How does EUM component compatibility work?

[#1]

NOTE: The information in this article is not release-specific. You can reference it for any release

If you need to upgrade a EUM component (e.g., for a bug fix), you’ll first want to know how that upgrade would impact your entire environment and reporting.

This article breaks down version compatibility for the different EUM components: JavaScript Agents, Mobile Agents (iOS, Android, Xamarin, Cordova), the EUM Server, and the Events Service.

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Table of Contents

• How does EUM compatibility work?
• In what order should I check EUM component compatibility?
1. Check Controller and EUM server compatibility
2. Check Controller and EUM server compatibility with the Events Service 
3. How do I determine Mobile Agent version compatibility? 
• Mobile Agent version compatibility

How does EUM compatibility work?

The various AppDynamics components talk to each other by exposing APIs. They have a client/service relationship.

For example, JavaScript Agents send browser metric data to the EUM Server using a collector API. In this case, the JavaScript Agent becomes the client for the EUM Server. If you upgrade the JavaScript Agent, you need to make sure that the EUM Server version is compatible in order to understand the call.

AppDynamics ensures that the components are backward compatible with their clients, but if the client itself (e.g., JavaScript Agent) is upgraded to a higher version, there could be compatibility issues. The client might be talking to the Server in a language that the Server might not understand. In this example, you would need to upgrade the EUM Server to a version equal to or higher than the JavaScript Agent.

In what order should I check EUM component compatibility?

NOTE: See “How do I get started with upgrading my AppDynamics components?” for a complete collection of compatibility matrices

If you intend to upgrade your iOS Agent to the latest version:

1. Check Controller and EUM server compatibility

Check to make sure you’re using at least the recommended minimum compatible Controller and EUM Server versions so all features for that agent version will function correctly and there will be no unexpected side effects.

2. Check Controller and EUM server compatibility with the Events Service

If you update your Controller and EUM Server, you should plan to upgrade the Events Service to ensure that the Events Service version is higher than or equal to the EUM Server and Controller version.

3. Version compatibility
   

Although we encourage you to keep your environment components within compatible versions (as listed in How do I get started with upgrading my AppDynamics components?), in some cases components can still be compatible if they vary within just the patch version.

How do I determine Mobile Agent version compatibility? 

To determine the minimum versions of the Controller and EUM Server required for supporting the latest features of the Mobile Agents, see the Mobile Agent Version and Deployment Support Matrix.

Last Updated: 8/25/20

[Joseph.Shaughnessy]

I have had conflicting responses from AppD support concerning the compatibility of the standalone machine agent (a.k.a. Server Agent) with the controller. I am simply attempting to determine if a 4.4.1 SaaS controller will truly support a 4.4.3 standalone machine agent? From looking at the above, it appears that it would, but due to some issues we have run into AppD engineering had confirmed that "all newer version agents EXCEPT the machine agent can be supported by the 4.4.3 controller. We are again experiencing some issues and AppD support is now again stating that the 4.4.1 controller has no issues with a 4.4.3 machine agent. So, which way is it...... Any other experience or thoughts on this? Thanks much.

[Nina.Wolinsky]

@Joseph.Shaughnessy I apologize for the confusion. Here is a breakdown of compatability between the Machine Agent and the Controller:

Machine Agent v4.5.2 or newer is compatible with Controller v4.4.0 or newer
Machine Agent v4.5.0 - 4.5.1 is compatible with Controller v4.5.0 - 4.5.x
Machine Agent v4.4.0 - 4.4.3 is compatible with Controller v4.4.0 - 4.4.3
Machine Agent v4.3.x, 4.4.x, and 4.5.x is compatible with Controller v4.5.x

To answer your specific question, a v4.4.3 Machine Agent  would work with a v4.4.1  Controller. Please let us know if you have any further questions about this. 

We'll update the article to make this information clearer.

[Venkat.Subramani]

Can you simplify the compatibility matrix in a table? Eliminate the distracting colors maybe to make it look professional than holi painting?

[Claudia.Landivar]

As of 2020, the term "Standalone Machine Agent" has been discontinued in favor of simply "Machine Agent."

Claudia Landivar
Community Manager & Editor
AppDynamics

[Claudia.Landivar]

@Venkat.Subramani, thank you for the feedback!

As it happens we're working on an update to our suite of checklist articles, with attention to improving the usability of those version compatibility matrices. I agree that tables are the way forward.

Looking forward to sharing our efforts with you and all the Community!

Claudia Landivar

Community Manager & Editor, Knowledge Base

AppDynamics

[Claudia.Landivar]

@Venkat.Subramani, it's taken awhile due to dependencies, but do let us know how you find working with this revised article on EUM component compatibility. You'll find the compatibility matrices in How do I get started upgrading my AppDynamics components?, linked within the article above.