Atera Agents

Atera Agent Management

Overview

Atera agents are lightweight software installed on managed endpoints that provide remote monitoring and management capabilities. Agents report system information, health metrics, and enable remote execution of scripts and commands.

Agent Information Fields

Core Fields

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | AgentID | int | Unique agent identifier | | AgentName | string | Agent display name | | MachineID | int | Machine reference ID | | CustomerID | int | Associated customer ID | | CustomerName | string | Customer display name | | Online | boolean | Current online status | | LastSeenDate | datetime | Last communication timestamp |

System Information

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | MachineName | string | Computer hostname | | DomainName | string | AD domain (if joined) | | OS | string | Operating system name | | OSVersion | string | OS version/build | | OSType | string | Windows, Mac, Linux | | OSSerialNumber | string | OS serial number | | Processor | string | CPU model | | Memory | long | Total RAM in bytes |

Network Information

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | IPAddresses | string | Comma-separated IP list | | MacAddresses | string | Network adapter MACs | | LastIPAddress | string | Most recent IP |

Agent Status

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | AgentVersion | string | Installed agent version | | CreatedDate | datetime | When agent was installed | | Monitored | boolean | Monitoring enabled | | MonitoredStatus | string | Monitoring state | | Favorite | boolean | Marked as favorite |

Hardware Details

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | Vendor | string | Hardware manufacturer | | VendorSerialNumber | string | Device serial number | | VendorModel | string | Device model | | VendorBrandModel | string | Full brand/model string |

API Patterns

List All Agents (Paginated)

GET /api/v3/agents?page=1&itemsInPage=50
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "items": [
    {
      "AgentID": 98765,
      "AgentName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
      "MachineName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
      "CustomerID": 12345,
      "CustomerName": "Acme Corporation",
      "Online": true,
      "LastSeenDate": "2024-02-15T14:30:00Z",
      "OS": "Windows 11 Pro",
      "OSType": "Windows",
      "Processor": "Intel Core i7-12700",
      "Memory": 34359738368,
      "IPAddresses": "192.168.1.100,10.0.0.50",
      "AgentVersion": "2.0.1.25",
      "Monitored": true
    }
  ],
  "totalItems": 500,
  "page": 1,
  "itemsInPage": 50,
  "totalPages": 10
}

Get Agent by ID

GET /api/v3/agents/{agentId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "AgentID": 98765,
  "AgentName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
  "MachineName": "DESKTOP-ABC123",
  "DomainName": "ACME.LOCAL",
  "CustomerID": 12345,
  "CustomerName": "Acme Corporation",
  "Online": true,
  "LastSeenDate": "2024-02-15T14:30:00Z",
  "OS": "Windows 11 Pro",
  "OSVersion": "10.0.22621",
  "OSType": "Windows",
  "OSSerialNumber": "00330-80000-00000-AA123",
  "Processor": "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-12700 CPU @ 2.10GHz",
  "Memory": 34359738368,
  "IPAddresses": "192.168.1.100",
  "MacAddresses": "00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E",
  "Vendor": "Dell Inc.",
  "VendorSerialNumber": "ABC1234567",
  "VendorModel": "OptiPlex 7090",
  "AgentVersion": "2.0.1.25",
  "CreatedDate": "2023-06-15T09:00:00Z",
  "Monitored": true,
  "MonitoredStatus": "Healthy"
}

Get Agents by Customer

GET /api/v3/agents/customer/{customerId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Get Agent by Machine Name

GET /api/v3/agents/machine/{machineName}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Delete Agent

DELETE /api/v3/agents/{agentId}
X-API-KEY: {api_key}

Response:

{
  "ActionID": 12345,
  "Success": true
}

PowerShell Execution

Run PowerShell Script

POST /api/v3/agents/{agentId}/powershell
X-API-KEY: {api_key}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "Script": "Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Running'} | Select-Object Name, DisplayName"
}

Response:

{
  "ActionID": 55555,
  "Status": "Queued",
  "Message": "Script queued for execution"
}

PowerShell Best Practices

1. Keep scripts concise - Long-running scripts may timeout
2. Handle errors - Use try/catch blocks
3. Return structured data - Use Select-Object for clean output
4. Avoid interactive commands - No prompts or user input
5. Test locally first - Validate before remote execution

Common PowerShell Commands

Get system information:

Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object CsName, WindowsVersion, OsArchitecture

Check disk space:

Get-WmiObject Win32_LogicalDisk | Select-Object DeviceID, Size, FreeSpace

List running processes:

Get-Process | Sort-Object WorkingSet -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name, WorkingSet

Check Windows updates:

Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Restart a service:

Restart-Service -Name "Spooler" -Force

Agent Online Status

Checking Online Status

The Online field indicates current connectivity:

| Status | Description | Action | |--------|-------------|--------| | true | Agent communicating | Commands available | | false | Agent not responding | Check network/power |

Handling Offline Agents

1. Check LastSeenDate - Determine when agent was last online
2. Verify network - Ensure device has connectivity
3. Check power state - Device may be powered off
4. Review alerts - Look for related alerts
5. Contact user - Verify device status

Offline Thresholds

| Duration | Interpretation | Action | |----------|----------------|--------| | < 5 min | Temporary | Normal fluctuation | | 5-30 min | Short outage | Monitor | | 30 min - 4 hr | Extended outage | Investigate | | > 4 hr | Long-term offline | Contact customer |

Agent Lifecycle

Installation

1. Generate installer from Atera portal
2. Download and run on target device
3. Agent registers with Atera cloud
4. Appears in agent list within minutes

Monitoring

• Agent sends heartbeat every few minutes
• Reports system metrics and alerts
• Receives commands from portal/API

Removal

1. Uninstall from device (if accessible)
2. Delete via API or portal
3. Agent record removed from system

Error Handling

Common API Errors

| Code | Message | Resolution | |------|---------|------------| | 400 | Invalid agent ID | Verify agent exists | | 401 | Unauthorized | Check API key | | 403 | Forbidden | Verify permissions | | 404 | Agent not found | Confirm agent ID | | 429 | Rate limited | Wait and retry (700 req/min) |

PowerShell Execution Errors

| Error | Cause | Resolution | |-------|-------|------------| | Agent offline | Device not connected | Wait for reconnection | | Script timeout | Execution too long | Simplify script | | Access denied | Insufficient privileges | Check agent permissions | | Syntax error | Invalid PowerShell | Validate script locally |

Best Practices

1. Monitor agent health - Track online/offline patterns
2. Keep agents updated - Use latest agent version
3. Use meaningful names - Rename agents for clarity
4. Group by customer - Organize for efficient management
5. Review regularly - Remove stale/decommissioned agents
6. Document scripts - Comment PowerShell for reuse
7. Test before bulk execution - Validate on single agent first

Related Skills

• [Atera Customers](../customers/SKILL.md) - Customer agent associations
• [Atera Alerts](../alerts/SKILL.md) - Agent-generated alerts
• [Atera Devices](../devices/SKILL.md) - Non-agent monitored devices
• [Atera API Patterns](../api-patterns/SKILL.m