Install a Docker checkpoint

This knowledge base article provides a setup guide to configure Windows Server 2022 or 2019 as a host operating system. It also explains how to set up and start a containerized Docker private checkpoint .

Before installation, ensure that all the requirements and settings are met. Uptrends will provide you with all the necessary files to get started.

Installation script

Uptrends provides an installation script that you can download as a .zip file from the Private locations menu of the Uptrends app . This script is available for each of your Private locations and performs the main installation steps. These steps include installing Docker and Docker Compose, pulling the Uptrends container images, performing a startup and update task, and starting the containerized checkpoint.

Installation steps

To install a checkpoint using the script:

1. Go to the Private locations menu.
2. If you haven’t added any Private locations , click the Add location button. Once added, two checkpoints will be included by default.
3. Click the Private locations' checkpoint name.
4. Select the required operating system from the Host Operating System dropdown.
5. Click the Download installation zip file button.

5. Unzip the downloaded file in the place where you want to install the private checkpoint.
6. To prevent screenshots from uploading to the cloud, edit the docker-compose file after downloading and extracting the files.

7. Open a PowerShell console and run it as Administrator. Run the script ./install-checkpoint.ps1 in the Uptrends (unzip) directory. This will restart the server once. Note that the script will configure a task that runs once every hour to check the Uptrends containers for updates.

The checkpoints are now available and can be selected on the monitor’s Checkpoints tab. You can also see the checkpoints in the Check details dialog when running a quick test directly from the monitor using the Test now button.

Monitoring your private checkpoint

Uptrends will make changes to your account to better assist you in monitoring your private checkpoints. Please ensure that all your private checkpoint’s servers, firewall, internet connection, and other supporting systems remain accessible.

During the private checkpoint setup, Uptrends will add additional monitors and configurations. Please do not delete or modify anything in your account.

For more information, refer to the How to use Private locations knowledge base article.

Installation of client certificates for Private locations

This section is an optional installation guide for certificates on a Docker-based Private locations. These steps are only needed if any of your applications under test require installing a certificate.

Before installing the client certificates, ensure you’ve followed the installation steps as mentioned earlier. Keep in mind that client certificates in Multi-step API monitors and client certificates for Private locations are different and unrelated topics.

To install the client certificates:

1. Open the Private locations script from your directory (C:\UptrendsCheckpoints<checkpoint-name>\). You’ll find several files included by default, such as the docker-comppose YAML file and Windows PowerShell scripts. These files are essential for the installation process.
2. Click the Certificates folder. This folder contains three subfolders and a README Markdown file.
3. Place your certificates in the appropriate Certificates subfolders:

• Client folder — for all the Client certificates (PKCS #7) files.
• Intermediate folder — for all the Intermediate CA certificates (PKCS #7) files.
• Root folder — for all the Root Certificate Authority (CA) certificates (PKCS #7) files.

4. If you’ve added a client certificate, create a JSON file called clientCertificates.json in the Client subfolder. This JSON file should list all your client certificates. Otherwise, proceed to next step.

• Copy and edit the JSON template to get started:

[
    {
        "File": "my-first-client-cert.p12",
        "Password": "letmein",
        "UrlPatterns": ["https://fake.sub.domain.example.com"]
    },
    {
        "File": "AcmeCert.pfx",
        "Password": "anvil123",
        "UrlPatterns": ["https://client.acmecorp.fake:1234", "[*.]acmecorp.real"]
    }
]

Notice that the JSON snippet consists of two client certificates. Each client certificate is represented by a JSON object with three key-value pairs. The first certificate, my-first-client-cert.p12, only allows for a specific subdomain. While the second certificate, AcmeCert.pfx, is allowed for the client’s subdomain of acmecorp.fake when connecting to HTTPS port 1234, or when visiting acmecorp.real or any of its subdomains.

Edit the following values based on your requirements:

• File — the filename and file extension of your client certificate.
• Password — the password needed to access the data in the certificate archive, such as the private key.
• UrlPatterns — the list of allowable URL domains or subdomains that will use the client certificate. This list can consists of multiple URL patterns which can be a single domain, subdomain, or a wildcard for a domain and all of its subdomains. To know more information, refer to the Enterprise policy URL pattern format .

5. Restart the Uptrends checkpoint software by running the update-images.ps1 script from the installation root directory.

6. Verify that both the old and new certificates are recognized and installed correctly. If issues are encountered, do a basic troubleshooting:

• Verify that the JSON filename is correct.
• Ensure that all JSON key-value pairs adhere to correct JSON syntax.
• Check for any misconfigurations or permission issues.