# How to use External Exporter **URL:** \ **Category:** PMM 2.x\ **Created:** [December 24, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441 "2020-12-24T17:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/peter/32/2_2.png) [@Peter](https://forums.percona.com/u/Peter)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/1 "2020-12-24T17:19:12Z")
I have an appliance which runs node\_exporter, I can’t install full PMM Client on It. How can I configure it as a node to and connect to this node\_exporter (Perhaps as External Exporter) Current documentation only talks about adding external exporter for system which already runs and agent [Percona Monitoring and Management](https://www.percona.com/doc/percona-monitoring-and-management/2.x/setting-up/client/external.html#adding-general-external-services) ---
**Author:** ![nurlan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/nurlan/32/1523_2.png) [@nurlan](https://forums.percona.com/u/nurlan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/2 "2020-12-28T13:40:30Z")
Hi, I think it’s the case that you are looking for [https://jira.percona.com/browse/PMM-5765](https://jira.percona.com/browse/PMM-5765) . Before that’s implemented we have workaround to get what you want: Add remote node via pmm-admin inventory add node remote --address=hostname:port and then add external agent with pmm-admin add external --agent-node-id=/node\_id/… It wasn’t tested yet ---
**Author:** ![Peter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/peter/32/2_2.png) [@Peter](https://forums.percona.com/u/Peter)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/3 "2020-12-28T13:56:02Z")
Hi Nurlan, Thank you for response. In this case what do I use as port in the address of the first command ? ---
**Author:** ![nurlan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/nurlan/32/1523_2.png) [@nurlan](https://forums.percona.com/u/nurlan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/4 "2020-12-28T13:57:54Z")
Port of your exporter ---
**Author:** ![Peter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/peter/32/2_2.png) [@Peter](https://forums.percona.com/u/Peter)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/5 "2020-12-28T14:14:31Z")
OK. I can make it work (just specifying IP with no host) The interesting thing is what node name is supported but it does not seems to be honored pmm-admin inventory add node remote --address=10.11.13.1 opnsense And when pmm-admin add external --agent-node-id=/node\_id/a5c7b611-d339-445d-9350-32000aa07933 --listen-port=9100 --service-name=freebsd After I’ve done this I have metrics being collected, at the same time they are bound to the node I ran PMM-admin to not to the node which I specified: node\_devstat\_transfers\_total{agent\_id=“/agent\_id/146d8384-eead-45c1-9233-3b1c080e17d5”, agent\_type=“external-exporter”, device=“ada0”, external\_group=“external”, instance=“/agent\_id/146d8384-eead-45c1-9233-3b1c080e17d5”, job=“external-exporter\_agent\_id\_146d8384-eead-45c1-9233-3b1c080e17d5\_mr-10s”, machine\_id=“/machine\_id/5cbbcf8d3597cf34af45d81d58953325”, node\_id=“/node\_id/5cba1f6f-2fe8-4222-8056-777fc28a7ad7”, node\_name=“rocky”, node\_type=“generic”, service\_id=“/service\_id/e5e45e3c-c6c8-4778-9019-9ffa5ce26edd”, service\_name=“freebsd”, service\_type=“external”, type=“read”} Note node\_id here is not the one I specified and so is host name - it is capturing this data on the “rocky” node (the one I ran pmm-admin on) not the node I’m looking to monitor ---
**Author:** ![nurlan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/nurlan/32/1523_2.png) [@nurlan](https://forums.percona.com/u/nurlan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/6 "2020-12-28T16:13:56Z")
Yeah, correct. To bind external service to the node where your external exporter is working you should add --service-node-id=/node\_id/a5c7b611-d339-445d-9350-32000aa07933 to pmm-admin add external command. In that case your metrics will have right node\_id and node\_type. ---
**Author:** ![Peter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/peter/32/2_2.png) [@Peter](https://forums.percona.com/u/Peter)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/7 "2020-12-28T16:43:11Z")
Thank you Nurlan, This works! ---
**Author:** ![balaji521](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f05b48/32.png) [@balaji521](https://forums.percona.com/u/balaji521)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/how-to-use-external-exporter/8441/8 "2025-04-25T14:29:23Z")
Hi Team, We are trying to configure pmm for Mongo atlas. 1. We have created mongodb\_exported for the node and metrics working. 2. Created PMM agent with pmm-admin add external. It’s successfully created but service showing as Unknown. 3. tested curl command with metrics from PMM-Server and it’s working fine. 4. Even we are able to see metrics on Explore but not showing on MongoDB Dashboard and services showing Unspecified ,monitoring showing as failed & External exporter agent as Unknown. If we use --metrics-mode=pull able to see target and it’s Up Tried many ways but no use. Can someone throw some light. Thanks, Balaji ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/percona1/original/3X/2/f/2f7f0e4af058326c150c7490c5516c8688af9bbd.png)