Installing Agent on Linux Server

This guide walks you through installing the Pluton Agent on headless Linux servers. The server installer downloads and installs the agent directly from the Pluton CDN, making it ideal for remote or automated deployments.

Prerequisites

Before installing the Pluton Agent:

Linux server with systemd (Ubuntu Server, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, etc.)
Root/sudo access on the target machine
Active Pluton PRO license with available device slots
Internet access to download the agent package from CDN
Supported architectures: x86_64 (amd64), ARM64 (aarch64)

Step 1: Create a Device in Pluton UI

Before installing the agent, create a device entry in Pluton:

Navigate to Devices in the main navigation
Click "Add Device" in the top-right corner
Fill in the device details:
- Device Name: A descriptive name (e.g., "Production Database Server")
- Device Type: Select appropriate type (Device, Virtual Machine, Database, etc.)
Click "Create Device"
Download the configuration file (pluton-agent.json)

Step 2: Download the Configuration File

After creating the device:

Open the device details page
Click "Download Configuration" to get pluton-agent.json
Transfer this file to your server (via SCP, SFTP, etc.)

# Example: Transfer config file to server
scp pluton-agent.json user@your-server:/tmp/

Step 3: Install the Agent

Option A: One-Line Install with Config File (Recommended)

The simplest way to install on a server:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --config /tmp/pluton-agent.json

Option B: Interactive Installation

If you don't have a config file, run interactively:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash

You will be prompted to enter:

Agent ID
Server URL
API Key
Signing Key
Encryption Key
License Key

Option C: Non-Interactive with Config File

For fully automated deployments:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --config /path/to/pluton-agent.json \
  --non-interactive

Option D: Install Specific Version

To install a specific agent version:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --config /path/to/pluton-agent.json \
  --version 1.0.5

Installation Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
`--config <file>`	Yes*	Path to JSON configuration file
`--upgrade`	No	Upgrade existing installation (preserves config)
`--non-interactive`	No	Run without prompts
`--version <version>`	No	Specific version to install (default: `latest`)
`--help`	No	Show help message

*Required for fresh installations unless running interactively

Configuration File Format

The pluton-agent.json file should contain:

{
  "agentId": "your-agent-id",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key",
  "signingKey": "your-signing-key",
  "serverUrl": "https://your-pluton-server-ip-or-domain.com",
  "encryptionKey": "your-32-character-encryption-key",
  "licenseKey": "your-license-key"
}

What Gets Installed

The server installer creates the following:

Component	Location	Description
Agent binary	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/pluton-agent`	Main agent executable
Restic	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/restic`	Backup tool
Rclone	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/rclone`	Cloud sync tool
Helper scripts	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/*.sh`	File, metrics, and update helpers
Uninstall script	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh`	Built-in uninstaller
Configuration	`/etc/pluton-agent/pluton-agent.env`	Environment configuration
Data directory	`/var/lib/pluton-agent/`	Agent data and state
Systemd service	`/etc/systemd/system/pluton-agent.service`	Service definition
Sudoers config	`/etc/sudoers.d/pluton-agent`	Privilege escalation rules
Wrapper scripts	`/usr/local/bin/prclone`, `/usr/local/bin/prestic`	CLI wrappers
Agent symlink	`/usr/local/bin/pluton-agent`	System-wide agent command

Verify Installation

Check if the agent is running:

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status pluton-agent

# View recent logs
sudo journalctl -u pluton-agent -n 50

# Check agent version
pluton-agent --version

# Check in Pluton UI - device should show as "Online"

Managing the Agent Service

# Start the agent
sudo systemctl start pluton-agent

# Stop the agent
sudo systemctl stop pluton-agent

# Restart the agent
sudo systemctl restart pluton-agent

# View live logs
sudo journalctl -u pluton-agent -f

# Check status
sudo systemctl status pluton-agent

# Enable/disable on boot
sudo systemctl enable pluton-agent
sudo systemctl disable pluton-agent

Using the CLI Wrappers

The installation creates wrapper scripts for direct command-line access:

# Use restic with agent configuration
prestic snapshots

# Use rclone with agent configuration
prclone listremotes

# Run agent commands directly
pluton-agent --version

Upgrading the Agent

To upgrade an existing installation while preserving configuration:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- --upgrade

The upgrade process:

Loads existing configuration from /etc/pluton-agent/pluton-agent.env
Stops the running service
Downloads and installs the latest version
Restarts the service with preserved configuration

Upgrade to Specific Version

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --upgrade \
  --version 1.0.6

Uninstalling the Agent

Use the built-in uninstall script:

sudo /opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh

Or download and run directly:

curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/uninstall.sh | sudo bash

Uninstall Options

Option	Description
`--force` or `-f`	Skip confirmation prompts
`--keep-data`	Keep data directory (useful for reinstall)
`--remove-rear`	Also remove ReaR if installed by agent
`--help` or `-h`	Show help message

Examples:

# Non-interactive uninstall
sudo /opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh --force

# Uninstall but keep data for reinstall
sudo /opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh --keep-data

# Uninstall including ReaR
sudo /opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh --remove-rear

This will:

Stop and disable the systemd service
Remove agent binaries and installation directory
Remove configuration directory
Remove sudoers configuration
Remove wrapper scripts
Remove the dedicated pluton-agent user
Remove data directory (unless --keep-data is used)

Ansible/Automation Example

For configuration management tools like Ansible:

- name: Install Pluton Agent
  hosts: servers
  become: yes
  vars:
    pluton_config:
      agentId: "{{ agent_id }}"
      apiKey: "{{ vault_api_key }}"
      secretKey: "{{ vault_secret_key }}"
      serverUrl: "https://your-pluton-server-ip-or-domain.com"
      encryptionKey: "{{ vault_encryption_key }}"
      licenseKey: "{{ vault_license_key }}"
      serverPublicKey: "{{ server_public_key }}"
  tasks:
    - name: Create config file
      copy:
        content: "{{ pluton_config | to_json }}"
        dest: /tmp/pluton-agent.json
        mode: "0600"

    - name: Install agent
      shell: |
        curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | \
        bash -s -- --config /tmp/pluton-agent.json --non-interactive

    - name: Remove config file
      file:
        path: /tmp/pluton-agent.json
        state: absent

Troubleshooting

Agent Shows "Offline" in Pluton UI

Check service status:
```
sudo systemctl status pluton-agent
```

Check network connectivity:

# Test connection to the server
nc -zv your-pluton-server-ip

Review agent logs:

sudo journalctl -u pluton-agent -n 100 --no-pager

Service Fails to Start

Check configuration:

sudo cat /etc/pluton-agent/pluton-agent.env

Verify file permissions:

ls -la /etc/pluton-agent/
ls -la /var/lib/pluton-agent/
ls -la /opt/pluton-agent/bin/

Test binary manually:

sudo -u pluton-agent /opt/pluton-agent/bin/pluton-agent --version

Check for missing dependencies:
```
ldd /opt/pluton-agent/bin/pluton-agent
```

Download Fails

Verify license key is valid

Check internet connectivity:

curl -I https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/releases/latest/version

Check DNS resolution:
```
nslookup dl.usepluton.com
```

Check for proxy requirements:

# If behind a proxy
export https_proxy=http://proxy.example.com:8080
curl -sSL https://dl.usepluton.com/agent/scripts/install.sh | sudo -E bash -s -- --config /tmp/config.json

Permission Denied Errors

Check sudoers configuration:

sudo visudo -c -f /etc/sudoers.d/pluton-agent

Verify user exists:
```
id pluton-agent
```
Check directory ownership:
```
ls -la /var/lib/pluton-agent/
```

SELinux Issues (RHEL/CentOS)

If SELinux is blocking the agent:

# Check for denials
sudo ausearch -m avc -ts recent

# Create policy module (if needed)
sudo audit2allow -a -M pluton-agent
sudo semodule -i pluton-agent.pp

# Or set permissive mode for troubleshooting
sudo setenforce 0

Security Considerations

The agent runs as a dedicated pluton-agent user with limited privileges
Credentials are stored in /etc/pluton-agent/pluton-agent.env with 640 permissions
The sudoers configuration grants only specific, necessary privileges for backup operations
All communication with the Pluton server is over HTTPS, authenticated using API keys

Important: After installation, delete the configuration file as it contains sensitive credentials:

rm -f /tmp/pluton-agent.json

File Locations Reference

Purpose	Location
Agent binary	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/pluton-agent`
Restic binary	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/restic`
Rclone binary	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/rclone`
Uninstall script	`/opt/pluton-agent/bin/uninstall.sh`
Environment config	`/etc/pluton-agent/pluton-agent.env`
Rclone config	`/etc/pluton-agent/rclone.conf`
Data directory	`/var/lib/pluton-agent/`
Progress files	`/var/lib/pluton-agent/progress/`
Identity keys	`/var/lib/pluton-agent/identity/`
Service file	`/etc/systemd/system/pluton-agent.service`
Sudoers file	`/etc/sudoers.d/pluton-agent`

Prerequisites​

Step 1: Create a Device in Pluton UI​

Step 2: Download the Configuration File​

Step 3: Install the Agent​

Option A: One-Line Install with Config File (Recommended)​

Option B: Interactive Installation​

Option C: Non-Interactive with Config File​

Option D: Install Specific Version​

Installation Parameters​

Configuration File Format​

What Gets Installed​

Verify Installation​

Managing the Agent Service​

Using the CLI Wrappers​

Upgrading the Agent​

Upgrade to Specific Version​

Uninstalling the Agent​

Uninstall Options​

Ansible/Automation Example​

Troubleshooting​

Agent Shows "Offline" in Pluton UI​

Service Fails to Start​

Download Fails​

Permission Denied Errors​

SELinux Issues (RHEL/CentOS)​

Security Considerations​

File Locations Reference​