# Monitoring Agent > Source-anchored research for Monitoring Agent. Run status: COMPLETED. Parent: [MongoDB Ops Manager and Cloud Manager](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/mongodb-ops-manager-and-cloud-manager/) · 4 facets · 17 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/monitoring-agent/ ## Structure and components - The Monitoring Agent is a legacy component: Cloud Manager documentation marks it removed, while Ops Manager documentation marks it end-of-life for Ops Manager 4.4 and directs users to the MongoDB Agent. (high confidence) (verified as of 2026-10-14) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/tutorial/start-or-stop-monitoring-agent.md) ## Problems, failure modes and limitations - The historical changelog records multiple active Monitoring Agent support in version 5.0.0 on June 22, 2016, and a fix in 5.4.2 on November 21, 2016 to keep slow database-specific statistics collection from delaying the main metrics loop. (low confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/release-notes/monitoring-agent.md) ## Comparisons and alternatives - Legacy start/stop commands depend on packaging: the retained guides use service mongodb-mms-monitoring-agent for RPM installs, Upstart start/stop commands for DEB installs, and Windows Services for Windows. Treat these as historical procedures rather than universal commands for the replacement agent. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ops-manager/current/tutorial/start-or-stop-monitoring-agent.md) - TO THE NEW described its own multi-environment MMS deployment in June 2015 and cautioned that network monitoring checks service responses rather than proving that a specific operating-system process is running. This scopes the meaning of a host-down signal. (low confidence) — [source](https://www.tothenew.com/blog/mongo-monitoring-service-to-ensure-uptime-of-mongodb/) - A first-person April 23, 2014 MMS report records log-post failures because TLS validation received an OpenDNS certificate instead of one for mms.mongodb.com. The thread establishes this failure symptom but does not establish a root cause or verified fix. (low confidence) — [source](https://groups.google.com/g/mongodb-user/c/zHOWOTOme7M/m/s7m-n6TVMQEJ) - The edelight cookbook's historical Monitoring Agent configuration exposes collection switches for profiling and logs, throttles for database statistics and shard chunk counts, and SSL validation settings; these are evidence of an older integration rather than a current security baseline. (low confidence) — [source](https://github.com/edelight/chef-mongodb) ## Facts and statements - The legacy Monitoring Agent ran inside the deployment, collected statistics from MongoDB nodes, and sent them to MMS/Cloud Manager or Ops Manager for reporting and alerts. This describes the historical separate-agent architecture. (high confidence) — [source](https://media.amazonwebservices.com/AWS_NoSQL_MongoDB.pdf) - Cloud Manager rolled out the replacement MongoDB Agent between May and June 2019; the replacement includes monitoring functionality formerly provided by a standalone Monitoring Agent. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/reference/faq/faq-mongodb-agent.md) - For the legacy architecture, a project must retain at least one running Monitoring Agent to monitor its deployment; shutdown procedures must preserve monitoring coverage. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ops-manager/current/tutorial/start-or-stop-monitoring-agent.md) - Legacy agent removal distinguishes inactivity from UI cleanup: after five minutes without a ping, Ops Manager and Cloud Manager treat an agent as inactive and reassign its work to other available agents; its inactive entry can remain visible for 24 hours. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ops-manager/current/tutorial/delete-monitoring-agent.md) - Stopping a legacy Monitoring Agent is separate from uninstalling it. The documented Linux/macOS removal deletes its binary from /usr/bin or the tar installation directory; Windows uses the MongoDB Monitoring Agent uninstaller. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ops-manager/current/tutorial/delete-monitoring-agent.md) - In the documented monitoring-only migration, the MongoDB Agent enables monitoring, puts prior standalone Monitoring Agents into standby, and hides them from the UI. Those legacy agents can no longer monitor instances and may then be stopped and removed. (low confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/reference/faq/faq-mongodb-agent.md) - The archived edelight Chef cookbook exposes a required MMS API key and a Monitoring Agent package version, and documents setup using the mongodb::mms-agent recipe. This is independent implementation evidence for historical deployment integration, not a current installation recommendation. (low confidence) — [source](https://github.com/edelight/chef-mongodb) - The replacement MongoDB Agent supports a monitoring-only use case; the Cloud Manager migration workflow enables Monitoring where a standalone Monitoring Agent previously supplied it. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/reference/faq/faq-mongodb-agent.md) - In the documented Cloud Manager migration, previously configured authentication continues to work, old standalone Monitoring Agents enter standby and disappear from the UI, and those old agents can no longer monitor instances. (low confidence) (verified as of 2026-10-14) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/reference/faq/faq-mongodb-agent.md) - Both legacy service guides require at least one running Monitoring Agent per project and show different service-control procedures for RPM, DEB, tar installations, and Windows services. (high confidence) — [source](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/cloud-manager/tutorial/start-or-stop-monitoring-agent.md) - The edelight Chef cookbook documents setting node['mongodb']['mms_agent']['api_key'] and adding mongodb::mms-agent to the run list to configure its historical MMS integration. (low confidence) — [source](https://github.com/edelight/chef-mongodb)