Computer Agents

Contents

Computer Agents Table

Computer Agent View

Computer Agents Search and Filter

Computer Agent Administrative Actions

Agent Health Status (Beta)

Overview

ActivTrak Admins can manage Computer Agents from Settings > Users and Groups > Computer Agents. This page is only visible to App Access users with administrator permissions. It allows Admins to view and export computer information and take administrative actions to delete or uninstall computer agents. 

 

 

Computer Agents Table

The Computer Agents page includes a new table that displays the key Computer Agent information detailed below.

 

Table Column Name   Description
ID The ActivTrak ID number of a computer agent. The first computer agent in an organization starts at 1 and increases sequentially. 
Primary Domain\Computer (Alias) A concatenation of a computer agent’s primary domain (present only if the domain is connected), computer name, and computer alias (present only if populated). 
First Log Record A date timestamp that represents the First Log Record for a given system. 
Last Log Record A relative time value from the current time to the last log record for a given computer.
Last Screenshot A relative time value from the current time to the screen shot for a given computer. This is only displayed if Screenshots are enabled.  

Computer Agent View

Click on a given Computer Agent to bring up detailed information about the computer.

Computer Agents Search and Filter

ActivTrak Admins can use the search field on the Computer Agents page to search for computers by "Primary Domain," "Computer Name" or "Computer Alias." When executing a quick search, the Admin will see the results broken down by type.

An automated audit log entry of active but non-reporting computer Agents within the account is also available in the Security Audit Log. You can learn more about the Agents Not Reporting audit log entry here.

Admins can take advantage of new advanced search capabilities by selecting the filter icon on the right side of the search bar. Selecting this icon will reveal the advanced search interface. Using this interface, admins can create advanced searches with specific search criteria.

Other available options allow Admins to export all computer agent information and access the agent installation media.

Computer Agent Administrative Actions

Admins can take actions to manage computer agents on the computer agents page. Using the three dot menu on the row item for a given Computer Agent, Admins can uninstall or delete computer agents.

  • Deleting a computer agent: Removes all information on the computer from ActivTrak but does not uninstall the agent. If the system is still operating, a new system record will appear. 
  • Uninstalling a computer agent: Removes all information on the computer from ActivTrak and sends an uninstall command to the computer agent, which removes the agent from the system. 
  • Bulk delete: Admins can delete systems in bulk using the checkboxes and bulk actions on the computer agents page.

Agent Health Status (Beta)

The Agent Health Status dashboard (currently in beta) helps admins quickly diagnose device issues before contacting Support. Located on the Computer Agents page, this tool helps determine if performance problems stem from the ActivTrak Agent, network connectivity or user permissions.

Status Indicators

The Agent Health Status is displayed on the Computer Agents page as a colored status icon, which you can click for more information.

  • GREEN 🟒 – All checks have passed
  • YELLOW 🟑 – At least one check is in a "Degraded" state
  • RED πŸ”΄ – At least one check is in a "Failed" state
  • GRAY βšͺ – Agent was uninstalled or device inactive >1 week

Health Check Categories

Backend Connectivity monitors connections to essential ActivTrak services:

  • backend.activtrak.net
  • backend-gcp-[region].activtrak.net (region-specific)
  • ws.activtrak.net

Data Backlog Monitoring tracks queued items waiting to upload:

  • Activity logs
  • Screenshots
  • Alarm history records

A backlog of under 100 records shows as healthy. A backlog of 100-499 shows as as degraded, and a backlog of 500+ shows as failed.

Health check details and troubleshooting table

Device Health Check Healthy 🟒 Degraded 🟑 Failed πŸ”΄ Troubleshooting
Endpoint: backend.activtrak.net reachable Reachable Unreachable, but not primary region Backend unreachable since startup

All unreachable: Check user’s network connection and whitelisting.

Failed: If no backlog (below), just wait. If backlogged, check https://status.activtrak.com

Endpoint: backend-gcp-<region>.activtrak.net reachable Reachable N/A Primary region unreachable
Endpoint: ws.activtrak.net reachable Reachable Unreachable Backend unreachable since startup
Log Backlog Record Count: Backlog count of X <100 >=100 >=500

If user logged off for the day: Wait for next business day for backlog to upload.

If possible, leave device on until fully caught up.

If 5+ users on device: Request device re-config as Terminal Server via Support.

Screenshot BackLog Record Count* <100 >=100 >=500
Alarm History Backlog Record Count: Backlog count of X <100 >=100 >=500

 

* Requires the Screen Details add-on

Note: The above checks will appear under 'User Checks' for Chromebook users only.

Remote Restart Capability

Administrators can initiate a remote agent restart directly from the Agent Health Status dashboard:

  • Access the restart option from the dashboard interface
  • View restart history in the Command History tab
  • Monitor pending restart status

Note: Remote restart should be used cautiously and only after other troubleshooting steps have been attempted.

Agent Health Status Details

Upon clicking the Status circle for a given computer (note: there are no other links to the Agent Health Status  dashboard), the admin will see general device and agent version info repeated, as well as a set of computer agent health checks on the left side:

The right side of the Agent Health Status dashboard will list each user of the device and a set of available permissions:

User Checks: Details and Troubleshooting Guide 

User Permissions Check OS Healthy 🟒 Degraded 🟑 Failed πŸ”΄ Troubleshooting
Accessibility Win & Mac Functional N/A Not functional Win: Always available
Mac: See below
Accessibility permission Mac only Permission granted N/A Permission denied Mac: Manually grant in Settings or uninstall/reinstall
Screen Recording permission Mac only Permission granted Permission denied N/A Mac: Manually grant in Settings or uninstall/reinstall
Location Services permission Mac only Granted or not requested User cannot change status Location disabled, or requested and denied Mac: Manually grant in Settings or uninstall/reinstall (Not used in 8.4.2 and below.)

Remote Restart

Admins can request a remote agent restart from this Agent Health Status dashboard as a basic corrective action.

Once they click the Restart Agent button, they can view the history under the Command History tab. If a restart request is pending, the button will be disabled until the agent reports back.

Using Agent Health to Troubleshoot MacOS Sequoia

Before troubleshooting MacOS Sequia issues, please refer to the macOS Sequoia Deployment Guide.  

Key User Checks to Monitor

The Agent Health Status dashboard helps identify common issues with agents running on MacOS Sequoia through the User Checks panel:

  • Accessibility Permission: Critical for capturing window titles and activity data. When denied (🟑), ask users to grant access through System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
  • Screen Recording Permission:  if Screen Details add-on is enabled.* A denied status (🟑) means screenshots won't work. Users can enable this in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording if needed.
  • Location Services (Mac only): Optional in Agent 8.4.2+. A denied status (🟑) won't impact core functionality.

* Requires the Screen Details add-on

 

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