Linux server management for MSPs

KairosLink manages Linux servers and workstations from the same console it uses for Windows: inventory, installed software, systemd services, processes, monitoring with alerts, scheduled jobs, a remote file explorer, bash commands and full patch management with apt and dnf. The console tells each device's platform apart on its own and shows only what belongs to that operating system.

A purpose-built agent, native and dependency free

The Linux agent is purpose-built and separate from the Windows agent. It is a native binary of about 2.4 MB with no system dependencies: it needs no interpreters, runtimes or extra packages on the customer's server. It installs as a systemd service, runs as root and starts with the machine, so a server reboot never leaves the MSP without visibility.

Enrollment uses an individual credential per device: every server joins the organization with its own credential, not with a secret shared across the fleet. The heartbeat runs every 20 seconds, so the online and offline state in the console reflects what the server is doing in near real time.

Stable device identity, cloned images included

Device identity is based on the hardware UUID, with machine-id as a fallback when that UUID is not available. In a virtualized environment that solves the classic cloned-server problem: every machine identifies as itself and is never confused with the template it came from or with its siblings.

Inventory, software, services and processes

Inventory collects distribution, version, kernel, architecture, CPU, memory and network addresses for each device. Installed software comes from the system's own packages, the same source an administrator queries over SSH.

Services are listed as systemd units with their state, and the console starts, stops and restarts them. Running processes are shown with their memory usage, so you can tell what is eating a server's RAM without opening a session.

Patching with apt and dnf from the same console

Linux patch management is complete: a survey of pending updates, selective or full installation, a security-only mode, live progress during installation, a history of what was installed and detection of a required reboot. When a package asks for a reboot, the reboot is scheduled from the console and can be cancelled.

It works with apt on the Debian family and with dnf on the Red Hat family. The technician does not switch tools or criteria depending on the server's distribution: the same patching screen covers everything, and the agent translates the operation into the right package manager.

The MSP decides when each server updates

KairosLink takes over the system's automatic updates so the MSP is the only one deciding when a server updates. It is configurable per customer: a production database and a desktop workstation do not have to share the same patching window.

Monitoring, scheduled jobs and files

Monitoring covers CPU, memory, disk usage per filesystem, load and uptime, with alerts. Disk usage is measured per filesystem, which is how a Linux server actually fills up: a /var at 98 percent with the rest of the disk empty is an incident, and it shows up as one.

Scheduled jobs cover both cron and systemd timers, the two ways a Linux server runs periodic work. The remote file explorer browses the device's filesystem from the browser, with no terminal session required.

Bash commands and the AI console

The command channel runs bash on the server and returns the full output in UTF-8, with accents and special characters intact. A log in Spanish or a path with non-ASCII characters reads in the console exactly as it does on the server.

The AI command console writes bash for Linux devices: the technician describes what they need, the AI writes the command, the technician reviews it and runs it. Every command is audited with the technician who sent it, the target device, the full content, the output obtained, and the date and time.

Supported distributions

KairosLink supports the main Linux distributions: Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS, Fedora, openSUSE, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Oracle Linux, Amazon Linux, Arch Linux and Alpine. These are the distributions that show up in the infrastructure an MSP manages: web servers, databases, internal applications and virtualized appliances. In every case the agent requires systemd and the x86_64 architecture. Alpine qualifies if it is set up with systemd, since it uses OpenRC by default.

How it installs

Installation is a binary placed on the server and registered as a systemd service with the device credential. There are no repositories to prepare, no dependencies to resolve and no extra packages to install. Once it is done the service starts, the device appears in the console and begins reporting every 20 seconds.

Why it matters to an MSP

Most MSPs run mixed fleets: desktops and file servers on Windows, application, database and web servers on Linux. When those two halves live in different tools, the inventory never adds up, Linux patching stays manual and knowledge of the servers ends up in one person's head.

With Linux in the same console, the MSP gets one device list, one patch history, one command audit trail and one place to look when a customer calls. Each device record shows what belongs to its platform, so the technician never has to remember which tool to open for which server.

Frequently asked questions