Overview

You may experience an issue with the GFIAgent on your Kerio Connect server. The GFIAgent might be repeatedly attempting to log in as a user named .CloudAdmin, causing significant load on the server.

Another instance where this article is handy is if you are not using the GFI AppManager integration and you simply wish to disable the GFIAgent.

Information

As indicated in the Kerio Connect 10.0.2 Release Notes, this version (along with subsequent ones) implement GFI AppManager support. The integration relies on a few items in order to work:

1. The .Cloudadmin account is special local account that is used by the Kerio appliance to facilitate the communication with GFI AppManager (What is the .CloudAdmin account in the Kerio logs?
2. The GFI Agent log, where the integration logs are found (What is the Agent Log in Kerio Connect?)
3. And the tailscale process (running by default from /usr/local/gfiagent/tailscaled) which facilitates the actual connection between your Kerio Connect appliance and GFI AppManager.

Solution

To disable the GFIAgent on your Kerio Connect server, follow these steps, depending on the host OS where Kerio Connect server is installed.

For Windows

• Access Services, locate the GFIAgent service, right-click on it, go to Properties, and set the Startup Type to Disabled.
  
• Then, right-click on it, and select Stop.

For Linux

• Launch Linux terminal
• Execute the command sudo systemctl stop gfiagent to stop the service 
• Execute sudo systemctl disable gfiagent to prevent it from starting during boot.

For macOS

• • Launch macOS terminal
  • Execute command sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/gfiagent.plist to stop the service
  • Execute command sudo launchctl bootout system /Library/LaunchDaemons/gfiagent.plist to disable it from starting during boot

Please note that disabling GFIAgent may affect functionalities such as remote management, so exercise caution when performing these steps.

FAQ

1. What is the GFIAgent on Kerio Connect server?
   GFIAgent is a service that is used by GFIAppManager in Kerio Connect 10.0.2 and later.
2. How can I disable the GFIAgent on my server?
   You can disable the GFIAgent by stopping and disabling the service at OS level and preventing it from starting in Kerio Connect.
3. What are the potential impacts of disabling the GFIAgent?
   Disabling the GFIAgent will prevent the usage of GFI AppManager.