Enterprise Node Capacity and Sizing

Do Enterprise Nodes run on physical hardware or containers?

Both. Enterprise Nodes can be deployed as either physical devices or run as a container. The physical appliance can be a mini-computer or rack-mount server. Delivery times for physical appliances typically requires 2 to 4 weeks, and will vary based on shipping destination.

You can also run the Enterprise Agent in a Docker container, either your own or the one which we maintain, which includes the underlying OS.

What capacity options are available for Enterprise Nodes?

Enterprise Nodes are offered in different sized models with degrees of capacity based on the number of simultaneous (operating at the same time) tests they support. These modes are: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and A6.

The above graphic shows the number of simultaneous tests for each monitor set for each Enterprise Node model. For example, an A2 node can run 2 tests from the Browser monitor set, plus 2 tests from Emulated monitor set, plus 8 tests from the HTTP monitor set, and so on, simultaneously. These maximums only limit how many simultaneous tests can run at a given time on an node of a given size, but do not limit the number of tests a user can schedule in the Catchpoint portal.

How can I check my Enterprise Node's run status?

Enterprise users can view their nodes in the Catchpoint portal, on the Nodes > Nodes page. This page displays a listing of all Enterprise nodes used by that company, with a Run Rate for each node. Node run rate is the rate at which a node has been able to complete tests and properly report data, compared to the total number of tests scheduled for that node. This rate is displayed as a percentage value under the Nodes menu and is available for authorized Enterprise Node users.

If a node is unable to run all scheduled tests in a given time, either due to over scheduling, troubles with a test, network problems, or other issues, Catchpoint will simply queue them up until the node is available. When this occurs, a node’s Run Rate may drop below 100%, until the node catches up.

Users can view a node’s Run Rate on the Nodes page, or from the node Run Rate email report, which they can subscribe to in Email Subscriptions. More information on Run Rate can be found in the Catchpoint Knowledge Base repository.

How can more capacity be added to an Enterprise solution?

Enterprise capacity can be expanded in the following ways:

1. Upgrade the node model
   – Customers can always upgrade an Enterprise Node model to a larger size. If the existing appliance does not support the new size, replacement hardware or an upgraded virtual appliance will be required.
2. Add more nodes
   – Additional Enterprise Nodes can also be purchased. Multiple nodes can even be grouped together so they appear as a single larger node from which users can run tests.

Can I combine multiple Enterprise Instances?

Yes, multiple Enterprise Instances can be combined in a single Enterprise Node if they are the same size model with the same monitor sets. For example, you can combine four (4) A2 Instances in a single A2 sized Enterprise Node to have the equivalent capacity of an A8. This allows for flexible node deployment and growth. Thus, if you have an Enterprise node made up of a single A2 Instance, you can continuously grow by adding more A2 Instances as needed. You could not, however, add an A1 or A4 since a node can only be comprised of the same Instance size.

Are the timeout and file size download limits that exist for Backbone nodes still applicable for Enterprise Node?

The 3MB download limit for Backbone web tests does not apply to Enterprise web tests. There is no limit.

Timeout limits can be controlled through individual test properties, in Advanced Settings. By default, all tests are set to the same 30 second limit.

What are the minimum appliance requirements needed for Enterprise Nodes?

When purchased on a physical appliance, Catchpoint provides appropriately sized hardware. When run on a virtual appliance, the following minimum requirements are recommended for each corresponding node size.

Amazon reference links:

• • More details on Amazon EC2 Instance Types

• More details on Amazon EC2 Instance Configuration & Network Bandwidth

Note: If you are running primarily browser (Chrome and IE) tests; we recommend doubling up on memory for each category. For example, if using an A2 instance, ensure you are using AT LEAST 16GB of memory, as opposed to the above-listed 8GB.

Enterprise Nodes run real browser tests, and are therefore CPU-bound and RAM-bound. These requirements ensure virtual appliance allocation and physical appliance/OS do not starve actual CPUs. No other software should run on the server besides Catchpoint software.

Customers running Enterprise on virtual appliances should not overprovision or over-allocate resources to multiple instances or other virtual appliances. This will avoid having Enterprise instances contend for the same resources as other virtual appliances, potentially starving their capacity.

What is the required network bandwidth for an Enterprise Nodes?

Catchpoint recommends at least 3 Mbps, but this depends on load and usage.