Installing the Pulse Agent

Overview

The Pulse Agent is a lightweight Windows service that reads your iVend database and pushes operational metrics to Pulse cloud. It requires no changes to your iVend installation and uses less than 100MB of memory.

Prerequisites

• Operating system: Windows Server 2016 or later
• Runtime: .NET Framework 4.5.2 or later (pre-installed on most Windows Servers)
• Database: Read access to the iVend SQL Server database
• Network: Outbound HTTPS (port 443) to pulse.ivend.com
• Disk space: 50MB for the agent installation
• Pulse account: An active Pulse account with an install token

Step 1: Get your install token

After signing up for Pulse, you'll receive an install token on the onboarding page. This token links the agent to your Pulse account. You can also find it under Account → Agent in the portal.

Step 2: Download the installer

Download the agent installer (PulseAgent-Setup-x.x.x.exe, approximately 15MB) from the install page linked in your onboarding email or from the portal.

Step 3: Run the installer

1. Right-click the installer and select Run as administrator
2. Accept the license agreement
3. Enter your install token when prompted
4. Enter the SQL Server connection string for your iVend database (the installer will test the connection)
5. Click Install — the agent installs and starts as a Windows service

Step 4: Verify

After installation, verify the agent is running:

• Open Windows Services (services.msc) and confirm Pulse Agent is running
• Log in to Pulse — within 60 seconds, your dashboard should show live data
• Check the agent status indicator on the Command Center page

Firewall rules

The agent only needs outbound HTTPS (port 443). No inbound ports are required. If your server uses a proxy, configure the proxy settings in the agent's config.json file located in the installation directory.

Troubleshooting

For detailed setup guidance, see How It Works.