This article explains how the Snow Inventory Agent installs and manages Cloud App Metering components, based on key configuration settings:

• saas.all_managed
• saas.[browser].enabled (like saas.edge.enabled, saas.chrome.enabled)

It covers how these settings affect the installation of browser extensions, native hosts, and rule files, and outlines typical deployment scenarios.

How the agent handles Cloud App Metering

The Snow Inventory Agent runs every 3–5 minutes on Windows and macOS. Its behavior depends on your Cloud App Metering configuration:

• If .crule or .rules files are detected and a browser setting (like saas.edge.enabled) is enabled, the agent:
• Installs the appropriate browser extension.
• Launches cloudmeteringhost.exe (Windows) or cloudmeteringhost (macOS).
• Stores URLs in cloudmetering.db.
• Collects encrypted usage data.

Key configuration settings and effects

saas.all_managed = true (Fully Managed Mode)

• Disables agent-managed Cloud App Metering.
• Prevents installation of:
  • Browser extensions
  • cloudmeteringhost.exe
  • Rule files
• Ignores all saas.[browser].enabled settings.
• Intended for environments where all components are deployed manually (via policy/GPO). Requires manual extraction of native host and extension deployment.

For setup instructions, see Manage browser extensions.

saas.[browser].enabled (for example, saas.edge.enabled)

• Only applied when saas.all_managed is absent or set to false.

 For more information, see Enable or disable cloud application metering.

Default installation locations

Windows default path:

• Native host:
  C:\Program Files\Snow Software\Inventory\Agent\cloudmeteringhost.exe

• Rule files:
  .crule and .rules files are placed alongside the agent executable.

For platform-specific details, see Manage browser extensions.

Recommended configuration matrix

Example hybrid configuration

Goal: Use GPO to manage the browser extension, but let the agent install the native host and rule files.

<SystemSettings>

  <!-- Do not include saas.all_managed -->

  <Setting key="saas.edge.enabled" value="enable" />

  <Setting key="saas.chrome.enabled" value="false" />

  <Setting key="saas.firefox.enabled" value="false" />

</SystemSettings>

Steps:

1. Restart the SnowAgent service.
2. Run snowagent update.
3. Confirm the agent folder includes cloudmeteringhost.exe and .crule files (if enabled on the server).
4. Verify no agent-installed browser extensions are present.
5. Ensure usage data is flowing into Snow Atlas or Snow License Manager.

For more information, see Manage browser extensions.

Manual deployment using saas.all_managed = true

Use this mode when your organization deploys all components manually.

Steps:

1. Set:

<Setting key="saas.all_managed" value="true" />

2. Run:

snowagent extract-native-host

to extract the native host binary.

3. Manually deploy browser extensions using GPO, registry, or manifest.

The agent will not install or manage any components but will collect usage data.

For more information, see Manage browser extensions.

Quick reference: What each setting does

• saas.all_managed = true
• Prevents the SnowAgent from installing any Cloud App Metering components, including browser extensions and cloudmeteringhost.exe.
• Intended for environments where all components are managed externally (like via Group Policy).
• saas.all_managed = false or omitted

• • Enables the Snow Agent to manage Cloud App Metering components based on individual browser settings.
  •   Requires specific saas.[browser].enabled = enable settings to deploy cloudmeteringhost.exe and webmetering.crule.

• saas.edge.enabled = enable

• • Allows deployment of cloudmeteringhost.exe and webmetering.crule for Microsoft Edge.
  • If the Edge extension is managed via GPO, the agent will not attempt to install it.