Overview
This article guides you on the main LanGuard Agent deployment scenarios, the steps to deploy GFI LanGuard Agent on remote computers, and how to connect/register the deployed Agent with the LanGuard server.
Prerequisites
Target Microsoft Windows machine(s) should meet a minimum set of system requirements.
Solution
There are two main scenarios where you would run the LanGuard Agent deployment:
- the initial Agent installation, ie no Agent is present on the target machine
- the deployment to connect to the LanGuard server the already existing Agent on the target machine
The steps are exactly the same - just if the Agent is already installed on the target machine (from a previous LanGuard installation or manual installation) this fact will be recognized by LanGuard and only the server settings will be updated for this client to register it with the LanGuard server.
When you register LanGuard Agent with the new server and the previous LanGuard server is still in use, it is recommended to go to its LanGuard console > Dashboard and remove the target machine from the Computer Tree to avoid extra license usage and scanning conflicts.
The agent installation is usually initialized through the GFI LanGuard console and performed in the same way as normal Patch Deployment except that LanGuard copies the Agent installation file (LanGuard12Agent.msi) instead of any patches to the target machines.
The most efficient way to deploy agents is:
- Launch the GFI LanGuard console.
- Go to the Computer Tree and select the domain where you want to deploy agents:
In this example, the domain/group is called TestOU. Alternatively, if you would just like to deploy the agent on one computer in the domain and not the whole domain, you can select that computer. - Right-click and select Deploy Agent:
- Now click on Enable automatic agents deployment:
This means that every computer in the group TestOU will inherit this setting and will deploy the agent.
- Click OK
An alternative way to do this:
- Launch the GFI LanGuard console.
- From the Home menu, select Manage Agents. Alternatively, click Configuration tab > Agents Management.
- From the Common Tasks, click Deploy Agents to select the target computers and click Next. Select one of the options:
Option Description Local Domain Deploy agents on all reachable computers within the same workgroup/domain where GFI LanGuard is installed. No further configuration is required in the Define Target step. Custom Deploy agents on specific computers or a group of computers. Add new rules to search or specify target scan computers.
- If Custom option is selected, click Add New Rule and select the Rule Type described below:
Rule type Description Computer name is Manually enter a computer name or import the names from a saved text (.txt) file. Click Select and manually select computers from the list, or click Import and specify the text file location. Domain name is Select domains from the list of reachable domains. Organization unit is Select computers from one or more reachable organization units. Use the following options:
- Retrieve – Specify the user name and password to retrieve the list
- Refresh – Refresh the list of domains and Organization Units
- Add – Manually add an Organization Unit.
- Repeat the previous step for each rule. Once completed, click OK.
- From the Deploy Agents dialog, click Next.
- (Optional) Select Authenticate using the checkbox to specify alternate credentials.
- (Optional) Click Advanced Settings and configure the settings in the following tabs:
Tab Description General Configure the schedule for when GFI LanGuard automatically scans for new machines in the network perimeter where agents are enabled. Audit Schedule Configure how often the agent audits the host computer (where the agent is installed). Select the recurrence pattern, the time the audit will start and the scan profile to use. Auto remediation Configure GFI LanGuard to automatically download and install missing patches and service packs. Uninstall unauthorized applications on the scanned computers. For more information refer to Automatic Remediation.
- Click Next and Finish to complete agent deployment.
Note: LanGuard allows users to enable automatic agent deployment on newly discovered computers, refer to Managing the Properties of Groups of Agents for details.
Testing
Launch the GFI LanGuard and got to Dashboard -> Overview. For the individual Agent, deployment status can be verified by clicking on it in the Computer Tree and looking at the Agent Status window:
For the group deployment, click on the group and check the Agent Status window:
