Configuring Agent Parameters

You can configure the parameters of a Windows agent by adding the parameter statements to the Service Manager agent startup parameters or specifying them in the tagent.ini file. If the default location was used during the agent installation, the agent files are located in C:\Program Files\TIDAL\Agent\Bin.

Supported Agent Configuration Parameters

This table lists the supported configuration parameters. Some parameters can be set only through the Service Manager Service Configuration Parameter field, some can be set only in the tagent.ini file, and others can be set in either manner. The Set in column uses the notations to indicate where a parameter can be set:

  • INI: Can be set only in the tagent.ini file

  • CL: Command Line argument. To change this parameter we recommend use Agent Instance Manager application or Tidal Service Manager application.

    Parameter

    Set in

    Description

    agent

    CL

    Name of the TA agent.

    agtresource

    INI

    Options for monitoring the agent resources at specified time intervals in milliseconds:

    Note: By default, the agent does not monitor resources. The default value (15000) is applied when a user does not provide the number.

    Example: agtresource=VMEM means that the agent monitors memory statistics with the default interval of 15 seconds.

    • CPU: Sends agent CPU usage data to the TA Master.

    • VMEM: Sends agent memory statistics to the TA Master.

    Setting this parameter takes these forms:

    • agtresource=CPU;VMEM: Monitors both resources at the default 15000 (15-second) intervals.

    • agtresource=CPU,10000: Monitors only CPU usage at 10-second intervals.

    • agtresource=CPU,10000;VMEM,20000: Monitors CPU usage at 10-second intervals and virtual memory usage at 20-second intervals.

    The minimum interval is 5000 milliseconds, or 5 seconds.

    cpuload

    INI

    Whether to monitor CPU load on the agent. Valid values include: Y (default) and N.

    Note: Enabling this parameter is typically useful only when an Agent List Definition sets the List Type field to a balanced option.

    debug

    INI

    Debugging level. Valid values include:

    • Y/Yes: Turns on low-level debugging.

    • N/No.

    • High: Turns on maximum-level debugging.

    Default: N.

    DMBkupExistFile

     

    INI

     

    Whether to backup an existing file when the Disposition Operation is set to Move file to target directory in the agent’s File Event Definition dialog. Valid values include:

    • Y: Rename an existing file appending the current time stamp in the Disposition Target directory.

    • N: Do not create a backup file.

      Note: If DMBkupExistFile and DMRepExistFile are set to Y, the existing file is backed up. If values are set to N and the file already exists, the file event will not trigger.

    Default: N.

    DMRepExistFile

    INI

    Whether to replace an existing file when the Disposition Operation is set to Move file to target directory in the agent’s File Event Definition dialog. Valid values include:

    • Y: Rename an existing file appending the current time stamp in the Disposition Target directory.

    • N: Do not replace the existing file.

      Note: If DMBkupExistFile and DMRepExistFile are set to Y, the existing file is backed up. If values are set to N and the file already exists, the file event will not trigger.

    Default: N.

    encryptonly

    INI

    Whether to disable non-encrypted connections between agents and TA Master instances. Valid values include N (default) and Y.

    filelockcheck

    INI

    Whether the directory monitoring job should skip files that are opened by another process to avoid potential access conflicts. Valid values include: Y (default) and N.

    folderdep

    INI

    Whether the file monitoring job should monitor directories. Valid values include: Y and N (default).

    Whether the folder names be parsed to match file dependencies. Valid values include: Y and N.

    FP

    INI

    The pathname of a file that defines environment variables for an agent instance, in the form:

    fp=<Full File Path>

    Example: fp=c:\temp\example.txt).

    Each agent instance can be assigned its own environment file and its associated environment variables with their various values. Each variable specified in the environment file should follow a variable=value format as in these examples:

    • TZ=CST

    • SchedulerT=1

    • PATH=c:\temp

    FTPSResSessMstSecret

    INI

    If the Extended Master Secret Key enhanced security feature for FTPS servers fails to support the feature or provides incorrect feature support, select:

    • Y (default) to enable enhanced security feature support.

    • N to disable enhanced security support.

    ftptimeout

    INI

    Timeout, in milliseconds, for an FTP connection. The default is 120000 (two minutes). Setting the value to 0 results in no timeout for the connection.

    logdays

    INI

    Number of days to preserve logs. Default: 7.

    logsize

    INI

    Maximum size, in bytes, of log files. Default: 2048000.

    mreg

    INI

    For agents that are auto-registered with a TA Master, indicates paths to the agent properties files in this format: mreg=C:\agents\agent1.reg;C:\agents\agent2.reg.

    msgthreads

    INI

    Number of Application threads to devote to messages. Default: 5.

    Tidal recommends using the default value for machines with one or two CPUs. If a machine has more CPUs, you might want to increase the thread count to improve performance.

    MSTTunnelConn

    INI

    This parameter should only be set to "Y" in Tunneling environments where the master cannot communicate directly with the agent. The parameter should be specified in the specific Agent config section of the tagent.ini file in the ‘bin’ directory.

    MstReconnect

    INI

    Whether to reconnect to a TA Master automatically when the connection is lost. Possible values include:

    • Y (default): The agent automatically restores its connection to the TA Master.

    • N: The agent does not restore the connection. The TA Master must send a new registration message to restore the connection.

    multiftpstd

    INI

    How to handle FTP multi-file MGET, MPUT, or MDELETE actions that operate on no files. Values include:

    • Y (default): Allow the job to complete without reporting errors.

    • N: Allow the job to complete abnormally if the actions operated on no files.

    path

    CL

    Root directory of the agent installation. All agent files are stored in this directory. If this parameter is not set, by default the installation location is used

    Example: c:\Program Files\TIDAL\Agent.

    port

    CL

    Port number through which the TA Master communicates with the agent. This is a required parameter that should be set.

    rjaport

    CL

    Remote job port number. You can specify two ports by using the form: port1:port2. Where Port1 is used for HTTPS connections and Port2 is used for HTTP connections.

    RMAKFILES

    INI

    Whether to turn on the clearing activity every 30 min. If set to Y/Yes, processed acknowledgment files from the snd directory check and cleaning will be performed every 30 minutes. When set to N/No, the clearing activity will not be performed. Default: N.

    SFTPCONFIGPATH

    INI

    SFTP configuration file path. For more information, see the SFTP Functionality page.

    SFTPMaxQReads

    INI

    Maximum number of read requests to keep in the queue to decrease latencies in SFTP file transfers. Default: 32.

    Setting the value to 1 effectively turns off buffering of SFTP read requests. The SFTP client buffers 32 read requests by default. Buffering read requests improves performance by reducing the latency between read requests. Some FTP servers might not support buffered read requests properly, so this parameter allows you to disable or tune buffering to match server capabilities.

    sftpparallelmode

    INI

    Whether secure FTP file transfers (upload and download operations) can run in parallel. Valid values include:

    • Y (default): File transfers can run simultaneously (in parallel).

    • N: File transfers are sent sequentially.

    sftpumask

    INI

    Permission mask (4-digit octal) for files created on a Unix-based system with the SFTP PUT actions. Default=0022.

    SSHVLDHST

    INI

    The location of the ssh host file for authenticating hosts.

    sslvldcrt

    INI

    Whether to disable FTPS SSL certificate validation by Tidal Automation agents. Default=Y.

    Tidal Automation agents validate the host defined in FTPS SSL certificate. This host validation feature can be disabled by specifying a SSLVLDCRT parameter on the agent command line. The default is SSLVLDCRT=Y (yes). To turn off this parameter, specify SSLVLDCRT=N on the command line.

    substticks

    INI

    Whether to substitute single quotes (') with double quotes (") in strings. Valid values include: Y (default) and N.

    useoldencrypt

    INI

    Whether to use older encryption methodologies that correctly handle most special characters. Default=N.

    Note: You should enable this setting only when special characters in jobs or variables are causing issues. In this situation, please contact the Tidal Support Center before enabling the parameter.

    vldhstcrt

    INI

    Identical to SSLVLDCRT=Y. Default=Y.

Setting Configuration Parameters through the Service Manager

The tagent.ini file in the bin directory lets you configure global configuration parameters and configure parameters for individual agents. The file contains a [config] section and an [<Agent-Name>] section for each agent you want to configure. The parameters specified in the [config] section are global and the parameters specified in the [<Agent-Name>] section only apply to that agent and will override specifications in the [config] section for the specific agent.

Here is a tagent.ini file:

[config]
debug=y
logdays=3
logsize=1024000
encryptonly=y
sslvldcrt=y
[TIDAL_AGENT_1]
debug=high
logdays=5
logsize=2048000
encryptonly=n

To set configuration parameters in the tagent.ini file:

  1. Open the tagent.ini file in the agent’s bin directory.

  2. Add global and agent-specific parameters as desired.

  3. Save the file.

  4. Start the Instance Manager or Tidal Service Manager Application from the Windows Start menu.

  5. Start or restart the agent.