How do I enable the collector service?

The EventSentry collector has numerous advantages compared with agents connecting directly to the EventSentry database and is recommended for most installations:

Remote connections to the database server can be restricted
Agents don't require SQL ODBC drivers
Communication between agents and the collector is encrypted and can be compressed
Collector can automatically manage configuration and agent updates
Advanced analytics with server-side anomaly and threshold
Better buffering when collector is unavailable
Fewer connections to the database server, especially for larger deployments

Enabling the collector is a 3-step process:

Install & Enable the Collector Service
Enable one or more actions to use the collector
Deploy the new configuration

Installing the Collector Service

To install the collector service, open the management console and navigate to the Collector dialog. There, click the Install button and browse to the EventSentry installation folder if/when prompted. Do not start the service yet.

After the collector is installed, configure the service according to the screenshots below and make sure the following settings are correct:

Configuration / Hostname

The hostname should be automatically configured based on the FQDN name of the current host. If the field is empty or the host name is incorrect then specify a valid fqdn host name or IP address. The specified host / address needs to be resolvable from every host that needs to connect to the collector.

Enable "Collect Statistics" and select the primary database, a Debug Level of INFO is also recommended.

Communication

Enabled should be checked, the default TLS port is 5001. Specify a min TLS version, this is 1.2 by default.

Agent Management

In most cases it's recommended to automatically deploy the latest configuration and deploy agent updates. Select "Automatic" and check "Keep remote agents ...".

Enabling actions to use the collector

Still in the management console, navigate to Actions, select the Primary Database and click the Use Collector check box on the bottom left of the action dialog. Repeat this for every action that should be routed through the collector, for example Default Email. Only actions that have the Use Collector check box checked will get routed through the collector. Not all actions can be routed through the collector; check the documentation to see which action types are supported.

Once at least one action is enabled, save the configuration and start the EventSentry Collector service from the Collector dialog.

Deploying the new configuration

Now that the collector service is installed, configured & running, the agents need to have the latest configuration so that they will actually utilize the collector. While not strictly necessary, it's recommended to restart agents after enabling the collector.

In the management console, click Groups or select a group of choice. In the ribbon perform the following actions:

Manage -> Stop Agent(s) -> Go
Push Configuration
Manage -> Start Agent(s) -> Go

Verification

It should only take 1-2 minutes after the agents are started before they register with the collector. Check the status section on the Collector dialog to make sure that agents are connected. You can also check the Tools -> Collector Status -> Connections dialog in the web reports to see more details about connected hosts.