Quick answer: The GLPI Agent is a small program you install on each computer or server you want to track. It collects hardware and software details and sends them to your GLPI server as an inventory. To set it up, switch on Enable Inventory in GLPI under Administration > Inventory, install the agent (the MSI on Windows, the Perl installer on Linux) and point it at your server URL, for example https://my-glpi-server/. The computer then appears in GLPI after its first run. The steps below follow the official GLPI Agent documentation, whose latest stable release at the time of writing is 1.21 (8 October 2026).
What the GLPI Agent does
GLPI is an open-source IT asset and service management platform. Its native inventory feature receives data from the GLPI Agent, which replaces the older FusionInventory agent. The agent runs as a service, wakes up on a schedule, collects data about the machine (hardware, operating system, installed software, network cards, disks) and sends it to the server over HTTP or HTTPS. In GLPI you then find each machine under Assets > Computers.
If you still need to install GLPI itself and link it to Active Directory, start with the GLPI with Windows Server AD guide and come back here to roll out the agent.
Before you install: enable inventory in GLPI
- Sign in to GLPI as a super-admin.
- Go to Administration > Inventory.
- Switch on Enable Inventory and save.
- Note your server address. The agent accepts either
https://my-glpi-server/or the full endpointhttps://my-glpi-server/front/inventory.php. If you run a GLPI version older than 10.0.6 and the bare address does not work, use the full/front/inventory.phpform.
You do not need the GLPI Inventory plugin for this. The plugin URLs (/marketplace/glpiinventory/ or /plugins/glpiinventory/) matter only if you use that plugin.
Choose an installation method
| Platform | Package from the GLPI Agent releases page | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | GLPI-Agent-1.21-x64.msi | Interactive install or silent rollout with a deployment tool |
| Linux (Perl installer) | glpi-agent-1.21-linux-installer.pl | Distributions that use DEB or RPM packages |
| Linux (AppImage) | glpi-agent-1.21-x86_64.AppImage | One self-contained file with its own installer |
| macOS | GLPI-Agent-1.21_x86_64.pkg or _arm64.pkg | Intel and Apple silicon Macs |
| Snap | Snap package from the releases page | Systems that use snaps |
File names carry the version number. Replace 1.21 in the commands below with the release you downloaded.
Install the agent on Windows
Graphical install
Double-click the MSI and follow the wizard. Enter your GLPI server URL when the installer asks for the server. By default the MSI performs a graphical installation, and the GLPI Agent service starts when it finishes.
Silent install
For many machines, run the MSI in quiet mode from an elevated Command Prompt. Properties are passed as NAME=value with no spaces around the equals sign:
msiexec /i GLPI-Agent-1.21-x64.msi /quiet SERVER=https://my-glpi-server/ TAG=prod ADD_FIREWALL_EXCEPTION=1 RUNNOW=1Run it from Command Prompt rather than PowerShell, because PowerShell handles the quoting differently. The common properties are:
| Property | Meaning |
|---|---|
SERVER | The GLPI server URL that receives the inventory |
TAG | A label stored with the computer, useful for grouping (for example prod or a site name) |
ADD_FIREWALL_EXCEPTION | Adds the agent to the Windows Firewall exceptions (default 0) |
RUNNOW | Runs the agent right after installation (default 0) |
NO_SSL_CHECK | Skips server certificate checking (default 0). Use only for testing. |
SSL_FINGERPRINT | The fingerprint of a server certificate to trust, for servers with a private certificate |
The installer keeps its settings in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\GLPI-Agent. To deploy at scale, push the same MSI with the same properties through your software deployment tool.
Install the agent on Linux
Perl installer
Download glpi-agent-1.21-linux-installer.pl from the releases page and run it as root. List the options your version supports with --help before you install:
perl glpi-agent-1.21-linux-installer.pl --help
sudo perl glpi-agent-1.21-linux-installer.plThen point the agent at your server. The main configuration file is /etc/glpi-agent/agent.cfg. Rather than editing it, add your own file in the conf.d folder:
sudo tee /etc/glpi-agent/conf.d/00-server.cfg >/dev/null <<'CFG'
server = https://my-glpi-server/
tag = prod
CFG
sudo systemctl restart glpi-agentAppImage
The AppImage contains its own installer. Make it executable and run it with --install and your server:
chmod +x glpi-agent-1.21-x86_64.AppImage
sudo ./glpi-agent-1.21-x86_64.AppImage --install --server https://my-glpi-server/ --runnow --service--runnow starts an inventory straight away and --service installs the agent as a service. The --cron=SCHED option schedules runs with cron instead.
Snap and macOS
For the Snap package, set the server with sudo snap set glpi-agent server=https://my-glpi-server/. On macOS, install the .pkg and put your settings in /Applications/GLPI-Agent/etc/conf.d, the macOS counterpart of the Linux conf.d folder.
Run the first inventory and check it in GLPI
- Let the agent run on its schedule, or start it at once with
RUNNOW=1or--runnowat install time. - The agent also has an embedded web page on port
62354(for examplehttp://localhost:62354on the machine itself). For trusted clients it shows a link to force an immediate run. - On the command line,
glpi-agent --server https://my-glpi-server/ --forceruns an inventory and always sends the data to the server. - In GLPI, open Assets > Computers. The new machine appears with its hardware, operating system and software.
Troubleshooting
- The computer never appears. Check that Enable Inventory is on, that the server URL opens in a browser on the client, and that no firewall blocks HTTPS from the client to the server.
- Certificate errors with a private CA. Trust the certificate properly, or on Windows pass
SSL_FINGERPRINTto the MSI. UseNO_SSL_CHECK=1only while testing. - "400 Bad Request, Protocol not supported" in the logs. This is expected when the GLPI Inventory plugin is not installed. The inventory itself is not affected.
- Two server URLs appear in the logs. GLPI's Agent base URL setting on the entity (Administration > Entities > Assets) can add a second target. Check it if your agents contact an unexpected address.
- Replacing FusionInventory. Uninstall the FusionInventory agent first. You can reuse its settings by copying them into a file in the GLPI Agent
conf.dfolder.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the GLPI Agent and FusionInventory?
The GLPI Agent is the successor of the FusionInventory agent and sends its data to the inventory feature built into GLPI. When you replace one with the other, uninstall FusionInventory first.
Do I need the GLPI Inventory plugin?
No, not for a hardware and software inventory. You only enable Inventory in GLPI's own settings.
How can I force an inventory right now?
Use the link on the agent's embedded web page (port 62354), start it with RUNNOW=1 or --runnow at install time, or run glpi-agent --force with your server on the command line.
Can I tag computers during installation?
Yes. On Windows use the TAG property of the MSI, and on Linux or macOS set tag in a file in the conf.d folder. The tag is stored with the computer in GLPI, so you can group machines by site or role.
Next steps
Once your servers report in, organise entities and locations in GLPI so the inventory stays useful. For related reading, see the Data Center guides, the free IT tools for subnet planning and password hashing, and server room and data center design best practices.
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