9.4. Installing ASGARD Agent on a Golden Image

If you want to implement the ASGARD Agent into your Golden Image, you can do this by following the steps in this section. Make sure to download the right Agent Installer package from your ASGARD.

You have two options to deploy an Agent on your Golden Image, with the first one being the easier method.

9.4.1. Offline Installation

Note

Before continuing, make sure the host can't reach your ASGARD.

In this method we make sure that the host system, which is being prepared for the Golden Image, is either offline or can't reach the ASGARD. Go ahead and install your ASGARD agent as you do normally. Once the installation is done, you can stop the asgard2-agent service.

Windows (administrative command prompt):

C:\Windows\system32>sc stop asgard2-agent

Linux:

user@golden:~$ sudo systemctl stop asgard2-agent.service

You ASGARD Agent should be ready now. You have to make sure that the Agent is not communicating with your ASGARD during the whole process. If the agent is for some reason communicating with the ASGARD and creating an Asset Request, make sure that you stop the asgard2-agent service again and inspect the following file:

  • Windows: C:\Windows\System32\asgard2-agent\asgard2-agent.yaml

  • Linux: /var/lib/asgard2-agent/asgard2-agent.yaml

The file should not contain the marked lines in the next example. If both lines exist, make sure you delete them and save the file. Make also sure to deny the Asset Request in your ASGARD to avoid confusion:

1host: yourasgard.domain.local:443
2token: +uW6HrF3kxmLNZYqKTKuZt [...]
3registered: true
4proxy: []
5system_proxy: false
6labels: []
7write_log: false

Warning

Your Golden Image will not work if the two lines in the asgard2-agent.yaml file exist, it instead will create a Duplicate Asset. So make sure that they are not present when you are creating the Golden Image!

9.4.2. Online Installation

If for some reason you can not prevent your host, which is being used for the Golden Image, to communicate with your ASGARD, then follow the next steps. Go ahead and install your ASGARD agent as you do normally. Once the installation is done, you can stop the asgard2-agent service.

Windows (administrative command prompt):

C:\Windows\system32>sc stop asgard2-agent

Linux:

user@golden:~$ sudo systemctl stop asgard2-agent.service

Once the service is stopped, we have to alter the configuration file of the agent. This is necessary because your agent will have communicated with your ASGARD by now, thus having generated an token, which should be unique. If you would create your Golden Image now, you would have the systems, installed with the Golden Image, appear as Duplicate Asset (see Duplicate Assets Remediation).

Open the asgard2-agent.yaml file and delete the marked lines in our example.

  • Windows: C:\Windows\System32\asgard2-agent\asgard2-agent.yaml

  • Linux: /var/lib/asgard2-agent/asgard2-agent.yaml

1host: yourasgard.domain.local:443
2token: +uW6HrF3kxmLNZYqKTKuZt [...]
3registered: true
4proxy: []
5system_proxy: false
6labels: []
7write_log: false

After you deleted the two lines and saved the file, your host is ready. Make sure those two lines are not present, as well as your asgard2-agent service is still not running. We delete the token because it is unique to ASGARD. If two agents are presenting the same token, they will be flagged as duplicate assets. The registered value tells the agent if it has to send a new asset request or not. Once it is set to true it would not send a new request.

Hint

Make sure to deny the Asset Request, which we just created while installing the agent on our host, in ASGARD. This is to avoid confusion down the road.