Check Definition, Check Instance, and Check Type in Agent Client Collector - Support and Troubleshooting

Check Definition, Check Instance, and Check Type in Agent Client Collector .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } .kb-wrapper { font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 1.7; max-width: 100%; } .kb-wrapper p { margin: 0 0 12px 0; } .kb-wrapper h2 { font-size: 14pt; font-weight: 900; color: #032D42; border-bottom: 2px solid #e8fce4; padding-bottom: 6px; margin: 28px 0 14px 0; } .kb-wrapper ul { padding-left: 22px; margin: 0 0 14px 0; } .kb-wrapper ul li { margin-bottom: 8px; } .kb-wrapper .toc { background: #f5f8fa; border: 1px solid #d8e6ee; border-radius: 4px; padding: 14px 22px; margin-bottom: 8px; display: inline-block; min-width: 230px; } .kb-wrapper .toc-title { font-weight: 900; color: #032D42; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0 0 8px 0; } .kb-wrapper .toc ul { padding-left: 18px; margin: 0; } .kb-wrapper .toc ul li { margin-bottom: 4px; font-size: 11pt; } .kb-wrapper a { color: #52B8FF; text-decoration: none; } .kb-wrapper a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .kb-wrapper .toc a { color: #032D42; } .kb-wrapper code { background: #e6f0f5; color: #032D42; border: 1px solid #b8cfd8; border-radius: 3px; padding: 1px 5px; font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 10.5pt; } .kb-wrapper .related-links ul { list-style: none; padding-left: 0; } .kb-wrapper .related-links ul li { margin-bottom: 6px; } Table of Contents Overview Check Definition Check Instance Check Type Related Links Overview This article describes the differences between Check Definition, Check Instance, and Check Type in Agent Client Collector (ACC).

Check Definition Check Definition [ sn_agent_check_def ] is the base definition of a check—a blueprint that defines the command to run and the default configuration options.

A Check Definition includes the following:

Command to run Name and description Default scheduling information Required configuration files and assets Default parameters Example: The Enhanced Discovery Check Definition.

Check Definitions are used for on-demand check executions, such as UI Actions (for example, Grab Agent Config), and serve as the default base when creating a new policy.

Check Instance Check Instance [ sn_agent_check ] is a configured instance of a check with specific parameter values and settings, associated with a Monitoring Policy.

Check Instances are created when defining Agent Client Collector Policies.

A check instance contains:

References to parent Check Definition, Monitoring Policy, and Check Type Specific parameter values (for example, log_level=debug ) Customized scheduling (for example, every 5 minutes instead of the default 15 minutes) A name that may differ from the Check Definition Example: The Enhanced Discovery Policy contains an Enhanced Discovery check instance, which is a copy of the Enhanced Discovery Check Definition.

Changes to the check definition do not propagate automatically to the check instance. Likewise, a configured check instance does not change the original check definition.

When making changes to a check for testing or debugging purposes—such as increasing the log level—add a check instance to a test policy. However, not all checks should be tested via policy. Many checks are designed only for on-demand execution. In that case, consider creating a copy of the existing Check Definition so that existing functionality relying on the check definitions is not affected, such as UI Actions and scheduled jobs.

Check Type Check Type [ sn_agent_check_type ] defines how check results are processed after execution.

Typically, a check type defines:

Instance-side processing scripts MID Server processing scripts Instance and MID scripts are optional. Most check types use only one—either a MID or Instance script—but some use both, and some use neither.

Instance-side processing scripts handle the processing of a check result on the instance—for example, discovery check payloads returned to the instance in the ECC Queue. MID Server processing scripts determine how a check result is processed on the MID Server—for example, the Events check type, which sends events directly to the instance via the inbound event API and bypasses the ECC Queue.

Example: The Enhanced Discovery Check Definition uses the Enhanced Discovery Check Type.

Related Links Agent Client Collector policies Agent Client Collector Check Definitions Create copy of existing Check Increase Check log level