Classic portal: Quickstart - Download the Microsoft Defender for Identity sensor setup package

Note

The experience described in this page can also be accessed at https://security.microsoft.com as part of Microsoft Defender XDR. The supporting documents for the new experience can be found here. For more information about Microsoft Defender for Identity and when other features will be available in Microsoft Defender XDR, see Microsoft Defender for Identity in Microsoft Defender XDR.

In this quickstart, you'll download the Microsoft Defender for Identity sensor setup package from the portal.

Prerequisites

Download the setup package

After configuring the domain connectivity settings, you can download the Defender for Identity sensor setup package. For more information on the Defender for Identity sensor, see Defender for Identity Architecture.

Select Download in the list of steps at the top of the page to go to the Sensors page.

Defender for Identity sensor configuration settings

To reach the sensor configuration screen later, select Configuration, and then under System, select Sensors.

  1. Select Download to save the package locally.
  2. Copy the Access key. The access key is required for the Defender for Identity sensor to connect to your Defender for Identity instance. The access key is a one-time-password for sensor deployment, after which all communication is performed using certificates for authentication and TLS encryption. Use the Regenerate button if you ever need to regenerate the new access key, you can, and it won't affect any previously deployed sensors, because it's only used for initial registration of the sensor.
  3. Copy the package to the dedicated server or domain controller onto which you're installing the Defender for Identity sensor. Alternatively, you can open the Defender for Identity portal from the dedicated server or domain controller and skip this step.

The zip file includes the following files:

  • Defender for Identity sensor installer

  • Configuration setting file with the required information to connect to the Defender for Identity cloud service

  • The Npcap driver that you'll need to install in the next step before installing the sensor

Next steps

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