Deploy Metric Insights as a Local Sandbox

Beginning v7.1.0 Metric Insights application is shipped with a Vagrant configuration file for local application deployment, supporting both x86_64 and ARM64 architectures. Deploying Metric Insights as a local sandbox allows for Custom Script and Portal Page development without connecting to an MI server.

Table of contents:

  1. Download Installation Package
  2. Install Required Software
  3. Install Vagrant Plugins
  4. Start Virtual Machine
  5. Log into Metric Insights
  6. Architecture-Specific Details

NOTE: Setup instructions and credentials can be found in the installation package file README.MD.

1. Download Metric Insights Installation Package

Access https://get.metricinsights.com/ to download the Metric Insights installation package.

2. Install Required Software

Download and install the required software based on the system architecture:

x86_64

  1. Download Vagrant (version 2.3.7 or higher)
  2. Download VirtualBox (version 7.0 or higher)
  3. Install Vagrant plugins from the MI installer directory:
    1. vagrant plugin install vagrant-disksize
    2. vagrant plugin install vagrant-vbguest

ARM64 (Apple Silicon)

  1. Download Vagrant (version 2.3.7 or higher)
  2. Download VMware Fusion
  3. Download Vagrant VMware Utility
  4. Install vagrant-vmware-desktop plugin via:
vagrant plugin install vagrant-vmware-desktop

Alternatively, install all the required software using brew:

brew install --cask vmware-fusion
brew install --cask vagrant
brew install --cask vagrant-vmware-utility
vagrant plugin install vagrant-vmware-desktop

3. Start Virtual Machine from MI Installer Directory

NOTES (For ARM64 machines):

  • Vagrant automatically uses VMware Fusion as the provider.
  • The application can be accessed via both the VM's IP address and localhost, thanks to port forwarding.
  • Ports 80 and 443 are automatically forwarded from the VM to the host.
  1. Start the virtual machine from the MI installer directory where the Vagrantfile is located: vagrant up
  2. Once the virtual machine is running, access the application via the Application access URL
    • For ARM64, the application can be also accessed via https://localhost.

Virtual Machine Commands Cheat Sheet

  • Start the virtual machine: 
vagrant up
  • Stop the virtual machine:
vagrant halt
  • Restart the virtual machine:
vagrant reload
  • Destroy (delete) the virtual machine:
vagrant destroy
  • Access the virtual machine via SSH: 
vagrant ssh

Custom Configuration

To customize the virtual machine's settings, create a vagrant.config file in the project directory. Below are the available options you can configure:

  • vm_ip: Set the IP address of the virtual machine (default: 192.168.192.10)
  • installer_options: Additional options for the installer script (default: --bind-address 0.0.0.0)
  • vm_cpus: Number of virtual CPUs allocated to the VM (default: 4)
  • vm_memory: Amount of memory (in MB) allocated to the VM (default: 8192)

Example vagrant.config:

vm_ip = "192.168.192.100"
installer_options = "--bind-address 0.0.0.0 --verbose"
vm_cpus = "2"
vm_memory = "8192"

4. Access Metric Insights Application

Depending on your browser you will likely get an SSL warning. This is because the Metric Insights server ships with a default self-signed certificate. Accept the warning to get to the login prompt:

  1. [Advanced]
  2. [Accept the Risk and Continue]

5. Log into Metric Insights

Log in using the default credentials provided in the README.MD file.

6. Architecture-Specific Details

ARM64

  • VMware Fusion is used automatically when running on ARM64 architecture.
  • Ports 80 and 443 are forwarded from the VM to the host, allowing application access via both the VM’s IP address and localhost.
  • Ensure that the vagrant-vmware-desktop plugin is installed.

x86_64

  • VirtualBox is used as the default provider.
  • The application can be accessed using the VM's IP address.