Deploy the CapaInstaller Agent
- Martin Gudme Søndergaard
Introduction
There are several different methods to deploy the CapaInstaller Agent software to new Computers.
One of the methods is to install the Agent software using the ‘Deploy CapaInstaller Agent’ feature in the Console.
The feature is a convenient method for Computers that are not being enrolled in the CapaInstaller System using e.g. OS Deployment or an AD script.
The following will guide you through the deployment of the CapaInstaller Agent.
Deploying new Units
Select the Management Server the Agent must be linked to, right-click and choose ‘Deploy CapaInstaller Agent’ to bring up the deployment form.
The feature is available in both Configuration Management and System Administration. 
There are three different methods of adding computer names to the list in this dialog, and you switch between these using the radio buttons in the ‘Add computers’ section.
1 | Enter names | Using this method, you simply type the name of the computer and click the Add button. Each time you add a computer, you will need to select the management server you want the agent to use as illustrated in the above screenshot. You actually started the process by selecting a management server, and that server will be selected in the list by default. The list of servers will be limited to management servers on the same management point, as the original server used to open the deploy agent dialog. |
2 | From file | With this method, you can add computer names to the list by browsing to and selecting a file containing those names. The computer names in the file can be separated either by commas or by newlines. As before, you can select which management server should be used on those computers. |
3 | Unassigned Computers | If you have any computers that are no longer linked to a management server, you can browse these in the unassigned computers dialog. The computers in the list will be limited to those on the management point you are using for deployment. |
Management server
After adding computer names to the list, you can still change the management server that should be included in the agent configuration. This opens up for the option to define different Management Servers in the same deployment cycle.
Do this by right-clicking one or more of the computers and selecting the Change server.
Redeploy existing agent
In the previous section, it is assumed that the computers do not have an Agent installed already.
To deploy the agent to computers that already have the software installed the option ‘Redeploy existing agent’ must be checked.
One of the effects of redeploying an agent to a computer is that it will receive a new configuration, which among other settings contains the management server you selected above.
If the Agent has previously been linked to a different Management Server, it will start using the newly defined server and will be moved to that server in CapaInstaller console*.
*Note:
This feature is currently not available when the Agent is configured to use Base Agent/Front end Communication but will be made available in a future version.
Deploying
When the list has been generated click the ‘Deploy’ button, to start the deployment of agents.
The CapaInstaller system will attempt to deploy several agents simultaneously, and current progress is displayed in the Status column.
Each status has a corresponding color on the bullet icons in the first column, with the purpose to make it easier to follow the overall status of the deployment at a glance:
Color | Status |
|---|---|
Green | Successful deployment |
Yellow | In progress |
Red | Deployment failed |
Logs
By hovering the mouse cursor over the log icon, it is possible to see some basic information about the deployment of the Agent. Detailed information is added to the console log.
Click the log icon to add the information to the clipboard.
Retry
When the CapaInstaller system has finished deploying agents, the list can be reloaded to make an attempt to redeploy the Agent again.
A common challenge when deploying is that the failed computers are turned off. To deploy to this group of computers at a later time the computer names can be saved to a file and loaded into the Agent deployment form the next time an attempt is to be made. This is an efficient method to ensure that as many Units as possible is being enrolled.
In order to save only those that failed, remember to click the ‘Reload failed’ button before clicking the ‘Save list’.
Redeploy existing agent
If there is a need to redeploy an Agent it is possible to do this by right-clicking the Unit and choose ‘Redeploy Agent’
It is possible to select multiple Units in the list view by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking them.
When ‘Redeploy agent’ is clicked the Deploy Agent form is opened which makes it possible to change Management Server, remove Units, view log etc.