# Getting Started

The certification matrix below shows the latest versions tested for SingleStore and CTE/VTE:

| Certification Matrix | Versions                                                                            |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| CTE                  | 6.3.1, 7.1                                                                          |
| SingleStore          | 7.1.x, 7.3.x, 7.5.x or later                                                        |
| Certified OS         | RHEL/CentOS 6 or 7 (version 7 is preferred), Debian 8 or 9 (version 9 is preferred) |

**Note**: This document assumes you already have a working SingleStore cluster.

Before you begin configuring SingleStore to work with CTE, ensure you have the Vormetric Data Security Manager (DSM) installed and configured. Refer to the DSM Installation and Configuration Guide available on the Thales Support Portal.

When using CTE, you **must** use a kernel supported by Thales. Contact your Thales representative for a list of supported kernel versions. The CTE/OS compatibility matrix is available to Thales customers via their [web portal](https://supportportal.thalesgroup.com).

> **⚠️ Warning**: The default [AWS Linux kernel for Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com/blog/introducing-the-ubuntu-aws-rolling-kernel-2) is **not** supported with CTE. See [Appendix A](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/protecting-folders-in-singlestore-db-using-cte.md) for instructions on how to prepare an Ubuntu AWS instance.

## Notes on Product Naming

From release 7.0.0 and onward, the VTE (Vormetric Transparent Encryption) Agent is rebranded to CTE (CipherTrust Transparent Encryption). For the purposes of this document, the terms are interchangeable.

The Thales DSM’s CTE counterpart is the CipherTrust Manager (CM). The documentation for CM deployment is publicly available: <https://www.thalesdocs.com/ctp/cte/Books/Online-Files/index.html>

CTE and VTE agents can be registered to either DSM or CM; however, the steps outlined below are *specific* to the DSM.

## Process Overview

The process of protecting your data with CTE has two main components: installing and configuring CTE and your SingleStore cluster, and configuring which files are protected. Accordingly, this document is split into the following major sections:

* [Setting up CTE Components and a SingleStore Cluster](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/setting-up-cte-components-and-a-singlestore-cluster.md)
* [Protect Directories in SingleStore Using CTE](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/protecting-folders-in-singlestore-db-using-cte.md)
* [Verifying the Installation](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/protecting-folders-in-singlestore-db-using-cte/#UUID-a77aad8b-865b-475b-ba8b-aea53fd3a5cc.md)

***

Modified at: April 26, 2023

Source: [/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/getting-started/](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.1/security/encryption/securing-data-at-rest-with-ciphertrust-transparent-encryption/getting-started/)

(An index of the documentation is available at /llms.txt)