Collector Management

1. Open the Collector Management Menu

The collector can be reopened any time from its installed location. This opens the management interface for that collector.

Windows: run configsentry_collector.exe. The normal day-to-day management entrypoint is configsentry_collector.exe.
Linux: run ./configsentry-collector-linux.sh.
FreeBSD: run ./configsentry-collector-bsd.sh.

2. What the Menu Is For

The collector menu is the main operational interface for the installed collector. Use it to check health, edit locally stored settings, review appliance results, manage updates, and enable or disable the background service.

If the collector shows warnings such as missing local values, a stopped background service, or appliance errors, the management menu is where you inspect and correct them.

3. Menu Options

Available management actions vary by platform. The following options apply where they are shown in the installed collector interface:

1. Show collector status - shows config state, local settings state, schedule state, service state, syslog state, appliance summary, and active warnings.
2. Enable collector service - enables the background watchdog and starts the collector service loop so scheduled collection and syslog-triggered collection can run.
3. Disable collector service - stops the background collector service and disables the watchdog entry.
4. Appliances - lists appliances assigned to the collector along with their last result, last checked time, next collection timing, summary text, and any appliance-specific error.
5. Edit locally configured settings - enter or change values that were marked Enter Locally instead of being stored on the website.
6. Install collector updates - checks for and installs collector runtime updates.
7. Install config updates - downloads the latest collector config from the website.
8. Exit - closes the menu.

4. Show Collector Status

Use Show collector status after installation, after changes, and any time you want to confirm the collector is healthy.

The status view is where you verify:

Config file: Found - the collector config has been imported successfully.
Local settings: Complete - all required locally entered values have been provided.
Windows Service / cron: the Windows per-home service or Unix watchdog entry exists and is enabled.
Collector service: Running - the background loop is active.
Syslog service: enabled or disabled as expected for your deployment.
Appliances: assigned appliances have healthy or understood states.

5. Enter or Change Local Settings

Use Edit locally configured settings when the website collector or appliance configuration intentionally leaves a value blank and expects the operator to enter it on the collector host.

Typical locally stored values include:

Appliance hostnames or IP addresses
SSH usernames
SSH passwords
Remote Pull save directory
Syslog enabled state, listen address, or UDP port when configured locally

If you see a warning like One or more local settings still need to be entered in the collector, open the menu, choose option 5, enter the missing values, save them, then check status again.

6. Enable or Disable the Background Service

Use Enable collector service to turn on the background loop that performs scheduled collection and listens for syslog-triggered collection events.

Windows: each collector instance has its own automatic (delayed-start) Windows Service and uses the shared machine runtime.
Linux / FreeBSD: the collector uses a cron watchdog entry for the installed user account.

On Windows, restarting or servicing one collector instance does not require stopping others that share the machine runtime.

7. Review Assigned Appliances

The Appliances screen shows collector-side results for each linked appliance. This is useful when the website says a collector-backed appliance needs attention.

Use it to check:

Which appliances are assigned to the collector
When each appliance was last checked
Whether the appliance is healthy, failed, or not yet run
Whether the next collection is due now or scheduled later
Any appliance-specific error or summary text reported by the collector

8. Windows Updates and Collector Config Updates

For a current Windows shared-runtime installation, manually update by downloading and running a newer ConfigSentry Windows MSI over the existing installation. Do not provide another Collector Config JSON: the MSI updates the shared runtime once and preserves existing collector instances, configuration, identity, logs, and state.

Windows collectors can also apply validated automatic updates. Where multiple collectors share a Windows machine, the update is coordinated once for the shared runtime and the collector instances are restarted.

The collector configuration is separate from the runtime:

Install collector updates updates the collector runtime itself - the native Windows runtime or the platform-appropriate Unix runtime, helper binaries, and collector logic.
Install config updates updates the collector configuration downloaded from the website - assigned appliances, settings, schedules, and site-managed values.

An incompatible legacy Windows collector layout cannot be migrated automatically. Retain or download the Collector Config JSON, uninstall the old collector, and install the current Windows collector afresh.

9. Syslog-Triggered Collection

If syslog-triggered collection is enabled for the collector, the background service must stay running continuously. The collector can then listen for FortiGate configuration-change syslog events and trigger a targeted collection automatically.

Use the collector status screen to confirm the syslog service summary and local syslog settings. On a shared Windows host, each syslog-enabled collector needs a non-conflicting local IP/UDP port. For the FortiGate side of the setup, see the Collector Syslog Guide.

10. Useful Command-Line Actions

The collector can also be managed without the interactive menu. The Windows EXE and the Linux / FreeBSD wrappers support the same runtime actions.

Common commands:

--menu - open the interactive menu.
--run - run a collection immediately.
--status - print collector status.
--status-json - print collector status as JSON for automation or support use.
--service-status - print service status only.
--edit-local-settings - open the local settings editor directly.
--install-updates - install collector runtime updates.
--install-config - install collector config updates from the website.
--install-config-file="configsentry_collector_install.json" - import a downloaded collector config file manually.
--schedule-enable - enable the background watchdog/service.
--schedule-disable - disable the background watchdog/service.
--schedule-show - show schedule / watchdog details.
--run-for-ip="1.2.3.4" - run collection only for the appliance that matches the given source IP. This is mainly useful for syslog-triggered flows and advanced troubleshooting.

11. Typical Operating Tasks

After initial install: open the menu, enter local settings, enable the service, then confirm status is healthy.
After changing collector settings on the website: install config updates or wait for the next automatic config refresh.
After a Windows runtime release: install the newer MSI or allow automatic runtime updates if enabled.
When an appliance shows a warning on the website: open the collector menu, review Show collector status and Appliances, then correct the issue locally.
Before removing a Windows collector: use the supported uninstall process. Do not delete shared-runtime folders while other collectors use them.