Now that we have explored the consoles and also understand how to navigate around OpsMgr, it's time to deploy some agents.
In this chapter, we will first learn about the differences between agent-based and agentless monitoring. Then we will discuss specific requirements and different methods available for deploying agents to Microsoft Windows platforms. Once we have grasped the concept of deploying agents, we'll see how we can 'multihome' them to work with multiple OpsMgr management groups.
We will end the chapter by walking you through deploying agents to cross-platform UNIX/Linux environments.
Here's a high-level breakdown of what we'll cover in this chapter:
- Agent-based and agentless monitoring
- Deploying Microsoft Windows agents
- Different agent installation methods
- Working with multiple management groups
- Deploying UNIX/Linux agents
The Agent Managed section within the Administration workspace is where you can see a list of all Windows computers in the Management Group that have the OpsMgr agent installed. The agent is essentially a software component called the Microsoft Monitoring Agent that runs locally as a Windows service on each monitored computer.
Commonly referred to as the HealthService, the agent communicates with management servers to receive configuration data, perform tasks, and deliver monitoring information in a timely manner.
Most management packs will only work with agent-based monitoring and it is best practice to always deploy an agent when possible.