Set Workstation Agent elevation during installation

Note: Applicable to Workstation Agent v25.12.11.1628 and above.

OpenLM Workstation Agent can be configured to ask for elevated privileges (Administrator rights) when running under a user that has them or to run under the standard user context (non-elevated). This configuration is determined during installation via the installer property RUN_AS_ELEVATED or by modifying the settings.json file post-installation.

Configuration

With installer

1. Using the installer UI:

   
   • Parameter: RUN_AS_ELEVATED=true/false
   • Example:

msiexec/i "MSIPATH" AUTHORIZATION_TYPE="1" AUTHORIZATION_FILE_PATH="JSONFILEPATH" SERVER_ADDRESS=OpenLMServerFQDN SERVER_PORT=5015 USE_ENDUSERS_SERVICES=true ENDUSERS_SERVICES_ADDRESS=OpenLMServerFQDN ENDUSERS_SERVICES_PORT=53555 USE_APP_MANAGER=true APPMANAGER_ADDRESS=OpenLMServerFQDN APPMANAGER_PORT=27080 INSTALL_ARCGIS="1" INSTALL_AUTOCAD="1" INSTALL_MATLAB="1" INSTALL_SOLIDWORKS="1" INSTALL_ARCGISPRO="1" RUN_AS_ELEVATED=false /q

When unspecified, RUN_AS_ELEVATED defaults to true.

Silent installation: first-run behavior

When performing a silent installation with runAsElevated=false, the Workstation Agent is configured not to prompt for elevated permissions. The Workstation Agent's initial run behavior depends on the deployment method:

1. Installation via elevated command prompt (installer run manually as admin, e.g., via msiexec):
   • First run: launches immediately with Elevated (Admin) privileges for this session only.
   • Subsequent runs: after a reboot, re-login, or manual restart, it reverts to Non-Elevated as configured.
2. Installation via SCCM (System Account):
   • First run: the Workstation Agent does not automatically start under the current user account immediately after installation.
   • Subsequent runs: starts automatically the next time the user logs in (or manually launches it), running as a Non-Elevated process.

There is no UAC prompt in either case.

Via configuration file (settings.json)

You can toggle elevation in the Workstation Agent installation directory via permissions.runAsElevated.

• Key: permissions -> runAsElevated
• Value: true (allow the Agent to request elevation) or false (run as standard user)

Example configuration:

{
  "process": {
    "processSyncInterval": 2000,
    "trackingMs": 30000
  },
  "permissions": {
    "runAsElevated": true
  },
  "security": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

Feature availability by privilege level

The functionality of the Workstation Agent depends on the combination of the Workstation Agent's privilege level and the target application's privilege level.

Workstation Agent state	Target application state	Feature support
Elevated	Any (Elevated or Non-Elevated)	Full support
Non-Elevated	Non-Elevated	Full support
Non-Elevated	Elevated	Partial support (see details below)

Limitations: Non-Elevated Agent vs. Elevated process

When a Non-Elevated Workstation Agent interacts with an Elevated process, access to some process information is restricted:

• Command line argument parsing: command-line arguments cannot be read. Impact: Application Manager rules that rely on specific start arguments will not trigger.
• Process suspension: cannot suspend the process, and minimizing the window before suspension is not supported.
• WM extensions: Catia, Harmony, Kingdom, Petra.

Supported features (Non-Elevated Workstation Agent vs. Elevated process)

• Web monitoring
• Dongle monitoring
• Process management, including:
  • Resource monitoring: CPU usage, I/O usage, user usage.
  • Idle time tracking: process idle time and user-specific idle time.
  • Process path: executable location is available.
  • Release by extension
  • Process termination: via Workstation Agent procedure or Applications Manager.
  • Screenshots of the monitored process (when enabled)