Agent Third-Party Deployment: Updating config.ini on a UNIX Device

IT Asset Management (Cloud)

For OS X and UNIX managed devices, many preferences are stored in the config.ini file stored in /var/opt/managesoft/etc. This file acts as a “virtual registry”: that is, a repository on non-Windows platforms for settings that, on Windows platforms, are stored in the registry.

Initially, this file will contain a few factory default settings, plus the values imported from the mgsft_rollout_response file described in Agent Third-Party Deployment: Configuring the Bootstrap File for UNIX. Some of the installed components (such as the ndschedag and the mgsusageag) read their preferences directly from this file.

If you wish to update settings in config.ini, you can use the following approach, which can be completed manually or can be scripted with an appropriate deployment tool. In this description, the example used is to disable network sense in an installed FlexNet Inventory Agent.

To update the config.ini file:

1. Create a temporary file following the format of config.ini, but including only the section names containing changes, and the changed values.
   Example:

   [ManageSoft\Launcher\CurrentVersion]
   NetworkSense=False
   [ManageSoft\NetSelector\CurrentVersion]
   SelectorAlgorithm=MgsSubnetMatch(,false)

2. Save (or deploy) this patch as a temporary file on the target device (where FlexNet Inventory Agent is locally installed), giving it a distinct name.
   For example, deploy (or save) the patch file to /var/tmp/tempconfig.ini on the target device(s).
3. Execute the mgsconfig tool with the -i option identifying your temporary patch file.
   Example:

   /opt/managesoft/bin/mgsconfig -i /var/tmp/tempconfig.ini

4. Remove the temporary file.

Inspecting the /var/opt/managesoft/etc/config.ini file shows that the settings in your temporary file have been applied to the config.ini.

Tip: The config.ini file is used only for the FlexNet Inventory Agent installed locally on the target device (the Adopted case or Agent third-party deployment case). Do not attempt to use it for any of the other cases.