Probes

Probes probe windows probe using probes probe overview probes overview about probes

A Probe is a software component that resides on a system within a customer’s network, behind their firewall or within their private IP space. Probes provide monitoring and management services for devices on that private network, leveraging industry standard protocols such as WMI, SNMP, ODBC, and others. Every environment in your N-able N-central network, including workgroups, requires a probe.

Probes are central to the monitoring process, and give you the ability to:

  • facilitate discovery of IP based devices including workstations, servers, switches, printers,
  • push software agents to Windows-based workstations and servers,
  • monitor devices that cannot have an agent installed such as network gear and printers,
  • assist in some forms of remote control,
  • cache patch data to the UNC path of your choice, and
  • collect log data from devices.

If you have an environment without a server, consider using a dedicated computer running Windows OS to run your probe. Alternatively, designate a PC in the environment to stay on permanently and run the probe.

When monitoring WMI services and running asset discovery tasks, Windows Probes can only monitor devices within the same Windows domain if the probe has domain administrator privileges, or work group if the devices have the same username and password as the probe.

Probes send minimal traffic over ports 443 (HTTPS), 80 (HTTP) and 22 (SSH).

Please be aware that you cannot specify a scheduled downtime specifically for probes. Downtimes can be set at the customer/site level and would apply to both Agents and probes.

Recommended exclusions for third party AV software

N-able N-central software (agents and probes) must be excluded from third party antivirus scans in order to function properly.

N-able recommends that you add the following path to the list of exclusions from security scans:

Folders

  • <install path>\N-able Technologies\
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\FileCacheServiceAgent
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\RequestHandlerAgent
  • %ProgramData%\MspPlatform
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\BeAnywhere Support Express
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\N-able Technologies\Windows Agent
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\N-able Technologies\Ecosystem Agent

Files

  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\FileCacheServiceAgent\FileCacheServiceAgent.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\ThirdPartyPatch\7z.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\ThirdPartyPatch\ThirdPartyPatch.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\Installers\CacheServiceSetup.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\Installers\RPCServerServiceSetup.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\Diagnostics\PME.Diagnostics.exe
  • %Programfiles (x86)\MspPlatform\PME\PME.Agent.exe
  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\RequestHandlerAgent\RequestHandlerAgent.exe

  • %Programfiles(x86)%\N-able Technologies\Windows Agent\bin\Agent.exe

  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\Installers\FileCacheServiceAgentSetup.exe

  • %Programfiles(x86)%\MspPlatform\PME\Installers\RequestHandlerAgentSetup.exe

This is not required for security solutions integrated with N-able N-central; for example, AV Defender.

Ports

Your firewall must be not blocking following communication channels:

  • Port 15000 TCP/UDP - This port must be be opened to reach the cache on the probe and can also affect downloads for the probe and detection.
  • Port 10004 - N-able N-central Agents must be able to communicate with a Probe on the network in order for the Probe caching of software updates to function properly.
  • Port 80/443 HTTP/HTTPS - N-able N-central Agents must be able to reach out to the Windows Update servers via these ports in addition to those above.
  • For a list of URLs that may be needed on a firewall allow list for Windows Update the WSUS configuration article can help provide the necessary addresses as the WUA detection uses the same URLs, which can be found in the Microsoft article Configure your firewall.

For a complete list of paths you can include to exclude from security scans, see Global Exclusions. This list includes folders excluded by AV Defender by default.

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