User guide | null User guide

Symantec™ Client
Management Suite 7.6
powered by Altiris™
technology User Guide
Symantec™ Client Management Suite powered by
Altiris™ technology User Guide
The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used
only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Documentation version: 7.6
Legal Notice
Copyright © 2015 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
Symantec, the Symantec Logo, the Checkmark Logo and Altiris, and any Altiris or Symantec
trademarks used in the product are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec
Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
This Symantec product may contain third party software for which Symantec is required to
provide attribution to the third party (“Third Party Programs”). Some of the Third Party Programs
are available under open source or free software licenses. The License Agreement
accompanying the Software does not alter any rights or obligations you may have under those
open source or free software licenses. Please see the Third Party Legal Notice Appendix to
this Documentation or TPIP ReadMe File accompanying this Symantec product for more
information on the Third Party Programs.
The product described in this document is distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying,
distribution, and decompilation/reverse engineering. No part of this document may be
reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of Symantec
Corporation and its licensors, if any.
THE DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR
NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH
DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID. SYMANTEC CORPORATION SHALL
NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION
WITH THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION. THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENTATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
WITHOUT NOTICE.
The Licensed Software and Documentation are deemed to be commercial computer software
as defined in FAR 12.212 and subject to restricted rights as defined in FAR Section 52.227-19
"Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights" and DFARS 227.7202, et seq.
"Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation," as
applicable, and any successor regulations, whether delivered by Symantec as on premises
or hosted services. Any use, modification, reproduction release, performance, display or
disclosure of the Licensed Software and Documentation by the U.S. Government shall be
solely in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
Symantec Corporation
350 Ellis Street
Mountain View, CA 94043
http://www.symantec.com
Technical Support
Symantec Technical Support maintains support centers globally. Technical Support’s
primary role is to respond to specific queries about product features and functionality.
The Technical Support group also creates content for our online Knowledge Base.
The Technical Support group works collaboratively with the other functional areas
within Symantec to answer your questions in a timely fashion. For example, the
Technical Support group works with Product Engineering and Symantec Security
Response to provide alerting services and virus definition updates.
Symantec’s support offerings include the following:
■
A range of support options that give you the flexibility to select the right amount
of service for any size organization
■
Telephone and/or Web-based support that provides rapid response and
up-to-the-minute information
■
Upgrade assurance that delivers software upgrades
■
Global support purchased on a regional business hours or 24 hours a day, 7
days a week basis
■
Premium service offerings that include Account Management Services
For information about Symantec’s support offerings, you can visit our website at
the following URL:
www.symantec.com/business/support/
All support services will be delivered in accordance with your support agreement
and the then-current enterprise technical support policy.
Contacting Technical Support
Customers with a current support agreement may access Technical Support
information at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/business/support/
Before contacting Technical Support, make sure you have satisfied the system
requirements that are listed in your product documentation. Also, you should be at
the computer on which the problem occurred, in case it is necessary to replicate
the problem.
When you contact Technical Support, please have the following information
available:
■
Product release level
■
Hardware information
■
Available memory, disk space, and NIC information
■
Operating system
■
Version and patch level
■
Network topology
■
Router, gateway, and IP address information
■
Problem description:
■
Error messages and log files
■
Troubleshooting that was performed before contacting Symantec
■
Recent software configuration changes and network changes
Licensing and registration
If your Symantec product requires registration or a license key, access our technical
support Web page at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/business/support/
Customer service
Customer service information is available at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/business/support/
Customer Service is available to assist with non-technical questions, such as the
following types of issues:
■
Questions regarding product licensing or serialization
■
Product registration updates, such as address or name changes
■
General product information (features, language availability, local dealers)
■
Latest information about product updates and upgrades
■
Information about upgrade assurance and support contracts
■
Information about the Symantec Buying Programs
■
Advice about Symantec's technical support options
■
Nontechnical presales questions
■
Issues that are related to CD-ROMs, DVDs, or manuals
Support agreement resources
If you want to contact Symantec regarding an existing support agreement, please
contact the support agreement administration team for your region as follows:
Asia-Pacific and Japan
[email protected]
Europe, Middle-East, and Africa
[email protected]
North America and Latin America
[email protected]
Contents
Technical Support ............................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1
Introducing Client Management Suite ............................ 10
About Client Management Suite ......................................................
Components of Client Management Suite .........................................
What's new in this release ..............................................................
What's new in Client Management Suite .....................................
What's new in Symantec Management Platform ...........................
What's new in ITMS Management Views .....................................
What's new in Symantec Management Agent ...............................
Where to get more information ........................................................
Chapter 2
10
11
15
16
16
17
20
20
Implementing Client Management Suite ....................... 23
About installing Client Management Suite .......................................... 23
About upgrading Client Management Suite ........................................ 23
Removal of pcAnywhere Solution after an upgrade to IT Management
Suite 7.6 ............................................................................... 26
Chapter 3
Getting started with Client Management Suite ............ 28
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management
Suite ....................................................................................
Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation
prerequisites ...................................................................
Installing the Symantec Management Agent for Windows with a
manual push ...................................................................
Configuring the Symantec Management Agent settings for
evaluation use .................................................................
Installing the Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins ...............
Installing or upgrading the Software Management Solution
plug-in ...........................................................................
28
30
31
32
33
35
Contents
Chapter 4
Metering application usage and creating custom
reports ............................................................................. 37
Metering application usage and creating custom reports .......................
Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies .........................
Enabling application usage metering for Adobe applications ..................
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL ...............
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder ...............
Creating a drill-down computer report ...............................................
Other methods of viewing software usage data ...................................
Chapter 5
Harvesting underutilized software from
endpoints ........................................................................ 60
Harvesting underutilized software from client computers .......................
Manually creating the managed software products ..............................
Tracking usage of the managed software products ..............................
Creating a licensed software product ................................................
Tracking the software license compliance ..........................................
Saving computers with underutilized software in a custom filter ..............
Adding exclusions to the static filter ..................................................
Uninstalling underutilized managed software products .........................
Chapter 6
60
64
65
67
68
69
71
71
Delivering a new version of software using Software
Workspace Virtualization ............................................ 74
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace
Virtualization .........................................................................
About Workspace Virtualization .......................................................
Installing the Workspace Virtualization Agent ....................................
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer .......................
Creating a task that toggles layers ...................................................
Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers ......................................
Viewing delivery reports .................................................................
Chapter 7
37
39
41
42
45
53
57
74
76
77
78
81
83
85
Managing power scheme settings ................................... 86
About managing power scheme settings ...........................................
Preparing target computers for power scheme management .................
Installing the Power Scheme Task Plug-in .........................................
Upgrading the Power Scheme Task Plug-in .......................................
Uninstalling the Power Scheme Task Plug-in ......................................
Collecting power scheme inventory data ...........................................
Creating a Power Scheme Task .......................................................
86
88
88
89
89
90
90
8
Contents
Editing and deploying power scheme settings .................................... 91
Viewing power scheme inventory data .............................................. 92
Chapter 8
Symantec Remote Access Connector .............................. 93
About Symantec Remote Access Connector ......................................
Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file ........................
Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration file
template ...............................................................................
Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file ....................
Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector
options .................................................................................
Index
93
94
95
96
97
.................................................................................................................... 98
9
Chapter
1
Introducing Client
Management Suite
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
About Client Management Suite
■
Components of Client Management Suite
■
What's new in this release
■
Where to get more information
About Client Management Suite
Client Management Suite combines the tools that help you deploy, manage, secure,
and troubleshoot your desktop and laptop client computers.
Client Management Suite is a collection of solutions that run on the Symantec
Management Platform. The platform and solutions of the Client Management Suite
provide the following key features:
■
Discovery and inventory
The suite lets you gather inventory of all hardware and software on your client
computers.
■
Imaging and deployment
The suite lets you deploy standardized and hardware-independent images on
your client computers.
■
Software distribution and patch management
The suite lets you control the software configurations of your client computers.
The automated policies for software and patch management help you distribute
the latest software and operating system updates. You can ensure that the
Introducing Client Management Suite
Components of Client Management Suite
required software remains installed, is in a working state, and is correctly
configured on the client computers.
■
Remote Management
The suite lets you troubleshoot and remediate client computers remotely. You
can integrate a third-party remote tool and control your client computers remotely,
or use Real-Time System Manager to fix the problems that the users have.
See “Components of Client Management Suite ” on page 11.
See “Where to get more information” on page 20.
Components of Client Management Suite
Client Management Suite is a collection of solutions that run on the Symantec
Management Platform. The following table lists all the solutions in Client
Management Suite and also provides a short description of each.
See “About Client Management Suite” on page 10.
11
Introducing Client Management Suite
Components of Client Management Suite
Table 1-1
Components of Client Management Suite
Component
Description
Symantec
Management
Platform
Symantec Management Platform provides a set of services that DOC7978
IT-related solutions can leverage. By leveraging these services,
the solutions that are built on the platform can focus on their unique
tasks. They also can take advantage of the more general services
that the platform provides. The platform services also provide a
high degree of consistency between the solutions, so that users
do not need to learn multiple product interfaces.
Symantec Management Platform provides the following services:
■
Role-based security
■
Client communications and management
■
Execution of scheduled or event-triggered tasks and policies
■
Package deployment and installation
■
Reporting
■
Centralized management through a single, common interface
Symantec Management Platform includes the following
components:
■
Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
■
Notification Server
■
Symantec Management Console
■
Symantec Management Agent for Windows
■
Symantec Management Agent for UNIX, Linux, and Mac
■
Network Discovery
■
Software Management Framework
Link to User Guide
12
Introducing Client Management Suite
Components of Client Management Suite
Table 1-1
Components of Client Management Suite (continued)
Component
Description
Link to User Guide
Deployment
Solution
Deployment Solution helps to reduce the cost of deploying and
DOC8027
managing servers, desktops, and notebooks from a centralized
location in your environment. It offers operating system
deployment, configuration, personality migration of computers,
and software deployment across different hardware platforms and
operating systems.
Deployment Solution 7.1 provides integrated provisioning, disk
imaging, and personality migration from the Symantec
Management Console. Using Symantec Ghost™, you can perform
initial computer deployment using standard images and migrate
user data and application settings to new computers.
Deployment Solution 6.9 SP3, which is a Windows application, is
not included in the Client Management Suite installation. However,
Client Management Suite includes a license to run Deployment
Solution 6.9 or later. You can download and install the Deployment
Solution component separately. Go to the page
https://www4.symantec.com/Vrt/offer?a_id=55149, accept the
export restrictions, and then log on with your Symantec account
credentials. After you ensure that your profile information is correct,
all of the available versions of Deployment Solution are listed on
the Software Download: Deployment Solution page. Choose the
version that you want to download, and then click Download Now.
You can then complete the installation process.
For the Deployment Solution 7.6 release notes, see the link at the
following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8035
Inventory Solution Inventory Solution lets you gather inventory data about the
computers, users, operating systems, and installed software
applications in your environment. You can collect inventory data
from the computers that run Windows, UNIX, Linux, and Mac.
DOC7967
After you gather inventory data, you can analyze it using predefined
or custom reports.
Inventory for
Network Devices
Inventory for Network Devices gathers inventory data from the
DOC7966
devices that are not managed through the Symantec Management
Agent.
You can gather inventory on the devices that are already
discovered and exist as resources in the CMDB.
13
Introducing Client Management Suite
Components of Client Management Suite
Table 1-1
Components of Client Management Suite (continued)
Component
Description
Link to User Guide
IT Analytics
IT Analytics Solution software complements and expands upon Client Server Management
the traditional reporting that is offered in most Altiris solutions. It content pack:
brings exciting new features and capabilities to Notification Server
DOC7975
because it incorporates multi-dimensional analysis and robust
graphical reporting and distribution features.
This functionality allows users to explore data on their own, without
advanced knowledge of databases or third-party reporting tools.
It empowers users to ask and answer their own questions quickly,
easily, and effectively.
Patch
Management
Solution
Patch Management Solution for Linux lets you scan Red Hat and ■
Novell Linux computers for security vulnerabilities. The solution
then reports on the findings and lets you automate the download
and distribution of needed errata, or software updates. The solution ■
downloads the required patches and provides wizards to help you
deploy them.
Patch Management Solution for Mac lets you scan Mac computers ■
for the updates that they require. The solution then reports on the
findings and lets you automate the downloading and distribution
of needed updates. You can distribute all or some of the updates.
Patch Management
Solution for Linux:
DOC7968
Patch Management
Solution for Mac:
DOC7969
Patch Management
Solution for Windows:
DOC7970
Patch Management Solution for Windows lets you scan Windows
computers for the updates that they require, and view the results
of the scan. The system lets you automate the download and
distribution of software updates. You can create filters of the
computers and apply the patch to the computers that need it.
Symantec Remote Symantec Remote Access Connector is an IT Management Suite See “Symantec Remote
Access Connector 7.6 functionality that lets you configure and integrate a third-party Access Connector”
remote connection tool such as Microsoft® Remote Desktop
on page 93.
Connection or Bomgar™ Remote Support Solution with IT
Management Suite.
Real-Time System Real-Time System Manager provides you detailed real-time
Manager
information about a managed computer, and lets you remotely
perform different administrative tasks in real time.
Real-Time System Manager also lets you run some of the
management tasks on a collection of computers. You can run the
tasks immediately, or on a schedule.
DOC8051
14
Introducing Client Management Suite
What's new in this release
Table 1-1
Components of Client Management Suite (continued)
Component
Description
Link to User Guide
Software
Management
Solution
Software Management Solution provides intelligent and
DOC8052
bandwidth-sensitive distribution and management of software from
a central Web console. It leverages the Software Catalog and
Software Library to ensure that the required software gets installed,
remains installed, and runs without interference from other
software.
Software Management Solution supports software virtualization
technology, which lets you install software into a virtual layer on
the client computer.
Software Management Solution also lets users directly download
and install approved software or request other software.
Workflow Solution
Symantec Workflow is a security process development framework DOC8047
that you can use to create both automated business processes
and security processes. These processes provide for increased
repeatability, control, and accountability while reducing overall
workload.
The Symantec Workflow framework also lets you create Workflow
processes that integrate Symantec tools into your organization's
unique business processes. Once deployed, Workflow processes
can respond automatically to environmental variables. Workflow
processes can also allow for human interface points when a
process calls for someone to make a decision with accountability.
For the Workflow Solution release notes, see the link at the
following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8049
What's new in this release
In Client Management Suite 7.6 release, new features can be categorized into
general enhancements in Symantec Management Platform, enhancements in ITMS
Management Views (previously known as Enhanced Console View), and
enhancements in the Client Management Suite solutions.
General enhancements and new features of Symantec Management Platform and
the solutions of Client Management Suite 7.6 are as follows:
■
Client Management Suite 7.6
See “What's new in Client Management Suite” on page 16.
■
Symantec Management Platform 7.6
15
Introducing Client Management Suite
What's new in this release
See “What's new in Symantec Management Platform” on page 16.
■
ITMS Management Views (previously known as Enhanced Console Views)
See “What's new in ITMS Management Views” on page 17.
■
Symantec Management Agent
See “What's new in Symantec Management Agent” on page 20.
What's new in Client Management Suite
In Client Management Suite 7.6, the following new features are introduced:
List of new features
Table 1-2
Feature
Description
Symantec Remote Access Connector
Symantec Remote Access Connector is a Client Management Suite 7.6
functionality that lets you configure and integrate a third-party remote
connection tool such as Microsoft® Remote Desktop Connection or Bomgar™
Remote Support Solution with IT Management Suite.
See “Symantec Remote Access Connector” on page 93.
What's new in Symantec Management Platform
In the Symantec Management Platform 7.6, the following new features are
introduced:
List of new features
Table 1-3
Feature
Description
Expanded list of supported platforms.
The following version(s) of Microsoft SQL Server are now supported for the
Configuration Management Database (CMDB):
■
Microsoft SQL Server 2014
The following operating systems are now supported for the installation of
the Symantec Management Agent:
■
Windows 8.1 U1/U2
■
Windows Server 2012 R2
■
OS X 10.10
■
■
RHEL 6.5, RHEL 7 (except for Deployment Solution and Patch
Management Solution)
SLES 11 SP3
■
Solaris 11
16
Introducing Client Management Suite
What's new in this release
List of new features (continued)
Table 1-3
Feature
Description
Cloud-enabled Management
enhancements.
■
Cloud-enabled Management is now available for Mac client computers.
■
3rd party certificates are now supported.
Communication profiles feature is
introduced.
The communication profiles feature gives you an overview of the connections
that the Symantec Management Agents use to communicate with Notification
Servers or site servers. Communication profile defines the information that
the Symantec Management Agents require to establish connection to
Notification Server or site server.
Note: Communication profiles feature is only supported by Windows Agents.
Usability of the reports is improved.
The report engine performance and usability have been improved. The
parameters selection section now detects and indicates the state of the
current selection being out of sync with shown results.
Report's automatic execution can now be disabled separately for each report,
improving usability for time-consuming executions.
SSL connection to SMTP server is now Symantec Management Platform now supports SSL connection to SMTP
supported.
server.
It is possible to export the filter data into You can now export the data of your default or custom filters into a
a file.
spreadsheet or HTML file. Depending on your needs, you can export all data,
selected items, or filtered items.
The logged on user is now informed that Symantec Management Console requires cookies to function properly. In
the cookies are disabled in browser and earlier versions, if the cookies were disabled, certain pages didn't work but
some functionality may not be available. no error was displayed for the user. Now, if the cookies are disabled in
browser, a warning appears.
Data Connector import rules allow
replacing the existing resource
association information.
In earlier versions, Data Connector import rules only allowed adding resource
association information to the existing resources. Now it is also possible to
replace the existing resource association information.
What's new in ITMS Management Views
In ITMS Management Views 7.6, the following new features are introduced:
17
Introducing Client Management Suite
What's new in this release
List of new features
Table 1-4
Feature
Description
Folders in the Targets tree.
On the Computers View page, the targets are now arranged in folders.
By default, the following folders are displayed:
■
■
Favorites
This folder stores the most commonly used targets. Each user can create
their own list of commonly used targets.
System
This folder stores all the system targets grouped according to the solutions
that they belong to.
You can edit, remove, or create new target folders.
The system of target folders is also supported by the Quick apply
functionality. When, on a policy page, you click Apply to > Quick apply, a
dialog box opens, in which you can choose target folders and select the
targets to apply to the policy.
Filter/Target Results reporting
You can now compile custom reports and view detailed information about
the current state of client computers and software.
You can configure a detailed report for a computer filter, target, or a software
filter as follows:
■
Select associations.
■
Select data classes.
■
Add or remove columns.
You can export the report results to an Excel file.
18
Introducing Client Management Suite
What's new in this release
List of new features (continued)
Table 1-4
Feature
Description
Software filters
In the Software Management View, you can now see a list of software filters.
In the Software Filters tree, you can do the following:
■
Search for software filters by the name.
■
Manage the folders and filters through the right-click menu (for example,
rename, delete, clone, move, add to, or remove the filter from the
Favorites folder).
Drag and drop filters or folders to other folders.
■
■
■
Choose which filters to display. Right-click the filter tree, and then click
Show/Hide Filters. The selected configuration is saved for each individual
user.
Create new folders and software filters.
You can create new software filters for the following types of software:
New Manage Filter Criteria box
■
Software product
■
Software component
■
Software release
■
Software service pack
■
Software update
In the Manage Filter Criteria dialog box, you can now choose the filter
parameters to add to the search criteria. The list of displayed criteria depends
on the type of resource that you have chosen for this particular filter.
You can choose associations, data classes, and columns.
When you select a data class in the navigation pane, a list of data class
columns appears in the content pane. You can add a data class column to
the list of filter criteria.
The new parameters appear in the Add Filter Criteria drop-down list.
19
Introducing Client Management Suite
Where to get more information
List of new features (continued)
Table 1-4
Feature
Description
Agent Health status
You can now see the overall status of Symantec Management Agents that
run on your client computers.
The Agent status can be set to one of the following:
■
Healthy
■
Needs attention
■
Untracked
■
Unmanaged
You can filter the client computers according to Agent health status.
The overall Agent health is indicated as follows:
■
On the Computers View page, in the content pane, next to the name of
the client computer.
On the Agent Health page, in the computer details flipbook.
■
On the Agent Health summary page, in the Summary View flipbook.
■
You can configure the way the Agent health status is evaluated.
What's new in Symantec Management Agent
In the Symantec Management Agent 7.6, the following new features are introduced:
Table 1-5
List of new features
Feature
Description
Localization support
Symantec Management Agent for Mac now supports localization for 18
languages.
Where to get more information
Use the following documentation resources to learn about and use this product.
20
Introducing Client Management Suite
Where to get more information
Table 1-6
Documentation resources
Document
Description
Location
Release Notes
Information about new
features and important
issues.
The Supported Products A-Z page, which is available at the following
URL:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=products
Open your product's support page, and then under Common Topics,
click Release Notes.
User Guide
Information about how to ■
use this product,
including detailed
■
technical information and
instructions for
performing common
tasks.
The Documentation Library, which is available in the Symantec
Management Console on the Help menu.
The Supported Products A-Z page, which is available at the
following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=products
Open your product's support page, and then under Common Topics,
click Documentation.
Help
Information about how to
use this product,
including detailed
technical information and
instructions for
performing common
tasks.
The Documentation Library, which is available in the Symantec
Management Console on the Help menu.
■
Click the page and then press the F1 key.
Help is available at the
solution level and at the
suite level.
■
Use the Context command, which is available in the Symantec
Management Console on the Help menu.
Context-sensitive help is available for most screens in the Symantec
Management Console.
You can open context-sensitive help in the following ways:
This information is
available in HTML help
format.
In addition to the product documentation, you can use the following resources to
learn about Symantec products.
Table 1-7
Resource
Description
SymWISE
Articles, incidents, and
Support
issues about Symantec
Knowledgebase products.
Symantec product information resources
Location
http://www.symantec.com/business/theme.jsp?themeid=support-knowledgebase
21
Introducing Client Management Suite
Where to get more information
Table 1-7
Resource
Description
Symantec product information resources (continued)
Location
Cloud Symantec All available IT
http://help.symantec.com/Welcome?locale=EN_US&context=itms7.6
Help Center
Management Suite and
solution guides are
accessible from this
Symantec Help Center
that is launched on cloud.
Symantec
Connect
An online resource that
contains forums, articles,
blogs, downloads,
events, videos, groups,
and ideas for users of
Symantec products.
http://www.symantec.com/connect/endpoint-management/forums/
endpoint-management-documentation
Here is the list of links to various groups on Connect:
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Deployment and Imaging
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/deployment-and-imaging
Discovery and Inventory
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/discovery-and-inventory
ITMS Administrator
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/itms-administrator
Mac Management
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/mac-management
Monitor Solution and Server Health
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/monitor-solution-and-server-health
Patch Management
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/patch-management
Reporting
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/reporting
ServiceDesk and Workflow
http://www.symantec.com/connect/workflow-servicedesk
Software Management
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/software-management
Server Management
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/server-management
Workspace Virtualization and Streaming
http://www.symantec.com/connect/groups/
workspace-virtualization-and-streaming
22
Chapter
2
Implementing Client
Management Suite
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
About installing Client Management Suite
■
About upgrading Client Management Suite
■
Removal of pcAnywhere Solution after an upgrade to IT Management Suite 7.6
About installing Client Management Suite
To install Client Management Suite, you use Symantec Installation Manager. You
can download the installation files directly to your server or you can create offline
installation packages.
For more information, see the Installing IT Management Suite chapter in the IT
Management Suite 7.6 Planning for Implementation Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8038
After you install the Suite, refer to the individual solution documentation for
information on how to configure and use it.
See “Components of Client Management Suite ” on page 11.
About upgrading Client Management Suite
You can upgrade from the previous versions of Client Management Suite to the
latest version using Symantec Installation Manager.
The supported upgrade paths are as follows:
■
7.1 SP2 MP1.1 v11
Implementing Client Management Suite
About upgrading Client Management Suite
■
7.5 SP1 HF5
To upgrade from Symantec Management Platform 7.1 or later versions, in the
Symantec Installation Manager, click Upgrade installed products, and then select
the product to install. Symantec recommends that you upgrade all the installed
products to the latest version. The easiest way to upgrade to latest version is to
choose to install a suite. If you use hierarchy, you must disable hierarchy replication
and upgrade all products to the latest version on each of the Notification Server
computers.
For more information on how to install, configure, and upgrade the product, see the
Upgrading to IT Management Suite 7.6 chapter in the IT Management Suite 7.6
Installation and Upgrade Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8039
After you upgrade Client Management Suite, you must upgrade the Symantec
Management Agent and the plug-ins that are installed on the managed computers.
Symantec recommends that you do the following:
Upgrade the Symantec Management Agent, site servers, and
solution plug-ins
After upgrade to SMP 7.6, you can upgrade the Symantec Management Agent
(SMA) on the client computers to SMA 7.6. Additionally, you must also upgrade the
solution plug-ins to the latest version. An older version of SMA can communicate
with a latest version of SMP using the Legacy Agent Communication (LAC) mode,
but Symantec recommends that you upgrade the SMA and the solution plug-ins to
the latest version.
To upgrade to Symantec Management Agent, site servers, and solution plug-ins
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
Under Symantec Management Agent, locate and turn on the upgrade policies
for the Symantec Management Agent.
3
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click All
Settings.
4
In the left pane, expand Notification Server > Site Server Settings, and then
locate and turn on the upgrade policies for various site server plug-ins.
5
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
6
In the left pane, locate and turn on the upgrade policies for various plug-ins
Symantec recommends that you configure a schedule for these policies; the default
Run once ASAP option may not trigger the policy if this is not the first time you
24
Implementing Client Management Suite
About upgrading Client Management Suite
perform an upgrade. Also, to speed up the upgrade process, consider temporarily
changing the Download new configuration every setting on the Targeted Agent
Settings page to a lower value.
Migration to Symantec Management Platform 7.6 and the Client
Management Suite 7.6 solutions
If you use Notification Server 6.x or IT Management Suite 7.0 and want to migrate
to Symantec Management Platform 7.6 and Client Management Suite 7.6, you can
use either of the following paths:
■
Migrate from Notification Server 6.x or IT Management Suite 7.0 to Client
Management Suite 7.1 SP2 and then upgrade first to CMS 7.1 SP2 MP1.1
followed by upgrading to CMS 7.6.
■
Migrate from Notification Server 6.x or IT Management Suite 7.0 to Client
Management Suite 7.5 and then first upgrade to CMS 7.5 HF6 followed by
upgrading to CMS 7.6.
For detailed instructions on migrating from Notification Server 6.x or IT Management
Suite 7.0 to Client Management Suite 7.1 SP2, see the following documentation
resources:
■
IT Management Suite Migration Guide version 6.x to 7.1 SP2 at the following
URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC4742
■
IT Management Suite Migration Guide version 7.0 to 7.1 SP2 at the following
URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC4743
For detailed instructions on migrating from Notification Server 6.x or IT Management
Suite 7.0 to Client Management Suite 7.5, see the following documentation
resources:
■
IT Management Suite Migration Guide version 6.x to 7.5 at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC5668
■
IT Management Suite Migration Guide version 7.0 to 7.5 at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC5669
For detailed instructions on migrating Notifications Server from a Windows Server
2008 R2 computer to Notifications Server 7.5 SP1 on a Windows Server 2012 R2,
see the Migrating Notification Server data from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows
Server 2012 R2 topic in the IT Management Suite 7.5 SP1 Installation and Upgrade
Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6847
25
Implementing Client Management Suite
Removal of pcAnywhere Solution after an upgrade to IT Management Suite 7.6
For detailed instructions on upgrading from Client Management Suite 7.1 SP2
MP1.1 v11 or 7.5 SP1 HF5 to Client Management Suite 7.6, see the Upgrading
to IT Management Suite 7.6 chapter in the IT Management Suite 7.6 Installation
and Upgrade Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8039
Removal of pcAnywhere Solution after an upgrade to
IT Management Suite 7.6
If you have pcAnywhere Solution and you upgrade to IT Management suite 7.6,
pcAnywhere Solution is removed from the server. During installation, you will get
the following warning:
"Starting with IT Management Suite 7.6, pcAnywhere Solution is not supported.
Proceeding with this installation will remove the ability to manage pcAnywhere
components. However, pcAnywhere can still be launched from the pcAnywhere
Manager on Notification Server and from Quick Connect. Host installations will
remain with their current configuration."
After upgrading to IT Management Suite 7.6, an entry for Symantec pcAnywhere
Solution Remover is seen in Symantec Installation Manager (SIM).
Note: Symantec pcAnywhere Solution Remover is not installed when you do a fresh
installation of IT Management Suite 7.6.
After the upgrade to IT Management Suite 7.6 the following options are available
to you:
Table 2-1
pcAnywhere Solution removal in IT Management Suite 7.6
Options for
You CANNOT do the following actions You CAN do the following actions
Symantec Management
Console
■
Use the pcAnywhere Solution options ■
from Symantec Management Console.
The Actions > Remote Management
> Remote Control option is not
available from the console.
Manually launch pcAnywhere Manager
that is already installed on the server
and connect to the pcAnywhere host.
26
Implementing Client Management Suite
Removal of pcAnywhere Solution after an upgrade to IT Management Suite 7.6
Table 2-1
Options for
pcAnywhere Solution removal in IT Management Suite 7.6
(continued)
You CANNOT do the following actions You CAN do the following actions
pcAnywhere Solution policies ■
■
Use the pcAnywhere Solution host
■
installation policies for Windows, Mac,
and Linux.
Use the pcAnywhere Solution host
upgrade policies for Windows, Mac,
and Linux.
Use the pcAnywhere Solution host
uninstall policies for Windows, Mac,
and Linux.
The following policy will be available:
pcAnywhere plug-in for Windows /
Mac / Linux - Uninstall
The following policies won’t be available:
You can manually select the target as All
pcAnywhere plug-in for Windows / Mac Windows/Mac/Linux computers and then
run the uninstallation policy to remove the
/ Linux - Install
pcAnywhere components
pcAnywhere plug-in for Windows / Mac
For Windows host machines, the Windows
/ Linux - Upgrade
computers with pcAnywhere Solution
plug-in target filter can be used. After you
use this filter and run the uninstallation
policy, you must run the Inventory Software
tasks to display the filter results
immediately.
The Inventory tasks can be found in
console at Manage > Jobs and Tasks >
Discovery and Inventory.
You can also use pcAnywhere Manager to
validate that pcAnywhere host is removed
from the client computers.
Other pcAnywhere Solution
options
■
View the pcAnywhere Solution host
configuration views.
The pcAnywhere plug-in – Settings
policy is not available.
■
View the pcAnywhere reports table in
CMDB.
In IT Management Suite 7.6, you can use a third-party remote connection tool to
connect to a client computer with the help of Symantec Remote Access Connector.
See “About Symantec Remote Access Connector” on page 93.
27
Chapter
3
Getting started with Client
Management Suite
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite
The following is the process to prepare the computers in your environment for
evaluating Client Management Suite.
Symantec recommends that you evaluate Client Management Suite on an isolated
group of computers in a lab environment.
Table 3-1
Process for preparing target computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite
Step
Action
Description
Step 1
(Optional) Discover computers in
your environment.
You can discover the computers that are not yet managed by
Symantec Management Agent. If you know the host names or the
IP addresses of the computers on which you want to evaluate
Client Management Suite, the discovery is optional.
For more information about discovering computers, see the IT
Management Suite Administration Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7978
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
Table 3-1
Process for preparing target computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite (continued)
Step
Action
Description
Step 2
Configure your Windows
computers to allow Symantec
Management Agent to push
installation.
You can configure computers manually for evaluation. You can
also use a group policy to configure the firewall and other settings
on all or a group of computers in your network.
Install Symantec Management
Agent
Symantec Management Agent establishes communication between
Notification Server and the computers in your network. Notification
Server interacts with Symantec Management Agent and lets you
monitor and manage each computer from the Symantec
Management Console.
Step 3
See “Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation
prerequisites” on page 30.
See “Installing the Symantec Management Agent for Windows
with a manual push” on page 31.
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7978
For evaluation, you can also use another method of installing
Symantec Management Agent, such as pull install.
For more information on the methods of installing the Symantec
Management Agent, see the IT Management Suite Administration
Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7978
Step 4
(Optional) Configure the Symantec To ease the configuration and evaluation of Client Management
Management Agent settings for
Suite, make Symantec Management Agent request the
evaluation use.
configuration from Notification Server more frequently.
See “Configuring the Symantec Management Agent settings for
evaluation use” on page 32.
Step 5
Install or upgrade the plug-ins.
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu,
click Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, locate and turn on the
installation or upgrade policies for the plug-ins, according to your
needs.
See “Installing the Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins”
on page 33.
See “Installing or upgrading the Software Management Solution
plug-in” on page 35.
After you prepare the client computers, you can do the following:
29
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
■
Collect application usage data and create custom reports to view the collected
data.
See “Metering application usage and creating custom reports” on page 37.
■
Enable software usage tracking, and then uninstall the software from the
managed computers that do not use it.
See “Harvesting underutilized software from client computers” on page 60.
■
Install software into a virtual layer with the Software Workspace Virtualization
technology.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace
Virtualization” on page 74.
■
Deploy the required plug-ins, and then run tasks to collect inventory information
and change power scheme settings on the managed computers.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation prerequisites
Before you can install Symantec Management Agent, you need to configure the
computers and verify that they meet the installation prerequisites.
This task is a step in the processes for installing Symantec Management Agent
manually on Windows computers.
Table 3-2
Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation prerequisites
Prerequisite
Description
Operating system
Any of the following:
■
Windows 2003 SP2 (x86, x64)
■
Windows 2003 R2 and higher (x86, x64)
■
Windows XP Professional SP2 (x64)
■
Windows XP Professional SP3 (x86)
■
Windows Vista SP2 and higher (x86, x64)
■
Windows 2008 and higher (x86, x64)
■
Windows 2008 R2 and higher (x86, x64)
■
Windows 7 and higher (x86, x64)
Hard disk space
60 MB minimum
RAM
64 MB minimum (128 MB recommended)
Internet Explorer
Version 6.0 or later
Access rights
Local administrator rights
30
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
Table 3-2
Symantec Management Agent for Windows installation prerequisites
(continued)
Prerequisite
Description
Firewall
The computer must be able to communicate with Symantec
Management Platform through the computer’s firewall.
Perform any of the following:
■
Enable File and Printer Sharing in the firewall settings.
■
Add port UDP 138, TCP 445, TCP 80 (or TCP 443 for
HTTPS) and ICMP type 8 as inbound port exceptions.
You can add the ports by using a group policy.
Turn off the firewall.
■
Simple file sharing (Windows For non-domain client computers running Windows XP, you
XP in non-domain only)
must also disable Use simple file sharing in Folder Options
in Windows XP.
UAC (Windows Vista and
Windows 7 in non-domain
only)
For non-domain client computers running Windows Vista or
Windows 7, you must also turn off the User Access Control
(UAC).
Installing the Symantec Management Agent for Windows with a
manual push
You can push Symantec Management Agent to any Windows computers. Before
you can manually install or uninstall Symantec Management Agent from the
Symantec Management Agent Install page, you need to choose the target
computers. You can enter the computer names manually, choose the computers
that have been discovered with resource discovery, or import the computers from
a CSV file. The CSV file is a comma-delimited text file. The file includes the DNS
names or the IP addresses of the client computers on which you want to install
Symantec Management Agent. For Windows computers, the CSV file is a list of
computer names or IP addresses that are imported into the Symantec Management
Agent Install page. Items are interpreted as the names of computers or the IP
addresses of computers (for the entries that are in the appropriate format). No
spaces are allowed: any item that contains a space is ignored.
Note: You can manually install Symantec Management Agent only on the computers
that were discovered using Domain Resource Discovery or Network Discovery.
This task is a step in the processes for installing the Symantec Management Agent
on Windows computers.
31
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
To install the Symantec Management Agent for Windows with a manual push
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Push Symantec Management Agent.
2
On the Symantec Management Agent Install page, on the Install Agent tab,
under Rollout Agent to Computers, choose the computers on which to install
Symantec Management Agent, and then click Install.
To manually add a computer In the text box, type the computer name (which must
be a DNS-resolvable name) or IP address, and then
click Add.
To choose from the available 1
computers
To import computers from a
CSV file
3
Click Select Computers.
2
In the Select Computers dialog box, add the
appropriate computers from the Available
computers list to the Selected computers list,
and then click OK.
1
Under Rollout Agent to Computers, on the
toolbar, click the Import computers from a
selected file symbol.
2
In the Select file to import dialog box, choose the
appropriate CSV file, and then click Open.
In the Symantec Management Agent Installation Options dialog box,
configure the installation settings according to your needs, and then click
Proceed With Install.
For more information, click the page and then press F1.
On the Symantec Management Agent Install page, under Rollout Agent to
Computers, in the computer list, the Status column shows the success or
failure of the installation on each computer. Note that the newly installed
Symantec Management Agent reports its status back to the originating
Notification Server, even if it is going to be managed by another Notification
Server.
Configuring the Symantec Management Agent settings for evaluation
use
(Optional)
By default, Symantec Management Agent requests new configuration from
Notification Server once per hour. This means that it can take up to one hour for a
rollout policy to reach the target computer.
32
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
If you are evaluating this solution in a lab environment, you can change the
configuration request interval to speed up the evaluation process.
The next time Symantec Management Agent downloads configuration information,
these settings take effect. If you used the default agent configuration settings before
the change, updates can take up to one hour before these changes are effective.
To configure the Symantec Management Agent for evaluation use
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Targeted Agent Settings.
2
In the left pane, under Policy Name, click the policy that you want to configure.
3
In the right pane, on the General tab, in the Download new configuration
every box, change the value to 5 minutes.
This forces the agent to check for changes more frequently.
4
In the Upload basic inventory every box, change the value to 15 minutes.
This forces inventory data to be sent more frequently.
5
Click Save changes.
Installing the Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins
To gather inventory data on managed computers, you must install Inventory Plug-in
on them.
To meter applications on managed computers, you must install Application Metering
Plug-in. These plug-ins work with Symantec Management Agent to perform tasks
on the managed computers and communicate with Notification Server.
If you have Inventory Pack for Servers, you can also use the Inventory Pack for
Servers Plug-in.
Note: Software-based usage tracking and application metering are Windows-only
features and are supported on Windows XP and above managed computers only.
Software-based usage tracking and application metering are not supported on
Windows servers.
To install a plug-in, you configure the policy that installs the plug-in on managed
computers. You choose the group of computers on which the policy runs, and when
it runs. If you choose a group that contains a computer that already has the plug-in
installed, the task is ignored on that computer. When you turn on the policy, the
plug-in is automatically installed on any new computer that is a member of the target
group.
33
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
By default, no plug-in installation policies are turned on. If you install Inventory
Solution for the first time, you must manually turn on the policies to install the
Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins.
You can install Inventory plug-in and Application Metering plug-in separately.
However, if only Application Metering plug-in is installed on the client computer,
but the Inventory plug-in is not, there are the following limitations:
■
You cannot gather information about installed software and files using Inventory
policies and tasks.
■
For MSI-based software, the dynamic association of files and components does
not work properly until the information about file properties is gathered.
■
The Underutilized Software report only shows the information about client
computers on which metered software has been recognized as installed.
Before you perform this task, you must install Symantec Management Agent on
target computers.
This task is a step in the process for preparing managed computers for inventory
and metering.
To install the Inventory or Application Metering plug-ins
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, expand Discovery and Inventory >
Windows/UNIX/Linux/Mac, and then click the policy for the plug-in that you
want to install.
3
In the right pane, on the toolbar, click Apply to to choose the computers on
which you want to install the plug-in.
For more information, see the topics about specifying the targets of a policy
and specifying filtering rules in the IT Management Suite 7.6 Administration
Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7978
4
Under Schedule, on the toolbar, click Schedule, and then schedule the policy
to run on managed computers.
5
On the plug-in install page, turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
6
Click Save changes.
The next step is to gather inventory on your client computers.
See “Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies” on page 39.
34
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
Installing or upgrading the Software Management Solution plug-in
Before you can deliver or manage software on client computers with Software
Management Solution, you must install the Software Management Solution plug-in
on those computers.
If you upgraded from a 7.x version of Software Management Solution, you must
upgrade the Software Management Solution plug-in that is installed on the managed
computers.
Upgrade from a 6.x version of Software Management Solution plug-in is not
supported. You must upgrade Symantec Management Agent first, and then use
the Software Management Solution Plug-in Install policy to install the plug-in.
For more information about upgrade and data migration, see the IT Management
Suite 7.6 Installation and Upgrade Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8039
You install the Software Management Solution plug-in to Windows and non-Windows
computers using the Software Management Solution Plug-in Install policy.
This task is a step in the process for implementing Software Management Solution.
To install or upgrade the Software Management Solution plug-in
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Settings menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > All Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, expand Software > Software
Management, and then click one of the following policies:
3
■
Software Management Solution Plug-in Install
Click if it is a new installation or if you upgraded from the 6.x version of the
product.
■
Software Management Solution Plug-in Upgrade
Click if you upgraded from the 7.x version of the product.
In the right pane, check or uncheck Enable Verbose Reporting of Status
Events according to your needs.
This option records the detailed events that are related to the installation and
posts them to the Notification Server computer.
4
Under Applied to, on the toolbar, click Apply to, and then choose where to
install the agent.
For more information, see the IT Management Suite 7.6 Administration Guideat
the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7978
35
Getting started with Client Management Suite
Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client Management Suite
5
Under Schedule, on the toolbar, click Schedule, and then configure the
schedule for the policy.
Note that if you turn off and then turn on the policy, it cannot run on the same
computer again. To run a policy on the same computer again, you must
configure it to run on a schedule.
6
(Optional) Under Extra schedule options, configure following options:
Run once ASAP Lets you run the policy as soon as possible, and only once.
Note that if you turn off and then turn on the policy, it cannot run on
the same computer again. To run a policy on the same computer
again, you must configure it to run on a schedule.
User can run
Allows the user on the client computer to run the policy manually.
Notify user
when the task
is available
Displays a message to notify the user that new software is available.
When the user clicks the message, the New Software is Available
dialog box opens. The user can start, dismiss, or defer the policy. If
you do not choose to prompt the user, the New Software is
Available dialog box does not appear.
The New Software is Available dialog box appears only if Show
popup notifications is checked.
This option does not apply to UNIX and Linux.
Warn before
running
Displays the Starting Task dialog box to notifiy the user before the
policy runs.
Unless you let the user defer the policy, the policy starts 60 seconds
after the Starting Task dialog box appears. A progress bar shows
the amount of time that remains. The user can dismiss the Starting
Task dialog box but cannot cancel the policy unless you checked
User can run.
The Starting Task dialog box appears only if the Show popup
notifications is checked in the client computer’s Symantec
Management Agent settings.
This option does not apply to UNIX or Linux.
7
Turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle and then click On.
8
Click Save changes.
36
Chapter
4
Metering application usage
and creating custom
reports
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
■
Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies
■
Enabling application usage metering for Adobe applications
■
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL
■
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
■
Creating a drill-down computer report
■
Other methods of viewing software usage data
Metering application usage and creating custom
reports
Client Management Suite lets you collect various data from the managed computers,
store the data in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), and then create
custom reports that display that data.
Below is a sample process for creating a custom report that displays the collected
Adobe software inventory and usage data. You can use this report for a software
audit or to determine the computers on which the software in not used. You can
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
then use Software Management Solution to uninstall the software from these
computers and reclaim licenses.
In the following example, you use Inventory Solution to collect data about installed
Adobe software, and then track the software usage with the application metering
feature of Inventory Solution.
Note: Application metering is supported for Windows only. The software usage
information is limited to Windows XP and above.
Table 4-1
Process for application usage metering and creating custom reports
Step
Action
Description
Step 1
Meet the prerequisites.
You must have Symantec Management Agent installed on the
client computers.
See “Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite” on page 28.
Step 2
Install the Inventory and
Application Metering plug-ins.
See “Installing the Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins”
on page 33.
For more detailed information, see the Preparing managed
computers for inventory and metering topic in the Inventory
Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
Note that you use policies to install the plug-ins on the client
computers. If you use default settings, it can take up to one hour
for Symantec Management Agent to request the configuration
update, receive the policy and install the plug-in. You can request
configuration manually from the Symantec Management Agent
GUI, or by running the Update Client Configuration client task
Step 3
Collect full inventory.
The predefined inventory policies are enabled by default and
configured to run ASAP on every computer with the Inventory
plug-in installed. Then, policies run daily , weekly or monthly to
send the updated inventory information to Notification Server.
For example, the Collect Full Inventory policy is set by default
to run once on every computer ASAP, and then every Monday at
18:00.
You can configure the policy schedule according to your needs.
See “Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies”
on page 39.
38
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies
Table 4-1
Process for application usage metering and creating custom reports
(continued)
Step
Action
Description
Step 4
Create an application metering
policy for the software.
The application metering policy records application start and stop
events, and sends the application usage data to Notification Server.
See “Enabling application usage metering for Adobe applications”
on page 41.
Step 5
Create a custom audit report and
view inventory data.
You create a report that displays data about the number of software
components that are installed on the client computers and the
number of times the software has been used.
You can use the following methods to create a custom report:
■
■
Plain text SQL
See “Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text
SQL” on page 42.
The Symantec Management Console Query Builder
See “Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query
Builder” on page 45.
Using plain text SQL gives you more flexibility, but if you don't
have extensive SQL language knowledge, you can use Query
Builder to build a custom report. However, using Query Builder
requires the knowledge of the CMDB tables and the data that they
contain.
Step 6
(Optional) Create a drill-down
report.
You can create a drill-down report. For example, you can create
reports that show the list of computers on which a particular
software product is installed.
See “Creating a drill-down computer report” on page 53.
Step 7
(Optional) Use other methods to
view software inventory and
application metering data.
Client Management Suite provides reports and dashboards that
let you view software inventory, application metering data, and
other types of data.
See “Other methods of viewing software usage data” on page 57.
Gathering inventory with predefined inventory
policies
You can gather inventory data from managed computers with predefined inventory
policies. You can also configure the predefined policies to meet your needs. If you
want to configure a predefined policy, Symantec recommends that you clone it, and
then configure the copy.
39
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies
Note: You can manually run an original or modified predefined inventory policy on
the managed Windows computers. You can do it after the policy automatically runs
on the computer at least once.
Before you perform these steps, ensure that you have prepared the managed
computers for inventory.
To turn on predefined inventory policies
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Policies.
2
In the left pane, expand Discovery and Inventory > Inventory, and then click
the predefined inventory policy that you want to use.
3
(Optional) To gather full inventory for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with the
predefined Collect Full Server Inventory policy, you need to configure the
predefined policy run options by performing the following steps in order:
4
■
On the inventory policy page, click Advanced.
■
In the Advanced Options dialog box, click Run options, and under Run
Inventory as, select the type of account.
The scope of collected inventory information depends on the account
permissions. For example, if a particular user account does not have
permission to access a file, the information about this file is not collected.
Also, the information about some inventory and server inventory data classes
(Task Scheduler Windows, File Share Windows, etc.) cannot be collected
if the user does not have administrator rights.
■
Click OK.
On the inventory policy page, turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
5
Click Save changes.
To clone and configure predefined inventory policies
1
In the Symantec Management Console, browse to the predefined inventory
policy that you want to clone.
2
Right-click the policy, and then click Clone.
3
Give the cloned policy a unique name, and then click OK.
4
On the inventory policy page, configure the policy options according to your
needs.
For more information about the options, click the page, and then press the F1
key.
40
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Enabling application usage metering for Adobe applications
5
(Optional) Click Advanced to configure the data classes, policy run options,
or the software inventory rules, and then click OK.
Note that to gather full inventory for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with the
predefined Collect Full Server Inventory policy, you need to select the
advanced policy option Logged in user at Advanced Options > Run Options.
For more information about the options in the Advanced Options dialog box,
click the box, and then press the F1 key.
6
On the inventory policy page, turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
7
Click Save changes.
The next step is to wait for the client computers to receive the new policy and report
the inventory results, and then view the data that is stored in the Configuration
Management Database (CMDB).
Enabling application usage metering for Adobe
applications
To meter application usage, you create an application metering policy. On the policy
page, you create application definitions for the software that you want to meter. For
each metering policy, you can define one or more software components. Application
metering functionality is a component of the Client Management Suite.
Inventory Solution also lets you track software usage on the software product level.
In the example below, you create an application metering policy that monitors start
events for the executables with the file properties containing "Adobe".
Note: Depending on how you configure the application metering policy, it can take
some time for the application usage data to arrive to Notification Server and be
stored in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
To enable usage metering for Adobe applications
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Policies.
2
In the left pane, expand Software, right-click Application metering, and then
click New > Application metering policy.
3
On the New Application metering policy page, give the policy a unique name
and description.
4
On the policy page, on the Software tab, on the toolbar, click Add > Rule.
41
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL
5
In the Application Definition Details dialog box, in the Definition name box,
type Adobe. In the Product name box, type *Adobe*, and then click OK.
6
On the Options tab, check Record usage events, and then, in the drop-down
lists on the right, click Start and Daily.
These settings instruct the policy to record application startup events and send
the summary data to Notification Server daily.
7
Click Save changes.
The following is the procedure for testing the application metering rule.
To test the application metering rule
1
On client computer that belongs to the Windows Computers with Application
Metering Plug-in targets, open the Symantec Management Agent GUI.
For example, double-click the Symantec Management Agent icon on the
taskbar.
2
In the Symantec Management Agent GUI, on the toolbar, click Settings, and
then click Update to request configuration policies from Notification Server.
3
Verify that the new application metering policy has arrived to the client computer.
If the policy arrived, you can see the name of the policy in the client
configuration policy XML file at the following location: C:\Program
Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Client Policies.
In this example, look for Adobe.
4
Run an Adobe application.
5
View captured application usage information.
The application usage information is stored in a binary file at the following
location: C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Queue. Some of the
recorded data can be viewed using the Notepad application.
This data is then sent to the Notification Server computer according to the
interval that you specified for the Record usage events option.
In this example, the data is sent to the Notification Server daily.
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using
plain-text SQL
After you enable application metering, you can create a custom report using a
plain-text SQL query. You can also add parameters to an SQL query-based report.
42
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL
You can use the Symantec Management Console Query Builder to create custom
reports.
See “Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder” on page 45.
Note: Symantec recommends that you save the report regularly while making
changes to the report. This reduces the chances of the Symantec Management
Console timing out and losing your changes. To save the changes you made to the
report, you can click either Save Changes or Apply. To return to the report, click
Edit.
The query that you use in this example is as follows:
SELECT
ifd.DisplayName,
ifd.Publisher,
COUNT(DISTINCT ifd._ResourceGuid) AS 'Installed',
COUNT(DISTINCT cm.Metered) AS 'Metered',
COUNT(DISTINCT eas._ResourceGuid) AS 'Used'
FROM ( SELECT DISTINCT _ResourceGuid, DisplayName, Publisher,
ParentResourceGuid, ChildResourceGuid FROM Inv_AddRemoveProgram iarp
JOIN ResourceAssociation ra ON iarp._SoftwareComponentGuid =
ra.ParentResourceGuid WHERE Publisher LIKE '%adobe%' ) ifd
LEFT JOIN ( SELECT DISTINCT ResourceGuid AS Metered FROM
CollectionMembership WHERE CollectionGuid =
'f5758af1-eb77-436f-b63f-e75473cf3c09' ) cm ON cm.Metered =
ifd._ResourceGuid
LEFT JOIN ( SELECT DISTINCT _ResourceGuid, FileResourceGuid FROM
Evt_Application_Start ) eas ON eas.FileResourceGuid =
ifd.ChildResourceGuid AND eas._ResourceGuid = ifd._ResourceGuid
GROUP BY
ifd.Publisher,
ifd.DisplayName
ORDER BY
Used DESC,
Publisher ASC
43
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL
This query selects all software resources that display Adobe as the publisher in the
Windows Add/Remove Program dialog box (WHERE Publisher LIKE '%adobe%').
The count of computers with this software will be displayed in the Installed column.
You will replace the %Adobe% substring with a report parameter later in the process.
In the LEFT JOIN statement that follows, the query gets the count of computers that
can be metered. Inventory Solution can collect inventory from both server and
workstation operating systems, but application metering is available for workstations
only. When you run the report, the count of workstations with this software is
displayed in the Metered column. This particular example uses the collection that
is used by the default application metering policy. Note that if you use a non-default
target to meter Adobe software, the data in the Metered column will be inaccurate.
If the data is inaccurate, you can further customize the report.
The last LEFT JOIN statement gets the count of computers on which an application
from Adobe was executed and displays it as Used.
Note: This is a simplified query and it does not let you specify a time interval for
which to display metering data. You can add these parameters later.
To create a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, under Reports, expand Discovery and Inventory > Inventory
> Cross-platform > Software/Applications.
3
Under Software/Applications, right-click the Software folder, and then click
New > Report > SQL Report.
4
On New SQL Report page, rename the report.
For example, rename the report to Adobe audit (SQL).
5
Click the Parameterised Query tab, and then, in the text box, delete all the
default query text.
6
Copy the SQL query that is provided in this topic and paste it into the text box.
7
Click Save Changes.
To add a parameter to the plain-text SQL report
1
On the report page, click the Report Parameters tab.
2
On the toolbar, click Add > New Parameter.
44
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
3
In the Editing Parameter dialog box, configure the following settings:
Name
Type Publisher.
Description
Type Publisher.
Default Value
Type %.
Test Value
Type %Adobe%.
4
Under Value Provider, in the Name drop-down list, click Basic Parameter
Value Edit Control, and then, under Configuration, in the Label Text box,
type Publisher.
5
Click OK.
6
On the report page, click the Data Source tab, and then click the Query
Parameters tab.
7
On the toolbar, click Add > Publisher.
8
Click the Parameterised Query tab.
9
In the text box, before the query, add the following lines:
DECLARE @v3_Publisher nvarchar(max)
SET @v3_Publisher = N'%Publisher%'
10 In the SQL query, locate the following string:
LIKE '%adobe%'
and replace it with the following:
LIKE @v3_Publisher
11 Click Save Changes.
To test the report, you can type %oracle% in the Publisher box. Then refresh
the report, and see if it displays the list of Oracle software that is discovered
by Inventory Solution.
See “Creating a drill-down computer report” on page 53.
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query
Builder
After you enable application metering, you can use Query Builder to create a custom
report in the Symantec Management Console.
45
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
You can also build a custom report using a plain-text SQL query.
See “Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using plain-text SQL” on page 42.
For more information, see the topics about creating custom Notification Server
reports in the IT Management Suite Administration Guide.
Note: Symantec recommends that you save the report regularly while making
changes to the report. This reduces the chances of the Symantec Management
Console timing out and losing your changes. To save the changes you made to the
report, you can click either Save Changes or Apply. To return to the report, click
Edit.
To create a new report and add tables and associations
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, expand Discovery and Inventory > Inventory >
Cross-platform > Software/Applications.
3
Under Software/Applications, right-click Software, and then click New >
Report > Computer Report.
4
On the New Computer Report page, type a new name for this report.
For example, type Adobe audit (Query Builder).
5
On the Query tab, click Base Query, and then, on the right, in the Base
Resource Type drop-down list, click Software Component.
When a dialog box opens, click OK.
6
On the Query tab, under Base Query, click Software Component, and then,
under Actions, click Create Joins.
46
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
7
In the Joins dialog box, create a table join as follows:
Inner join Inv_AddRemoveProgram on [Software Component].[Guid] =
_SoftwareComponentGuid.
Click OK.
8
On the Query tab, under Base Query, click Software Component, and then,
on the right, under Actions, click Use Resource Type Associations.
9
In the Resource Type Associations dialog box, in the drop-down list, click
[Software Component Contains File] to [File], and then click OK.
10 On the Query tab, under Software Component Contains, click File, and then,
on the right, under Actions, click Create Joins.
11 In the Joins dialog box, create a table join as follows:
Left Outer join Inv_Monthly_summary on [File].[Guid] = FileResourceGuid.
Click OK.
12 On the Query tab, under Software Component Contains, click File, and then,
on the right, under Actions, click Create Joins.
47
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
13 In the Joins dialog box, create a table join as follows:
LeftOuter join Inv_Software_Execution on [File].[Guid] = _ResourceGuid.
Click OK.
14 Click Save Changes.
Next, add the third table, which will be used to get the count of computers that can
be metered. You must then add a filter expression that lets you exclude the operating
systems that are not supported by the Application Metering Plug-in.
In this example, you filter the results by GUID
f5758af1-eb77-436f-b63f-e75473cf3c09, which is a GUID of the Windows
Computers with Application Metering plug-in.
To join the CollectionMembership table and add a filter expression
1
On the Query tab, under Base Query, click Inv_AddRemoveProgram, and
then, in the right pane, under Actions, click Create Joins.
2
In the Joins dialog box, create a table join as follows:
Left Outer join CollectionMembership on
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram].[_ResourceGuid] = ResourceGuid.
Click OK.
3
On the Filter Expressions tab, click Switch to Advanced Mode.
4
In the left pane, click [CollectionMembership] Join Filters.
48
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
5
In the right pane, in the drop-down list, click Equals.
When a dialog box opens, click OK.
6
For the first filter operand, under Filter Expression Operands, in the {0}::
drop-down list, click Field, and then, in the right drop-down list, click
[CollectionMembership].[CollectionGuid].
For the second operand, under Filter Expression Operands, in the {1}::
drop-down list, click Text, and then, to the text box on the right, paste the
following GUID:
f5758af1-eb77-436f-b63f-e75473cf3c09
7
In the left pane, click [Inv_Software_Execution] Join Filters.
8
In the right pane, in the drop-down list, click Equals.
When a dialog box opens, click OK.
9
For the first filter operand, under Filter Expression Operands, in the {0}:
drop-down list, click Field, and then, in the right drop-down list, click
[Inv_Software_Execution].[IsMetered].
49
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
10 For the second operand, under Filter Expression Operands, in the {1}:
drop-down list, click Integer, and then, to the text box on the right, type 1.
Note that after you change the Alias for [Inv_Software_Execution].[IsMetered]
to IsMetred on the Field tab, [Inv_Software_Execution].[IsMetered] will
automatically change to [IsMetered].
11 Click Save changes.
In the next step, you choose the table fields that will appear in the report. You also
aggregate data and choose the sort order.
The following list shows the fields that you must add to the report when you perform
the next procedure.
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram].[DisplayName]
Displays the software name, as shown in the
Windows Add/Remove Programs window.
In the Alias box, type Name.
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram].[Publisher]
Displays the software publisher, as shown in
the Windows Add/Remove Programs window.
In the Alias box, type Publisher.
50
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram].[_ResourceGuid] Displays the count of computers (both servers
and workstations) with this software installed.
In the Alias box, type Installed. In the
Aggregate drop-down list, click Count
Distinct.
[Inv_Software_Execution].[IsMetered]
Displays the count of workstations with this
software installed.
In the Alias box, type IsMetered.
In the Aggregate drop-down list, click Count
Distinct.
[Inv_Monthly_Summary].[_ResourceGuid]
Displays the count of workstations on which
the software has been run.
In the Alias box, type Used.
In the Aggregate drop-down list, click Count
Distinct.
(Optional) In the Sort Direction drop-down
list, click Descending.
To add fields to the report
1
Open the report that you want to edit, and then click the Fields tab.
2
On the Fields tab, on the toolbar, click the Add symbol, and then add the fields
that are shown in the left column in the table on the Fields tab.
Note: You can add fields one by one. You can also check Select Multiple
Fields, and then add multiple fields from the drop-down list.
After you add the fields, you can configure them as shown in the table below.
51
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a custom audit report for Adobe using Query Builder
3
On the Fields tab, remove all other fields except for
[CollectionMembership].[CollectionGuid] that are not part of this list. Click
a row, and then, on the toolbar, click the Delete symbol.
4
Click Save changes.
Note: [CollectionMembership].[CollectionGuid] is a required hidden field in this
example, and it cannot be removed.
You can add a parameter to the report that lets you filter the results by the software
publisher. First, you add a new parameter text box to the report, and then you
configure the report query.
To add a parameter using Query Builder
1
Open the report you want to edit, and then click the Report Parameters tab.
2
On the Report Parameters tab, on the toolbar, click Add > New Parameter.
3
In the Editing Parameter dialog box, fill in the following text boxes:
Name
Type Publisher.
Descrpiption
Type Publisher.
Default Value
Type %.
Test Value
Type %Adobe%.
4
Under Value Provider, in the Name drop-down list, click Basic Parameter
Value Edit Control, and then, in the Label Text box, type Publisher.
5
Click OK.
6
Click the Data Source tab, and then click the Query Parameters tab.
7
On the Query Parameters tab, on the toolbar, click Add > Publisher.
8
On the Filter Expressions tab, in the left pane, click
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram] Join Filters.
9
In the right pane, in the drop-down list, click Like.
When a dialog box opens, click OK to confirm.
52
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a drill-down computer report
10 For the first filter operand, in the {0}: drop-down list, click Field and then, in
the right drop-down list, click [Publisher].
For the second operand, in the {1}: drop-down list, click Parameter, and then,
in the right drop-down list, click Publisher.
11 Click Save changes.
See “Creating a drill-down computer report” on page 53.
Creating a drill-down computer report
You can create a custom drill-down report and add it as a right-click menu action
to the audit report that you created.
The following is an example of how to create a drill-down report that shows the list
of computers that have the software installed. You can create any other report
according to your needs.
To create a drill-down computer report
1
In the Symantec Management Platform, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, under Reports, expand Discovery and Inventory > Inventory
> Cross-platform > Software /Applications, right-click Software, and then
click New > Report > Computer Report.
53
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a drill-down computer report
3
On the New Computer Report page, click the report name and type a new
name.
For example, type Drilldown: Installed.
4
On the Query tab, under Base Query, click Computer, and then, in the left
pane, under Actions, click Create Joins.
5
In the Joins dialog box, create a table join as follows:
6
■
In the Join drop-down list, click Inner.
■
In the middle drop-down list, click Inv_AddRemoveProgram.
■
In the bottom drop-down lists, click the following:
On [Computer].[Guid] = _ResourceGuid.
■
Click OK.
On the Fields tab, on the toolbar, click the Add symbol, and then add the fields
that are shown below.
Configure the fields as shown.
7
On the Report Parameters tab, on the toolbar, click Add > New Paramater,
and then, in the Editing Parameter dialog box, configure the parameter as
follows:
■
In the Name box, type SWguid.
■
In the Description box, type Software Guid.
■
In the Type drop-down list, click Basic GUID Parameter.
■
Check Parameter Required.
■
Under Value Provider, in the Name drop-down list, click Basic Parameter
Value Edit Control.
■
In the Label Text box, type Software Resource Guid.
■
Click OK.
54
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a drill-down computer report
8
On the Data Source tab, click the Query Parameters tab, and then, on the
toolbar, click Add > Software Guid.
9
On the Filter Expressions tab, in the left pane, click
[Inv_AddRemoveProgram] Join Filters.
10 In the right pane, do the following:
■
In the top drop-down list, click Equals.
When a dialog box opens, click OK.
■
Under Filter Expression Operands, for the first filter operand, in the {0}:
drop-down list, click Field and then, in the right drop-down list, click
[swguid].
■
For the second filter operand, in the {1}: drop-down list, click Parameter,
and then, in the right drop-down list, click SWguid.
11 Click Save Changes.
To create a right-click drill-down menu
1
Open the report that you created with Query Builder.
2
Add a new [Inv_AddRemoveProgram].[_SoftwareComponentGuid] field to
the report, and make it invisible.
3
On the Drilldowns tab, click Remove to remove the default ShowContextMenu
drilldown.
4
Click Add.
5
In the Name box, type Show Installed.
55
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Creating a drill-down computer report
6
In the Performs drop-down list, click Drilldown To Report.
7
Under Action Configuration, click No report selected, and then search for
and select the drill-down report that you created.
8
Under Passing Parameter, click the Add symbol.
9
In the Pass Drilldown Parameter dialog box, configure the fields as follows:
Pass from source
Click Data field, and then, in the
drop-down list below, click
_SoftwareComponentGuid.
Name at destination
Type SWguid.
This string must match the input parameter
name of the drill-down report.
Transform to type
Click Basic GUID Parameter.
10 Click OK.
11 Click Add.
12 Create a new drill-down as follows:
Name
Type ContextMenu.
Available On
Click DefaultDataView.
Event
Click Right-click.
Performs
Click Show context menu.
Action Configuration
Skip and do not configure.
Passing Parameters
Skip and do not configure.
13 Click Save changes.
The right-click action that you created is not available in the right-click menu by
default. You must edit the source of the report manually, as follows:
To enable the custom right-click menu
1
In the left pane, right-click the Adobe audit (Query Builder) report, click
Export, and then save the file.
2
Open the saved XML file in a text editor.
56
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Other methods of viewing software usage data
3
In the XML file, under <viewingControl>, in the <link> element with the
name="ContextMenu" attribute, locate the following string:
<action id="ContextMenu" />
4
Replace this string with the following text:
<action id="ContextMenu">
<arguments>
<argument name="MenuFactories" list="true">
<value>LinkMenu</value>
</argument>
</arguments>
</action>
Also, add the visible="false" attribute to the link element.
5
Save and close the file.
6
In the Symantec Management Console, right-click the folder in which your
report is located (in this example, Software), click Import, then and import the
report back into the CMDB.
The right-click menu is now available. Test the report. To go back to the parent
report, use the breadcrumb bar above of the right pane.
7
(Optional) To hide the drill-down report from the left pane, in the XML, replace
<itemAttributes>Normal</itemAttributes> with
<itemAttributes>Hidden</itemAttributes>.
Other methods of viewing software usage data
The software usage data appears in reports and views after you collect full inventory,
enable usage tracking or create application metering policies, and after the usage
information is sent to Notification Server by the Application Metering plug-in.
57
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Other methods of viewing software usage data
Software view
To access the Software view, in the Symantec Management Console,
on the Manage menu, click Software.
In the left pane, under Metered Software, click Usage Tracking. Then
view the usage data in the right pane.
This data can be displayed only for the software that is defined in the
Software Catalog and is added to the list of managed software products.
You must also enable tracking for the software that you want to appear
in this view.
For more information about Software Catalog and managed software,
see the Software Management Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8052
The following reports are available for software product-level usage
tracking:
■
Underutilized Software
For more information about tracking software usage, see the Inventory
Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
Application
metering reports
To view application metering reports, in the Symantec Management
Console, on the Reports menu, click All Reports, and then, in the left
pane, under Reports, expand Software > Application Metering.
The following reports and several others are available for file-level
application metering:
■
Executable Usage
For more information about application metering, see the Inventory
Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
58
Metering application usage and creating custom reports
Other methods of viewing software usage data
Installed software To view the installed software reports, in the Symantec Management
reports
Console, on the Reports menu, click All Reports, and then, in the left
pane, under Reports, expand Discovery and Inventory > Inventory
> Cross-platform > Software/Applications.
The following reports and several others are available:
■
Audit Software Search report
■
Installed Software
■
Disk Usage by File Extension
For more information about viewing inventory data in reports, see the
Inventory Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
Resource
Manager
Resource Manager lets you view information and perform numerous
tasks on a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) resource. A
CMDB resource can be a computer, software, network device, and so
on.
You can access Resource Manager if you double-click a resource in the
Symantec Management Console.
For more information about viewing inventory data in Resource Manager,
see the Inventory Solution User Guide at the following URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
59
Chapter
5
Harvesting underutilized
software from endpoints
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
Harvesting underutilized software from client computers
■
Manually creating the managed software products
■
Tracking usage of the managed software products
■
Creating a licensed software product
■
Tracking the software license compliance
■
Saving computers with underutilized software in a custom filter
■
Adding exclusions to the static filter
■
Uninstalling underutilized managed software products
Harvesting underutilized software from client
computers
Client Management Suite lets you define software products, deliver them, collect
information about installed software, and track software usage. To define, install,
or uninstall software you use the Software Management Solution. You can track
software usage with Inventory Solution.
You can use the features of Asset Management Suite to manage purchased software
licenses and view license compliance. Asset Management Suite combines licensing
data with software usage tracking data. This lets you discover overdeployed licensed
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Harvesting underutilized software from client computers
software and identify the computers from which the software can be uninstalled to
reclaim licenses.
Note: The software usage tracking functionality of Inventory Solution supports
Windows workstation operating systems only. The software usage information is
limited to Windows XP and above.
After you uninstall the software, you can use Software Management Solution from
Symantec to deliver an alternative application to the same computers. For example,
you may want to uninstall Microsoft Visio and replace it with Visio Viewer.
Table 5-1
Process for harvesting underutilized software from client computers
Step
Action
Description
Step 1
Meet the prerequisites.
You must have Symantec Management Agent installed on the
client computers. The client computers must be registered with
Notification Server.
See “Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite” on page 28.
Step 2
Install the Inventory and
Application Metering plug-ins.
See “Installing the Inventory and Application Metering plug-ins”
on page 33.
For more detailed information, see the Preparing managed
computers for inventory and metering topic in the Inventory
Solution User Guide:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7967
Note that the plug-ins are delivered to the client computers by
policies, so that the time when a plug-in gets installed depends
on the Symantec Management Agent's configuration request
interval, which is one hour by default. It can take up to one hour
for Symantec Management Agent to receive the policy and install
the plug-in. You can request configuration manually from the
Symantec Management Agent GUI, or by running the Update
Client Configuration client task.
Step 3
Install the Software Management
Solution plug-in
This plug-in lets you deliver and manage software, and check
compliance on client computers.
See “Installing or upgrading the Software Management Solution
plug-in” on page 35.
61
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Harvesting underutilized software from client computers
Table 5-1
Process for harvesting underutilized software from client computers
(continued)
Step
Action
Description
Step 4
Collect full inventory.
The predefined inventory policies are enabled by default and
configured to run ASAP on every computer with the Inventory
plug-in installed. Then, policies run daily or weekly to send the
updated inventory information to Notification Server.
For example, the Collect Full Inventory policy is configured to
run once on every computer as soon as possible, and then every
Monday at 18:00.
You might already have the software and the file inventory
collected from the client computers and stored in the Configuration
Management Database (CMDB). If the data is not yet available,
turn on the policies and modify the schedules according to your
needs.
See “Gathering inventory with predefined inventory policies”
on page 39.
Step 5
Define managed software and
enable usage tracking.
To prepare for software usage tracking, collect software inventory,
define manageable software products, and then enable usage
tracking for the software according to your needs.
See “Manually creating the managed software products”
on page 64.
See “Tracking usage of the managed software products”
on page 65.
62
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Harvesting underutilized software from client computers
Table 5-1
Process for harvesting underutilized software from client computers
(continued)
Step
Action
Description
Step 6
(Optional) Add licensing
information.
If you installed IT Management Suite, use Asset Management
Suite to track licenses for the software.
See “Creating a licensed software product” on page 67.
When you add licensing information, you can use reports and
dashboards to view how many of the licensed software installations
are used. Based on this information, you can uninstall software
from the client computers that do not use it.
In this example, Symantec recommends that you view the
summary software product licensing compliance on the Software
Licensing dashboard.
To view the compliance and usage data for a particular software
product, in the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage
menu, click Software.
See “Tracking the software license compliance” on page 68.
For more information about managing licenses, see the Asset
Management Suite User Guide:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC8031
Step 7
View the Underutilized Software Decide which software you want to uninstall to reclaim licenses,
report and create a static filter for and then open the Underutilized Software report.
the computers from which you want
You create a static filter, and then use this filter for the Quick
to uninstall the software.
Delivery task that uninstalls the software.
See “Saving computers with underutilized software in a custom
filter” on page 69.
Step 8
(Optional) Configure additional
filtering criteria.
You can add an exclusion to your static filter. For example, you
can include a large number of computers in your static filter, and
then add filters to exclude computers from a particular
organizational group, computers that are used by managers, and
so on.
See “Adding exclusions to the static filter” on page 71.
Step 9
Uninstall underutilized software.
You can use the wizards that are provided by Software
Management Solution to uninstall software.
See “Uninstalling underutilized managed software products”
on page 71.
63
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Manually creating the managed software products
Manually creating the managed software products
Software management is only available on Windows computers.
You can track usage of a software product only if the software product is managed
in the Software Catalog. Inventory Solution provides the list of predefined software
products. If the software product that you want to manage is in the list, the task
NS.Nightly schedule to associate Software component to software product
automatically moves the relevant predefined software product to the Software
Catalog, to the Managed software products list.
If the software component that you want to track does not match filtering rules of
any predefined software product, you can manually create a managed software
product for this software component.
This task is a step in the process for tracking usage of the managed software
products.
To manually create the managed software products
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the Software pane, under Installed Software, click Newly Discovered
Software.
3
In the Newly Discovered Software pane, select the software component for
which you want to create a software product.
4
In the right pane, under New Software, click Manage this software.
5
In the Software Product dialog box, view or edit the name, company, and
version of the software product.
6
(Optional) On the Identify inventory tab, perform the following actions:
■
To edit filtering inventory rules, enter new criteria in the Software name,
Company, or Version filters.
The filtering inventory rules define the software product and the software
components that can be associated to it. The filtering inventory rules are
dynamic. Any software component that comes into your environment and
matches these rules is automatically associated to this software product.
For example, you can change the Software name from Adobe Reader to
Adobe, and the details in the Identify inventory tab change to display
software components for all Adobe products.
Note that when using the Company filter, you must first enter criteria in the
Software name filter. Otherwise, the Company filter does not work.
■
To include the software components that are associated with other software
products, check Include components associated with other products.
64
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Tracking usage of the managed software products
The components that are associated with other software products are
highlighted yellow.
7
Click OK.
The next step is to track the usage of the managed software products.
See “Tracking usage of the managed software products” on page 65.
Tracking usage of the managed software products
Software usage tracking is only available on Windows computers.
Inventory Solution provides the software-based usage tracking option to help you
track application usage and prepare for managing software licenses.
You enable the software-based usage tracking option for the managed software
products and view gathered usage tracking data in the Symantec Management
Console Software views.
You can track usage of a managed software product only if at least one software
component in the software product has the association with one or more key program
files. Otherwise, when you try to enable the software-based usage tracking option
by checking Turn on metering / usage tracking for this software product in the
Software Product dialog box, you get the following error message:
"Associate at least one program to meter / track usage."
The key program files that are installed with an MSI-based installer get automatically
associated with the relevant software components.
For the following program files, you create associations manually when you enable
the software-based usage tracking option in the Software Product dialog box:
■
The program files that are installed with non-MSI-based installers.
■
The program files that are not determined as key program files and have no
component-to-file association.
■
The program files that do not match any key program files that are already
associated with the software component of a metered software product.
When you associate key program files to software components of the software
product, the best practice is to use a more granular approach to usage tracking.
To use this method, each software component must be associated with the correct
key program file. The version of the associated key program file should correspond
to the version of the relevant software component. As a result, you can view the
usage of all components and versions of the metered software product.
65
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Tracking usage of the managed software products
For example, in the software product Adobe Reader 9, you add the program file
AcroRd32.exe with the version 9.5.0.270 to the software component Adobe Reader
9.5.0 English with the version 9.5.0. You add the program file AcroRd32.exe with
the version 9.0.0.2008061200. to the software component Adobe Reader 9 English
with the version 9.0.0.
This task is a step in the process for tracking usage of the managed software
products.
Before you perform this step, ensure that the managed software product that you
want to track has the software components that are associated to it.
See “Manually creating the managed software products” on page 64.
To track usage of the managed software products
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the Software pane, under Installed Software, click Installed Products.
3
In the Installed Products pane, double-click the software product that you
want to track.
4
In the Software Product dialog box, click the Meter / track usage tab.
5
On the Meter / track usage tab, perform one or both of the following actions:
■
To add a key program file to the software component with no associations
to any program files, click Add Program next to the relevant software
component.
■
To add a new key program file to the software component that already has
associations to program files, click any associated program file next to the
relevant software component.
6
In the Add Program dialog box, under Available programs, type the name
of the program file that you want to track to filter the results.
7
In the Available programs list, select the program file that you want to track,
click the arrow to move the selected program file to the Associated programs
list, and then click OK.
8
On the Meter / track usage tab, in the Count software as used if run in the
last ... days box, type the number of days.
9
Check Turn on metering / usage tracking for this software product.
10 Click OK.
The next step is to wait for the client computers to report the specified software
usage, and then view the data that is stored in the Configuration Management
Database (CMDB).
66
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Creating a licensed software product
Creating a licensed software product
A software product lets you record the details that are associated with the software
in your environment. For example, you can create the software product items that
represent the software programs, such as Norton Ghost 15.0, Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, and Adobe Photoshop CS4.
Note: Software products are linked to one or more software resources. The purpose
and benefit of a software product is not fully realized until Asset Management Suite
is installed. Installation of Asset Management Suite is a pre-requisite for creating
a licensed software product.
The software products have a package or a command line associated to them, and
they are available for delivery to network resources. In the Software view, the
licensed software products that you create appear under the Licensed, Adobe, or
Microsoft saved search.
This task is a step in the process for managing your software license compliance
using the Software view.
To create a licensed software product
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the navigation pane, under Favorites, click Discovered Unreviewed
Software.
3
In the list pane, select the software component for which you want to create a
licensed software product.
4
In the software details pane, click Manage this software.
5
In the Software Product dialog box, on the Identify inventory tab, specify
the filter rules that define the software product .
For more information, click the page and then press F1.
6
In the Software Product dialog box, on the Licenses tab, make sure that
Licensable product is checked, and then click Add License Purchase.
7
In the Add License Purchase dialog box, enter software license and software
purchase information, and then click Add.
8
In the Add Software Product dialog box, click OK.
After you save a software product with its associated software purchase and
software license information, the options to see and edit the full records of
software license and software purchase within the Asset Management Suite
pages become available.
67
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Tracking the software license compliance
Tracking the software license compliance
After you insert all necessary data and create the associations, you can track the
software license compliance in your environment.
Note: Software products are linked to one or more software resources. The purpose
and benefit of a software product is not fully realized until Asset Management Suite
is installed. Installation of Asset Management Suite is a pre-requisite for creating
a licensed software product.
You can use the Software view or Resource Manager to check the software license
compliance of a single software. In the Licensing Reports Web Part, on the
Software Product Licensing Compliance tab, you can view the software license
compliance report for all your software.
To see the most accurate data in Resource Manager and in the Software Licensing
portal, the Software Product Licensing Recalculation Operation Task must run.
By default, this task is scheduled to run during off-peak hours. You can access the
task on the Jobs / Tasks page, under Jobs and Tasks > System Jobs and Tasks
> Service and Asset Management > Contract Management.
This task is a step in the process for managing your software license compliance
using the Software view.
You can also track the software license compliance by location using the Software
Product Licensing Compliance By Location report. To view the report, ensure
that the installation location is associated with the software purchase and the
computers. Ensure that you run the Software Product Licensing Recalculation
Operation Task before generating the report to get the updated data.
To track your software license compliance in the Software view
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the navigation pane, under Licensed Software, click Licensed, and then
select a software product in the list pane.
3
In the software details pane, you can view the information about software usage
and software licenses.
For more information, click the page and then press F1.
Note that the software license compliance graphic does not include
non-inventoried, borrowed, or upgraded licenses. It only shows the count of
purchased licenses as compared to the count of software product installs
detected in the environment.
68
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Saving computers with underutilized software in a custom filter
To track your software license compliance in Resource Manager
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Home menu, click Service and
Asset Management > Software Licensing.
2
In the left pane, click Software Product.
3
In the Software Product list, right-click the software product, and then click
Resource Manager.
4
In Resource Manager, on the Summaries menu, click Software Product
Licensing Summary.
To track your software license compliance in the Software Licensing portal
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Home menu, click Service and
Asset Management > Software Licensing.
2
In the right pane, in the Licensing Reports Web Part, click the Software
Product Licensing Compliance tab.
To track your software license compliance by location in the Software Licensing
portal
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All reports.
2
In the Reports pane on the left, click Service and Asset Management >
Contract Management > Software Licensing > Software Product Licensing
Compliance By Location to view the software license compliance by location
report.
Alternatively, on the Home menu, click Service and Asset Management >
Software Licensing. In the left pane, click Service and Asset Management
Reports > Contract Management > Software Licensing > Software Product
Licensing Compliance By Location.
Alternatively, on the Home menu, click Service and Asset Management >
Manage Configuration Items. In the left pane, click Service and Asset
Management Reports > Contract Management > Software Licensing >
Software Product Licensing Compliance By Location.
Saving computers with underutilized software in a
custom filter
Reports in the Symantec Management Console let you save a selection of computers
as a static filter. You can then use this filter in a task or a policy.
When you create a static filter, it is saved under Manage > Filters > Report Based
Filters.
69
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Saving computers with underutilized software in a custom filter
Note: Static filters are not based on a SQL query and do not change their
membership — computers are not added to or removed from the filter automatically.
The Underutilized Software report lets you view the usage information of the
managed software products. In this example, you use this report to find the client
computers on which the software is rarely or never used, and then you uninstall
the software from these computers.
Note: The software usage information is sent to the Notification Server computer
daily or weekly, depending on the settings. The usage data does not appear in the
Symantec Management Console immediately after you use the software.
In the Used column you can see the following status messages:
Yes
The software is metered and is used on this
computer.
No
The software is metered but is not used on this
computer.
Unsupported
The computer's operating system is not supported,
and software cannot be metered.
Normally this status is displayed for the server
operating systems.
Application Metering plug-in not
installed
The operating system is supported, but the plug-in
is not installed.
The computers that display No are suitable for license harvesting. Save the
computers from which you want licensed software to be uninstalled into a static
filter.
This task is a step in the process for harvesting underutilized software from the
endpoints.
See “Harvesting underutilized software from client computers” on page 60.
To save computers with underutilized software in a custom filter
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, expand Software > Application Metering, and click
Underutilized Software.
3
In the right pane, right-click the application that you want to uninstall, and then
click Drill down to computers with underutilized software.
70
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Adding exclusions to the static filter
4
(Optional) Sort the drill-down report by the Used column.
5
Choose the computers for which No is displayed in the Used column.
6
On the toolbar, click Save As > Static Filter.
7
Type a name for the new filter.
For example, type Adobe Acrobat Professional Uninstall Filter.
8
Click Save.
Adding exclusions to the static filter
(Optional)
You can configure additional filtering criteria for your static filter.
For example, you can exclude some organizational groups from the static filter.
This way, the software uninstallation task does not run on the excluded computers.
This task is a step in the process for harvesting underutilized software from the
endpoints.
See “Harvesting underutilized software from client computers” on page 60.
To add exclusions to the static filter
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Filters.
2
Expand Report Based Filters, and then click your static filter.
For example, click Adobe Acrobat Professional Uninstall Filter.
3
In the right pane, click Edit.
4
Under Exclusions, click Select a filter, add the filter that you want to exclude
from your static filter, and then click OK.
5
(Optional) To view the updated list of computers, under Filter Membership,
click Update membership.
6
Click Save changes.
Uninstalling underutilized managed software
products
A software product that you want to uninstall can be defined as a deliverable product
in the Software Library. In this case, a package and a command line to uninstall
the software may already be present. The Software Library can generate installation
and uninstallation command lines for known executable types. You can also add a
71
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Uninstalling underutilized managed software products
command line manually. Use a Quick Delivery task to uninstall software using the
static filter that you created.
Also, you can create a new Run Script task and excute an uninstall command using
this task.
If you want the software to get automatically uninstalled when not used over an
extended period of time, create a dynamic filter using a plain-text SQL query or
Query Builder, and then assign a managed software delivery policy to that filter.
For more information, see the topics about reports in the IT Management Suite
Administration Guide and the topics about managed software delivery in the Altiris
Software Management Solution from Symantec User Guide.
See “Metering application usage and creating custom reports” on page 37.
This task is a step in the process for harvesting underutilized software from the
endpoints.
See “Harvesting underutilized software from client computers” on page 60.
To uninstall underutilized software using a Quick Delivery task
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the left pane, under Metered Software, click Usage Tracking.
3
In the Usage Tracking pane, right-click a deliverable software resource, and
then click Actions > Quick Delivery Task.
If the menu option is not available, then a command line is not created for this
product. Double-click the software product to edit and add the uninstall
command line.
4
In the Quick Delivery Task dialog box, in the Command line box, specify the
uninstall command line.
5
Under Destination resources, click Add > Targets.
6
In the Select a resource target dialog box, click Build target, and then click
Add rule.
7
Configure the rule as follows:
8
■
Check exclude resources not in.
■
Click Filter.
■
Click your static filter name.
In this example, click Adobe Acrobat Professional Uninstall Filter.
Click Update results , and verify that only the resources from which you want
to uninstall the software are displayed.
72
Harvesting underutilized software from endpoints
Uninstalling underutilized managed software products
9
(Optional) To save your target, click Save as, and then complete the steps in
the dialog box that opens.
10 Click OK.
11 In the Select a resource target dialog box, in the left pane, locate your target,
move it to the right pane, and then click OK.
12 In the Quick Delivery Task dialog box, click OK.
13 (Optional) To monitor the task progress, in the Symantec Management Console,
on the Manage menu, click Jobs and Tasks, and then, in the left pane, under
Job and Tasks, click System Jobs and Tasks > Software > Quick Delivery.
To uninstall an underutilized software product that is not deliverable
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Jobs and
Tasks.
2
In the left pane, navigate to the folder in which you want to create a new task.
For example, expand System Jobs and Tasks > Software > Quick Delivery.
3
Right-click Quick Delivery, and then click New > Task.
4
In the Create New Task dialog box, in the left pane, click Run Script.
5
In the right pane, type a new task name.
For example, type Adobe Professional Quick Uninstall.
6
Under Script Details, type a script or a command line that uninstalls the
software product. Configure other options according to your needs.
For more information, click the page and then press F1.
7
Run the task on the computers from the static filter that you created.
For more information on how to run tasks, see the IT Management Suite
Administration Guide.
73
Chapter
6
Delivering a new version of
software using Software
Workspace Virtualization
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
■
About Workspace Virtualization
■
Installing the Workspace Virtualization Agent
■
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer
■
Creating a task that toggles layers
■
Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers
■
Viewing delivery reports
Delivering a new version of software using Software
Workspace Virtualization
Client Management Suite lets you remotely deliver software into virtual layers. You
can achieve this by using the functionality that is provided by Software Management
Solution and the Symantec Workspace Virtualization software.
Software Management Solution provides intelligent and bandwidth-sensitive
distribution and management of software from a central Web console. Software
Management Solution lets you make sure that the correct software gets installed,
remains installed, and runs without interference from other software.
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
For more information, see the Altiris Software Management Solution from Symantec
User Guide.
The Symantec Workspace Virtualization software lets you place applications and
data into managed units, called Virtual Software Layers. It lets you instantly activate,
deactivate, or reset virtual layers together with the applications that are installed in
them.
Client Management Suite integrates Software Management Solution with Symantec
Workspace Virtualization and lets you perform managed software deliveries into
virtual layers using the Symantec Management Console.
You can deliver a newer version of software into a new virtual layer and then swap
the layers on the next computer restart. Mozilla Firefox is used as the example
here. Firefox has a built-in auto-update feature, so it may not be necessary to update
this kind of software using Client Management Suite. However, the automatic
updates may be disabled by an administrator. Also, the autoupdate feature is not
available to non-administrative users. In this case, you can update Firefox in the
production environment.
Symantec recommends to first perform this process in a test environment.
Warning: Make sure that Mozilla Firefox is not already installed on the client
computer. Installing another version of Firefox in a virtual layer may conflict with
this software installation. If you cannot uninstall Firefox, choose a different software
for this procedure.
The following procedure introduces the functionality that is available in Client
Management Suite. If unexpected issues occur, please ignore them if possible.
Table 6-1
Process for delivering a new version of a software using Software
Workspace Virtualization
Step
Action
Description
Step 1
Meet the prerequisites.
You must have Symantec Management Agent installed on the
client computers. The client computers must be registered with
Notification Server.
See “Preparing managed computers for evaluating Client
Management Suite” on page 28.
Step 2
Learn about Workspace
Virtualization.
Symantec Workspace Virtualization software lets you install
software into virtual layers then enable, disable, and reset the
layers.
See “About Workspace Virtualization” on page 76.
75
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
About Workspace Virtualization
Table 6-1
Process for delivering a new version of a software using Software
Workspace Virtualization (continued)
Step
Action
Description
Step 3
Install the Software Management
Solution plug-in.
This plug-in lets you deliver and manage software, and it lets you
check compliance on the endpoints.
See “Installing or upgrading the Software Management Solution
plug-in” on page 35.
Step 4
Step 5
Install the Symantec Workspace
Virtualization Agent.
This agent lets you create and manage virtual layers.
Deliver Firefox 11.
For the sample procedure, deliver Mozilla Firefox 11 to your test
computers. After that, you upgrade this software with a newer
version.
See “Installing the Workspace Virtualization Agent ” on page 77.
See “Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer”
on page 78.
Step 6
Create a task that toggles the
layers.
You can use the SVSCmd.exe command-line tool to manage
virtual layers. Create a command script task that uses this tool to
toggle virtual layers.
See “Creating a task that toggles layers” on page 81.
Step 7
Deliver Firefox 12 and toggle the
layers.
Use managed delivery policy to deliver a newer version of Firefox
into a new virtual layer and then toggle the layers on next computer
restart.
See “Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers” on page 83.
Step 8
View delivery reports.
Software Management Solution provides reports that let you view
the managed software delivery results.
See “Viewing delivery reports” on page 85.
About Workspace Virtualization
Workspace Virtualization places applications and data into managed units, called
Virtual Software Layers. This lets you activate, deactivate, or reset applications.
You can also completely avoid conflicts between applications without altering the
base Windows installation.
Symantec's application virtualization technologies integrate virtualized applications
to preserve the user experience. Virtualized applications act like normal applications,
ensuring normal behavior and full functionality.
Workspace Virtualization also lets you do the following:
76
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Installing the Workspace Virtualization Agent
■
Reset the damaged applications to a known state and instantly repair them.
■
Run two versions of the same program side by side.
■
Add and remove software with zero impact on the underlying operating system.
■
Turn applications on and off instantly.
Workspace Virtualization is based on Symantec's patented core technology,
Symantec WorkspaceVirtualization (SWV) File System Filter driver. An application
or set of data is virtualized by using a capture process that creates a Virtual Software
Package (VSP). A VSP contains all the files and registry settings of the application
or data. It can be used on a client computer that has the Workspace Virtualization
Agent. After the VSP is activated through the Workspace Virtualization Agent, the
application becomes visible along with its files, folders, and settings.
Installing the Workspace Virtualization Agent
To virtualize software on the endpoints, you install the Symantec Workspace
Virtualization Agent. By default, only the command-line tool is installed. Symantec
recommends that you also install the Admin tool on the client computers. The Admin
tool lets you view and manage layers using the GUI program, and verify the changes
that you make to the layers. You can install the Admin tool in the following ways:
■
In the Symantec Management Console, modify the command line in the Install
SWV agents managed delivery policy before you install the Workspace
Virtualization Agent.
■
Install additional components using the Programs and Features dialog box on
the Control Panel on the client computer. For example, you can use this method
if the Workspace Virtualization Agent is already installed on a client computer.
■
Install the SWV agent manually, and choose to install Admin tool in the Wizard.
For more information on this method, see the Symantec Workspace Virtualization
User Guide.
This task is a step in the process for installing software into a virtual layer.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization”
on page 74.
To modify the Workspace Virtualization Agent installation command line
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
In the left pane, under Deliverable Software, click Software Releases, and
then, in the middle pane, double-click Symantec Workspace Virtualization
agent 6.1 SP8 (32 bit).
77
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer
3
In the dialog box that opens, on the Package tab, under Command lines,
double-click Install - no UI.
4
In the Add or Edit Command Line dialog box, in the Command line box, add
,SVS_Admin at the end of the command line as follows:
Symantec_Workspace_Virtualization.exe /s
SWV.ADDLOCAL=Altiris_NS,SVS_Admin
5
Click OK.
6
Click OK.
7
Repeat the steps and do the same for the Symantec Workspace Virtualization
agent 6.1 SP8 (64 bit) software release.
To install the Workspace Virtualization Agent using the Symantec Management
Console
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, expand Software > Software Management > Workspace
Virtualization, and then click Install SWV agents.
3
(Optional) In the right pane, configure the settings according to your needs.
For example, under Schedule, you can modify the compliance check schedule
so that the agent is deployed sooner; and under Applied to, you can change
the target so that the agent is deployed only to the computers in your test
environment or a pilot group.
4
Turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
5
Click Save changes.
To run the Symantec Workspace Virtualization admin tool
◆
To access the Workspace Virtualization admin tool, on the computer with the
Symantec Workspace Virtualization Agent installed, click the Windows Start
button, and then click All Programs > Symantec > Workspace > Virtualization
> Symantec Workspace Virtualization Admin.
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual
layer
The following is an example of how to deliver Mozilla Firefox 11 to the client
computers and install this software into a virtual layer. First, you create a new
78
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer
software resource in the Software Catalog, and then you use Software Management
Solution to create a managed delivery policy for this software resource. Software
Management Solution is a component of Client Management Suite.
This is an optional step in the production environment if you already have the
software that you want to update installed on the endpoints.
Before performing this task, download the Mozilla Firefox 11 setup file (Firefox
Setup 11.0.exe) from the following URL:
ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/11.0/win32/en-US/
This task is a step in the process for installing software into a virtual layer.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization”
on page 74.
To create a new software resource for Mozilla Firefox 11
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software
Catalog.
2
In the Software Catalog dialog box, on the toolbar, click Import.
3
In the Import Software: Specify Software dialog box, in the Software type
drop-down list, click Software release, and then use one of the four available
methods to import the software.
For more information on the methods, click the dialog box and then press F1.
If more than one file is in the package source, make sure that you set the
installation file. The installation file is highlighted with bold font. To do this, click
the file, and then, on the toolbar, click Set installation file.
4
Click Next.
5
In the Import Software: Software Details dialog box, choose to create a new
software resource for Firefox 11.
6
Click OK.
7
In the dialog box that opens, on the Package tab, under Command lines,
double-click Install.
79
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer
8
In the Add or Edit Command Line dialog box, in the Command line box,
replace
"Firefox_Setup_11.0.exe"
with
"Firefox_Setup_11.0.exe" -ms
The -ms switch lets you install Firefox so that the installation wizard will not be
displayed on the client computer at the time of installation.
9
(Optional) In a production environment, configure a detection rule on the Rules
tab. The detection rule ensures that the managed delivery policy does not run
on the computers where the software is already installed.
For example, create a smart Static File Expression detection rule that checks
if the mozilla firefox\firefox.exe file version equals or is larger than 11.
10 Click OK.
11 Click OK.
12 Click Close.
To deliver Mozilla Firefox 11 into a virtual layer
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
2
Under Deliverable Software, click Software Releases.
3
In the middle pane, right-click Firefox 11, and then click Actions > Managed
Software Delivery.
4
In the Managed Software Delivery Wizard, on the Select software page,
under Additional delivery options, check Install this policy's software into
a virtual layer.
5
In the Layer Name box, type firefox11.
6
Click Next.
7
On the Select destinations page, specify the computers to which you want
to deliver Firefox 11.
Symantec recommends that you first perform this task in a test environment.
You can choose one of the existing targets or groups, or you can build a new
resource target. For help, click the page on which you want to get more
information, and then press F1.
8
Click Next.
80
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Creating a task that toggles layers
9
On the Schedule delivery page, under Choose when to check the
compliance, on the toolbar, click Add schedule > Scheduled time, and then
configure a schedule. For example, set a schedule 10 minutes ahead of current
time.
Note that by default, Symantec Management Agent requests new configuration
from Notification Server once every hour. If you set a schedule only 10 minutes
ahead of the current time, you must then use the Symantec Management Agent
GUI on the client computer to request configuration soon after you complete
this wizard. You can also run the managed delivery policy manually from the
Symantec Management Agent GUI.
10 Click Next, and then, on the Specify dependencies and updates page, click
Deliver software.
You can view and edit the managed delivery policy that you just created at
Manage > Policies > Software > Managed Software Delivery.
To verify that Firefox 11 is installed in a virtual layer
1
On the client computer to which you want to deliver the software, open the
Symantec Management Agent GUI.
You can use the Start button to launch this program.
2
Ensure the Firefox 11 - Install managed delivery policy has arrived to the
client computert and has run successfully.
If necessary, update the configuration manually. You can run the managed
delivery policy manually from the Symantec Management Agent GUI.
3
Run the Symantec Workspace Virtualization admin tool using Start > All
Programs > Symantec > Workspace > Virtualization > Symantec
Workspace Virtualization Admin.
4
Make sure that the firefox11 layer appears in the Symantec Workspace
Virtualization admin tool.
If necessary, click View > Refresh to refresh the window.
5
(Optional) In the Symantec Workspace Virtualization admin window, click
firefox11, and then click Layer > Activate on system startup.
Creating a task that toggles layers
After you install a newer version of Firefox, you must disable the old layer and
activate the new one. To toggle layers at the next computer restart, you must change
the Activate on system startup option. To do this remotely from the Symantec
81
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Creating a task that toggles layers
Management Console, create a new Run script task with the following
command-line script:
SET exitcode=0
cd "%programfiles%\Symantec\Workspace Virtualization"
:: Check if layer is already activated
SVSCmd.exe firefox12 P -v | findstr /R /c:"Active on start:.*No"
goto %errorlevel%
:0
echo not active
:: Deactivate new layer until next startup
SVSCmd.exe firefox12 D
:: Turn off autostart for old layer
SVSCmd.exe firefox11 AUTO -N
:: Turn on autostart for new layer
SVSCmd.exe firefox12 AUTO -Y
SET exitcode=%errorlevel%
:1
echo active
:: For testing purposes sleep 10 seconds before closing the command
window
ping 1.1.1.1 -n 1 -w 10000 > nul
:: Exit
exit /b %exitcode%
This script uses the SVSCmd.exe command-line utility to modify settings. First, this
script checks if the new layer exists and is already configured to activate on startup.
The follow-up tasks in managed delivery policies always run, regardless of the
compliance check results. This check is required to make sure the script does not
run in case the managed delivery policy is executed again by mistake.
Then the script disables the autostart option for the firefox11 layer and enables it
for the new firefox12 layer. When the computer is restarted, the firefox12 layer is
activated.
82
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers
For more information on the SVSCmd.exe command line parameters, see the
Symantec Workspace Virtualization User Guide or run the SVSCmd.exe utility from
the command-line prompt.
Do not run the Run script task after you create it. Instead, run it as part of the
managed delivery policy in the next step of this tutorial.
This task is a step in the process for installing software into a virtual layer.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization”
on page 74.
To create a task that toggles layers
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Jobs and
Tasks.
2
In the left pane, right-click any folder, and then click New > Task.
For example, right-click System Jobs and Tasks.
3
In the Create New Task dialog box, in the left pane, click Run Script.
4
In the right pane, type a name for the task.
For example, type Toggle layers.
5
Under Script Details, in the Script type drop-down list, click Command Script,
and then copy and paste the script sample from this topic into the text box.
6
Click OK.
Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers
You can deliver Mozilla Firefox 12 to the client computers and install this software
into a new virtual layer. You create a new software resource in the Software Catalog
for Mozilla Firefox 12. Then, you use Software Management Solution to create a
managed delivery policy that delivers the software and then runs the Toggle layers
task that you created earlier.
Before performing this task, download the Mozilla Firefox 12 setup file (Firefox
Setup 12.0.exe) from the following URL:
ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/12.0/win32/en-US/
This task is a step in the process for installing software into a virtual layer.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization”
on page 74.
83
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Delivering Firefox 12 and toggling the layers
To deliver Firefox 12 and toggle layers
1
Create a new software resource for Mozilla Firefox 12.
Use the instructions that are provided for Firefox 11, but type 12 instead of 11
where appropriate.
See “Delivering Mozilla Firefox 11 software into a virtual layer” on page 78.
2
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Software.
3
In the left pane, under Deliverable Software, click Software Releases.
4
In the middle pane, right-click Firefox 12, and then click Actions > Managed
Software Delivery.
5
In the Managed Software Delivery Wizard, on the Select software page,
under Additional delivery options, check Install this policy's software into
a virtual layer.
6
In the Layer Name box, type firefox12, and then click Next.
7
On the Select destinations page, specify the computers to which you want
to deliver Firefox 12, and then click Next.
Symantec recommends that you first perform this task in a test environment.
You can choose one of the existing targets or groups, or you can build a new
resource target. For help, click the page on which you want to get more
information, and then press F1.
8
On the Schedule delivery page, specify when to check for compliance.
For example, click Add schedule > Scheduled time, and then specify a
schedule. You can specify a schedule 10 minutes ahead of the current time.
Click Next.
Note that by default, Symantec Management Agent requests a new
configuration from Notification Server once every hour. If you set a schedule
only 10 minutes ahead of the current time, you must then use the Symantec
Management Agent GUI on the client computer to request configuration soon
after you complete this Wizard. You can also run the managed delivery policy
manually.
9
On the Specify dependencies and updates page, configure the settings
according to your needs, and then click Deliver software.
10 In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Policies.
11 In the left pane, click Software > Managed Software Delivery > Firefox 12
- Install.
12 On the Firefox 12 - Install page, on the Software tab, on the toolbar, click
Add > Task.
84
Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization
Viewing delivery reports
13 In the Select Task dialog box, click the Toggle layers task that you created
earlier.
14 Click OK.
After the managed delivery policy runs, and you restart the client computer,
you should see that firefox11 is disabled and firefox12 is enabled. Verify that
when you launch Firefox from the Start menu, browser version 12 is launched.
Viewing delivery reports
You can view the managed delivery policies compliance and remediation information
in the Software Management Solution compliance reports.
This task is a step in the process for installing software into a virtual layer.
See “Delivering a new version of software using Software Workspace Virtualization”
on page 74.
To view delivery reports
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, expand Software > Compliance.
3
Click a report.
85
Chapter
7
Managing power scheme
settings
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
About managing power scheme settings
■
Preparing target computers for power scheme management
■
Installing the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
■
Upgrading the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
■
Uninstalling the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
■
Collecting power scheme inventory data
■
Creating a Power Scheme Task
■
Editing and deploying power scheme settings
■
Viewing power scheme inventory data
About managing power scheme settings
Power scheme is a collection of settings that manage the power usage of the
computer. The settings define after what period of inactivity to turn off the computer
display and hard drives to save power, put the computer to standby, in hibernation,
or shut the computer down.
The Altiris Power Scheme Task component helps you discover and remotely
configure the power scheme settings of your Windows computers. The Power
Scheme Task component is installed when you choose to install Client Management
Managing power scheme settings
About managing power scheme settings
Suite in the Symantec Installation Manager. It is not installed if you install individual
solutions.
The Power Scheme Task component includes a Power Scheme Inventory task
and a collection of predefined tasks with different power scheme settings. According
to your requirements, you can configure the settings of the predefined tasks
according to your needs or create custom power scheme management tasks.
The Power Scheme Task that you run does not change the power schemes that
Windows or other applications install. It creates and activates the Altiris Power
Scheme with the power scheme settings that you specify.
See “Preparing target computers for power scheme management” on page 88.
Table 7-1
Power Scheme Task features
Feature
Description
Edit and deploy power schemes.
You can edit and deploy different predefined power
schemes.
See “Editing and deploying power scheme settings”
on page 91.
The Power Scheme Task that you run does not
change the power schemes that Windows or other
applications install. It creates the Altiris Power
Scheme with the power scheme settings that you
specify.
Create power scheme management
tasks.
You can create custom power scheme
management tasks, and you can specify the power
scheme settings according to your requirements.
See “Creating a Power Scheme Task” on page 90.
Inventory power schemes on client
computers.
You can collect information about the power
scheme settings that are currently active on your
Windows computers.
See “Collecting power scheme inventory data”
on page 90.
View power schemes data.
You can use a predefined report to see the power
scheme settings that are currently active on your
Windows computers.
See “Viewing power scheme inventory data”
on page 92.
87
Managing power scheme settings
Preparing target computers for power scheme management
Preparing target computers for power scheme
management
To run the power scheme management tasks, you must install or upgrade the Power
Scheme Task Plug-in on the target computers.
See “Installing the Power Scheme Task Plug-in” on page 88.
See “Upgrading the Power Scheme Task Plug-in” on page 89.
The Power Scheme Task Plug-in works with Symantec Management Agent to
perform the power scheme management tasks. The Power Scheme Task Plug-in
lets you configure the power scheme settings on your managed Windows computers.
The Power Scheme Task Plug-in also lets you collect information about the power
scheme settings that are currently in use on the managed computers.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Installing the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
The Power Scheme Task Plug-in lets you configure the power scheme settings on
your managed Windows computers. The agent installation process can take some
time to start, depending on the update intervals that you set for Symantec
Management Agent.
To install the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, click Power Scheme > Power
Scheme Task Plug-in Install.
3
In the right pane, configure the installation policy according to your needs.
For more information about policy configuration options, click the page and
then press F1.
4
Turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
5
Click Save changes.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
88
Managing power scheme settings
Upgrading the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
Upgrading the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
If you upgrade from a previous version of the Client Management Suite, you must
also upgrade the Power Scheme Task Plug-in to the latest version. To upgrade the
Power Scheme Task Plug-in, you must turn on the upgrade policy.
To upgrade the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, click Power Scheme > Power
Scheme Task Plug-in Upgrade.
3
In the right pane, configure the upgrade policy according to your needs.
For more information about policy configuration options, click the page and
then press F1.
4
Turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
5
Click Save changes.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Uninstalling the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
If you do not perform the power scheme management tasks on your computers
over an extended period of time, you can uninstall the Power Scheme to lessen
the unnecessary network traffic. To uninstall the Power Scheme Task Plug-in, you
must turn on the uninstall policy.
Note: Before you uninstall the Power Scheme Task Plug-in, make sure that you
turn off the Power Scheme Task Plug-in Install policy.
See “Installing the Power Scheme Task Plug-in” on page 88.
To uninstall the Power Scheme Task Plug-in
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Actions menu, click
Agents/Plug-ins > Rollout Agents/Plug-ins.
2
In the left pane, under Agents/Plug-ins, click Power Scheme > Power
Scheme Task Plug-in Uninstall.
89
Managing power scheme settings
Collecting power scheme inventory data
3
In the right pane, configure the uninstall policy according to your needs.
For more information about policy configuration options, click the page and
then press F1.
4
Turn on the policy.
At the upper right of the page, click the colored circle, and then click On.
5
Click Save changes.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Collecting power scheme inventory data
The Power Scheme Inventory task lets you collect power scheme settings inventory
from managed computers.
To perform this task, you must install the Power Scheme Task Plug-in on the target
computers.
See “Preparing target computers for power scheme management” on page 88.
After you run the inventory task, you can view the collected power scheme settings
data in a predefined report.
See “Viewing power scheme inventory data” on page 92.
To collect power scheme inventory data
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Jobs and
Tasks.
2
In the left pane, under Jobs and Tasks, click System Jobs and Tasks >
Power Scheme Tasks > Power Scheme Inventory.
3
On the Power Scheme Inventory page, configure the task according to your
needs.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Creating a Power Scheme Task
You can create custom power scheme management tasks and specify the power
scheme settings according to your requirements.
For more information, see the topic about creating a task in the IT Management
Suite Administration Guide.
90
Managing power scheme settings
Editing and deploying power scheme settings
To create a Power Scheme Task
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Jobs and
Tasks.
2
In the left pane, under Jobs and Tasks, click System Jobs and Tasks,
right-click Power Scheme Tasks, and then click New > Task.
3
In the Create New Task dialog box, in the left pane, click Power Scheme
Settings Task.
4
In the right pane, configure the task according to your needs.
5
Click Ok.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Editing and deploying power scheme settings
Power Scheme Tasks let you create and activate different power scheme settings
on your managed Windows computers.
To perform the power scheme management tasks, you must install the Power
Scheme Task Plug-in on target computers.
See “Preparing target computers for power scheme management” on page 88.
Note that only one power scheme can be active on a computer at a time. When
you run more than one Power Scheme Task on a target computer, the task that
runs last sets the active power scheme. For example, you may run the Always On
Power Scheme task on all your computers. Later, you can run the Portable/Laptop
Power Scheme task on your notebook computers.
Note: The power scheme that the specified Power Scheme Task creates and
activates, is always named Altiris Power Scheme on the target computers. For
example, when you run Always On Power Scheme task, the created and activated
power scheme is named Altiris Power Scheme on the target computers.
To edit and deploy power scheme settings
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Manage menu, click Jobs and
Tasks.
2
In the left pane, under Jobs and Tasks, click System Jobs and Tasks >
Power Scheme Tasks.
91
Managing power scheme settings
Viewing power scheme inventory data
3
In the right pane, click a Power Scheme Task that you want to run and configure
the task settings according to your needs.
4
Click Save changes.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
Viewing power scheme inventory data
You can use a predefined report to view the power scheme inventory data. The
report lets you see the power scheme settings that are active on the client
computers.
To collect the power scheme inventory data, you must run the Power Scheme
Inventory task on target computers.
See “Collecting power scheme inventory data” on page 90.
To view power scheme inventory data
1
In the Symantec Management Console, on the Reports menu, click All
Reports.
2
In the left pane, under Reports, click Power Scheme > Power Scheme
Settings.
See “About managing power scheme settings” on page 86.
92
Chapter
8
Symantec Remote Access
Connector
This chapter includes the following topics:
■
About Symantec Remote Access Connector
■
Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file
■
Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration file template
■
Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file
■
Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector options
About Symantec Remote Access Connector
Symantec Remote Access Connector is an IT Management Suite 7.6 application
that lets you configure and integrate a third-party remote connection tool such as
Microsoft® Remote Desktop Connection or Bomgar™ Remote Support Solution
with IT Management Suite. You can then use the third-party tool to connect to a
client computer.
The Remote Access Connector tool has the following highlights:
■
You do not require a license to use the Remote Access Connector tool. However,
you do require a license for the third-party remote connection tool that you want
to integrate with IT Management Suite.
■
You can integrate more than one remote connection tool. The multiple tools can
be accessed from the right-click option in Symantec Management Console.
See “Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector options”
on page 97.
Symantec Remote Access Connector
Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file
■
94
You can install Remote Access Connector individually or as a part of Client
Management Suite.
For the first-time user
As a first-time user, you must perform the following actions to use the Remote
Access Connector:
Table 8-1
Options for the first-time Remote Access Connector user
Actions
Topics
Create a configuration file based on the suggested
template or modify the default file as per your
requirements.
1
See “Symantec Remote Access Connector
configuration file” on page 94.
2
See “Creating the Remote Access Connector
configuration file template” on page 95.
Import the updated configuration file to enable the
right-click menu options in the Symantec Management
Console.
1
See “Importing the Remote Access Connector
configuration file” on page 96.
2
See “Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote
Access Connector options” on page 97.
See “Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 94.
See “Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration file template” on page 95.
See “Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 96.
See “Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector options”
on page 97.
Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration
file
The Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file lets you add or modify
the configuration details to enable the use of a third-party remote connection tool.
The configuration file is an XML-based file that has the following configuration
details:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<remoteTools>
<remoteTool Name="Bomgar">
<API type="HTTP">
<URL>https://support.example.com/api/client_script?type=rep&
operation=generate&action=start_pinned_client_session&search_string=</URL>
Symantec Remote Access Connector
Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration file template
</API>
</remoteTool>
<remoteTool Name="MSRDP">
<API type="EXE">
<exeFullPath>>%windir%\system32\mstsc.exe</exeFullPath>
</API>
</remoteTool>
<remoteTools>
Table 8-2
The following table lists the tags used in the configuration file
Attributes
Description
remoteTool Name
You can provide a short name of the remote tool. The short name is seen in the
right-click menu option when you try to access the remote tool from the Symantec
Management Console.
Warning: If this attribute is not present or the value is empty, the system will not import
the configuration file and display an error.
API type
This tag describes the type of API connection. The values can be HTTP or EXE. For
the HTTP type, you must provide the API URL for the third-party tool. If you update
the third-party tool, you must verify the URL.
For Bomgar API URL, refer to the Bomgar API Programmer's Guide at the following
location:
https://www.bomgar.com/docs/content/integrations/api/index.htm
For the EXE type, you must provide the full path of the remote tool that is available on
the Notification Server computer. You can also add the path as an environment variable
for ease of use. If you access Symantec Management Console from a different
computer, ensure that the remote tool is installed on the computer.
The default file contains configuration for Microsoft® Remote Desktop Connection
application.
Warning: If this attribute is not present or the value is empty, the system will not import
the configuration file and display an error.
See “Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration file template” on page 95.
Creating the Remote Access Connector configuration
file template
The default Remote Access Connector configuration file is available to you when
you install IT Management Suite 7.6. The location of the default file is <install
directory>:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification
95
Symantec Remote Access Connector
Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file
Server\NSCap\bin\Win32\X86\RemoteTemplate. However, if required, you can
recreate the default configuration file template and save it at another location.
The default file contains configuration for Microsoft® Remote Desktop Connection
application.
To create the configuration file template
1
From the Symantec Management Console, open Settings > Console > Remote
Tool Integration and click Create Template Configuration.
2
Save the RemoteToolTemplate.config file at an accessible location.
See “Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 94.
See “Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 96.
Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration
file
You can customize the default configuration file template if required and import the
modified file to access the third-party remote connection tool.
To import the remote access connector configuration file
1
From the Symantec Management Console, open Settings > Console > Remote
Tool Integration and click Import Configuration.
2
In the Import configuration of remote tool dialog box, click Choose File,
select and open the modified .config file, and then click Import.
Warning: If the configuration file size exceeds 4 MB, then the application
displays an error.
XML validation checks while importing the file
Symantec Remote Access Connector does the following validation checks while
importing the configuration file:
■
The <remoteTools> and <remoteTool> nodes are present.
■
The <remoteTool> attribute Name is present and the value is not empty.
■
The <API> node is present.
■
The <API> attribute <type> is present and the value is either HTTP or EXE.
96
Symantec Remote Access Connector
Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector options
■
If the <API> attribute <type> is HTTP, then the child node <URL> is present and
the value is not empty.
■
If the <API> attribute <type> is EXE, then the child node <exeFullPath> is
present and the value is not empty.
■
If the <API> attribute <type> is EXE, then the second child node is
<parameteres>.
See “About Symantec Remote Access Connector” on page 93.
See “Symantec Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 94.
See “Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access Connector options”
on page 97.
Enabling right-click menu to use the Remote Access
Connector options
When you install IT Management Suite 7.6 and Symantec Remote Access Connector
7.6, you must import the configuration file to enable the right-click menu in the
Symantec Management Console for remote access.
To use a remote connection tool from Symantec Management Console
1
Click Manage > Computers.
2
To launch a remote session with a computer, right-click the computer and
select Remote Access and then the tool of your choice. For example, select
MS RDP or Bomgar.
3
Save the file on Notification Server to start using the remote connection tool.
This .bat file contains the information that Notification Server requires to access
the third-party remote tool.
See “Importing the Remote Access Connector configuration file” on page 96.
97
Index
A
M
Application Metering Plug-in
installing 33
managed software
metering and usage tracking 65
managed software installed with a non-MSI-based
installer
metering and usage tracking 65
managed software products
creating manually 64
metering
managed software products 65
C
Client Management Suite
about 10
components 11
Release Notes 11
User Guides 11
computer
prerequisites for installing Symantec Management
Agent 30
pushing Symantec Management Agent 31
selecting for Symantec Management Agent
installation 31
configuring
Symantec Management Agent 32
context-sensitive help 20
CSV file
importing computers 31
D
documentation 20
H
help
context-sensitive 20
I
installing
Software management solution plug-in 35
Inventory Plug-in
installing 33
inventory policies
predefined 39
P
power scheme management
preparing managed computers 88
power scheme settings
deploying 91
editing 91
inventory 90
inventory data 92
report 92
Power Scheme Task
about 86
creating 90
features 86
Power Scheme Task Plug-in 88
settings 91
Power Scheme Task Plug-in
installing 88
uninstalling 89
upgrading 89
predefined inventory policies
cloning 39
using 39
prerequisites
Symantec Management Agent installation 30
R
Release Notes 20
Index
S
software
managing 67
software components to software products
associating 64
software license compliance
tracking 68
software licenses
tracking 68
Software management solution plug-in
installing 35
upgrading 35
software product
creating 67
software view
creating software product 67
Symantec Management Agent
configuration request interval 32
configuring 32
importing computers from CSV file 31
installation requirements 30
installing on selected Windows computers 31
prerequisites 30
pushing to Windows computers 31
selecting computers for installation 31
Symantec Management Agent for Windows
importing computers from CSV file 31
selecting computers for installation 31
Symantec Management Agent manual installation
selecting computers 31
T
tracking usage
of managed software products 65
of managed software products installed with a
non-MSI-based installer 65
U
upgrading
Software management solution plug-in 35
usage tracking
component and version level 65
software-based 65
99

* Your assessment is very important for improving the work of artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project