Glossary of Terms

Agents

The VSA manages machines by installing a software client called an agent on a managed machine. The agent is a system service that does not require the user to be logged on for the agent to function and does not require a reboot for the agent to be installed. The agent is configurable and can be totally invisible to the user. The sole purpose of the agent is to carry out the tasks requested by the VSA user. Once installed:

• An agent icon—for example the agent icon—displays in the system tray of the managed machine. Agent icons can be custom images or removed altogether.
• Each installed agent is assigned a unique VSA machine ID / group ID / organization ID. Machine IDs can be created automatically at agent install time or individually prior to agent installation.
• Each installed agent uses up one of the available agent licenses purchased by the service provider.
• Agents are typically installed using packages created using Agent > Deploy Agents inside the VSA.
• Multiple agents can be installed on the same machine, each pointing to a different server.
• A check-in icon displays next to each machine ID in the VSA, displaying the overall status of the managed machine. For example, the check-in icon indicates an agent is online and the user is currently logged on.
• Clicking a check-in icon displays a single machine interface for the managed machine called Live Connect. Live Connect provides instant access to comprehensive data and tools you need to work on that one machine.
• Hovering the cursor over a check-in icon displays an agent quick view window immediately. You can launch an agent procedure, view logs or launch Live Connect from the agent quick view window.

Collector

Network discovery begins once the Network Discovery client--called a collector--is installed, using a machine with an existing Kaseya agent. Unlike LAN Watch, which is limited to a maximum of 1024 IP addresses, the entire subnet is scanned. Once the collector is installed on a subnet Network Discovery requires no further configuration.

NMap

NMAP--a secure, lightweight scanning utility--performs command line scans of the LAN every two hours for rapid retrieval of network object attributes.

RRDtool

Network Discovery uses a utility called RRDtool to provide automatic monitoring and graphic display of SNMP-enabled devices. Graphic results are plotted vs time into day, week, month and year graphs. RRDtool uses a "round-robin database" (circular buffer) design so the system storage footprint on the collector remains constant over time, no more than 500 kb per SNMP device.

SNMP Community

An SNMP community is a grouping of devices and management stations running SNMP. SNMP information is broadcast to all members of the same communiity on a network. SNMP default communities are:

• Write = private
• Read = public

SNMP Devices

Certain network devices such as printers, routers, firewalls, servers and UPS devices can't support the installation of an agent. But a VSA agent installed on a managed machine on the same network as the device can read or write to that device using simple network management protocol (SNMP).