# Installing Collector

Depending on your current infrastructure, you must decide which endpoint agent applies to your organization, and which configuration, installation and deployment methods you can use to ensure the most convenient process. The following sections help you choose the correct installation path.

Read the following sections to learn which endpoint agent applies to your infrastructure and endpoint devices.

## Considerations

The following aspects play a key role in installing an endpoint agent:

* The installation scenario
* The scale and type of your infrastructure
* The operating system running on your endpoint devices
* The installation tools you use in your environment

The following sections explain these considerations and dependencies.

## Installation path overview

The following image shows on a high level the steps and decisions you must take along the path. Each step is described in detail in the following sections.

{% @mermaid/diagram content="%%{ init : { "theme" : "default", "flowchart" : { "curve" : "linear" }}}%%

flowchart TD
scenario{Installation
scenario?} --> |Initial setup| scale{Infrastructure
scale, type, and
operating system?}
scale --> |Small setup or specific cases, PoV
Unmanaged or managed IT environment| manual\[Manual installation]
scale --> |Medium to large setup
Managed IT environments| auto\[Automated installation with tools]
scenario --> |Updating an existing setup| existing{Installation
method?}
existing --> |Automated update| automatedNX\[Automated update by Nexthink]
existing --> |Complete reinstallation| scale" %}

## Installation scenario

Consider which of the following installation scenarios applies to your case:

* **Initial setup**, where you are configuring and installing endpoint agents for the first time → Continue with identifying your [infrastructure scale, operating system, and type](#infrastructure-scaleoperating-system-and-type).
* **Updating an existing setup**, where you are only modifying existing installations → Choose one of the following installation methods:
  * Use the recommended automated update feature powered by Nexthink.
  * Rely on the same installation method used for the initial setup.

Continue by identifying your infrastructure scale and type in the next section.

## Infrastructure scale and type

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Identify the scale of your environment**

* **Small-scale setup** or specific cases, such as proof-of-concept scenarios and unmanaged environments; typically, this use case involves only a few endpoint devices, where a manual installation is feasible.
* **Medium to large-scale setup**, such as managed IT environments; this use case involves infrastructures with hundreds or thousands of endpoint devices, where a consistent, automated installation is necessary.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Identify the type of your environment**

* Small-scale setups can include:
  * **Unmanaged non-virtual infrastructures**, where all endpoint devices connect to a non-virtual environment and proof-of-concept scenarios for medium to large-scale managed IT infrastructures → Install **Nexthink Collector** manually on endpoint devices.
  * **Personal or self-managed** employee devices connecting to a managed virtual infrastructure → Install **Nexthink VDI Client Extension** on endpoint devices.
* Medium to large-scale setups can include:
  * **Managed non-virtual infrastructure**, where all endpoint devices connect to a non-virtual environment → Deploy **Nexthink Collector** on endpoint devices.
  * **Managed virtual infrastructure**, where all endpoint devices connect to VMs in a virtual environment → Deploy **Nexthink Collector** on endpoint devices and VMs.
  * **Managed hybrid infrastructure**, where some endpoint devices connect to a non-virtual environment and others to VMs in a virtual environment → Deploy **Nexthink Collector** on endpoint devices and VMs.
    {% endstep %}
    {% endstepper %}

Continue by identifying your operating system in the next section.

## Operating system

Continue by reading the relevant documentation for your installation scenario according to the operating system in your infrastructure.

If your infrastructure has both Windows and macOS devices, or for example, both company-managed and self-managed devices, you must complete all relevant installation and deployment paths.

### Windows

* Nexthink Collector:
  * [Manual installation](https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/configuring_nexthink/bringing-data-into-your-nexthink-instance/deploying-nexthink-in-non-vdi-environment/installing-collector-on-windows#installingcollectoronwindows-installingcollectoronasingledevice-1)
  * [Automated installation with tools](https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/configuring_nexthink/bringing-data-into-your-nexthink-instance/deploying-nexthink-in-non-vdi-environment/installing-collector/installing-collector-on-windows)
* VDI Client Extension [installation](https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/configuring_nexthink/bringing-data-into-your-nexthink-instance/deploying-nexthink-in-vdi-environment/installing-the-nexthink-vdi-client-extension)

### macOS

Nexthink Collector [manual and automated installation](https://docs.nexthink.com/platform/configuring_nexthink/bringing-data-into-your-nexthink-instance/deploying-nexthink-in-non-vdi-environment/installing-collector/installing-collector-on-macos)