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Nexthink Library

Collector Configuration

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Collector Configuration

Latest Version: 9.0.0.0
|
Updated on April 15, 2024
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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

  • 9.0.0.0 - 15 Apr 2024 - Added "Set anonymization features Windows" and "Set anonymization features macOS" Remote Actions
  • 8.0.0.0 - 30 Jun 2023 - Removed "Reset CrashGuard" Remote Action
  • 7.0.0.0 - 09 Feb 2023 - Added "Refresh Collector IP Address" Remote Action
  • 6.0.1.0 - 12 Aug 2022 - Updated OS requirements
  • 6.0.0.0 - 22 Jul 2022 - Added "Enable Tray Restart Windows" Remote Action
  • 5.1.0.0 - 24 Jun 2022 - Added validation for String Tag input parameter on "Set Collector Configuration macOS" Remote Action
  • 5.0.0.0 - 04 May 2022 - Added "Restart Collector" Remote Action
  • 4.5.0.1 - 28 Apr 2022 - Fixed typo in "Set Collector Configuration", "Set Collector String Tag" and "Enable Xtray" Remote Actions
  • 4.5.0.0 - 26 Apr 2022 - Deprecating Python in favour of OSAScript on Set Collector Configuration macOS Remote Action
  • 4.4.2.0 - 19 Apr 2022 - Added fixed "Enable Xtray" Remote Action
  • 4.4.1.0 - 21 Mar 2022 - Fixed typo on "Enable Xtray" Remote Action
  • 4.4.0.0 - 21 Mar 2022 - Improved Scheduled Tasks management on "Set Collector Configuration", "Set Collector String Tag" and "Enable Xtray" Remote Actions
  • 4.3.0.0 - 11 Mar 2022 - Added compatibility for Windows Servers on "Set Collector Configuration" and "Set Collector String Tag" Remote Actions
  • 4.2.1.0 - 09 Mar 2022 - Fixed documentation on "Enable Xtray" Remote Action
  • 4.2.0.0 - 16 Feb 2022 - Added support for Windows 10 ARM devices and fixed bug on Scheduled Tasks management on "Set Collector String Tag" Remote Action
  • 4.1.1.0 - 16 Feb 2022 - Fixed bug with Scheduled Tasks management on "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 4.1.0.0 - 16 Feb 2022 - Added support for Windows 10 ARM devices on "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action
  • 4.0.1.0 - 25 Jan 2022 - Fixed documentation on "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action for macOS
  • 4.0.0.0 - 24 Jan 2022 - Added "Enable XTray" Remote Action
  • 3.1.1.0 - 05 Nov 2021 - Updated "Get Collector Reporter Files" Remote Action. Added Nexthink Cloud compatibility
  • 3.1.0.0 - 19 Oct 2021 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action. Added new capability to configure 'Anonymize Wifi Network' Collector parameter
  • 3.0.1.0 - 13 Oct 2021 - Updated "Set Collector Configuration" Remote Action documentation
  • 3.0.0.0 - 13 Jul 2021 - Added "Set Collector String Tag" Remote Action
  • 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

Required Products

Nexthink Act

Platforms

Windows 7 and newer
MacOS Catalina and newer

Compatibility

V6.14 and later

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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.

Test Scenarios

ReporterFilesCollected
Test Case The collector reporter files are uploaded into the share
Environment VM Windows 10 x64 (English) (2004, 20H2, 21H1)
Results Success - Files are generated and uploaded correctly to the share

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.

This Remote Action is designed to get the information from Remote Actions published and signed by Nexthink.

Test Scenarios

GetLastRemoteActionSuccessfully
Test Case Get last Remote Action successfully
Environment Windows 10 - Windows 11
Results Success - Get the outputs successfully
LogFileNotFound
Test Case Log file is not present
Environment Windows 10 - Windows 11
Results Failure - Error reporting that the log is not present
NoPreviousRemoteAction
Test Case No previous remote action in log file
Environment Windows 10 - Windows 11
Results Failure - Error reporting that there is not a previous Remote Action

Set Collector Configuration

Script Description

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

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
AnonymizeWifiNetworkEnabled
Test Case AnonymizeWifiNetwork is passed as the remote action input parameter with a value of '1'.
Environment Windows 10 VM x86/x64 (1803/1809/1903) (Multi-Language)
Results Success - Anonymize Wifi Network is enabled and no other configuration was changed

Set Collector Configuration macOS

Script Description

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)
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

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.

If the 'EnableStringTag' input parameter is enabled, the StringTag functionality will set the same value in all selected Collectors.
StringTag input parameter must only include letters, numbers and the underscore character.

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 VM macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, 12
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 VM macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, 12
Results Success - StringTag label is used to identify the installation
EnableStringTagNotAvailable
Test Case EnableStringTag is not enabled.
Environment VM macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, 12
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.

Set Collector String Tag

Script Description

Sets the string tag nxtcfg property in the Nexthink Collector.

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
String Tag String tag that will identify the endpoint

Outputs

None.

Further Information

A mismanaged tag set in the device will make it lose connection to the engine, requiring manual operation over the device to reestablish the connection.

Test Scenarios

TagIsSet
Test Case Set the tag on the target device
Environment VM Windows 7 x64 (Multi-language) - VM Windows 10 x86/x64 (Multi-language) (1803/1809/1903)
Results Success- The tag is changed and the collector is rebooted for faster application

Enable Xtray

Script Description

Enables the new, cross-platform, Engage Tray (xTray), which brings a series of improvements and fixes (e.g. handling orphaned campaigns, better focus protection etc.), enhanced accessibility features, and supports the upcoming Engage solution on the Nexthink Experience platform.

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
Nx Version Select between xtray or nxtray

Outputs

None.

Restrictions

Test Scenarios

XtrayIsEnabled
Test Case Xtray is enabled
Environment Windows 10 x64 (English) (2004, 20H2, 21H1)
Results Success - XTray is enabled on the target device
NxTrayIsEnabled
Test Case NXtray is enabled
Environment Windows 10 x64 (English) (2004, 20H2, 21H1)
Results Success - NxTray is enabled on the target device

Restart Collector

Script Description

Restarts Nexthink Collector through a Scheduled Task.

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

This Remote Action configures a scheduled task with a delay of 75 seconds that executes the "nxtcfg /restart" command.

Test Scenarios

CollectorIsRestarted
Test Case Collector is enabled
Environment Windows 10 x64 (English) - Windows 11 x64 (English)
Results Success - Scheduled Task is created and Collector is restarted

Enable Tray Restart Windows

Script Description

Sets the Tray Automatic Restart feature.

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
Tray Restart Enables the Tray Restart feature

Outputs

None.

Further Information

This Remote Action enables the automatic Tray restart in case if the application was forcefully closed.

Test Scenarios

TrayRestartIsSet
Test Case Tray Restart is enabled
Environment VM Windows 10 x86/x64 (Multi-language) (1803/1809/1903)
Results Success - The Tray Restart is enabled on the target device

Refresh Collector IP Address

Script Description

Restarts Nexthink Collector on devices that have changed their IP address so that the information shown in Finder is up-to-date.

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.

Restrictions

Further Information

This Remote Action uses ifconfig.me public HTTP API to obtain the device public IP address, therefore, the device should be able to connect to the service.

This Remote Action uses the registry to store the IP address, hence, on the first run it will always restart the Collector service.

Test Scenarios

IPAdressHasChanged
Test Case IP address has changed
Environment Windows 10 x64 ENG - VM Windows 11 x64 ENG
Results Success - Collector is restarted successfully
IPAdressHasNotChanged
Test Case IP address has not changed
Environment Windows 10 x64 ENG - VM Windows 11 x64 ENG
Results Success - Collector is not restarted
IPAdressIsNotObtained
Test Case IP address is not obtained
Environment Windows 10 x64 ENG - VM Windows 11 x64 ENG
Results Failure - Collector is not restarted

Set anonymization features macOS

Script Description

This Remote action should be used by Nexthink Administrators who need to set anonymization data features on macOS for their organization.

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
anonymize user name Enables (true) or disables (false) user name anonymization functionality
anonymize wifi network Enables (true) or disables (false) the Anonymization of Wifi Networks
anonymize upn Enables (hashed) or disables (cleartext) the anonymization of User Principle Name (UPN). A value of (no_import) sets behavior to 'do not import UPN data'

Outputs

None.

Set Anonymization Features Windows

Script Description

The 'Set Anonymization Features' RA offers administrators of Nexthink platform the ability to manage data privacy with ease. It contains settings to anonymize sensitive data elements, such as User Names, WiFi Networks, and UPNs.

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
anonymize user name Enables (1) or disables (0) the Anonymize User Name. Should this setting not be required or if your collector version does not support this feature, leave it empty
anonymize wifi network Enables (1) or disables (0) the Anonymize Wifi Networks. Should this setting not be required or if your collector version does not support this feature, leave it empty
Anonymize UPN Enables (1) or disables (2) the Anonymize UPN, value of (0) sets behavior to 'do not import UPN data'. Should this setting not be required or if your collector version does not support this feature, leave it empty

Outputs

None.

Further Information

This script includes additional considerations based on the version of your collector. For optimal performance, ensure that your collector version aligns with these requirements:

Anonymize UserName: This feature requires a collector version of 6.30 or above. Earlier versions do not support this functionality.

Anonymize WiFi Network: For this feature, your collector version should be 21.7.1 or superior. Earlier versions do not support this functionality.

Anonymize UPN: To enable the UPN anonymization feature, the collector version should be 23.4 or superior. Earlier versions do not support this functionality.