Create

NAVIGATION  Agent > Templates > Create

The Create page creates a machine ID account and optionally agent install package for a single machine. You create the machine ID account first, then create an install package for this single machine. Typically the Create page applies to:

  • Machine ID templates - In this case, no install package need be created, since machine ID templates are not intended for installation to a machine.
  • Reinstalling Agents for an Existing Account - Because the Create install packages does not automatically create a new machine ID account, you can use the Create page to re-install agents on managed machines for existing accounts.
  • Secured environments - Secured environments may require each machine be setup manually. For example, you might be required to name a new machine ID account manually and/or create an agent install package with a unique credential for a single machine. A user must be logged into a target machine locally to install the package.

NOTE   Use Agent > Manage Packages to create and distribute agent install packages to multiple machines. The Manage Packages install package automatically creates a machine ID account when it is installed provided automatic account creation is enabled using System > Check-in Policy.

NOTE   Use Discovery to install agents on remote systems.

Machine IDs vs. Agents

When discussing agents it is helpful to distinguish between the machine ID / group ID / organization ID and the agent. The machine ID / group ID / organization ID is the account name for a managed machine in the VSA database. The agent is the client software installed on the managed machine. A one-to-one relationship exists between the agent on a managed machine and its account name on the VSA. Tasks assigned to a machine ID by VSA users direct the agent's actions on the managed machine.

Agent License Counts

The following events affect agent license counts:

  • An "unused" agent license is changed to "used" if a machine ID account is created and the agent installed.
  • If the agent is deleted but not the account, the agent license is still considered "used".
  • If the account is deleted, regardless of what happens to the agent, the agent license goes back to "unused".
  • If an account is created, but the agent is not yet installed the first time, the account is called a machine ID template. Machine ID template accounts are not counted as "used" until you install the agent.

Including Credentials in Agent Install Packages

If necessary, an agent install package can be created that includes an administrator credential to access a customer network. Credentials are only necessary if users are installing packages on machines and do not have administrator access to their network. The administrator credential is encrypted, never available in clear text form, and bound to the install package.

Operating System Selection

Agent packages can be created to install agents on machines running either Windows, Apple, or Linux operating systems, or to automatically choose the type of operating system of the downloading computer.

Machine ID Templates

A machine ID template is a machine ID record without an agent. Since an agent never checks into a machine ID template account, it is not counted against your total license count. You can create as many machine ID templates as you want without additional cost. When an agent install package is created, the package's settings are typically copied from a selected machine ID template. Machine ID templates are usually created and configured for certain types of machine. Machine type examples include desktops, Autocad, QuickBooks, small business servers, Exchange servers, SQL Servers, etc. A corresponding install package can be created based on each machine ID template you define.

  • Create machine ID templates using Agent > Create.
  • Import a machine ID template using Agent > Import/Export.
  • Base an agent install package on a machine ID template using Agent > Manage Packages.
  • Copy selected settings from machine ID templates to existing machine ID accounts using Agent > Copy Settings.
  • Identify the total number of machine ID template accounts in your VSA using System > Statistics.
  • Configure settings for the machine ID template using the standard VSA functions, just as you would a machine ID account with an agent.
  • Separate machine ID templates are recommended for Windows, Apple and Linux machines. Alternatively you can create a package that selects the appropriate OS automatically and copy settings from a template that includes an agent procedure that uses OS specific steps.

Predefined Alerts

If you create a machine ID account using Agent > Createand do not copy settings from any other machine, then several typical alerts are created for the machine ID account by default.

Copy new account settings from

Click a radio button next to any machine ID listed in the paging area. Agent settings are copied from this machine ID.

NOTE   If you don't include a machine ID to copy from and click Create, a new, usable machine ID account is created using Kaseya Server defaults.

New Machine ID

Enter a unique name for the new machine ID you are creating.

NOTE   Machine ID names cannot include special characters such as: s: /[,[]#&%\'\"\/\:*?<>| ]/g,"-".

Group ID

Select an existing group ID for the new machine ID you are creating. The default is root.unnamed. Group IDs are created by a VSA user using System > Orgs / Groups / Depts > Manage.

Create

Click Create to create the new machine ID for the selected group ID.

Set/Clear New accounts created in group ID <Group ID> copy settings from <Machine ID>

For each group ID you can specify a different default machine ID to copy settings from.

  1. Select a machine ID to copy settings from by clicking the radio button next to any machine ID listed in the paging area.
  2. Select a group ID from the group ID drop-down list.
  3. Click the Set to ensure that new machine IDs you create for the selected group ID will copy settings from the selected default machine ID.
  4. Click the Clear link to remove this assignment.

Set/Clear Accounts created in unassigned group IDs copy settings from <Machine ID>

This option specifies the default machine ID to copy settings from if no default machine ID is set for a group ID. This option only displays for master role users.

  1. Select a machine ID to copy settings from by clicking the radio button next to any machine ID listed in the paging area. Initially this value is set to unassigned.
  2. Click the Set to ensure that new machine IDs created without a group default machine ID copy settings from the master role user's default machine ID. Initially this value is set to unassigned.
  3. Click the Clear link to remove this assignment.

Entering Contact Information

When you enter contact information on this page for a new machine ID account, then create the new machine ID account by clicking the Create button, these same contact information fields populate the Agent > Edit Profile page. Contact information includes:

  • Contact Email - Enter the email address of the individual using the managed machine.
  • Auto - Check Auto to automatically populate the Contact Email field with an email address that uses the following format: machineid@groupid.com. This feature assumes you are creating machine IDs and group IDs that conform to user email addresses.
  • Contact Name - Enter the name of the individual using the managed machine.
  • Contact Phone - Enter the phone number of the individual using the managed machine.
  • Admin Email - Enter the email address of the individual responsible for providing IT support for the managed machine.

Check-in status

These icons indicate the agent check-in status of each managed machine. Hovering the cursor over a check-in icon displays the agent Quick View window.

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent is currently offline

Word 50% / HTML 50% User Logged In and Agent is Active

Word 50% / HTML 50% User Logged In and Agent is Inactive

Word 50% / HTML 50% User Not Logged In and Agent is online

Word 50% / HTML 50% User Not Logged In and Agent is Idle

Word 50% / HTML 50% The agent has been suspended

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent has never checked in

Copy Settings

Click a radio button next to any machine ID listed in the paging area. Machine ID settings are copied from this machine ID.

Download / Email Agent Installation

Click a machine ID link to create and distribute an install package for an existing machine ID account using the Download Agent wizard.

NOTE   An install package created using this page is for a specificmachine ID account. Use Manage Packages to create install packages for multiple machines.

  1. Select the operating system you are creating the install package for: Windows, MacOS, or Linux.
  2. Optionally bind a user logon credential to the install package. Fill in the Administrator Credential form to securely bind user rights to the install package.
  • Users without user rights can install the package successfully without having to enter an administrator credential.
  • If the administrator credential is left blank and the user does not have user rights to install software, the install package prompts the user to enter a administrator credential during the install.
  1. Select the method of distribution.
  • Download - Download the install package immediately to the machine you are currently using. The install package is always called KcsSetup.
  • Email - Email a text message that contains a link to download the install package.

Type

The type of operating system used by the managed machine:

  • Windows
  • Macintosh
  • Linux

First Checkin

Lists the time that each agent checked into the Kaseya Server for the first time.