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.NET agent install resources

This document contains detailed descriptions of resources and procedures that are referenced in the .NET agent install procedures.

Important

This document is not meant to be read as a standalone document. For install instructions, see .NET agent install.

Microsoft's .NET profiler

New Relic's .NET agent relies on the Microsoft profiling API to report data from your .NET application.

.NET monitoring solutions other than New Relic can use this profiling API. But only one service can use the profiler at a time. This means that if you have used a .NET monitoring service in the past and haven't completely disabled/removed it, the profiler may still be in use, which will cause profiler conflicts when you try to enable the .NET agent.

.NET agent download library

The New Relic .NET agent download library contains install file packages that are referenced in specific install procedures. For more on these files, see the download library’s ReadMe file.

Zip files for manual .NET agent install (Windows)

To manually install the agent using a ZIP file, choose the correct file for the application you wish to monitor:

  1. Go to the .NET agent download site and get the file matching your application's architecture (64-bit or 32-bit):

    • .NET Framework or .NET Core/.NET 5+ (32-bit): NewRelicDotNetAgent_VERSION_x86.zip
    • .NET Framework or .NET Core/.NET 5+ (64-bit): NewRelicDotNetAgent_VERSION_x64.zip
  2. Unzip the agent folder in the desired location.

  3. Set environment variables for the process you wish to monitor.

    Caution

    We do not recommend setting these environment variables globally. Setting these environment variables globally can cause all .NET processes running on the system to get instrumented and report to New Relic. If you are installing the agent manually, we expect that you have the means to set these environment variables only for the processes you wish to monitor.

  4. Restart your application. If using IIS, restart IIS.

If your application is receiving traffic, data should appear within a few minutes. If it doesn't, see No data appears.

Need for custom instrumentation

After installing a .NET agent, most .NET application frameworks will automatically report data to your New Relic account. (See app framework compatibility: .NET Framework | .NET Core.)

If your .NET application uses an application framework that is not automatically instrumented, or if the app has no framework (like a console app), after the install you will need to manually set up instrumentation of your app. Here are the steps to do that:

  1. Follow the relevant install instructions for your application and framework.
  2. Custom instrument your application to define what activity is reported to New Relic.

Install-related environment variables

A .NET agent install requires setting environment variables. For some install procedures (like for IIS-hosted .NET applications), these environment variables are set automatically. For other install procedures, you will have to manually set them. To see the required environment variables for both .NET Framework and .NET Core applications, see Environment variables.

For installations requiring you to manually set environment variables, you can also set other configuration options via environment variables. Here's a look at two that are commonly set:

  • License key. The environment variable for setting the is:

    NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY = YOUR_LICENSE_KEY

    You can also set this in the newrelic.config file or the app's config file.

  • App name. Setting a meaningful application name is recommended, but you can also set this after install. The environment variable is:

    NEW_RELIC_APP_NAME = YOUR_APP_NAME

    You can also set this via the newrelic.config, the app's config file, or the API.

Scriptable installers (Windows only)

The scriptable installers are ZIP archives containing a PowerShell script for installing the .NET agent. There is a separate zip archive for .NET Framework versus .NET Core.

Important

We recommend using the MSI installer over the scriptable installer. If you want to automate your install, consider running the MSI installer from the command line.

Important

As of .NET agent version 10.0.0, the scriptable installers are no longer available. This documentation remains for customers who wish to use the scriptable installer for an older version.

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