N-central Modern Agent FAQ
Why another Agent?
The new agent is part of our agent modernization efforts. The modern agent sits side-by-side with existing agents for now. As we modernize aspects of the agents, their corresponding components will be updated to run as part of the modern agent and deprecated from the existing one. The advantages of modernization include faster updates of functionality, optimized performance of capabilities, and support of the overall health of agents.
What can the modern agent do?
The core agent service sends a ‘heartbeat’ message daily to N-able (host URLs listed below). The message is sent once per day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time. The time selected is random upon first use, and then the message is sent at that same time each day. If there is no internet connection, the message is not sent, no error occurs, and no corrective action is required. Currently, the agent only does some basic metric collection by sending basic CPU and Memory usage metrics every 5 minutes in support of the current N-able agent health.
What operating systems gets this agent?
Currently, the agent is targeted for Microsoft Windows based systems. Apple macOS and Linux versions are in development. Supported versions of Microsoft Windows are: Windows 10, Windows 11, Server 2016, Server 2019, Server 2022. The modern agent may run on other versions of Microsoft Windows, but are not supported.
Where are the service executables installed to?
The executables and supporting files are installed to the C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\Msp Agent folder.
Any installed components are in their respective folders in the Components directory under msp-agent.
What is the service called?
The binary appears as a service in Task Manager:
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serviceName = "MSPAgent" -
serviceDisplayName = "MSP Agent" -
serviceDescription = "MSP Agent by N-able" -
ExecutableName = “msp-agent-core.exe”
Where does the agent communicate to?
The agent reaches out to the following URLs hosted by N-able:
-
*.prd.cdo.system-monitor.com -
cdn-component.fusion.prd.cdo.system-monitor.com -
cdn-notary.pub.prd.cdo.system-monitor.com
On Microsoft Azure instances, the modern agent connects to the Azure Instance Metadata Service (IMDS) hosted on the local instance at:
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http://169.254.169.254/metadata/instance
This URL is the same on every Azure instance and is accessible only from within the instance.
Is there an additional cost for this agent?
There are no additional charges for the modern agent.
What do I need to do to activate the agent?
For hosted N-central partners, the activation process is handled in the background with no N-central administration necessary. To make sure that the modern agent activates and operates successfully, please make sure your networks allow communication to the above listed URLs.
Is this replacing the existing N-central agent?
Currently the modern agent is designed to work side-by-side with the current agents. As we progress with our modernization efforts, functions will migrate from the current agents to the modern agent.
No date has been set for deprecating the existing agents.
Is there an impact from running alongside the existing agent?
The modern agent is designed to run side by side with the current N-central agent without impacting each other. The modern agent will complement and provide additional stability and value to the existing agents as we migrate functions to it. Currently the existing N-central agent only checks for the existence and operation of the modern agent.
What N-central versions are supported?
The modern agent is included in N-central agent versions 2023.5 and later. To activate the modern agent, N-central server version 2023.8 and later is needed.
Please subscribe to our Release Notes page to stay up to date on all changes for N-central: