Endpoint Agent Installation Reference
This article provides more in-depth information regarding the opt-in/out configuration options within the Endpoint Agent installer.
Browser Extensions
The Endpoint Agent browser extensions can be installed either at the end of the GUI installation process, or as part of the Windows command line installation.
If the browser settings for either Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome are managed by a separate mechanism (for example, Windows Group Policy or Google Chrome Browser Cloud Management), then the extensions should not be enabled during the installation process. This is due to the Endpoint Agent installer modifying registry keys as part of the process, which may cause conflicts.
This issue does not affect the Internet Explorer extension, which can only be enabled during installation.
Endpoint Agent Installer
The Feature Selection page of the installer wizard provides a drop-down menu to select the desired extension, and disable support for Extended Network Tests .
From January 31, 2023, the TCP Network Tests installation feature has been included as a part of the Extended Network Tests. The installer will by default, support the Extended Network Tests. More information can be found here.
As the Selection Tree widget is a standard Windows Installer control, with limited ability to customise it; the Will be installed on local hard drive and the Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive options are identical.
Once you have configured the extensions, click Next to continue the installation wizard.
If you opt not to install the extensions as part of the Endpoint Agent installer process, you can still install them separately. See Install the Browser Extension.
Command-Line Options for Msiexec / Msiexec Switches
| Switch | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport | Extended Network Tests Support | Install Windows driver and enable support for Extended Network tests. |
EdgeExtension | Microsoft Edge Browser Extension | Enable support for collecting network metrics for approved pages in Microsoft Edge. |
ChromeExtension | Google Chrome Browser Extension | Enable support for collecting network metrics for approved pages in Google Chrome. |
IeExtension | Internet Explorer Bowrser Extension | Enable support for collecting network metrics for approved pages in Internet Explore. |
Agent | Endpoint Client Agent | Optional Switch for base agent installation. This does not include support for the Extended Network Tests. |
TcpNetworkTestsSupport | TCP Network Tests Support | Install Windows driver and enable support for TCP tests.This switch will be deprecated. More information can be found here.. |
If no Switches are passed, Extended Network Tests will be installed and no Browser Extensions are installed.
To install the extensions via the command-line, add the relevant flags shown in the examples below:
Default
If the MSI is run without any options, the Endpoint agent is installed with support for Extended Network Tests and without any Browser Extensions.
msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart
You can also include the reinstallation token: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ENDPOINT_REINSTALLATION_METHOD=MERGE_BY_HOSTNAME ENDPOINT_REINSTALLATION_KEY="<reinstallation_key>"
With Extended Network Tests Support
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and no browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and all the browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,IeExtension,ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and Microsoft Edge browser extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,EdgeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and Internet Explorer browser extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,IeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and Chrome browser extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,ChromeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support and Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,IeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support with Microsoft Edge, and Chrome browser extensions: mmsiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with Extended Network Tests Support with Internet Explorer, and Chrome browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,IeExtension,ChromeExtension"
Without Extended Network Tests Support
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support and no browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support and all the browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent,IeExtension,ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Microsoft Edge extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent,EdgeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Internet Explorer browser extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent,IeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Chrome browser extension: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent,ChromeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="Agent,IeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Microsoft Edge and Chrome browser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install with no Extended Network Tests Support but, with Internet Explorer and Chrome bowser extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ACCOUNT_CONFIG="<connection_string>" ADDLOCAL="IeExtension,ChromeExtension"
Remove the Support for Extended Network Tests
To remove the support for Extended Network Tests, add the REMOVE="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport" to the command. For example:
msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart REMOVE="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport"
To view the guidance for software deployment teams, please refer here.
Alternatively, you can run all the above command-line Msiexec / Msiexec switches without passing the Connection String parameter. Subsequently, you need to register the agent with the desired account group.
For example, running the following command will install the agent with Extended Network Tests Support and all the browser extensions:
msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ADDLOCAL="ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport,IeExtension,ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension" but you need to run the te_agent --register <connection_string> command to register the agent. You need to run the registration command from the administrator console on Windows and sudo on macOS.
Extended Network Tests Support for Windows
The ThousandEyes Endpoint Agent allows users to enable support for Extended Network Tests for Windows via the command line installation. As part of enabling support, the Endpoint Agent installer automatically extracts and invokes the standard Npcap OEM installer for Windows.
The NPCAP Driver version must be v 1.55. Also, reboot the system to have the NPCAP driver installed.
You can verify the currently installed version of NPCAP driver by running the following registry query:
reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\NpcapInst
The installation done by the ThousandEyes Endpoint agent installer will look like this:
The installation by another product can look like this:
In either case the DisplayVersion parameter displays the version of NPCAP currently installed.
If NPCAP is already installed (as a part of Wireshark or NMAP), the installer will not change it. If the pre-existing version of NPCAP installed is an approved version for your Account Group, the Endpoint Agent will use it for TCP tests. However, if the version is not allowed, the agent will not run TCP tests. You can reach out to the support team and enable additional versions if you are not using the default version recommended by ThousandEyes. In these situations, we recommend you test agent updates with your preferred version of NPCAP. ThousandEyes will update the NPCAP version on your workstation when necessary; only if it was installed by the ThousandEyes installer. If the version of NPCAP on your devices is not compatible and you would like to use the version we distribute, ThousandEyes recommends you follow these instructions:
Uninstall (manually) the unsupported version of NPCAP. You can do this via Add/Remove Programs.
You can use the UninstallString command to remove the currently installed NPCAP driver, if the outdated version was not installed by the Endpoint Agent installer.
For example, UninstallString REG_SZ "C:\Program Files\Npcap\uninstall.exe"
Run the Endpoint Agent installer to remove the Extended Network Tests feature.
Again, run the Endpoint Agent installer with the Extended Network Tests feature enabled (by default). This step, triggers the installation of the upgraded NPCAP driver bundled with the Endpoint Agent.
Restart the ThousandEyes Endpoint Agent service.
For Windows, you can use sc query npcap to verify if the NPCAP driver is installed and running.
If steps described above do not resolve the issue or if the issue keeps reoccurring, please contact ThousandEyes Support team (support@thousandeyes.com).
Updating Existing Agents
Existing Endpoint Agents that have the ExtendedNetworkTestsSupport feature turned off (or older versions of the agent that do not support this feature) will need to be reinstalled to enable Extended Network Tests. ThousandEyes recommends to use the convenience script to enable TCP tests. The agents can also be updated by following the same process as new agents, outlined below. Updating the agent without uninstalling the previous installation should have no impact on existing data.
However, if the previous installation is uninstalled first, the new data will be assigned to a completely new agent that will have the same name as the original. ThousandEyes recommends running the installer without uninstalling the existing agent.
To enable support via the command line, use the installation command flag as outlined in the examples below:
Invoke the installer interactively:
msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi>Invoke the installer silently:
When running the installer silently, all features installed are replaced. Browser extensions must be explicitly mentioned when running the installer silently.
Install only Extended Network Support and no extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart
Install Extended Network Tests Support and all extensions: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ADDLOCAL="IeExtension,ChromeExtension,EdgeExtension"
Install Extended Network Tests Support and the Google Chrome extension only: msiexec.exe /i <path_to_msi> /quiet /norestart ADDLOCAL="ChromeExtension"
After a successful installation, both the ThousandEyes Endpoint Agent and the Npcap OEM should be listed under the Apps & Features program on Windows. The installation directory for Npcap OEM is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\ThousandEyes\Npcap (64-bit Windows)
C:\Program Files\ThousandEyes\Npcap (32-bit Windows)
Uninstalling the Npcap OEM entry individually from the Apps & Features list is not supported and should be avoided. Uninstalling the Endpoint Agent also uninstalls Npcap OEM and removes it completely from the Apps & Features list.
Connection String
Installation of Endpoint agents on clients like Cisco RoomOS Devices, Cisco Secure Client, transferring of agents across organizations, and other integrations, requires the Connection String parameter. You can access the Connection String in the UI installer section of the ThousandEyes web application.
This parameter acts as a token that accurately identifies the account group where the agent should be installed.
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