TROUBLESHOOTING

Common issues

This page lists the problems that come up most often in Overseer, grouped by area. Each entry starts from what you see and gives the checks in the order most likely to find the cause.

How to use this page

Each entry names a symptom, then lists checks. Work down the list and stop at the first check that fails.

Most problems come from one of four places: the computer cannot reach Overseer, something on the computer blocks the Overseer agent, a deployment does not say what you think it says, or an installer or script fails. If no entry matches, use the method in the Troubleshooting guide.

The agent and its connection

A computer shows as offline

The Overseer agent is the lightweight service Overseer installs on each computer.

Network. Confirm the computer can reach the address of your Overseer instance and that no firewall rule stops the connection.
Agent service. In Windows Services on the computer, the Overseer agent is set to start automatically and should be running. Start it if it has stopped.
Clock. A wrong date or time prevents a secure connection. Correct the clock, then restart the agent service.
Security software. If the agent connects while your security software is paused, add exclusions. See Security software exclusions.
Reinstall. If nothing else helps, remove the agent, restart the computer and install the agent again.

One computer appears twice, or keeps arriving as new

Overseer recognises a computer by a hardware identifier that survives a reinstall of Windows, so a rebuilt computer normally returns to its existing record.

Name. Check that the computer's name is unique and free of unusual characters.
Identification settings. Under Show more, open Preferences and review how new computers are matched to existing records.
Hardware changes. Replacing the main board can change the identifier.
Clones. Virtual computers and copied disks can share one identifier. Overseer then asks you to decide: replace the existing record, which is the usual answer, or keep both.

Maintenance sessions

A session stays pending

A maintenance session is one complete ordered pass over one computer. Pending means the session is waiting. It has not failed.

Offline computer. A session for a computer that cannot be reached waits and resumes when the computer reconnects.
Preflight. A preflight script holds a session while a condition lasts, for example while Windows is installing updates.
Load. Many sessions starting together take longer to begin.
Session record. Open the session and look for connection time-outs.

An installation fails

Installer. Confirm an uploaded installer is still in the Library, or that a download address still answers.
Script. Open the install script in the Script Editor and look for commands that no longer match the installer.
Disk space. Confirm the computer has room for the download and the installation.
Prerequisites. Confirm that anything the software depends on is installed first.
Exit code. The action's log records the installer's exit code and message.

Deployments

A deployment does not apply

When it applies. Saving a deployment changes nothing at that moment. Required applies in every maintenance session, Onboarding once when a computer is first set up, and Ad hoc only when a person runs it.
Target. Confirm the computer falls inside the target. To test, target that single computer.
Desired state. Updated if Found never installs fresh, so nothing happens on a computer that lacks the software.
Another deployment. Another deployment for the same item may be the one that wins on this computer.
Run it. Open the computer, press Run maintenance and watch the session.

Two deployments compete for one item

Overseer applies one deployment for a given software item or task to a computer. Mixed versions across a client point to competing deployments.

Find them all. List every deployment for the item, then remove or merge the ones you do not need.
One task, several uses. To run one task several times with different settings, for example to map three shared drives, copy the task once for each drive and deploy the copies.
Order. Where one item must be handled before another, set that in deployment ordering.

Integrations

Computers from your remote management tool do not appear

Credentials. Confirm the credentials are correct and the account behind them has the permissions the integration needs.
Client mapping. Confirm each client in the other tool is mapped to a tenant, and that no filter leaves the computers out.
Health. Under Show more, open Integrations. An unhealthy integration lists what is wrong. Edit it and resolve each point.
Synchronise again. Synchronise by hand and watch for rate limits and time-outs.

Your PSA integration is unhealthy

Check the credentials, then the permissions of the account in your PSA. Missing or out-of-date agreement details usually mean the account cannot read them.

Performance

Sessions take a long time

Network. Check the connection between the computer and your Overseer instance, above all for large installers.
The computer. Watch processor, memory and disk use during a session.
Timing. Spread scheduled work across maintenance windows and away from the busiest hours.
Scripts. Find the slowest action. Split a long script into smaller tasks.

The agent uses a lot of processor or memory

Note when it happens. A spike during one action points to that action's script. Confirm that the computer runs the current agent.

Next steps

Troubleshooting guideWhere to look first when something goes wrong, and how to narrow it down. Security software exclusionsWhy security software can stop the agent, and which exclusions to add. System statusLive counters that show how your Overseer instance is working.

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