Install Windows forwarder with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager

Prerequisite(s)

• Stairwell Environment ID
• Stairwell Forwarder Authentication Token
• .NET Core 5.0 or newer (Included in the 'Bundled' installer)

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Warning!

The initial scan (we refer to as the backscan) is a comprehensive physical disk scan that is very resource intensive for a short period of time. We do not recommend installing the forwarder on critical assets early in your deployment. Think of your first several deployments as "sacrificial" in that they will take the biggest hit because they will be uploading the greatest number of unique files and each subsequent install will have less and less unique files and therefore, shorter and less intensive backscans.

Installation

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This method is suggested for mass deployment to multiple assets. To learn more about the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, please visit docs.microsoft.com.

• Download the Inception Forwarder .exe (you will have received a link to the download during onboarding)
• Launch the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager Console
• Navigate to Software Library > Overview > Application Management > Applications
• Right-click Applications to create an Application
• Follow the Create Application Wizard
• Enter the Location for the share path to the Inception Forwarder .exe
  Example: \Server\Share\Your_Inception_Forwarder_File_Path.exe
• Click Next
• When prompted, enter the following in Installation Program, and replace file_name.exe with your Inception Forwarder .exe file location, auth_token with your Authentication Token, and env_id with your Environment ID:

  file_name.exe TOKEN=auth_token ENVIRONMENT_ID=env_id /quiet /norestart /log C:\\stairwell.log
  

• Go through the remainder of the Create Application Wizard
• You can now deploy the File Forwarder for Windows application to your application groups

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Visit docs.microsoft.com to learn more about application groups.

Confirm Installation

• Navigate to https://app.stairwell.com and log in
• Click on Assets
• Click on the newly created asset name(s) to confirm the retrieval of files
• Take note of the data under All Objects

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It may take a few minutes for file ingestion to begin and show in the application.