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Application Insights Agent (formerly named Status Monitor v2): Detailed instructions

  • Article
  • 6 minutes to read

This article describes how to onboard to the PowerShell Gallery and download the ApplicationMonitor module. Included are the most common parameters that you'll need to get started. We've also provided manual download instructions in case you don't have internet access.

Get an instrumentation key

To get started, you need an instrumentation key. For more information, see Create an Application Insights resource.

Note

On March 31, 2025, support for instrumentation key ingestion will end. Instrumentation key ingestion will continue to work, but we'll no longer provide updates or support for the feature. Transition to connection strings to take advantage of new capabilities.

Run PowerShell as Admin with an elevated execution policy

Run as Admin

PowerShell needs Administrator-level permissions to make changes to your computer.

Execution policy

  • Description: By default, running PowerShell scripts is disabled. We recommend allowing RemoteSigned scripts for only the Current scope.
  • Reference: About Execution Policies and Set-ExecutionPolicy.
  • Command: Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process.
  • Optional parameter:
    • -Force. Bypasses the confirmation prompt.

Example errors

Install-Module : The 'Install-Module' command was found in the module 'PowerShellGet', but the module could not be
loaded. For more information, run 'Import-Module PowerShellGet'.

Import-Module : File C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\PackageManagement\1.3.1\PackageManagement.psm1 cannot
be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system. For more information, see about_Execution_Policies at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135170.

Prerequisites for PowerShell

Audit your instance of PowerShell by running the $PSVersionTable command. This command produces the following output:

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      5.1.17763.316
PSEdition                      Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion                   10.0.17763.316
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000
WSManStackVersion              3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

These instructions were written and tested on a computer running Windows 10 and the versions listed above.

These steps will prepare your server to download modules from PowerShell Gallery.

Note

PowerShell Gallery is supported on Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, and PowerShell 6+. For information about earlier versions, see Installing PowerShellGet.

  1. Run PowerShell as Admin with an elevated execution policy.

  2. Install the NuGet package provider.

    • Description: You need this provider to interact with NuGet-based repositories like PowerShell Gallery.
    • Reference: Install-PackageProvider.
    • Command: Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201.
    • Optional parameters:
      • -Proxy. Specifies a proxy server for the request.
      • -Force. Bypasses the confirmation prompt.

    You'll receive this prompt if NuGet isn't set up:

    NuGet provider is required to continue
PowerShellGet requires NuGet provider version '2.8.5.201' or newer to interact with NuGet-based repositories. 
The NuGet provider must be available in 'C:\Program Files\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies' or
'C:\Users\t\AppData\Local\PackageManagement\ProviderAssemblies'. You can also install the NuGet provider by running
'Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force'. Do you want PowerShellGet to install and import
the NuGet provider now?
[Y] Yes  [N] No  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"):

  3. Configure PowerShell Gallery as a trusted repository.

    • Description: By default, PowerShell Gallery is an untrusted repository.
    • Reference: Set-PSRepository.
    • Command: Set-PSRepository -Name "PSGallery" -InstallationPolicy Trusted.
    • Optional parameter:
      • -Proxy. Specifies a proxy server for the request.

    You'll receive this prompt if PowerShell Gallery isn't trusted:

    Untrusted repository
You are installing the modules from an untrusted repository. 
If you trust this repository, change its InstallationPolicy value 
by running the Set-PSRepository cmdlet. Are you sure you want to 
install the modules from 'PSGallery'?
[Y] Yes  [A] Yes to All  [N] No  [L] No to All  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "N"):

    You can confirm this change and audit all PSRepositories by running the Get-PSRepository command.

  4. Install the newest version of PowerShellGet.

    • Description: This module contains the tooling used to get other modules from PowerShell Gallery. Version 1.0.0.1 ships with Windows 10 and Windows Server. Version 1.6.0 or higher is required. To determine which version is installed, run the Get-Command -Module PowerShellGet command.
    • Reference: Installing PowerShellGet.
    • Command: Install-Module -Name PowerShellGet.
    • Optional parameters:
      • -Proxy. Specifies a proxy server for the request.
      • -Force. Bypasses the "already installed" warning and installs the latest version.

    You'll receive this error if you're not using the newest version of PowerShellGet:

    Install-Module : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'AllowPrerelease'.
At line:1 char:20
Install-Module abc -AllowPrerelease
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [Install-Module], ParameterBindingException
FullyQualifiedErrorId : NamedParameterNotFound,Install-Module

  5. Restart PowerShell. You can't load the new version in the current session. New PowerShell sessions will load the latest version of PowerShellGet.

These steps will download the Az.ApplicationMonitor module from PowerShell Gallery.

  1. Ensure that all prerequisites for PowerShell Gallery are met.
  2. Run PowerShell as Admin with an elevated execution policy.
  3. Install the Az.ApplicationMonitor module.
    • Reference: Install-Module.
    • Command: Install-Module -Name Az.ApplicationMonitor.
    • Optional parameters:
      • -Proxy. Specifies a proxy server for the request.
      • -AllowPrerelease. Allows installation of alpha and beta releases.
      • -AcceptLicense. Bypasses the "Accept License" prompt
      • -Force. Bypasses the "Untrusted Repository" warning.

Download and install the module manually (offline option)

If for any reason you can't connect to the PowerShell module, you can manually download and install the Az.ApplicationMonitor module.

Manually download the latest nupkg file

  1. Go to https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/Az.ApplicationMonitor.
  2. Select the latest version of the file in the Version History table.
  3. Under Installation Options, select Manual Download.

Option 1: Install into a PowerShell modules directory

Install the manually downloaded PowerShell module into a PowerShell directory so it will be discoverable by PowerShell sessions. For more information, see Installing a PowerShell Module.

Unzip nupkg as a zip file by using Expand-Archive (v1.0.1.0)

  • Description: The base version of Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive (v1.0.1.0) can't unzip nupkg files. Rename the file with the .zip extension.

  • Reference: Expand-Archive.

  • Command:

    $pathToNupkg = "C:\az.applicationmonitor.0.3.0-alpha.nupkg"
$pathToZip = ([io.path]::ChangeExtension($pathToNupkg, "zip"))
$pathToNupkg | rename-item -newname $pathToZip
$pathInstalledModule = "$Env:ProgramFiles\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\az.applicationmonitor"
Expand-Archive -LiteralPath $pathToZip -DestinationPath $pathInstalledModule

Unzip nupkg by using Expand-Archive (v1.1.0.0)

  • Description: Use a current version of Expand-Archive to unzip nupkg files without changing the extension.

  • Reference: Expand-Archive and Microsoft.PowerShell.Archive.

  • Command:

    $pathToNupkg = "C:\az.applicationmonitor.0.2.1-alpha.nupkg"
$pathInstalledModule = "$Env:ProgramFiles\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\az.applicationmonitor"
Expand-Archive -LiteralPath $pathToNupkg -DestinationPath $pathInstalledModule

Option 2: Unzip and import nupkg manually

Install the manually downloaded PowerShell module into a PowerShell directory so it will be discoverable by PowerShell sessions. For more information, see Installing a PowerShell Module.

If you're installing the module into any other directory, manually import the module by using Import-Module.

Important

DLLs will install via relative paths. Store the contents of the package in your intended runtime directory and confirm that access permissions allow read but not write.

  1. Change the extension to ".zip" and extract the contents of the package into your intended installation directory.
  2. Find the file path of Az.ApplicationMonitor.psd1.
  3. Run PowerShell as Admin with an elevated execution policy.
  4. Load the module by using the Import-Module Az.ApplicationMonitor.psd1 command.

Route traffic through a proxy

When you monitor a computer on your private intranet, you'll need to route HTTP traffic through a proxy.

The PowerShell commands to download and install Az.ApplicationMonitor from the PowerShell Gallery support a -Proxy parameter. Review the preceding instructions when you write your installation scripts.

The Application Insights SDK will need to send your app's telemetry to Microsoft. We recommend that you configure proxy settings for your app in your web.config file. For more information, see Application Insights FAQ: Proxy passthrough.

Enable monitoring

Use the Enable-ApplicationInsightsMonitoring command to enable monitoring.

See the API reference for a detailed description of how to use this cmdlet.

Next steps

View your telemetry:

Add more telemetry:

Do more with Application Insights Agent: