PDQ Agent and local server managing the same servers? Brainstorming session....

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kelemvor

• October 16, 2018 13:50

Howdy,

I have a unique setup in that I manage servers that are located in 5 different data center around North America. None of these data centers can talk to each other so I have a PDQ server setup in each location. This means if I want to check which servers have a certain piece of software, I have to remote into 5 different servers, setup 5 different collections, etc. This is time consuming as well as just being annoying.

So, I'm wondering if it might work to use the Inventory Agents with a central PDQ server. I know I can't use this for deploying our software, but it might be great to at least be able to figure out what servers do or don't have a certain thing so I can then go target them.

I'm envisioning that this would still require a PDQ server in each location running Inventory and Deploy, but it would then also utilize the Inventory Agent on each machine reporting back to a different central server. Once I would use the central server to figure out if any machines needed anything, I could them go create the local collection on the local PDQ server to target the local Deploy for pushing out 3rd party software.

Does that make sense? Does anyone see a flaw in that thinking as to why it might or might not work?

Thanks!

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• Official comment

  

  Colby Bouma

  • September 23, 2019 17:11

  We are announcing the End of Life (EOL) of the optional PDQ Agent beta from our existing products. See this blog post for more information https://www.pdq.com/blog/pdq-agent-status-update/

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  Colby Bouma

  • October 16, 2018 14:18

  I don't see any issues with that plan. It should work very well.

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  kelemvor

  • October 16, 2018 15:27

  Since I already have PDQ installed, can I convert the install at our home office to a Central Server install and then have the agents check into that, or do I need to reinstall it and start over? I did everything as stand alone when i did the initial installs.

  Thanks.

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  Chris James

  • October 16, 2018 15:30

  Central Server is a mode PDQ Deploy and Inventory can operate in. You can switch modes under Options->Central Server at any time

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  kelemvor

  • October 16, 2018 16:12

  OK, so I'm looking at how to deploy the agent. I found this page: https://support.pdq.com/knowledge-base/876#4

  Since these machines have never been scanned by PDQ in our home office, I'm assuming I have to do the Manual Install for computers that have Not been scanned.

  Unless I'm reading this wrong, I have to manually create an entry for every server in PDQ Inventory first, and then generate a custom installer that I have to get out to the server and then run it from there? Is that right? Is there not a way to just install the agent with generic connection information and let it Check In with PDQ Inventory on its own? I have 600+ servers that I was thinking about putting the agent on and having them all check in with the home office. If that means I have to create 600 manual entries, 600 config files, and install the program 600 times by hand, that's nuts. And for every new machine we create I have to do that again?

  Please tell me I'm missing something here...

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