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Computers for IT departments

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Register many Windows computers, install the Desktop Agent silently with a connection code, run some of them unattended with the service, and share a computer among up to five people.

On this page

An IT department can register many Windows computers at once, install the Kareenos Desktop Agent on them silently, and let agents work on some of them with nobody at the keyboard. This page is the setup; the person-at-the-computer side is on Desktop Agent (Windows).

What you need

  • An account admin login. Registering several computers, and any unattended computer, is an admin's job.
  • For unattended computers, the Managed computers service on your account (ask Kareenos support) and, on each such computer, one Windows account that stays signed in and unlocked. Windows UI Automation only drives a signed-in, unlocked session: a locked computer answers "locked" and agents wait.
  • The installer: KareenosDesktopAgent-Setup-x64.msi from the Downloads page.

Register the computers

  1. Open Browsers & Desktops → Computers and click Add several computers.
  2. Give a count, a code prefix (WH gives WH-001, WH-002, …) and a name prefix, choose the mode (attended or unattended), the people who may use them (up to five each, you included) and the projects they serve (empty = every project those people work in). For unattended computers decide Approve clicks automatically: without it agents can only look and read.
  3. The next dialog shows each computer's connection code, its link and its silent-install command, once. Download the CSV and keep it where only you can read it; a code works one time.

Each computer also has folders agents may read files from and, separately, write files into. Leave them empty unless an agent has to collect or drop files there; a path outside them is refused.

Install silently

On each computer, as an administrator (or through your deployment tool: Intune, GPO, PDQ):

msiexec /i KareenosDesktopAgent-Setup-x64.msi CONNECT_CODE=<that computer's code> /qn

For an unattended computer add the service feature:

msiexec /i KareenosDesktopAgent-Setup-x64.msi CONNECT_CODE=<code> ADDLOCAL=Service /qn

The agent starts, binds with the code, receives its token and shows Connected in the Computers list within a minute. The code is consumed; a reinstall or a re-imaged computer needs a New connection code from the list.

The service

The Kareenos Desktop Service keeps the agent running inside the signed-in Windows session, restarts it when it stops, follows the console session, and stops it when the service stops. It opens no port and talks to nothing itself. On a computer with the service the tray shows no Sign out and no Quit; signing the computer out is done from the Computers list.

Keep the session signed in: set Windows to sign the service account in automatically and not to lock the screen (your policy; the agent cannot unlock a computer). When the computer is locked or at the sign-in screen, agents receive COMPUTER_LOCKED and the list shows Locked.

Day to day

  • State per computer: Connected, Busy (with who holds it), Paused, Locked, Offline, Never connected.
  • Busy: one person's agents drive a computer at a time; another person's agent is told who holds it and waits. Release hold forces it.
  • Edit changes the name, code, description, mode, people, projects and folders at any time; New connection code re-arms a computer; Sign out this computer revokes it for good.
  • The local policy file %ProgramData%\Kareenos\DesktopAgent\policy.json still wins on the machine: it can refuse applications, add file folders, mark the computer managed, or refuse the unattended mode.

What unattended does not change

Agents still never type a password, never open shells or system tools, never run scripts, and never leave the file folders you allowed. Every command is logged with the computer, the person and the agent behind it.