TNI 6.6: Resident agents for macOS, Linux and FreeBSD

Hey there, we’ve got something interesting to share.

Today we’re rolling out a long-awaited addition to Total Network Inventory: resident agent modes for macOS, Linux and FreeBSD. Until now, the resident agent approach was available primarily for Windows fleets, but starting with this release, you can bring the same “install once, scan on schedule” workflow to your Unix estate as well.

Why resident mode on Unix matters?

Resident agents perform scans locally on each node according to the set schedule. That brings a few practical wins:

• Less traffic, less waiting. The only thing moving over the wire is the inventory result, not the agent itself each time. No central “pull” scan is required from TNI.
• Great for roaming devices. Laptops and remote hosts that rarely meet your on-prem network can still run on time and drop results where you expect them.
• Decentralized and resilient. If one node is offline, others keep scanning on their own schedule.

In short: fewer moving parts during scan windows and better coverage for machines that live outside the office.

A word about Linux distros (aka “the zoo”)

We’ve designed the Unix agent to be as compatible as possible across popular distributions and FreeBSD. Still, the Linux world is… diverse. Some lesser-known distros may behave differently out of the box. If you hit an oddity, please send us a note with details – we’ll prioritize adding or refining support quickly in upcoming updates. Your feedback has shaped many of our recent releases, and we truly appreciate it.

Quality-of-life improvements

We also shipped a bunch of updates around the Scheduler and data transfers:

• More ways to store & send scheduled storage backups. You can now choose additional transfer methods for automated backups.
• One-click access to SMB paths right from task lists – jump straight to the specified location without digging through menus.

And by popular demand, Snapshot details is back in Viewer & reports – now as a separate category – so you can quickly drill into the exact fields you missed.

That’s the big picture. The full changelog with all additions, improvements, and fixes is right here – have a look.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with the new Unix resident agents.