ASUS Control Center Express EM WEB
ASUS Control Center Express EM WEB
ASUS Control Center Express EM WEB
Express
User Manual
E15784
First Edition
September 2019
ii
Contents
About this guide.......................................................................................... vi
iii
Contents
Chapter 4: Device Information
4.1 Device Information Overview....................................................... 4-2
4.2 Hardware Sensor (software)........................................................ 4-4
4.2.1 Editing the threshold value............................................... 4-5
4.3 Utilitization..................................................................................... 4-6
4.3.1 Editing the threshold value............................................... 4-6
4.4 Inventory (Software)..................................................................... 4-7
4.4.1 Disk Information............................................................... 4-7
4.4.1 Disk Information............................................................... 4-8
4.5 Software......................................................................................... 4-9
4.5.1 Application tab................................................................. 4-9
4.5.2 Processes tab................................................................ 4-10
4.5.3 Services tab................................................................... 4-10
4.5.4 Environment tab............................................................. 4-11
4.6 Control (software)....................................................................... 4-12
4.7 Event Log..................................................................................... 4-13
4.7.1 Monitor tab..................................................................... 4-13
4.7.2 Application tab............................................................... 4-14
4.7.3 System tab..................................................................... 4-15
4.7.4 Security tab.................................................................... 4-16
4.8 Remote Desktop.......................................................................... 4-17
4.8.1 General Remote Desktop.............................................. 4-17
4.8.2 Out-of-band Management Remote Desktop.................. 4-18
4.9 USB Redirection.......................................................................... 4-21
4.10 BIOS............................................................................................. 4-22
4.10.1 BIOS Setting.................................................................. 4-22
4.10.2 BIOS Flash Management............................................... 4-23
iv
Contents
5.4 Inventory (hardware)..................................................................... 5-7
5.5 Control (hardware)........................................................................ 5-8
5.6 Remote Desktop............................................................................ 5-9
5.7 USB Redirection............................................................................ 5-9
5.8 Smart BIOS.................................................................................... 5-9
5.8.1 BIOS Flash Management................................................. 5-9
5.9 Firmware Update......................................................................... 5-13
5.9.1 Uploading and updating firmware.................................. 5-13
5.10 Software Management................................................................ 5-15
5.10.1 Software Dispatch.......................................................... 5-15
5.10.2 Software Pool................................................................. 5-17
5.10.3 Software Information...................................................... 5-22
5.10.4 Software Blacklist........................................................... 5-23
5.11 Metadata Management................................................................ 5-25
5.11.1 Adding metadata fields.................................................. 5-25
5.11.2 Removing metadata fields............................................. 5-27
5.11.3 Updating the metadata manually................................... 5-28
5.11.4 Updating the metadata using a batch update................ 5-29
v
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when using and configuring
ASUS Control Center Express (ACCE).
How this guide is organized
This guide contains the following parts:
1. Chapter 1: Getting Started
This chapter provides a quick overview of ASUS Control Center Express,
and how to install and set it up.
2. Chapter 2: Dashboard Overview
This chapter describes the functions available on the main dashboard.
3. Chapter 3: Deploy Management
This chapter describes how to deploy ASUS Control Center agents and
remove agents through Microsoft® Active Directory or manually.
4. Chapter 4: Device Information
This chapter describes the device information and software controlled
options for managing the device.
5. Chapter 5: Management Functions
This chapter describes the metadata management, software management,
and hardware based management functions.
6. Chapter 6: Settings Migrator
This chapter describes how to import configurations of your ACC CSM to
ASUS Control Center Express, and also allow you to deploy ASUS Control
Center Express agents to devices managed by ACC CSM.
7. Chapter 7: Account & General Settings
This chapter describes the User and ASUS Control Center Express settings.
vi
Conventions
To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following
symbols used throughout this manual.
Typography
Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select.
Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase.
<Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than
sign means that you must press the enclosed key.
Example: <Enter> means that you must press
the Enter or Return key.
<Key1>+<Key2>+<Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously,
the key names are linked with a plus sign (+).
Example: <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<Del>
Command Means that you must type the command
exactly as shown, then supply the required
item or value enclosed in brackets.
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the
command line: format A:/S
Reference
Visit the ASUS websites worldwide that provide updated information for all ASUS
hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information for
details.
vii
viii
Chapter 1
Getting Started
2. Click on the icon located at the top right menu bar, then click on
Settings.
3. Click on the account to enter a new password, then click on Update to save
the changes made.
• Each client device you deploy an agent to will require a license key.
• For more details on License Keys please refer to 7.1.4 License Key.
1. Locate the License Key on the ASUS Control Center Express card bundled in
your motherboard’s giftbox.
2. Click on the icon, then select the License tab.
3. Click on Add Key.
4. Key in the license key and then click on Add Key to register a license for a
single device on ASUS Control Center Express.
Classic dashboard
Deploy Management
Metadata Management Options
System overview Management Control Language
Banner logo
Switch View settings
Account
information
Devices
overview
Graphic dashboard
Edit
Client device shortcut icon
Zoom in Reset Zoom
System overview Background area
Zoom out
Dashboard Overview
This chapter describes the functions
available on the main dashboard.
Connection
This graph displays a summary of the connection status of all client devices.
Color Status
Green Online
Blue Standby
Maintain
Red Offline
Hardware Sensor
This graph displays a summary of the hardware status of all client devices.
Color Status
Red Critical
Orange Warning
Blue Normal
Utilization
This graph displays a summary of the utilization status of all client devices.
Color Status
Red Critical
Orange Warning
Blue Normal
You can also click on the top right corner of each graph to switch between pie
graph and bar graph views.
Search
bar
Devices
list
• To view more column items in the Devices list, click on Customize, then
check the metadata item you wish to display and click on Save.
• For more details on the following functions listed below, please refer to
- USB Redirection: 4.9 USB Redirection
- 8117-Set password: 5.1.3 Setting the password for RTL8117
- Firmware Update: 5.10 Firmware Update
- Task Scheduler: 2.4 Task Scheduler
- Software Management: 5.10 Software Management
- Smart BIOS: 4.10 BIOS
• 8117-Control functions are only available on client devices connected
using a management LAN port which supports RTL 8117 LAN IC.
• Some functions may require you to restart the client device for the changes
to take effect.
3. Click on Browse to select and upload an image file you would like to use as
the layout image.
6. You may adjust the positions of the shortcut icons by clicking and dragging
the shortcut icon to your preferred location, or adjust the size of the shortcut
icons using the Icon Size scroll bar.
7. Click on Save once you have finished customizing, you will be directed back
to the Graphic dashboard view.
For more information on the Device Information screen please refer to Chapter
4 Device Information.
: Offline
: Online
Graphic dashboard
2. Click on Select function, then select Task Scheduler from the drop down
menu.
The Taskset name cannot be changed after you have created the task.
The End Date & Time field will only appear when you check Repeat.
6. (optional) If you checked Repeat in the previous step, select if you want the
task to repeat Daily or Weekly. Selecting Weekly will allow you to choose
the day you wish to repeat the task each week.
8. Select an Action Type from the drop down menu. You may refer to the table
on the next page for a brief overview of the Action Type options.
When scheduling multiple tasks, ensure that each task has a delay time set to
ensure the tasks are executed properly.
11. Repeat steps 7 to 10 to add more tasks, the tasks added will appear in the
List of Tasks.
To delete a task, click on the X next to the task in the List of Tasks.
To delete a task, click on the X next to the task in the List of Tasks.
3. Once you have finished editing the scheduled task, click on Update.
Deploy Management
This chapter describes how to deploy
ASUS Control Center agents and
remove agents through Microsoft® Active
Directory or manually.
Ensure to register the License keys before deploying agents to client devices.
For more information on registering license keys, please refer to 7.1.4 License
Key.
2. Copy and paste Setup.msi to the client you wish to install the agent on
using an external storage device such as a USB flash drive.
4. Follow the instructions of the installation wizard to install the ASUS Control
Center Express agent to the client device.
• Ensure the client has sufficient power and a steady connection to prevent
packet loss when deploying the agent.
• Ensure the client and ACCE server are in the same network domain.
• ASUS Control Center Express only supports Windows® 10 PRO or later
versions.
• To disable the firewall on the client device, please navigate to Control
Panel > System and Security, then click on Allow an app through
Windows Firewall under the Windows Defender Firewall section. Check
the Remote Service Management option, then click on OK.
2. You may use the following three methods to scan for or add available client
devices:
Main Server Enter the IP of the ASUS Control Center Express server
OS Type Select the OS type of the client
Host Type Select IP Address to enter the IP address of the client
or
Select Host name to enter the name of the client
Host Port Enter the port
Account Type Select whether the client account is local or domain
Local: The agent’s administrator privileges only allow you to
manage the device the agent is installed on
Domain: The agent’s administrator privileges allow you to manage
all devices in the domain
Domain* Enter the domain name
Account Enter the administrator account name of the client
Password Enter the password for the administrator account of the client
Remote Enter the port to use when remotely accessing this client
Undeploy Enter the port to use when removing the agent from this client
* This field only appears if you selected Domain as the account type.
b. Select the .csv file you would like to import, then click Open. The
devices listed in the .csv file should appear in the scan results block.
Ensure to use a .csv file you have previously exported by clicking Export to
ensure you use the correct .csv template. Using a .csv file with the incorrect
fields may result in failure when importing the .csv file.
5. (optional) You may click on Export to export the scan results to a .csv file for
future use.
7. Click on Deploy and wait for the agent deployment to be completed. Once
the process is completed, you may view the deploy status in the deploy list.
1. Check the client devices you wish to remove agents from in the deployed
block.
If the target client device(s) are offline, the agents on these client device(s) will
be removed once the client device(s) are online.
Device Information
options for managing the device.
4.1 Device Information Overview
The Device Information Overview provides you with detailed information about
your selected client device, and also provides you with some software controlled
management functions such as power control options.
To access Device Information of a client device from the different dashboard
views, please refer to the following:
• Classic dashboard view: Click on a client device in the device list.
• Graphic dashboard view: Double click on a client device shortcut icon.
• This chapter is only for the Software Mode options, for Hardware Mode
options, please refer to Chapter 5 Management Functions. Hardware
Mode (out-of-band management) options are available for client devices
connected using a management LAN port which supports RTL 8117 LAN
IC.
• Most options are only available when the client device is online and logged
into the OS.
• Some options are only available when the following requirements are met:
- Client device is online and logged into the OS
- Has already had an agent deployed to it
- Connected using a management LAN port which supports RTL 8117
LAN IC
• The screenshots in this section are for reference only.
Time Zone Displays the time zone client device is located in.
• Some options such as Graphics card may only be available if you have the
component installed on your client device.
• This item will not be available if your device is not logged into an OS
environment, or is not connected using a management LAN port which
supports RTL 8117 LAN IC.
Displays disk status, click on this item to show detailed S.M.A.R.T. attribute
S.M.A.R.T. information.
Displays the CPU Core Voltage, and other voltage related items. You may
Voltage edit the threshold for these items.
Displays the CPU status and temperature. You may edit the threshold for
Temperature these items.
Displays the status and fan speed of connected fans. You may edit the
Fans threshold for these items.
Displays the fan speed, voltage and temperature of external AMD or
Graphics Card NVIDIA graphics card. You may edit the threshold for these items.
When the value exceeds this threshold value, the sensor will display
Warning (Yellow).
High threshold
When the value exceeds this threshold value by 20%, the sensor will
display Critical (Red).
When the value is below this threshold value, the sensor will display
Warning (Yellow).
Low threshold
When the value is below this threshold value by 20%, the sensor will display
Critical (Red).
Monitor Enable or disable monitoring of this item.
Enable or disable the check for zero value. When enabled, a warning will
Check zero value display if the fan speed for a fan is 0. When disabled, if the fan speed for a
fan is 0, it will be recognized as a removed fan (not connected).
Displays CPU utilization status and usage percentile. You may edit the
CPU threshold for these items.
Displays memory utilization status and usage percentile. You may edit the
DIMM threshold for these items.
Displays disk partition utilization status and usage percentile. You may edit
Partition the threshold for these items.
Displays disk network utilization status and usage percentile. You may edit
Network the threshold for these items.
When the value exceeds this threshold value, the sensor will display
High Critical Critical (Red).
When the value exceeds this threshold value, the sensor will display
High Warning Warning (Yellow).
This item displays more details about the client device and disk. This item is
software controlled and values may differ with the hardware version. Please refer
to 5.4 Inventory (hardware) for more information on Hardware mode.
Displays the model name, serial number, asset tag and manufacturer
Baseboard information on the base motherboard. You may edit these items.
Displays the name and manufacturer of the system. You may edit these
System items.
Memory Displays the location and size of the memory.
Displays the release date, version, and manufacturer information of the
BIOS BIOS.
Processor Displays the name, and clock of the processor.
Displays the name, MAC address, connection status, and adapter type
Network Adapter information on the network adapter.
Graphic Card Displays the name and driver version of the graphic card.
Displays the device’s SMBIOS TYPE information. You may edit these
OEM String items.
The Uninstall button will be grayed out if the uninstall option is unavailable for
the selected application.
This item allows you to configure items such as Regedit, USB Storage Device,
and power control options. This item is software controlled and values may differ
with the hardware version. Please refer to 5.5 Control (hardware) for more
information on Hardware mode.
To end the remote control session, scroll to the top of the page, then click on
Remote Desktop.
This remote control method requires the client device to have KVM enabled,
and connected using a management LAN port which supports RTL 8117 LAN
IC.
The BIOS settings may differ between client devices. Please refer to your client
device’s motherboard user manual for more information about navigating the
BIOS and BIOS settings.
3. Click on the drop down menu of the KVM Display Mode option, and select a
display mode from the following configuration options:
Clicking on the Function button offers more options for navigating the remote
desktop screen.
Function button
This function is only available when the following requirements are met:
- Client device is online and logged into the OS
- Has already had an agent deployed to it
- Connected using a management LAN port which supports RTL 8117
LAN
This item will allow you to adjust some BIOS settings such as Advanced, Boot,
Monitor and Security. It also allows you to update the BIOS of a device by
uploading a BIOS file manually or from the BIOS Cache.
The BIOS settings may differ between client devices. Please refer to your client
device’s motherboard user manual for more information about navigating the
BIOS and BIOS settings.
3. Confirm that the BIOS file was successfully uploaded and click OK. The
uploaded BIOS file will also be added to the BIOS Cache.
Hardware Flash Mode is only available if the client device is connected using a
management LAN port which supports RTL 8117 LAN IC.
Hardware Flash Mode is only available if the client device is connected using a
management LAN port which supports RTL 8117 LAN IC.
Management Control
This chapter describes the metadata
management, software management,
and hardware based management
functions.
• For more details on the following functions listed below, please refer to
- USB Redirection: 4.9 USB Redirection
- 8117-Set password: 5.1.3 Setting the password for RTL8117
- 8117-Update Firmware: 5.9 Firmware Update
- 8117-Smart BIOS: 4.10 BIOS
• Some functions may require you to restart the client device for the changes
to take effect.
• Some options are only available when the client device is online and
logged into the OS.
• This chapter is only for the Hardware Mode options, for Software Mode
options, please refer to Chapter 4 Device Information.
Device icon Click on the device icon to view the event log of this device.w
Some functions may require you to restart the client device for the changes to
take effect.
* These functions only appear if an agent is already deployed to this device and if you switch from Software
Mode to Hardware Mode
(continued on the next page)
The client device will restart after a BIOS flash is finished for the changes to
take effect.
4. Select if you wish to perform a Normal Mode BIOS flash or if you wish to do
a Recovery Mode BIOS flash, then click OK.
Performing a Recovery Mode BIOS Flash will reset all BIOS configurations,
and remove all previous configurations.
4. Select if you wish to perform a Normal Mode BIOS flash or if you wish to do
a Recovery Mode BIOS flash, then click OK.
Performing a Recovery Mode BIOS Flash will reset all BIOS configurations,
and remove all previous configurations.
• The following setup file formats are supported: .zip, .exe, or .msi.
• The file size of the setup file should not exceed 1.0 GB.
3. Click on OK, then wait for the software dispatch process to finish. Once
it is completed you should receive a notification based on the notification
scenario selected.
2. Enter the required information into the Software Name, OS Type, Platform,
and Version fields. You may also type in a brief description of the software
package into the Description field.
• The following setup file formats are supported: .zip, .exe, or .msi.
• The file size of the setup file should not exceed 1.0 GB.
4. The added software package should appear in the Software Pool list.
2. Select the notification scenario, then click on Dispatch. Once the software
dispatch process is completed you should receive a notification based on the
notification scenario selected.
2. You can edit the Version and Description, once you have finished, click on
Save to save the changes made.
2. Click on Remove to remove the software package from the Software Pool.
Application tab
The Application tab allows you to view information on applications installed
on the selected client device. You may also click on an application then select
Uninstall to uninstall the application on all selected devices.
The Uninstall button will be grayed out if the uninstall option is unavailable for
the selected application.
Processes tab
The Processes tab allows you to view information on active processes. You may
also click on a process then select End Task to end the process.
Environment tab
The Environment tab allows you to view information on the common environment
variables.
2. Enter the name of the software you wish to blacklist, then click on Save.
3. Your new metadata field should appear in the metadata management list,
click on Save to save the changes done.
2. Click on the X next to the metadata field you would like to remove, then click
Yes
The Host Name field displays a list of the client devices, and cannot be edited.
To customize which metadata fields to export, click on Options, then select the
metadata fields you wish to export. Deselecting a metadata field will hide the
metadata field and will not add that field to the exported .csv file.
2. Update the exported .csv file with the data you wish to populate the metadata
fields on ASUS Control Center Express with.
3. Click on Batch Update, then select the .csv file you updated and click Open.
Your metadata fields should be populated with the information on the .csv
file.
Settings Migrator
6.1 Settings Migrator
If you are already using ACC CSM and wish to import all your ACC CSM
configurations to ASUS Control Center Express, you can use the Settings Migrator
function. This will also allow you to deploy ASUS Control Center Express agents
to existing devices managed by your ACC CSM.
To access Settings Migrator, click on located at the top right menu bar, then
select Settings Migrator.
ACC CSM server IP IP address of the ACC CSM server you wish to import
ACC CSM account The administrator account of the ACC CSM server you wish to
import
ACC CSM password The password for the administrator account of the ACC CSM
server you wish to import
Sync metadata Check to import metadata fields of ACC CSM
Sync general setting Check to import specific general settings of ACC CSM. These
settings include:
MainServer Settings Agent Configuration
- Web page refresh timer - Hardware sensor interval
- Check for updates timer - Utilization time interval
- Agent response timer
Sync SMTP setting Check to import the SMTP settings of ACC CSM
Sync rule management Check to import notification rules of ACC CSM
Sync account setting Check to import the accounts and roles of ACC CSM
For more information on registering CSM license keys, please refer to 7.1.4
License Key.
3. The data of client devices managed by ACC CSM should be imported and
appear in the devices block.
Ensure the Administrator account of the client is enabled and has a password
set. (Windows disables the Administrator account by default, to enable
the account click on the Windows button from the Desktop > Windows
Administrative Tools > Computer Management > System Tools > Local
Users and Groups > User > Administrator, then uncheck the Account is
disabled field)
6. (optional) Check Client setting migration to import the ACC CSM client
settings and data for the selected devices when you deploy. Please refer to
the table below for more information on the client settings and data Client
setting migration will import.
If there are imported Scheduled tasks on devices which do not have ASUS
Control Center Express agents deployed yet, tasks relating to these devices
will be added to the Task Scheduler once ASUS Control Center Express
agents have been deployed to these devices.
7. (optional) Check the Remove the traditional software Acc box to remove
any previous versions of ASUS Control Center agents installed on the
selected client devices when deploying new agents.
The settings entered may vary depending on the service provider, please refer
to the information provided by your service provider.
Display Name The name of this SMTP setting. The display name will not appear
on sent emails
SMTP Server The SMTP server responsible for collecting and sending emails
SMTP Port Service port for SMTP. Common ports used are 25 (SMTP former
default port), 465 (encrypted SMTP), and 587 (new SMTP default)
Sender Address The email of the ACCE notification sender. This email address must
exist within the SMTP Server service
Sender Password The password for the ACCE notification email sender
Enable SSL Enables mail sent or forwarded through this SMTP server to be SSL
encrypted
• You may use the Search box to search and filter devices according to the
keywords you enter. Click Clear to clear any search filters applied.
• To view more column items in the Host List, click on Options, then check
the metadata item you wish to display and click on Save.
• Click Select All to select all devices in the Host List.
• Email
The notification is sent to the entered email addresses.
Ensure to set up the SMTP server settings before using the email function. For
more information please refer to 7.1.1 SMTP Settings.
When entering multiple emails, press <Enter> after each email to separate the
emails.
Your newly added rule should appear under Rule List, this displays the rule
name and details of your selected notification method. Clicking on the newly
added rule will display the devices associated with the rule in the Monitor
Hardware Sensor List, and the list of hardware and utilizations being
monitored in the Monitor Hardware Sensor List and Monitor Utilization
List.
Use the edit function to add new devices or devices which have been re-
deployed to the notification rule.
1. Select a rule in the Rule List you wish to edit, then click on in the Edit
Rule column.
2. Follow steps 2 to 4 edit your Rule, then click Save to save the changes
made.
MainServer Settings:
Configure items for the main ASUS Control Center Express server. Click on Save
to save the changes made.
Theme Select a color theme (dark, acc_csm, acc) for your main server
Web page refresh Set the time interval in seconds between each refresh of all
timer webpages of the main server
Check for updates Set the time interval in hours between each main server update
timer check
MC response timer Set the time interval for management controller (RTL8117) to return
status updates to the main server
Hardware sensor Set the time interval in seconds for the hardware sensor to return
interval sensor vaules
Utilization time Set the time interval in seconds for the utilization sensor to return
interval sensor vaules
Agent response Set the time interval in seconds for the agent to query tasks from the
timer main server
Agent Account:
Set the default administrator account and password for client devices if no
administrator account and password were entered when deploying agents. Click
on Save to save the changes made.
Appearance Configuration:
View the version of the main server, as well as customize the banner logo. Click
on Save to save the changes made, or click on Reset to return to the default
banner logo.
Version Displays the version of the main ASUS Control Center Express
server
Banner Logo Click Browse to select and upload a new banner logo. The
banner logo can be viewed in the top left corner of the main
dashboard overview
Ignore MC Descriptor Enable or disable debug mode
Allow Auto Updates Enable / Disable auto updates for the main server
Allow Update Enable / Disable notifications for new updates and update
Notifications statuses.
Update All Clients Click Update to begin updating all client agents
3. Key in the license key and then click on Add Key to register a license for a
single device on ASUS Control Center Express.
2. Enter the required information into the fields, and check Enable the account
in the Active field to enable this account, then click on Save to add this new
account.
2. You may edit the account details, click on Update once you are finished.
The administrator account for ASUS Control Center Express cannot be deleted.
2. Confirm that you wish to delete the account(s), then click Delete.
2. Enter the Role Name and Description for the role, then check the privileges
you want to assign to this role in the Privilege Configuration block.
To edit a role
1. Click on the role you wish to edit.
To delete a role
1. Check the role(s) you wish to delete, then click Delete.
2. Confirm that you wish to delete the account(s), then click Delete.
If there are accounts associated with the role(s) you wish to delete, the
accounts will also be deleted when you delete the role(s). The pop up message
will notify you of the amount of accounts affected by this action.