KACE Systems Management Appliance 14.0 Common Documents - Administration Guide

Defragment the C: drive

Defragments drive C on the device.

Force Check-In

Forces Windows devices with the KACE Agent installed to take inventory and sync with the appliance.

IMPORTANT: Do not run Force Check-In with more than 50 devices selected because it can overload the appliance with requests.

Force Check-In (Mac/Linux)

Force Mac and Linux devices with the KACE Agent installed to take inventory and sync with the appliance.

IMPORTANT: Do not run Force Check-In with more than 50 devices selected because it can overload the appliance with requests.

Inventory Startup Programs Fix

On some devices, a missing registry entry causes all the contents of the system32 directory to be reported as Startup Programs. This script fixes the registry entry if it is missing.

Issue a DOS Command Example

Issues the DOS-DIR command on a Windows device. Used as an example for how to run a DOS command.

Issue a Mac Command Example

Issues the AppDir.txt command to list the contents of the Mac OS X Applications directory. Used as an example of how to run a command on Mac OS X.

K1000 Enable Detailed DDPE Inventory (Windows)

Sets a registry key that causes the Dell Data Protection | Encryption agent to write policy data to the file system, which enables the KACE Agent to perform more detailed inventory collection. Windows PowerShell 2.0 or higher is required.

K1000 Remote Control Disabler

Disables the appliance Remote Control functionality on Windows XP Professional by configuring Terminal Services properly.

K1000 Remote Control Enabler

Enables the appliance Remote Control functionality on Windows XP Professional by configuring Terminal Services properly.

Make Removable Drives Read-Only

Allows removable drives to be mounted only as read-only. This action controls unauthorized access to data.

Make Removable Drives Read-Write

Sets the properties of removable drives so that they can be mounted as read-write enabled.

Message Window Script Example

Illustrates the use of the Message Window. Your script must have properly paired create/destroy Message Window commands to work properly. The Message Window appears until one of the following occurs:

Put a Mac to sleep

Places a Mac OS X device in Sleep mode.

NOTE: This script works with Mac OS X 10.5 and higher. It does not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X.

Reset KUID

Deletes the registry key that identifies a Windows device so that a new key can be generated. Runs once per device using the ResetKUIDRunOnce registry flag.

Shutdown a Mac

Powers-off a Mac OS X device.

Shutdown a Mac with snooze

An example online KScript that uses the Alert user before run feature to allow administrators to snooze the shutdown.

Shutdown a Windows system

Specifies a delay (in seconds) while the message in quotes is displayed to the user. Omit the -t parameter to silently and immediately shut down devices.

Shutdown a Windows system with Snooze

An example online KScript that uses the Alert User Before Run feature to allow the administrator to snooze the shutdown.

USB Drives Disable

Disables the use of USB drives.

USB Drives Enable

Enables the use of USB drives.

$(KACE_DEPENDENCY_DIR)

This is the folder where any script dependencies for this script are downloaded to the client.

5.2 or higher: $(KACE_DATA_DIR)\kbots_cache\packages\kbots\xxx

5.1: $(KACE_INSTALL)\packages\kbots\xxx

$(KACE_SYS_DIR)

$(KBOX_SYS_DIR)

Agent device's system directory.

Both are synonymous. Preferred: $(KACE_SYS_DIR).

Windows: C:\Windows\System32

Mac OS X: /

Linux: /

$(KACE_MAC_ADDRESS)

$(MAC_ADDRESS)

$(KBOX_MAC_ADDRESS)

Agent device's primary Ethernet MAC address.

All are synonymous. Preferred: $(KACE_MAC_ADDRESS)

$(KACE_IP_ADDRESS)

$(KBOX_IP_ADDRESS)

Agent's local IP address (corresponds with network entry of KACE_MAC_ADDRESS) (http://kace.kbox.com:80).

Both are synonymous. Preferred: $(KACE_IP_ADDRESS)

$(KACE_SERVER_URL)

Combination of server, port, and URL prefix. (http://kace.kbox.com:80)

$(KACE_SERVER)

Hostname of appliance server. (kbox)

$(KACE_SERVER_PORT)

Port to use when connecting to the appliance server. (80/433)

$(KACE_SERVER_URLPREFIX)

Web protocol to use when connecting to the appliance server. (http/https)

$(KACE_COMPANY_NAME)

Agent's copy of the setting from server's config page.

$(KACE_KUID)

$(KBOX_MACHINE_ID)

The unique Quest KACE ID assigned to this Agent.

Both are synonymous. Preferred: $(KACE_KUID)

$(KACE_APP_DIR)

Installation directory for the Quest KACE Agent and plugins.

For older Agents this is mapped to $(KACE_INSTALL).

Windows: C:\Program Files\Quest\KACE\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Quest\KACE\

Mac OS: /Library/Application Support/Quest/KACE/bin

Linux: /opt/quest/kace/bin

$(KACE_DATA_DIR)

Installation directory for executables, scripts, packages, and so on.

For older Agents this is mapped to $(KACE_INSTALL).

Windows Vista and later: C:\ProgramData\Quest\KACE\

Mac OS: /Library/Application Support/Quest/KACE/data

Linux: /var/quest/kace

$(KACE_AGENT_VERSION)

Substitutes the version number of the installed Agent. "5.2.12345".

5.2 or higher only.

$(KACE_AGENT_ARCH)

Substitutes the architecture of the installed Agent. "x86/x64".

5.2 or higher Windows only.

$(KACE_HARDWARE_ARCH)

Substitutes the architecture of the physical hardware. "x86/x64".

5.2 or higher Windows only.

$(KACE_OS_FAMILY)

Substitutes Windows, Mac, or Linux depending on the operating system of the Agent-managed device.

5.2 or higher only.

$(KACE_OS_ARCH)

Substitutes x86 or x64 depending on the installed version of Microsoft Windows.

5.2 or higher Windows only.

Name

A meaningful name for the script that distinguishes it from others on the Scripts list.

TIP: You can enable or disable one or more scripts on the Scripts page. To do that, select them in the table, click , then click Enable or Disable, as required.

Enabled

Whether the script is enabled to run on the target devices. Do not enable a script until you are finished editing and testing it and are ready to run it. Enable the script on a test label before you enable it on all devices.

Category

The script category. Choose an existing category from the drop-down list, or click New Category to add a category. If you do not to assign a category to this script, ensure this field is set to None.

• You can assign a category to one or more scripts on the Scripts page. To do that, select them in the table, click Choose Action > Category, then select a category in the list. • You can remove a category by assigning all scripts currently under a Category to None.

Type

The script type. Script types include:

IMPORTANT: You must ensure the proper file extension is associated with the script to enable it to run on the target OS. For example, you can run .sh scripts on Mac and Linux devices, and .ps1 PowerShell scripts on Windows devices.

Status

Whether the script is in development (Draft) or has been rolled out to your network (Production). Use the Template status if you are building a script to use as the basis for future scripts.

Description

(Optional) A brief description of the actions the script performs. This field helps you to distinguish one script from another on the Scripts list.

Notes

Any additional information you want to provide.

All Devices

Deploy to all devices. Clear the check box to limit the deployment to specific labels or devices.

Restrict to Labels

Limit deployment to devices that belong to specified labels. To select labels, click Edit, drag labels to the Limit Deployment to window, then click OK.

If you select a label that has a Replication Share or an alternate download location, the appliance copies digital assets from that Replication Share or alternate download location instead of downloading them directly from the appliance.

NOTE: The appliance uses a Replication Share before it uses the KACE Alt Location.

Devices

Limit deployment to one or more devices. To find devices, begin typing in the field.

Operating Systems

The operating systems on which the application runs. Applications are deployed only to devices with the selected operating systems.

You have an option to select OS versions by their family, product, architecture, release ID, or build version. You can choose a specific build version, or a parent node, as needed. Selecting a parent node in the tree automatically selects the associated child nodes. This behavior allows you to select any future OS versions, as devices are added or upgraded in your managed environment. For example, to select all build current and future versions associated with the Windows 10 x64 architecture, under All > Windows > Windows 10, select x64.

Local System

Run the script with administrative privileges on the local device. Use this setting for all scripts created with a template.

Logged-in user

Run the script as the user who is logged in to the local device. This affects the user’s profile.

All logged-in users

Run the script once for every user that is logged in to the device. This affects the profiles of all users.

Credentials

Run the Online Shell Script and KScripts in the context of credentials that are specified here. Select existing credentials from the drop-down list, or select Add new credential to add credentials not already listed.

See Add and edit User/Password credentials.

NOTE: When running online KScripts on Windows devices, message windows are not displayed on target devices when you select the option to run the script as a specific credentialed user. To display message windows, run the script as Local System, Logged-in user, or All logged-in users.

Notify User Before Run

Allow the user to run, cancel, or delay the action. This is especially important when reboots are required. If no user is logged in, the script runs immediately.

Options

Options presented to the user in the alert dialog (available when you select Alert user before run):

If the time specified in the Timeout elapses without a user response, the script runs at that time.

Interaction with Run As:

Timeout

The amount of time, in minutes, for the dialog to be displayed before an action is performed. If this time period elapses without the user pressing a button, the appliance performs the action specified in the Timeout drop-down list.

Timeout Action

The action to be performed when the Timeout period elapses without the user choosing an option.

Snooze Duration

The amount of time, in minutes, for the period after the user clicks Snooze. When this period elapses, the dialog appears again.

Initial Message

The message to be displayed to users before the action runs.

To customize the logo that appears in the dialog, see Configure appliance General Settings without the Organization component.

None

Run in combination with an event rather than on a specific date or at a specific time.

Every n hours

Run at a specified interval.

Every day/specific day at HH:MM

Run daily at a specified time, or run on a designated day of the week at a specified time.

Run on the nth of every month/specific month at HH:MM

Run on the same day every month, or a specific month, at the specified time.

Run on the nth weekday of every month/specific month at HH:MM

Run on the specific weekday of every month, or a specific month, at the specified time.

Custom

Run according to a custom schedule.

Use standard 5-field cron format (extended cron format is not supported):

Use the following when specifying values:

Examples:

View Task Schedule

Click to view the task schedule. The Task Schedule dialog box displays a list of scheduled tasks. Click a task to review the task details. For more information, see View task schedules.

Also run once at next device checkin (for offline KScripts only)

Runs the offline KScript once when new scripts are downloaded from the appliance.

Also Run before login (for offline KScripts only)

Runs the offline KScript when devices start up. This might cause devices to start up more slowly than normal.

NOTE: If a device has an Active Directory or Group Policy Object setting that displays a message that the user must acknowledge before logging on, scripts do not run until the message is acknowledged.

Also run once at next device checkin (for offline KScripts only)

Runs the offline KScript after users enter Windows login credentials.

Allow run while disconnected (for offline KScripts only)

Allows the offline KScript to run even if the target device cannot contact the appliance to report results. In such a case, results are stored on the device and uploaded to the appliance during the next connection.

Allow run without a logged-in user

Allows the script to run even if a user is not logged in. To run the script only when the user is logged in to the device, clear this option.

Run on next connection if offline

For online KScripts or Shell Scripts, this option enables the script to run on offline machines when they become online again.

When a script runs, it calculates the number of machines it is supposed to run on based on their labels, or their operating systems, or by manually identifying selected machines. Given that set of machines, the script then determines which of those machines are currently online, and then queues up a task for the online machines in the Konductor.

When you select this option, the script skips the step that identifies online machines and it runs on the online machines. For the offline machines, the task is added to the Konductor's queue, and it runs when those machine become online.

Any subsequent tasks for running the same script (for example, for an offline machine that already exists in the Konductor's queue) overwrite the existing tasks, so there can never be more than one task in the Konductor's queue for the same machine.

Having a high number of tasks in the Konductor may affect the appliance's performance, so the best practice is to use offline scripts for those machines that are typically offline, and only use this option with online scripts when the target machines are expected to be online, to avoid an overpopulating the Konductor's queue.

By default, this option is disabled.

Attempts

Enter the number of times the appliance attempts to run the script.

If the script fails but remediation is successful, you might want to run the task again to confirm the remediation step. To do this, set the number of attempts to 2 or more. If the Verify section fails, the script runs the number of times specified in this field.

On Failure

Script Text

Type the script contents.

Script File Name

Enter the name and extension of the file that will contain the specified script.

IMPORTANT: You must ensure the proper file extension is associated with the script to enable it to run on the target OS. For example, you can run .sh scripts on Mac and Linux devices, and .ps1 PowerShell scripts on Windows devices.

Timeout (minutes)

Specify the maximum number of minutes the script can run on the target device.

Upload File

If the script creates a file, and you want to upload that file to the appliance, select this option, and provide the following information:

Delete Downloaded Files

If the script requires any other files to run, such as installers, and you want to delete them after the script execution, select this option.