Install Agent Client Collector on a Linux system

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 7 min read install-acc-linux.md
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Install Agent Client Collector using a package distribution tool.

Before you begin

  • You can manually install the Agent Client Collector on a few machines to verify that your agents contain the correct policies and checks.
  • Ensure that the Agent Client Collector Listener is configured on your MID Servers, and the service is available from your target hosts, see Configure the websocket server on the MID Server.
  • Verify that your server's Operation Systems and version is supported. For a list of supported Operation Systems and their versions, see ServiceNow Store Page.
  • Verify whether there are restrictions or requirements to be aware of during deployment, such as specifying an account other than the default servicenow account. For more information about embedding the agent into your own automated system, see ITOM Agent Client Collector documentation material [KB1122613].
  • Ensure that the MID Server and its MID Web Server and ACC Websocket Endpoint extensions are up and running.
  • (Optional): Enable golden image mode for cloning additional agents by setting the golden image marker located at /tmp/acc-goldenimage. The golden image marker takes no action during new Linux installations, as there is nothing which requires cleaning.
  • Retrieve the MID Server ACC Listener information to be specified in the agent's backend-url parameter.
    1. Navigate to All > Agent Client Collector > Deployment > MID Servers.
    2. Select a MID Server.
    3. Select the ACC Websocket Endpoints tab.
    4. Select a websocket endpoint.
    5. Copy the value in the Endpoint URL field.
  • Retrieve the MID Server API key specified in the agent's api-key parameter.
    1. Navigate to All > Agent Client Collector > Deployment > MID Web Server API Key.
    2. Select the API key to use.
    3. In the Related Links section, select View API key.
    4. Copy the API key value and close the pop-up window.

Role required: agent_client_collector_admin

About this task

During Linux installation (and upgrade), the agent executable file is enabled with Linux capabilities (CAP_SETFCAP, CAP_SETPCAP) by default. Store apps such as Agent Client Collector Log Analytics (ACC-L) can use this to grant capabilities to read the entire file system (CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH). The system undergoes various security measures to verify that granting capabilities does not pose a security risk. These measures include double verification of content origination and the plugin verification process. This procedure assumes that you are familiar with commands for Linux capabilities.

To opt out of these enhanced capabilities, run the following commands, based on your Linux OS/packaging system:

OS/Packaging System

Commands

RPM

ACC_SKIP_CAPS=true yum / dnf localinstall

ACC_SKIP_CAPS=true rpm -vi agent-client-collector-<version number>-x86_64.rpm

Debian

ACC_SKIP_CAPS=true apt-get install

ACC_SKIP_CAPS=true dpkg -i agent-client-collector-<version number>-<distro>_amd64.deb

SLES

ACC_SKIP_CAPS=true zypper install
## Procedure

  1. Download the relevant installation packages.

    • For manual installation:

      1. Navigate to **** > Agent Client Collector > Deployment > Agent Downloads.
      2. Download the relevant .rpm or .deb installation file.
      3. Download the relevant signature files to validate the installation files.

    • For command-line installation, run the following commands to download both the signature and installation files to your local machine:

      Shell
      curl -LO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-<version_number>-x86_64.rpmcurl -LO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-<version_number>-x86_64-rpm-rpm.zip

      Note: Each curl command must appear on a single line.

  2. Verify the package signature.

    1. Extract the installation file (if it is compressed) by running the following command:

      unzip agent_client-collector-<version_number>-x86_64-rpm-rpm.zip

    2. Validate the installation file signature by running the indicated commands.

      • On an RPM-based system:

        Shell
        openssl dgst -sha256 -verify {<ServiceNow DGST pem key>} -signature {<signature file>} agent-client-collector-<version number>-x86_64.rpm

        Where <ServiceNow DGST pem key> is the .pem file extracted from the .zip file, and <signature file> is the .bin file extracted from the .zip file.

        For example:

        Shell
        $ curl -sLO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64.rpm$ curl -sLO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64-rpm-rpm.zip$ unzip agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64-rpm-rpm.zipArchive: agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64-rpm-rpm.zipinflating: ServiceNow_Digicert_DGST.pemextracting: agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64.bin$ openssl dgst -sha256 -verify ServiceNow_Digicert_DGST.pem -signature agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64.bin agent-client-collector-3.0.0-x86_64.rpmVerified OK

        Note: Each command must appear on a single line.

      • On a Debian-based system:

        gpg --import ServiceNow_Digicert_Public.gpg

        sudo gpg --verify agent-client-collector-<version number>-<distro>_amd64.deb

        For example:

        Shell
        $ curl -sLO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64.deb$ curl -sLO https://install.service-now.com/glide/distribution/builds/package/app-signed/agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64-deb-deb.zip$ unzip agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64-deb-deb.zipArchive: agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64-deb-deb.zipextracting: ServiceNow_Digicert_Public.gpg$ gpg --import ServiceNow_Digicert_Public.gpggpg: /home/admin/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb createdgpg: key 985DD52C6A0ABB45: public key "ServiceNow, Inc. (Signing) <seceng@servicenow.com>"importedgpg: Total number processed: 1gpg: imported: 1$ dpkg-sig --verify agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64.debProcessing agent-client-collector-3.0.0-debian-9_amd64.deb...GOODSIG _gpgbuilder 9B928FB49771DF6C047430DD985DD52C6A0ABB45 1665054068

        Note: Each command must appear on a single line.

  3. Install the Agent Client Collector package using the package manager associated with Linux distribution.

    OS Command
    RHEL-based yum / dnf localinstall
    SLES zypper install
    Debian-based apt-get install

    Alternatively, if these commands aren't configured correctly, you can use the core commands that are configured to run with the package manager commands.

    • RPM-based system: # rpm -vi agent-client-collector-<version number>-x86_64.rpm
    • Debian-based system: # dpkg -i agent-client-collector-<version number>-<distro>_amd64.deb Verify that the package commands are configured correctly with your system administrator.

    Note: Some file systems may have restrictions enabled; for example, /var/ may be mounted with a noexec flag. Because the agent must execute Agent Client Collector plugins that are normally stored in the /var/cache directory, you must deploy the application into specific folders by customizing the installation paths using the --relocate option as an .rpm parameter.

    For example: rpm -i --relocate /var/cache=/opt/cache agent-client-collector-<version_number>-x86_64.rpm

    The following paths can be relocated:

    Path Notes
    /etc When updating, you must also update the allow-list parameter in the acc.yml file with the new path.
    <usr share location>/usr/share N/A
    <cache dir location>/var/cache Updating the /var directory retains all /var subdirectories, nested under the new directory.
    /var/log
    /var/run
    /var

    After relocating an installation path, update the relevant ACC_UPGRADE_CMD string described in step 7.

    Review the paths in /usr/lib/systemd/system/acc.service to ensure that they appear as expected.

  4. When installing a .deb package, configure the agent's acc.yml configuration file.

    1. Copy the sample configuration file:

      # cp -p /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector/acc.yml.example /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector/acc.yml

    2. Rename the allow list file.

      # cp -p /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector/check-allow-list.json.default /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector/check-allow-list.json

      Note: This step is not relevant for .rpm packages, which come with acc.yml and check-allow-list.json files included in the base system.

  5. Update the configuration file, adding check-allow-list.json to /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector and copying the backend-url and api-key from the instance.

    For example:

    Text
    ---# Agent Client Collector configurationbackend-url: - "wss://YOUR_MID_ENDPOINT_HERE:YOUR_MID_PORT_HERE/ws/events"api-key: "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"log-level: "info"insecure-skip-tls-verify: falseallow-list: /etc/servicenow/agent-client-collector/check-allow-list.jsonverify-plugin-signature: truemax-running-checks: 10disable-sockets: truedisable-api: truestatsd-disable: trueenable-auto-mid-selection: falseagent_cpu_threshold: cpu_percentage_limit: 25 repeated_high_cpu_num: 3  monitor_interval_sec: 60 agent_cpu_threshold_disabled: false

    The allow-list feature, indicating the commands permitted to be executed by the agent, is enabled.

  6. Configure sudoers.

    Configuration is typically automated by your Linux sysadmin. To verify configuration correctness, configure sudoers manually before full configuration. To do so, create a new sudoers file for the agent service user by running the following command:

    visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/01_servicenow

  7. Add the sudoers configuration according to your Linux distribution.

    When sudo commands are executed as part of Agent Client Collector checks, the system adds the -E flag to preserve the environment variables. Commands are executed as - sudo -E <command_placeholder> in the sudoers file. Add the SETENV command for the Agent Client Collector service user as shown in the code snippet below. If the Application Patterns for Agent Client Collector is enabled, ensure sudoers is updated with privileged commands, see Discovery commands for probes and patterns and SSH credentials.

    • When installing agents on a deb/ubuntu system, run the following:

      Shell
      User_Alias ACC_USERS = servicenowCmnd_Alias ACC_CMD = /usr/sbin/dmidecode -s baseboard-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s chassis-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s system-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s system-uuid,/usr/sbin/ss -tanp,/usr/bin/systemctl start acc,/usr/bin/systemctl stop acc,/usr/bin/dpkg --install --refuse-downgrade --skip-same-version /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade/agent-client-collector-upgrade*,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -t 17Cmnd_Alias ACC_CMD_SETENV = /usr/bin/netstat -ltnup,/usr/bin/ls -l /proc/*,/usr/bin/cat /proc/*ACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:ACC_CMDACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:SETENV:ACC_CMD_SETENVDefaults:ACC_USERS !requiretty
Cmnd_Alias ACC_UPGRADE_CMD = /usr/bin/systemd-run --unit=acc-upgrade --collect /usr/share/servicenow/agent-client-collector/embedded/bin/ruby /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/acc-f-commons/bin/linux_run_upgrade.rb /usr/bin/dpkg\ --install\ --refuse-downgrade\ --skip-same-version /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade/agent-client-collector-upgrade.deb /usr/bin/systemctl\ start\ acc /usr/bin/systemctl\ stop\ acc /usr/bin/systemctl\ daemon-reload /var/log/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade.log *ACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:ACC_UPGRADE_CMD

    • When installing agents on an RPM system, run the following:

      Shell
      User_Alias ACC_USERS = servicenowCmnd_Alias ACC_CMD = /usr/sbin/dmidecode -s baseboard-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s chassis-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s system-serial-number,/usr/sbin/dmidecode -s system-uuid,/usr/sbin/ss -tanp,/usr/bin/systemctl start acc,/usr/bin/systemctl stop acc,/usr/bin/rpm -Uv /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade/agent-client-collector-upgrade.rpmCmnd_Alias ACC_CMD_SETENV = /usr/bin/netstat -ltnup,/usr/bin/ls -l /proc/*,/usr/bin/cat /proc/*ACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:ACC_CMDACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:SETENV:ACC_CMD_SETENVDefaults:ACC_USERS !requiretty
Cmnd_Alias ACC_UPGRADE_CMD = /usr/bin/systemd-run --unit=acc-upgrade --collect /usr/share/servicenow/agent-client-collector/embedded/bin/ruby /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/acc-f-commons/bin/linux_run_upgrade.rb /usr/bin/rpm\ -Uv /var/cache/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade/agent-client-collector-upgrade.rpm /usr/bin/systemctl\ start\ acc /usr/bin/systemctl\ stop\ acc /usr/bin/systemctl\ daemon-reload /var/log/servicenow/agent-client-collector/upgrade.log *ACC_USERS ALL = (root) NOPASSWD:ACC_UPGRADE_CMD

  8. Configure the agent to run as a service.

    1. Safeguard resource consumption by adding the indicated values to the /usr/lib/systemd/system/acc.service file.

      • CPUShares=128
      • CPUQuota=10%
      • MemoryLimit=192M
      • BlockIOWeight=10
      • LimitNICE=15 For example:
      Text
      # vi /usr/lib/systemd/system/acc.service[Unit]Description=Agent-Now accAfter=network-online.target[Service]Environment=AGENT_ROOT=/usr/shareEnvironment=AGENT_CACHE_ROOT=/var/cacheEnvironment=AGENT_CONFIG_ROOT=/etcEnvironment=AGENT_LOG_ROOT=/var/logEnvironment=AGENT_RUN_ROOT=/var/runEnvironment=RUBYOPT=-Eutf-8User=servicenowGroup=servicenowExecStart=/usr/share/servicenow/agent-client-collector/bin/acc-service start accKillMode=processRestart=on-failureRestartSec=1min**CPUShares=128****CPUQuota=10%****MemoryLimit=192M****BlockIOWeight=10****LimitNICE=+15**[Install]WantedBy=network-online.target

    2. Run the reload daemon command If you modified the service file after enabling the acc service.

      # systemctl daemon-reload

    3. Enable and start the service by running the following commands.

      # systemctl enable acc

      # systemctl start acc

Parent Topic:Agent Client Collector installation on a Linux OS system

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