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Installing and Managing Agents

The complete reference for Print Tracker data collection agents: datalink codes, deployment methods, registration, clustering, upgrading, moving an install between entities, deactivating, and uninstalling.

Written by Joshua Kern

Print Tracker uses data collection agents, lightweight applications installed inside customer networks, to discover and collect data from devices. Agents are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can be installed by email, direct download, or command line.

This article is the full reference for deploying and managing agents. If an agent is already installed and something is wrong with it, see DCA Offline or Checking In Late or DCA Installation Fails: Access Denied, Error 1603, or Installer Blocked instead.

Deployment Strategies

There are several ways to deploy an agent depending on your situation. If you are on-site, download the agent directly to the customer's computer. If you are remote, email the installer to the customer. If you have remote administration access to a fleet of machines, use the command line.

Deployment email

Sending a deployment email from the Deploy install screen

  1. Select the entity you want the install associated with.

  2. Using the sidebar, click Installs, then Deploy install.

  3. Click Send installation email.

  4. Enter the email address of the customer's on-site contact.

  5. Click Send email.

The customer receives instructions on how to download and register the agent.

Download and install

You can download the agent directly to the computer you are working on.

If a one-click installer is blocked or returns an error, use the generic installer from printtrackerpro.com/download instead. Generic installers are static files and are far less likely to be flagged by antivirus and web filters, though they do not register themselves automatically.

Command line

Command-line installation is useful when you have remote administration access to a fleet of computers. Windows and Linux support it; macOS does not.

You must run the PowerShell window as an administrator. If you do not, the installation fails silently with no error.

Windows, install only:

$webClient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient; $version = $webClient.DownloadString('https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/current_major_version').Trim(); $url = "https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/$version/PrintTrackerProOfflineSetup.msi";  Write-Host "Version: $version"; Write-Host "Download URL: $url"; $output = Join-Path -Path $([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) -ChildPath 'PrintTrackerProOfflineSetup.msi';  Write-Host "Download Path: $output" $webClient.DownloadFile($url, $output); Start-Process 'msiexec' -ArgumentList @('/qn', '/i', "`"$output`"") -Wait;

Then open localhost:1301 on that machine to register with your datalink code.

Windows, install and register in one command. Replace <YOUR DATALINK CODE> with the entity's datalink code:

$webClient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient; $version = $webClient.DownloadString('https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/current_major_version').Trim(); $url = "https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/$version/PrintTrackerProOfflineSetup.msi";  Write-Host "Version: $version"; Write-Host "Download URL: $url"; $output = Join-Path -Path $([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) -ChildPath 'PrintTrackerProOfflineSetup.msi';  Write-Host "Download Path: $output" $webClient.DownloadFile($url, $output); Start-Process 'msiexec' -ArgumentList @('/qn', '/i', "`"$output`"", 'DATALINK_CODE=<YOUR DATALINK CODE>') -Wait;

Linux, install only. Requires sudo access:

source <(curl -fsSL https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/install.sh)

Linux, install and register in one command:

datalink_code='<YOUR DATALINK CODE>'; source <(curl -fsSL https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/install.sh)

Registration

An agent that is installed but never registered will not appear in Print Tracker at all. This is a common reason a technician believes an install failed when it actually succeeded.

  1. Open localhost:1301 in a browser on the computer where the agent is installed.

  2. Enter the datalink code.

  3. Click Register.

The install should appear in Web Admin under Installs within 5 to 10 minutes.

Datalink Code

When an agent is installed inside your customer's network, it needs to know where to upload data. Print Tracker connects that data to your account using a unique identifier called a Datalink Code, also referred to as an Entity Key. One code is generated for each entity in your account.

The Deploy install screen showing the Datalink code field

To get the datalink code for an entity:

  1. Navigate to the entity you want the code for.

  2. Using the sidebar, click Installs, then Deploy install.

  3. Copy the code from the Datalink code field.

The code is not interchangeable between entities. Using a code from Entity A binds the agent to Entity A until it is re-registered. Double-check that you have the code for the customer you actually intend the install to belong to before you deploy.
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Clustering and Redundancy

Clustering means installing multiple agents on the same network so that if one goes down, another takes over. Print Tracker automatically clusters agents registered with the same datalink code, with no additional configuration.

When multiple agents are installed on the same network, devices, meters, and all other collected data are de-duplicated automatically. This makes adding a second agent a safe, low-risk way to improve reliability at a site that has had outages.

Moving an Install to a Different Entity

This covers the case where a DCA was registered under the wrong entity, a datalink code from the wrong customer was used during setup, or an install simply needs to be reassigned.

Symptoms that point here:

  • The install appears under the wrong customer or entity in Web Admin.

  • Devices discovered by the install are reporting to the wrong account.

  • The DCA status page shows a datalink code mismatch or registration error.

Option 1: Contact support to move the install (preferred)

Self-service moving is temporarily unavailable. The ability for users to move their own installs was removed because of the complexity of moving clustered installs, and it will be restored once clustered installs can be moved reliably.

In the meantime, contact Print Tracker support with:

  • The install name

  • The entity the install is currently in

  • The entity you want it moved to

This is the preferred route because it preserves the install and its history.

Option 2: Uninstall and reinstall

Reinstalling with the correct datalink code fully resets the registration. Note that this creates a new install rather than moving the existing one, so the original install's history stays where it is.

  1. Uninstall Print Tracker from the machine via Add or remove programs.

  2. Download the installer from the correct entity in Web Admin.

  3. Run the installer. It embeds the correct datalink code automatically.

After re-registration

  • All devices discovered by the agent now report under the correct entity.

  • Device discovery runs on its normal schedule, so new devices should appear within 1 to 2 hours.

  • If devices were already logged under the wrong entity, contact support to discuss options for the existing data.

The best fix is prevention. Deploy using the datalink code that belongs to the customer you intend the install to be attached to, and verify the entity before running the installer.

Manually Upgrading

By default, installs automatically upgrade themselves within 24 to 48 hours of a new release. You can also upgrade an install at any time:

  1. Using the sidebar, click Installs, then View installs.

  2. Find the install you want to upgrade.

  3. Click the three-dot menu icon in the last column on the right.

  4. Click Upgrade install.

If the install will not upgrade itself, see DCA Auto-Upgrade Fails: How to Manually Update the DCA.

Stale Agents

A stale agent is one that is no longer connected to Print Tracker. Installs usually check in every 30 minutes, though some may go longer if the computer shuts down or sleeps.

Installs offline for several days are a real problem, because an agent that is offline may have missed critical device events such as a supply replacement. When a stale agent comes back online, review its devices to make sure you have not missed anything. You can also configure a stale install alert so you are notified rather than discovering it at billing time.

Deactivating and Reactivating

Deactivating an agent hides it from your account. It does not uninstall the agent from the computer; that must be done manually.

Deactivated agents stop checking in regularly and instead check in only on system restart. This means a reactivated install may not come back online until the computer is restarted. Only deactivate agents you do not plan to use again.

Deactivating

Deactivating an install from the View installs table

  1. Using the sidebar, click Installs, then View installs.

  2. Find the install you want to deactivate.

  3. Click the checkbox icon on the left side of the table.

  4. At the top of the table, click the down arrow next to the table's checkbox icon.

  5. Click Disable selected.

Reactivating

Reactivating an install from the View installs table

  1. Using the sidebar, click Installs, then View installs.

  2. Make sure the Exclude inactive filter is disabled, otherwise the install will not be visible.

  3. Find the install you want to reactivate.

  4. Click the checkbox icon on the left side of the table.

  5. At the top of the table, click the down arrow next to the table's checkbox icon.

  6. Click Enable selected.

Uninstalling

Uninstalling must be done directly on the computer where Print Tracker is installed.

Windows

Uninstalling Print Tracker Pro from Add or remove programs

  1. Open the Windows Start Menu.

  2. Search "Add or remove programs" and open it.

  3. Search for "Print Tracker Pro".

  4. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it.

  5. Click Uninstall and follow the prompts.

macOS

sudo bash /Library/PrintTracker/DataCollectionAgent/uninstall.sh

Linux

source <(curl -fsSL https://www.cdn.printtrackerpro.com/modules/dca/uninstall.sh)

Supported Operating Systems

Print Tracker installs are designed to be compatible with all currently supported Windows, macOS, and Linux versions. Troubleshooting and support for installs running on end-of-life operating systems is not guaranteed.

Note that an unsupported operating system also blocks automatic upgrades, so these installs quietly fall behind.

Installs by operating system chart on the Home Install tab

To find unsupported operating systems in your fleet:

  1. Using the sidebar, click Home.

  2. Click the Install tab.

  3. Find the Installs by operating system section.

  4. Click any row that says Unsupported.

  5. Review the Installs table below the chart to see which installs and customers are affected.

macOS Installer Package Warning

Some macOS devices show a warning that the .pkg cannot be opened. This is because Print Tracker is not notarized by Apple or distributed through the Apple App Store. It is not an indication of a problem with the file.

macOS warning that the package cannot be opened

macOS Sequoia (15) and later:

  1. If you get the warning that the file cannot be opened, click Done.

  2. Open System Settings.

  3. In the sidebar, find Privacy & Security.

  4. Scroll to the Security section, where you should see a message such as "PrintTrackerPro.pkg was blocked to protect your Mac."

  5. Click Open Anyway, and click Open Anyway again when prompted.

  6. Enter your password or use biometric authentication if prompted.

Video walkthrough: macOS Sequoia installer troubleshooting

macOS Sonoma (14) and earlier:

  1. Right-click the file in Finder.

  2. Click Open.

  3. Click Open again.

  4. Follow the installation prompts.

Opening the Print Tracker package on macOS Sonoma

Related Articles

  • DCA Offline or Checking In Late

  • DCA Installation Fails: Access Denied, Error 1603, or Installer Blocked

  • DCA Installation Blocked by Windows S Mode

  • Antivirus or EDR Software Blocking the DCA

  • DCA Auto-Upgrade Fails: How to Manually Update the DCA

Related Articles
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