Connection Manager

The Connection Manager is a component that enables the secure connection of a vendor's remote support agent to a target customer environment through the CPAM server. The purpose of establishing secure connections is to facilitate the resolution of issues or the installation of files that are otherwise unavailable to a target system.

The Connection Manager creates the connection between vendor support agents and target customers through the same SSH tunneling of the Gatekeeper installed in the target customer’s device. With this tunneling, the Connection Manager enables vendor support agents to aid while also creating detailed logs of the support agent activities in the target customer’s environment.

Use this document to install the Connection Manager.

Requirements

To download and install the Connection Manager, CPAM users must have access to the following:

  • Internet Connectivity: You must have a stable connection to download the Connection Manager. Internet connection is also necessary to initiate remote secure connections known as sessions.

Install the Connection Manager

Install the Connection Manager with the following steps.

  1. Click Connect for the Gatekeeper you want to access.

  2. Select Download and Run Connection Manager.
    Your browser downloads the ConnectionManager file.

    NOTE: Some browsers may not identify the download and flag it as dangerous. Ensure you have system administrator privileged and download the file anyway.

  3. Open the file that downloads from your browser.

  4. Click Start Connection if the session does not start automatically.
    You are redirected to the Active Session page.

  5. Locate the Service you want to run and select the client you want to run it with.
    NOTE: Consider that Imprivata Clients enable credential injection; while Microsoft Clients do not support credential injection, but provide greater compatibility.

Each Connection Manager is linked to the Gatekeeper from which it was downloaded. Ensure that you keep track of which Connection Manager belongs to which customer.

NOTE:

Each user can run only one instance of the Connection Manager at a time.

If a user tries to open a new Connection Manager session while another session is active, the system prevents the new session from starting and keeps the existing session active.

Run the Connection Manager

After you install the Connection Manager, you can now start audited sessions with your customer. To run the Connection Manager:

  1. Open your customer’s Gatekeeper.

  2. Click Connect.

    The Sessions page loads in your web browser with your customer’s active session.

  3. Use the Connection Manager with the following built-in services:

    • Desktop Sharing opens a pop up of your customer’s computer for you to provide support.

    • File Transfer enables you to transfer documents, files, and applications to your customer’s computer.

To create additional services to run with the Connection Manager, read the Services documentation.

Session Logs

The Session Manager saves logs of all the activity during a session. To download and view the logs, you must be a System Administrator or have the relevant permissions in a custom role.

View the session logs with the following steps:

  1. Open the Admin Console.

  2. Open the History tab.

    • Review the server's entire history in Connection History.

    • Review your personal history in My Connection History.

Log Files

In the latest version of the Connection Manager, all layers write to a single log file named connection-manager.log. The location of this file depends on the Operating System (OS). In environments running earlier releases, log files might still be located in legacy paths. See the table below for the legacy and current log file locations.

Component Old Path New Path (since 2026.2)
UCM (Windows) C:\Users\<username>\connection.manager.log C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Connection Manager\Logs\connection-manager.log
Windows Clients C:\Users\<username>\rsswinlog.txt C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Connection Manager\Logs\rsswinlog.txt
Quick-Connect Windows C:\Users\<username>\rsswinlog.txt C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Quick Connect\Logs\quick-connect.txt
UCM (MacOs) ~/connection-manager.log ~/Library/Logs/Connection Manager/connection-manager.log
MacOs IP Connect ~/ip_connect.log ~/Library/Logs/IPConnect/ip_connect.log
MacOs Cert Installer ~/*cert-installer*.log ~/Library/Logs/Connection Manager/*cert-installer*.log
UCM (Linux) ~/.connection-manager.log ~/.local/state/connection-manager/logs/connection-manager.log (or $XDG_STATE_HOME/connection-manager/logs/connection-manager.log)
Quick-Connect Linux ~/securelink-quick-connect.log ~/.local/state/quick-connect/logs/securelink-quick-connect.log (or $XDG_STATE_HOME/quick-connect/logs/securelink-quick-connect.log)
Note:$XDG_STATE_HOME is an environment variable that defaults to ~/.local/state if not set.

Each Operating System (OS) also has a different staging folder:

  • Windows: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\ConnectionManager

  • MacOS:~/Library/Application Support/ConnectionManager ​​

  • Linux: ~/.connection-manager ​

The Connection Manager creates a separate log per layer, as shown in the following table:

Layer Location by Operating System (OS)
Native Component (including the Java wrapper)

  • Windows: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\rsswinlog.txt.dbg

  • MacOS: ~/com.securelink.scmmac %timestamp%.log

  • Linux: ~/securelink-connection-manager.log

Java Connectivity Library

  • Windows: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\sdccmlog.txt.dbg​

  • MacOS: ~/sdccmlog.txt.dbg​

  • Linux: ~/sdccmlog.txt.dbg
GK Session Handler

  • Windows: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\sdclog%SESSION%.txt.dbg

  • MacOS: ~/sdclog%SESSION%.txt.dbg

  • Linux: ~/sdclog%SESSION%.txt.dbg

Each Operating System (OS) also has a different staging folder:

  • Windows: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\SecureLink\SLinkSW

  • MacOS:~/Library/Application Support/SLinkSW ​​

  • Linux: ~/.SLinkSW ​ ​​