Agent and Agent Browser
Updated Wednesday, July 05, 2017
© 2017 Autotask Corporation
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
2
The AEM Agent and Agent Browser
3
Supported Operating Systems and Requirements for the Agent
5
Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and Mobile Device Agents
8
Managed and OnDemand Agents
13
Create an Agent Policy
15
Agent Browser
19
Agent Browser Tools
31
Create a Ticket in the Agent Browser
42
Wake-On-LAN
45
Network Level Authentication
47
User Tasks
49
Test SNMP Monitoring in the Agent Browser
51
AEM Agent
55
Privacy Mode
58
Index
60
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The AEM Agent and Agent Browser
About the Agent
The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent is a lightweight software program installed on a device
that supports Agent installation. The Agent gathers up-to-date information about the device's health and
status and communicates it to the Web Portal.
Having the necessary information ready in the Web Portal, the AEM administrator can use the Agent to proactively monitor the devices, deploy patches, push out policies, create alerts and tickets, execute scripts,
run scheduled jobs, or even enable a remote connection to these devices. In order to establish a connection
between two devices, both the device you are connecting from and the device you are connecting to needs to
have an Agent installed. The Agent facilitates the connection to another device but the connection is established through the Agent Browser that can be launched from the Agent or the Web Portal.
For information about Agent types, available operating systems and deployment options, refer to Deploy and
Install Agents.
For more information about the Agent, refer to "AEM Agent" on page 55.
About the Agent Browser
The Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices. OnDemand Agents and operating systems other than Windows do not have an Agent Browser.
In order to establish a connection between two devices, both the device you are connecting from and the
device you are connecting to needs to have an Agent installed but the connection will be established through
the AEM Agent Browser. The Agent Browser is launched from the AEM Agent or AEM Web Portal. Once a
connection has been set up to a remote device, a variety of tasks can be executed on the endpoint. The
Agent Browser allows you to diagnose and fix many issues remotely, and often in the background, without
the user being aware of it. You can connect to more than one device at the same time, that is, you can have
multiple sessions open in the Agent Browser.
The Agent Browser allows you to:
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Take a screenshot of the endpoint or open a remote takeover tool, such as RDP, VNC or Splashtop
Open a command shell on the remote device or access its Service Manager, Task Manager, Registry
Editor or Event Viewer
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Shut down or restart the remote device
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Deploy an Agent to devices on the remote network and wake up those devices
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Manage files on the remote device
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Run quick jobs on the remote device
While the Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices, the Agent
Browser can connect to Managed and OnDemand devices, on Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems,
with varying options available to each. For a detailed list of the remote takeover and remote device task
options on each operating system, refer to "Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and Mobile Device Agents" on
page 8.
For information about how to log into the Agent Browser and connect to a device, refer to "Agent Browser" on
page 19.
For information about what tools are available in the Agent Browser, refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page
31.
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Supported Operating Systems and Requirements for the
Agent
Operating Systems
The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent can be installed on a wide range of operating systems that
are outlined below.
Operating System / Device
Version
Windows
• Windows XP SP3 (Home, Professional, Professional x64, Tablet PC, Media
Center, Starter editions)
• Windows Vista 32/64-bit (Starter, Home Basic & Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate editions)
• Windows Server 2003 & R2 32/64-bit (Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Small Business, Home Server editions)
• Windows 7 (32/64-bit)
• Windows 8/8.1 (32/64-bit)
• Windows 10 (32/64-bit)
• Windows 2008 & R2 32/64-bit (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web,
Small Business)
• Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) & Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
• Windows Server 2016 (64-bit)
Apple Macintosh*
• Mac OS X 10.11 and 10.12
Linux**
• Fedora 19, 20, 21, 22, 23***
• Debian 7, 8
• CentOS 6, 7***
• Ubuntu LTS (Long-Term Support versions)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and later versions
Smartphones and Tablets
• iOS 7 and later versions
• Android 2.3.3 and later versions
* The Agent will work on Mac OS X 10.7.x and later versions but support is provided and the Agent is tested only
on the versions specified above.
** The Agent may work with any Debian-based distribution but support is only provided for the ones listed.
*** For new installations of the AEM Linux Agent on Fedora 19+ and CentOS 7, you must pre-install the Mono
runtime. For further information, refer to this article.
Detailed Windows requirements
AEM runs as a .NET service and needs Windows Installer 3.1 to install. The AEM service requires at least
.NET Framework version 2.0 to be installed, but will work with version 4.0.
Windows Installer 3.1 is part of the standard MS Windows Update and should be present on all devices. If it
is not, it can be downloaded from Microsoft.
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If Microsoft .NET 4.0 is not installed on the device, the Agent installer will check for .NET 4.0 or 2.0 and use
that; if no .NET Framework is installed, the installer will automatically download and install one. It can also be
downloaded manually from Microsoft. For further information on .NET Framework versions, refer to .NET
Framework Versions and Dependencies.
As of the 2017-1 release, the AEM Agent will be built on version 4 of the .NET Framework as
opposed to version 2 for previous builds. This will allow AEM to have a new Monitoring Framework, Network Control functionality and Agent Logging Framework. This will require Windows
endpoints to have version 4.0.3 or higher of the .NET Framework installed in order to update to
this new Agent or permit its fresh installation. Version 4 of the .NET Framework is supported
from Windows XP SP3 and Windows 2003 SP2. Devices still running version 2 of the .NET Framework after the 2017-1 release will retain a degree of functionality, but support for such devices
will not be provided. For more information, refer to the AEM 2017-1 Release Notes.
April 2017 marks the 3-year anniversary of Microsoft’s end-of-life of Windows XP and Windows
2003 Server has been end-of-life since July 2015. Updates are no longer issued for these platforms; running them in a business environment is considered a high risk to security. We
strongly encourage any customer still running these platforms to migrate away from them.
.NET Framework on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 and above
Windows 8 and above ships with .NET Framework 4.0 installed; only in specific cases should users ever
need to manually install a .NET Framework on such systems.
If no .NET Framework is available, the following instructions can be followed to facilitate installation of a
.NET Framework compatible with 2.0 on your system:
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Windows 8
Go to Control Panel > Programs & Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
This can also be enabled via the following command line:
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3
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Windows Server 2012
Go to Server Manager > Roles and Features > Add Roles > Features.
This can also be enabled via the following command lines:
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3ServerFeatures
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3
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Network node requirements for ESXi monitoring
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The network node device performing ESXi monitoring must run on Windows operating system and
have .NET 2.0 or higher but lower than .NET 4.0.
When nominating a network node to monitor your ESXi device, the network node must be outside of
your ESXi host's cluster and on the same subnet.
Supported browsers
The AEM Web Portal is tested against the latest two versions of the following web browsers:
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Internet Explorer (Refer to end of support for older versions of IE.)
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Google Chrome (Refer to Update Google Chrome.)
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Mozilla Firefox (Refer to Firefox Releases.)
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Safari (Refer to Safari version history.)
While the AEM features may work in older versions, support is provided for the latest two versions
of the web browsers listed above.
To ensure you are protected by the latest security updates, we recommend that you update
your web browser when a new version becomes available.
When working in the Web Portal, it is best practice to edit your data or perform any changes in
the same browser tab. Having multiple browsers and/or browser tabs open and editing the
same data in more than one browser or browser tab may cause bad data.
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Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and Mobile Device
Agents
Autotask Endpoint Management provides Agents for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, as well as
for iOS and Android mobile devices. Agent features differ significantly, depending on the operating system
and/or the device they are installed on. The tables below document Agent features for each environment.
For more information about the features mentioned below, refer to the following topics: Types of monitors,
Audits, "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31, Mobile Device Management (MDM), Create an iOS Mobile
Device Management Policy
Features of server, desktop and notebook Agents
Features
Monitors
Operating System
Windows
Mac
Linux
Windows
Mac
Linux
Online status
CPU
Memory
Component
Running processes
Services
Event log
Software log
Security Center
Disk usage
File / folder
Security Management
Datto
Device audit
Software
Hardware
Change log
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Features
Operating System
Disk usage
Remote takeover
Windows
Mac
Linux
Windows
Mac
Linux
To Mac
To Windows
From Mac
From Windows
Proxy settings
Ticket creation
Remote Agent features
File manager
Remote shell
Privacy mode
Screenshot
Service manager
Shut down / restart
LAN deploy
Task manager
Remote registry
Quick jobs
Event log
Wake on LAN
Drive information
Features of Agents for mobile devices
Features
iOS
Android
Device Audit
List device information
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Features
iOS
Android
List network information
List installed applications
Show device location
Manage device
Erase device and settings
Lock device
Unlock device
Change passcode
Passcode policy
WI-FI credentials
VPN credentials
Password protect against policy removal
*
Restrictions
Allow use of camera
Allow installing apps
Allow screen capture
Allow voice dialing
Allow FaceTime
Allow automatic sync when roaming
Allow Siri
Allow Siri while locked
Allow Passbook notifications while locked
Allow in-app purchases
Force users to enter iTunes Store password for all purchases
Allow multiplayer gaming
Allow adding Game Center friends
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Features
iOS
Android
Show Control Center in lock screen (iOS 7)
Show Notification Center in lock screen (iOS 7)
Show Today view in lock screen (iOS 7)
Allow documents from managed apps in unmanaged apps (iOS 7)
Allow documents from unmanaged apps in managed apps (iOS 7)
Allow use of iTunes Store
Disable Safari popup-blocking functionality
Allow use of Safari
Enable Safari autofill
Force Safari fraud warning
Enable Safari javascript
Allow iCloud backup
Allow iCloud document sync
Allow iCloud Keychain sync (iOS 7)
Allow photo stream
Allow shared stream
Allow diagnostic data to be sent to Apple
Allow user to accept untrusted TLS certificates
Force encrypted backup
Allow automatic updates to certificate trust settings (iOS 7)
Force limited ad tracking (iOS 7)
Allow finger print for unlock (iOS 7)
Allow explicit music and podcasts
Rating Apps
Rating Movies
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Features
iOS
Android
Rating TV Shows
Show iMessage
Allow app removal
Allow Game Center
Allow Bookstore
Allow Bookstore erotica
Allow UI configuration profile installation
Allow modifying account settings (iOS 7)
Allow AirDrop (iOS 7)
Allow changes to cellular data usage for apps (iOS 7)
Allow user-generated content in Siri (iOS 7)
Allow modifying Find My Friends settings (iOS 7)
Allow host pairing (iOS 7)
*You can apply password protection, but be aware that Apple devices are ultimately in the user's control, who can remove the policy.
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Managed and OnDemand Agents
In Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM), there are two different types of Agents: Managed and OnDemand. Although we refer to the Agent as being "Managed" or "OnDemand", it is not the Agent or the devices
that are Managed or OnDemand but rather the sites they are associated with. For example, if you have created a Managed site, a Managed Agent will be deployed to all devices that belong to the site. Similarly, if you
have created an OnDemand site, an OnDemand Agent will be installed on all the associated devices. You
cannot have both Managed and OnDemand devices in the same site.
For more information, refer to Sites and "The AEM Agent and Agent Browser" on page 3.
Key differences between Managed and OnDemand Agents
Managed and OnDemand Agents differ in functionality. While Managed Agents can access all the
AEM features, OnDemand Agents have limited access. Here are a few key differences between an OnDemand and a Managed Agent:
Feature
OnDemand
Managed
Automatic audit interval
Every 7 days
Every 24 hours
Allow remote takeover
Only with end user permission
Unattended (no end user permission needed)
Can initiate remote takeover
Branding
●
●
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Patch management
●
Run jobs
●
Run monitors
●
Reasons for deploying OnDemand Agents
You would typically deploy an OnDemand Agent if your end users insist that they request the remote
takeover as they want to be present when the connection begins and ends. An OnDemand Agent is also
great if you want only ad-hoc remote support, or support on devices that you don't regularly manage.
OnDemand Agents are only compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating system (Windows XP or newer).
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Agent icons
Depending on the status and type of the Agent, you may see different icons in the system tray or menu bar of
your device:
Icon
Name
Description
Online (Managed)
Managed Agent that is currently connected to the AEM platform.
Offline
The Agent is not connected to the AEM platform.
Privacy Mode
The Agent is currently connected to the AEM platform and has Privacy Mode enabled.
Refer to "Privacy Mode" on page 58.
OnDemand
Mode
OnDemand Agent that is currently connected to the AEM platform.
Alert Mode
Online
The Agent is online and waiting for a job to be run by the end user. Refer to Execution.
Alert Mode Off- The Agent is offline and waiting for a job to be run by the end user. Refer to Execution.
line
Stopped
The Agent service has stopped. No logging is performed at this time.
Active Screen
Share
A screen share session is currently in progress. Refer to "Remote takeover tools" on
page 38.
If you have re-branded your account, you will see the icons you uploaded, instead. Refer to Branding.
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Create an Agent Policy
Permission to manage Policies at Account and/or Site level
Account > Policies
Sites > select a site > Policies
What is an Agent policy?
Agent policies deploy settings to affect the operation and configuration of the Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent. They may affect Privacy Mode, the Agent installation and service, security, or the
Agent Browser mode. For information about the Agent, refer to "AEM Agent" on page 55.
How to...
Specify the Policy Details for an Agent policy
1. Agent policies can be set up in the Web Portal at both account and site level. Refer to Add a policy.
2. On the Policy page, click New account policy... or New site policy....
3. Give the policy a Name.
4. Select the type Agent.
5. To copy an already existing policy to use it as a template, choose it from the Based on drop-down list.
To create a new policy, select New Policy.
6. Click Next.
7. Click on Add a target... to target your devices through a specific filter or group. If you want to target
more than one filter or group, add another target to the policy. Multiple targets will apply the "OR" logic,
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that is, the policy will be run on a device if it is included in any of the targets.
For more information about target types, refer to Filters and Groups.
Filters will present you with a list of the device filters that are in every account and any custom filters you've created yourself.
Devices of "unknown" device type will not be targeted by the policy.
8. Click Add.
9. Choose one or more of the following options:
Field
Description
Privacy Mode Options
Activate Privacy Mode
Automatically turns on Privacy Mode for all devices targeted by the policy and will require end user permission
when connecting to a targeted device. Once Privacy
Mode is enabled on a device, the AEM Administrator
cannot disable this setting. Privacy Mode can only be disabled by the end user on the device itself. For further
information, refer to "Privacy Mode" on page 58.
Allow connections when no user is logged in
Allows you to connect to a device when no user is
logged in but Privacy Mode is active on the device.
Only require endpoint permission for restricted tools
Allows you to configure Privacy Mode in a way that end
user permission is only required when the following
tools are used: VNC, RDP, Splashtop, Screenshot.
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Field
Description
Service Options
Install Service only
No system tray icon or Start menu shortcuts will be
installed. It is only available for Windows devices. Refer
to "Hide the AEM Agent Icon" on page 17.
Disable incoming jobs
Prevents the Agent from running jobs. For information on
what kind of components can be installed if this feature
is enabled, refer to "User Tasks" on page 49.
Disable incoming support
Prevents remote access to a device from another device.
Disable audits
Prevents the Agent from submitting audits to the platform.
Agent Policy Options
Disable Privacy options
Removes access to the Privacy Mode Options in the
Agent.
You cannot disable Privacy Mode in the
Agent using this setting if Privacy Mode had
already been activated. Once Privacy Mode
is enabled on a device, it can only be disabled by the end user.
Disable Settings menu
Removes access to the Settings menu in the Agent.
Disable Quit options
Removes the option for the user to exit the Agent.
Disable Tickets tab
Removes the option for the user to log a ticket through
the Agent.
Agent Browser Mode
Disabled
Prevents any access to the Agent Browser window.
User - No access to Support tab
Allows the user to open the Agent Browser window but
prevents them from logging in. For more information,
refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on page 19.
Admin - can log into Support tab
Allows full access to the Agent Browser window. Refer to
"Agent Browser" on page 19.
This is the default option.
10. Click Save. The window will close, and you will be returned to the policy list page.
11. Click Push changes to activate the policy.
Hide the AEM Agent Icon
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This functionality is only available for Windows devices.
Sometimes you may want to hide the Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) icon in the system tray or menu
bar because you do not want your end users to access all the options it offers (for example, the option to create a ticket), or because you want to prevent the users from stopping the Agent or turning on Privacy Mode.
To hide the Agent icon from the end user, check Install Service Only.
The changes will be pushed instantly if the Agent is online or as soon as it checks in to the platform. Once the
change has been applied on the Agent, the AEM Agent icon will be hidden on the local device.
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Agent Browser
All users unless the AEM icon is hidden or the Agent Browser mode is disabled. Refer to "Create an
Agent Policy" on page 15.
Double-click on the AEM icon in the taskbar notification area
Right-click on the AEM icon in the taskbar notification area > click Open
Click the Start menu > All Programs > CentraStage > Agent Browser
The Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices. OnDemand Agents and operating systems other than Windows do not have an Agent Browser.
The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent Browser is launched from the AEM Agent or AEM Web
Portal. Any connection to a remote device is established through the AEM Agent Browser which offers multiple tools to open a remote takeover session on the endpoint or execute tasks on it. The Agent Browser
allows you to connect to more than one device at the same time.
While the Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices, the Agent
Browser can connect to Managed and OnDemand devices, on Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems,
with varying options available to each. For a detailed list of the remote takeover and remote device task
options on each operating system, refer to "Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and Mobile Device Agents" on
page 8.
In order to establish a connection between two devices, both the device you are connecting from
and the device you are connecting to needs to have an Agent installed. For information about Agent
types, available operating systems and deployment options, refer to Deploy and Install Agents.
How to...
Log into the Agent Browser
The Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices.
Access to the Agent Browser and the available options may be specified in an Agent policy. For further information, refer to "Create an Agent Policy" on page 15.
1. Open the Agent through any of the paths indicated above.
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2. The following window will open:
3. The following tabs will be displayed on the right pane along with a few basic details about the device:
Tab name
Description
Summary
Displays the Agent version installed on your own device and basic information including
hostname, site name, domain, IP address, and more.
Tasks
Allows you to run components on your device if the components are enabled as User
Tasks in the Web Portal. For further information, refer to "User Tasks" on page 49.
Tickets
Allows you to create a ticket. For more information, refer to "Create a Ticket in the Agent
Browser" on page 42.
4. The left pane will allow you to log into the Agent Browser. Enter your Username and Password.
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You may see a different logo and text in this window. For information on how to apply custom Agent branding, refer to Branding.
5. Select the check box Keep me logged in if you would like the Agent Browser to remember your login
credentials. The credentials will be saved until the AEM Agent or the computer is restarted, or until the
Agent Browser has been inactive for 8 hours.
If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it by clicking on the Forgotten your
password? hyperlink. For more information, refer to Reset your password in the Agent
Browser.
6. Click Login.
7. You are now logged into the Agent Browser.
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You will see the following areas on the page:
Field
Description
Logo
The desktop shortcut of the Agent Browser. To learn how to add your own logo, refer
to Branding.
Product Name
Displayed next to the desktop shortcut logo and as the first menu in the menu bar. For
information on how to customize the product name, refer to Branding. Click on the
product name and you will be presented with the following options:
• Open Web Portal - Opens the Web Portal in a new window. It will prompt you to log
in if you were not logged in before.
• Logout - Logs you out of the Agent Browser. You'll be redirected to the login page.
• Close - Closes the Agent Browser window. It will also log you out unless you have
the Keep me logged in option enabled on the Agent Browser login pane.
• Change Password - Opens the Web Portal in a new window where you can change
your password. It will prompt you to log in if you were not logged in before. For information on how to change your password, refer to Manage Passwords.
• Security Level - Allows you to change your security level that you are using in the
Agent Browser. For further information, refer to Change your security level.
Tools
A list of the available Agent Browser tools. They become active once you are connected to a device. For further information, refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31.
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Field
Description
View
Allows you to specify what information you would like to see about the devices in the
Connected Devices area and the Search results.
Click View and you will see that, by default, Column 1 displays the Hostname of the
device and Column 2 displays the Description of the device. You can change the
default information by choosing any of the following options:
• Hostname
• Description
• User-Defined Fields 1 - 10
• Last User
• Reset All - Resets the default values.
Example of Column 1 showing the Hostname of the device and Column
2 showing the Description of the device.
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Field
Description
For further information about the fields, refer to Devices.
Connected
Devices
The list of devices you are connected to. You can connect to multiple devices at the
same time. Use the Search area to find devices and connect to them. For information
on how to connect to a device, refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
Search
Use this area to find devices and connect to them. The search results will display your
devices under their respective site.
•
- Search for specific devices by entering their hostname, description, serial number, IP address or last user and clicking on the icon. If you don't specify your device
and click on the icon, it will populate all your devices.
•
- Search for a site by entering a specific site name, or leave the search field blank
and click on the icon to populate all the sites.
•
- Search for a favorite device by entering its hostname, description, serial number, IP address or last user, or leave the search field blank and click on the icon to
populate all your favorite devices.
Hover over the question mark
next to Search and over the icons
next to the search field for tips on how to best target your search.
Once you have located the device, it will be displayed along with the name of the site
it is added to. Click on the Refresh icon
next to the site name to refresh the list of
results. For information on how to connect to the device you have located, refer to
"Connect to a device" on page 24.
The device you are connecting from will not be displayed in the search
results.
User, platform
In the bottom left of the Agent Browser window, you can see the name of the logged in
user and the platform URL. For further information about the AEM platforms, refer to
AEM Platforms.
Connect to a device
Once you have logged into the Agent Browser, you can use the Search area to find devices that you would
like to connect to. For further information, refer to "Search" on page 24. The search results will display online
devices first. Offline devices can be identified by the offline icon .
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Managed devices allow unattended remote connection, that is, unless Privacy Mode is enabled, you do not
need the end user's permission to establish a connection to a Managed device. However, you can only connect to an OnDemand device if the end user requests the connection.
You can specify in the Agent Browser settings if you want to see offline devices when performing a search. For more information, refer to "Configure the Agent and Agent Browser" on
page 56.
You will be able to search for and see any device that is added to your AEM site (except for the
device you are connecting from), however, you will only be able to connect to online devices.
Connect to a Managed Agent
1. Once you have logged in to the Agent Browser, search for the device you would like to connect to.
Refer to "Search" on page 24.
2. Click on the device.
3. If Privacy Mode is enabled on the remote device, the end user will receive a notification that you
would like to connect to their device. They can accept or decline the request. For more information,
refer to "Privacy Mode" on page 58 and "Create an Agent Policy" on page 15.
4. Once the connection has been established, the device will appear in the Connected Devices section.
If a peer-to-peer connection fails to be established at the start of a connection, all communication between devices will traverse the Tunnel Servers. A peer-to-peer connection is
identified by green bars , a relayed connection via a Tunnel Server is identified by blue
bars
in front of the device. For more information, refer to Connecting Agents through the
Tunnel Server Grid.
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Unless you have connected to a device with "Privacy Mode" on page 58 enabled (and not
modified through an Agent policy), or initiate a remote takeover session through one of the
"Remote takeover tools" on page 38, the end user will not be aware that you are connected
to their device.
In case you lose the connection to a device, you can have the Agent Browser auto re-connect to it. Go to Settings > Preferences and select Auto re-connect to disconnected
devices. For more information, refer to "Configure the Agent and Agent Browser" on page
56.
5. Click on the device in the Connected Devices section to be able to use the "Agent Browser Tools" on
page 31.
6. To close the connection to a device, hover over it in the Connected Devices area, and click the X at
the end of the row. The following window will appear:
7. If you would not like this window to pop up in the future, check Don't show this window again.
You can always change this preference in the Agent Browser settings. Refer to "Configure
the Agent and Agent Browser" on page 56.
8. You can enter a note to summarize what you have done on the device while you were connected to it.
The note will be added to the Notes section on the Device Summary page. Refer to Device
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Summary.
You can also enter a note while you are connected to a device. Refer to "Agent Browser
Tools" on page 31.
9. Click Save. The device will no longer be listed in the Connected Devices area.
10. To make sure you have closed all remote connections, right-click on the AEM icon in the taskbar notification area and click Close all remote connections.
You can connect to a Managed device through the Web Portal as well. Locate your device in
one of your sites and click on the Connect icon displayed next to the device. This will open
your Agent Browser and the device will be listed in the Connected Devices area. For more
information, refer to Remote takeover icons.
Connect to an OnDemand Agent
OnDemand Agents appear offline, unless the end user requests a connection to the device. Once the connection request is received, you (the technician or Administrator) can initiate the connection.
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1. Advise the end user to open the Agent on their device through any of the paths indicated above.
2. The following window will open:
3. Advise the end user to click on the Connect button in the left pane.
4. Once the request has been submitted, the end user will get the following message:
The logo and text may be customized. Refer to Branding.
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5. Once the end user has submitted the request for support, the device will appear online and you can
use the Search area in your Agent Browser to find the device and connect to it. Refer to "Search" on
page 24.
6. Click on the device.
7. A pop-up window will open. Click Yes to initiate an OnDemand session.
8. If Privacy Mode is enabled on the remote device, the end user will receive a notification that you
would like to connect to their device. They can accept or decline the request. For more information,
refer to "Privacy Mode" on page 58 and "Create an Agent Policy" on page 15.
9. Once the connection has been established, the device will appear in the Connected Devices section,
and you can use any of the Agent Browser tools available, just like in a Managed session. For further
information, refer to "Connect to a Managed Agent" on page 25.
You can also connect to an OnDemand device through the Web Portal as soon as the end user
has requested a connection to the device. Once the device appears online in the Web Portal,
click on the Connect icon displayed next to it. This will open your Agent Browser and the
device will be listed in the Connected Devices area. For more information, refer to Remote
takeover icons.
Force a relayed connection to a device
Some firewalls may intermittently (usually between 30 and 60 seconds) disconnect you from your connected
device whilst in peer-to-peer mode . To resolve this issue and bypass peer-to-peer connection, AEM offers
a method of forcing the remote connection to be handled through a Tunnel Server. This is called Forced
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Relay mode.
1. Make sure you close all remote connections in the Agent Browser. To do that, click the X next to your
devices in the Connected Devices area and once you have disconnected from all the devices, rightclick on the AEM icon in the taskbar notification area and click Close all remote connections.
2. Once all the connections are closed, search for the device you wish to connect to.
3. BEFORE clicking to connect to the device, hold down the Shift key on the keyboard.
4. Whilst holding down the Shift key, click on the device to connect.
5. The device will now appear in the Connected Devices area with blue bars
relayed connection.
next to it to indicate a
Perform a task on a connected device
When you are connected to a device, you can execute a variety of tasks on it. For information about remote
device task options, refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31.
Configure the Agent Browser settings
The Agent Browser settings can be configured through the AEM Agent. For more information, refer to "Configure the Agent and Agent Browser" on page 56.
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Agent Browser Tools
Your security level permissions define your access to the Agent Browser Tools. Refer to Security
Levels.
The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent Browser allows you to connect to a remote device and
execute a variety of actions on it. This topic will explain the function of the Agent Browser Tools that are at
your disposal once the connection to a device has been established.
While the Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices, the Agent
Browser can connect to Managed and OnDemand devices, on Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems,
with varying options available to each. For a detailed list of the remote takeover and remote device task
options on each operating system, refer to "Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and Mobile Device Agents" on
page 8.
To be able to access the Agent Browser, you need to have an Agent installed on your device. For more information, refer to Deploy and Install Agents.
How to...
Access and use the Agent Browser Tools
The Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Microsoft Windows devices.
In order to access the Agent Browser Tools:
1. Log into the Agent Browser and search for the device you would like to connect to. For more information, refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on page 19 and "Connect to a device" on page 24.
2. Once the connection has been established, collapse the Search area and click on the device in the
Connected Devices section. This will activate the Agent Browser Tools available for the device on
the left of the screen and the device Summary page on the right of the screen.
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You can specify in the Agent Browser settings if the connected device should be selected
automatically in order to activate the Agent Browser Tools. Refer to "Configure the Agent
and Agent Browser" on page 56.
The Summary page will display the Agent version installed on the device and basic information including hostname, description, site name, domain, IP address, and more. You can
refresh the information by clicking on the Refresh button in the top right corner and you
can mark this device as a Favorite
in the top left corner.
3. Clicking on a tool on the left of the screen will open it on the right of the screen, next to Summary. You
can have multiple tools open at the same time. You can navigate between the tabs by clicking on their
name or by choosing them from the drop-down in the top right corner. You can close each tab by clicking on X in the top right corner of the tab.
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4. You can open the tools by clicking on their icon on the left of the screen or by clicking on the Tools
menu in the menu bar and selecting the required tools.
5. Double-click on any tab or drag and drop it to break it out into a separate window. These windows can
then be arranged on your screen as required.
6. Drag a tab and drop it on the top, bottom, left or right of the screen to dock it.
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7. Once a tab is docked, you can auto-hide it by clicking on the Auto-Hide icon
in the top right corner.
8. This will hide your tab. Hover over the tab to expand it and click on the Auto-Hide icon
again.
to dock it
List of Agent Browser tools
Depending on the type of device you are connecting to and your security level permissions, you have various
tools available in the Agent Browser. For more information, refer to "Features of Windows, OS X, Linux and
Mobile Device Agents" on page 8 and Security Levels.
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Icon
Name
Description
Screenshot
Takes a screenshot of the remote device. Save the image by clicking on the Save icon
the top left corner above the image.
Windows
Services
Allows you to control services on the remote device. Select a service from the list to:
• Review its description
• Check its properties
• Restart the service
• Pause the service
• Stop the service
• Start the service
Command
Shell
Opens a command shell on the remote device where you can enter your commands.
Agent
Deployment
Allows you to deploy the AEM Agent to devices on the remote network. For more information, refer to LAN Deployment Using the Agent Browser (Windows Only).
Task Manager
Monitors resources such as CPU, memory, disk usage or network traffic in real time on the
remote device. It allows you to:
• Select a process and kill it by clicking on the End Process icon
in the top left corner of
the screen.
• Highlight a process in the CPU area and click the Search Online button
in the top left
corner of the screen. It will perform a Google search on the selected process.
in
You can have a quick look at the CPU and memory usage of the remote
device next to the thumbnail image of the device on the left of the screen
just above the Agent Browser tool icons. The red bar indicates the CPU
usage and the blue bar indicates the memory usage. Click on the pause
button above the bars to pause the feedback on these pieces of information temporarily.
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Icon
Name
Description
File Management
The File Management tool presents you with a tree structure of folders of the remote device,
and a number of icons that allow you to perform the following actions:
•
Download item(s)... - Select any file or folder on the remote device and click Download item(s)... In the pop-up window, select where you would like the item(s) to be saved
on your device.
•
Upload files... - Navigate to a location on the remote device where you would like to
upload your file(s) to. Click Upload files..., and select one or more files from your device to
upload them to the remote device.
•
Copy to my desktop - Select any file or folder on the remote device and click Copy
to my desktop. It will copy the selected item(s) to the desktop of your device.
•
Copy - Select any file or folder on the remote device, click Copy, and then paste the
item(s) to another location on the remote device. You can also copy the item(s) by using the
Ctrl+C combination on your keyboard, or by right-clicking on the item(s) and selecting
Copy.
•
Cut - Select any file or folder on the remote device, click Cut, and then paste the item(s)
to another location on the remote device. You can also cut the item(s) by using the Ctrl+X
combination on your keyboard, or by right-clicking on the item(s) and selecting Cut.
•
Paste - Copy or cut any file or folder on the remote device, and then click Paste to copy
or move the item(s) to another location on the remote device. You can also paste the item(s)
by using the Ctrl+V combination on your keyboard, or by right-clicking on the item(s) and
selecting Paste.
•
New Folder - Navigate to a location on the remote device where you would like to add
a new folder and click New Folder, or use the right-click menu and select New Folder.
•
Edit Name - Select a file or folder and click Edit Name, or right-click on the item and
select Edit Name. This will allow you to rename the item. You can only rename one item at
a time.
•
Refresh - Refreshes the current view of the files and folders of the remote device.
•
Delete - Select any file or folder on the remote device and click Delete to permanently
delete the selected item(s). You can also use the Delete key on your keyboard, or right-click
on the item(s) and select Delete.
When an action cannot be performed on the selected item(s) or in the
selected location, the corresponding button and right-click option is disabled.
The File Management tool also allows you to:
• Drag and drop any file or folder from your device to the remote device.
• Sort the files and folders of the remote device by Name, Size, and Last Modified date by
clicking on any of the column headers.
• Follow up on the progress of file transfer and management below the file and folder
structure of the remote device. You can also cancel any or all actions by clicking on Cancel
or Cancel All.
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Icon
Name
Description
Registry
Editor
Allows you to add and edit registry items on the remote device.
Quick Jobs
Allows you to run quick jobs on the remote device. Click on Execute Job to run the component or application as a quick job. For more information, refer to Deploy Components
Using Jobs.
Event
Viewer
Allows you to view the event logs on the remote device.
Wake up
Allows you to wake up devices that are in the same site and subnet as the device you are
connected to. For more information, refer to "Wake-On-LAN" on page 45.
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Icon
Name
Description
Drive
Information
Allows you to view the following information about the current local drives of the remote
device: Name, Drive, Type, Size, Free, File System, % (percentage used). Click on any
of the column headers to sort the information by that column.
This tool also allows you to create or delete network drive mappings on the remote
device:
• To add a network drive, click on the plus sign in the Mapped Drives area and specify the
following drive settings: Drive Letter, Folder, select if the end user should use their current credentials, be prompted for credentials on use, or connect as a different
user.
• To remove a network drive, select the drive in the Mapped Drives area and click on the
minus sign.
The changes will be applied when the end user next logs onto the remote
device.
The Operations Log area will display details on your drive mapping operations. Right-click
anywhere in the Operations Log area and click Clear to delete all of the log entries. Sort the
log information by clicking on any of the column headers: Time, Operation, Drive, User,
Message, Action.
Shut down
Allows you to shut down the device. Click on the arrow next to the icon to access both the
Shut down and the Restart tools.
Restart
Allows you to restart the device. You can access it by clicking on the arrow next to the Shut
down icon.
SNMP Test
Tool
Only available if the device you are connected to is a network node device. It allows you to
test network devices using SNMP. For more information, refer to "Test SNMP Monitoring in
the Agent Browser" on page 51.
Remote takeover tools
VNC
Opens a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) shared screen session on the remote device.
Click on the icon to share the remote user's desktop, mouse and keyboard.
If you would like to open a VNC session without the ability to control the remote device, click
on the arrow next to the VNC icon and click Connect in View Only Mode.
To learn how to configure your VNC remote takeover settings, refer to
"Configure the Agent and Agent Browser" on page 56.
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Icon
Name
Description
RDP
Opens a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session when clicking on the icon. RDP will create a new desktop on the remote device, i.e. it will create a separate (not shared) session
and will prompt you to log in.
If you would like to see what is shown on the remote device's screen using RDP, click on the
arrow next to the RDP icon and click Connect to Console Session.
To learn how to configure your RDP remote takeover settings, refer to
"Configure the Agent and Agent Browser" on page 56.
For information about Network Level Authentication in RDP sessions, refer
to "Network Level Authentication" on page 47.
Splashtop
Opens a remote takeover session via Splashtop. For further information, refer to Splashtop
Remote Screen Share Integration.
You may sometimes experience issues when trying to use a remote takeover tool. To
troubleshoot, refer to Why am I unable to initiate remote takeover?
Chat and Notes
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Icon
Chat
Name
Description
Send messages to the end user of the connected device. Enter your message and hit Enter
or click the chat icon . It will display a chat window on the endpoint and the end user will
be able to reply to the message.
You can click the Copy Chatlog to Clipboard button to copy the conversation. This button will not appear in the chat window of the connected device.
You can specify in the Agent Browser settings if you want to play a sound
when you receive a new chat message. Refer to "Configure the Agent and
Agent Browser" on page 56.
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Icon
Notes
Name
Description
Add notes to the connected device. Enter your message and hit Enter or click the save button . You can choose to show notes from:
• Yesterday
• 7 days / 30 days ago
• 3 months / 6 months ago
• 1 year ago
• From beginning
Any note added here will be visible in the Notes section on the Device Summary page.
Refer to Device Summary.
You can also add a note when closing the connection to a device. For more
information, refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
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Create a Ticket in the Agent Browser
In addition to the Web Portal, tickets can also be created in the Agent Browser. This allows end users to submit tickets using the AEM Agent installed on their local device. The ticket will appear in the Web Portal.
How to...
Create a ticket
1. Open the Agent Browser on the local device by double-clicking on the AEM system tray icon.
2. Select the Tickets tab .
3. Click New Ticket.
4. Complete the Ticket Title and Description fields.
5. Click OK to submit the ticket.
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An email notification is sent to the assigned resource, and the ticket appears in the AEM Web Portal.
The end user is able to view open tickets from the Tickets tab in the Agent Browser.
Edit or close a ticket
If you are using the AEM standalone ticketing, end users can edit and close tickets on the Tickets tab in their
Agent Browser.
If you have integrated with Autotask PSA and are using the advanced integrated ticketing, tickets
can be edited in the Web Portal.
l
l
You can edit a ticket by clicking on the pencil icon next to it. You will be able to see any notes added
by the technician from the AEM Web Portal and you can also add further notes.
Closing the ticket will change the status to Closed in the Web Portal, and the ticket will no longer be
visible in the Agent Browser. AEM administrators will still be able to access the ticket via the Web
Portal.
Configure assigned resources for tickets
The assigned resource for tickets submitted via the Agent Browser can be configured in the AEM Web Portal.
The selected recipient will receive email notifications of new tickets when submitted. The assigned
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resources can be configured at account and site level as well. Resources configured at site level will override
any set at account level.
For further information, refer to Account Settings and Site Settings.
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Wake-On-LAN
About Wake-on-LAN
Wake-on-LAN is an industry standard protocol that, given that the device has access to a power source,
allows for compatible devices to be turned on or awakened remotely. It typically only works for laptops that
are connected to the main supply. The Wake-on-LAN functionality can be especially useful when maintenance tasks, such as backups or installation of software upgrades need to be performed on a device after
business hours.
If the device is asleep or turned off but powered on, it will continue to scan data coming in from the network. If
configured, it will be able to look for a special data sequence called Magic Packet to wake up the sleeping or
turned off device.
Magic Packets are usually sent over the entirety of a network and contain the subnet information,
network broadcast address and MAC address of the target computer’s network card, whether Ethernet or wireless.
In Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM), Wake-on-LAN requires an online Agent in the same site and subnet as the device you wish to wake up. The remote device also needs to be properly configured as detailed
below.
Requirements for Wake-on-LAN in AEM
In AEM an Agent can send a Magic Packet to wake up a remote device if:
l
The Agent is in the same site and subnet as the device you would like to wake up
l
UDP Ports 7 and 9 are enabled on the remote device
l
The remote device's network adapter is enabled to allow a Magic Packet to wake the device
How to...
Wake up a remote device through the Agent Browser
1. Log into the Agent Browser. Refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on page 19.
2. Connect to a device in the same site and subnet as the device you wish to wake. Refer to "Connect to
a device" on page 24.
3. Click Tools > Wake Up or click the Wake up remote devices icon
.
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4. The Wake Up tab will open on the right of the window and will show a list of all the offline devices that
are in the same site and subnet as your connected device.
5. Select the device(s) that you wish to wake up and click Wake Up.
6. This will send a Magic Packet to the remote device(s) so that you can perform further actions on
them. To learn about the remote tools that you have at your disposal, refer to "Agent Browser Tools"
on page 31.
Use Wake-on-LAN in patch management policies
AEM supports Wake-on-LAN requests in patch management policies to wake the targeted devices before the
policy is due to start. You must, however, have a network node device in the same site as your targeted
devices to use this feature. (Local Caches can also be nominated as network nodes.)
For further information, refer to Assign a device to be a network node, and the POWER section in Create a
Patch Management Policy.
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Network Level Authentication
About Network Level Authentication
Network Level Authentication (NLA) is an authentication tool used in Remote Desktop Services (RDP
Server) or Remote Desktop Connection (RDP Client), introduced in RDP 6.0 in Windows Vista and above.
NLA is sometimes called front authentication as it requires the connecting user to authenticate themselves
before a session can be established with the remote device.
Starting a remote session on a device (e.g. a server) requires many processes to run in the background which
can use up CPU resources on the remote device. This can be prevented by requiring the connecting user to
authenticate themselves first. Any failed attempt made by an unauthorized user will not allow to establish a
connection and, consequently, will not use the device's CPU resources. Requiring user authentication before
the remote session also offers a layer of defense against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
When a user tries to establish a connection to a device with NLA enabled, NLA will delegate the user's credentials from the client through a client side Security Support Provider to the server for authentication before
creating a session. Only once the user authentication is successful will the connection be established.
How to...
Enable / Disable Network Level Authentication
NLA can be enabled / disabled on the target device by accessing one of the paths below:
Start menu > Control Panel > System and Security > System > Remote Settings > Remote >
Remote Desktop > select Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop
with Network Level Authentication
Start menu > Control Panel > right-click on Computer > Properties > Remote Settings > Remote >
Remote Desktop > select Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop
with Network Level Authentication
Open an RDP session with a device with NLA enabled
1. Log into the Agent Browser. Refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on page 19.
2. Connect to a server. Refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
3. Click Tools > Windows RDP or click the Remote Desktop Protocol icon
.
4. You will now be prompted to authorize yourself in order to establish the connection. Enter your Username and Password.
5. Select Use Network Level Authentication.
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The option to use NLA will be grayed out on incompatible devices.
6. Select Remember passwords for this device if you want your password to be remembered for
future RDP sessions.
7. Click Login to establish the connection.
8. The connection will be established if the user authentication has been successful.
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User Tasks
Schedule and Run Jobs
Learn how to run jobs at a scheduled time, immediately through a quick job, or as a user task directly from the Agent Browser.
About User Tasks
A component can be enabled as a User Task in the Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Web Portal.
Once that is done and an audit has been performed, the component gets automatically downloaded to every
device that has the AEM Agent installed and will be displayed in the Agent Browser under the Tasks tab.
These components can then be run by the end user directly from within the Agent Browser.
This functionality provides the end user with a self service portal where they can install software, run maintenance tasks, and complex scripts all with a single click of a button. There is no need to log into the Agent
Browser to run a User Task, and no need for computer administrator access.
How to...
Enable a component as a User Task
1. Log into the AEM Web Portal and click on the Components tab.
2. On the component you wish to make available as a User Task, click on the Toggle User Task icon
.
3. A confirmation box will appear to confirm that the component will be downloaded to every Agent, that
is, to all the devices in the account. It will also confirm the component size. Click OK to continue.
4. This will activate the Toggle User Task icon
next to the component.
5. Make sure an audit is performed on your devices. This can be an automatic or a manual audit. Refer to
Audits.
6. The component will now become available as a User Task in the Agent Browser under the Tasks
tab. For more information, refer to "Agent Browser" on page 19.
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Run a User Task
1. Open the Agent Browser window. For further information, refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on
page 19.
2. Click on the Tasks tab on the right of the window.
3. Click Run next to the component that you want to run on the local device.
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Test SNMP Monitoring in the Agent Browser
About SNMP monitoring
When you’re setting up and configuring your SNMP monitoring, it can be useful to be able to test some of the
functionality before you start applying it to your devices.
For example, you might want to confirm that the SNMP response to a specific Object Identifier (OID) comes
in the format that you expect, or that a device can actually be connected to over UDP port 161 by your network node device.
To test this, you can use the AEM Agent on the network node device to test out SNMP monitoring and connectivity.
Requirements
You should be familiar with the process of how to nominate a device as a network node device and how your
network devices can be discovered and managed by a network node. For further information on this, refer to
Discover Devices on the Network.
If you are not familiar and comfortable with the concepts, terminology and technology around SNMP, please
refer to the guides we collected in the topic referenced above. This document assumes that you know the
SNMP OIDs (Object Identifiers) that you want to monitor, and the thresholds / values that you want to monitor for. You may find out more about the SNMP OIDs from the device vendor or from the device documentation.
How to...
Connect to a network device and test an SNMP monitor
1. Log into the Agent Browser. For more information, refer to "Log into the Agent Browser" on page 19.
2. Search for and connect to the device you have nominated as a network node. For more information,
refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
Network nodes can be recognized in the list from their green computer icon
.
3. Once your network node appears in the Connected Devices area, select it to activate the Agent
Browser Tools. Refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31.
4. Click on the Test network devices using SNMP icon
. This will bring up the SNMP Test Tool tab.
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The SNMP Test Tool is only available for network node devices. For more information, refer
to Discover Devices on the Network.
5. Enter the network device details in the bottom left window.
Field
Description
Device
Name
Enter the name of the device you wish to monitor (e.g. Cisco router).
IP Address
Enter the internal IP address of the device.
SNMP version
Choose SNMP version v1, v2c, or v3. If you are connecting over SNMP v3, you will also
need to populate the required authentication details. For further information, refer to SNMP
Credentials.
Community
The community string works as a password. Enter the community string of your device.
The default read-only community string is "public" but your device may
have a customized community string.
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6. Click Save to add the device. It will now show up in the top window.
7. Click the Add icon in the bottom right window to add an SNMP OID to be monitored or to test if the
device is offline.
Field
Description
Offline Test
Select this option if you want to know when the device goes offline. This will automatically fill in the following details:
OID
If you want to monitor for a setting or value, enter the OID here (e.g.
1.3.6.1.4.1.6574.1.2.0). You can only enter it if the Offline Test option is unchecked.
Test Name
Enter a name for the test (e.g. Temperature).
Alert if
Enter the reason for the alert (e.g. "System temperature is too hot").
Operator
Select one of the operators from the drop-down list (Equal, Not Equal, Less, Less or
Equal, Greater than, Greater or Equal, Contains, Starts with, Ends with).
Value
Specify the threshold for the alert.
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8. Click Save.
9. Repeat steps 7-8 for any additional OIDs that you want to monitor.
10. Once the monitor has been applied to the network node (up to about 30 seconds), the result will be
shown in the monitor in the bottom right window. Under the Value column, a green status bar will show
that the current SNMP value is within your configured thresholds, while a red one will show that it is
outside of an acceptable value.
11. Once you are comfortable that your test works as expected, you can upload your network monitor to
the Web Portal. Select the monitor and click the Upload icon.
In the Web Portal, you will be able to locate your monitor by navigating to Components > Network
Monitors. For more information about network monitor components, refer to Download or Create Network Monitor Components.
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AEM Agent
All users
The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) Agent is a lightweight software program installed on a device
that supports agent installation. For more information, refer to "Supported Operating Systems and Requirements for the Agent" on page 5. The Agent gathers up-to-date information about the device's health and
status and communicates it to the Web Portal. The Agent can be used to proactively monitor a device, deploy
patches, push out policies, create alerts and tickets, execute scripts, run scheduled jobs, or even enable a
remote connection to the device by opening the Agent Browser. For information about how to connect to a
remote device, refer to "Agent Browser" on page 19.
This document will explain how to access the AEM Agent. It will also detail how to configure the Agent and
Agent Browser settings.
How to...
Access the Agent
The Agent is only visible on Mac or Windows devices. The Linux Agent runs purely in Service
Mode and is not visible to the end user.
1. Ensure you have an Agent installed on your device. For information about Agent types, available operating systems and deployment options, refer to Deploy and Install Agents.
2. Locate the AEM icon in the system tray or menu bar of your device. If the Agent is running, the icon
should be displayed by default. Depending on the status of the Agent and whether you have applied
custom branding, you may see different icons. For more information, refer to "Managed and OnDemand Agents" on page 13.
You can launch the icon by opening the Agent Monitor which can be accessed by navigating to AEM on the list of installed programs on your device.
If you have an Agent installed but the icon is not displayed, the icon may be hidden through
an Agent policy. For further information, refer to "Hide the AEM Agent Icon" on page 17.
3. Depending on your operating system (Mac or Windows), click or right-click on the AEM icon to be
presented with the following options:
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Some options may not be available on Mac devices.
Field
Description
Open
Opens the Agent Browser window. The Agent Browser is only available for Managed Agents on Windows devices. For further information, refer to "Log into the
Agent Browser" on page 19.
Device description
Only available on Windows devices. Enter your device description. It will update
the device description in the Web Portal as well. Refer to Device Summary.
Privacy Mode
Options
Enables privacy mode to control any connection to be established to the device.
For more information, refer to "Privacy Mode" on page 58.
Settings
Only available on Windows devices. It allows you to configure your Agent and
Agent Browser settings. For more information, refer to "Configure the Agent and
Agent Browser" on page 56.
Restart
Allows you to restart the Agent. For more information, refer to How can I restart
the AEM Agent?
About
Displays the Agent version and the name of your company. You can configure
the latter in Setup > Branding. For further information, refer to Branding.
Exit / Quit
Exits the Agent and Agent Browser.
Configure the Agent and Agent Browser
You have the option to configure your Agent and Agent Browser settings on Windows devices.
1. Right-click on the AEM icon.
2. Select Settings.
3. A new window will open where you can configure the following:
Tab name
Description
Network
You can apply proxy settings for your Agent. For more information, refer to Configure
proxy settings in the AEM Agent.
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Tab name
Description
RDP
Allows you to configure your settings for an RDP remote takeover session. You can
define:
• Display resolution and size
• Whether you want to share remote audio settings and local disk drives
• Whether you want to apply the remote desktop background and font smoothing
To learn how to start an RDP remote takeover session, refer to "Remote
takeover tools" on page 38.
VNC
Allows you to change the default password used in a VNC remote takeover session.
If you opt to change this password, ensure that the same change is undertaken on all
devices involved as this password is used to authenticate the end-to-end connection for
VNC.
To learn how to start a VNC remote takeover session, refer to "Remote
takeover tools" on page 38.
Preferences
You can set the following preferences:
• Show offline devices in search results. Refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
• Select the device for me after connecting. Refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31.
• Ask me to enter notes when closing a device. Refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
• Always play a new chat message sound. Refer to "Agent Browser Tools" on page 31.
• Auto re-connect to disconnected devices. Refer to "Connect to a device" on page 24.
• Force this device to become a Connection Broker (CB). For more information, refer to
Connection Brokers.
Advanced
Allows you to:
• Define the type of log file you want to save. For more information about the location of the
log file, refer to How do I find the AEM log files?
• Define where to store the cache.
• Reset the Agent Browser size and position.
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Privacy Mode
Privacy Mode is a method by which the end user can control any connection to be established to their device.
When Privacy Mode is enabled on a device, the end user will be prompted to accept or deny requests for a
connection to their device, including remote takeover sessions. The connection cannot be established until
the request is accepted by the end user. Privacy Mode applies to all remote support tools in the Agent
Browser as well.
Privacy Mode can be enabled by the end user on the device, or in the Web Portal through an Agent policy.
Once Privacy Mode is enabled, it can only be disabled by the end user on the device itself.
The user can only enable or disable Privacy Mode if the AEM icon is not hidden. For more information, refer to "Hide the AEM Agent Icon" on page 17.
How to...
Enable Privacy Mode on the Device
1. Right-click on the AEM icon in the system tray or click on the AEM icon in the menu bar and hover
over Privacy Mode Options.
2. Select one of the options below.
Field
Definition
Privacy Mode
Toggle to turn Privacy Mode on or off.
Off for 30 minutes
Disables Privacy Mode for 30 minutes after which it will automatically be reenabled. This is not a toggle.
Off for 1 hour
Disables Privacy Mode for 1 hour after which it will automatically be reenabled. This is not a toggle.
Off for 2 hours
Disables Privacy Mode for 2 hours after which it will automatically be reenabled. This is not a toggle.
Off for today
Disables Privacy Mode for 12 hours after which it will automatically be reenabled. This is not a toggle.
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To learn about other settings available in the Agent, refer to "AEM Agent" on page 55.
Enable Privacy Mode through an Agent policy
For information on how to activate Privacy Mode through an Agent policy, refer to "Create an Agent Policy"
on page 15.
Disable Privacy Mode
Once privacy mode has been enabled, it cannot be disabled either through the Web Portal or
the Agent Browser. Privacy mode can only be disabled by the end user on the device itself.
1. Right-click on the AEM icon in the system tray or click on it in the menu bar and hover over Privacy
Mode Options.
2. Turn off Privacy Mode by deselecting it.
If you would like to prevent the end users from enabling or disabling Privacy Mode, you can create an Agent policy to hide the Agent icon. For further information, refer to "Hide the
AEM Agent Icon" on page 17.
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Index
I
.
icon 13
M
.Net Framework 5
A
magic packet 45
Mono 5
agent 3, 55
N
features 8
network devices 51
Managed 13
Network Level Authentication 47
OnDemand 13
network node 51
agent browser 3, 19, 31
NLA 47
agent browser mode 15
O
agent browser tools 31
offline test 51
agent configuration 55
P
agent icon 13
agent monitor 55
policies
agent policy 15
Agent 15
privacy mode 58
privacy mode 58
C
R
connect to device 19, 58
remote takeover tools 31
D
S
disable privacy mode 58
E
enable privacy mode 58
H
hide AEM icon 15
SNMP monitoring 51
SNMP OID 51
SNMP test tool 51
supported operating systems 5
system requirements 5
hide agent icon 15
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T
ticket assignee 42
tickets
create in agent browser 42
U
user task 49
W
Wake-on-LAN 45
wake up remote device 45
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