Managing the Mac agent

It's best practice to avoid backing up a device with an activated Secure Endpoint Agent. Restoring the backup may lead to unexpected outcomes, depending on the policies, actions, and rules deployed to the backed up device.

If you want to create a backup, ensure that you:

  • Exclude the following folders/files from the backup:
    • /Library/.rpcnet
    • /Library/Application Support/Absolute/
  • Reinstall the Secure Endpoint Agent after the backup is restored.

You can manage the Secure Endpoint Agent for Mac devices in the following ways:

You can use the Agent Management Tool to view information about a Mac device's agent and its call status, and to trigger agent calls to the Absolute Monitoring Center. If you are deploying the agent to multiple devices, you can also use the utility to verify the state of the agent in an image before deploying the image to devices in your network.

You can download the Agent Management Tool from the Utilities page in the Settings area.

Remove the installation files from the local device after you complete the management tasks.

To start the Agent Management Tool:

  1. Log in to the device and ensure that it is connected to the Internet.
  2. If this is the first time you're running the tool on this device, download the tool from the Utilities page in the Settings area.
  3. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the tool.
  4. If you haven't extracted the abtmt.tar file yet, double-click the file and extract it.
  5. Open the abtmt folder and double-click AbtMt.app.
  6. In the Password field, enter the Administrator password for the Mac device and click OK.

The Agent Management Tool opens.

To view the agent's status and call details:

  1. Start the Agent Management Tool.

  2. Review the following fields:

    • Agent Version—the version number of the agent installed on the device.

    • Agent Mode—the state of the installed agent, showing the following possible values:

      • Active—the agent is installed and running.
      • Inactive—the agent is installed but it is not running.
      • Not installed—the agent is not installed on the device.
      • Disabled—the agent is either flagged for removal or is removed.
    • ESN—the unique Electronic Serial Number (Identifier) assigned to the installed agent.
    • Last IP Call Time—the date and time of the last successful agent call to the Absolute Monitoring Center.
    • Next IP Call Time—the date and time of the next scheduled agent call to the Absolute Monitoring Center.

    • Call Status—shows one of the following possible values:

      • Passive—the agent is installed and awaiting instruction.
      • Calling—the agent is calling the Absolute Monitoring Center.
      • Call succeeded—the agent call was successful.
      • Call timed out—the agent call was not made within the allowable time.
      • Call failed—the agent call failed.
      • Agent version is no longer supported—a 32-bit version of the agent is installed. This version is no longer supported on the device. Download and install a 64-bit Mac agent (version 966 or higher).

Agent calls occur automatically every 15 minutes, but you can trigger a call if you don't want to wait for the next scheduled call.

For example, you can trigger an agent call to:

  • Activate a newly installed agent
  • Test the agent's ability to make a call
  • Upload updated device information to the Secure Endpoint Console
  • Download a new policy configuration from the console
  • Download a device action, such as a Run Script or Wipe request, submitted in the console

You can use the utility to initiate a call to the Absolute Monitoring Center.

To initiate a call:

  1. Start the Agent Management Tool.

  2. Click Test Call.

    The agent attempts to connect to the Absolute Monitoring Center. The Call status field shows progress information and the screen refreshes the status automatically.

    If the call is successful, the Call status field shows Call succeeded.

    If the call times out or fails, check that the device is connected to the Internet. If it is, attempt the test call again. If your next call still fails, contact Absolute Technical Support.

  3. To verify the success of a test call, review the following fields:

    • Last IP Call Time—shows the current date and time.
    • Next IP Call Time—shows updated values.

To initiate a call:

  1. On the Mac device, open a Terminal window.

  2. At the shell prompt, enter the following command and press Return:

    Copy 
    ps -ax | grep -i rpc

  3. Find the process ID associated with '/Library/.rpcnet/rpc.net' -d.

    This is the agent call process. The presence of this process confirms that the agent was installed successfully.

  4. To force the agent call process:

    1. At the shell prompt, enter the following command where <PID> is the process ID from the previous step, and press Return:

      Copy 
      sudo kill -s USR2 <PID>
    2. At the Password prompt enter the password you used to log in to the device.

The process is stopped and then restarted automatically, which triggers an agent call.

By default, your account is configured to allow automatic agent updates, meaning your managed devices are updated automatically as new agent versions become available. After a new agent is released, your devices are updated on the next agent connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center.

If automatic agent updates are disabled for your account, your managed devices will not be updated until you assign a new agent version to one or more policy groups.

If automatic agent updates are disabled as per an alternate Service Agreement, contact Absolute Technical Support to request an update to the latest version of the agent.

You may want to remove the agent from a device for various reasons, such as retirement, disposal, or end-of-life/end-of-lease. Use the Unenroll Device security action to remove the agent from one or more devices.