Install Explorer Probe
How to install a Degust Explorer
To run a Degsut Explorer (the actual probe), you need to install an image on a Raspberry PI single-board computer.
The Explorer processes are extensively tested on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and the Raspberry Pi 4 models. Please keep in mind that only the Raspberry Pi 4 is capable of running tests close to Gigabit Ethernet speed, but the Pi 3B+ will be fine for everything up to 150 MBit/s.
Qickstart
This is the list of tasks to run an Explorer:
- use the Degust cockpit to configure a deployable OS image for your Explorer
- download the image to your local disk (provided as a zip file)
- unpack the zip file to a location of your choice
- copy the image onto an SD card
- insert SD card into the Raspberry PI
- power up the Raspberry PI
- switch the Degust cockpit to the project you’ve assigned the Explorer to
- watch testing and results in the dashboard
Some notes upfront
If you are new to Degust Explorers, you will most likely currently see the Acctopus Degust Demo project. This project runs real tests and shows you the results on the dashboard of this project. You can view everything in the demo project, but you cannot make any changes.
As soon as you start installing and activating your own explorers, they will be activated in your own projects, start testing there and also have their own dashboard. You switch to another project by clicking on the project name in the top right corner (1) of the cockpit. You will then get a selection of existing projects (2) you can switch to.
Another thing to keep in mind.
Most users are installing several Explorers at once which will then start testing as soon they are activated the first time. The provided tests are designed to measure the total available bandwidth of the internet connection, your Explorers are installed at. If you run several tests at once, they all will compete against this link throughput, which will lead to unexpected results for each of them. You may want to adjust the scheduling settings for the tests, to offload the bandwidth consuming tests.
Step 1: Configure and Download the Degust Explorer OS Image
Configure and download the OS Image from within the Degust Cockpit. You will find the link to your OS image on the demo dashboard or in the “Administration”/”Explorers” menu. This opens a list of currently configured Explorers and should also reveal a button named “GET EXPLORER”.
Click on this button to open a new dialog where you can configure your new Degust Explorer image.
Degust Explorer Images are now personalized to your Organization. You can install as many Raspberry Pi computers using the same Explorer OS image. The Image will give all Explorers system-wide unique names and IDs. Anyway, you may want to create more Explorer images with other or new configuration options.
The Options are described as follows:
Project name to assign Explorers using this image
An Explorer will be assigned to your organization exclusively. To start with an Explorer it offers to be assigned to tests in an initial project. You may give this project a name or chose an available project from the list.
Should this process create initial tests for you?
If you like to get this initial project and some tests created, keep the next checkbox checked.
Tags offer a grouping and selection of Explorers
You can define Tags to group Explorers. These Tags will become handy to tell Degust to run a certain test on all Explores having a certain tag, like ‘all Europe’. This would start a test on all Explorers you have placed all over Europe. Kidding? No! Some of our customer are startung several thousands of tests at once.
Tags may also depict a tariff type, a location like ‘loc=Munich’ or technology like ‘5G’ or ‘FTTH’, and they are additionally used for statistics and in the time series databases where you may report issues from.
Hostname
All Explorers will get a unique hostname. Nevertheless, we learned to give you some flexibility here, so you may prefix the hostname with 3 letters.
After configuring the values (or you may leave the defaults untouched) please click on DOWNLOAD.
Next, the Image will be created for you, packed as ZIP file, and then downloaded onto your current system.
Please unpack the image file to the location of your choice.
Step 2: Copy the Image onto an SD Card
To run the downloaded image on a Raspberry Pi, you need to copy the image to an SD card.
It is your choice, which tool you will use.
balenaEtcher is a free and open-source utility used for burning image files such as .iso, .img files and zipped folders to create live SD cards and USB flash drives. Etcher completes the whole process of flashing an OS image file into three simple steps: Select Image, Select Drive, and Flash Image.
You can download Etcher from its official website. It will automatically detect your operating system or you can choose it manually.
Etcher installs the operating system in three steps, so the first step is to select an image. To select an image file click on Select Image in Etcher. Use the file manager window and locate the image you unzipped in the previous step. Click Open and then the image will appear under Select Image.
Now attach your SD card to the computer using SD card reader. Etcher will detect it automatically. Etcher won’t write to your hard drives by default. Now click Flash to write the image file to the SD card.
Etcher will format the SD card, before writing and verifying the image; this is indicated by a progress bar. After completing this process, remove your SD card from your laptop and insert it into your Raspberry Pi, and power it up.
The Explorer will boot and register to Degust. Shortly after it will start testing.
Please give the Explorer some 5 to 10 minutes to check the world. Some graphs will need some metrics to show meaningful lines.
And please remember to switch to your project, as explained in the notes at the top of this instructions.