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Dynatrace Managed installation tutorial: how to install Dynatrace Managed step by step

#cmc #dynatrace #dynatracemanaged #dynatracemanagedinstallation

There is nothing spectacular about how you install Dynatrace Managed: a script, a few questions, around fifteen minutes of waiting. Yet this is when lasting choices are locked in: storage paths, public domain name, certificate, Mission Control connection mode. An installation rushed on a test server often ends up in production with all its flaws.

This tutorial is specific to Managed: you run the installer yourself on your Linux servers, then take control of the Cluster Management Console (CMC) to create the first environment and deploy a first OneAgent.

We start from a server already validated against the prerequisites and sizing checklist, with a Managed licence and access to download the installer.

What you need for a Dynatrace Managed installation

  • One or more prepared Linux servers (resources, disks, NTP, firewall).
  • The licence key supplied by Dynatrace and, in online mode, outbound HTTPS access to Mission Control.
  • The dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh file and its signature, downloaded from the link provided with your licence.
  • A public domain name for the cluster (for example {your-domain}) and, ideally, a certificate issued by your PKI.
  • The corporate HTTP proxy settings, if there is one.

Choices to make before running the script

Choice Default option Advice
Binaries directory /opt/dynatrace-managed Keep the default
Data directory /var/opt/dynatrace-managed Dedicated volume, or separate paths per store
Mission Control connection Online Offline only if network policy requires it
Domain name Generated domain An internal domain you control, with a trusted certificate

Changing storage paths afterwards is possible but tricky: decide them now.

Step-by-step tutorial: install Dynatrace Managed

Step 1 — Copy and verify the installer 

mkdir -p /root/dynatrace && cd /root/dynatrace
ls -lh dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh
openssl cms -inform PEM -binary -verify -CAfile dt-root.cert.pem \
  -in dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh.sig -content dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh > /dev/null
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The .sig file is downloaded with the command given in the activation email, and the Dynatrace root certificate acts as the authority. The expected answer is Verification successful: never run an installer whose signature has not been validated.

Step 2 — Display the available options 

chmod +x dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh
./dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh --help
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The help lists the parameters your version accepts (paths, licence, proxy, silent mode…). Exact names change from one version to the next: rely on this output rather than on an old copied script.

Step 3 — Install the first node 

sudo ./dynatrace-managed-{version}.sh
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In interactive mode, the installer checks system prerequisites, asks you to accept the licence agreement, proposes installation and storage paths, then asks for the licence key. Read the warnings carefully: a failed prerequisite check (memory, disk, system) must be fixed, not bypassed.

Step 4 — Follow progress and check the services

Installation usually takes from a few minutes to half an hour. In a second session:

systemctl list-units --type=service | grep -i dynatrace
ss -tlnp | grep -E ":443|:8443"
df -h /var/opt/dynatrace-managed
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At the end, the installer displays the address to open to finish the setup. The installation log is in /opt/dynatrace-managed/installer/.

Step 5 — First login to the CMC

Open https://{node-ip-or-domain} in a browser. The wizard asks for the name of the first monitoring environment and creates the administrator account (choose a strong password), then redirects you to the CMC. A default domain is generated: use it rather than the IP address to get a trusted HTTPS connection.

Step 6 — Configure the domain and certificate

By default, Dynatrace manages a dedicated subdomain and its certificate. To use your own, turn off Manage domain name and SSL certificates under Settings > Preferences in the CMC, then, for each node, open its details page and use Edit SSL certificate to upload the certificate, its chain and the (unencrypted) private key. Then check:

curl -sv https://{your-domain}/ 2>&1 | grep -E "subject:|issuer:|expire"
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Step 7 — Check the first environment

In the CMC Environments section, open the environment created by the wizard (or create others, for example « production »), assign it a host unit quota and review the default retention periods. Note its ID: the environment is reachable at https://{your-domain}/e/{environment-id}.

Step 8 — Generate a token and install a first OneAgent

In the environment, create an API token with permission to download installers (scope PaaS integration – Installer download, InstallerDownload). On a Linux test host:

wget -O Dynatrace-OneAgent.sh \
  --header="Authorization: Api-Token {token}" \
  "https://{your-domain}/e/{environment-id}/api/v1/deployment/installer/agent/unix/default/latest?arch=x86"

sudo /bin/sh Dynatrace-OneAgent.sh --set-host-group={host-group} --set-monitoring-mode=fullstack
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After a few minutes, the host appears in the environment. Check on the agent side:

sudo /opt/dynatrace/oneagent/agent/tools/oneagentctl --get-server
sudo /opt/dynatrace/oneagent/agent/tools/oneagentctl --get-host-group
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Step 9 — Configure backups

Mount the NFS share on the node, then enable cluster backup in the CMC by entering the path. Check that a first backup completes successfully before going further.

Step 10 — Add the other nodes

For a production cluster, add at least two more nodes from the CMC: it provides a specific installation command to run on each new server. This process is covered in detail in the article on adding and removing nodes.

Offline mode: what changes

Without a connection to Mission Control, installation uses a licence file (the --license-file parameter), licence updates go through the CMC, usage is reported via the licence data export, and both cluster and agent updates must be downloaded and then imported. Plan a documented process and a regular schedule, otherwise the cluster will quickly fall behind on versions. The guide to running Dynatrace Managed offline covers this in detail.

Best practices

  • Use a permanent domain name and a certificate from your PKI from day one.
  • Keep the installer, its signature and the installation output in an operations repository.
  • Validate a full backup before onboarding the first teams.
  • Create separate environments for production and pre-production rather than mixing everything.
  • Restrict CMC access to a small group of administrators, ideally through SSO.
  • Test the full installation on a lab setup before production.

Frequently asked questions

How long does installing a node take?

Usually from a few minutes to half an hour, once the prerequisites are validated. Most of the time goes into preparation: disks, network, domain and certificate.

Can storage paths be changed after installation?

It is possible but tricky. It is better to decide from the start on a dedicated volume for /var/opt/dynatrace-managed, or even separate paths per store.

Do I need a certificate from my own PKI from day one?

It is recommended: agents and users connect to the cluster’s public domain name, so it is best to set a permanent domain and a trusted certificate from day one. The procedure is covered in SSL certificates and a custom cluster domain.

Conclusion

Installing a Managed cluster comes down to one script, but success depends on decisions made beforehand: storage, domain, certificate, connectivity and backups. By following these steps, you get a working first node, an accessible environment, an agent sending data and a working backup. What remains is to extend the cluster to several nodes for real fault tolerance. To understand what the installer has just set up, read the Dynatrace Managed architecture guide, then put the new cluster under health monitoring.

span.observer is an independent community blog, not affiliated with Dynatrace LLC. Dynatrace is a trademark of Dynatrace LLC. Always check values (ports, versions, sizes) in the official documentation for your version of Managed.

Originally published on span.observer. French version: https://span.observer/fr/installer-cluster-dynatrace-managed/.

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