Install a Nessus Agent

Tip: To install an agent silently on Windows, see Install a Tenable Nessus Agent on Windows > Deploy and Link via the Command Line in the Tenable Nessus Agent User Guide.

To install an agent on Windows:

  1. Open the agent installation file that you downloaded from the Tenable Downloads site.

  2. Agree to the EULA.

  3. Select the Typical installation method.

    The installation wizard prompts you to enter in your Tenable Vulnerability Management linking key and a server for the agent to link to.

  4. In the Key box, cut and paste your Tenable Vulnerability Management linking key.

  5. In the Server box, enter cloud.tenable.com:443.

  6. (Optional) In the Group box, enter an agent group to add your agent to.

    Tip: You can also add the agent to a group from the Tenable Vulnerability Management user interface. For more information, see the Create an Agent Group section of this guide.

  7. Click Next.

    The agent should now show as linked in the Tenable Vulnerability Management user interface. You can confirm this in the Settings > Sensors > Linked Agents section of Tenable Vulnerability Management. The agent may go into an offline status as a result of the agent doing a plugin update and compilation. This is expected behavior, and the agent returns the online status once the process completes.