Installing, Updating, and Removing the Monitoring Agent on Windows

To start collecting data on Windows workstations, you need to install and configure the monitoring agent. This page provides instructions for installing, updating, and removing the monitoring agent.

Installing the Monitoring Agent

You can install the monitoring agent on Windows in several ways: using the EXE distribution, from the command line, or using the MSI package.

Installing the Monitoring Agent Using the EXE Distribution Obtained via the Operavix Interface

Run the agent_setup.exe file downloaded via the Windows (exe) button on the computer where you need to install the monitoring agent. During installation, the settings use the parameters specified when you downloaded the client.

To start the installation, click Next. After the installation completes, click OK.

If the application server is not available on the computer where the agent is installed, the installation cannot be completed.

Installing Using the EXE Distribution Obtained Not via the Operavix Interface

If the agent_setup.exe file was obtained in another way, the settings fields are empty during installation.

To complete the installation, enter the Server host and Key value, and select the key type.

Installing from the Command Line

You can install the monitoring agent using the agent_setup.exe file by running it from the command line.

Main parameters

• silent — background installation without pop-up windows and prompts
• action=operation — the operation to be performed. Possible values:
  
  • install — installation
  • update — update
  • remove — removal

Additional parameters

If you want to configure the agent during installation, you can add additional parameters:

• autoupdate_enabled=true or false — enable or disable automatic updating of the agent. The default value depends on the file settings
• web_server.host=http://your-server:port — Operavix server address that the agent must connect to. For example: http://server.example.com:8010
• auth.value=your_API_key — API key for accessing the system, which you can obtain in the Operavix web interface
• auth.type=none / ad / certificate — authorization type. none is used most frequently for simple key-based authorization

Command examples

• Silent installation with predefined settings:
  agent_setup.exe silent action=install
  

• Silent installation with parameters specified manually:
  agent_setup.exe silent action=install autoupdate_enabled=true web_server.host=http://server.example.com:8010 auth.value=01235ed47546459780f1001a36e41de2 auth.type=none
  

Installation Using the MSI Package

The MSI package contains an MST file with pre-configured settings, which can be used in automated software deployment systems, for example, GPO, SCCM, and others. Installation in this case proceeds according to the recommendations of the developer of the corresponding system.

The archive contains two files:

• agent_setup.msi — installation file
• setting.mst — configuration file

If necessary, you can install this monitoring agent distribution using the standard Windows tool — msiexec.

Example msiexec command for a silent installation of the monitoring agent:

msiexec.exe /i "path_to_agent_setup.msi" /q TRANSFORMS="path_to_settings.mst"

Checking and Configuring the Monitoring Agent After Installing

After installation, you can check the monitoring agent and, if necessary, reconfigure it using the agent configurator.

Updating the Monitoring Agent

The monitoring agent is updated automatically via the application server. An exception is when you install the agent using the MSI package or when you disable the Auto-update parameter in the settings.

You can also update the agents manually.

You can restore an older version of the agent only by fully reinstalling it.

Auto-update

Once an hour, the agent service checks whether a new agent version is available on the server. If an update is available, the agent downloads and installs it.

Before installing a new version of the monitoring agent, the system creates a backup of the current version.

If the update completes successfully, the system deletes the backup copies. If issues occur during the update, the agent restores itself from the backup.

Phased Auto-update

Phased auto-update allows you to limit the list of computers for which auto-update is enabled. To configure it:

1. Add the phased_agent_upgrade settings block to the com.operavix.subsystem.monitoring.json configuration file located on the server at C:\ProgramData\Operavix\.
2. In this block, specify:
   • stable_version — the stable agent version (must be specified in the format XXX.XXX.XXX)
   • host_mask — an array of computer FQDNs in regular expression format (cannot be empty)
3. Save the changes and restart the Operavix service.

Configuration file example:

{
    "partition_life_circle_time": 3,
    "agent_activity_queue_dir": "agent_activity_queue",
    "rdb_ch_synchronization": {
        "delay": "10s",
        "interval": "30s"
    },
    "parsing_activity_enabled": true,
    "phased_agent_upgrade": {
        "stable_version": "2.6.41",
        "host_masks": [
            ".+\\.testoperavix\\.com"
        ] 
    }
}

To disable phased auto-update, remove the phased_agent_upgrade block from the configuration file and restart the Operavix service. After this, monitoring agents update in the standard mode.

Manual Updating

Manual update of the monitoring agent may be required to update the agent on a specific computer. You can perform a manual update using:

• The agent configurator
• The new agent version distribution

To update using the configurator:

1. Run the agent configurator located at C:\Program Files\OperavixAgent\agent_configurator.exe.
2. In the opened window, click Update Agent.

To update using the new agent version distribution:

1. Run the installation of the new agent_setup.exe distribution.
2. Confirm the update.

To update from the command line, run the command:

agent_setup.exe silent action=update  

Specifics of updating the monitoring agent are described on the page Known Limitations.

Updating Using the MSI Package

If you use third-party programs or scripts to update the monitoring agent, it is recommended to do it using the MSI package.

You use the built-in Windows msiexec utility to manage the installation.

To update the agent using the MSI package:

1. Remove the old agent version using the command:
   msiexec /x "path_to_agent_setup.msi" /q
   

   Explanation:
   • /x — removal command, in which you need to specify the full path to your MSI file
   • /q — "silent" mode
2. Install the new version using the command:
   msiexec /i "path_to_agent_setup.msi" /q TRANSFORMS="path_to_settings.mst"
   

   Explanation:
   • /i — installation command
   • /q — "silent" mode
   • TRANSFORMS="…" — path to the settings file that stores the connection parameters (server address, key, etc.)

Removing the Monitoring Agent

You can remove the monitoring agent from Windows in several ways: using the EXE file, from the command line, or using the MSI package (if you installed the agent via GPO or msiexec).

Removing the Monitoring Agent Using the EXE Distribution

To remove a monitoring agent installed using the EXE distribution:

1. Run the file C:\Program Files\OperavixAgent\agent_setup.exe.
2. In the opened window, select the option to uninstall the program.

Removing the Monitoring Agent via the Command Line

Run the command:

agent_setup.exe silent action=remove

Removing the Monitoring Agent Using the MSI Package

If you installed the agent using msiexec (for example, via GPO), run the command:

msiexec.exe /x "path_to_agent_setup.msi" /q

A monitoring agent installed via the GPO Package can also be removed through the Windows Control Panel under the Programs and Features section.