A new Instana agent has been installed on a Linux host and the agent process is confirmed running via ps aux. After 20 minutes, no host metrics appear in the Instana UI. Which file should the administrator examine first to diagnose why the agent is not reporting?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation and Infographic
The primary diagnostic file for the Instana agent is /opt/instana/agent/log/agent.log, which records all startup events, backend connectivity attempts, authentication results, and sensor errors. When an agent is running but silent, this log will typically contain connection timeout, refused, or authentication failure messages that directly identify the root cause. The OS syslog and configuration file are useful secondary references but rarely contain the agent-specific error detail needed for initial diagnosis.
Full explanation below image
Full Explanation
The primary diagnostic file for the Instana agent is /opt/instana/agent/log/agent.log, which records all startup events, backend connectivity attempts, authentication results, and sensor errors. When an agent is running but silent, this log will typically contain connection timeout, refused, or authentication failure messages that directly identify the root cause. The OS syslog and configuration file are useful secondary references but rarely contain the agent-specific error detail needed for initial diagnosis. The correct answer is '/opt/instana/agent/log/agent.log'. The incorrect options — '/var/log/syslog on the host operating system', '/opt/instana/agent/etc/instana/configuration.yaml', '/opt/instana/agent/log/sensor-output.log' — are wrong because they do not align with IBM Instana's architecture or recommended practices for this scenario. Understanding this concept is essential for the Domain 6: Troubleshooting domain of the IBM Instana Observability certification.