--- title: "ControlUp Agent Manager" slug: "controlup-agent-manager" updated: 2026-06-24T08:41:58Z published: 2026-06-24T08:41:58Z canonical: "support.controlup.com/controlup-agent-manager" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.controlup.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Real-Time Agent Manager The **Real-Time Agent Manager** is a Windows service installed on the same machine that the ControlUp Agent Windows service is installed on. Installing the Real-Time Agent Manager also installs the ControlUp Agent. The Real-Time Agent Manager’s main functionality is to act as a “watchdog” for the ControlUp Agent. For example, if the ControlUp Agent stops, the Real-Time Agent Manager restarts the agent. Reciprocally, if the Real-Time Agent Manager stops, the ControlUp Agent restarts the Real-Time Agent Manager. When you run the following Real-Time DX Console actions on an agent machine, they will also apply to the Real-Time Agent Manager: - **Upgrade/Install** - **Start** - **Stop** - **Restart** Note that when you change the listening port of an agent, both the ControlUp Agent and the Real-Time Agent Manager will restart. You can configure the Real-Time Agent Manager and the ControlUp Agent either in the [Real-Time Console](/v1/docs/controlup-agent-manager#configure-agent-manager-in-console) or [with MSI](/v1/docs/controlup-agent-manager#configure-agent-manager-with-msi). ## Prerequisites to enable Agent Manager - .NET 8.0 must be installed on the agent machine for the Real-Time Agent Manager to work. If you install the Real-Time Agent Manager with the 9.1 console, .NET 8.0 is installed together with it by default. ### Configure Agent Manager in Console By default, the Real-Time Agent Manager is installed when you install a ControlUp Agent with the console. If the agent installation fails, the console will still try to install the Real-Time Agent Manager, irrelevant to the success of the agent installation. **To disable the Real-Time Agent Manager installation in the console:** In **Settings** > **Agent** > deselect the **Enable Agent Manager** checkbox: ![Agent Deployment Settings page. The option 'Enable Agent Manager' is enabled.](https://cdn.document360.io/098100b7-b9da-4bea-b4b9-017140ab863e/Images/Documentation/EnableAgentManag.png) Enabling or disabling the Real-Time Agent Manager only affects whether the console installs the Real-Time Agent Manager together with the agent or not. It doesn’t affect any of the Real-Time Agent Manager’s features while the service is already running. ### Configure Agent Manager with MSI If you don’t use the Console to upgrade your agents (and install the Real-Time Agent Manager), you can use our MSI packages to upgrade your agents: - Use ControlUpAgent-RealTimeAgentManager-net8-x64-signed-9.2.0.xxxx.zip for an agent machine that already **has** .NET 8.0 installed. - Use ControlUpAgent-RealTimeAgentManager-**Dotnet**-net8-x64-signed-9.2.0.xxxx.zip for an agent machine that **doesn’t** have .NET 8.0 installed. Note that you must manually install .NET 8.0 on the agent machine. > [!NOTE] > Note > > *Both* **ControlUpRealTimeAgentManager** MSIs will also install the ControlUp Agent. ### Configure Registry Settings **ControlUp Agent key**: `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Smart-X\ControlUp\Agent\AgentWatchdog` **ControlUp Agent Manager key**: `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Smart-X\ControlUp\CAM` **Values**: - `IntervalSec`. Interval (seconds) between restarts attempts of the service. Default: `60 `, Minimum: `10`, Maximum: `600`. - `RestartAttempts`. Number of restart attempts for service. Default: `3`, Minimum: `3`, Maximum: `20`. - `ResetPeriodHour`. Number of hours before trying to restart again after failed attempts. Default: `24`, Minimum: `1`, Maximum: none. - `ServiceDownDuration`. Minimum time (seconds) the observed service is stopped before watchdog restarts it. Default: `60`, Minimum: `1`, Maximum: none. ### Watchdog Logic The Real-Time Agent Manager and the ControlUp Agent share common watchdog logic with a few differences: - The Real-Time Agent Manager watchdog functionality is activated when the Real-Time Agent Manager Service starts, and continues to run until you fully stop the Service. - If the Real-Time Agent Manager watchdog detects that the services its observing are **uninstalled**, a log is written in the log4net and the Event Viewer. - The Real-Time Agent Manager watchdog will check if the service is installed again every 30 seconds. - The agent watchdog won’t continue checking if the service is installed again after the first time, you must restart the agent to reactivate the agent watchdog. - If the Real-Time Agent Manager watchdog detects that the services its observing are **running**, it will wait asynchronously until the services are in **stopped** status. - If the Real-Time Agent Manager watchdog detects that the services its observing are **stopped** (including **stop pending** or **paused**) for 60 seconds (configurable under the `ServiceDownDuration `value), it will try to restart the service for 3 attempts (configurable under the `RestartAttempts `value), with each attempt after 60 seconds (configurable under the `IntervalSec `value). - If all attempts fail, you can schedule the next time to try to **restart** after 24 hours (configurable under the `ResetPeriodHour `value). ## Troubleshooting #### Issue You stop the ControlUp Agent in the Services manager, but the ControlUp Agent service keeps restarting. #### Solution 1. In the Services manager, stop the Real-Time Agent Manager. 2. After 60 seconds (configurable under the `ServiceDownDuration` value), the agent tries to restart the Real-Time Agent Manager. Stop the agent.