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How to reset the Agent GUID if computers are not displayed in the ePO directory
Technical Articles ID:  KB56086
Last Modified:  5/1/2014
Rated:

Environment

McAfee Agent (MA) 4.x
McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 4.x
 

Problem 1

Imaged computers have the same AgentGUID registry value.

Problem 2

Clients overwrite the same computer object in the ePO directory.

Problem 3

Agents from newly deployed computers do not populate in the ePO directory.

Problem 4

Agents do not appear to report to the ePO server.

Problem 5

Clients do not receive correct policies.

Problem 6

Clients disappear from the ePO console.

Problem 7

Clients were deployed with the ePO agent preinstalled via an image.

Cause

The computers were imaged and deployed with the same AgentGUID and/or MACADDRESS registry value.

Solution 1

CAUTION: This article contains information about opening or modifying the registry.
  • The following information is intended for System Administrators. Registry modifications are irreversible and could cause system failure if done incorrectly.
  • Before proceeding, Intel Security strongly recommends backing up your registry and understanding the restore process. For more information, see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986.
  • Do not run a .REG file that is not confirmed to be a genuine registry import file.

For current deployments
IMPORTANT:  These instructions are intended for use by ePO administrators only.

Verify the issue:

  1. Click Start, Run, type regedit and click OK.
  2. Compare the agent GUIDs on the affected clients. If the GUIDs are the same, this is the cause of the problem. An agent GUID is stored as the data of the AgentGUID registry value:

    32-Bit:  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID]
    64-Bit:  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\AgentGUID]

    NOTE:     The agent GUID is ePO's primary method of uniquely identifying a computer. Matching AgentGUID values affect the process used when computers check in, prevent properties from being recorded correctly, and prohibit policy enforcement.
Resolve the issue:
On each affected client, delete the AgentGUID registry key and restart the McAfee Framework Service.
  1. Click Start, Run, type regedit and click OK.
  2. Navigate to one of the following registry keys:

    32-Bit:  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\]
    64-Bit:  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Network Associates\ePolicy Orchestrator\Agent\]

  3. Right-click the AgentGUID and select Delete.
  4. Click Registry, Exit.
  5. Click Start, Run, type services.msc and click OK.
  6. Right-click McAfee Framework Service and select Restart.

Alternative solution to "Resolve the issue" section:
An alternative option is to reinstall the Common Management Agent (CMA, McAfee Agent), using the /forceinstall switch. This can cause issues with earlier versions of CMA.
 
Reinstall the agent by doing either of the following:
  • Install the agent from the command line using the /forceinstall switch. For more information, see the "Agent Installation Command-Line Options" section of the ePO Product Guide.
  • Send an agent installation to the computer, ensuring that you have selected Force Install over existing version. 

Solution 2

Future deployments
The ePO agent GUID is created when the Framework service starts with the AgentGUID value missing. Usually this happens when the Framework is started during installation. Running SysPrep or changing the name of the client computer does not dynamically change this value. The information for including the ePO agent in an image is located in the "Other ways to deploy the agent" section of the "Deploying Agents, Super Agents, and Sensors" chapter in the the ePO Product Guide.

Before creating the final image, delete the AgentGUID value from the registry.

Related Information

For a full list of product documents, go to the ServicePortal at: http://support.mcafee.com. Click Knowledge Center, and select Product Documentation from the Knowledge Base list.

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