Agent Manager can monitor Windows server and Windows workstation computers, collecting data from both. Because many environments can include many workstation computers, Agent Manager uses a scalability multiplier to enable central computers to monitor large numbers of agents installed on workstations.
Agents deployed on workstation computers may send relatively few events to the central computer. However, while an agent may need to send event data to the central computer infrequently, the agent must heartbeat within the configured heartbeat interval in order to remain active. Continually receiving heartbeats from multiple computers, even without event data, can affect the performance of the central computer.
If you want to enable a central computer to monitor a large number of low-volume workstation computers without becoming overburdened, you can configure the workstation scalability multiplier to increase the interval between agent communications. The agent then multiplies the default heartbeat interval and other agent communication settings by the multiplier value for all workstation computers.
For example, when a central computer uses the default multiplier value of 36 for all workstations, all workstation computers heartbeat every 3 hours instead of the default 300 seconds. The delay reduces the performance load on the central computer, allowing one central computer to monitor a large number of workstation computers.
If no computers belong to the Windows Workstations device group, changes to the workstation scalability multiplier setting do not affect your agent computers.
NOTE:When you deploy an agent to a workstation computer, the workstation uses the server agent heartbeat setting until the central computer sends initial configuration information to the workstation agent. After receiving configuration information, the workstation agent uses the scalability multiplier when heartbeating.
Using the Agent Manager Console, you can modify the default scalability multiplier setting. For more information about modifying global Windows agent settings in the Agent Manager Console, see Configuring General Agent Settings.