Information for a Mass Rollout#

A mass rollout in this context means deploying an Adiscon client (for example MonitorWare Agent, EventReporter, or WinSyslog) to more than a handful of systems in an automated way. The aim is to invest the upfront effort needed to create a consistent “master” configuration once and then reuse it for every target machine. For guidance on differentiating between initial and update rollouts, see the MWAgent FAQ section.

Preparing the Baseline#

  1. Install the product on a single master system and configure it exactly as desired. Verify that the configuration works before continuing.

  2. Export the configuration to a registry file via the configuration client (Computer → Export Settings).

  3. Gather the files required for an engine-only installation:

    • For MonitorWare Agent 8.1 and newer this is typically mwagent.exe and mwagent.pem.

    • Older releases may also require the Visual C++ runtime and OpenSSL helper files (Microsoft.VC90.CRT.manifest, libeay32.dll, ssleay32.dll, msvcm90.dll, msvcp90.dll, msvcr90.dll).

Automated Rollout Example#

Once the master system is prepared, copy the required files to a network share or removable media and automate the rollout with a script similar to the following:

copy \\server\share\mwagent.exe C:\some-local-dir
copy \\server\share\mwagent.pem C:\some-local-dir
cd C:\some-local-dir
mwagent -i
regedit /s \\server\share\configParams.reg
net start "AdisconMonitorWareAgent"

configParams.reg represents the registry export taken from the master system. Because the rollout ships only the engine files, this approach works well for DMZ environments where RPC or file sharing cannot be opened.

Note

mwagent -i (or the equivalent command-line switch for other Adiscon products) only registers the Windows service. It assumes the binaries already exist in the current directory, so copy the files before running the command.

Branch Office Rollouts#

For branch offices or semi-automated deployments, distribute the prepared package and have the local administrator perform the following steps:

  1. Create a directory on the target computer and copy the provided files into it.

  2. Run mwagent -i from that directory to register the service.

  3. Import the exported configuration by double-clicking the .reg file (or by running regedit /s from an elevated command prompt).

  4. Start the Windows service via net start or the Services management console. Restarting the entire machine is not required.

Important

The directory that hosts the engine files is the installation directory. Deleting it removes the binaries and effectively uninstalls the product.

Updating Existing Rollouts#

To upgrade an engine-only installation, update the master system first, export the revised configuration, and distribute the refreshed files using the same process. Uninstallation is unnecessary as long as you overwrite the files in place, but always stop the Windows service before copying the new binaries. For a walkthrough focused on update scenarios, refer to the MWAgent FAQ section.