In order to install 0patch Agent, you need to have - preferably the latest - installer package (file 0PatchInstaller_<version>.msi). You can obtain the latest 0patch Agent installer package from https://0patch.com/download.htm.
Interactive Agent Installation
Interactive installation of 0patch Agent varies slightly based on the version of Windows.
- All Windows systems except Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server:
- If you are logged in as a member of Local Administrators, double-click the installer package and confirm the elevation prompt when requested.
- If you are not logged in as a member of Local Administrators, double-click the installer package and provide username and password for an administrator account when requested.
- Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server:
- If you are logged in as a member of Local Administrators, double-click the installer package.
- If you are not logged in as a member of Local Administrators, log out and log in as a member of Local Administrators, then double-click the installer package.
When asked, confirm your acceptance of end-user license agreement.
Select where on the file system you want to have 0patch Agent installed, or simply keep the suggested location.
Keep the "Launch 0patch Console" checkbox ticked to have the 0patch Console automatically launched when installation is completed. Note that you may have to confirm elevation or provide administrative credentials for 0patch Console to get launched.
If you want to launch 0patch Console at any time, you can do so by clicking the 0patch icon in the system tray, or via the Start button.
Agent Registration
Once 0patch Agent is installed, it needs to be registered (i.e., linked) to your 0patch account in order to start receiving patches. All registered agents are listed in your account in 0patch Central.
Agent registration is done by providing your email address and password to the "SIGN IN" dialog presented by 0patch Console when the agent is unregistered. If you leave the "Launch 0patch Console" checkbox ticked when installing 0patch Agent, the Console will automatically get launched and will immediately ask you to sign in.
Note: Make sure that network connectivity is properly configured, otherwise you will be seeing an »Unable to connect to the server« error message.
0patch Console will not be accessible until the Agent has been successfully registered. As soon as the Agent is registered (i.e., linked to the server), it will start downloading patches from 0patch Server and applying them to running processes on your computer (as applicable and according to your subscription plan).
Note: If you don't have a 0patch account yet, you can get a free account by registering at https://central.0patch.com/User/Register, or click "SIGN UP FOR A FREE ACCOUNT" in the "SIGN IN" dialog shown above.
Agent Re-Registration
If 0patch Agent is already registered to a 0patch account and you wish to register it to another account instead without uninstalling and re-installing it, you can launch 0patch Console and click the "person" () icon in the upper right corner. This will open the SIGN IN form, allowing you to provide email and password for your 0patch account. Once you have successfully signed in, the Agent will be registered to the new 0patch account; otherwise, it will remain registered to the current 0patch account.
Silent Installation and Auto-Registration
Silent installation of 0patch Agent allows you to install the Agent on a computer without any user interaction, providing all required values via command-line arguments. Such installation also supports auto-registration, whereby you don’t need to manually provide credentials to have the Agent registered to your 0patch account. Agents can even be directly registered into a chosen group in 0patch Central if you're on an Enterprise subscription.
Important: To prevent a large number of simultaneously-installed agents from always connecting to 0patch server at the same time, silent installation employs a random 0-60 minute delay between agent’s installation and its first sync to the server. Therefore, agents silently installed in a batch will gradually start appearing in 0patch Central during the first hour after installation.
A typical example of silent installation of 0patch Agent on a computer behind an authenticated proxy server, with the Agent auto-registering itself to 0patch server, is launched like this:
msiexec /q /i 0patchInstaller.msi AccountKey=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef ProxyHost=10.12.0.7 ProxyPort=8888 ProxyScheme=1 ProxyUsername=johndoe ProxyPassword=p3hd)h2KOs
These are the supported command-line arguments (arguments are not case-sensitive):
| Argument | Description |
| AccountKey |
When provided, 0patch Agent will auto-register itself on the 0patch server to the account associated with the account key. The account key is only available for Enterprise accounts and obtainable in 0patch Central under the Account page. (Contact sales@0patch.com to get a trial Enterprise account.) Example: AccountKey=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef |
| TargetDir |
Specifies the path you want to install 0patch Agent into. If the path contains spaces, enclose it in double quotes. Omitting this argument will result in installing 0patch Agent in the default location, which is C:\Program Files\0patch on 32-bit Windows systems and C:\Program Files (x86)\0patch on 64-bit Windows systems. Example: TargetDir="D:\Applications\0patch" |
| 0patchHost |
Specifies the host name of the 0patch server you want 0patch Agent to connect to. This is typically dist.0patch.com, but you may want to use another server. Example: 0patchHost=dist.0patch.com |
| ProxyHost |
In case 0patch Agent will need to connect to 0patch server via proxy, specify the host name of your proxy server Example: ProxyHost=10.12.0.7 |
| ProxyPort |
Port for the proxy host, in case ProxyHost is specified. Example: ProxyPort=8888 |
| ProxyScheme |
If your proxy requires authentication, this argument specifies the authentication scheme. Example: ProxyScheme=1 |
| ProxyUsername |
Username for BASIC proxy authentication (required if ProxyScheme is 1) Example: ProxyUsername=johndoe |
| ProxyPassword |
Password for BASIC proxy authentication (required if ProxyScheme is 1) Example: ProxyPassword=p3hd)h2KOs |
0patch Agent can be installed via Group Policy Objects (GPO) using a transform (MST) file, but note two important things:
- All arguments in the MST file must be in upper case, e.g., ACCOUNTKEY instead of AccountKey.
- When you deploy the agent with GPO, you must not use the integrated update mechanism to self-update the agent (either interactively via 0patch Console, or remotely via 0patch Central), as that can lead to agent’s update failing mid-flight, leaving the computer without the agent. Therefore, if you use GPO for deploying the agent, we recommend you also update the agent via GPO.
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