Working with Chromebooks

Due to the unique nature of the Chrome OS operating system, the Absolute agent can't be installed on a Chromebook. Instead, you manage your Chromebooks by deploying the Absolute for Chromebooks extension (Chromebook extension) to each device. The Chromebook extension is a small software program that enables Chromebooks to secure a connection with the Absolute Monitoring Center and allows you to manage these devices in the Absolute console.

As part of the process of deploying the Chromebook extension to your Chromebooks, you add your Google account to the Absolute console and select the organizational units (OUs) that contain the Chromebooks that you want to manage. Once you have selected the OUs, the devices in the OUs sync with the Absolute console but the Chromebook extension isn't deployed, it's pending. This allows you to see the Chromebooks in your account prior to finishing the deployment process. Once the Google Admin console is properly configured and an authorized user logs in to the Chromebook, the Chromebook extension is installed.

The Chromebook extension can be in one of three statuses:

Devices with the Chromebook extension pending have been synced from your Google account to Absolute but don't have the Chromebook extension deployed to them yet. The sync occurs once your Google account has been added to the Absolute console and you have selected the OUs that contain the devices you want to manage in the Absolute console.

Chromebooks with the Chromebook extension pending have the following characteristics:

Reports

When you add the following columns to Assets and other reports, they have the following values:

  • Extension is Pending

  • Agent status is Active

  • Last connected is No data

  • Agent is No data

The following fields are populated from the Google Admin console until the Chromebook extension is deployed to the device:

  • Local IP address

  • Public IP address

  • Total physical memory

  • Available physical memory

Once the Chromebook extension has been deployed to the device, these fields are collected directly from the device.

Device actions

When the Chromebook extension is Pending, devices are eligible for the following Device Actions:

  • Freeze: the Freeze is processed once an authorized user logs in to the device and the extension is deployed.

  • Remove Freeze

  • Report missing: the device is flagged as missing in the Absolute console. An email alert is triggered when

    an authorized user logs in to the device and the extension is deployed.

  • Report stolen

  • Report Found (applies to Missing devices only)
  • Unenroll

Once you have completed the process to deploy the Chromebook extension and an authorized user has logged in to the device, the Chromebook extension is installed on the device.

Chromebooks with the Chromebook extension installed have the following characteristics:

Reports

When you add the following columns in Assets and other reports, they have the following values:

  • Extension is Installed

  • Agent status is Active

  • Last connected is populated with the last connected date and time

  • Agent is populated with the version of the Chromebook extension that is deployed to the device

Device actions

When the Chromebook extension is Installed, devices are eligible for the following Device Actions:

The Chromebook extension is disabled when the device has been unenrolled. You can unenroll a device by deprovisioning it in the Google Admin console, moving it to an unsynced OU, deselecting the device's OU in the Absolute console, or creating an unenroll request in the Absolute console.

Chromebooks with the Chromebook extension disabled have the following characteristics:

Reports

When you add the following columns in Assets and other reports, they have the following values:

  • Extension is Disabled

  • Agent status is Disabled

  • Last connected retains the last connected date and time

  • Agent retains the last version of the Chromebook extension that was deployed to the device

Any existing data remains available in the console and can be viewed in reports by setting the Agent status filter to Disabled.

To view the status of the Chromebook extension on your Chromebooks, you can add filters and columns to the All Devices page in the Assets > Devices area. After you've added the appropriate filters and columns, you can save them to create a new report.

To view the status of all active Chromebooks:

  1. Log in to the Absolute console.
  2. On the navigation bar, click to open the All Devices page in the Assets > Devices area.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • To filter the page to show all Chromebooks that have been synced but don't yet have the Chromebook extension installed, click and add the following filter: Chromebook extension is Pending.
    • To filter the page to show all Chromebooks that have the Chromebook extension installed, click and add the following filter: Chromebook extension is Installed.
  4. To add Chromebook columns to the page:
    1. Click > Edit Columns.
    2. Under Available Columns, enter chromebook in the search field.
    3. Drag Chromebook from Available Columns to Include Columns.

    4. Click Done. The Chromebook columns are added to the page.

  5. To change the width of a column, drag the boundary on the right side of the column header until the column is the preferred width.

  6. To create a new report that includes your filter and column changes:

    1. Click > Save as.

      The Save to a New Report dialog opens.

    2. Enter a Report Name for the new report, such as "Chromebook Extension Pending".
    3. [Optional] Add a Description.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Click Close to close the confirmation message.

Your new report shows in the My Reports view of the Reports page.

Once your Chromebooks are synced with the Absolute console, the following Chromebook specific information is synced from the Google Admin console:

For more information on any of the Google Admin console fields, see the Google Admin console documentation.