Run the Agent as a service

The Agent can run in the background and start with the operating system. Run service-management commands from an elevated terminal: Administrator on Windows, or root via sudo on Linux and macOS.

Install and start

Use the Agent executable from the release or package you installed. From its directory:

./printmaster-agent.exe --service install
./printmaster-agent.exe --service start

On Linux or macOS:

sudo ./printmaster-agent --service install
sudo ./printmaster-agent --service start

The service manager controls startup and restarts. The service runs with the operating-system identity configured by the installer or service manager; do not assume it uses a dedicated account. Keep its data and configuration directories accessible only to the service identity and administrators.

Check and manage the service

On Windows, use PowerShell:

Get-Service PrintMasterAgent
./printmaster-agent.exe --service stop
./printmaster-agent.exe --service start

On Linux:

sudo systemctl status PrintMasterAgent
sudo journalctl -u PrintMasterAgent -n 100 --no-pager

On macOS, check the service and recent process logs with the system’s launchctl and Console tools. The Agent data directory is /Library/Application Support/PrintMaster/.

To remove a service, stop it first, then run --service uninstall from the matching installed Agent executable. Do not delete its data directory unless you intend to remove the local Agent identity, settings, and database as well.

Updating an existing Windows service

Raw-binary services installed from another path may need to be migrated to the protected Program Files location before automatic updates can replace the executable. Run --service update as Administrator from the supported raw-binary installation. Do not manually copy over an executable while its service is running. MSI installations use their normal Windows Installer upgrade path; do not mix raw-binary service updates with MSI ownership.

Data and logs

Common service data locations are:

For logs, check the Agent data directory, the operating-system service journal, or the Windows Event Viewer, depending on how the service was installed. See troubleshooting for connection and UI issues.