Python 2.7.18 Requirements for APM Managers and Agents

Products

• CA Application Performance Management (APM / Wily / Introscope)

Issue/Introduction

Users may inquire whether Python 2.7.18 is a mandatory requirement for the APM platform (Manager) and its associated agents, often as part of a security or server cleanup initiative to remove end-of-life software.

Environment

• Product: DX Application Performance Management (APM)
• Version: 10.8 and later
• Components: APM Manager (Introscope), APM Infrastructure Agent (APMIA), APM for SSO (Siteminder)
• OS: Linux/Unix servers

Resolution

APM Manager (Introscope)

There is no documented direct dependency on Python 2.7.18 for the core APM Manager (10.8) platform. The Manager services do not require Python for startup or standard operations.

APM Agents

• APMIA (Infrastructure Agent): Generally does not require Python for core monitoring, though specific extensions or custom scripts may have dependencies.
• APM for SSO (Siteminder): Python is a required prerequisite for the APM for SSO agent. It is primarily used during the installation process, but it may also be needed for ongoing monitoring functions.

Recommended Validation Steps

To confirm that removing Python will not impact your specific environment, perform the following test in a non-production (UAT/Dev) environment:

1. Stop APM Services: Stop the APM Manager or Agent services on the target server.
2. Rename Python Binary: This command will make changes to your system. Review it carefully before running.
   bash (Example command)

    

   mv /usr/bin/python2.7 /usr/bin/python2.7.bak

3. Start APM Services: Restart the APM services and monitor the logs for any initialization errors related to missing Python modules.
4. Verify Metrics: Check the APM Web UI to ensure that all expected metrics (specifically apmia and apmsso nodes) are reporting correctly.

If the environment remains stable and metrics continue to report, Python 2.7.18 may be safely removed. If errors occur, restore the binary from the backup created in step 2.