Installing Cribl Edge on Windows

You can install Cribl Edge on Windows Server 2016, 2019, or 2022. To start:

1. Set a compatible browser as your default browser: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Chrome. (We support the five most-recent versions of these browsers. Cribl Edge is not compatible with Internet Explorer.)
2. Ensure that the required ports are available (see Network Ports).
3. Go to the Cribl Download page and set the Software drop-down to Cribl Edge for Windows.
4. Click Download Now to get the .msi installer.

You can also concatenate and copy/paste the bootstrap script in your command prompt to add Windows Node.

Select the Installation Type​

You now have two installation options:

• Launch the .msi to install via an interactive wizard.
• Use the .msi to install via a command prompt, or to script bulk installs.

Either method installs Cribl Edge as a Windows service. This enables Cribl Edge to automatically restart whenever the Windows Server reboots.

If you are on Cribl.Cloud, the Enabling TLS After Installation section will walk you through creating an instance.yml file upon initial Cribl Edge/Windows installation, and then copying it to the same location for each subsequent install.

Please see Known Issues for any current limitations on automatic version upgrades.

Using the Wizard​

1. Double-click the Cribl Edge .msi to launch the Cribl Edge Setup Wizard. Click Next to start.

2. Read the End-User License Agreement and check the box to accept the terms. For the most current copy and details, see Terms of Service.

3. On the wizard’s next page, confirm or change the Destination Folder. (The default path will expand as C:\Program Files\Cribl\bin).

   

   

4. If the installer detects a config file from a previous installation (prior to v.4.1), the modal will ask you if you want to keep your current config. Check the box next to Keep Config to persist your previous configurations stored in the instance.yml file. Click Next to continue.

   

   

5. If you chose to keep your previous configuration, the installer will skip this option to Select the installation type. Select either Managed or Standalone as the installation type.

   For Cribl.Cloud, Select Managed Edge Node.

   

   

6. If you select Managed mode, enter the Leader URI (<Leader-hostname-or-IP address>), Auth Token, and optionally the Fleet.

   

   

7. Optionally, Log in as Local System is checked by default. Uncheck it to enter your Username and Password credentials to run Cribl Edge. To successfully log Cribl Edge as a service, you might need to include the domain name in the Username. Click Next to continue.

   

   

   

   

8. Optionally select Create a desktop shortcut.

   

   

9. On the final Ready to Install page, click Install to confirm.

   

   

10. When installation is complete, double-click the Cribl Edge icon on your Desktop or File Explorer. This will launch Cribl Edge’s login page in your default browser. Or go to http://localhost:9420 and log in with default credentials (admin:admin).

As of Cribl Edge v.4.0, the modified data (including the instance.yml) now goes to C:\ProgramData\Cribl instead of C:\Program Files\Cribl.

Retrieving Cribl.Cloud Credentials​

On Cribl.Cloud, retrieve the Leader URI and Auth Token from your Cloud instance like this:

1. Navigate to the Manage Edge Nodes page.
2. From the Add/Update Edge Node control at upper right, select Bootstrap new.
3. Select Add Windows.
4. Copy the Leader hostname/IP value.
5. The Leader Port field is 4200.
6. Display the Auth Token value, and copy/paste it into the installer. The Auth Token is required to enable communication between the Leader and Edge Node.

Using the MSI Installer​

From the command line, you can install Cribl Edge as a single instance or as a Managed Node.

Installing Single-Instance/Standalone Cribl Edge​

To run Edge locally, as a single-instance deployment on your own machine, enter the following at your command prompt for a silent install:

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>-<arch>.msi /qn 

Next, go to http://localhost:9420 and log in with default credentials (admin:admin).

You can now start configuring Cribl Edge with Sources and Destinations, or start creating Routes and Pipelines.

Installing Managed Edge Nodes​

You can use the Leader UI to concatenate and copy/paste the bootstrap script for adding a Windows Node.

Or, to run Cribl Edge as a managed Node, enter the following at your command prompt for a silent install:

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>.msi /qn MODE=mode-managed-edge HOSTNAME=<yourhostname> PORT=4200 AUTH=myAuthToken FLEET=myfleet

For Cribl Edge v.4.1.0 or later, use the flag KEEPDATA=1 to persist data between installs. KEEPDATA will not overwrite the existing configurations, state, logs, etc.

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>.msi /qn KEEPDATA=1

For prior versions, use the flag COPYDATA=1 to persist data between installs. COPYDATA copies the instance.yml file from C:\Program Files\Cribl to C:\ProgramData\Cribl.

You can now manage this node from the specified Leader.

For other parameter options, see the CLI Reference. Here is an example command:

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>.msi /qn MODE=mode-managed-edge HOSTNAME=192.0.2.1 PORT=4200 AUTH=myAuthToken FLEET=myfleet COPYDATA=1

If you are installing Cribl Edge into a Docker container on Windows, you must include the username. For example:

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>.msi /qn MODE=mode-managed-edge HOSTNAME=192.0.2.1 PORT=4200 AUTH=myAuthToken FLEET=myfleet COPYDATA=1 USERNAME=LocalSystem

Enabling TLS After Installation​

Some on-prem deployments don’t require secure (TLS) communication between the Leader and Edge Node. In these cases, the Managed Node will complete its configuration, followed by removing the admin/admin password. There will be no reason to locally log in, as you can manage the Edge Node via the Leader UI.

For sites using secure TLS connections to the Leader, including Cribl.Cloud, you must configure the local Edge Node to enable TLS. To do this:

1. Log into your local instance (at http://localhost:9420) with the default credentials (admin/admin).
2. Enable TLS locally. For details, see Connecting to the Leader Securely.
3. When prompted, restart your Cribl Edge instance.
4. Locate the instance.yml file in:
   • Cribl Edge v.4.0.X or earlier: Program Files\cribl\local\_system.
   • Cribl Edge v. 4.1 or later: C:\ProgramData\Cribl.

To avoid this post-installation update for subsequent Windows installations to other servers, you can copy the instance.yml from this server. After the installation is complete, paste the instance.ymlfile into subsequent servers’ \Program Files\cribl\local\_system folder.

To connect each new Cribl Edge instance to this config file, you’ll need to either restart the Windows Server, or simply run the following commands as a Windows Administrator:

net stop cribl

net start cribl

Troubleshooting and Logging​

Here are some helpful tips:

Setting Logging Options​

To debug .msi installation or upgrade issues, you can run msiexec.exe to set logging options. See Microsoft’s Logging Options topic.

Changing the Installation Directory​

If you want to change the installation directory, use the msiexec command APPLICATIONROOTDIRECTORY. For example:

msiexec.exe /i Cribl-Edge.msi APPLICATIONROOTDIRECTORY="C:\test\" /L*V "C:\Log\CriblInstall.log"

If you’re using PowerShell to run the silent install, add two extra pairs of quotes to escape the command’s own quote delimiters. For example:

msiexec /i cribl-<version>-<build>.msi """MODE=mode-managed-edge HOSTNAME=192.0.2.1 PORT=4200 AUTH=myAuthToken FLEET=myfleet
"""

Cribl University offers a course titled How to Install & Configure Edge on Windows that illustrates the installation steps. To follow the direct course link, first log into your Cribl University account. (To create an account, click the Sign up link. You’ll need to click through a short Terms & Conditions presentation, with chill music, before proceeding to courses – but Cribl’s training is always free of charge.) Once logged in, check out other useful Cribl Edge courses.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Here are some common questions about Cribl Edge on Windows, and the answers!

Q: What is the nssm.exe process?

A: nssm.exe is a wrapper for the cribl.exe binary. It gives Windows Service Manager the ability to manage an executable program without having to provide a number of required binary APIs on the executable. So, instead of the cribl.exe binary needing to provide the APIs, nssm.exe acts as an intermediary, providing the necessary APIs itself and subsequently spawning cribl.exe as a child process.

Q: Why is nssm.exe important?

A: The nssm.exe process ensures that Cribl Edge is stable and reliable on Windows, both by booting up Cribl Edge and restarting it for you. With the nssm.exe process running, Cribl Edge remains operational even if it closes unexpectedly. While some antivirus software might flag nssm.exe due to its monitoring and restart functionality, nssm.exe is a legitimate and essential component of Cribl Edge.

High CPU utilization may appear shortly after launching Cribl Edge but is not necessarily related to nssm.exe. We recommend waiting for Cribl Edge to fully boot and stabilize before checking CPU usage.