P1140692-01EN Rev A Data Service ZDS Agent
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Specifications:
- Product: Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent
- Model Number: P1140692-01EN Rev A
- Copyright: 2025/06/05
Product Information:
The Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent is a software tool provided
by Zebra Technologies Corporation for data transmission and
utilization analysis. It is essential for full utilization of
options on supported devices and is required by certain third-party
software providers for specific functionalities.
Product Usage Instructions:
ZDS Resource Requirements:
The ZDS has estimated resource requirements for data
transmission as follows:
| Transmission/Upload Rate | 4-hour | 2-hour | 1-hour | 30-minute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Data Per Day (KB) | 85 KB | 225 KB | 250 KB | 400 KB |
Prerequisites for Data Transmission to VIQ:
In order for the ZDS agent to transmit data to VIQ, ensure the
following prerequisites are met:
- Use DNS server names for whitelisting instead of IP
addresses. - Ensure proper router configuration to avoid service
interruptions due to IP address changes.
Verifying That ZDS Is Enabled on Devices:
To confirm if ZDS is running on your devices, follow these
steps:
- Method 1: Check device settings or system information for ZDS
status. - Method 2: Verify ZDS operation through the VisibilityIQ portal
or related software.
Modifying ZDS Configuration:
To change ZDS agent configurations, follow these guidelines:
- Review available configuration options for ZDS agent.
- Utilize barcodes or XML files to modify configurations as
needed. - Refer to additional resources for detailed guidance on
configuration changes.
If ZDS agent was disabled during device setup, enable it
post-purchase of VisibilityIQ Foresight service to access insights
based on ZDS data via the VisibilityIQ portal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q: Can ZDS be used with all device models?
A: ZDS compatibility varies with device models. Refer to the
specific device documentation for compatibility details.
Q: Is ZDS required for all third-party software
integrations?
A: Not all third-party software integrations require ZDS. Check
with the software provider for compatibility and requirements.
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent
Configuration Guide
P1140692-01EN Rev A
Copyright
2025/06/05
ZEBRA and the stylized Zebra head are trademarks of Zebra Technologies Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2025 Zebra Technologies Corporation and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those agreements.
For further information regarding legal and proprietary statements, please go to:
SOFTWARE: zebra.com/informationpolicy. COPYRIGHTS: zebra.com/copyright. PATENTS: ip.zebra.com. WARRANTY: zebra.com/warranty. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT: zebra.com/eula.
Terms of Use
Proprietary Statement
This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the equipment described herein. Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other purpose without the express, written permission of Zebra Technologies.
Product Improvements
Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies. All specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.
Liability Disclaimer
Zebra Technologies takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall Zebra Technologies or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.
Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
Overview
The Zebra Data Service (ZDS) agent software is a continuous background service running on all supported Zebra devices. It collects and uploads analytics data from ZDS plug-ins and Zebra-authorized third-party apps. ZDS collects and transmits data from the moment the device is turned on, and it updates itself and the ZDS plug-ins automatically. Data is uploaded to the Zebra analytics database every 24 hours by default, with transport secured with HTTPS. Zebra’s VisibilityIQ (VIQ) service leverages the data from the ZDS agent to provide you with actionable insight for Zebra Android mobile computers. Zebra recommends that you increase the ZDS data upload frequency to at least four times every 24 hours to improve data availability and accuracy in analytics insight provided by VIQ Foresight (VIQF) and Proactive Battery Replacement (PBR). ZDS data is required in all VIQF and PBR offerings to ensure that you will have the same level of visibility insight whether you have Mobile Device Management (MDM) in place or not. The following table demonstrates the availability of the VIQF and PBR reports based on different data sources with VIQ offers. NOTE: In the following table: · An X indicates that the data source in that column can be used to build the report in that row. · A yellow background indicates that the report requires ZDS.
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
* Devices in Operation requires ZDS for full utilization of options. SOTI and 42 Gears can provide information only for battery-related utilization. AirWatch and MobileIron require ZDS to compute utilization.
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
ZDS Resource Requirements
The following are estimated resource requirements for ZDS:
· ZDS requires approximately 35 MB RAM memory–30 MB for code execution and up to 5 MB for a data collection buffer.
· The impact of ZDS on battery discharge is normally less than 2% over a 24-hour period (battery discharge is less than 0.08% discharge rate per hour).
· ZDS transmissions/uploads are compressed. The amount of data transmitted/uploaded per device is, on average, approximately 70 KB or less per day for 24-hour transmission rates. This normally increases to around 80 KB per day for 6-hour transmission rates.
Measurements that were made for some customers yielded the following averages for other rates:
Customer Transmission/Upload Rate 4-hour 2-hour 1-hour 30-minute
85 KB 225 KB 250 KB 400 KB
Average Data Per Day
Prerequisites for Data Transmission to VIQ
For ZDS agent to transmit data to VIQ, the following prerequisites must be met:
· Enable ZDS agent on all devices.
· Enable network connectivity on all devices (WWAN or WLAN based).
· Ensure that each device can connect to the internet.
· If devices are behind a corporate firewall, ensure that the ZDS cloud server can be reached from the devices. The server information and port used by ZDS are the following:
· Server 1 address: analytics.zebra.com using IP address 104.198.59.61 on Port 443
· Server 2 address: device-https.savannacore.zebra.com using IP address 34.68.84.87 on Port 443
· Use Ping or a similar network tool to confirm communication between the device network and the ZDS server(s). After you verify the connection, all devices on that network should be able to connect to and send collected data to the server(s). ZDS uses the following, which also must be visible on the network for ZDS operation:
· connectivitycheck.android.com
· connectivitycheck.gstatic.com
· google.com
NOTE: Zebra recommends using DNS server names instead of IP addresses when whitelisting (also called “allowlisting”) to avoid service interruptions and required router changes if IP addresses change in the future.
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
Verifying That ZDS Is Enabled on Devices
There are two ways that you can check if ZDS is running on your devices:
· If you have an MDM with the devices enrolled, you can check if the following package names show up for your devices on the MDM console:
· com.symbol.dataanalytics.apk | Main analytics engine for ZDS
· com.symbol.dataanalytics.dca.apk | Data collection plug-in for ZDS
· You can check the ZDS status on individual devices to which you have access. For instructions to verify if ZDS is running on a device, refer to the VIQ ZDS Agent Verification Guide.
Modifying ZDS Configuration
This section describes the types of ZDS agent configurations, the options for changing the configurations using barcodes or XML, and where to get additional resources.
ZDS Agent Configurations
The following configurations for the ZDS agent can be modified:
· ZDS agent enablement
Some customers disable the ZDS agent during device staging. If you have done this, you need to enable the ZDS agent after you purchase the VisibilityIQ Foresight service so you can view the insights based on the ZDS data on the VisibilityIQ portal.
· ZDS data upload frequency
The ZDS agent can accept configuration changes, such as to the upload interval and data-collection events, when needed. ZDS uploads data every 24 hours by default. Zebra recommends that you increase the ZDS data upload frequency to at least four times every 24 hours.
If the 24-hour upload default setting is used rather than a more frequent upload setting, a device is more likely to miss the data upload window if the device is in “sleep” mode or if internet access is not available. Hence, the analytics insight from VIQ will be impacted due to a lack of data.
· Non-default data collection points
Certain ZDS data used by VIQF reports are not collected by default. This data includes GPS and WLAN data collection, which are not collected by default to protect privacy. Enable these additional data collection points, as needed:
WLAN
To see the last known BSSID in the Out of Contact Report or to collect data for the WLAN Signal Strength report, enable WLAN data collection.
WWAN
To see the WWAN signal strength and related failures, enable WWAN data collection. (Android 10 and later)
GPS
If you have GPS-enabled devices and wish to view data within the Geo
Location report, enable GPS data collection.
Drop Detection
To see how many times a device has been dropped under the Damage and Repairs vital, enable drop detection collection. (Android 7 and later)
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Zebra Data Service (ZDS) Agent Configuration Guide
Application Crash Battery Stats Low RAM
To see how many Application crashes happened and the crashed app details under the Software Health vital, enable application crash data collection. (Android 13 and later, and from BSPs released after July 2024)
To see battery usage by app under the Software Health vital, enable Battery Stats data collection. (Android 13 and later, and from BSPs released after July 2024)
To see how many times the device ran into RAM conditions under the Hardware Health vital, enable low-RAM event data collection. (Android 7 and later)
For more detailed information regarding the ZDS agent, go to techdocs.zebra.com/zds/about/.
Changing the Configuration Using Barcodes or XML Files
There are two ways to change the configuration of the ZDS agent. · Using barcodes · Using an XML file These configuration files (barcodes and XML) can be obtained from this .zip file.
Using Configuration Barcodes You can use the barcode file obtained in the .zip file to change the configuration on individual devices. Because this option requires access to the devices to perform manual procedures, this method is suitable for scenarios with a small number of devices to be configured. On each device: 1. Open StageNow. 2. Scan the appropriate barcodes. 3. Verify that a success message was received in StageNow.
If a success message was received, the device should now be collecting and sending data per the new configuration.
Using an XML File To configure the ZDS agent on a large number of devices, deploy a configuration XML file via a tool authorized with Zebra MX framework. Typically, these tools are MDMs, test tools, or StageNow.
Obtaining Configuration Files
Configuration files (barcodes and XML) can be obtained from this file. For more detailed information regarding the ZDS agent, go to techdocs.zebra.com/zds/about/.
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www.zebra.com
Documents / Resources
 | ZEBRA P1140692-01EN Rev A Data Service ZDS Agent [pdf] User Guide P1140692-01EN Rev A, P1140692-01EN Rev A Data Service ZDS Agent, P1140692-01EN, Rev A Data Service ZDS Agent, Data Service ZDS Agent, ZDS Agent, Agent |