Installing and configuring self-hosted Instana backend
Install and configure a self-hosted Instana backend instead of using the Instana software as a service (SaaS) solution.
If you want to use the Instana SaaS solution, you don't need to install the self-hosted Instana backend. For an Instana SaaS solution, you need only Instana agents to monitor your systems. For more information, see Installing Instana agents.
About self-hosted Instana backend
The following information provides an overview of a self-hosted Instana backend:
- You can install self-hosted Instana backend in Kubernetes and Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform environments.
- An Instana backend includes an Instana server and data stores.
- You can install a self-hosted Instana backend in an environment that is connected to the internet or is offline (air-gapped).
- After you install the self-hosted Instana backend, you need to install the Instana agents for collecting data from systems that you want to monitor.
Self-Hosted editions
For more information about the Self-Hosted editions, see Installation options.
You can use the same license for any Self-Hosted Edition. For example, from release 271 onwards, if you have a license for the Self-Hosted Classic Edition (Docker), you can use the same license to migrate to the Self-Hosted Standard Edition.
Self-Hosted Standard Edition
Install the Instana backend and data stores on a single-node or multi-node cluster.
For more information, see Installing Self-Hosted Standard Edition.
Self-Hosted Custom Edition (Kubernetes or Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform)
Install the Instana backend Kubernetes Operator on a Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform or a Kubernetes cluster.
For more information, see Installing Self-Hosted Custom Edition (Kubernetes or Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform).
Self-Hosted Classic Edition (Docker)
Install the Instana backend as several components and services that run as Docker containers and have their own sizing configurations.
For more information, see Installing Self-Hosted Classic Edition (Docker).
Self-Hosted Classic Edition (Docker) offers fewer features and capabilities. Install or migrate to Standard Edition for additional features and capabilities. If you are deploying Instana for the first time, install Standard Edition instead of Classic Edition.
Supported optional features
You can enable or disable optional features on Instana self-hosted. Some optional features are disabled by default.
The following table outlines the feature flags for optional features and their supported editions:
| Feature name | Default state | Feature flag | Standard Edition | Custom Edition | Classic Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action & Automation | Disabled | feature.automation.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Analyze infrastructure (BeeInstana) | Disabled | feature.beeinstana.infra.metrics.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business processes | Disabled | feature.business.observability.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Get answers button (AssistMe) | Disabled | feature.assistme.enabled Note: For this feature flag to work, the feature.walkme.tool.enabled feature flag must be enabled. |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WalkMe | Disabled | feature.walkme.tool.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Power HMC | Disabled | feature.phmc.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IBM Power VC | Disabled | feature.powervc.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| IBM Z HMC | Disabled | feature.zhmc.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kubecost | Enabled | feature.kubecost | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kubernetes Horizontal Pod Autoscaler | Enabled | feature.kubernetes.horizontal.pod.autoscaler.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Logging | Disabled | feature.logging.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| OpenStack | Disabled | feature.openstack.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SAP | Enabled | feature.sap.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Alerts for Infrastructure (public preview) | Disabled | feature.infra.smart.alerts.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Synthetic monitoring | Disabled | feature.synthetics.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Turbonomic actions | Enabled | feature.resource.optimization.actions.enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| VMware Tanzu | Disabled | feature.pcf.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VMware vSphere | Disabled | feature.vsphere.enabled | Yes | Yes | Yes |
For more information about enabling the optional features, see the following topics:
- Enabling optional features for Standard Edition
- Enabling optional features for Custom Edition
- Enabling optional features for Classic Edition
Related information:
