DSPM Sidecar Administration Overview

Overview

This article explains how to manage Netskope DSPM sidecars. Sidecars are deployed in groups called sidecar pools, which link to your Netskope tenant using a unique security token. This page covers how to create and manage these pools and tokens within the Netskope UI.

Additionally, you can deploy a Single Appliance that bundles both the sidecar and DLP services into one virtual machine. To learn more: Deploy the DSPM Single Appliance.

For an overview of how sidecars and DLP appliances fit into the DSPM architecture, see DSPM Architecture. For firewall and egress requirements, see Firewall Settings for DSPM-Hosted Instances.

Sidecar Administration UI

Go to DSPM > Administration > Sidecar to access the Sidecar Administration page.

This page displays the following components:

• License Key: Appears at the top of the page with a copy button. You use this key during appliance deployment.
• + ADD SIDECAR POOL: Creates a new sidecar pool for the standalone deployment model.
• + ADD SINGLE APPLIANCE: Launches the wizard to deploy a Single Appliance.

The Sidecar Pools table lists all registered pools and includes the following columns:

Column	Description
Sidecar Pool Name	The name assigned to the pool.
Status	The health status of the pool (green = Healthy, yellow = warning, grey = Incomplete).
DLP Version	The DLP appliance version linked to the pool.
Sidecar Version	The sidecar software version running in the pool.
Host Name	The appliance identifier and serial (e.g., Single_appliance or Dlpod_appliance).
Actions	Options to edit, view details, or delete the pool. If actions are missing, the pool belongs to a Single Appliance and is system-controlled.

Register a Sidecar Pool (Distributed Deployment Only)

To establish the connection between your sidecars and your Netskope DSPM tenant, you first generate a unique authentication token by registering a sidecar pool. If you already have an existing sidecar pool token, you can skip this procedure.

1. Go to DSPM > Administration > Sidecar.
2. Click + ADD SIDECAR POOL.
3. In the Details tab, enter a descriptive Name for the pool.
4. Click Save.
5. When the Sidecar Authentication Token window appears, click Copy. (Note: You need this token for the installation process).
6. Click the x to close the window.

Install and Associate Sidecars (Distributed Deployment Only)

After you register a sidecar pool and copy the authentication token, deploy the sidecar instances in your environment. The deployment process varies depending on your environment (cloud or on-premises) and the specific installation method.

Follow the detailed instructions in the appropriate guide below:

• Deploy a DSPM Sidecar on AWS EC2 via Terraform
• Deploy a DSPM Sidecar on AWS EC2 via CloudFormation
• Deploy DSPM Sidecars via Helm Chart
• Deploy a DSPM Sidecar on GCP via Cloud Run
• Deploy a DSPM Sidecar on Azure via Container Instances

Retrieve Required Keys for the DLP Appliance (Distributed Deployment Only)

The DLP appliance requires two separate keys. You retrieve both within the Netskope console:

• REST API v1 Key: The appliance leverages this key to fetch the latest DLP configurations. This key may already exist in your environment; if so, you can reuse it. Otherwise, generate a new one:
  1. Go to Settings > Tools > Rest API v1.
  2. Click Generate New Token.
  3. Set the expiration to never expire.
• License Key: The appliance setup leverages this key to validate the DLP entitlement. The Netskope console generates this key automatically, and it appears at the top of the DSPM > Administration > Sidecar page.

Link a DLP Appliance to a Sidecar Pool (Distributed Deployment Only)

Each sidecar pool must link to a DLP appliance for data classification. A single DLP appliance can serve multiple sidecars, as long as their sidecar pools register to the same appliance address.

To link the appliance:

1. Navigate to DSPM > Administration > Sidecar.
2. Click the Edit icon for the pool associated with the sidecar you just deployed.
3. Select the DLP appliance from the DLP Appliance drop-down.
   • Note: If the DLP appliance isn’t listed, manually enter its IP address)
4. Click Test Connection to validate the configuration.
5. If you receive a successful test message, click Save.

Edit a Sidecar Pool (Distributed Deployment Only)

You can edit the name of a registered sidecar pool at any time.

1. Go to DSPM > Administration > Sidecar.
2. Find the sidecar pool you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit icon.
4. Make your changes in the Edit Sidecar Pool window.
5. Click SAVE.

View Sidecar Pool Details

Click a sidecar pool name to view its details. The details panel displays the following information:

• Pool Information, which includes the pool name, status (Active or Inactive), and an Edit Pool link
• DLP Appliance Information, which displays the host name and serial number, DLP version, IP address, uptime, memory usage, and average CPU load
• Sidecar(s), which provides a table listing all sidecars in the pool with their name, status, version, last seen date, creator, and creation date

Upgrade and Schedule (Single Appliance Only)

For pools created by a Single Appliance, the details panel also displays upgrade management options.

• Automatic Upgrade Schedule shows the current schedule, the next automatic upgrade date, and provides an Upgrade Now link for on-demand upgrades.
• Single Appliance Upgrade History is a table showing past upgrades, including the status (Completed, Cancelled), timestamp, trigger (Auto update, Manual), and description (e.g., Full Upgrade, v135.0.24).

To modify the schedule:

1. Click Edit Schedule in the pool details panel.
2. Choose when to apply the upgrade after release (Within the first week after release, Within the second week after release, or Within the third week after release).
3. Select the day of the week and start time (in the appliance’s local timezone).
4. Click Save Schedule.