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Installing the Shopping client

The Shopping client is a module in the 1E Client (formerly named the Tachyon Agent), which provides the following features:

  • Provides a loopback mechanism which allows the Shopping website to retrieve information about the user's computer
  • Windows Servicing Assistant (WSA)

This means all computers from which users will access the Shopping self-service portal must have the 1E Client (or Tachyon Agent) installed with the Shopping module enabled. 

1E is in the process of combining existing 1E client and agent functionality into a single client, which began with the Shopping Agent functionality being included in the Tachyon Agent and will continue with 1E Client 4.1 and beyond.

You do not require a Tachyon license or any Tachyon server infrastructure to use the 1E Client (or Tachyon Agent) if it is only being used for Shopping. If you are already using Tachyon and have 1E Client installed for other reasons, you will only need to reconfigure the agent to enable and configure the Shopping module to implement Shopping.

1E Client installation

Full installation instructions for the 1E Client can be found here: Tachyon 4.1 - Deploying Tachyon clients.

In most cases the 1E Client will be installed silently using a software deployment tool such as Microsoft Configuration Manager. 

If the 1E Client is installed using the interactive installation wizard, the particular installer screen that is relevant to Shopping is shown below:


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Shopping Admin Console settings

On startup, the Shopping client contacts the Shopping Central website to get the appropriate URL to use for the local loopback mechanism. This URL is defined in the Shopping Settings (1E Tachyon Agent loopback URL under Web Application) in the Shopping Admin Console as highlighted below. The default setting is http://localhost:8000/ShoppingCentralAgent/MachineInfo. If you want the agent to use a port other than 8000 for this loopback mechanism, modify the port number in the 1E Client loopback URL in the Shopping settings.

Loopback configuration

Enabling the Shopping module on existing 1E Clients (or Tachyon Agents)

If 1E Client (or Tachyon Agent) has already been deployed without the Shopping module enabled and you now want to enable the Shopping module, please refer to Tachyon 4.1 - Deploying Tachyon Agents: Reconfiguring 1E Client after installation.

Removing the previous 1E Shopping Agent

When the 1E Client starts, if the Shopping module is enabled it checks to see if the 1E Shopping Agent is installed and if so, the 1E Client will attempt to uninstall it. If uninstallation is successful, the 1E Client will enable the Shopping module. If for any reason the Shopping Agent uninstall fails, the 1E Client Shopping module will remain inactive and the 1E Shopping Agent will continue to provide machine information to the Shopping website. The removal of the 1E Shopping Agent will be retried each time the 1E Client starts (if it hasn't been removed by any other method).

Required Deployments of the 1E Shopping Agent

If the 1E Shopping Agent was previously installed in your environment using a Configuration Manager application, it is likely that there is still one or more active, required deployments of the 1E Shopping Agent application. While such deployments exist, Configuration Manager clients will reinstall the 1E Shopping Agent when Application Deployment Evaluation is scheduled. This will start a continual cycle as the 1E Client removes the Shopping Agent and the Configuration Manager client re-installs it. If you are using Configuration Manager applications to install the 1E Shopping Agent and 1E Client, we recommend:

  • define supersedence on the 1E Client application such that the 1E Client application supersedes the Shopping Agent Application
  • delete any required deployments of the 1E Shopping Agent. Alternatively, remove clients from their target collections

This is only necessary if the original Shopping Agent deployment(s) used Configuration Manager applications. If they were originally deployed using Configuration Manager packages, the ConfigMgr client will not automatically reinstall the Shopping Agent if it is uninstalled by the 1E Client. However, it is best practice to delete any Shopping Agent deployments (whether they use applications or packages) once the 1E Client has been deployed and the Shopping module is active.