Agent installation for mass deployment

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Setup > Discovery & Assets > Installation.

Deploy the Discovery Agent across your network

Before you mass deploy the SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) Discovery Agent across your organization, you should complete a single deployment. For instructions on single deployment, see one of the following:

Agents cannot run on Linux machines.

After the single deployment is complete, you can perform a mass deployment using one of the following methods.

Deploy with Microsoft Intune
Deploy with Active Directory Group policy option
Deploy with a domain logon script

Deploy with Microsoft Intune

You can use the MSI installer file to deploy through Intune. See Download the Agent installation file for Windows for download instructions.

You can also use optional command line parameters for a silent installation.

Deploy with Active Directory Group policy option

SolarWinds recommends using Active Directory as your deployment method. This method requires Domain Logon, enabling each user to be an administrator on their device. This method also prevents the Discovery Agent from starting automatically.

For a Windows enterprise deployment use the Active Directory Group Policy Option (GPO) to deploy the Discovery Agent automatically on all computers that join the domain.

Open the Active Directory users and computers tool.
Download the Discovery Agent setup file and save it to your local computer.
Copy the agent setup file to shared network folder (for example, \\NETLOGON).

Create a new batch file that deploys the agent on the computer that joins the domain (if the agent was not previously deployed). Below is an example.

@echo off
REM === Agent already deployed on the computer?
if exist "C:\Program Files\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\src\mini_kernel\service.*" goto END
if exist "C:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\src\mini_kernel\service.*" goto END
REM === Deploying agent in silent mode
"\\SERVER\FOLDER\Solarwinds_Discovery_Agent_{Installer_version}_installer.exe" --mode unattended
REM === Script done
:END

Modify the contents of the batch file:
1. Ensure that SERVER and FOLDER are your server name and shared folder name, respectively (for example, \SERVERETLOGON).
2. Verify that the agent setup file is located on the shared folder.
Save the batch file on your desktop as deploySAM.bat.
Copy and paste the deploySAM.bat from your desktop to the Script Startup folder.

After the computer starts, the deploySAM.bat executes and deploys the Discovery Agent if it was not previously installed on the local computer.

Deploy with a domain logon script

If you plan to use a domain logon script for a Windows enterprise deployment, SolarWinds recommends deploying the Discovery Agent on all computers that log onto the domain.

Your local user accounts must have local administrator rights on their computers to use the domain logon script procedure.

Download the Discovery Agent setup file and save it to your local computer.
Copy the agent setup file to a shared network folder (for example, \\NETLOGON).
Ensure your logon script contains the proper arguments. You can modify your existing script or use the script below.

The script runs when a computer logs on to the domain. The script then checks whether the agent previously deployed. If the agent is not deployed, the script deploys the agent.
- To modify your existing script:
  - Ensure that it contains the silent install switch. For more information, see Microsoft knowledge article on GPO in Windows Server.
  - Ensure that SERVER and FOLDER are your server name and shared folder name, respectively (for example, \SERVERETLOGON).
  - Verify that the agent setup file is located on the shared folder.
- To use the script below, click COPY.
```
@echo off
REM === Agent already deployed on the computer?
if exist "C:\Program Files\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\src\mini_kernel\service.*" goto END
if exist "C:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\src\mini_kernel\service.*" goto END
REM === Deploying agent in silent mode
"\\SERVER\FOLDER\Solarwinds_Discovery_Agent_{Installer_version}_installer.exe" --mode unattended
REM === Script done
:END
```

Force an inventory refresh for the Discovery Agent

After you enable the Discovery Agent, the agent inventory automatically updates every 24 hours. The agent runs as a Windows service and triggers a refresh based on that schedule.

To optimize for outbound bandwidth utilization, the agents randomize the next inventory refresh within a 24-hour time frame. This process prevents all agents from reporting at the same time.

Optionally, you can force the agent on a targeted machine to manually push an update. To push the update, open a Command Prompt window and run the following commands or copy the code into the prompt. If the prompt does not return an error message, the procedure completed successfully.

Potential error/warning message

Message: When performing a force update command for Windows computers, you might receive a warning message:

Starting force data collection

Ignoring racc-1.6.0 because its extensions are not built. Try: gem pristine racc --version 1.6.0

Done!

Solution: Ignore the message. Wait a few minutes so the Discovery agent messages are processed and reflected in SWSD. Be aware that it could take 6-7 hours for the data to be imported into SWSD.

"c:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\ruby\bin\ruby.exe" "c:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds Discovery Agent\agent\src\mini_kernel\cmd.rb" -f

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