Freshservice Discovery Agent

Note: We've updated our pricing and packaging. The Discovery Agent feature is available on Garden, Estate, and Forest plans for customers who signed up before November 02, 2020.

This article contains the following topics:

• Overview
• Downloading the Discovery Agent
• Installing the Agent
  • Windows
  • Mac
  • Linux
• Supported Operating Systems
  • Prerequisites 
• FAQs

Overview

The Discovery Agent can be installed on all Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. It collects the machine’s hardware and software information and updates Freshservice regularly without the need for further intervention from the respective user(s). Besides making asset discovery extremely easy, it helps you keep track of your assets better in the long run.

The Discovery Agent uses two update logics to send information to Freshservice:

• Dynamic Discovery: Every time the Agent detects a change in its host machine, including changes to hardware or software installation/uninstallation, it updates the data to Freshservice. This ensures that the database always represents your assets in the best possible way.

• Periodic Discovery: The Discovery Agent updates Freshservice weekly to maintain an up-to-date record of all your assets. This is done regardless of whether changes were made to the asset.

Downloading the Discovery Agent

The Discovery Agent for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems can be downloaded directly from your Freshservice Portal.

1. Go to Admin > Global Settings > Asset Management > Discovery Hub.

2. Click Configure Agent and Probe in the Basic discovery section.

The Discovery page for setting up Agent and Probe opens in a new tab.

3. In the Agent tab, choose the required Operating system.

4. Click Download Agent.

Installing the Agent

There are multiple ways in which the Discovery Agent can be deployed for each operating system.

Windows

1. To install on a single machine.

2. To install on all machines in a domain, use Group Policy Object.

3. To install on all machines in a workgroup, use the PsExec tool.

Mac

To install on single or multiple machines, see Installing Discovery Agent (Mac).

Linux

To install on a Linux machine, run the script using the command: >sudo python FS-Linux-Agent.py

Supported Operating Systems

Note: 

• Discovery Mac Agent works with Arm64 (with Rosetta as a prerequisite).
• From Mac version 6.0.0 and Linux version 5.0.0, the Discovery Agent operates on the .NET 8 runtime. Use the attached script, if you wish to uninstall .NET Core 3.1.
  
  

Prerequisites 

• For Windows: Microsoft .NET 4.6.
• For Linux: Python Version 3.8 or above.
• For OpenSSL: .Net runtime.
• For Apple Silicon devices: Install Rosetta.

.Net runtime library dependencies

• wget or curl
  
  

Specific to Linux agents

• Linux packages

  • GNU C Library (glibc)

  • GNU C++ Library

  • GCC low-level runtime library

  • ICU

  • Kerberos

  • Open SSL

  • zlib compression library
    
    

Linux distribution-specific dependencies

• Ubuntu

  • Libc6

  • Libgcc1

  • Libgssapi-krb5-2

  • libicu52 (for 14.x)

  • libicu55 (for 16.x)

  • libicu60 (for 18.x)

  • libicu66 (for 20.x)

  • libssl1.0.0 (for 14.x, 16.x)

  • libssl1.1 (for 18.x, 20.x)

  • libstdc++6

  • zlib1g

• Alpine 

  • icu-libs

  • krb5-libs

  • libgcc

  • libgdiplus (if the .NET app requires the System.Drawing.Common assembly)

  • libintl

  • libssl1.1 (Alpine v3.9 or greater)

  • libssl1.0 (Alpine v3.8 or lower)

  • libstdc++

  • zlib

• CentOS 

  • krb5-libs

  • libicu

  • openssl-libs

  • zlib
    
    

• CentOS Stream and RedHat Enterprise Linux

  • krb5-libs

  • libicu

  • openssl-libs

  • zlib
    
    

• Debian

  • libc6

  • libgcc-s1

  • libgssapi-krb5-2

  • libicu52 (for 8.x)

  • libicu57 (for 9.x)

  • libicu63 (for 10.x)

  • libicu67 (for 11.x)

  • libssl1.0.0 (for 8.x)

  • libssl1.1 (for 9.x-11.x)

  • libstdc++6

  • Zlib1g

• Fedor

  • krb5-libs

  • libicu

  • openssl-libs

  • zlib
    
    

• OpenSuse 

  • krb5

  • libicu

  • libopenssl1_0_0
    
    

• SLES 

  • krb5

  • libicu

  • libopenssl1_1

Support for the following Windows OS versions/flavors is deprecated as of 21 September, 2017.

• Windows: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2003.

Support for the following Mac and Linux OS versions/flavors is deprecated as of 01 November, 2024.

• MAC: macOS Catalina 10.15.
• Linux: Oracle 9.3, RedHat 7, CentOS 8, Ubuntu 19.04, Ubuntu 18.04.

FAQs

1. Does the Discovery Agent auto-update on the its own?

When an end user makes changes to any asset/device, and the device is online, the Discovery Agent detects this based on the unique identifier (Serial Number), and updates the corresponding asset in the Freshservice inventory.

2. Can the Discovery Agent sync be force-updated, similar to Probe?

As the sync with the Discovery Agent is automatic, the sync occurs only in scenarios mentioned in FAQ1. Alternatively, the Discovery Agent performs a scheduled sync of the device once every week, apart from the detected changes.

3. On what basis does the Discovery Agent create and update the assets in the inventory?

The Serial Number of the asset being scanned by the Discovery Agent is the primary and unique identifier for the asset import/update in the inventory. If there are no serial number matches, a new asset is created. If a serial number match is found, then the matched asset is updated.

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