Device configuration profiles
Device configuration profiles is a centralized approach to managing device-specific Collector configuration from the Nexthink platform.
You define profiles, assign devices using NQL-based rules, configure settings for each profile, and save. The platform automatically pushes the configuration to every compatible device.
Devices that do not match a custom profile fall back to the default profile. You can configure the default profile and create as many custom profiles as you need. Every device matches either a custom profile or the default, so each one is always governed by a configuration you define.
Device configuration profiles apply to devices running Collector version 26.5 and above.
Accessing device configuration profiles
To navigate to the Device configuration profiles page:
Select Administration > Data management from the main menu.
Select the Device configuration profiles tab.
The tab shows all your profiles, each as a column of settings. The default profile is always the right-most column, marked with a Default tag. You start with this profile alone and add more as needed.
Overview
Initially, the page contains one profile that applies to all compatible devices. Create additional profiles only when a group of devices requires different settings, such as for privacy or compliance. Refer to the Managing device configuration profiles section on this page.
The Device configuration profiles page displays your profiles as a grid:
Each profile is a column. Profiles are ordered left to right, with the default profile always in the right-most column.
Each setting is a row. Settings are grouped by area into collapsible sections.
Each cell, where a profile column meets a setting row, holds the configuration of that setting for that profile.
Below each profile name, the page shows the number of devices assigned to the profile. This count is the result of the following NQL query:
Managing settings
Each setting starts from the Nexthink-recommended default. Click a setting name to read what it does, including the impact of turning it on or off.
Each area shows a status tag per profile:
Fully set up: every setting in the area has been configured.
Not set up: the setting value has not been configured and keeps its default value.
When Nexthink adds a new setting, it appears with its recommended default and an Enable on {date} tag. The new setting is not applied until that date or until you next save the configuration, whichever comes first.
Managing device configuration profiles
You start with a single default profile, and create more profiles as needed.
Select Manage device configuration profiles in the top-right corner to add and order profiles.
This page shows all your device configuration profiles in the order they are applied, with the number of devices assigned to each and when each was last modified. A device receives the first profile it matches, and any device that matches none falls back to the default profile, which is always last.
Creating a new profile
Select Add new device configuration profile to create a new profile.
Configure the following :
Copy configuration profile settings from: select an existing profile to copy its settings and its NQL query into the Device assignment field.
Name: enter a meaningful name for the profile.
Device assignment: define the NQL query that returns the devices for this profile.
We recommend keeping the number of profiles low to reduce management overhead. Group devices that need the same settings into a single profile.
To keep devices from moving between profiles unexpectedly, base the assignment NQL query on attributes you set deliberately, such as collector.string_tag.
You can also use any other device field, such as organization or location.
Modifying existing profiles
Hover over a profile name in the list to reveal the action menu.
Use it to:
Edit the profile: change the name or amend the NQL query.
Delete the profile: devices previously assigned to it are reassigned to the next profile they match, or to the default profile if none.
Change the priority order: select Move up or Move down to move the profile in the evaluation order.
You cannot delete or move the default profile; it always applies last.
Evaluation order
A device can have only one configuration profile at a time. Profiles are evaluated from first to last. A device is assigned to the first profile whose assignment query it matches, and the default profile always applies last to any device that matches none.
Order your profiles from the most specific to the most general. Because only the first match applies, a broad profile placed too high captures devices that belong to a narrower one, which is then never reached.
Example: You might have an Executives profile that restricts data collection and a broader EMEA profile. An executive based in EMEA matches both.
If EMEA is listed first, the executive receives the EMEA configuration and never reaches the Executives profile.
Place Executives above EMEA so that executives get the restrictive settings, other EMEA devices get the regional settings, and everything else falls back to the default.
Saving and applying configuration
Changes are not applied automatically. Review your profiles and settings, then select Save configuration. You are asked to confirm before the changes take effect.
Once you save, the configuration can take up to two hours to apply, and devices must be online to receive it.
The configuration applies only to devices running Collector version 26.5 and later. Devices on earlier versions keep their previous configuration until they upgrade to a compatible version, at which point they receive the configuration for their profile.
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