reports it to the platform, enabling visibility into probe health and reporting status within the Host Landscape and OmniAgent tab.

Configuration Synchronization

When monitoring configurations or policies are updated at the platform level, OmniAgent applies the changes to the relevant probes on the host. This ensures that probe behavior remains consistent with the latest configuration. If a configuration update cannot be applied successfully, OmniAgent ensures that probe execution remains stable and continues to report its status for further analysis.

Diagnostics and Error Reporting

OmniAgent monitors probe execution and captures error conditions such as:

• Probe failures
• Startup issues
• Configuration mismatches

These details are reported to the platform, where they are reflected as probe health states and can be used for troubleshooting.

Probe Execution Management

OmniAgent ensures that required probes are running based on the applied configuration. It monitors probe behavior and attempts recovery actions, such as restarting probes, when failures are detected.

note

Probe behavior is primarily driven by platform-defined configurations rather than manual user control.

Probes

Probes are lightweight data collection components managed by OmniAgent. Each probe is responsible for collecting specific types of telemetry, such as system metrics, logs, or service-level data, depending on the monitoring configuration applied to the host. Probes operate under the control of OmniAgent and are dynamically managed based on platform-defined policies.

How Probes Are Installed and Managed

Probes are deployed and managed automatically as part of the ADI workflow.

• Deployment: Probes are initiated when monitoring configurations are applied to a host.
• Execution: OmniAgent ensures that required probes are running and reporting data.
• Configuration Updates: Changes in monitoring configuration are automatically applied to probes.
• Recovery Handling: If a probe fails or becomes unresponsive, OmniAgent attempts recovery actions such as restarting the probe.

note

In the ADI model, probe deployment and lifecycle are largely automated and policy-driven.

Resource Management

OmniAgent manages probe execution to ensure stable operation on the host.

• Probes are monitored for resource usage and execution stability
• OmniAgent ensures that probes do not impact overall host performance
• In case of abnormal behavior, recovery actions may be triggered automatically

Probe Health States

Probe health is continuously evaluated and displayed in the OmniAgent tab. The following states may be observed:

• Healthy: Probe is running as expected and actively reporting data
• Unhealthy: Probe is running but experiencing issues or degraded performance
• Not Reporting: Probe is not sending data to the platform

Status vs Health

• Health indicates the operational condition of the probe
• Status indicates whether the probe is running or stopped

These two indicators together provide a complete view of probe behavior.

Monitoring and Troubleshooting Probes

Users can use the OmniAgent tab to:

• Identify probes that are not reporting
• Detect unhealthy probe behavior
• Correlate probe issues with host-level health
• Take corrective actions where applicable