Downloading the Absolute agent

Typically, when a new version of the Absolute agent is released, your devices are automatically updated to the new version on their next connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center.

However, there are instances when you will want to deploy the agent manually, such as:

• To install the Absolute agent on newly acquired devices to enroll them in Absolute
• To include the Absolute agent in a gold image

• To test a new agent version on a few test devices before deploying it to your entire fleet of devices

NOTE  To test a new agent version before it's deployed to your devices, you first need to disable automatic agent updates.

For Windows and Mac devices, you can deploy the Absolute agent using either of the following installers:

• Full agent installer
• Core agent installer

Choosing an installer depends on a number of factors, including your network configuration and whether you are installing the agent locally or remotely. To help you choose the appropriate installer, review the following details:

	Full agent	Core agent
File size   NOTE  The file sizes shown here apply to agent version 7.21, and are provided as an example only. For other agent versions, refer to the version's Get Absolute Agent dialog.	Windows: ~176 MB Mac: ~93 MB	Windows: ~4 MB Mac: ~511 KB
Package contents	Core agent A small software client that resides in devices that are managed in the Absolute console. After the core agent is initially installed on a new device, it is activated with its first connection to the Absolute Monitoring Center and the device is enrolled in Absolute. Component manager The component manager is installed on top of the core agent and manages the agent components responsible for initiating device actions and collecting device data. Most agent components are controlled by policies, such as the Hardware and Installed Applications policies. All agent components responsible for data collection, such as the Hardware, Installed Applications, and Device Usage components All agent components responsible for device actions, such as the Freeze, Run Script, File Delete, and Wipe components	Core agent After the core agent is installed, agent components are downloaded to the device as needed: Data collection components are downloaded when their associated policy is activated. Device action components are downloaded when the applicable device action request is submitted. The component manager is downloaded with the first component. For more information about the download file size of each component, see KnowledgeBase article 1160.
	NOTE  Agent installer packages do not include a tool to trigger agent calls to activate or test the agent. To trigger calls to the Absolute Monitoring Center from a Windows device, download the Persistence Status Monitor. To trigger calls from a Mac device, download the Agent Management Tool.
Recommended uses	Deploying the agent to multiple devices over a network, and bandwidth is not a concern Installing the agent locally on a few devices Creating a gold image NOTE  If you disabled automatic agent updates, you must download and install the applicable version of the full agent installer on your devices.	Deploying the agent to multiple devices over a network, and bandwidth is a concern You want to limit the agent's footprint to essential agent files only (i.e. you don't want to install any agent components that are not required to support your licensed features) Installing the agent locally on a few devices Creating a gold image

To download the installer:

1. Log in to the Absolute console as a user with Manage permissions for Version Control and Perform permissions for Agent Installer. All default Administrator roles are granted these permissions.
2. On the navigation bar, click > Agent Management.
3. On the Agent Management page, do one of the following:
   • If the Allow Absolute to manage agent updates slider is set to On (green):
     1. [Optional] Click to review the release notes for this agent version.
     2. Click Get Absolute Agent. The Get Absolute Agent <version> dialog opens.
   • If the Allow Absolute to manage agent updates slider is set to Off (gray):
     1. Select the Show unused versions checkbox. The page refreshes to show all agent versions that are available for assignment to your devices.

     2. Find the agent version that you want to download.

     3. [Optional] To review the release notes for this agent version, click either or > Release Notes.

     4. Click the agent version's icon, or click > Get Absolute Agent. A dialog opens.

4. [Optional] To download the core agent installer only, select the checkbox next to Only download the core agent. If you don't select this option, the downloaded agent package contains both installers (full agent and core agent).
5. Do one of the following:
   • To download the installer for Windows devices, click Windows.
   • To download the installer for Mac devices, click macOS.

The download may take a minute. The zipped agent package is downloaded with the following file name:

Platform	Installer	File
Windows	Full agent	AbsoluteWinFullAgent-<version>-<account ID>.zip
	Core agent	AbsoluteWinCoreAgent-<version>-<account ID>.zip
Mac	Full agent	AbsoluteMacFullAgent-<version>-<account ID>.zip
	Core agent	AbsoluteMacCoreAgent-<version>-<account ID>.zip

Depending on your browser and operating system, you may need to click through several dialogs to save the .zip file to a location of your choice; for example, to the root folder for command line installations.

After the agent package is downloaded, you can run the installer to install the agent.

NOTE  For information about how to add the Chromebook extension ID to the Google Admin console, see Deploying and managing the Chromebook extension.