Windows Task Worker Installer Guide

Component: Diskover Task Worker (Windows)
Deployment Method: Windows Installer (Diskover-2.6.0.exe)
Platform: Windows 10+ / Windows Server 2019+
Version: 2.6.0+

Overview

The Diskover Task Worker is the Windows component that runs the diskoverd scanner daemon on a Windows machine. It enables Windows-based scanning and task execution as part of your Diskover deployment.

This guide walks you through installing the Diskover Task Worker on Windows using the Diskover-2.6.0.exe installer. The installer bundles Python and all required packages (no internet access needed), installs the Diskover build, and registers diskoverd as a native Windows service — as of 2.6.0 there is no separate service manager (NSSM has been removed).

When to use this guide:

• You are adding a Windows-based worker/scanner node to an existing Diskover environment

• Your scan targets are Windows file systems (CIFS/SMB shares, local NTFS volumes)

Dependencies:

• A running Diskover environment (Elasticsearch, Diskover Admin, Diskover Web) must already be deployed and accessible from the Windows machine

• The Windows worker registers with Diskover Admin via the Diskover Web URL provided during installation

Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

Credentials

Installation — Fresh Install

Step 1: Run the Installer

Launch Diskover-2.6.0.exe as an administrator and follow the installation wizard.

Step 2: Provide the Diskover Web URL and Internal API Key

The Diskover Task Worker Configuration page asks for:

• Diskover Web URL — the URL of your existing Diskover Web UI (e.g. http://<web-host>:8000 or https://diskover.example.com). The worker uses it to register with Diskover Admin and fetch its configuration (Elasticsearch connection details, scan settings, etc.).

• Diskover Internal API Key — the DISKOVER_INTERNAL_API_KEY value from your Diskover server.

Important: the API key can be left blank (the installer warns and lets you continue), but without it the Task Worker cannot authenticate to the Diskover Admin API and will fail its license check on startup. Enter it here, or add it to the service environment later (see Troubleshooting).

Step 3: Choose the Service Account

The Service Account page controls which identity the diskoverd service runs under:

• Run service as LocalSystem (default) — no credentials needed.

• Or uncheck it and enter a specific account (DOMAIN\username or .\localusername) and password — use this when the worker must scan network shares that LocalSystem cannot reach. The installer grants the account the "Log on as a service" right automatically.

You can change the account later via Services (services.msc) → diskoverd → Log On tab.

Step 4: Wait for Installation to Complete

The installer performs the following actions automatically:

1. Installs Python 3.13.14 (bundled — no download) for all users into the vendored path C:\Program Files\Diskover\python, and adds it to the system PATH

2. Installs pip packages offline from the bundled wheel set (no PyPI access needed), then runs the pywin32 post-install so the Python service host is registered correctly

3. Installs the Diskover build to C:\Program Files\Diskover\

4. Creates the machine-wide config and log directories under C:\ProgramData\diskoverd\ (config.yaml, logs\) and writes your Web URL into config.yaml

5. Registers the native Windows service diskoverd (start type Automatic; auto-restart on failure 3 times at 60-second intervals) under the account you chose

6. Sets the service environment (registry Environment value on the diskoverd service): PYTHONPATH, DISKOVERDDIR=C:\ProgramData\diskoverd, and your DISKOVER_INTERNAL_API_KEY

Install log: the installer writes install\diskover_install.log (plus python_install.log) into the folder you ran the installer from — check there if anything fails. Run the installer from a writable local folder, not a read-only network share.

Post-Installation Configuration

Step 1: Start the Service

The installer registers the service but you start it the first time (Administrator PowerShell):

Start-Service diskoverd
# or: sc.exe start diskoverd

Step 2: Verify Service Startup

Get-Service diskoverd

# Diskover worker log (log directory is configured in Diskover Admin)
Get-Content -Path "C:\ProgramData\diskoverd\logs\diskoverd_subproc_$env:COMPUTERNAME.log" -Tail 25 -Wait

If the service fails to start, check Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application for events from the diskoverd / Python service source.

Step 3: Configure the Worker in Diskover Admin

1. Navigate to Diskover Admin > Configuration > DiskoverD — your Windows hostname should appear

2. Click the hostname and review: Log To File enabled, Log Directory C:\ProgramData\diskoverd\logs\, Python Location C:\Program Files\Diskover\python\python.exe, Timezone

3. Save

Configuration

The config directory is machine-wide: the service finds it through the DISKOVERDDIR environment variable set on the service, regardless of which account the service runs as. (This replaces the per-user %APPDATA%\diskoverd\ location used by 2.4.x–2.5.x installers.)

Most Diskover worker configuration (Elasticsearch connection, scan settings, etc.) is managed centrally through Diskover Admin. The worker retrieves these settings automatically via the Diskover Web URL provided during installation.

Note: If you need to change the Diskover Web URL after installation, edit C:\ProgramData\diskoverd\config.yaml and restart the service.

Service Management

The Diskover Task Worker runs as a native Windows service named diskoverd — manage it with standard Windows tooling (Administrator prompt):

The service is set to start automatically at boot and to restart itself on failure (3 attempts, 60 seconds apart).

Verification

Troubleshooting

For deeper troubleshooting (manual scans, dependency reinstalls, log management), see Windows: Diskoverd Task-Worker in the Troubleshooting section.

Key File & Directory Locations

Support

• https://support.diskoverdata.com

• https://support.diskoverdata.com/hc/en-us

When submitting a support ticket, include:

• Diskover version and Windows Task Worker installer version

• Windows OS version (winver)

• Service status output (Get-Service diskoverd)

• The installer log (install\diskover_install.log next to the installer) for install-time issues

• Worker logs from C:\ProgramData\diskoverd\logs\

• The service Log On account configuration