Skip to main content

Installing the Discovery Agent

Discovery agents are lightweight programs that scan your IT infrastructure to provide comprehensive visibility into your hardware, software, and system configurations.

This guide covers the installation of the standalone Discovery Agent on Windows, Linux, and macOS systems. This agent's primary function is to collect and transmit asset information to the ServiceOps portal, which is essential for effective asset, patch, and package management.

Looking for a unified agent?

For a streamlined deployment on Windows that includes both asset discovery and remote desktop capabilities, refer to the Installing Discovery + RDP Agent guide.

Prerequisites​

Before installing discovery agents, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

System Requirements​

Windows Systems​
  • Operating System: Windows 8 and above versions
  • Architecture: 32-bit and 64-bit supported
  • Dependencies:
    • .NET version 4 and above
    • Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022
Linux Systems​

  • Supported Distributions:

    UbuntuRedHatZorin
    CentOSMintOpenSuse
    SUSEDebianSolaris
    OracleRocky OSFedora
    Almas OS
  • Permissions: Root access required
  • Dependencies: sudo must be installed
macOS Systems​
  • Operating System: macOS 10.15 and above
  • Permissions: Root access required

Required Information​

You'll need the following information from your ServiceOps portal:

  • ServiceOps Server URL: Your ServiceOps portal URL
  • Activation Code: Available in Admin > Organization > Account > License Details
  • Secure Auth Code: Available in Agent Credential Profile settings
  • Protocol: HTTP or HTTPS (depending on your configuration)
note
  • From v8.5.0 onwards, agent-based discovery is not supported in Windows 7 OS
  • Windows discovery and RDP agent auto-upgrade is supported from v8.4.504 onwards
  • Linux and Mac agent auto-upgrade is supported from v8.4.3 onwards
  • The Auto-Upgrade feature does not support Combined Agents (Discovery + RDP). To auto-upgrade the Discovery and RDP agents, upload them separately
  • The communication will stop if the Agent Credential Profile is deleted or archived from the portal

Installation Methods​

ServiceOps provides multiple options for installing discovery agents. Choose the method that best suits your environment:

Windows Discovery Agent Installation​

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, please ensure:

  • File sharing should be allowed.
  • UAC (User Access Control) should be allowed in the Registry Editor from the path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy.
  • Add a folder (C:\Users\Public) in the Exclusions section under Virus and Threat Protection Settings.
  • Exclude RemComSvc.exe file from any Anti-Virus settings.
  • If Firewall is on, allow the below Inbound Rules:
    • Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In) (Private, Public)
    • Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In) (Domain)
    • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In) (Private, Public)
    • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In) (Domain)
    • Remote Service Management (NP-In) (Private, Public)
    • Remote Service Management (NP-In) (Domain)
  • Bypass the pattern-executor.exe file in the Antivirus application
  • Allow the download and execution of .exe files from the Firewall and Antivirus rules.
note

If the agent does not get installed after fulfilling the above prerequisites, reboot the machine, and try again to install the agent.

Step 1: Download the Agent​

  1. Navigate to the Download Links section in your ServiceOps documentation
  2. Download the latest Windows discovery agent (.msi) file
  3. Choose the appropriate version (32-bit or 64-bit) for your system

Step 2: Run the Installation​

  1. Run the .msi file with administrator rights
  2. The User Access Control popup will appear - click Yes to continue
  3. Follow the installation wizard

Step 3: Configure Connection Settings​

  1. Click Next to proceed with the installation
  2. Enter the following details:
    • URL: Your ServiceOps server URL
    • Port: Leave blank for default ports, or enter specific port (443 for HTTPS)
    • Protocol: Select HTTP or HTTPS based on your configuration

Step 4: Enter Authentication​

Choose one of the following authentication methods:

For Upgrade Scenarios​
  • Secure Communication: Enter the Secure Auth key from Agent Credential Profile
  • Activation Code: Enter the activation code from License Details
For New Installations​
  • Secure Communication: Enter the Secure Auth key from Agent Credential Profile.

  • Activation code feature will not work for new installations.

Step 5: Complete Installation​

  1. Click Install to begin the installation process
  2. Wait for the installation to complete
  3. Click Finish when the wizard completes

Step 6: Verify Installation​

  1. Check that the agent appears in Programs and Features
  2. Verify the agent service is running
  3. Confirm the agent appears in your ServiceOps portal

note

Ports 8730 and 8731 are used for communication between the Agent service and notification utility.

Post-Installation Verification​

Check Agent Status​

  1. Windows: Check Services app for the agent service
  2. Linux: Use systemctl status motadata_serviceops.service
  3. macOS: Check LaunchDaemons for the agent service

Verify Portal Registration​

  1. Log into your ServiceOps portal
  2. Navigate to Discovery > Agents
  3. Verify your agent appears in the list
  4. Check that the agent status shows as "Online"

Test Discovery​

  1. After installation, allow time for the agent to complete its initial discovery cycle (typically runs every 60 minutes, or can be manually triggered from the ServiceOps portal if available).
  2. Check that assets are being discovered
  3. Verify asset information in the Hardware Assets section

Troubleshooting Common Issues​

Installation Issues
  • Problem: Permission denied during installation
  • Solution: Ensure you're running with appropriate permissions (admin/root)
Connection Issues
  • Problem: Agent cannot connect to ServiceOps server
  • Solution: Verify URL, port, and network connectivity
Authentication Issues
  • Problem: Invalid activation code or secure auth key
  • Solution: Double-check the codes from your ServiceOps portal
Service Issues
  • Problem: Agent service not starting
  • Solution: Check system logs and verify all required dependencies
Firewall Issues
  • Problem: Communication blocked
  • Solution: Configure firewall rules to allow bidirectional communication for required ports (8730, 8731, 8090).

Uninstallation​

Windows Agent​

  1. Use Programs and Features to uninstall
  2. Or use the command line: msiexec /x [agent-msi-file] /quiet

Linux Agent​

sudo systemctl stop motadata_serviceops.service
sudo systemctl disable motadata_serviceops.service
sudo rm -rf /etc/systemd/system/motadata_serviceops.service
sudo rm -rf /opt/Motadata/

macOS Agent​

Open Terminal and follow the below mentioned commands:

  1. Stop Agent Service:

    sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.motadataserviceops.agent.plist

  2. Remove Agent Service:

    sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.motadataserviceops.agent.plist

  3. Delete Agent dir:

    sudo rm -rf /opt/Motadata

Configuration Best Practices​

Follow these best practices to ensure optimal performance, security, and reliability of your discovery agents.

  • Ensure agents can communicate with the ServiceOps server
  • Configure appropriate firewall rules
  • Use HTTPS for secure communication when possible

Next Steps​

After successfully installing discovery agents:

  1. Configure Discovery Settings: Set up network ranges and scan schedules
  2. Monitor Discovery: Verify that assets are being discovered correctly
  3. Set Up Alerts: Configure notifications for discovery events
  4. Deploy Additional Agents: Install agents on remaining target machines

For detailed configuration options and advanced settings, refer to the Discovery Configuration guide in the Core Concepts section.