Cloud Agent for Linux Intel Release 7.4.1

Limited Customer Release

May 18, 2026

We are introducing the following updates for the Linux Intel Cloud Agent.

Enforce CPU Limit for CEP Processes

We have introduced kernel-based CPU limit enforcement for the Agent Command Execution Pipeline (qualys-cep process) using Linux Control Groups (cgroups). The enhancement enforces precise CPU throttling based on the CPU limit configured in the Cloud Agent user interface. It helps you precisely control CPU usage on your Linux assets.

Kernel-based CPU limit enforcement applies only to Command Execution Pipeline (CEP) processes. The main agent process (qualys-cloud-agent) and other child processes use conventional CPU throttling.

 The Kernel-based CPU limit enforcement is not supported for init.d platforms, such as RHEL 6, OEL 6, CentOS 6, Ubuntu 14.04, and Debian 8. 

Key Capabilities

The following are the key capabilities of kernel-based CPU limit enforcement. 

• Kernel-level CPU enforcement using Linux cgroups
• Predictable and consistent CPU usage for CEP processes
• Accurate throttling across child processes
• Consistent cgroups for Cloud Agent with Sudo configuration
• Supports hybrid mode (cgroup v1 and v2 setup). By default, Cloud Agent uses the system's default cgroup in hybrid mode.

CPU limit recalculation is not supported in dynamic CPU environments.

What is CEP

The CEP process is responsible for one-time command execution initiated by different applications that include operations such as:

• Remote Log Collection
• On-Demand Scans from user interface
• CAR Scripts Execution
• Remediation Actions such as Host Quarantine, Remote Shell, Kill Process
• Changing Log Levels
• Change Activation Keys

How to Enable Control Groups

By default, the cgroups are not enabled after Cloud Agent installation. To enable cgroups, run the following command using Cloud Agent configuration tool.

sudo /usr/local/qualys/cloud-agent/bin/qualys-cloud-agent.sh EnableCgroup=1

How to Configure Kernel-based CPU Limit Enforcement

The following are the steps to specify the value for the CPU limit enforcement: 

1. Upgrade the earlier Linux Intel Cloud Agents to 7.4.1.
2. In the Cloud Agent user interface, navigate to Configuration > Configuration Profile tab.
3. In the Performance > Windows Specific Parameter section, specify the CPU Limit value.
   
   

How the CPU Limit is Calculated

We use the following calculation to ensure the precise CPU utilization:

CPU Quota used = CPU Limit % in Configuration Profile × Number of CPU × 1000 (Microseconds)

Example

On a single-core RHEL 7 machine configured with a CPU Limit of 10%, the CPU quota is 10×1×1000 = 10000.

Behavioral Change

There are no behavior changes in this release.

Platform Coverage Support

No new platform coverage added in this release.

Issues Addressed

No important and notable issues are fixed in this release.

Known Issues, Limitations, and Workarounds

The following are the notable known issues for this release.