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    Install an agent on a Windows OS device

    The Atera agent is the foundation of the Atera monitoring system and needs to be installed on all computers and servers you wish to monitor. The agent monitors the availability, performance, and health of the computer/server at regular intervals and securely communicates back to the cloud. This enables Atera to send you alerts when a critical system or resource is down, degraded, or has reached a predefined threshold parameter. The Atera agent for Windows OS is a .MSI file, and should be installed on all computer/servers you wish to monitor. Learn more about the Atera agent, including system requirements

    This article describes how to download and install the Atera agent on a Windows OS device
    If you experience any trouble with agent installation or stability, see Troubleshoot the Atera Agent (Windows)
    Note: Installing an agent is only available to Admin users.

    Got a Mac? See how to install an agent on a Mac OS device

     

    Install the Atera Agent

    To download and install the agent:

    1. Click the Install agent button in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 

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    Note: You can also download and install the Atera agent directly from the customer's page to automatically assign the agent to the customer. 

    The Download agent installer window appears.

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    2. Select Windows (.msi). Then click Next.

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    3. Assign the agent to a customer.
    Note: Installing an assigned agent will automatically assign the device to the customer.

    4. Click Next.

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    Now that we've set everything up, it's time to download and install the Atera agent. There are 3 ways to do this:

     

    Install the Agent via the Command Prompt

    Most users download and install the agent via the Command Prompt with a simple copy/paste of the command provided. For more details, see Install an Atera Agent via Command Prompt

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    Share the Installer Download Link with a Customer

    You can copy and share the agent installation link with your customer and have them install it themselves.

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    Note: If you've already chosen a customer assignment, the agent is automatically assigned to the customer upon agent installation.

     

    Download the Agent Installer

    • Single-agent installation: The most basic installation, is used to install an agent on a single customer device, in a non-domain environment. Simply double-click on the downloaded agent, and follow the installation prompts to install the agent.
    • Multiple agent installation (using Group Policy): Used to automatically install agents on multiple customer devices in a domain environment, and on any device logging into the domain that doesn’t already have the agent. See how to install agents using Group Policy 
      If you're having any issues using Group Policy, go to Troubleshooting Group Policy Installation
    Installing the Atera agent will display a confirmation dialog for the following conditions:
    • Downloading and running the agent installer .msi package
    • Locally installing the agent via the Command Prompt

     

    To install the Atera agent using Group Policy:

    1. Save the Atera agent .msi file in the SYSVOL folder.

    2. In the domain controller, open the Group Policy Management and edit the Default Domain Policy.  

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    3. Under Computer Configuration, click on Policies.

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    4. Click on Software Settings >Software Installation.

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    5. Click on New, then Package...

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    6. Choose the Setup file and click Open.

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    7. Right-click on the new package, and click Properties.

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    8. Click the Deployment tab to verify the deployment type is set to 'Assigned'. That's it. The Atera agent will automatically be installed on all computers in your network.

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    Troubleshooting Group Policy Installation

    An internet connection is required for agent installation.

    To enable: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon > Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon – Enabled
    Note: This can significantly slow down off-domain logins for laptops and wireless clients.

     

    If the device is slow (e.g., old hardware, bad network) you might need to extend the timeout:

    To extend: Go to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Group Policy -> Specify startup policy processing wait time - Set timeout (in seconds)

     

    Language discrepancies can cause installation failure. To work around this, it is necessary to remove the language check:

    To remove the language check: Go to Computer Configuration > Policies > Software Installation > Right Click AteraGPO > Properties >  Deployment > Advanced > Ignore language when deploying this package - Enabled

     

    Previously installed agent: Sometimes, the installation will fail if an agent was previously installed through a different account. One of the following two registry keys might be the cause:

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\4758948C95C1B194AB15204D95B42292

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\10F15BFE50893924BB61F671FEC4DE2F

     

    Note: After any of the above settings are applied, be sure to run gpupdate /force in order to force the GPO to update. Then reboot, and wait for the policy to enforce.

     

     

     

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    Ilana Wolf

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