Q: I need to re-install Remote Network Agent. However, there are 100+ monitors running on it. How to avoid re-creating manually all its network monitors?
A: To avoid re-creating multiple monitors (and their hosts), you can keep a separate copy of them temporarily. Host groups are the best tools for that.
If you need to re-install (or downgrade) Remote Network Agent, please follow the below guidelines to avoid tedious work of re-creating hosts and monitors monitored by that agent:
1. Make a backup copy of IPHost monitoring database, to preserve the entire monitoring system. Open IPHost GUI client and look into Settings -> System and located field “Path to the nms.fdb file” in “Database Server” section. Memorize that path.
Now stop IPHost monitoring service (from IPHost GUI client’s Tools menu), stop GUI client itself (File -> Exit); run Task Manager and look for fbserver.exe process – if it is running, terminate it.
Now copy elsewhere nms.fdb and nms.gbak files (see above where they are both located). After you copy them, start IPHost GUI client and start monitoring service (from Tools menu).
2. Do not delete remote agent from IPHost Network Monitor main installation (Settings -> Remote Agents) if there are any hosts/monitors assigned to it, until you perform steps 2-7 and make sure monitors are all present and running!
3. Create a new host group, from GUI client File -> New Host Group. Choose any name; for the sake of this example, we use “Temporary Group” name.
4. Stop all the monitors under the agent you need re-installing: right-click on Remote Network Agent name in monitors tree view, and choose Stop.
5. Copy all the hosts from that agent to newly created group: right-click on host name and choose Copy. Select “Temporary Group” from upper selection dropdown in pop-up that opens, confirm copying.
6. At this point, run existing version of Remote Network Agent (the one you need to re-install) on remote computer, copy and save somewhere its connection ID string. If agent can’t be started, select on IPHost main installation Settings -> Remote Agents, choose proper agent from the list, copy and save its connection ID string.
On primary IPHost installation: in Settings -> Remote Agents uncheck, if checked, “Add new (unknown) agents to the system automatically”, and click “Apply”.
Now reinstall Remote Network Agent. Run its GUI and make sure the connection ID string is the same you’ve saved (if it differs, enter new string, save settings and restart Remote Network Agent service from Control Panel -> Administrative tasks -> Services).
7. Make sure the agent is recognized in IPHost main installation, in Settings -> Remote Agents. Try restarting both primary IPHost monitoring services and Remote Network Agent service if connection isn’t established first. After the agent is recognized and connected, start it monitors again.
8. If agent is working and monitors are all present and running, you can remove hosts stored in “Temporary Group”. If you accidentally removed the agent, or otherwise erased all or part of its hosts, copy them back from “Temporary group” first, thus repairing monitoring system.
Related topics
Related links
