KACE generally works best when installed as part of the initial setup process. If it’s included in the base image and that base image is rolled out to x number of devices, you know that the KACE agent will eventually check-in with your appliance. Then you’ll have a complete inventory of workstations.

Installed after-the-fact is when it gets a bit trickier. The preferred method is to have a GPO install it for you. This works fairly well if your users are 1) always connected to the network and 2) reboot from time to time and 3) the computers are in the correct OU (or the GPO is applied to the correct OU…). But this isn’t always the case – and even still there are instances in which the stars just don’t all align.

Then there is Covid/Remote work. Computer GPO and startup-based-User-GPOs just don’t work well with the current on-prem Domain Controllers and remote workforce. Ok, enough about this, let’s get onto how!

Enter PSExec, the tried and true remote management tool. This assumes you have administrative permissions to access the remote system AND that the remote system is somehow connected to your network (via VPN).

Remotely Connect to workstation
psexec \\computername powershell.exe
mkdir c:\kace
Copy KACE Agent to the remote workstation
cp \\yourkaceservername\client\agent_provisioning\windows_platform\ampagent-9.1.204-x86.msi c:\kace\
Run the MSI quietly
cd c:\kace
msiexec.exe /i ampagent-9.1.204-x86.msi host=fqdn.of.kace.server.tld nohooks=1 /qn
exit

If the computer is NOT running a recent version of powershell – looking at you Windows 7 – you’ll have to replace powershell.exe with cmd.exe. And since cmd.exe doesn’t support UNC paths you’ll have to use net use to mount the drives as a letter and then copy that way. Or just start > run > \\computername\c$, and manually copy to the c:\kace directory.

Another way is via the Windows Admin Center (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/deploy/install), Add the computer with required credentials, then launch PowerShell on the left-side panel.

I also found a few workstations that had a fully configured KACE agent installed but just refused to collect and send inventory information. In that case I ran a manual check:

c:\program files (x86)\quest\kace\runkbot 1 0
c:\program files (x86)\quest\kace\runkbot 4 0