You can use the local command-line interface (CLI) to order agents and Workload Security
to perform actions. In addition, the CLI can be used to configure some settings and
display system resource usage.
You can automate many of the CLI commands using the Workload Security API. For more
information, see First Steps Toward Workload Security Automation.
Below are the CLI commands:
dsa_control
You can use
dsa_control
to configure some agent settings, and to manually trigger some actions such as activation,
anti-malware scans, and baseline rebuilds.The
dsa_control
command only supports English strings. Unicode is not supported. dsa_control [-a <str>] [-b] [-c <str>] [-d] [-g <str>] [-s <num>] [-m] [-p <str>]
[-r] [-R <str>] [-t <num>] [-u <str>:<str>] [-w <str>:<str>] [-x dsm_proxy://<str>]
[-y relay_proxy://<str>] [--buildBaseline] [--scanForChanges] [Additional keyword:value
data to send to Workload Security during activation or heartbeat...]
Procedure
- WindowsOn Windows, when self-protection is enabled, local users cannot uninstall, update, stop, or otherwise control the agent. They must also supply the authentication password when running CLI commands.
- Open a Command Prompt as Administrator.
- Change to the agent's installation directory. For example:
cd C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\
- Run dsa_control:
dsa_control <option>
where<option>
is replaced with one of the options described in dsa_control options.
- Linux
-
sudo /opt/ds_agent/dsa_control <option>
where<option>
is replaced with one of the options described in dsa_control options.
-
- macOSOn macOS, when self-protection is enabled, local users cannot uninstall, modify, stop, or otherwise control the agent. They must also supply the authentication password when running CLI commands.
- Open a Terminal window as an Admin.
- Change to the agent's installation directory. For example:
cd /Library/Application Support/com.trendmicro.DSAgent
- Run dsa_control:
dsa_control <option>
where<option>
is replaced with one of the options described in dsa_control options.
dsa_control options
ParameterDescription-a <str>, --activate=<str>
Activate agent with manager at the specified URL in this format:dsm://<host>:<port>/
where:<host>
could be either the manager's fully qualified domain name (FQDN), IPv4 address, or IPv6 address<port>
is the manager's listening port numberOptionally, after the argument, you can also specify some settings such as the description to send during activation. See Agent-initiated heartbeat command (dsa_control -m). They must be entered as key:value pairs (with a colon as a separator). There is no limit to the number of key:value pairs that you can enter, but the key:value pairs must be separated from each other by a space. Quotation marks around the key:value pair are required if it includes spaces or special characters.-b, --bundle
Create an update bundle.Not supported on macOS-c <str>, --cert=<str>
Identify the certificate file.Not supported on macOS-d, --diag
Generate an agent package.For more detailed instructions, see Create an agent diagnostic package via CLI on a protected computer.-g <str>, --agent=<str>
Agent URL.Not supported on macOS-m, --heartbeat
Force the agent to contact the manager now.-p <str>
or--passwd=<str>
Authentication password that you might have configured in Workload Security previously. See Configure self-protection through Workload Security for details.If configured, the password must be included with all dsa_control commands exceptdsa_control -a
,dsa_control -x
, anddsa_control -y
.Example:dsa_control -m -p MyPa$w0rd
If you type the password directly into the command line, it is displayed on the screen. To hide the password with asterisks (*) while you type, enter the interactive form of the command,-p \*
, which prompts you for the password.Example:dsa_control -m -p *
-r, --reset
Reset the agent's configuration. This will remove the activation information from the agent and deactivate it.-R <str>, --restore=<str>
Restore a quarantined file. On Windows, you can also restore cleaned and deleted files.-s <num>, --selfprotect=<num>
Enable agent self-protection (1: enable, 0: disable). Self-protection prevents local end-users from uninstalling, stopping, or otherwise controlling the agent. For details, see Enable or disable agent self-protection. Note: Although dsa_control lets you enable self-protection, it does not let you configure an associated authentication password. You'll need Workload Security for that. See Configure self-protection through Workload Security for details. Once configured, the password will need to be entered at the command line using the-p
or--passwd=
option.-t <num>, --retries=<num>
If dsa_control cannot contact the agent service to carry out accompanying instructions, this parameter instructs dsa_control to retry<num>
number of times. There is a 1 second pause between retries. Not supported on macOS-u <user>:<password>
Used in conjunction with the-x
option to specify the proxy's username and password, if the proxy requires authentication. Separate the username and password by a colon (:). For example,# ./dsa_control -x dsm_proxy://<str> -u <new username>:<new password>
. To remove the username and password, type an empty string (""). For example,# ./dsa_control -x dsm_proxy://<str> -u <existing username>:""
. If you only want to update the proxy's password without changing the proxy's username, you can use the-u
option without-x
. For example,# ./dsa_control -u <existing username>:<new password>
. Basic authentication only. Digest and NTLM are not supported. Note: Usingdsa_control -u
only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.-w <user>:<password>
Used in conjunction with the-y
option to specify the proxy's user name and password, if the proxy requires authentication. Separate the username and password by a colon (:). For example,# ./dsa_control -y relay_proxy://<str> -w <new username>:<new password>
. To remove the username and password, type an empty string (""). For example,# ./dsa_control -y relay_proxy://<str> -w <existing username>:""
. If you only want to update the proxy's password without changing the proxy's username, you can use the-w
option without-y
. For example,# ./dsa_control -w <existing username>:<new password>
. Basic authentication only. Digest and NTLM are not supported. Note: Usingdsa_control -w
only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.-x dsm_proxy://<str>:<num>
Configure a proxy between the agent and manager. Provide the proxy's IPv4/IPv6 address or FQDN and port number, separated by a colon (:). Square brackets must surround IPv6 addresses. For example:dsa_control -x "dsm_proxy://[fe80::340a:7671:64e7:14cc]:808/"
. To remove the address, instead of a URL, type an empty string (""). See also the -u option. For more information, see Connect to Workload Security via proxy. Usingdsa_control -x
only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.-y relay_proxy://<str>:<num>
Configure a proxy between an agent and relay. Provide the proxy's IP address or FQDN and port number, separated by a colon (:). Square brackets must surround IPv6 addresses. For example:dsa_control -y "relay_proxy://[fe80::340a:7671:64e7:14cc]:808/"
. To remove the address, instead of a URL, type an empty string (""). See also the -w option. For more information, see Connect to relays via proxy . Usingdsa_control -y
only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.--buildBaseline
Build the baseline for Integrity Monitoring. Not supported on macOS--scanForChanges
Scan for changes for Integrity Monitoring. Not supported on macOS--max-dsm-retries
Number of times to retry an activation. Valid values are 0 to 100, inclusive. The default value is 30.--dsm-retry-interval
Approximate delay in seconds between retrying activations. Valid values are 1 to 3600, inclusive. The default value is 300.--autoDetectOSProxy
A flag to enable/disable auto-detect OS proxy. The flag is controlled by agent configuration in C1WS. Values are 1: Enable, 0: Disable.--osProxyResolveTimeout
The timeout values of the proxy resolver, which can be set in seconds, can be set by dsa_control --osProxyResolveTimeout=<resolveTimeout>;<connectTimeout>;<sendTimeout>;<receiveTimeout>. Note they are separated by semicolons and each timeout value ranges from 10 to 180.--pacproxy
Configures a Proxy Auto-Configuration (PAC) server to resolve the corresponding proxy for the agent. Provide the PAC server's IP address or FQDN, port number, and path of the PAC file. For example:http://<Host>:<Port>/<PAC file>
To clear the PAC proxy setting, type an empty string ("").The command must assign a certain component type, for example:Set a PAC server for resolving proxy to communicate between Manager> dsa_control --pacproxy http://pac.example/proxy.pac manager
Set a PAC server for resolving proxy to communicate between Relay> dsa_control --pacproxy http://pac.example/proxy.pac relay
Set both of the above commands at once:> dsa_control --pacproxy http://pac.example/proxy.pac manager relay
Clear existing settings:> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw "" manager relay
For more information, see Connect to relays via proxy.Note
- Using dsa_control --pacproxy only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.
- This parameter is supported by the Deep Security Agent for Windows and Linux platforms only.
--pacproxyunpw
Used in conjunction with the--pacproxy
option. It specifies the PAC resolved proxy's user name and password, if the proxy requires authentication. Separate the username and password with a colon (:).To clear the username and password, type an empty string ("").The command must assign a certain component type, for example:Set a PAC server for resolving proxy to communicate between Manager> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw <username>:<password> manager
Set a PAC server for resolving proxy to communicate between Relay> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw <username>:<password> relay
Set both of the above commands at once:> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw <username>:<password> manager relay
Clear existing settings:> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw "" manager relay
To update the proxy's password without changing the proxy's username, use the--pacproxyunpw
option without--pacproxy
:> dsa_control --pacproxyunpw <existing username>:<new password>
.Note
- This parameter is supported by Deep Security Agent for Windows and Linux platforms only.
- This parameter provides basic authentication only. It does not support Digest and NTLM.
- Using
dsa_control --pacproxyunpw
only applies to the agent's local configuration. No security policy is changed on the manager as a result of running this command.
Agent-initiated activation (dsa_control -a)
Enabling agent-initiated activation (AIA) can prevent communication issues between
the manager and agents, and simplify agent deployment when used with deployment scripts.
![]() |
NoteFor instructions on how to configure AIA and use deployments scripts to activate agents,
see Activate and protect agents using agent-initiated activation and communication.
|
The command takes the form
dsa_control -a dsm://<host>:<port>/
where:
<host>
could be either the manager's fully qualified domain name (FQDN), IPv4 address, or IPv6 address.<port>
is the agent-to-manager communication port number 443).
For example:
dsa_control -a dsm://dsm.example.com:4120/ hostname:www12 "description:Long Description
With Spaces"
dsa_control -a dsm://fe80::ad4a:af37:17cf:8937:4120
Agent-initiated heartbeat ("dsa_control -m")
You can force the agent to immediately send a heartbeat to the manager.
Like activation, the heartbeat command can also send settings to the manager during
the connection.
Parameter
|
Description
|
Example
|
Use during Activation
|
Use during Heartbeat
|
AntiMalwareCancelManualScan |
Boolean. Cancels an on-demand ("manual") scan that is currently occurring on the computer.
|
"AntiMalwareCancelManualScan:true" |
no
|
yes
|
AntiMalwareManualScan |
Boolean. Initiates an on-demand ("manual") anti-malware scan on the computer.
|
"AntiMalwareManualScan:true" |
no
|
yes
|
description |
String. Sets the computer's description. Maximum length 2000 characters.
|
"description:Extra information about the host" |
yes
|
yes
|
displayname |
String. Sets the display name shown in parentheses next to the hostname on Computers. Maximum length 2000 characters.
|
"displayname:the_name" |
yes
|
yes
|
externalid |
Integer. Sets the
externalid value. This value can be used to uniquely identify an agent. The value can be accessed
using the legacy SOAP web service API. |
"externalid:123" |
yes
|
yes
|
group |
String. Sets which group the computer belongs to on Computers. Maximum length 254 characters per group name per hierarchy level. The forward slash
("/") indicates a group hierarchy. The
group parameter can read or create a hierarchy of groups. This parameter can only be used
to add computers to standard groups under the main "Computers" root branch. It cannot
be used to add computers to groups belonging to directories (Microsoft Active Directory),
VMware vCenters, or cloud provider accounts. |
"group:Zone A web servers" |
yes
|
yes
|
groupid |
Integer.
|
"groupid:33" |
yes
|
yes
|
hostname |
String. Maximum length 254 characters. The hostname can specify an IP address, hostname
or FQDN that the manager can use to connect to the agent.
|
"hostname:www1" |
yes
|
no
|
IntegrityScan |
Boolean. Initiates an integrity scan on the computer.
|
"IntegrityScan:true" |
no
|
yes
|
policy |
String. Maximum length 254 characters. The policy name is a case-insensitive match
to the policy list. If the policy is not found, no policy will be assigned. A policy
assigned by an event-based task will override a policy assigned during agent-initiated
activation.
|
"policy:Policy Name" |
yes
|
yes
|
policyid |
Integer.
|
"policyid:12" |
yes
|
yes
|
relaygroup |
String. Links the computer to a specific relay group. Maximum length 254 characters.
The relay group name is a case-insensitive match to existing relay group names. If
the relay group is not found, the default relay group will be used. This does not
affect relay groups assigned during event-based tasks. Use either this option or event-based
tasks, not both.
|
"relaygroup:Custom Relay Group" |
yes
|
yes
|
relaygroupid |
Integer.
|
"relaygroupid:123" |
yes
|
yes
|
relayid |
Integer.
|
"relayid:123" |
yes
|
yes
|
tenantID and token |
String. If using agent-initiated activation as a tenant, both
tenantID and token are required. The tenantID and token can be obtained from the deployment script generation tool. |
"tenantID:12651ADC-D4D5" and "token:8601626D-56EE" |
yes
|
yes
|
RecommendationScan |
Boolean. Initiate a recommendation scan on the computer.
|
"RecommendationScan:true" |
no
|
yes
|
UpdateComponent |
Boolean. Instructs Workload Security to perform a security update. When using the
UpdateComponent parameter on version 12.0+ agents, make sure the relay is also at version 12.0 or
later. Learn more. |
"UpdateComponent:true" |
no
|
yes
|
RebuildBaseline |
Boolean. Rebuilds the Integrity Monitoring baseline on the computer.
|
"RebuildBaseline:true" |
no
|
yes
|
UpdateConfiguration |
Boolean. Instructs Workload Security to perform a "Send Policy" operation.
|
"UpdateConfiguration:true" |
no
|
yes
|
Activate an agent
To activate an agent from the command line, you need to know the tenant ID and password.
You can get them from the deployment script.
Procedure
- In the top right corner of Workload Security, click .
- Select your platform:
-
Windows
-
In PowerShell:
& $Env:ProgramFiles"\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -a <manager URL> <tenant ID> <token>
-
In cmd.exe:
C:\Windows\system32>"\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -a <manager URL> <tenant ID> <token>
-
-
Linux
/opt/ds_agent/dsa_control -a <manager URL> <tenant ID> <token>
-
macOS
cd /Library/Application Support/com.trendmicro.DSAgent/
sudo ./dsa_control -a <manager URL> <tenant ID> <token>
-
- Select Activate Agent automatically after installation.
- In the deployment script, locate the strings for
tenantID
andtoken
.
Force the agent to contact the manager
-
Windows
-
In PowerShell:
& "\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -m
-
In cmd.exe:
C:\Windows\system32>"\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -m
-
-
Linux
/opt/ds_agent/dsa_control -m
-
macOS
cd /Library/Application Support/com.trendmicro.DSAgent/
sudo ./dsa_control -m
Initiate a manual anti-malware scan
Not supported for macOS.
Procedure
- For Linux:
/opt/ds_agent/dsa_control -m "AntiMalwareManualScan:true"
- For Windows:
- Open the command prompt (cmd.exe) as an Administrator.
- Enter the following commands:
cd C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\
dsa_control -m "AntiMalwareManualScan:true"
Create a diagnostic package
If you need to troubleshoot an agent issue, your support provider might ask you to
create and send a diagnostic package from the computer. For more detailed instructions,
see Create an agent diagnostic package via CLI on a protected computer.
You can produce a diagnostic package for an agent computer through Workload Security,
but if the agent computer is configured to use Agent/Appliance Initiated communication, then the manager cannot collect all the required logs. So when Technical Support
asks for a diagnostic package, you need to run the command directly on the agent computer.
Reset the agent
This command removes the activation information from the target agent and deactivates
it.
-
Windows
-
In PowerShell:
& "\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -r
-
In cmd.exe:
C:\Windows\system32>"\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_control" -r
-
-
Linux
/opt/ds_agent/dsa_control -r
-
macOS
cd /Library/Application Support/com.trendmicro.DSAgent/
sudo ./dsa_control -r
dsa_query
![]() |
NoteNot supported by macOS.
|
You can use the
dsa_query
command to display agent information.dsa_query [-c <str>] [-p <str>] [-r <str]
dsa_query options
Parameter
|
Description
|
-p,--passwd <string> |
Authentication password used with the optional agent self-protection feature. Required if you specified a password when enabling self-protection. Note: For some query-commands, authentication can be bypassed directly, in such case, password
is not required.
|
-c,--cmd <string> |
Execute query-command against the agent. The following commands are supported:
"GetHostInfo" : to query which identity is returned to the manager during a heartbeat "GetAgentStatus" : to query which protection modules are enabled, the status of Anti-Malware or Integrity
Monitoring scans in progress, and other miscellaneous information "GetComponentInfo" : to query version information of anti-malware patterns and engines "GetPluginVersion" : to query version information of the agent and protection modules |
-r,--raw <string> |
Returns the same query-command information as
"-c" but in raw data format for third party software interpretation. |
pattern |
Wild card pattern to filter result. Optional. Example:
dsa_query -c "GetComponentInfo" -r "au" "AM*" |
Check CPU and RAM usage
Not supported for macOS.
Procedure
- For Linux, execute the following command:
top
- For Windows, use the Task Manager or Process Monitor.
Verify that ds_agent is running
Not supported for macOS.
Procedure
- For Linux, execute the following command:
ps -ef|grep ds_agent
- For Windows, use the Task Manager or Process Monitor.
Restart an agent
Not supported for macOS.
Procedure
- For Linux, execute one of the following commands:
-
service ds_agent restart
-
/etc/init.d/ds_agent restart
-
systemctl restart ds_agent
Some actions require either a-tenantname
parameter or a-tenantid
parameter. If execution problems occur when you use the tenant name, try the command using the associated tenant ID. -
- For Windows:
-
In Powershell:
Stop-Service ds_agent
Start-Service ds_agent
-
In cmd.exe:
sc stop ds_agent
sc start ds_agent
-
dsa_scan
If you have Administrator privileges on Windows or root access rights on Linux, you
can use the
dsa_scan
command to execute a scan task with specified files or directories, including subdirectories.Up to ten
dsa_scan
commands can be concurrently executed on one Deep Security Agent instance.This command ignores the agent's current scan policy on inclusions and exclusions
settings
and .dsa_scan [--target <str>] [--action <str>] [--log <str>]
Not supported for macOS.
To use
dsa_scan
:Procedure
- Windows
- Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator.
- Change to the agent's installation directory:
cd C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\
- Run the
dsa_scan
command:dsa_scan <option>
where<option>
is one or more options described in dsa_scan options.
- LinuxExecute the following command:
sudo /opt/ds_agent/dsa_scan <option>
where<option>
is one or more options described in dsa_scan options.dsa_scan options
Parameter Description --target
File paths or directories with the delimiter "|
" to separate the input file absolute paths and directories. Example file path and directories:"c:\user data|c:\app\config.exe|c:\workapps"
Example command:dsa_scan --target "c:\user data|c:\app\config.exe|c:\workapps"
--action
Optional. Supported actions are pass, delete, quarantine. The current agent scan actions of Manual Scan Configuration are applied if the parameter action is not supplied. Example command:dsa_scan --action delete --target "c:\user data|c:\app\config.exe"
--log
Optional. The absolute file path of an output log file. If this option is not supplied, the scan result outputs to the command-line console. Example output file:"c:\temp\scan.log"
Example command:dsa_scan --target "c:\users" --log "c:\temp\scan.log"
--scanLargeFile
Optional. Enable scan of large files. When large files containing viruses are detected, the scan returns [Infected] and pass action. Note that large files included in the compressed files cannot be scanned. Example command:dsa_scan --target "c:\user data|c:\app\config.exe" --scanLargeFile
Scan exit codes
The
dsa_scan
command exit codes indicate either the scan success or failure.The success exit code is displayed when the dsa_scan utility completed the scan tasks
without any issues detected or with a virus found or having skipped some files, as
per the following table:
Success exit codes
Exit code
|
Description
|
Resolution
|
0
|
Scan completed and no malware found.
|
Scan task completed without malware found.
|
1
|
Scan completed with at least one malware found.
|
Check lines labelled as Infected and Warning in the output.
|
2
|
Scan completed, no malware found but some files skipped
|
Check lines labelled as Skipped in the output.
|
3
|
Scan completed, but at least malware found and some files skipped.
|
Check lines labelled as Infected, Warning, and Skipped in the output.
|
If the
dsa_sca
n utility encountered any fatal errors, the dsa_scan broke the scan task and exited
with an error code, as per the following table:Fatal exit codes
Exit code
|
Description
|
Resolution
|
246
|
The argument string is too long.
|
The string size limit is 2048 characters. Shorten the target parameter and try again.
|
247
|
The Security Platform is shutting down.
|
The agent is stopping. Try again later.
|
248
|
Too many instances.
|
There cannot be more than ten concurrent
dsa_scan running instances. Reduce the number of instances. |
249
|
No permission.
|
The command requires root on Linux and Administrator on Windows. Enable Allow the Agent to Trigger or Cancel a Manual Scan on the scan policy.
|
250
|
Manual Scan Configuration is not set.
|
Configure the Manual Scan setting on the scan policy.
|
251
|
AM feature is not enabled.
|
Enable the AM feature on the scan policy.
|
252
|
The platform is not supported.
|
The
dsa_scan is not supported on the current OS platform. |
253
|
The agent is not running.
|
Deep Security Agent is not running. Enable the agent or contact the administrator.
|
254
|
Invalid parameters.
|
The input parameters are incorrect.
|
255
|
Unexpected error.
|
Try again later. If the issue persists, contact the administrator.
|