Installing and Uninstalling the Data Agent

The data agent is designed for all Windows 7 and later computers and Windows Server 2008 and later servers. It is compatible with both 32-bit or 64-bit installations. The data agent checks in at startup and then daily using a standard https request back to our servers.

Installation

Each data agent installation file is custom-built for a company to pull in valuable data regarding hardware specifications, compliance with software, and various other usage statistics. The data pulled from the agent feeds the Infrastructure, Policies, and Dashboards areas of the feature set, as well as generated infrastructure reports.

Partners can download the correct agent by navigating to the company from the Partner > Clients section of the feature set.

From there, they can click on the individual company and use the Download Agent button to get access to it, or use the URL to download the agent to the same effect.

Each installation overwrites any previous agent settings. Please allow up to 24 hours after installation for the endpoint or server to appear in the Infrastructure reports.

Note: For those evaluating CloudRadial, one agent is typically enough to showcase how the data flows into CloudRadial. Remember to view Infrastructure > Endpoints, Compliance > Policies, and Account > Dashboards to see how the data populates into the tenant. 

Users can self-install the correct data agent by:

1. Clicking on their name in the top-right corner of the CloudRadial application and following the link in the orange prompt window 
   
                      
   
   
2. Downloading the installation program highlighted on their profile page
3. Running the installation program.

Using One Agent for All Companies

You can use any agent you download for other companies by specifying the parameter /companyid on the agent install command line.

C:>DataAgent-{company-name}-version.exe /companyid=1

The companyid value is the company's CloudRadial id value. If no companyid is specified, the default company will be the company the agent was built for. You can find the company ID in Partner > Clients > Agents tab.

Be sure you have downloaded the latest version of the agent to use this feature.

Silent Install

The data agent can also be remotely deployed. Partners will need to make sure they have the correct data agent for the company and can install it silently using the command:

C:>DataAgent-{company-name}-{version}.exe /verysilent

Note: For completely silent installation, be sure that .NET Framework 4.6.2 or greater is already installed. The agent setup program will install this version if not installed and a .NET dialog may result from this installation.

After installation, the data agent starts as a Windows service and is set to start automatically with each computer restart.

RMM Scripting

The data agent is easily deployed using your RMM's installation capabilities. You should install the data agent on all Windows workstations and servers where your RMM is installed. Sample scripts for RMMs and Intune are available in the CloudRadial Community at https://community.cloudradial.com. We encourage you to share scripts and/or provide feedback on the ones provided by other partners.

Where possible, use your RMM to detect the Windows service "CloudRadial" and if that service is not there, install the agent on that machine.

Ports and Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) for Whitelisting

Partners may have more locked-down security permissions and may require specific IPs and domains to whitelist to get the agents to report in correctly. The following are the specific FQDNs required to allow so that the agent may report correctly:

• [partnername].[region].cloudradial.com - ex: supermsp.us.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us2.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us3.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us4.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us5.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us6.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us7.cloudradial.com

• *.services-us8.cloudradial.com

• services-us.cloudradial.com

• services.cloudradial.com

• *.services-au.cloudradial.com

• services-au.cloudradial.com

• services-ca.cloudradial.com

• *.services-ca.cloudradial.com

• services-uk.cloudradial.com

• *.services-uk.cloudradial.com

• services-uk2.cloudradial.com

• *.services-uk2.cloudradial.com

   

• https://eastus-8.in.applicationinsights.azure.com

   

• https://eastus.livediagnostics.monitor.azure.com

As far as ports, the agent only uses Port 443 for SSL traffic. 

Automatic Removal

The data agent will automatically uninstall itself if it detects that the company it is checking into no longer exists. You can also set workstations that don't check in on a regular basis to automatically remove themselves from the Infrastructure reporting. This option is under Partner Clients -> Agents - Settings.

.NET Framework Required

.NET Framework 4.6.2 or greater is required for the agent to operate. Most PCs have .NET installed and updated by the operating system, but some servers may not have the latest version installed. If you are automating the deployment of the agent through a RMM script, test for and install .NET as required. You can download the latest version here:

https://www.microsoft.com/net/download/dotnet-framework-runtime

Please note, installation of the agent on older Windows servers or on workstations without .NET Framework 4.6.2 or later may force a restart.

Uninstall

To uninstall the agent silently, use the commands listed below. To ensure a successful uninstallation, you'll need to specify the directory to uninstall from.

1. Open the Command Prompt
2. Enter cd C:\Program Files (x86)\CloudRadial Agent
3. Enter unins000.exe /norestart /verysilent

Changing Companies after Installation without an Uninstall

To change the assigned Company of the Data Agent after installation without uninstalling and reinstalling, follow the steps below:

1. Open Registry Editor as an Administrator.

2. Navigate to the following Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Azurative\CloudRadial\Agent

3. Edit the REG_DWORD labeled "Id" with the new Company ID and close the Registry Editor

4. Open Services as an Administrator, and restart the service labeled "CloudRadial"

After the service restarts or the next time the machine is restarted, the Data Agent will check in to the new Company in CloudRadial. 

Note: If the service fails to restart, you may need to reboot the machine. You may also need to manually remove the Endpoint from the old Company, by opening the Endpoint in Infrastructure > Endpoints and then clicking the red trash can icon (see screenshot below).

Issues with Windows Defender and Other Malware Protections

Since the agent runs with full administrative rights, accesses disk drives, and reads registry and other system information, it may be flagged as malware. Depending on the protections you have installed, be sure that the following program file is whitelisted:

c:\Program Files (x86)\CloudRadial Agent\CloudRadial.Agent.exe

If you are using Intune, you must create a Windows Configuration Profile policy for Endpoint Protection - Windows Defender Exploit Guard - Attack Surface Reduction and exclude the above file from those protections.