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Installing Scanners

This guide provides instructions for installing and configuring the NopeSight Scanner Agent for Windows environments.

NopeSight Scanner Agent (Windows)​

The NopeSight Scanner Agent is a comprehensive discovery tool for Windows environments. It can be run as an interactive application (GUI Mode) or as a background Windows service for automated, continuous discovery (Service Mode).

System Requirements​

  • Operating System: Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2 or newer
  • .NET Framework: Version 4.8 or newer
  • PowerShell: Version 5.1 or newer
  • Memory: 100 MB of available RAM
  • Disk Space: 200 MB of free disk space

Network Requirements​

  • The agent requires outbound HTTPS (port 443) access to your NopeSight API endpoint (api.nopesight.com).
  • For scanning target devices, ensure the appropriate ports are open between the agent and the targets (e.g., WMI ports 135 & 445, SSH port 22, SNMP port 161).

Installation and Configuration​

1. Download the Agent​

Navigate to the Download Center in the NopeSight UI and download the NopeSight Scanner Agent ZIP file (e.g., NopesightScanner_Portable_xxxx.zip).

2. Extract the Files​

Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a permanent directory on your server, such as C:\Program Files\NopeSight\.

3. Choose a Mode of Operation​

You can run the agent in two primary modes:

A) Service Mode (Recommended)

This mode is ideal for automated, scheduled scanning from a dedicated discovery server.

  1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as an Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the directory where you extracted the agent files. 
    cd "C:\Program Files\NopeSight\"
  3. Install as a Windows Service: Run the following command to install the agent as a Windows service. This ensures it runs in the background and starts automatically with the system. 
    .\NopesightScanner.exe --install-service
  4. Run in Service Mode (Directly): Alternatively, you can run the executable directly in service mode without installing it as a persistent service. This is useful for testing or temporary deployments. 
    .\NopesightScanner.exe --service-mode
  5. Once installed or run in service mode, the agent will operate in the background. You can manage the installed service from the Windows Services console (services.msc).

Service Features:

  • Runs continuously in the background.
  • Automatically starts with Windows (if installed as a service).
  • Handles system events and maintains its own logging.
  • Integrates with the built-in task scheduler for automated scans.

B) GUI Mode

This mode is useful for interactive scanning, testing configurations, or running one-off scans from your workstation.

  1. Navigate to the directory where you extracted the agent files.
  2. Double-click NopesightScanner.exe to launch the application.
  3. From the graphical interface, you can configure scan targets, set schedules, and initiate scans manually.

Scheduler Features: The agent includes a built-in scheduler for automated network scanning:

  • Schedule scans to run at specific times (daily, weekly, monthly).
  • Support for multiple scan configurations simultaneously.
  • Each configuration includes IP ranges, frequency, time, and enabled/disabled status.

Logging: The agent maintains detailed logs of its operations, including scan activities, errors, and system events. These logs are crucial for troubleshooting and monitoring.