Windows Task Worker Installer Guide

Component: Diskover Task Worker (Windows)
Deployment Method: Windows Installer (Diskover-v2.x.x.exe)
Platform: Windows 10+ / Windows Server 2019+
Version: 2.4.0+

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-v2.x.x.exe installer. The installer automates the installation of Python, required pip packages, the Diskover build, and the NSSM service manager — which runs diskoverd as a Windows service.

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

Pre-Installation Setup

Disable Windows App Execution Aliases for Python

By default, Windows binds the python.exe and python3.exe commands to the Microsoft Store. Even if Python is already installed manually, running python will redirect you to the Store instead of executing the installed Python binary. The installer installs Python manually, so this setting must be disabled before running the installer.

1. Open the Windows search bar and search for "Manage App Execution Aliases"

2. Find python.exe and python3.exe in the list

3. Set both to Off

Why this matters: If these aliases remain enabled, the installer's Python commands will be intercepted by Windows and fail silently or redirect to the Microsoft Store.

Installation — Fresh Install

Step 1: Run the Installer

Launch Diskover-v2.x.x.exe as an administrator and follow the installation wizard.

Important: Pay attention to which user account is running the installer. The installer installs Python and configures paths for the user running it. If you authenticate as a different admin user via the UAC prompt, the paths will be set for that user instead. This matters for NSSM service configuration later (see Post-Installation Configuration).

Step 2: Provide the Diskover Web URL

During the wizard, you will be prompted for the Diskover Web URL. This is the URL of your existing Diskover Web UI — it allows the worker to register with the Diskover Admin service and fetch its configuration (Elasticsearch connection details, scan settings, etc.).

Enter the URL in the format: http://<web-host-ip> or https://<ssl_domain>

Step 3: Wait for Installation to Complete

The installer performs the following actions automatically:

1. Creates installation directories:

   • C:\Program Files\Diskover\ — main Diskover build directory

   • %APPDATA%\diskoverd\ — configuration directory (e.g., C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\diskoverd\)

2. Installs Python 3.12.0:

   • Downloads Python3.12.0.exe into C:\Program Files\Diskover\

   • Installs Python silently (/quiet) for the current user only (InstallAllUsers=0)

   • Adds Python to the system PATH (PrependPath=1)

3. Installs pip packages:

   • Ensures pip is available and up to date

   • Installs all dependencies from the bundled requirements.txt

4. Installs NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) v2.24:

   • Downloads and extracts NSSM into C:\Program Files\Diskover\

   • Adds the NSSM binary to the system PATH

   • NSSM binary path: C:\Program Files\Diskover\nssm-2.24\nssm-2.24\win64\

5. Creates the Diskover Windows service:

   • Creates a batch file at C:\Program Files\Diskover\diskoverd-win-service.bat containing:

     python "C:\Program Files\Diskover\diskoverd.py" -n %COMPUTERNAME%

   • Registers the service with NSSM:

     nssm.exe install diskover "C:\Program Files\Diskover\diskoverd-win-service.bat"

   • Configures service logging:

     nssm.exe set diskover AppStdout "C:\Program Files\Diskover\logs\service-start-log"
     nssm.exe set diskover AppStderr "C:\Program Files\Diskover\logs\service-start-error-log"

Note: The installer also creates a temporary build directory under C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\<number>\<.tmp-staging-directory>\ which holds diskover-2.x.x.zip and requirements.txt. This directory is accessible until you click "Finish" in the wizard, in case you need to inspect its contents. Once “Finish” has been clicked, this temporary directory is removed.

Post-Installation Configuration

Step 1: Bind the NSSM Service to a User Account

After the installer finishes, you need to bind the Diskover service to a Windows user account. This determines which user context the diskoverd service runs under.

Open a PowerShell or Command Prompt as administrator and run:

# Check which user you are logged in as
whoami

# Open the NSSM service editor for the diskover service
nssm edit diskover

In the NSSM editor:

1. Navigate to the Log On tab

2. Select This Account

3. Enter the output of the whoami command as the username

4. Enter the account password

5. Click Edit Service to save

Important — %APPDATA% path alignment: The installer places the diskoverd\config.yaml configuration file in the %APPDATA% folder of the user who ran the installer. If you configure NSSM to run the service as a different user (or as the Local System Account), the service will not find the configuration file. In that case, you must copy the diskoverd folder from the original user's %APPDATA%\Roaming\ to the correct user's %APPDATA%\Roaming\ directory.

Step 2: Start the Service

nssm start diskover

Step 3: Verify Service Startup

Tail the service startup logs to confirm diskoverd is running:

# Service startup logs
Get-Content -Path "C:\Program Files\Diskover\logs\service-start-error.log" -Tail 25 -Wait

# Diskover application logs
Get-Content -Path "C:\Program Files\Diskover\logs\diskoverd_subproc_$env:COMPUTERNAME.log" -Tail 25 -Wait

Configuration

The Diskover Task Worker has a single configuration file:

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 the config.yaml file directly and restart the service.

Service Management

The Diskover Task Worker runs as a Windows service managed by NSSM.

Verification

Troubleshooting

Log File Locations

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)

• NSSM service status output (nssm status diskover)

• Service startup and error logs from C:\Program Files\Diskover\logs\

• Diskover application logs

• How the Application and Log On tabs are configured