ControlUp provides a scripting engine within ControlUp for Desktops, enabling IT administrators to distribute and execute scripts across devices in their environment. This functionality allows for tasks such as IT administration and data collection. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/docs/scripting-guide?utm_source=openai))
To utilize this feature, navigate to ControlUp for Desktops > Configuration > Scripts to view and manage your scripts. The Scripting Guide offers comprehensive instructions on running scripts in ControlUp for Desktops. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/docs/scripting-guide?utm_source=openai))
For managing disk usage on laptops equipped with the SIP agent, you can adapt existing scripts designed for VDI environments. The Scripting Guide provides detailed information on creating and managing scripts, which can be tailored for laptops. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/docs/scripting-guide?utm_source=openai))
Additionally, the ControlUp Script Library offers a collection of useful scripts compiled by ControlUp, which can be imported and customized for your specific needs. ([controlup.com](https://www.controlup.com/scripts/?utm_source=openai))
By leveraging these resources, you can effectively monitor and manage disk usage on laptops using the SIP agent, similar to the capabilities available for VDIs.
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ControlUp for Desktops Training & Support Archives
ControlUp for Desktops (Edge-DX) training and support-related archives from inside the ControlUp Community on Slack.
How to Configure Low Disk Space Alerts by Percentage in ControlUp for Devices
In ControlUp for Devices (CU4D), setting up an alert to notify an administrator when any device's OS disk free space drops below a certain threshold can be configured through the Events > Alert Rules section. To create an alert for low disk space, a user needs to define the appropriate category, metric, condition, and value that represent the target threshold.
The recommended approach is to use an alert rule that monitors the free space on the OS disk. While the initial example provided in the community discussion suggested a value-based threshold (e.g., a specific number of gigabytes free), it is also possible to configure an alert based on a percentage of free disk space. This is important for flexibility as percentages provide a more relative and scalable measure across devices with different disk sizes.
To implement this, the alert should be defined in the category related to storage or disk metrics. The metric to monitor would be the percentage of free space available on the OS disk. The condition would then be set to trigger when this percentage falls below a certain value (such as 10%). Once the alert triggers, it can be configured to send an email notification to administrators. Furthermore, ControlUp’s integration with script actions can automate responses to these alerts, such as running a system disk cleanup or presenting a user prompt to clean up space.
For detailed steps and additional options, users are encouraged to refer to the official ControlUp documentation on alert rules and script actions, as well as the ControlUp Knowledge Base and Academy resources at https://docs.controlup.com and https://cuacademy.controlup.com. These resources provide comprehensive guidance on setting conditions, selecting metrics, and automating remediation workflows based on alerts.
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How to Create CPU Usage Alerts in ControlUp That Exclude Restart and Boot Spikes
A common challenge in monitoring CPU usage is avoiding false alerts during system restarts or boot periods, when CPU spikes are normal but typically short-lived. One effective method to address this in ControlUp is to configure an alert rule targeting the device_status data index with specific conditions to filter out these transient spikes.
To create a CPU alert that excludes restart or boot-phase spikes, set up a static threshold alert on Devices with a condition such as cpuload > 80 (adjust the threshold based on your environment). The key element is applying a time window and hit count that accommodates short bursts without triggering alerts. For example, use a time window of 600 seconds (10 minutes) and require 5 hits within that period before the alert fires. Additionally, a retrigger delay of 3600 seconds (1 hour) helps reduce repeated alerts for sustained high CPU usage.
This configuration works because CPU usage during boot or restart typically spikes briefly and does not persist long enough to meet the hit criteria within the time window, thereby filtering out most false positives without complex logic. For situations where CPU remains elevated for longer periods during boot—due to updates, login scripts, or heavy startup applications—it is recommended to implement an uptime check or guard. This further refines alerting by ensuring the system has been running beyond a certain uptime threshold before alerts activate.
These steps provide a practical approach to balancing sensitivity and noise in CPU alerting, improving monitoring accuracy in environments where restarts cause predictable, short-term CPU spikes. For more detailed guidance on creating and tuning alert rules, consult the ControlUp documentation at https://docs.controlup.com/alert-rules and consider exploring uptime monitoring techniques available in ControlUp's device health metrics.
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How to Use ControlUp’s Beta Features for Desktops: Deployment, Benefits, and Best Practices
ControlUp has introduced new beta features for its ControlUp for Desktops agent, offering users early access to the latest enhancements and improvements. This beta version is designed to allow IT administrators and users to test new functionalities before they are released for general availability. To participate in the beta, users can configure their agent version control settings to deploy the beta version selectively across specific devices. This targeted deployment helps organizations evaluate the beta features in a controlled environment without impacting their entire infrastructure.
The update has been well-received by the community, highlighting the significant value and innovation brought by the new capabilities. The positive feedback underscores the quality and effort invested by the development team in enhancing the user experience and functionality of the ControlUp agent. Although detailed specifics of the beta features were not outlined in the initial announcement, users are encouraged to review the beta release notes and experiment with the new version in their test environments to understand the full scope of improvements.
As this version is a beta, it is important to note that it may contain experimental features or potential issues not present in stable releases. Organizations should exercise caution by limiting beta deployment to non-critical systems or test groups, monitoring performance, and providing feedback to ControlUp to assist in refining the final release. Users can manage agent versions and access version control documentation at https://support.controlup.com/v1/docs/agent-version-control to ensure proper deployment and rollback options are understood.
For further information on ControlUp agent management, deployment best practices, and how to leverage new updates effectively, consulting the official ControlUp documentation at https://docs.controlup.com and the ControlUp Academy at https://cuacademy.controlup.com is recommended. These resources offer comprehensive guidance on everything from installation to advanced feature configuration, ensuring IT teams maximize the benefits of ControlUp across their digital workplaces.
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Understanding ALERT RULES Licensing and Usage in ControlUp One EVENTS Tab
Within the ControlUp One platform, the EVENTS tab includes an ALERT RULES section that is specifically designed for ControlUp for Desktops (CU4D). Users who do not have a CU4D license will encounter a license error when accessing the ALERT RULES tab, even though other areas like OVERVIEW and EVENT DETAILS function normally. This is because the ALERT RULES feature is directly tied to CU4D licensing and capabilities.
The ALERT RULES in ControlUp One covers alerting for CU4D, ControlUp for VDI (CU4VDI), and Synthetic Monitoring; however, the creation and management of alert rules within this tab are exclusive to CU4D. For alerting related to ControlUp for VDI and Synthetic Monitoring, users must configure those alerts within their respective products. Once alerts are configured in each solution, they will be aggregated and displayed together in ControlUp One for centralized monitoring.
In summary, the ALERT RULES function in the ControlUp One EVENTS tab is dedicated to CU4D alert creation, and attempting to access this function without the proper CU4D license will trigger a license error. Alert management for CU4VDI and Synthetic Monitoring requires using those individual products’ alerting tools, after which their alerts become visible collectively within the ControlUp One interface. This division maintains clear licensing boundaries and functional segregation across ControlUp’s different monitoring products.
For more information, see ControlUp’s official documentation on alerting and licensing at https://docs.controlup.com and explore the ControlUp Academy for training on alert configuration and best practices at https://cuacademy.controlup.com.
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How to Enable File Browsing in ControlUp’s File Browser by Configuring Role Permissions
A common issue encountered with ControlUp's File Browser feature is the inability to see any files within a user's system during a remote session, despite being able to navigate folders. This typically occurs when the appropriate permissions are not enabled for the user role in ControlUp. For example, a user attempting to retrieve log files without interrupting a session might notice that the file list remains empty, even though directories are visible.
The root cause is often related to role permissions. By default, the built-in Admin role in ControlUp does not have the File Browser permission enabled for viewing files. To resolve this, administrators need to create a custom role that explicitly grants this permission. Specifically, under Device Permissions, navigating to Remote Management > Management > File Browser, the administrator must set the scope to allow users assigned this role to view files.
Once the custom role is created with the correct File Browser permissions, it is possible to assign the user both the built-in Admin role and this new custom role simultaneously. ControlUp's role-based access control supports multiple role assignments per user, enabling flexible and granular permission management without removing any existing higher-level roles such as Admin.
In summary, to access files via ControlUp’s File Browser, ensure that the user has a custom role with the "View Files" permission under File Browser enabled. This role can be combined with the default Admin role, allowing complete management capabilities while enabling file browsing. For detailed role creation and permission configuration instructions, refer to ControlUp's official documentation on role management at https://docs.controlup.com.
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Investigating Historical Network Usage Spikes and Setting Alerts with ControlUp for Desktops
A user reported a network performance issue at one of their offices where a single computer had downloaded and uploaded several gigabytes of data within approximately the last four hours. They sought a way to determine exactly what data was downloaded and where it was uploaded to after the fact.
ControlUp experts clarified that while ControlUp for Desktops can provide detailed network usage volume information retrospectively, it does not store historical data about the specific destination addresses or detailed process-level network activity. The device’s Performance tab includes historical charts such as Network Usage (MB/s) and Hourly Network Usage (MB), which show the volume of data sent and received over time. This helps confirm the timing and magnitude of a network spike but only at the overall device level, not by specific process or destination.
For live, real-time network connection details—including which process is communicating with which remote IP address—the Network tab and TCP Connections Map can be used. This tab shows detailed, process-to-destination connections but does not retain historical data, so it only helps monitor ongoing network activity. Consequently, if the large data transfer activity occurred several hours ago and is no longer ongoing, ControlUp itself cannot provide retrospective insights into the process or endpoints involved.
To investigate historical transfers of this nature, network security and monitoring should be supplemented with firewall logs, proxy logs, or netflow data, which retain detailed connection records over time. This approach is recommended for network administrators with access to those tools.
For prevention and proactive detection, users can configure static threshold alerts in ControlUp to notify them immediately if network usage exceeds a predefined value in the future. This allows administrators to catch high-volume transfers as they happen and investigate using real-time detail from ControlUp. The documentation for setting static threshold alerts can be found here: https://support.controlup.com/docs/devices-static-threshold-alerts.
Additional guidance on real-time network analysis is available at https://support.controlup.com/docs/live-network-analysis.
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How to Implement Native macOS and Windows Self-Service Disk Cleanup via ControlUp Edge DX Without External Tools
A ControlUp community member developed a native self-service disk cleanup solution for macOS and Windows users, designed to be triggered via ControlUp Edge DX without requiring IT intervention or external tools. The goal was to allow users to safely free disk space through a simple, native dialog that displays current disk usage and offers a checklist of safe-to-clean areas such as Trash, application caches, container caches, logs, Xcode build cache, and old temporary files. Each item is described in plain language and sorted by the space it occupies, allowing users to select and confirm the cleanup themselves.
On macOS, the dialog is implemented using only built-in osascript capabilities—no additional tools like swiftDialog or extra installations are necessary. For both macOS and Windows, the solution emphasizes safety by running a dry-run by default, excluding critical system folders and personal directories such as Documents, Downloads, Keychains, and SSH keys from cleanup. The cleanup operates within the context of the logged-in user, not root, ensuring user-specific data protection. After cleanup, the system verifies the amount of space reclaimed against the actual free volume.
Triggering this cleanup from an Edge DX alert, either automatically due to disk usage thresholds or on-demand, enables a small dashboard that reports on reclaimable and freed disk space, all without requiring elevated permissions, Intune writes, or admin consent. One of the more challenging technical aspects was delivering the cleanup dialog from a root-level agent into the user’s session, given the restrictions of macOS and Windows environments.
The community member shared that while the script could likely be optimized or shortened by more experienced developers, this version works reliably and safely. Detailed setup documentation is available by request. Additionally, to complement the cleanup tool, the developer created an analytics dashboard to track the cumulative space saved by the script. This solution offers a practical way for organizations using ControlUp Edge DX to empower their end users with safe, controlled disk cleanup capabilities, minimizing helpdesk workload without compromising disk security or user privacy.
For more on creating and managing custom alerts and actions within ControlUp Edge DX, consult the official documentation at https://docs.controlup.com/edge and explore ControlUp Academy at https://cuacademy.controlup.com for training on extending ControlUp functionality.
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Automating VDI Registration in ControlUp Console
Automating the addition of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) machines to the ControlUp console upon agent installation can streamline management and monitoring processes. While ControlUp for Desktops offers a command-line installation method that automatically registers machines, a similar approach for VDIs requires specific configuration.
To achieve automated registration of VDIs, you can utilize the Install-CUAgent PowerShell cmdlet, which is part of the ControlUp Automation module. This cmdlet allows for the download and installation of the ControlUp Agent on local machines, including VDIs. By providing the necessary authentication key during installation, the agent registers the machine with your ControlUp environment. For non-domain-joined machines, an API authentication token is required. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/docs/install-cuagent-install-an-agent?utm_source=openai))
For non-persistent VDIs, such as those created from a master image, it's essential to configure the agent to handle these scenarios appropriately. By setting the agent as a master image, it ensures that new VDIs created from this image will automatically register with the ControlUp console, preventing duplicate entries and maintaining an accurate device inventory. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/v1/docs/agent-outbound-communication?utm_source=openai))
Additionally, enabling folder synchronization with your VDI infrastructure can further streamline management. This feature ensures that VDIs are correctly registered and prevents stale machines from cluttering the interface. By integrating with your VDI environment, ControlUp can automatically detect and manage VDIs, enhancing the efficiency of your monitoring and management processes. ([support.controlup.com](https://support.controlup.com/docs/connecting-to-your-vdi-infrastructure?utm_source=openai))
By implementing these methods, you can automate the addition of VDIs to the ControlUp console, ensuring accurate device registration and efficient management of your virtual desktop environment.
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Managing Access to Microsoft Teams Meeting Recordings: Insights and Permissions
ControlUp does not currently offer direct insights into Microsoft Teams meeting recordings or their access logs. Meeting recordings in Teams are stored in the organizer's OneDrive or SharePoint, depending on the meeting type. For private meetings, recordings are saved to the organizer's OneDrive, while channel meetings store recordings in the SharePoint site associated with the channel. ([learn.microsoft.com](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/tmr-meeting-recording-change?utm_source=openai))
To monitor access to these recordings, organizations can utilize Microsoft Purview, which provides auditing capabilities for Teams content. Purview allows administrators to track activities related to meeting recordings, such as who accessed or shared the recordings. This functionality is particularly useful for compliance and security purposes. ([learn.microsoft.com](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/edisc-search-teams?utm_source=openai))
Additionally, meeting organizers can manage access permissions for their recordings directly within Teams. By default, access is set to "Everyone," but organizers can customize this setting to restrict access to specific individuals or groups. This control ensures that only authorized users can view or download the recordings. ([support.microsoft.com](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/customize-who-can-access-a-recording-or-transcript-in-microsoft-teams?utm_source=openai))
In summary, while ControlUp does not provide direct insights into Teams meeting recordings, organizations can leverage Microsoft Purview for auditing access and utilize Teams' built-in features to manage recording permissions effectively.
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