A common challenge faced by ControlUp users involves timely updating of endpoint data, especially when tracking specific services or applications. In one case, a user wanted to confirm the removal of a service on endpoints but found that ControlUp still reported the service as running despite manual removal. This discrepancy occurs because the ControlUp agent updates different types of metrics at varied intervals. Core system metrics typically refresh every 60 seconds, but certain metrics such as service status and installed applications are updated less frequently—services refresh hourly (and shortly after a system reboot), while installed applications update only once per day.
This update schedule means that relying solely on on-demand refresh within ControlUp for some metrics is limited, as there is no built-in immediate refresh capability for services or installed apps. To overcome this, users can create a Custom Action script to gather the needed data on-demand. By scripting, users can query the current service status or application state directly from the endpoints and write the results to a custom data index in ControlUp. This approach provides a precise and immediate reflection of endpoint conditions without waiting for the default agent update cycle.
ControlUp’s scripting capabilities are documented in detail in the official scripting guide, available at https://support.controlup.com/docs/scripting-guide. This guide helps users build custom scripts that integrate into ControlUp workflows, enabling on-demand data collection tailored to specific monitoring or troubleshooting needs.
As of now, no direct feature exists within ControlUp to force an on-demand refresh of hourly or daily metrics such as service and installed app status, but leveraging Custom Action scripts offers an effective workaround. Users looking to improve real-time monitoring of endpoint services should consider implementing these custom scripted solutions until such features potentially appear on future ControlUp development roadmaps.
Read the entire ‘How to Refresh Service and Application Data On-Demand in ControlUp’ thread below:
Hi… Is there a good way to refresh data from endpoint within CU? We are working on removing a service/app from our endpoints. We have a custom report that tells us when the service is running. So we removed the service manually from the endpoint, but CU is still saying its running. Any way to refresh OnDemand?
Hi Edward,
Thank you for posting!
The ControlUp for Desktops agent usually refreshes most metrics every 60 seconds. Which metric update are you missing?
Oh! I see your update now
I believe there are metrics that update once per hour, or once per day. Let me dig into this specific question and get back to you
Meanwhile, maybe knows if there is something on the roadmap to improve this collection
First round check confirms that services are updated hourly, and 60 seconds after reboot, while Installed Apps are updated once per day
To work around this limitation, you could implement a Custom Action script that would write results to a custom data index, which you can use on demand
This would be our scripting guide.
Thank you… This really helps.. This is the way!
for visiblity, in case further assistance is required
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