Start and Stop Procedures

This guide provides comprehensive procedures for starting and stopping the EPMware Agent on both Linux and Windows servers.

Linux Server Procedures

Starting the Agent on Linux

Method 1: Direct Execution

Log in as the user under which the agent is installed:

cd /home/[username]
./ew_target_service.sh &

The & symbol runs the process in the background.

Method 2: Using nohup

For persistent execution after logout:

cd /home/[username]
nohup ./ew_target_service.sh > agent-startup.log 2>&1 &
echo $! > agent.pid

Method 3: Using systemd (Recommended)

If configured as a systemd service:

sudo systemctl start epmware-agent

# Verify startup
sudo systemctl status epmware-agent

Method 4: Using init.d

For systems with init.d configuration:

sudo service epmware-agent start

# Or directly
sudo /etc/init.d/epmware-agent start

Stopping the Agent on Linux

Method 1: Using Process ID

Find and terminate the agent process:

# Find the process
ps -ef | grep -i epmware-agent | grep $(whoami) | grep -v grep

# Note the process ID (second column), then kill it
kill -9 [process_id]

# Or in one command
kill -9 $(ps -ef | grep -i epmware-agent | grep $(whoami) | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2}')

Method 2: Using Saved PID File

If you saved the PID during startup:

# Kill using saved PID
kill -9 $(cat agent.pid)

# Remove PID file
rm agent.pid

Method 3: Using systemd

sudo systemctl stop epmware-agent

# Verify shutdown
sudo systemctl status epmware-agent

Method 4: Using init.d

sudo service epmware-agent stop

# Or directly
sudo /etc/init.d/epmware-agent stop

Restarting the Agent on Linux

Quick Restart

# Find and kill existing process
kill -9 $(pgrep -f epmware-agent)

# Wait for process to terminate
sleep 5

# Start new instance
cd /home/[username]
nohup ./ew_target_service.sh > agent.log 2>&1 &

Using Service Manager

# systemd
sudo systemctl restart epmware-agent

# init.d
sudo service epmware-agent restart

Windows Server Procedures

Starting the Agent on Windows

Method 1: Using Task Scheduler (Recommended)

1. Open Windows Task Scheduler
2. Locate the task "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE"
3. Check the Status column:
4. If "Ready", right-click and select Run
5. If "Running", the agent is already active

Method 2: Using Command Line

Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

# Start the scheduled task
schtasks /Run /TN "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE"

Method 3: Using Cygwin Terminal

# Navigate to agent directory
cd /home/Administrator

# Start the service
./ew_target_service.sh

Stopping the Agent on Windows

Method 1: Using Task Manager

1. Open Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Go to the Details tab
3. Find java.exe process
4. Check the Command Line column for "epmware-agent.jar"
5. Right-click the process and select End Task

Method 2: Using PowerShell

Run PowerShell as Administrator:

# Find and stop the agent process
Get-Process java | Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"} | Stop-Process -Force

Method 3: Using Command Prompt

# Find the process
wmic process where "commandline like '%epmware-agent.jar%'" get processid

# Kill the process (replace PID with actual process ID)
taskkill /F /PID [PID]

Method 4: Stop Scheduled Task

# Stop the scheduled task (doesn't kill the Java process)
schtasks /End /TN "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE"

Important

Stopping the scheduled task does NOT automatically terminate the Java process. You must manually kill the Java process before restarting the agent.

Restarting the Agent on Windows

Complete restart procedure:

# 1. Kill existing Java process
Get-Process java | Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"} | Stop-Process -Force

# 2. Wait for process to terminate
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5

# 3. Optional: Clean up old log files
Remove-Item "C:\cygwin64\home\Administrator\logs\agent*.log" -Force

# 4. Start the scheduled task
schtasks /Run /TN "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE"

Verification Procedures

Verify Agent is Running

Linux

# Check process
ps -ef | grep -i epmware-agent | grep -v grep

# Check latest log entries
tail -f ~/logs/agent-poll.log

# Check service status (if using systemd)
systemctl status epmware-agent

Windows

# Check process
Get-Process java | Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"}

# Check scheduled task status
schtasks /Query /TN "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE" /V

# Check latest log entries
Get-Content "C:\cygwin64\home\Administrator\logs\agent-poll.log" -Tail 10 -Wait

Verify Agent Connectivity

After starting the agent, verify it's communicating with EPMware:

1. Check poll log for recent entries:

   tail -10 logs/agent-poll.log
   

   Should show entries every 30 seconds (or configured interval)

2. Check main log for errors:

   grep ERROR logs/agent.log | tail -10
   

3. Test from EPMware UI:

4. Navigate to Infrastructure → Servers
5. Right-click the server
6. Select "Test Connection"

Automated Start/Stop Scripts

Linux Automation Script

Create agent-control.sh:

#!/bin/bash

AGENT_HOME="/home/[username]"
PIDFILE="$AGENT_HOME/agent.pid"
LOGFILE="$AGENT_HOME/logs/agent.log"

start() {
    if [ -f $PIDFILE ] && ps -p $(cat $PIDFILE) > /dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Agent already running (PID: $(cat $PIDFILE))"
        return 1
    fi

    echo "Starting EPMware Agent..."
    cd $AGENT_HOME
    nohup ./ew_target_service.sh > $LOGFILE 2>&1 &
    echo $! > $PIDFILE
    echo "Agent started (PID: $(cat $PIDFILE))"
}

stop() {
    if [ ! -f $PIDFILE ]; then
        echo "Agent is not running (no PID file)"
        return 1
    fi

    PID=$(cat $PIDFILE)
    echo "Stopping EPMware Agent (PID: $PID)..."
    kill -9 $PID
    rm -f $PIDFILE
    echo "Agent stopped"
}

restart() {
    stop
    sleep 5
    start
}

status() {
    if [ -f $PIDFILE ] && ps -p $(cat $PIDFILE) > /dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Agent is running (PID: $(cat $PIDFILE))"
    else
        echo "Agent is not running"
    fi
}

case "$1" in
    start|stop|restart|status)
        $1
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|status}"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

Windows Automation Script

Create Agent-Control.ps1:

param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
    [ValidateSet("Start","Stop","Restart","Status")]
    [string]$Action
)

$AgentPath = "C:\cygwin64\home\Administrator"
$TaskName = "EPMWARE TARGET AGENT SERVICE"

function Start-Agent {
    $process = Get-Process java -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
        Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"}

    if ($process) {
        Write-Host "Agent already running (PID: $($process.Id))" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        return
    }

    Write-Host "Starting EPMware Agent..." -ForegroundColor Green
    Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName $TaskName
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 3

    $process = Get-Process java -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
        Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"}

    if ($process) {
        Write-Host "Agent started successfully (PID: $($process.Id))" -ForegroundColor Green
    } else {
        Write-Host "Failed to start agent" -ForegroundColor Red
    }
}

function Stop-Agent {
    $process = Get-Process java -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
        Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"}

    if (-not $process) {
        Write-Host "Agent is not running" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        return
    }

    Write-Host "Stopping EPMware Agent (PID: $($process.Id))..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    $process | Stop-Process -Force
    Write-Host "Agent stopped" -ForegroundColor Green
}

function Restart-Agent {
    Stop-Agent
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
    Start-Agent
}

function Get-AgentStatus {
    $process = Get-Process java -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
        Where-Object {$_.CommandLine -like "*epmware-agent.jar*"}

    if ($process) {
        Write-Host "Agent is running" -ForegroundColor Green
        Write-Host "  PID: $($process.Id)"
        Write-Host "  CPU: $($process.CPU)"
        Write-Host "  Memory: $([math]::Round($process.WS/1MB, 2)) MB"
    } else {
        Write-Host "Agent is not running" -ForegroundColor Red
    }

    $task = Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName $TaskName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($task) {
        Write-Host "Scheduled Task Status: $($task.State)"
    }
}

# Execute requested action
switch ($Action) {
    "Start"   { Start-Agent }
    "Stop"    { Stop-Agent }
    "Restart" { Restart-Agent }
    "Status"  { Get-AgentStatus }
}

Troubleshooting Start/Stop Issues

Agent Won't Start

1. Check Java installation:

   java -version
   

2. Verify file permissions:

   ls -la ew_target_service.sh
   chmod +x ew_target_service.sh
   

3. Check configuration:

   cat agent.properties
   

4. Review error logs:

   tail -100 logs/agent.log
   

Agent Won't Stop

1. Force kill if necessary:

   kill -9 $(pgrep -f epmware-agent)
   

2. Check for zombie processes:

   ps aux | grep defunct
   

3. Clear stale PID files:

   rm -f agent.pid
   

Agent Starts but Immediately Stops

1. Check for port conflicts
2. Verify memory availability
3. Review startup logs for errors
4. Confirm network connectivity to EPMware server

Best Practices

1. Always verify the agent has stopped before starting a new instance
2. Clean up log files periodically to prevent disk space issues
3. Use service managers (systemd, Task Scheduler) for production environments
4. Document procedures specific to your environment
5. Test procedures regularly, especially after system updates
6. Monitor agent status after any start/stop operation

Related Topics

• Background Process Management
• Agent Monitoring
• Troubleshooting
• Agent Installation