How to download and install the Teramind Agent

November 18, 2023 11:58

i	Troubleshooting Installation Issues
If you encounter any issue installing the Agent, please check out the Troubleshooting section of the Knowledge Base.

Notes for the Teramind Mac Users

At the moment, Teramind on Mac has limited functionalities and are only supported on macOS 14 (Sonoma), macOS 13 (Ventura), macOS 12 (Monterey), macOS 11 (Big Sur), macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and macOS 10.14 (Mojave). Check out this article to learn which Teramind features are available on the Mac.
You cannot run the installer from the browser directly on Mac. You need to run it from the Launcher / Finder.

Agent Types

Teramind has two types of Agents you can choose from:

Hidden Agent, also know as the Stealth Agent
Revealed Agent, also known as the Visible or Freelance Agent

This article, What is the difference between the Revealed Agent and the Hidden Agent? describes the difference between the two agents.

Local Installation

Revealed Agent

The Revealed Agent tracks users and computers but only when the user is logged-in on the Agent. When a user launches a Revealed Agent, they have to login using an account created in the Teramind Dashboard by an administrator. All the activities tracked will be linked to this account. Since the hours they work are clearly defined by the clock-in and clock-out times from the Revealed Teramind Agent, the payroll can be calculated, and tasks can be assigned to the users. This Agent is the perfect choice for monitoring contractors, vendors and freelancers or when you want to let your employees choose how and when they are to be monitored.

Downloading the Revealed Agent (Cloud)

To download the Revealed Agent, do the following:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

Choose Yes when asked, ‘Do you want your users to know that they are being monitored?’. You will be given two options:

Choose the Dashboard Invite option to create a new employee and send an invitation to the employee over their email address:

Enter the First name, Last name and Email address of the employee then press the ADD USER & SEND INVITATION button. Note that if you enter the email address of an existing employee, it will fail with the message “Email is already in use”.
Choose the Invitation Link option to copy the download links. Clicking the button will open another window:

You can copy one of the URLs, open it in your browser and save the installer file on a USB stick and take it to the target computer.
You can email yourself the instruction, login to the target computer and download the Agent from the links in the email.

Downloading the Revealed Agent (On-Premise)

To download the Revealed Agent, do the following:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

On the Install Agents screen, choose Direct file download.
Click the WINDOWS 8+ REVEALED AGENT button to download the Windows Agent.
Click the MACOS REVEALED AGENT button to download the Mac Agent.

Installing the Revealed Agent (Windows)

Run the Agent installer file on the computer. Notice that, you will need administrator privilege to install the Agent properly.

Click the Begin installation button to install the Agent.

When the installation is complete, the user can launch the Agent from the Start Menu (Windows).

Installing the Revealed Agent (Mac)

Download the pkg file.
Rename the pkg file to include any optional parameters (see the Agent Installation Parameters (Mac) section to learn more).
Open it and the installation dialog will be open:

Click the Continue button. You will be taken to the next step, Destination Select:

Click the Continue button. You will be taken to the next step, Installation Type:

Click Install button. You will be shown the Installer dialog:

Enter your username and password and then click the Install Software button. The installation will start. When it finishes, you will see the The installation was successful message:

Click the Close button to finish the installation.

i	After you have installed the agent, you will need to enable a few macOS permissions for the agent to be able to record screen and other activities properly. Please follow the steps below to enable the permissions.

Setting the macOS Permissions for the Revealed Agent

Accessibility and Screen Recording Permissions

Open the Launchpad and then select the Teramind Agent application. The Agent will launch and you will be shown a Accessibility Access pop-up window on top of the Teramind App:

Click the Open System Preferences button, you will be taken to the Security & Privacy window:

Click the Accessibility tab and click the Teramind Agent app to enable accessibility permission for it.

Click the Screen Recording tab and click the Teramind Agent app to enable screen recording permission for it.
Restart the application if requested.

Network Monitoring Permission

For Agent Version 234 and Newer

To monitor network activities, you will need to enable permission for NetApp. Teramind uses this extension to monitor network traffic. Run the following command on your Terminal (type everything in a single line):

sudo "/usr/local/teramind/agent/bin/Teramind Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/Teramind Agent" network_permissions;sleep 1;killall "Teramind Agent"

You will see the NetApp permission request dialog:

Click the Open Security Preferences button. You will be taken to the Security & Privacy screen:

Click the Allow button next to the System software from application “.NetApp” was blocked from loading message. A pop-up window will open:

Click the Allow button to confirm adding proxy configurations by NetApp.

File Monitoring Permission

For Agent Version 23.35.4749 and Newer

To monitor file transfer activities, run the following command on your Terminal (type everything in a single line)::

sudo "/usr/local/teramind/agent/bin/Teramind Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/Teramind Agent" filemonitor_permissions;sleep 1;killall "Teramind Agent"

You will see the NetApp permission request dialog:

Click the Open Security Preferences button. You will be taken to the Security & Privacy screen:

Click the Privacy tab.
Select Full Disk Access from the left panel.
Enable FileMonitor from the list of apps on the right side.

Enrolling: Adding Users to the Dashboard

After you have installed the Revealed Agent on a user's computer, you will need to add them to the Teramind Dashboard so that they can be tracked properly. This article, How to add an employee / user / computer? shows you how you can do it.

Using the Revealed Agent

Check out this article to learn how to use the Revealed Agent: How to use the Revealed Agent.

Hidden Agent

The Hidden/Stealth Agent tracks the user as soon as they log into their computer. Both the user and computer will appear automatically on the dashboard. The names are taken directly from the registered machines. It is recommendable that Computer names should be unique to not create confusion. If a computer is renamed, Teramind will auto-update. The Hidden Agent is useful when you do not want your users to know that they are being monitored.

Downloading the Hidden Agent (Cloud)

To download the Hidden Agent, do the following:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

Choose Yes when asked, ‘Do you want your users to know that they are being monitored?’. You will be given a few options to download the agent:

You can email yourself the instruction by clicking the E-MAIL INSTRUCTIONS TO ME link. After that, you can login to the target computer and download the Agent from the links in the email.
Click the WINDOWS / 64-BIT button to download the Windows Agent.
Click the MAC OSX button to download the Mac Agent. If you clicked the MAC OSX button, a pop-up window will open:

Copy the command displayed in the first/top field and run it in your Mac Terminal.

i	After you have installed the Mac Hidden Agent, you will need to enable a few macOS permissions for the agent to be able to record screen and other activities properly. Please follow the steps under the Setting the macOS Permissions for the Hidden Agent section below.

Downloading the Hidden Agent (On-Premise)

To download the Hidden Agent, do the following:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

On the Install Agents screen, choose Direct file download.
Click the WINDOWS 8+ 64-BIT MSI or the WINDOWS 8+ 32-BIT MSI button to download the Windows Agent.
Click the MACOS HIDDEN AGENT button to download the Mac Agent.

i	After you have installed the Mac Hidden Agent, you will need to enable a few macOS permissions for the agent to be able to record screen and other activities properly. Please follow the steps under the Setting the macOS Permissions for the Hidden Agent section below.

Installing the Hidden Agent – Command Line (Windows/Cloud)

MSIEXEC can be used in either command line or from within a script, as follows:

msiexec /i <path-to-teramind-agent.msi>

Where <path-to-teramind-agent.msi> is either a URL, network, or local path to the Teramind Agent MSI file.

You can use optional installation parameters to configure the installation and how the agent behaves. Please see the Agent Installation Parameters (Windows) section below for more information.

Installing the Hidden Agent – Command Line (Windows/On-Premise)

To install the Hidden Agent via the command line:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

On the Install Agents screen, choose Via command line option.
Copy the 64-bit or 32-bit command and run it from your Windows Command Prompt (in admin mode). Note that, the commands/links will be unique to your instance.

You can use optional installation parameters to configure the installation and how the agent behaves. Please see the Agent Installation Parameters (Windows) section below for more information.

Installing the Hidden Agent – Command Line (Mac/Cloud)

To install the Mac Hidden Agent run this command in the Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal):

curl <path-to-teramind-mac-installer> | sudo bash -

You can get the <path-to-teramind-mac-installer> from the Hidden Agent’s download screen (select No at the first step, then click the MAC OSX button):

You can use optional installation parameters to configure the installation and how the agent behaves. Please see the Agent Installation Parameters (Mac) section below for more information.

i	After you have installed the Mac Hidden Agent, you will need to enable a few macOS permissions for the agent to be able to record screen and other activities properly. Please follow the steps under the Setting the macOS Permissions for the Hidden Agent section below.

Installing the Hidden Agent – Command Line (Mac/On-Premise)

To install the Hidden Agent via the command line:

Click the Username near the top-right corner of the Teramind Dashboard. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
From the pop-up menu, click the Download Teramind Agent option. You will be taken to the Welcome to Teramind screen:

On the Install Agents screen, choose Via command line option.
Copy the command and run it from your Mac Terminal. Note that, the command/link will be unique to your instance.

You can use optional installation parameters to configure the installation and how the agent behaves. Please see the Agent Installation Parameters (Mac) section below for more information.

i	After you have installed the Mac Hidden Agent, you will need to enable a few macOS permissions for the agent to be able to record screen and other activities properly. Please follow the steps under the Setting the macOS Permissions for the Hidden Agent section below.

Setting the macOS Permissions for the Hidden Agent

Accessibility and Screen Recording Permissions

Type the following command on the Terminal window and press Enter (type everything in a single line):

sudo killall "System Monitoring"; open "/usr/local/teramind/agent/bin/System Monitoring.app" --args permissions

A pop-up window will appear:

Click the Open System Preferences button. You will be taken to the Security & Privacy window:

Click the Accessibility tab and click the System Monitoring app to enable accessibility permission for it. You will be shown a warning message:

Click the Open System Preference button.

Provide access permission to System Monitor for Screen Recording this time. You will be asked to restart the application:

Click the Quit & Reopen button to apply screen recording capabilities.

Network Monitoring Permission

For Agent Version 234 and Newer

To monitor network activities, you will need to enable permission for NetApp. Teramind uses this extension to monitor network traffic. Run the following command on your Terminal (type everything in a single line):

sudo "/usr/local/teramind/agent/bin/System Monitoring.app/Contents/MacOS/System Monitoring" network_permissions;sleep 1;killall "System Monitoring"

Then you will see the NetApp permission request dialog:

Click the Open Security Preferences button. You will be taken to the Security & Privacy screen:

Click the Allow button next to the System software from application “.NetApp” was blocked from loading message. A pop-up window will open:

Click the Allow button to confirm adding proxy configurations by NetApp.

File Monitoring Permission

For Agent Version 23.35.4749 and Newer

To monitor file transfer activities, run the following command on your Terminal (type everything in a single line):

sudo "/usr/local/teramind/agent/bin/System Monitoring.app/Contents/MacOS/System Monitoring" filemonitor_permissions;sleep 1;killall "System Monitoring"

You will see the NetApp permission request dialog:

Click the Open Security Preferences button. You will be taken to the Security & Privacy screen:

Click the Privacy tab.
Select Full Disk Access from the left panel.
Enable FileMonitor from the list of apps on the right side.

Enrolling: Adding Users to the Dashboard

The users will be created automatically when the agent is installed on their computers - you do not need to add them manually to the Dashboard. However, you can still edit the employee’s profile.

Protecting the Agent Installation

You can optionally install the Teramind Hidden Agent in a protected mode using the DO_PROTECTION installation parameter (see below). The protection mode makes the agent installation more secure and prevents common tampering. The How to protect agent installation? article explains it in more details.

Agent Installation/Configuration Parameters (Windows)

You can use some optional parameters as command line options or through the agent configuration file.

Agent Configuration File

Some of the installation parameters (where indicated) can also be applied through the Agent configuration file (config.cfg) post-installation. For example, you can use a command like: msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMROUTER=10.55.55.58:235 during the installation. Or, you can add this line, router=10.55.55.58:235 in the config file.

Hidden Agent: C:\ProgramData\{4CEC2908-5CE4-48F0-A717-8FC833D8017A}\<agent version>\{9168137C-D324-440D-85B4-1A554EAE6304}
Revealed Agent: C:\ProgramData\Teramind Agent\<agent version>\{551DD8F9-2009-4565-B57B-1390B7DA6AF0}

Here, <agent version> is the Agent version, for example, 20.0.1084. Check out this article to learn how to find your Agent version. If the file doesn't exist, create one in a text editor.

Installation/Config File Parameter	Description
/qn	Enables silent installation. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi /qn
Installation Parameter: TMROUTER=<ip-of-vm:port> Config File Parameter: router=< ip-of-vm:port>	Can be used to assign the load balancer IP and port. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMROUTER=10.55.55.58:235 Note that the `port` is optional. If not assigned, the default port (443) will be used. Please see the SETTINGS > Server Management section on the Teramind User Guide for more information.
Installation Parameter: TMINSTANCE=<account-name> Config File Parameter: instance=<account-name>	Assigns the instance name. Provide an `<account-name>` or use `onsite` for on-premise deployment. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMINSTANCE=onsite This option isn't required for Cloud deployments since the Cloud installers already have the instance name embedded.
TMDISABLEAUDIO=<1/0>	Turns audio monitoring on (1) or off (0). For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMDISABLEAUDIO=1 This is similar to toggling the Audio option on the Monitoring Settings > Monitoring Profile screen.
Installation Parameter: TMDOMAINOVERRIDE=<domain-name> Config File Parameter: domain-override=<domain-name>	Supported on the Hidden Agent only. Can be used to override the user’s domain/computer name with the specified `<domain-name>`. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMDOMAINOVERRIDE=acme.com
DO_PROTECTION=<yes/no>	Installs the hidden agent in protected mode. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi DO_PROTECTION=yes Installing the Agent in protected mode helps: prevent users from seeing the Agent in system services list prevent the stopping of the service using commands such as: ‘sc stop’ prevents corruption of the service registration prevent uninstall by unauthorized admins You can specify the protection password in the SETTINGS > Security > Agent Removal Protection section on the Teramind User Guide for more information.
Installation Parameter: /TMDISABLEAUTOUPDATE=<1/0> Config File Parameter: disable-autoupdate=<1/0>	Will disable auto-update of a Cloud Agent. msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.249_x86.msi /TMDISABLEAUTOUPDATE=1 This is similar to disabling the ENABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES option on the Settings > Autoupdate section of the dashboard.
/l*v <"log-file-name">	Enables installation logging. Replace the `<log-file-name>` with your file name. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.249_x86.msi */lv "C:\Windows\Temp\TM.log"** For more information, check out this article: How to collect the Teramind Agent logs.
TMROOTDIR=<directory>	Allows you to specify a directory/folder where the agent will be installed. Replace the `<directory>` with your directory/folder. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.249_x86.msi TMROOTDIR=”c:\myagent”
TMDNSNAME=<new name>	The Agent has a local proxy server to receive the data from the browser proxy injections. By default, its name is `tm.filter`, but you can use the TMDNSNAME parameter to override it. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.261_x64.msi TMDNSNAME=localhost
TMAGENTEXE=<new name>	By default, the Agent name is dwm.exe. However, Windows also has a service with the same name for its Desktop Windows Manager. We've added a new command line parameter, TMAGENTEXE so that you can change the default Agent name to something else to make it more clear and avoid confusion with Windows' own services. You can use the parameter when installing the Agent. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.260.3940_x64.msi TMAGENTEXE=my_agent.exe
TMADDENTRYTOARP=<1/0>	By default, Teramind Stealth/Hidden Agent isn't shown on the Windows list of installed programs (known as the Add or Remove Programs list or ARP list). If used, this parameter will allow you to add the Stealth/Hidden Agent to the installed programs list on Windows. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v6.0.47_x64.msi TMADDENTRYTOARP=1
Installation Parameter: TMHASHUSERNAMES=<1/0> Config File Parameter: hash-user-names=<1/0>	If enabled, this option will obfuscate the usernames with an MD5 hash so that they are anonymized. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.260.3940_x64.msi TMHASHUSERNAMES=1 The user will then appear like the example below:
Installation Parameter: TMHIDERDPCLIENTIP=<1/0> Config File Parameter: hide-rdp-client-ip=<1/0>	This option will let you hide the client IP address from the server. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.260.3940_x64.msi TMHIDERDPCLIENTIP=1 Usually, when you connect to a computer over an RDP session, the Agent sends the IP address of the client to the server. However, for privacy or security reasons, you might not want to expose the client IP to the server. This option will force the Agent to replace the actual IP address with 0.0.0.0.
Installation Parameter: TMNOFSDRV=<1/0> Config File Parameter: driver-flags=<on/off>	If used, this option will disable the Teramind file driver. For example, msiexec /i teramind_agent_v0.1.260.3940_x64.msi TMNOFSDRV=1 This is similar to disabling the FILE DRIVER option on the Monitoring Settings > Advanced screen.

Proxy Configuration

You can configure a proxy when installing the Agent. You can also configure them from the Agent configuration file (config.cfg) using the following parameters:

Installation Parameter	Config File Parameter	Description	Example
TMHTTPPROXY	http-proxy	The HTTP proxy and optional, port address.	10.1.2.1:9005
TMSOCKSHOST	socks-host	SOCKS Host.	192.168.56.103
TMSOCKSPORT	socks-port	Port.	1082
TMSOCKSUSER	socks-user	Username. This parameter is optional.	john
TMSOCKSPASSWORD	socks-password	Password. This parameter is optional.	myP@ssword
TMUSESOCKS5	use-socks5	1 means use SOCKS 5 and 0 means use SOCKS 4. This parameter is optional. If not specified, SOCKS 5 will be used.	1

Here's an example:

msiexec /i teramind_agent_v5.0.0_x64.msi TMROUTER=10.55.55.58 TMSOCKSHOST=192.168.56.103 TMSOCKSPORT=1082 TMSOCKSUSER=john TMSOCKSPASSWORD=myP@ssword TMUSESOCKS5=1

Agent Installation/Configuration Parameters (Mac)

You can use optional parameters to change how the Mac Agent is installed or behaves. There are two ways you can set the parameters:

Rename the installer/package file to include the –() parameter. For example:
```
teramind_agent_v1.235.4632_hidden-do(acme.com).pkg
```
If the Agent is already installed, you can edit the parameters from the agent config file (agent.conf). For example:
```
domain-override=aceme.com
```
i
The agent.conf is located in your Agent installation folder, e.g., Macintosh HD > usr > local > teramind > agent > etc

Installation/Config File Parameter Description

Installation Parameter:

-i(<instance name>)

Config File Parameter:

instance=<instance name>

Assigns the instance name. Provide a <account-name> or use onsite for an On-Premise deployment. For example,

teramind_agent_v1.235-i(onsite).pkg

This option isn't required for Cloud deployments since the Cloud installer already has the instance name embedded.

Installation Parameter:

-r(<ip-of-vm:port>)

Config File Parameter:

router=<ip-of-vm:port>

Can be used to assign the load balancer IP and port. For example,

teramind_agent_v1.235-r(10.55.55.58:235).pkg

Note that the port is optional. If not assigned, the default port (443) will be used. Please see the Server Management section of the Teramind User Guide for more information.

Installation Parameter:

-d(<0/1>)

Config File Parameter:

disable-autoupdate=<0/1>

Supported on the Cloud deployments only. The parameter enables (1) or disables (0) the auto update of the Agent. For example,

teramind_agent_v1.235-d(0).pkg

Note that auto-update feature is disabled by default on an instance. You will need to contact Teramind Support Team first to active the auto-update feature on your instance. After that, you will need to turn on the ENABLE AUTOMATIC UPDATES option under Settings > Autoupdate on the Dashboard. For more information check out this article.

Installation Parameter:

-do(<domain name>)

Config File Parameter:

domain-override=<domain name>

Supported on the Hidden Agent only. Can be used to override the user’s domain/computer name with the specified <domain-name>. For example,

teramind_agent_v1.235-do(acme.com).pkg

Once set, the username will show the new domain name:

Installation Parameter:

N/A

Config File Parameter:

network-exclude-bundles

This parameter can be used to exclude application bundles from the network driver. You will need to exclude applications by their bundle IDs. For example,

network-exclude-bundles=com.apple.Safari

You can add multiple bundle IDs separated by commas (no spaces), for example,

network-exclude-bundles=com.operasoftware.Opera.helper,com.google.Chrome,com.apple.Safari

Notes:

When an application is excluded using the network-exclude-bundles parameter, the Agent will no longer track any network activity on the app. For example, if you specified, network-exclude-bundles=desktop.WhatsApp, Teramind will not capture any instant messages/chats or online meetings for WhatsApp.
When a browser is excluded using the network-exclude-bundles parameter, the Agent will no longer inject the Teramind proxy certificate, "Internet Widgits Pty Ltd" to any web pages visited on the browser:

You can find an application's bundle ID by using a tool like the osascript. Run the following command on your Terminal:
```
osascript -e 'id of app "app_name"'
```
Here, app_name is the application name. For example, Opera, Google Chrome, etc. The command will return the bundle ID for the specified app_name. For example:

Proxy Configuration

You can configure a SOCKS proxy from the Agent configuration file (agent.conf) using the following parameters:

Config File Parameter	Description	Example
socks-server	SOCKS server address.	192.168.1.0
socks-port	Port.	1082
socks-user	Username. This parameter is optional.	john
socks-password	Password. This parameter is optional.	myP@ssword
socks-version5	1 means use SOCKS 5 and 0 means use SOCKS 4. This parameter is optional. If not specified, SOCKS 4 will be used.	1

Remote Installation

Check out one of articles below for instructions on how to remotely installation the agent based on your deployment scenario:

Antivirus and Firewall Considerations

Teramind Agent and its drivers come digitally signed with an extended-validation certificate. We made every effort to coordinate our signature with the major antivirus vendors, and as a result, Teramind will not introduce any issue with the vast majority of antivirus software. Nevertheless, if you encounter any problems while downloading, installing or updating the Agent, consult the Antivirus Configuration Guide.

i	For instructions on how to uninstall the agent, check out this article: How to uninstall the agent?