We've Re-Installed a Computer Will PerformanceGuard Recognize It?

We have re-installed a computer that has previously reported to PerformanceGuard. Will PerformanceGuard recognize the computer after we have re-installed it?

Yes, in most cases. When a newly installed agent contacts PerformanceGuard for the first time, PerformanceGuard looks for an existing computer in this order:

1. A computer with the same MAC address.
2. If no computer has the same MAC address, a computer with the same computer name.

If PerformanceGuard finds a match, the agent gets the existing computer’s ID, and you keep continuous data about the computer from before and after the re-installation. If there is no match, PerformanceGuard creates a new computer.

This of course requires that you install the PerformanceGuard agent on the computer again after you have re-installed the computer.

Virtual computers

What if the computer runs in a virtual environment, for example a Citrix server that runs on VMware? Such a server very likely gets a new MAC address when you re-install it.

In that case PerformanceGuard can’t recognize it by the MAC address. Provided that the server has kept its computer name, PerformanceGuard recognizes it by the computer name instead.

Agent lookup strategy

The way that PerformanceGuard recognizes computers is technically called the agent lookup strategy. By default, PerformanceGuard uses the MAC address first, as described above. The strategy can be changed so that PerformanceGuard only recognizes computers by their computer names.

Caution

The agent lookup strategy is a global setting, so if you change it, it affects the way that PerformanceGuard recognizes all computers. We recommend that you contact your CapaSystems consultant if you want to change the agent lookup strategy.