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Nexthink Library

Collector Configuration

Latest Version: 2.0.0.0
Install

Required Products

Nexthink Act

Platforms

Windows 7
Windows 10

Compatibility

V6.14 and later

Description

Change Collector configuration parameters by using nxtcfg Collector tool, test if Collector CrashGuard is active, reset Collector CrashGuard counter, check last Remote Action performance and gather Collector Reporter files from devices.

Versions

  • 2.0.0.0 - 23 Jun 2021 - Added "Set Collector Configuration macOS" Remote Action
  • 1.7.0.0 - 21 Jun 2021 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action. Removed StringTag modification feature due to possible impact on not prepared environments
  • 1.6.0.0 - 12 May 2021 - Updated "Reset CrashGuard" Remote Action. Added service name compatibility for version 6.30.5 onwards
  • 1.5.0.0 - 23 Mar 2021 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action. Added new capabilities to configure 'User Interaction Time Monitoring' and 'Anonymize User Name' Collector parameters
  • 1.4.0.0 - 22 Dec 2020 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action. Added new capability to configure 'string_tag' Collector parameter
  • 1.3.0.0 - 16 Nov 2020 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.2.2.0 - 09 Sep 2020 - Updated "Get Collector Reporter Files" Remote Action documentation
  • 1.2.1.0 - 13 Aug 2020 - Fixed "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.2.0.0 - 15 Jun 2020 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.1.4.0 - 29 Apr 2020 - Updated documentation of "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.1.3.0 - 19 Dec 2019 - Fixed documentation
  • 1.1.2.0 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.1.1.0 - Updated "Get Collector Reporter Files" Remote Action documentation
  • 1.1.0.1 - Reviewed "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 1.1.0.0 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action to set AppStartTime configuration
  • 1.0.0.0 - Initial release

Get Collector Reporter Files

Script Description

Using Collector Reporter, retrieves some useful information and log files from the endpoint to solve Nexthink products related issues, and stores the results in a network shared folder.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 900 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

Label Description
Network Path Absolute path to the network shared folder where Collector Reporter zip file should be copied. UNC format is required (e.g. \\Server\SharedFolderName)
Maximum Delay In Seconds Maximum random delay set to avoid server overload. Provide number of seconds less than 600

Outputs

Label Type Description
Output Network Path String Result output file path, based on input network path

Restrictions

Further Information

To see a complete list of elements the script gathers, please visit this page.
Collector reporter might take several minutes to gather the information. In addition, the generated file could have a considerable size (+100 MB).
During the process, CPU and network will be heavily utilized therefore execution should be planned considering performance impact to end user, virtual and network infrastructure.
To understand how to configure a network share, to work properly with Nexthink Act, please visit this page.

Get Last Remote Action Performance

Script Description

Retrieves information about the performance of the last remote action executed by the Collector on targeted device.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 120 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

None.

Outputs

Label Type Description
Last Remote Action Performance StringList Last executed remote action performance information (UID, execution date, average CPU, etc.)

Restrictions

Further Information

Last executed remote action performance information is extracted from Collector log.
Collector debug mode must be enabled to log any remote action performance. There is no need to have Collector debug mode enabled for the execution of this very remote action, which measures the performance for the previous remote action logged.
Use Set Collector Configuration remote action for enabling/disabling Collector debug mode. Please, remember that Collector debug mode is not meant for a normal production operation.

Reset CrashGuard

Script Description

ADVANCED SCRIPTResets the Collector CrashGuard count and restarts the Collector driver. The script is designed for Windows 10 and 7.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 120 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

None.

Outputs

None.

Further Information

The status of the Collector is checked before resetting the CrashGuard.

Set Collector Configuration

Script Description

ADVANCED SCRIPT - This Remote action should be used by a certified Nexthink expert.Collector configuration is changed using Nxtcfg tool, except for 'AppStartTime'.'AppStartTime' configuration parameter change involves Registry Key changes and additional verifications done by the Remote Action.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 120 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

Label Description
Tag Optional number to identify the installation (0-2147483647)
Log Mode Logging mode (0 - Silent, 1 - Verbose, 2 - Debug). It might impact performance. Use only for debugging
WM Domains List of domains for which to report the URL of web requests (comma-separated)
IOPS Enables (1) or disables (0) IOPS monitoring functionality
PKG Interval Period, in hours, in which the Collector checks for new installed packages and updates. Integer in range (0-24) (0-Never)
Printing Enables ('enable') or disables ('disable') print monitoring
App Start Time Enables (0) or disables (1) App Start Time feature. If enabled, a list of executables must be provided as AppStartTimeWhitelist input parameter
App Start Time Whitelist Comma-separated list of executables that should be monitored by Collector. Example":" 'my-executable.exe, exec*.exe, prefix*name*suffix'. Use "*" if you want to monitor all the executables
Window Focus Time Monitoring Enables (1) or disables (0) the Windows Focus Time Monitoring
User Interaction Time Monitoring Enables (0) or disables (1) the User Interaction Time Monitoring
Anonymize User Name Enables (1) or disables (0) the Anonymize User Name

Outputs

Label Type Description
Collector Parameters Set StringList List of Collector parameter=value set

Further Information

Please use '""' (two double-quotes) as input parameter in Finder to prevent any of the configuration values from being changed.
Notice that if the 'EnableStringTag' input parameter is enabled, the StringTag functionality will set the same value in all selected Collectors.

Test Scenarios

AllParametersAreEmpty
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter, with an invalid value (other than '0' or '1')
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - A dash (-) is displayed in CollectorParametersSet custom field in Finder. Configuration parameters of Collector are not changed and Collector services are not restarted.
InvalidAppStartTimeParameter
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter, with an invalid value (other than '0' or '1')
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Failure - An error message is displayed in Finder, indicating the allowed values ('0' for 'Disabled', '1' for 'Enabled'). Configuration of AppStartTime is not changed.
AppStartTimeDisabled
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter, with the value of '1'.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Script correctly disables App Start Time feature
AppStartTimeEnabled
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter, with the value of '0'. A comma-separated list of executables to whitelist are passed as AppStartTimeWhitelist input parameter.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Script correctly enables App Start Time feature and sets the executables listed AppStartTimeWhitelist input parameter as the ones to be monitored by Collector.
AppStartTimeWhitelistEmpty
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter with a value of '0'. AppStartTimeWhitelist input parameter is empty ("").
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Failure - If App Start Time feature has to be set to 'Enabled' (0), then a list of executables to whitelist must be provided
OtherSettingsSetButAppStartTimeSettingNotSet
Test Case AppStartTime is not passed as the remote action input parameter but other input parameters are passed.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - App Start Time feature settings are not changed, except the rest of the settings specified in the input parameters (not AppStartTime-related)
WindowFocusTimeMonitoringEnabled
Test Case WindowFocusTimeMonitoring is passed as the remote action input parameter with a value of '1'.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Window Focus Time Monitoring is enabled and no other configuration was changed
UserInteractionTimeMonitoringEnabled
Test Case UserInteractionTimeMonitoring is passed as the remote action input parameter, with the value of '0'.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Script correctly enables User Interaction Time Monitoring feature.
AnonymizeUserNameEnabled
Test Case AnonymizeUserName is passed as the remote action input parameter with a value of '1'.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Anonymize User Name is enabled and no other configuration was changed

Set Collector Configuration macOS

Script Description

ADVANCED SCRIPT - This Remote action should be used by a certified Nexthink expert.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 120 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

Label Description
Tag Optional number to identify the installation (0-2147483647)
Data Over Tcp Signals whether Collector will send packets through TCP or not
Log Mode Logging mode ('off', 'critical', 'error', 'warning', 'info', 'debug', 'trace'). It might impact performance. Use only for debugging
String Tag Optional label to identify the installation. If 'StringTag' is left empty ("-") and 'EnableStringTag' is set to "true", Collector string tag will be set to empty
Enable String Tag Enables (true) or disables (false) string tag usage
Use Assignment Enables (true) or disables (false) the collector assignment functionality
Business Services Monitoring Enables (true) or disables (false) business services monitoring functionality
Disable User Interaction Time Monitoring Enables (false) or disables (true) user interaction time monitoring functionality
Enable Window Focus Time Monitoring Enables (true) or disables (false) window focus time monitoring functionality
Anonymize User Name Enables (true) or disables (false) user name anonymization functionality

Outputs

Label Type Description
Collector Parameters Set StringList List of Collector parameter=value set

Further Information

Please use '-' (a dash) as input parameter in Finder to prevent any of the configuration values from being changed.

Notice that if the 'EnableStringTag' input parameter is enabled, the StringTag functionality will set the same value in all selected Collectors.

WARNING - If the string tag to be set is not recognized by the Engine(s) or is mistyped, Collectors will lose connectivity with the Appliance(s) and therefore a manual intervention will be needed to revert the string tag back to its last correct value.

Test Scenarios

AllParametersAreEmpty
Test Case AppStartTime is passed as the remote action input parameter, with an invalid value (other than 0 or 1)
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - A dash (-) is displayed in CollectorParametersSet custom field in Finder. Configuration parameters of Collector are not changed and Collector services are not restarted.
StringTagAvailable
Test Case StringTag is passed as the remote action input parameter with a value of 'Test'.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - StringTag label is used to identify the installation
EnableStringTagNotAvailable
Test Case EnableStringTag is not enabled.
Environment Windows 7 VM x64 - Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - The StringTag label is not set

Test CrashGuard

Script Description

Checks whether the Collector CrashGuard count has reached the maximum value, which means that the CrashGuard protection is active. The script is designed for Windows 10 and 7.

Execution context and suggested scheduling

Run the script as 'local system'. The script should be executed manually.

A timeout of 120 seconds is recommended.

Parameters

None.

Outputs

None.