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Install the Linux Forwarder in Sleep Mode

When you roll out the Stairwell Linux forwarder at scale, you may want new endpoints to come online paused rather than immediately performing a backscan — for example, to stagger backscans across a large fleet, validate a rollout before it generates activity, or align activation with a maintenance window. Install in Sleep Mode lets a freshly installed Linux forwarder register with Stairwell and then stay dormant until you choose to wake it.

This page explains how the feature works and the steps an administrator completes to deploy Linux forwarders in sleep mode. For pausing or resuming forwarders that are already running, see Sleep & Wake Forwarders.

OSVersion Supported
Linuxv2.5.0 or later
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Install in Sleep Mode requires the latest Linux forwarder. Confirm your package is v2.5.0 or later before you begin — see Linux Forwarder downloads.

How It Works

Install in Sleep Mode is a policy setting, applied to new assets through a dynamic group. The flow looks like this:

  1. The forwarder is installed for the first time on a host and starts up.
  2. It registers with Stairwell, sending a registration hint that includes its forwarder version, OS, and OS version.
  3. Stairwell places the new asset in the dynamic group that matches it and pushes that group's policy.
  4. If the policy has Install in Sleep Mode enabled, the new forwarder applies sleep mode as it comes online: it does not backscan or report sightings, and only performs a lightweight check for when it should wake.

The setting takes effect only on a forwarder's first policy after a fresh install. Once that first policy is applied, the setting has no further effect on that asset, and the forwarder behaves like any other asset going forward.

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Applies to first-time (clean) installs only

  • Forwarders that are already installed are unaffected — enabling this setting does not put running forwarders to sleep.
  • Reinstalling or upgrading over an existing installation does not trigger sleep-on-install, because the host is not recognized as new. The host must not carry over runtime state from a prior installation for the setting to apply.
  • To pause forwarders that are already running, use Sleep & Wake Forwarders instead.

Before You Begin

Step 1 — Configure a Sleep-on-Install Policy

Because the setting is delivered through a policy on a dynamic group, configure the policy first so it's ready before any forwarders register.

If you already have a dynamic Linux policy

  1. Go to Policies (Create & Edit Policies).
  2. Open the policy attached to your dynamic Linux group.
  3. Enable Install in Sleep Mode.
  4. Save.

If you need a new policy

  1. Create a new policy — for example, Linux — Sleep on Install.
  2. Copy your existing Linux policy settings into it so all other behavior stays the same.
  3. Enable Install in Sleep Mode.
  4. Attach the policy to the dynamic group that matches your Linux assets (Manage Groups).
  5. Save.
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Anchor the policy to a dynamic group (for example, one scoped to the Linux OS) so newly installed Linux assets are picked up and assigned the policy automatically as they register.

Step 2 — Deploy the Linux Forwarder

Deploy the forwarder to your target hosts as a fresh install, supplying your environment ID and token. Use whichever method fits your environment:

As each host comes online, it registers with Stairwell and is automatically placed in the matching dynamic group, where it receives the sleep-on-install policy.

Step 3 — Confirm the Forwarder Installed Asleep

  1. Navigate to app.stairwell.com/assets.
  2. If you have multiple environments, select the correct one from the environment dropdown in the top right.
  3. Locate the newly registered asset. Registration can take a few minutes to appear.
  4. Open the asset and confirm it shows Sleep Mode.

The forwarder will remain dormant — no backscan and no sightings — until you wake it.

Step 4 — Wake the Forwarder When Ready

Waking a forwarder is an action, not a policy, and can be performed from the web app or via the API. To wake an asset from the web app:

Single Asset

  1. Navigate to app.stairwell.com/assets.
  2. Find the asset.
  3. Right-Click on the asset.
  4. Select Sleep Mode ➡️ Turn Off Sleep Mode.

Asset Group

  1. Navigate to app.stairwell.com/assets.
  2. If multiple environments exist, select an environment in the top-right dropdown.
  3. Open the Groups tab.
  4. Right-Click on the group.
  5. Select Sleep Mode ➡️ Turn Off Sleep Mode.

Once awake, the forwarder begins its backscan and resumes normal operation.

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Transition time

Switching a forwarder between sleep and wake may take up to 15 minutes to apply. For full sleep/wake details, including waking via the API, see Sleep & Wake Forwarders and the API Reference.

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Updated about 2 hours ago