Deploying across a domain.
Find every computer in Active Directory and put the agent on it from the console, without visiting a single desk.
How it works.
The Deployer is a small Windows service on one domain-joined machine. It reads computers from Active Directory, reports them to the console, and installs the agent on the ones you choose. You drive everything from the console.
Install the Deployer
Download the one-command setup script from the console and run it as an administrator on a domain-joined machine.
Discover
The Deployer lists computers from Active Directory and checks which ones answer on the network.
Choose
The console shows every computer, its address, organisational unit and status. Deploy one, a selection, or all.
Install
The Deployer copies the MSI over the administrative share and runs it as a short-lived service.
Enrol
The agent enrols itself and appears in the console, linked to the computer it was pushed to.
What you need.
- A domain-joined Windows machine that stays on, to run the Deployer service.
- A push account that is a local administrator on the target computers. Enter it in the console; the password is stored encrypted and never shown again.
- Network access from the Deployer to each target on SMB (TCP 445) and the Service Control Manager.
- The Deployer token, created once in the console. It is the only thing the Deployer stores locally.
Built for real networks.
- Machines that are switched off are retried on a backoff schedule, and can be woken with Wake-on-LAN first.
- Maintenance window. Limit pushes to the hours you choose.
- Parallel pushes with a limit you set, so a large domain finishes quickly without flooding the network.
- Self-healing service. The Deployer restarts itself after a crash and fetches the latest agent from your server.
- Approval for new devices. Optionally hold devices that are not domain computers until an administrator approves them.
When a push fails.
The console shows the reason for every failed push. The common ones and what to do:
| What the console says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Offline, will retry | The computer did not answer on TCP 445. | Nothing; it is retried. If it stays offline, check that it is switched on and on the network. |
| Access denied (Win32 5) | The push account can reach the share but is not a local administrator on that computer. | Add the push account to the local Administrators group, often through a group policy that also covers servers. |
| Target name incorrect (1396) | The DNS name points to a different machine than the one Active Directory knows. | Fix the stale DNS record, then retry. |
| Share unreachable | SMB is blocked, or the name is a cluster or listener name with no machine behind it. | Open SMB from the Deployer, or exclude virtual names and deploy to the cluster nodes. |
Devices the Deployer cannot reach.
A push needs an inbound connection to the computer. Laptops that work over VPN usually cannot be reached that way. For them, install the MSI with your software distribution tool, a group policy, or by hand. The agent enrols the same way and appears in the same console.
Want a walkthrough?
We set it up with you on a test group of your own machines.