Today, when the internet has reached every corner, it has revolutionized the world. All the major companies are now connected to the internet. Their data is online, and many of them cannot afford to go offline for a single minute. If so, this will entail a huge loss of trust, time, and money. Here comes in handy the AI enterprise agents that help you handle and monitor your entire business empire online. ThousandEyes enterprise agent requirements are necessary to check in order to make sure that your business is running smoothly and successfully.
What Is a ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent?
A ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent is a small software program that you install on your own servers or network devices. After you install it, the agent keeps watching your network. It checks if your apps, websites, and internet connections are working properly. Then it sends the results to the ThousandEyes platform so you can see what is happening.
ThousandEyes has three types of agents:
- Enterprise Agents are installed and managed by you, on your own servers or devices
- Cloud Agents are managed by ThousandEyes and are shared between all customers
- Endpoint Agents are installed on employee laptops or computers
This guide only covers Enterprise Agents; for enterprise AI agents used for other business tasks, check our guide.
Hardware Requirements
Before you install the agent, your server or device needs to meet some basic hardware requirements. The exact requirements depend on whether you use a feature called BrowserBot.
BrowserBot is an add-on for the agent. It lets the agent open websites like a real web browser and check if they load correctly. If you want to test websites this way, you need BrowserBot. If you only want to test basic network connections, you do not need it.
| Requirement | With BrowserBot | Without BrowserBot |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 Cores | 2 Cores |
| RAM | 2 GB | 1 GB |
| Architecture | 64-Bit Only | 64-Bit Only |
Things many teams miss about BrowserBot:
- It does not work on Amazon Linux 2
- It does not work when the agent is installed on Cisco switches or routers
- You can add or remove BrowserBot from a Docker agent later, without reinstalling everything
Supported Operating Systems
An operating system (OS) is the main software that runs on a computer or server. Windows and macOS are common examples. ThousandEyes Enterprise Agents only run on Linux, which is another type of operating system used mostly on servers.
The supported Linux versions are:
- Ubuntu (only LTS versions are supported. LTS means “Long Term Support”, so these versions receive updates for a longer time than regular Ubuntu versions)
- RHEL, AlmaLinux, Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux (these are all similar to each other and are commonly used on business servers)
Two important things to know:
- You cannot install the agent directly on Alpine Linux, even though it is used inside Docker and Cisco agents
- If you run Ubuntu inside Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), the agent will not work. WSL is a tool that lets Windows users run Linux programs, but it is not fully supported here
What About Windows and macOS?
There is no version of the Enterprise Agent that runs directly on Windows or macOS. However, you can use a virtual machine to solve this problem.
A virtual machine is like a computer inside your computer. You can run Linux inside a virtual machine on Windows or macOS, and then install the agent inside that Linux environment.
| Your Device | Use This |
|---|---|
| Windows Server | Microsoft Hyper-V |
| Windows (Home or Pro) | Oracle VirtualBox |
| macOS (Intel Chip) | VirtualBox, Parallels, or VMware Fusion |
| macOS (M1, M2, or M3 Chip) | Not Supported |
OS Support Lifecycle: The Most Missed Requirement
This is the requirement that almost no one talks about, but it can cause serious problems.
Every operating system has a support period. After that period ends, the company that made it stops releasing updates and security fixes. When this happens, ThousandEyes also stops supporting agents that run on that OS.
This happens in four steps:
Step 1: Active Support: Everything works normally. You get updates and help from ThousandEyes.
Step 2: End of Installation Support: You can no longer install new agents on this OS version. But agents that are already running will keep working. This step starts 90 days before Step 3.
Step 3: End of Support: ThousandEyes no longer fixes bugs or offers help for agents on this OS. The agent may still send data, but there is no official support.
Step 4: End of Life: The agent stops working completely. It shuts itself down and shows an error message. This happens 60 days after Step 3.
When your agent’s OS is getting close to End of Life, the OS name will turn red in the Agent Settings page. Do not ignore this warning.
RHEL Lifecycle Dates
| OS Version | Last Day to Install | Shuts Down Completely |
|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9.4 | January 30, 2026 | June 29, 2026 |
| RHEL 9.6 | March 1, 2027 | July 29, 2027 |
| RHEL 8.10 | March 2, 2029 | July 30, 2029 |
| RHEL 9.10 | March 2, 2032 | July 30, 2032 |
For Ubuntu dates, check the ThousandEyes Support Lifecycle page.
How You Can Install the Agent
There are several ways to install a ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent. Each method works differently and has its own requirements.
| Installation Type | What You Need |
|---|---|
| Virtual Appliance | A hypervisor program (VMware, VirtualBox, or Hyper-V) and internet access |
| Linux Package | A supported Linux OS and access to its software-update repositories |
| Docker | Docker installed on a Linux machine — not on Windows or macOS |
| Intel NUC (Small PC) | A ThousandEyes ISO image and a supported Intel NUC device |
| Raspberry Pi | See the separate ThousandEyes Raspberry Pi guide |
| Cisco Devices | IOx feature turned on and the correct software version |
For Linux Package installs, the agent needs access to up-to-date OS software update servers. For example, an agent on RHEL 7.4 needs access to all RHEL 7.x updates, not just the 7.4 version. If your network does not allow public internet access, you need to set up a local copy of the update server.
Cisco Device Requirements
You can install Enterprise Agents directly on supported Cisco network devices, such as switches and routers. This is useful because it means you do not need a separate server at each office location.
Software Version Requirements
| Agent Version | Minimum Cisco IOS XE Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Agent 3.0 | 17.3.3 | Cannot test websites; cannot go back to an older version |
| Agent 4.0 | 17.6.1 | Can test websites (BrowserBot supported) |
StackWise Setup
Some companies connect multiple Cisco switches together so they work as one unit. This is called a StackWise setup. If you use this, you must change an important setting before installing the agent.
By default, Cisco uses a setting called N+1 mode to decide which switch is in charge. You must change this to 1:1 mode. Without this change, the agent may lose its internet connection when the switches hand over control to each other.
- Install the agent on the active (main) switch only
- The backup switch needs at least 4 GB of free storage space
SD-WAN Version Requirements
SD-WAN is a technology that helps companies manage internet connections across multiple office locations. If you use Cisco SD-WAN, make sure your software version meets these requirements:
| Type | Minimum Version | Best Version |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco IOS XE | 17.9 | 17.15.1 or Newer |
| Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN | Release 20.9 | Release 20.12.1 or Newer |
NX-OS Devices (Nexus Switches)
For Nexus switches, you have two ways to connect the agent to your network:
- Mgmt0 interface: Simple to set up, but it is only meant for management tasks, not for running network tests
- Gateway Bridge: More steps to set up, but required if you want the agent to monitor real network traffic
Firewall and Network Requirements
A firewall is a security system that controls which internet traffic is allowed in and out of your network. For the agent to work, your firewall must allow certain types of traffic.
Basic Access Needed for All Agents
The agent must be able to connect to these addresses on the internet:
- app.thousandeyes.com – the agent sends test results here and receives its settings from here
- ThousandEyes update servers – keeps the agent software up to date
- Ubuntu update servers – keeps the operating system secure (for virtual appliance installs only)
Ports to Open for Your Tests
A port is like a door number on a server. Different types of traffic use different port numbers. Open these ports in your firewall based on which tests you want to run:
| Test Type | Protocol | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Agent-to-Agent Tests | TCP / UDP | 49153 |
| Voice / RTP Tests | UDP | 49152 |
| SIP Server (Standard) | TCP | 5060 |
| SIP Server (Secure) | TCP | 5061 |
| Device Monitoring (SNMP) | UDP | 161 |
A note about NAT: NAT is a method that lets multiple devices share one internet address. If your agent is behind a NAT firewall, use a simple static rule that maps one internal IP address to one external IP address. Also note that ping tests (called ICMP) do not work through NAT using the host’s IP address. You need a separate IP address for this.
Proxy Requirements
A proxy is a server that sits between your computer and the internet. Instead of connecting directly to a website, your computer connects to the proxy first, and the proxy connects to the website for you. Companies use proxies to filter traffic and improve security.
There are four types of proxy setups. Each one needs a different configuration:
Type A: Transparent Proxy, No Inspection: The proxy passes traffic through without reading it. No extra steps are needed. Install the agent normally.
Type B: Transparent Proxy, With SSL Inspection: This proxy reads your secure (HTTPS) traffic to check it for security threats. You need to install the proxy’s security certificate on the agent. This tells the agent to trust the proxy when it reads HTTPS traffic.
Type C: Explicit Proxy, No Password: The agent needs to know which proxy server to use. You provide the proxy address and port number during installation.
Type D: Explicit Proxy, With Password: Same as Type C, but you also need a username and password. Be careful here. The password is sent in a simple, encoded format that is easy to decode. If your company does not allow this, ask your network team to add the agent’s IP address to an approved list at the proxy instead.
Capacity Planning
How Much Can One Agent Handle?
Every agent has a limit on how many tests it can run at the same time. ThousandEyes shows this as a percentage in the Agent Settings page. When this number gets close to 100%, some tests will not run on time and will show “No data” in the results.
If one agent is not enough, you can group several agents together into a cluster, which is useful in different AI agent use cases where the workload needs to be shared automatically. The tests will then be shared across all agents in the group automatically.
Special Limits for Traffic Insights
Traffic Insights is a feature that lets the agent collect and analyze network flow data. Network flow data is a record of which devices are communicating with each other and how much data they are sending. If you use this feature, there are extra limits to be aware of:
- The agent can run a maximum of 10 tests at the same time when used for Traffic Insights
- Your account can process a maximum of 500,000 flows per second
- The agent cannot be shared with other account groups when this feature is enabled
- Check the Dropped Events column in Traffic Insights > Settings > Forwarders. If the number is above 0, the agent is receiving more data than it can handle
Pre-Deployment Checklist
- Account Group Token obtained from the ThousandEyes portal
- OS version is supported, and the lifecycle phase is checked
- OS software update servers are accessible
- CPU and RAM meet the requirements (add 1 GB RAM if using BrowserBot)
- The agent can reach app.thousandeyes.com and update the servers
- Proxy type identified; security certificate installed if needed
- Firewall ports are open for the tests you plan to run
- For Cisco devices: IOx enabled, software version checked, 1:1 StackWise mode configured
Common Problems and Solutions
1. The agent shut down with an error message: The OS probably reached End of Life. Go to Agent Settings and check if the OS name is shown in red. This is a warning that appears before the agent shuts down.
2. BrowserBot is not working on Amazon Linux 2: Amazon Linux 2 does not support BrowserBot. You need to move to a different supported OS if you want to run browser tests.
3. The Cisco agent is not running page load tests: This is expected behavior. BrowserBot does not work on Cisco App Hosting deployments.
4. The agent went offline after a firmware update: Check that your software version still meets the minimum requirement for your agent version. Agent 3.0 cannot be rolled back to an older version.
5. You are worried about proxy password security: Ask your network team to add the agent’s IP address to an approved list at the proxy. This way, the agent does not need to send a password at all.
Conclusion
Setting up a ThousandEyes Enterprise Agent is not complicated, but there are several requirements that are easy to miss. In larger environments, network observability remains important for understanding how performance issues appear across systems and paths. The most common problems come from OS lifecycle deadlines, BrowserBot limitations, blocked software update servers, wrong proxy settings, and missing Cisco StackWise configuration.
Check these before you deploy. Use the checklist above as your reference. Watch the OS lifecycle dates so your agent never shuts down unexpectedly. Get these right,t and your deployment will go smoothly.