# Linux :::tip This section provides the installation steps for the ElastiFlow Unified Flow Collector. Many users get started using ElastiFlow with the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch and Kibana). To install and configure **both** the Elastic Stack and the ElastiFlow Unified Flow Collector, step-by-step instructions are provided for both **Ubuntu/Debian** and **RedHat/CentOS**. ::: The ElastiFlow Unified Flow Collector can be installed natively on Linux. Packages are currently provided for and supported on the Linux distributions and versions listed in the following table. | Distribution | Versions | | ------------- | ------------------------------- | | Ubuntu/Debian | 18.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS | | RHEL/CentOS | 7.x, 8.x | ### Ubuntu/Debian Installation (deb) The Debian package for the Unified Flow Collector can be downloaded from [here](https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb). It can be used for installation on most Debian-based systems such as Debian and Ubuntu. #### Download the `.deb` Package The package can be downloaded using either the `wget` or `curl` command: ```shell wget https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb ``` ```shell curl https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb --output flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb ``` #### Verify the Package **Checksum Verification** To ensure the downloaded file was fully downloaded and wasn't corrupted or tampered with, you can verify the provided checksum matches. ```shell # get checksum of the downloaded file: sha256sum flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb # verify the checksum provided from the previous command matches the checksum here: https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb.sha256 ``` **GPG Verification** ElastiFlow signs the Debian package with a GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) key. To verify the Debian package, download and import the ElastiFlow GPG public key: ```shell # import public key into gpg keychain curl -o- https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/elastiflow.pgp | gpg --import - # trust the public key echo "6A2E26EFDE24AA7A634A442ED5C0572E5D212F6B:6:" | gpg --import-ownertrust ``` Next, download the signature file: ```shell curl -SLO https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb.sig ``` Finally, verify the file with the signature: ```shell gpg --verify flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb.sig flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb ``` #### Ensure that `libpcap-dev` is Installed The collector requires `libpcap-dev`. Check if the `libpcap-dev` package is installed: ```shell sudo dpkg-query -l | grep libpcap-dev ``` If installed, the output will look similar to the follow: ```shell ii libpcap-dev:amd64 1.9.1-3 amd64 development library for libpcap (transitional package) ``` If it is not present, install it: ```shell apt install libpcap-dev ``` #### Install the `.deb` Package There are two methods to install the Unified Flow Collector package, `apt` or `dpkg`. **Install with `apt`** ```shell sudo apt install ./flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb ``` **Install with `dpkg`** ```shell sudo dpkg -i flow-collector_6.4.2_linux_amd64.deb ``` ### RedHat/CentOS Installation (rpm) The RPM package for the Unified Flow Collector can be downloaded from [here](https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm). It can be used for installation on most RedHat-based systems such as RHEL and CentOS. #### Download the `.rpm` Package The package can be easily downloaded using `wget` or `curl`: ```shell wget https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm ``` ```shell curl https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm --output flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm ``` #### Verify the Package **Checksum Verification** To ensure the downloaded file was fully downloaded and wasn't corrupted or tampered with, you can verify the provided checksum matches. ```shell # get checksum of the downloaded file: sha256sum flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm # verify the checksum provided from the previous command matches the checksum here: https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm.sha256 ``` **GPG Verification** ElastiFlow signs the RPM package with a GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) key. To verify the RPM package, download and import the ElastiFlow GPG public key: ```shell # import public key into gpg keychain curl -o- https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/elastiflow.pgp | gpg --import - # trust the public key echo "6A2E26EFDE24AA7A634A442ED5C0572E5D212F6B:6:" | gpg --import-ownertrust # import public key into rpm trust store rpm --import https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/elastiflow.pgp ``` Next, download the signature file: ```shell curl -SLO https://elastiflow-releases.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/flow-collector/flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm.sig ``` Finally, verify the file with the signature: ```shell gpg --verify flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm.sig flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm ``` #### Ensure that `libpcap-dev` is Installed The Unified Flow Collector package can be installed using `yum`. The collector requires that `libpcap-devel` also be installed. **Installing `libpcap` & `libpcap-devel` on RHEL/CentOS 7.x** ```shell wget http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/Packages/libpcap-1.5.3-12.el7.x86_64.rpm wget http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/Packages/libpcap-devel-1.5.3-12.el7.x86_64.rpm ``` ```shell sudo yum install -y ./libpcap-1.5.3-12.el7.x86_64.rpm sudo yum install -y ./libpcap-devel-1.5.3-12.el7.x86_64.rpm ``` **Installing `libpcap` & `libpcap-devel` on RHEL/CentOS 8.x** ```shell sudo dnf --enablerepo=powertools install libpcap -y sudo dnf --enablerepo=powertools install libpcap-devel -y ``` #### Install/Upgrade the `.rpm` Package If installing the Unified Flow Collector package for the first time, i.e. NOT upgrading, run the following: ```shell sudo yum install -y flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm ``` If upgrading from a previously installed Unified Flow Collector package, run the following: ```shell sudo rpm -Uhv flow-collector-6.4.2-1.x86_64.rpm ``` ### Configuration The Unified Flow Collector will be installed to run as a daemon manged by `systemd`. Configuration of the collector is provided via environment variables and, depending on the enabled options, via various configuration files which by default are located within `/etc/elastiflow`. To configure the environment variables, edit the file `/etc/systemd/system/flowcoll.service.d/flowcoll.conf`. For details on all of the configuration options, please refer to the Configuration Reference. :::tip At a minimum the Unified Flow Collector must point to a valid data store. Additionally, source flows need to be pointed to the Unified Flow Collector so it can pass those along to the data store. The most common installation uses Elasticsearch and Kibana as the data store. To install and configure **both** the Elastic Stack and the ElastiFlow Unified Flow Collector, step-by-step instructions are provided for both **Ubuntu/Debian** and **RedHat/CentOS**. ::: ### Running the Collector To start the collector, execute the follow commands: ```shell sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl start flowcoll.service ``` To ensure the collector has started and is running, execute: ```shell sudo systemctl status flowcoll.service ``` The collector can be stopped using: ```shell sudo systemctl stop flowcoll.service ``` If you want the collector to be started automatically when the system is booted, it must be enabled: ```shell sudo systemctl enable flowcoll.service ``` --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://elastiflow.gitbook.io/docs/unified-flow-collector/linux.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.