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Manual mode

Manual mode is the simplest way to get a host's data into PatchBase — no agent, no SSH connection from the server. You download a collection script, run it on the host, and upload the result.

This is useful for air-gapped systems, one-off assessments, or environments where neither agent installation nor server-initiated SSH is possible.

Step 1: Create a manual host​

In the dashboard, go to Hosts → Register and choose Manual. Enter a display name and hostname. The host is created immediately — no approval step needed for manual hosts.

Step 2: Download the collector script​

On the host detail page, you'll see a Download collector script button. The script is tailored to the OS family you select:

  • APT — for Debian/Ubuntu systems (uses dpkg-query)
  • RPM — for Rocky/AlmaLinux systems (uses rpm)

Choose the right one for the host you're collecting from, then download the script.

Step 3: Run the script on the host​

Transfer the script to the target host (via USB, SCP, copy-paste, etc.) and run it:

chmod +x patchbase-collect.sh
./patchbase-collect.sh > report.txt

The script collects:

  • Hostname, machine ID, architecture, kernel version
  • OS name, version, and family
  • Installed packages (name, version, architecture, vendor, source package)
  • Enabled repositories
  • Available package updates

The output is plain text with metadata headers and delimited sections. It doesn't contain any secrets — just a package inventory.

Step 4: Upload the report​

Back in the dashboard, on the host detail page, upload report.txt. PatchBase parses the report, creates a snapshot, and matches it against advisory databases — same as agent or SSH pull snapshots.

You should see the host's OS details, package count, and available updates populate immediately.

When to use manual mode​

Manual mode is a good fit when:

  • The host is air-gapped and can't reach the PatchBase server
  • You're doing a one-time assessment and don't want to set up ongoing collection
  • Security policies prevent both agent installation and server-initiated SSH
  • You want to import data from a host before setting up agent or SSH pull mode

The downside is that manual mode doesn't keep the snapshot up to date — you'd need to re-run and re-upload whenever you want fresh data. For ongoing monitoring, switch to agent mode or SSH pull mode once you can.