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Altiris
Notification Server 5.5 Service Pack 3
User Guide
Notice
Copyright © 1998-2003 Altiris Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Version: 5.5
Document Date: January 9, 2004
Bootworks U.S. Patent No. 5,764,593.
RapiDeploy U.S. Patent No. 6,144,992.
Due to the inherently complex nature of computer software, Altiris does not warrant that the Altiris software is error-free, will operate without interruption, is compatible with all equipment and software configurations, or will otherwise meet your needs.
The content of this documentation is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Altiris. Altiris Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this documentation. For the latest documentation, visit our Web site at www.altiris.com
.
Altiris, the Altiris logo, BootWorks, Inventory Solution, LabExpert, PC Transplant, RapiDeploy, and RapidInstall are registered trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the United States.
Carbon Copy is a registered trademark licensed to Altiris, Inc. in the United States and a trademark of Altiris, Inc. in other countries.
Altiris eXpress, Altiris Vision, Application Management Solution, Application Metering Solution,
Asset Control Solution, Asset Management Suite, Client Management Suite, Compliance Toolkit,
Conflict Analysis Solution, Contract Management Solution, Deployment Server, Deployment
Solution, Education Management Suite, Helpdesk, Helpdesk Solution,
HP Client Manager Software, Lab Management Suite, Migration Toolkit, Mobile Client for SMS,
My IT Forum, Notification Server, Problem Management Suite, Server Management Suite,
Server Monitor Solution, Site Monitor Solution, Software Delivery Solution,
TCO Management Solution, Unix Client for SMS, Unix Inventory Solution, Unix Software Deliver
Solution, Web Admin for SMS, Web Reports and other product names are trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
HP is a registered trademark of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation.
Compaq is a registered trademark of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of the Apple Computer Corporation.
All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 2
Contents
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Step 2 - Configure Notification Server
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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Altiris Notification Server User Guide 3
Contents
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Notification Server Installation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Installing or Upgrading Using a Terminal Server Session
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Notification Server Configuration
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 4
Contents
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 5
Contents
Notification Server Solution Center Page
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Using the Web Administration Console
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
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Altiris Notification Server User Guide 6
Contents
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Monitoring Notification Server Operations
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 7
Contents
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Extending the Notification Server Database
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Disaster Recovery and High Availability
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
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Altiris Notification Server User Guide 8
Contents
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Receive Norton AntiVirus Warning When Accessing Pages in the Notification Server Web Console . 337
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
E-mail Notification Not Working
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Sending Events to Notification Server, But You Don’t See Any Data on the Server
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 9
Contents
Log Error: Exceeding Optimal Number of Connections When Using MSDE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 10
Preface
Before using this documentation, we recommend that you review the document conventions (see
“Document Conventions” on page 11 ).
Detailed information about Altiris products is included in each product’s documentation. The product’s documentation is installed when the product is installed. To access Altiris product documentation from the Web, go to our documentation Web page at www.altiris.com/support/ documentation .
If you have questions that are not answered in the documentation, we recommend that you use one of our support options (see
If you have feedback about this documentation, please send an e-mail message to our documentation group at [email protected].
Document Conventions
The following table describes the conventions used in this document.
Document Conventions
What you see
Altiris Infrastructure
Guide
Interface Element Name
File
>
Save
Meaning
References to other documents are italicized.
Note
Most references to Altiris documents are hypertext links to those documents. For these links to work, the target document file must be in the same location as the source document.
If viewing PDF documentation from our product CD or where the documents were installed on your hard drive, the links will work.
If viewing a PDF document from our web site, the links to other Altiris documents will not work. (The documents are stored in different folders).
If you download PDF documents from our web site and place them in the same folder, the document references will link to the other PDF document provided the target PDF document is in the folder.
Buttons, menu items, tabs, and field names are displayed in bold text.
A series of mouse selections are represented in this format. The above example means click on the
File
command on the menu bar, and then click on the
Save
command.
server name/altiris/ documents
A value in a path that depends on the user’s system is in italics. In this example, server name needs to be replaced by the name of the user’s server.
set variable = 123
Sample code is in Courier font.
www.altiris.com
Links to web pages are in blue text.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 11
Preface
Support
Altiris is committed to providing world-class technical support and professional services to its customers. Included with every product purchase is complimentary Electronic Support. For customers who want a higher level of support, Altiris offers many fee-based services ranging from
Priority Support, which includes priority telephone and priority e-mail support, to on-site consultation.
Before Contacting Support
We recommend that you do the following before contacting Support:
• Download and install the latest version of the product and product updates from our web site
( www.altiris.com
).
• Read the product Release Notes. The Release Notes contain important information on the current release including limitations and application-specific workarounds. Many customer questions are answered in the Release Notes.
• Review the information in the Altiris support forums (go to www.altiris.com
and click on
Support
and then
Forums
). If you cannot find the answer to your question in the forums, you can post your own question. The forums are monitored by our Support engineers, who will help you with your questions.
Support Contact Information
Altiris is a global organization with operational centers in the following geographies:
• Americas in Lindon, Utah covering North and South America
• Asia Pacific in Sydney, Australia
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in Landau, Germany
Contact information for each of these operational centers is available at www.altiris.com/contact .
When contacting Support, please include the following information in the e-mail or have it ready when calling:
• Your name, e-mail address, and phone number
• Product name and product version
• Specific details about the problem, including specific system messages, error codes, and logs
• Details about your system, including the operating system, applied services packs, hardware configuration, network details, and other applications running on the system.
Training
To ensure that you are using Altiris products in the most effective way, Altiris offers in-depth, instructor-led, hands-on courses. These courses will help you quickly learn the optimum methods for installing, configuring, and managing your network using Altiris’ award-winning products. For information about Altiris training, go to the following web site:
• http://www.altiris.com/services/training/
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 12
Chapter 1:
Introduction
Altiris Notification Server is the key server component for the Altiris solutions. Notification Server lets administrators move from the role of doing tasks to the role of defining policies that automate tasks.
Altiris solutions let you install NS Client software from the Notification Server, deploy programs from the Notification Server to the NS Clients and run them on a scheduled basis. You can gather inventory information about your client computer hardware, software, and much more.
Reports can be viewed from the Web browser-based Notification Server Console (Web
Administration Console) or from any browser on the network.
For those using Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS), Notification Server can be viewed as a companion product for the SMS Site Server. Notification Server extends the reach of SMS by providing seamless integration for UNIX systems and remote/mobile users, as well as standalone environments. Notification Server extends the functions of SMS by providing support for Active
Management solutions that enable real-time detection, and notification of problems.
•
•
“Altiris Solutions” on page 14
•
“Tasks Performed by Notification Server” on page 14
•
•
•
Overview
Notification Server runs based on policies set by an administrator. These policies activate components of Notification Server that are used to process and store inventory data, host Web pages, forward data to SMS, and many other tasks. This simplifies the administration of systems management in your distributed network environment. Notification Server provides a common set of capabilities to all the Notification Server solutions such as:
• SQL database
• Agent/client distribution capabilities for PC and UNIX
• Automated Web-based reporting with drill down hyperlinks
• Web-based console
• Processing events for solution clients
• Data forwarding to Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)
Notification Server policies run on the server in the context of Microsoft Component Services.
Notification Server automatically distributes the conditions to be monitored on the NS Clients, and when a specific condition is found, the Notification Server is notified. It then runs a script that executes the instructions that have been specified by the administrator.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 13
Chapter 1: Introduction Overview
Altiris Solutions
Notification Server is used to support Altiris solutions. These solutions provide valuable management functions in PC as well as UNIX environments. These tools, built on proven Microsoft technology, provide the information necessary to make critical business decisions. By keeping a healthy system behind the scenes closely coupled with beneficial end-user tools, companies can significantly lower the total cost of ownership and let employees use their time more productively.
Each Altiris solution provides its own specific set of management functions. Some solutions are designed to retrieve inventory, while others are designed to publish and analyze data. Others provide management support that enable real-time detection, and notification of problems. The ability to manage a desired state through policies lets the administrator be freed from doing tasks, to defining policies that automate tasks.
Each of the solutions you install on the server has a common set of mechanisms for interacting with the Notification Server. After you have installed and configured one solution, you will know how to install and configure others.
All solutions that work with Notification Server include reports that can be accessed from any browser. The reports provided with Notification Server give summary level details with the ability to interactively drill down for additional detail.
For more information on these solutions, see our documentation Web page at www.altiris.com/ support/documentation .
For information on licensing the solutions, see “Solution Licensing” on page 55 .
Tasks Performed by Notification Server
Notification Server performs the following tasks
• Collects and stores NS Client reported information in the Notification Server database
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 14
Chapter 1: Introduction
• Forwards NS Client inventory to SMS
Overview
• Schedules the Web Server to run and store Web Reports
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 15
Chapter 1: Introduction Overview
• Sends policy enforcement criteria to NS Clients and responds to incoming events associated with these policies. (Policies can include transmission of SNMP traps, generation of reports, e-mailing notification of the event to an SMTP address, and invoking any process with command-line context.) For information on the handling of these events, see
Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
.
Policies
A policy is a specific configurable administrative scenario that is controlled by the administrator.
Multiple policies can exist within a single solution.
Note
If you have policies that affect the same computer in a way that causes a conflict on the computer, it is completely arbitrary which policy will supersede the other policy.
For more information on policies, see
“Notification Policies” on page 163 .
Data Flow
1
2
3
4
Notification Server receives incoming data in one of the following ways:
• A postevent.asp
Web page
• An
NSE
file in the
EvtInbox
folder
• An e-mail message
• Data collected on a floppy disk from computers that are not connected to the network
The data consists of an XML-formatted set of data that represents information collected from or generated on the client computer - such as PC inventory, software-delivery status information, application-metering data, and policy timer events (depending on the solutions that you have installed).
The data is then placed into the Notification Server queue as a file. The queues are either the large event queue (EvtQueue directory) or the small event queue (EvtQFast directory) or, if you have
Microsoft Message Queuing configured, a user-defined message queue. For more information, see
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
.
The Notification Server Dispatcher service monitors the number of events already being processed - up to a registry defined maximum number of concurrent threads. When a processing thread is available, the event is taken from the queue and passed to a series of COM+/Transaction
Server objects that process the information.
The information is processed based upon the configuration that the administrator has defined as part of the solution that is associated with that event type.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 16
Chapter 1: Introduction Overview
Examples
Application Metering Solution - An application-metering event can be logged to the database and may also initiate some Notification Policy.
Software Delivery Solution - Software Delivery status messages are logged to a database. When the processing of the event is complete, it is deleted and the server is ready to process additional information.
Administration
There are two primary ways to interact with Notification Server.
Web Administration Console
From the Web Administration Console, you configure the Notification Server, download solutions, configure solutions, and configure the Web Reports that are associated with each of the solutions.
See
“Using the Web Administration Console” on page 160
.
The Web Administration Console establishes a DCOM connection between your Web browser and
Notification Server. If you don't have administrator rights on Notification Server, you cannot activate the Notification Server objects, and you will see an error in your browser indicating that you
don't have the necessary permissions. See “Web Administration Console Requirements” on page 28
for more requirement information.
Web Reports
The Web Reports pages can be accessed using Internet Explorer or Netscape browsers by administrators as well as users who have been granted access to view and analyze the report data.
See
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 17
Chapter 2:
Quick Start
•
•
“Step 1 - Install Notification Server” on page 18
•
“Step 2 - Configure Notification Server” on page 23
•
“Step 3 - Install Solutions” on page 23
•
“Step 4 - Install Solution Licenses” on page 24
•
“Step 5 - Install the NS Client” on page 24
•
“Step 6 - What Next” on page 24
Getting Started
The following instructions provide a basic, simple installation of the Notification Server software and prerequisites. For detailed instructions on installing and configuring the Notification Server, see
and
• If you don’t have an installed Notification Server, do the following:
1
Go to
“Step 1 - Install Notification Server” on page 18 .
2
Run the Altiris eXpress Install Helper (
AeXNSInstallHelper.exe
) enclosed in the product ZIP file. The Install Helper will help you set up your Notification Server.
• If you already have a Notification Server installed on a computer, run the Altiris eXpress Install
Helper (
AXNSInstallHelper.exe
) file on the computer (the Install Helper makes sure you are using the most current Notification Server), then go to
“Step 3 - Install Solutions” on page 23 .
• If you are upgrading your Notification Server, see “Upgrading Notification Server” on page 28 .
Step 1 - Install Notification Server
Step 1a - Select a Computer to be Your
Notification Server
The computer you are going to install Notification Server on must meet or exceed the following criteria.
Hardware
The following are minimum requirements. To scale to support thousands of clients, faster processors and more memory are highly recommended on the server.
• Processor: Pentium III 800 MHz or faster
• RAM: 512 MB (1 GB is recommended)
• File System: 2 GB NTFS system partition
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 18
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 1 - Install Notification Server
• Disk space: 20 GB for Notification Server and components and 30 MB for SQL database (4 GB recommended)
Software
Note:
The Install Helper will help determine if the computer has the necessary prerequisite software installed, and where possible it will help you download and install the needed software. For more
information, see “Step 1b - Install Prerequisite Software on Your Computer” on page 19 .
• Operating System (one of the following):
Recommended: Windows 2000 SP2 or SP3 Server or Advanced Server.
Approved: Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 6a (or higher).
• SQL Database (one of the following):
Recommended: Microsoft SQL Server 7 SP3+ or Microsoft SQL Server 2000 SP2.
Approved: MSDE. If you don’t have a SQL Server, the Prerequisites Wizard will give you the option to download and install MSDE.
• Microsoft Windows Internet Information Services (IIS): Microsoft IIS 4.0 or 5.0 (IIS 5.0 requires Webs to be hosted on NTFS) — This component is not installed by default with
Windows 2000 and above.
• Microsoft Windows Internet Services FTP Services — This component is installed by default with Windows 2000 and above.
• Web Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later is required. 5.0 or greater is recommended.
Step 1b - Install Prerequisite Software on Your
Computer
1
2
Start the Altiris Notification Server Install Helper (AeXNSInstallHelper.exe), read the information on the screen, and click
Next
.
When the
Computer Prerequisites
screen appears:
• If you don’t want to install Notification Server on the computer, click
No
and
Next
.
• If you want to install Notification Server on the computer, click
Yes
and
Next
.
The Software Prerequisites Wizard checks the computer to make sure it has the needed prerequisite software installed (such as Windows 2000/XP Internet Services (IIS), and SQL
7 or 2000, or MSDE).
• If the required software is installed, click
Finish
, then go to “Step 1c - Install Notification
Server on Your Computer” on page 22 .
• If the required software is NOT installed, the Wizard goes to the next step.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 19
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 1 - Install Notification Server
3
If the computer requires additional software to run Notification Server, a screen similar to the following appears:
4
Note:
In this example, Windows 2000/XP Internet Services (also know as IIS) and a SQL database were not on the computer.
Review the information and click
Next
.
If the Download and Install Microsoft Database Engine screen appears, do the following:
e f c d a b g
If you want to install the MSDE version of SQL on the computer, click
Yes
and
Next
.
Note:
If you have a SQL Server database that you want to use for the Notification Server database, click
No
and
Next
and go to
When the
File Download
dialog box appears:
When using Internet Explorer 6 (with the current Microsoft updates), click
Open
.
IMPORTANT:
If using Internet Explorer 6 without the current Microsoft updates, click
Save
, and then enter a folder to save the file in. When the download is completed, click
Open
.
When using Internet Explorer 5, click
Run this program from its current location
and click
OK
.
When asked if you want to install unixdbsetup.exe, click
Yes
.
When the
WinZip Self-Extractor
dialog box opens, click
Unzip
.
When the
WinZip Self-Extractor
confirmation dialog that file is unzipped appears, click
OK
.
When the command box appears, wait for the MSDE installation to complete. This installation may take a few minutes.
When the MSDE installation is completed, press any key to close the command box.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 20
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 1 - Install Notification Server
5
6 h
When the
Download and Installation
screen appears. Click
Next
.
If additional required software that can be automatically downloaded is needed, download the
software using a process similar to the process specified in Step 4 .
When all of the required prerequisite software is loaded, a screen similar to the following
appears. Go to “Step 1c - Install Notification Server on Your Computer” on page 22
.
7
If all of the components that can be downloaded have been downloaded but additional software needs to be installed, a screen similar to the following appears listing the additional software that needs to be installed.
8 d e f
Note which software needs to be installed and then click
Finish
.
IMPORTANT:
You need to install the software that could not be automatically loaded and then run the Software Prerequisites Wizard again.
If necessary, install Windows 2000/XP Internet Services as follows:
a
On the Windows toolbar, click
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs
.
b c
In the left pane, click
Add/Remove Windows Components.
Check the
Internet Information Services (IIS)
check box.
g
Click
Details
.
Check the
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Server
and
World Wide Web Server
subcomponents check boxes.
Click
OK
.
Click
Next
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 21
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 1 - Install Notification Server
9
10 h
Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the Windows Components Wizard.
When all the required prerequisite software is installed, and if needed, restart the Software
Prerequisites Wizard again. See Step 1 .
When all of the prerequisite software is installed and the following screen appears, read the information on the screen and click
Finish
.
The Install Helper will start the Notification Server installation.
Step 1c - Install Notification Server on Your
Computer
1
2
3
4
When you complete the Software Prerequisites Wizard by clicking
Finish
, the
AeXNSInstallHelper
dialog appears. Read the information on the screen and click
OK
.
The Notification Server Installation will begin.
The Altiris documentation page appears, and then the
File Download
dialog box appears.
• When using Internet Explorer 6, click
Open
.
Note:
If using Internet Explorer 6, you can also click
Save
, and then enter a folder to save the file in. When the download is completed, click
Open
.
• When using Internet Explorer 5, click
Run this program from its current location
and click
OK
.
The
Altiris Infrastructure 6.0 – Install Wizard
will start. Read the information on the screen, and then click
Next
.
On the
License Agreement
screen, read the License Agreement, click
I accept the terms of the license agreement
, and click
Next
.
5
6
7
On the
Customer Information
screen, enter applicable information, and then click
Next
.
On the
Setup Type
screen, click
Complete
, and then click
Next
.
On the
Ready to Install the Program
screen, click
Install
.
The
Installing Altiris Infrastructure 6.0
screen appears and the software is installed.
8
When the
InstallShield Wizard Completed
screen appears, click
Finish
.
The Notification Server Installation is completed. The Notification Server Setup Wizard starts the
Altiris Notification Server configuration.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 22
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 2 - Configure Notification Server
Step 2 - Configure Notification Server
1
2
3
4
When you complete installing the Notification Server, the Notification Server Setup Wizard opens the
Altiris Notification Server Application Identity
page. Enter the user information
(domain\username), the password, password again, and click
Next
.
IMPORTANT:
The domain is either a Windows NT or 2000 domain or the computer on which you installed Notification Server; and the username must be a Windows user that has
Administrator rights on the Notification Server computer.
When the e-mail page is displayed, read the information on the screen, enter the information (if known), and press
Next
.
Note:
This information can be entered later using the Altiris Console
Configuration
tab view.
When the next page is displayed, enter the information (if known) and press
Next
.
If you don’t enter an account and password, “sa” is used as the default SQL user account.
Note:
This information can be entered later using the Altiris Console
Configuration
tab view.
We recommend that you use the default database name.
When the
Database Setup
dialog appears, wait for it to close and the Altiris Console
Solution
Center
tab to open.
IMPORTANT:
Wait for the database setup to close before trying to do anything else on the computer. If the focus is taken off of the
Database Setup
dialog, the configuration may not properly complete.
If you get an error during the database setup, and you are using MSDE, do the following:
a
Click
Back
.
b c d e
Stop MSDE by clicking
Start
>
Programs
>
MSDE
>
Service Manager
and clicking
Stop
. When the dialog asking “Are you sure you wish to STOP the MSSQL Server on \\servername ?” is displayed, click
Yes
.
Exit MSDE by right-clicking the MSSQL Server icon in the lower right hand corner of the display and clicking
Exit
.
Start MSDE by clicking
Start
>
Programs
>
MSDE
>
Service Manager
and clicking
Start
.
In the database configuration page, click
Next
and repeat
.
1
Step 3 - Install Solutions
1
2
If you previously had Notification Server installed, run the Altiris Install Helper
(AeXNSInstallHelper.exe). The install helper will make sure you are using the most up to date
Notification Server and then will automatically download and install solutions for the licenses in the folder.
If you have just installed and configured Notification Server, the install program automatically downloads and installs solutions for the licenses in the folder. The
Suite Download and Installation
screen appears and the solution or solutions are automatically installed. This process may take several minutes.
If the solutions do not automatically begin installing,
3
Click the
Solution Center
tab.
Under the
Solutions Available for Download
heading, click a topic to display the suites and solutions associated with the heading.
Note:
Clicking the topic again will hide the topic’s suites and solutions.
Click the suite or solution to download.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 23
Chapter 2: Quick Start Step 4 - Install Solution Licenses
4
When the
Solution Suite Download Page — Web Page Dialog
appears, click
Start
.
The solution is downloaded, installed, and configured. This process may take several minutes.
When completed, the browser will display to the
Solution Center
tab.
Step 4 - Install Solution Licenses
6
7
8
9
3
4
1
2
The solution or solutions are automatically installed with 7-day trial licenses. You will need to install the solution’s 30-day evaluation license or a purchased license included in the downloaded ZIP file.
5
Open the Altiris Console and click the
License
tab.
In the left pane, click the
Install License
link.
Click the
Install from a file
link.
Click the
Browse for a license file
button and go to the directory where the license files are located.
The license files will be in the directory where you unzipped the ZIP file unless you have moved them.
Click on the solution license file (solution_name.txt) and click
Open
.
The license information is displayed in the box.
Click
Install License
.
When the
Installing the certificate, please wait
screen appears, wait for the license installation to complete, and then press
OK
.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 until each of the .txt license files are installed.
In the left pane, click
License Status
to confirm that the licenses have been properly installed.
Step 5 - Install the NS Client
The next thing you want to do is install the NS Client to the client computers in your environment.
For information on this, see
“NS Client Installation” on page 45 .
Step 6 - What Next
For information on what file permissions to set, see “Permissions” on page 41 .
For information on using the Web Administration Console, see
For general administration topics, see
.
The Alert Manager component lets you manage and report on specific events effecting your
environment using a basic workflow model. For more information, see “Alert Manager” on page 273
.
Notification Server provides the following Connector component:
•
“Altiris Connector for Active Directory” on page 315
- This lets you import NT User Group information and Active Directory objects into your NS database.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 24
Chapter 3:
Installation
This section tells you what you need to know to install Notification Server, solutions that run with
Notification Server, and the NS Client. Uninstalling these components is also covered.
•
•
•
“Upgrading Notification Server” on page 28
•
“Notification Server Installation” on page 37
•
“Installing or Upgrading Using a Terminal Server Session” on page 44
•
“Solution Installation” on page 44
•
“NS Client Installation” on page 45
•
“Solution Licensing” on page 55
•
“Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client” on page 59
Planning Guide
This section contains the requirements and guidelines to consider before installing Notification
Server.
Operating System
The preferred Notification Server platform is a Windows 2000 SP2 or higher server with Internet services installed (Windows 2000 Pro is also supported). The operating system must have access to the Web and FTP and be running on an NTFS partition. Windows NT4/XP/2003 is also supported.
If you use a Windows NT 4.0 server, the following must be installed on the computer before you install Notification Server:
• Service Pack 6
• Internet Explorer 5
• NT Option Pack
• MDAC 2.5
• Windows Management Service
• Windows Installer Service and other prerequisites
• NTFS partition
An Install Helper application is provided to lead you through the process of installing and configuring the required software.
See
“Prerequisites” on page 27 for more information.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 25
Chapter 3: Installation Planning Guide
Database
Notification Server requires a SQL 7.0 SP3 (or higher) or SQL 2000 SP2 database or an MSDE database. The database is not required to be installed on the same computer as Notification Server.
However, performance is improved if they are on the same computer.
IMPORTANT
Notification Server and the database should be in the same time zone and synced in time.
MSDE is fully compatible with SQL 7.0 SP 3 (or higher) and can be used as the database for
Notification Server. For environments that do not use SQL Server, MSDE is bundled with
Notification Server so there is no additional cost. MSDE does not come with tools to help manage the database. It also limits access to the Notification Server database to five concurrent connections.
Altiris recommends SQL 7.0 SP3 (or higher) or SQL 2000 SP2 in production environments so the database management tools are available.
Minimum SQL Security Requirements
The account that Notification Server uses to access the SQL database needs to be able to do the following:
• add, modify, and remove tables
• add, modify, and execute stored procedures
• add, modify, and remove views
We recommend that the user account used when installing Notification Server is the DBO for the
Notification Server database.
The Notification Server user account will need 'dbcreator' permissions in order for the Notification
Server installation process to create the Notification Server database. If the SQL administrator creates the Notification Server database prior to Notification Server installation, then this permission is not necessary. Just point the installation process to the already present Notification Server database.
On the Notification Server database itself, the user will need the following permissions:
• Public - general access to the database
• db_ddladmin - Adds, modifies, or drops objects in the database
• db_datareader - Sees all data from all user tables in the database
• db_datawriter - Adds, changes, or deletes data from all user tables in the database
Down-level Compatibility
Notification Server 5.5 supports down-level NS Client and down-level Inventory Solution (versions prior to 5.5).
When Notification Server 5.5 receives basic inventory from down-level NS Client or Inventory
Solution, the Name and Domain in the AeX AC Identification class is used as the Identity for that computer.
If the computer does not exist in the database, the computer resource will be created in the database using the GUID given in the basic inventory. If the computer already exists in the database, the
GUID for the computer resource will be redefined using the GUID given in the basic inventory. The
GUID is matched on the Notification Server to what the NS Client has generated if it is a down-level managed computer.
SMS Integration
SMS integration requires SMS 2.0 SP2 or higher.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 26
Chapter 3: Installation Prerequisites
Notification Server can be installed on the same computer as SMS 2.0 Site Server.
Licensing
Licenses that you receive for Altiris solutions are specific to the name of your Notification Server.
Note
If you change the name of your Notification Server, you will need to get new licenses from
Altiris. Contact your Altiris sales representative for additional information.
Prerequisites
This section contains hardware, software, and Web Administration Console prerequisite topics.
Hardware
Follow the guidelines for Microsoft software you are planning to use with Notification Server (SQL
Server 7.0, IIS 4.0, Transaction Server, etc.). At a minimum, you need the following:
• Pentium III 800 MHz class processor
• 512 MB RAM
• 500 MB free hard drive space
• 20 GB hard drive
Software
The following table lists the software that must be installed on the computer where you will run
Notification Server. The file
AeXNSInstallHelper.exe
automatically examines your computer and helps you through the process of downloading and installing the required Microsoft software. The following table outlines the software that needs to be installed on the computer running Notification Server.
Item Details
Windows 2000 SP 2 (or higher)
On Windows 2000/XP/2003, install the following:
• Internet Information Services (Web and ftp)
or
• Microsoft Message Queue Server is optional but recommended for large environments
Windows 2003
or
On Windows NT 4.0, install the following from the Windows NT
Option pack:
• Script debugger
Windows XP
or
Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 6a
(or higher)
• Windows Scripting Host
• Microsoft Internet Information Server (Web and ftp)
• Transaction server
• Microsoft Message Queue Server is optional but recommended for large environments
Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher)
Note
Re-apply the Windows NT Service Pack after installing the components.
Perform a standard installation of Internet Explorer 5.0 for all required components.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 27
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
Item
One of the following:
Microsoft Database Engine
(included on the Notification
Server CD)
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 with SP3 or higher
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with SP2
Microsoft Foundation Classes Version 6.0 or higher is needed to support the charts and graphs within the reports.
Microsoft Data Access
Control - MDAC 2.5
Ensure MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Control) 2.5 is installed. To do this, look in your registry under
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\DataAccess
. Look at the value of the Version key to see the MDAC version installed.
Windows Installer (Windows
NT only)
You can check this by looking at the services installed in the control panel. If Windows Installer is already installed, you see a service named “Windows Installer”. If you don't have it installed, download it here and run the setup program. You must have the
Windows Installer service to run the Notification Server setup program which is distributed in MSI (Microsoft Installer) file format.
Microsoft TCP/IP
Details
You can download the Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE) from the Web. Click here to download the file (approximately 20MB in size). Simply run the self extracting file to execute a setup procedure that installs the database engine.
After the Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE) setup is complete, you will see a service installed on your computer called
MSSqlserver. This engine will allow up to 5 concurrent connections to the Notification Server database. MSDE is fully compatible with SQL Server.
After MSDE is set up, you can proceed with the Notification Server installation.
Web Administration Console Requirements
The Web Administration Console is the interface for Notification Server. You can run the Web
Administration Console from any computer on the network that fits the following requirements:
• Windows 2000/XP/2003 or Windows NT with SP 6a (or higher)
• Internet Explorer 5 (or higher)
• An account with administrator rights to the Notification Server computer
Upgrading Notification Server
This section contains the following Notification Server upgrade topics:
•
“Upgrading from Notification Server 5.0, 5.1x, 5.5, 5.5 SP1, or 5.5 SP2” on page 28
•
“Upgrading from Notification Server 3.6.5 to 5.5” on page 35
Note
If you see problems with the Solution Center page or with the Resource Explorer after you upgrade, make sure your temporary internet files are removed.
Upgrading from Notification Server 5.0, 5.1x, 5.5,
5.5 SP1, or 5.5 SP2
1
2
3
Back up your computer that Notification Server is installed on.
Back up your Notification Server database.
Open the Notification Server Web Administration Console and click the
Solution Center
tab.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 28
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
4
Under
Solutions Available for Download
, click
Notification Server Upgrade
.
5
6
7
If new Notification Server software is available, the
Update Now
icon will appear next to the name.
Click either
Notification Server Upgrade
or the
Update Now
icon.
Click
Start
.
If the following message appears, close your browser, then click
Retry
.
Note
In order to close your browser, you will need to click the
Cancel
button on the download page. Closing this page and your browser will not cancel the upgrade because the upgrade program has already started.
8
9
If asked to reboot, click
OK
.
Define the user identity settings for the Notification Server.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 29
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
Note
This step provides information for Notification Server to set up a COM+/MTS package called AeXNS. The AeXNS COM+/MTS package contains several components required for
Notification Server to run. See
“Component Services” on page 42 .
10 a User (domain\username)
- Enter the user domain\username for the account that will be using the Notification Server. This account must have administrator rights on the Notification
Server computer and must be able to logon to the SQL server computer.
b Password
- Enter the password for the administrator account.
c Use Current COM+MTS Settings
- Select this check box to use your current COM+/MTS
Settings.
Click
Next
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 30
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
11
Define the e-mail settings that are used by some solutions. These settings provide the information for sending e-mail from Notification Server and its solutions to an SMTP server. You can change these settings later by going to the E-Mail configuration page (see
).
12 a User name
- The user name used to send e-mail to the SMTP server.
b Password
- The password used to send e-mail to the SMTP server.
c SMTP Server
- The SMTP Server where the e-mail is sent.
d Administrator Email Address
- The e-mail address of the administrator of the e-mail account.
e Send Test Email
- Sends a sample test e-mail message.
Click
Next
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 31
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
13
Provide the requested information about the SQL Server installation to use with Notification
Server.
14
•
SQL Server Name
- Enter the name of the server running Microsoft SQL Server or MSDE.
Note
You can install the Notification Server database to a specific SQL 2000 instance. You can do this by specifying a specific copy of SQL if multiple copies of SQL are running on the same computer. To do this, enter the following in the
SQL Server Name
field:
SQL server name\SQL instance where SQL server name is the name of the SQL server and SQL instance is the name of the copy of SQL running on your SQL server.
•
Login ID
- Enter the Login ID for the SQL Server. If you want to use NT integrated security, leave this blank. The MTS account Notification Server is running under will be used.
•
Password
- Enter the password for the SQL Server. If you want to use NT integrated security, leave this blank. The MTS account Notification Server is running under will be used.
•
Use Existing DB
- If you are upgrading from a previous version of Notification Server, click
Use existing DB
and select the database. The database will be upgraded when you click
Next
.
IMPORTANT
If you use Microsoft SMS, DO NOT select the SMS database for your
Notification Server database. The Notification Server database and the SMS database need to be separate.
•
Create New DB
- If you are not upgrading from a previous version of Notification Server, make sure
Create new DB
is selected.
•
Command Timeout (in seconds)
- Enter a command timeout between 1 and 3600 seconds. The database command timeout setting applies to all SQL Server connections used by the
Notification Server. If you experience timeout errors when using a database connection due to network traffic or heavy server usage, increase the value of this setting. You must set this property to a value greater than 0. You can change this setting later by going to the NS
Database configuration page (see “Database Settings” on page 69 ).
Click
Next
to set up or upgrade your database and complete the installation process.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 32
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
15
16
Open the Web Administration Console.
Verify that the Notification Server has been updated by viewing the Notification Server version number in the upper right-hand corner of the console.
17
18
Note
When Notification Server is upgraded from versions 5.0 or 5.1x, the Client Settings policy is copied and renamed to “Copy of Client Settings”. The Client Settings policy is then disabled.
The Copy of Client Settings policy is enabled and is then used for your NS Client Settings. This way, your current NS Client Settings are retained. If you want to use the new out-of-the-box settings, enable the Client Settings policy and disable the Copy of Client Settings policy.
Upgrade the appropriate solutions or suites from the
Solution Center
page.
a
Click
View Installed Solutions
.
b c
Click the solution name.
Click
Start
.
d
Restore any custom configured INI files you saved.
Make sure any solutions that require a client agent on the client computer (NS Client, Inventory,
Application Metering, Event Monitoring, etc.) have the appropriate ‘Client Upgrade’ Policy enabled.
For Example
To enable a ‘Client Upgrade’ in Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution, do the following.
a b
Click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
.
c
Right-click the policy, then select
Enabled
.
Note
You can also click the
Enabled
box in the right pane, then click
Apply
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 33
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
Note
The new settings will not take effect until the server is rebooted. You can prompt an auto reboot by selecting
Solutions
>
Packages
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
>
NS Client
>
Programs
, then selecting
Restart Computer
in the
After Running
field. If you enable auto reboot, we suggest that you schedule the package to run during off hours to minimize any disruption.
Note
When the Notification Server is upgraded, packages that have been created will remain in the
Notification Server database and should work automatically with Notification Server 5.5. However, during an upgrade, the distribution point HTTP and FTP virtual directories are deleted and are not automatically recreated. These virtual directories are where the packages are placed to be downloaded to the NS Client. The NS Client will only be able to download the packages after these virtual directories are created, which happens when the daily global scheduler runs (usually at 2:00 am). You can force these virtual directories to be created by going to each of the packages and manually saving the package. You must change at least one of the fields on the package configuration page before the
Save
button is enabled. For more information on these virtual
directories, see “Software Delivery” on page 87 .
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 34
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
Upgrade Recommended
After you upgrade your Notification Server, you may see a list of your solutions with the words
“Upgrade Recommended” next to each solution when you click on your server name in the tree in the left pane.
When you see this message, it is recommended that you upgrade your solution(s). Click the
Solution
Center
tab, then under
Installed Solutions
, click
View Installed Solutions
. Then click on the solution name to upgrade the solution.
Upgrading from Notification Server 3.6.5 to 5.5
1
2
3
IMPORTANT:
Upgrading Notification Server from 3.6.5 is an easy process, but you need to be careful to perform the necessary tasks in the correct order to avoid data loss.
When you migrate from Notification Server 3.6.5 to Notification Server 5.5, the Notification Server database is automatically upgraded.
4
Back up your computer.
Back up your Notification Server database.
Save report queries.
To save Notification Server 3.6.5 queries associated with custom reports:
a b c d
Select the report from within the Notification Server 3.6.5 console.
Copy the select statement used in the report configuration to the clipboard.
Paste the text into a text document (such as Notepad or Microsoft Word).
In the Notification Server 3.6.5 console, make a new report and use this select statement. (See
“Creating Custom Web Reports” on page 226
.)
If your select statement no longer works because of table name changes, debug your select statement with a tool such as Microsoft Query Analyzer.
Though there are some table name changes to reflect Altiris branding, the logical organization of the tables remains the same.
Copy or archive all relevant report runs that you want to save.
Note
There are two items associated with reports - saved report runs and custom reports. Neither of these are preserved when you update your database.
Note
Custom reports that you have built will have to be redefined within the Notification Server
5.5 console. Before uninstalling your 3.6.5 Notification Server, make sure that you save a copy of the queries that are used within custom reports. Since there are some changes to the names of
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 35
Chapter 3: Installation Upgrading Notification Server
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
inventory groups, some queries may not work the same with Notification Server 5.5. However the overall table structures are unchanged and you will be able to readily re-configure your query to work with the new Altiris branded table names.
Uninstall all of the Notification Server 3.6.5 products (clients and server) using the Add/Remove
Programs applet in the control panel. The NS Client must be uninstalled from all managed computers. Do not delete the SQL database.
Reboot the server.
Install Notification Server 5.5. See
“Notification Server Installation” on page 37 .
Install the solutions. After you install Notification Server 5.5, you need to re-download all the solutions that you were using. All solutions were upgraded for Notification Server 5.0 and older solutions are no longer compatible with 5.5. Use the solution center on your Altiris CD-ROM or the default online solution center (see
). See “Solution Installation” on page 44
.
Install NS Clients. See “NS Client Installation” on page 45 .
The Notification Server 3.6.5 Client is not compatible with Notification Server 5.5. You must use only version 5.5 NS Clients on a version 5.5 Notification Server. Version 3.6.5 NS Clients will no longer receive configuration data from the Notification Server.
Once the Notification Server 5.5 NS Client is installed, it will automatically Pull down the new configuration data from the version 5.5 Notification Server.
Use the new version of the Custom View Generator program to create report views compatible with version 5.5. Custom report views will need to be re-generated after you install version 5.5.
Delete your old CE groups from the SMS database.
When Notification Server forwards information to Microsoft SMS in a MIF, the MIF file contains a group name and a group class. The group names and the group classes that are forwarded to SMS changed between Notification Server 3.6.5 and 5.0.
SMS will not automatically delete the old CE groups when the AeX group information is forwarded in the MIFs. SMS processes the AeX information as completely new information for the given computer. As a result, there is no automated process that will purge the CE classes from your SMS database.
When all of your managed computers are reporting in the Inventory Solution data with the new
AeX groups, then you can use tools that are provided in the SMS resource kit to delete the old
CE groups from the SMS database.
Because of changes in Notification Server 5.0 and Inventory Solution, Notification Server 5.0 or higher will NOT PROCESS OR FORWARD to SMS any Inventory Solution data coming from past versions of Inventory Solution. This will ensure that only AeX groups are forwarded to SMS when you run Notification Server 5.0 or higher.
Redefine the user identity settings of the Transaction Server package. When you upgrade
Notification Server, the user identity settings of the Transaction Server package is lost.
Enable agent deployment policies for your installed solutions, such as Event Solution and
Application Metering Solution (see the appropriate solution documentation).
Event and Process Solution data are not migrated as part of the upgrade of the database. Once you install the 5.5 NS Client, the agents for Event Solution and Application Metering Solution are designed to be automatically installed on the target managed computers.
Licenses
All license information that you previously registered on your computer is still valid.
For Example
If you registered a license for 1000 copies of Inventory Solution for use with
Notification Server 3.6.5, this same license will be accepted by Notification Server 5.5. You do not need to re-register your license.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 36
Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
Web Reports for SMS
Custom queries that were generated for use with Microsoft SMS as part of Web Reports for SMS do not change their SQL syntax at all because the query is still being executed against the same
Microsoft SMS database. You simply need to save your query and then redefine it as a custom report.
PC Inventory
Inventory data that is part of your database is preserved as part of an upgrade. Both PC Inventory as well as UNIX Inventory data are migrated. Various changes were made to the names of the inventory groups between version 3.6.5 and 5.0.
Note
In version 3.6.5, all of the PC inventory groups that were reported in the inventory started with a name of CE. In version 5.0, all inventory groups started with a name of AeX. As part of the database upgrade process, the relevant information is changed in the tables so that the new AeX
group prefix is seen in the Notification Server 5.5 Resource Explorer window (see “Resource
You must run the current version of Inventory Solution on the PCs in order for Notification Server to process the data. Old CE based groups will not be processed.
UNIX Inventory
For UNIX computers, the AeX prefix is now used for the Identification and TCPIP groups. The other groups are changed to use Altiris instead of Computing Edge for the manufacturer information that is in the NSI and NSE files. The UNIX groups names other than those common with the PC do not use the AeX group name prefix. However you need to run the latest version of UNIX Inventory
Solution agents on a UNIX computer in order for the information to be processed by Notification
Server.
Notification Server Installation
For a tutorial that walks you through the setup and installation of Notification Server, see the
Notification Server Tutorial at http://www.altiris.com/support/docs/nstutorial/5.5/nstutorial.pdf
.
After the prerequisite software is installed, the Notification Server Install Helper utility will download the Notification Server 5.5 setup file (
AeXNS.msi
).
Note
It is possible to pass a command line parameter to
AeXNS.msi
to get it to install to a different directory. To do this, use the following:
Msiexec /I AeXNS.msi NSDIR=c:\
NewPath
or, for a silent installation...
Msiexec /I AeXNS.msi NSDIR=c:\
NewPath
/qn
IMPORTANT:
Windows 2000 DNS allows the usage of chars like Ü, Ä, and Ö in DNS names.
However these characters are not supported in HTTP URLs. Therefore no communication between
NS Clients and your Notification Server will occur if you use a name for your Notification Server that contains a character other than A-Z, 0-9, - and _.
You should not change the name of your Notification Server after you have installed the software.
However, if you do need to change the name of your Notification Server, follow the instructions found below.
To change the name of your Notification Server
1
Back up your database.
2
3
4
Uninstall Notification Server.
Change the name of your server.
If you have SQL installed, run the installation again so that it can run with the new server name.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 37
Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
5
6
Reinstall Notification Server.
Use the existing database.
Installing Notification Server
To install Notification Server, see
“Step 1 - Install Notification Server” on page 18
in the Quick Start section.
Configuring Notification Server
After you install Notification Server, the Notification Server Setup Wizard opens the
Altiris eXpress
Notification Server Application Identity
page. The following steps show you how to complete the configuration of Notification Server.
1
Define the user identity settings for the Notification Server.
Note
This step provides information for Notification Server to set up a COM+/MTS package called AeXNS. The AeXNS COM+/MTS package contains several components required for
Notification Server to run. See
“Component Services” on page 42 .
2 a User (domain\username)
- Enter the user domain\username for the account that will be using the Notification Server. This account must have administrator rights on the Notification
Server computer and must be able to logon to the SQL server computer.
b Password
- Enter the password for the administrator account.
c Use Current COM+MTS Settings
- Select this check box to use your current COM+/MTS
Settings.
Click
Next
.
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Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
3
Define the e-mail settings that are used by some solutions. These settings provide the information for sending e-mail from Notification Server and its solutions to an SMTP server. You can change these settings later by going to the E-Mail configuration page (see
).
4 a User name
- The user name used to send e-mail to the SMTP server.
b Password
- The password used to send e-mail to the SMTP server.
c SMTP Server
- The SMTP Server where the e-mail is sent.
d Administrator Email Address
- The e-mail address of the administrator of the e-mail account.
e Send Test Email
- Sends a sample test e-mail message.
Click
Next
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 39
Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
5
Provide the requested information about the SQL Server installation to use with Notification
Server.
6
•
SQL Server Name
- Enter the name of the server running Microsoft SQL Server or MSDE.
Note
You can install the Notification Server database to a specific SQL 2000 instance. You can do this by specifying a specific copy of SQL if multiple copies of SQL are running on the same computer. To do this, enter the following in the
SQL Server Name
field:
SQL server name\SQL instance where SQL server name is the name of the SQL server and SQL instance is the name of the copy of SQL running on your SQL server.
•
Login ID
- Enter the Login ID for the SQL Server. If you want to use NT integrated security, leave this blank. The MTS account Notification Server is running under will be used.
•
Password
- Enter the password for the SQL Server. If you want to use NT integrated security, leave this blank. The MTS account Notification Server is running under will be used.
•
Use Existing DB
- If you are upgrading from a previous version of Notification Server, click
Use existing DB
and select the database. The database will be upgraded when you click
Next
.
IMPORTANT
If you use Microsoft SMS, DO NOT select the SMS database for your
Notification Server database. The Notification Server database and the SMS database need to be separate.
•
Create New DB
- If you are not upgrading from a previous version of Notification Server, make sure
Create new DB
is selected.
•
Command Timeout (in seconds)
- Enter a command timeout between 1 and 3600 seconds. The database command timeout setting applies to all SQL Server connections used by the
Notification Server. If you experience timeout errors when using a database connection due to network traffic or heavy server usage, increase the value of this setting. You must set this property to a value greater than 0. You can change this setting later by going to the NS
Database configuration page (see “Database Settings” on page 69 ).
Click
Next
to set up or upgrade your database and complete the installation process.
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Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
Note
At the end of the installation process, the NS Client is installed automatically on the computer you are loading Notification Server on.
After the Notification Server installation is complete, the Web Administration Console will start and you will be taken to the Solution Center page, where you can install solutions and suites that run with
Notification Server. For information on using the Solution Center page, see
Solution Center Page” on page 154 .
Note
If you installed Notification Server using a terminal server session, see
Upgrading Using a Terminal Server Session” on page 44 .
What Happens During Notification Server
Installation
During Notification Server installation, the installation:
• Installs DLLs in the Operating System directory and places files in the Notification Server directory.
• Creates the AeXNS Web files (these files are used to create a Web interface in the Notification
Server), which are found in Computer Management in
Services and Applications
>
Internet
Information Services
>
Default Web Site
>
AeXNS
.
• Creates packages in Component Services (most of the Notification Server execution is executed under the AeXNS COM+ package) in
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
>
AeXNS
>
Components
. For more information see
“Component Services” on page 42 .
• Displays the Setup Wizard page. This page lets you set up your User Identity settings, give your e-mail account details, and set up your Notification Server database.
Setting up your User Identity settings is equivalent to going into Component Services in
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
, then right-clicking on
AeXNS
, selecting
Properties
, clicking the
Identity
tab, clicking
This user
, and entering the User and Password information. From then on, all of the components under
AeXNS
will be run under the identity you set up.
• Creates the Notification Server database and the Alert Manager database. See
.
• Installs the Configuration Solution. See
“Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution” on page 97 .
• Installs the NS Client on the Notification Server computer.
Setting the Notification Server Security Context
See
“Application Identity” on page 68 for information on how to change the user identity setting.
Note
Setting the Security Context must be done for Notification Server to work properly if the
Notification Server is logged out.
Note
Each time you upgrade Notification Server, you need to redefine the security in order for
Notification Server to work properly.
Permissions
The following are the minimum file permissions that are needed for running Notification Server.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
path, set the security for Administrators to Full and Everyone to Read.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap
path, full control should be granted to the local system account, the local administrators group, and the
AeXNS application identity if it is not part of the local administrators group. Optionally, full control can be given to the domain administrators group.
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Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
• The IUSR_%computername% user needs full control of the following file queues:
• install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtInbox
• install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtQFast
• install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtQueue
The following are the minimum share permissions that are needed for running Notification Server.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap
path, set the security for Everyone to Read.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtInbox directory, set the security for Everyone to Write (users need to be able to access this directory when doing standalone inventory).
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtQFast directory, set the security for Everyone to No Access.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtQueue directory, set the security for Everyone to No Access.
• For the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NSCap\install directory, set the security for Everyone to No Access.
Component Services
When Notification Server is installed, some of its components are registered as COM+/MTS components.
These components can be found on Windows 2000 by opening Component Services, then navigating to
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
>
AeXNS
>
Components
.
Running these components in Component Services forces the components to run in the same process
(AeXNS) and gives you the ability to shut them down. This also gives Notification Server a security context which is required when it is communicating with the Notification Server database. These components are installed as part of the identity that is set up during the installation of Notification
Server.
To shut down the AeXNS package
Note
This shuts down the AeXNS package process. After the AeXNS package process has been shut down, it will be restarted by the computer when it is needed.
• On Windows NT
1
Click
Start
>
Programs > Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack > Microsoft Transaction Server
2
Navigate to the AeXNS package (
Microsoft Transaction Server
>
Computers
>
Packages
Installed
).
3
Right click on
AeXNS
, then click
Shut Down
.
• On Windows 2000/2003
1
2
Start Component Services (
Start
>
Programs
>
Administrative Tools
>
Component Services
).
Navigate to the AeXNS package (
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
).
3
Right click on
AeXNS
, then click
Shut Down
.
Some AeXNS components are Configuration Providers and Event Handlers.
Configuration Provider components query the Notification Server database and give the found configuration information to policies. A policy can either define static configuration (some text inside the XML or XML itself), or dynamic configuration (a COM object that is asked to retrieve configuration. This dynamic configuration is called a Configuration Provider). The
AeXNSCPPkgSvr.1 component is a Configuration Provider component.
Event Handler components correspond to Event Handlers found in Notification Policies. The
AeXNSEHPkgSvr.1 component is an Event Handler component.
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Chapter 3: Installation Notification Server Installation
The following table lists the AeXNS components.
AeXNSAdmin.1
AeXNSCollection.1
AeXNSCollectionTemplate.1 COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
AeXNSCPPkgSvr.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
This is a Configuration Provider component. When a Package
Server requests its configuration from the Notification Server, this
Configuration Provider retrieves a list of packages from the
Notification Server database that the Package Server needs to download.
AeXNSDataLoader.1
AeXNSEHPkgSvr.1
AeXNSEventProcessor.1
AeXNSGauge.1
AeXNSGaugeTemplate.1
AeXNSPackage.1
The main components that let you import new items into the system
(new policies). These handle many operations you do through the solutions tree in the Web Administration Console such as cloning items, cloning reports and policies, and exporting and importing items. They also handle many internal support functions such as updating collections.
Loads inventory and events into the Notification Server database.
This is an Event Handler component. It handles Package Server events.
Receives events from the NS Dispatcher Service.
Not used at this time.
Not used at this time.
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
AeXNSPackageTemplate.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
AeXNSPolicy.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
AeXNSPolicyTemplate.1
AeXNSReport.1
AeXNSReportRun.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
Stores saved reports. If you run a report and save it or schedule a report so that it gets run, it gets saved by this component.
AeXNSReportTemplate.1
AeXNSSiteManagement.1
Forwards inventory to another Notification Server. See “Inventory
AeXNSSolution.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
AeXNSSolutionGroup.1
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
COM components that manage the corresponding XML items that are imported into your system. They can load and save themselves to the database, etc.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 43
Chapter 3: Installation Installing or Upgrading Using a Terminal Server Session
AeXNSWatchMgr.1
AeXPkgManager.1
XmlScript.1
XmlScriptSite.1
Manages the list of operations that are currently active. If anything is taking too long, there is a monitoring thread in the Receiver
Service that will restart this package automatically.
Runs on the back end and checks that all the packages that the
Notification Server is serving up are resynchronized on a periodic basis.
Component that is used to support VB Script and Jscript inside the
Notification Server (at the back end).
Component that is used to support VB Script and Jscript inside the
Notification Server (at the back end).
Installing or Upgrading Using a Terminal Server Session
Upon completion of a Notification Server install or upgrade, the Notification Server package identity is always set to the current logged on user. A terminal server session does not count as a logged on user. As a result, none of the Notification Server objects can be activated. You will need to manually define the package identity to activate the Notification Server objects.
To manually define the Notification Server package identity in Windows 2000
1
Click
Start
>
Programs
>
Administrative Tools
>
Component Services
.
2
In the left pane, right-click
Component Services
>
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
>
AeXNS
, then click
Properties
.
3
4
5
6
Click the
Identity
tab.
Click the
This user
radio button.
Enter the user name and password.
Click
OK
.
Solution Installation
You must have already installed Notification Server before you can install a solution. Solution installation is usually performed from the Solution Center.
Note
All Notification Server activities are paused during solution installation.
To install a solution
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solution Center
tab.
2
3
Click the desired
Solutions
group on the left, and then select the solution name.
Click
Start
.
4
After the solution has installed, you can click
View Installed Solutions
to see it in the list.
You can download suites as well as solutions from the Solution Center. Some solutions have dependencies on other solutions. The Solution Center checks the version of dependent solutions and downloads these as required based upon the solution that you download.
Note
After the solutions are installed, you will need to license them. For information on solution
licensing, see “Solution Licensing” on page 55
.
Note
Unless you selected to install Notification Server without solutions, some solutions will automatically be installed on your Notification Server during the installation process. These automatically installed solutions are based on the solutions you selected when you downloaded from the Web or installed from the CD-ROM.
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
NS Client Installation
This section contains Notification Server Client (NS Client) installation topics, including requirements for installation and Push and Pull installation.
Note
When Notification Server is installed, the NS Client is installed automatically on the
Notification Server computer.
Note
Notification Server uses IP to communicate with the NS Client. Port 80 is used for this communication.
For installation requirements, see
“NS Client Requirements” on page 45 .
There are several options for installing the NS Client:
• Push installation - This is a Notification Server initiated NS Client installation. The Notification
Server pushes NS Client files to the managed computers (for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
managed computers only). See “Pushing the NS Client to a Managed Computer” on page 46 .
• Pull installation - This is a managed computer initiated NS Client installation. The managed computers pull NS Client files from the Notification Server. (See
“Pulling the NS Client down to a Managed Computer” on page 48
.)
• The NS Client installation file is run from the network or locally. (See
Using the NS Client Installation Program” on page 48
.)
• The NS Client files are pushed using a stand-alone Push script. (See
Using a Stand-Alone Push Script” on page 50
.)
• The NS Client files are installed over the network using Active Directory policies (Intellimirror).
(See
“Installing the NS Client Using Active Directory Policies (Intellimirror)” on page 50 .)
• The NS Client installation file is e-mailed.
• Distributed media is used.
NS Client Requirements
General
• 3.5 MB Hard Disk
• 7-10 MB RAM
Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me Computers
• Current version of DCOM.
Click here to download the Windows 95 DCOM update.
Click here to download the Windows 98 DCOM update.
Windows Me comes with a current enough version of DCOM.
• Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or higher (see
“Notification Server 5.5 SP1 (or earlier) and MS Task
• Microsoft TCP/IP
Windows NT 4 Computers
• Service Pack 4 or higher
• Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or higher (see
“Notification Server 5.5 SP1 (or earlier) and MS Task
• Local administrator rights on the computer to install the NS Client on the Windows NT computer
• Microsoft TCP/IP
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
Windows 2000/XP/2003 Computers
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher (see
“Notification Server 5.5 SP1 (or earlier) and MS Task
• Local administrator rights on the computer to install the NS Client on the Windows 2000/XP computer
IMPORTANT
Windows XP enables Simple File Sharing during installation by default. Simple
File Sharing must be turned off for you to install the NS Client to the Windows XP computer.
For more information, see
“Windows XP: Problem Deploying NS Client in a WorkGroup” on page 341 .
• Microsoft TCP/IP
Notification Server 5.5 SP1 (or earlier) and MS Task Scheduler
Prior to Notification Server 5.5 SP2, Notification Server used the MS Task Scheduler as its scheduler. The following information applies if you are using Notification Server 5.5 SP1 (or earlier).
• Internet Explorer (4.01 SP1 and SP2) - The NS Client installation replaces
AT.exe
with
MSTask.exe
.
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or later - For most operating systems, during the installation of Internet
Explorer, the MS Task Scheduler gets installed automatically. However, you have the option to not install the MS Task Scheduler. During NS Client installation, the MS Task Scheduler is installed if it is not already present.
Note
If the computer to which you are installing NS Client does not have MS Task Scheduler installed and its users are using AT commands, the user’s AT jobs on that computer will be deleted.
If the users of the NS Client computers reschedule the AT jobs after the NS Client is installed, the
AT jobs will not be disturbed again by the NS Client.
Note
To see if the MS Task Scheduler has been installed on your proposed NS Client computer, look in the data field of the following registry key:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
\Services\Schedule\ImagePath
. If this key’s data field contains
AT.exe
, then it will get replaced by
MSTask.exe
during the installation of the NS Client. If it contains
MSTask.exe
, then the MS Task Scheduler is already installed and will not need to be installed during the installation of the NS Client.
Pushing the NS Client to a Managed Computer
The Push NS Client installation lets you install the NS Client to managed computers from the Web
Administration Console. In other words, there is no need to be at the managed computer to install the NS Client.
Prerequisites
To Push the NS Client to a managed computer, the following must apply:
• The managed computer must be running Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.
• The Admin$ share must exist on the managed computer.
• The security identity of the Notification Server that was previously configured is an account that needs administrative rights on the remote target computer (see
“Application Identity” on page 68 ).
To initiate a Push NS Client installation from the Notification Server
1
Discover the managed computers on which you want to install the NS Client. See
.
2
3
4
From the Web Administration Console, click the
Configuration
tab.
In the left pane, click
Client Installation
.
In the right pane, click
Client 'Push' Installation
.
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
5
6
7
Select none, some, or all of the following (this changes which managed computers are viewed in the Push list):
•
Include existing clients in list
- Includes all discovered computers with the NS Client already installed.
•
Include Windows 95/98/98 SE/ME machines
- Includes all Windows 95/98/98 SE/ME discovered computers. However, remember that the Push installation does not work with these computers.
•
Include clients where push has failed previously
- Includes discovered computers where the
Push installation has previously failed.
•
Include only clients discovered in last N day(s)
- Includes only computers that were discovered in the last N days. Select the desired number of days.
•
Include ignored clients
- Includes discovered computers with the
Ignore
check box selected.
Select the computer(s) on which you want the NS Client installed by clicking on the computer name in the Push list (multiple computers can be selected).
Note
You can select
Ignore
in the Push list for each computer you do not want to install to.
Click
Install now to:
.
When the installation is complete, you will see an NS Client icon in the system tray of the managed computer (if Deployment Server Aclient is not installed). On startup, the NS Client detects if the Deployment Server Aclient (version 5.5 and above) is installed on the computer. If it is, then the NS Client icon will not be shown in the system tray. However, the NS Client can be accessed by right clicking on the Aclient icon shown in the system tray.
For information on this installation process, see
“NS Client Bootstrap Program” on page 52
.
From the Push list, you see the computers that have received the NS Client software. The computer name turns green and the status column reads “Remote Install Finished: Success” when the installation is completed. The
Grid Key
section describes the color coding of the lines of the grid.
Grid Key
You can sort the grid by column by clicking the column's header. You can also examine the computer in the Resource Explorer by double clicking it. The color codings of the lines in the grid are:
• Black - These computers either do not have the NS Client installed on them and the NS Client is not being installed or the NS Client was installed by a method other than Push or Pull (e.g. manually).
• Yellow - The NS Client is being installed on these managed computers. Refresh the grid to get the latest status.
• Green - The NS Client is successfully installed and operating on these computers.
• Red - The NS Client installation failed. To get more information, open the log file with
Notepad or any other text editor or viewer at
\\computer
\admin$\AeXSWDInstSvc.log
(for a Push installation) or
\\computer
\admin$\system32\AeXSWDInstSvc.log
(for a Pull installation) where
computer is the name of the computer the NS Client was installed to.
Note
If the status column does not read “Remote Install Finished: Success”, there is a possibility that the NS Client install was still successful. To see if the installation was a success, you can run the
NS client basic inventory (sorted by last update)
report. The NS Client sends basic inventory soon after it is installed and this report shows NS Clients that have recently sent basic inventory
(see
“Data Flow for a Newly Installed NS Client” on page 203 ). This report can be found in the
Web Administration Console by clicking the
Solutions
tab, then in the left pane, navigating to
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
>
NS Client Inventory
.
Note
You can examine managed computer information in the Resource Explorer by doubleclicking on the computer name in this list. The first time you try to access Resource Explorer this way, if grid control is not installed, it will automatically be installed. You will then need to click
Back
on your browser, then double-click on the computer name again to access Resource
Explorer.
Note
The
Refresh
link refreshes the grid with the latest information.
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8
Note
The
Uninstall now from:
link lets you uninstall the NS Client from selected computers in the grid.
Reboot your managed computer. This deletes the NS Client installation files from your computer.
Pulling the NS Client down to a Managed
Computer
The Pull NS Client installation is initiated from the managed computer. The advantage of this method is that it will work with a managed computer running any Windows 32-bit operating system.
The disadvantage to using this instead of pushing the NS Client is that this procedure must be started from each managed computer.
The NS Client installation is run under the security ID of the user initiating the Pull. If the user initializing the Pull is using Windows NT/2000/2003, they must have administrator rights to complete the NS Client installation. On Windows NT, if you do not have sufficient rights and you try to install the NS Client, you will get an iKernal 800 error.
For information on the Pull installation
1
From the Web Administration Console, click the
Configuration
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Client Installation
.
In the right pane, click
Client 'Pull' Installation
.
4
5
View the URL of the download page in the field under
URL of download page for Win32 users
.
You can e-mail this URL to your managed computer users. This URL page will lead your users through the installation of the NS Client package onto their computers.
Click
Show me this page
to view the download page that you will send to the managed computer users.
To initiate a Pull NS Client installation from a managed computer
1
Using a Web browser on a managed computer, go to the following URL: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/Admin/AeXNSClientDownload.asp
where NSName is the name of your Notification Server computer.
2
Note
This application leads you through the installation of the NS Client.
Click
Click here
to begin downloading the NS Client bootstrap program.
For information on this installation process, see
“NS Client Bootstrap Program” on page 52
.
Installing the NS Client Using the NS Client
Installation Program
The NS Client installation program (
AeXNSC.exe
) extracts the NS Client installation files into a temporary location and then runs the NS Client installation setup on a single computer. You can install the NS Client installation program on multiple computers using login scripts (see
“Example of Installing the NS Client Using a Login Script” on page 54
).
The NS Client bootstrap program usually downloads and runs the NS Client installation program
(see “NS Client Bootstrap Program” on page 52 ). However, the NS Client installation program can
be downloaded and run using login scripts. If you run this on your own, you need to specify the
Notification Server name and the Notification Server Web name. If you do a Push or Pull installation, you will specify various parameters based on your type of installation.
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
To install the NS Client by running the NS Client installation program
1
Run the
AeXNSC.exe
on the target computer. (On the Notification Server, this file is found in the
NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\NS Client Package
directory.)
After the NS Client installation setup program completes, you will see a new icon in the system tray of the managed computer.
Note
On startup, the NS Client detects if the Deployment Server Aclient (version 5.5 and above) is installed on the computer. If it is, then the NS Client icon will not be shown in the system tray.
As part of the setup process, you define the name of the Notification Server that the NS Client will interact with. You can enter the hostname for the Notification Server. You can also use the IP address. You can use the fully qualified domain name as well. From the managed computer, you must be able to resolve the hostname entered. You can verify this by running ping <hostname> from a command prompt at the managed computer.
Example 1:
aexnsc.exe –s –a ns=”lab1.altiris.com” nsweb=”http://lab1.altiris.com/
AeXNS” NOSTARTMENU NOTRAYICON OKTOREBOOT /s
The above command line will install the NS Client on the computer connecting to the Notification
Server on “lab1.altiris.com”. No start menu is installed. Tray icon will not be shown on startup. The installation may ask to reboot if needed. The entire installation process will be done silently.
Example2:
The command line to perform an automated install is: aexnsc.exe -s -a ns=”lab1.altiris.com” nsweb=”http://lab1.altiris.com/
AeXNS” /s
AeXNSC Command Line Arguments
aexnsc.exe [-s]
[-a
arguments
]
[ns=
“NotificationServer”
]
[nsweb=
“NotificationServerWeb”
]
[path=
InstallationPath
]
[NOSTARTMENU]
[NOTRAYICON]
[OKTOREBOOT]
[/remove]
[/NOADDREMOVE]
[/s]
Parameter
-s
NOTRAYICON
Description
Silent mode for the package to extract the files for the NS Client installation setup.
-a arguments ns=“NotificationServer”
Specifies the arguments to be passed to the NS Client installation setup.
Specifies the Notification Server that the NS Client connects to.
nsweb=“NotificationServerWeb” Specifies the Notification Server Web that the NS Client connects to. This is optional. By default, it is “http://NSName/
AeXNS”.
path=InstallationPath
NOSTARTMENU
Specifies the folder where the NS Client is installed.
Specifies that no start menu item will be installed for the
NS Client.
Specifies that the NS Client will not show tray icon on initial startup.
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
Parameter
OKTOREBOOT
/remove
/NOADDREMOVE
/s
Description
Specifies that the installation will prompt for rebooting the managed computer if needed. If this switch is not specified, the installation will not prompt or attempt to reboot the managed computer.
Specifies that the NS Client will be uninstalled from the managed computer. This is a silent uninstall. You can create a job to send this down to the NS Clients you want to uninstall.
This is particularly useful when you have installed the
NS Client using the /NOADDREMOVE argument.
Specifies that the NS Client will not be added to Add/Remove
Programs. If this switch is set, there are only three ways to remove the NS Client from the managed computer:
• Run AeXNSC with the /remove argument.
• Reinstall the NS Client on the managed computer.
• Add a registry value to
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Uninstall\{92F2A534-C3E4-4B18-BEBD-
329F5E848C8B}
DisplayName = “Altiris eXpress NS Client”
Note
For Windows 2000, when the NOADDREMOVE argument is used, the NS Client still appears in Add /Remove
Programs, but the remove option is disabled.
Silent mode for the NS Client installation setup.
Installing the NS Client Using a Stand-Alone Push
Script
You can install the NS Client using a stand-alone Push script named
PushTo.vbs
. This script is found in the following directory: install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\Bin
. cscript PushTo.vbs <computer>
[-notrayicon]
[-nostartmenu]
[-usepreconfig]
PushTo.vbs Parameters
Parameter Description
computer notrayicon nostartmenu usepreconfig
The computer to Push to.
Do not show a tray icon. This is overridden by the NS Client Settings policies when they request configuration.
Do not add an entry to the start menu.
Use existing IE proxy settings.
Note
If you want to Push to multiple computers, use the Windows command for /f
. This can be accessed from the Windows command prompt.
Installing the NS Client Using Active Directory
Policies (Intellimirror)
If you use Active Directory policies, there are two MSIs you can use for NS Client installation (see
“NS Client Installation MSIs” on page 51 ). Both of these MSIs only install on Windows 2000
computers and support the elevated privilege install.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 50
Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
Note
The installation of the NS Client using these MSIs will not work for remote managed computers. If you want to install the NS Client to remote managed computers, use the
Bootstrap Program” on page 52 .
NS Client Installation MSIs
AeXNSC.msi
This installs the NS Client similar to
AeXNSC.exe
. Because the MSI is larger, it is suggested you use it for Desktop/Server computers.
The following options are available for the AeXNSC.msi. The correct format for use is:
AeXNSC.msi /q[n,b,r,f] PROPERTY=value PROPERTY=value
The MSI install option must be first, and the AeXNS install Property must be in UPPERCASE while the value is case insensitive. Property values that are literal strings must be enclosed in quotation marks. Include any white spaces in the string between these marks.
MSI install options
• /qn – Quiet install, no windows shown
• /qb – Quiet basic, basic progress bar shown
• /qr – Quiet reduced, reduced progress shown (more then /qb, less then
/qf)
• /qf – Default install, will prompt user for all options, ignores options specified at command line
AeXNSC install properties
• NOADDREMOVE=yes | no (optional, default ‘no’)
• NOSTARTMENU=yes | no (optional, default ‘no’)
• NOTRAYICON=yes | no (optional, default ‘no’)
• NS=hostname of NS (mandatory)
• NSWEB=http://“web.address.of.NS”/AeXNS (optional, default uses value specified in ‘NS’ property)
These properties are similar to what
AeXNSC.exe
uses. For more
information on these properties, see “AeXNSC Command Line
Example
The following will install the NS Client in no window quiet mode, with no tray icon, no remove option, will create a start menu item, for a Notification
Server with a hostname of ‘MYNS’.
AeXNSC.msi /qn NOADDREMOVE=yes NOSTARTMENU=no
NOTRAYICON=yes NS=myns
AeXNSCInstSvc.msi This installs the Altiris eXpress Client Installation Service onto the
NS Client. This Client Installation Service then downloads AeXNSC.exe from the Notification Server and installs it on the NS Client. The only parameter that
AeXNSCInstSvc.msi
takes is [NS=
ServerName.domain.com], where ServerName is the name of your
Notification Server and domain is the domain that your Notification Server is on. Because this MSI is smaller, it is suggested that you use it for mobile computers.
Example:
AeXNSCInstSvc.msi NS=NS_1.MyCompany.com
When using Active Directory Group Policies (Intellimirror) to install the NS Client, the NS Client software should be assigned to the Computer Configuration section of the Group Policy Object. This ensures that the software will be installed on all computers and will not rely on the user interaction required to install software that is either Assigned or Published to users. This is because the software should be installed according to the computers on the network, not the users of those computers.
(The NS Client collects user information during its operation, but the installation should be targeted to computers.)
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Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
Installation using Active Directory/Group Policy Objects should be performed by following the
Windows 2000 documentation. It is suggested that you create organizational units (OUs) to contain the computers you will be deploying the NS Client to.
For more information on this process, see the MS KB Article “HOW TO: Use Group Policy to
Remotely Install Software in Windows 2000 (Q314934)” which outlines the steps required to do this. You can find this article by clicking on the following URL.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314934
For suggestions on how to use Active Directory Group Policies to install the NS Client, see the
Altiris Support Forums on the Altiris Web site. Go to www.altiris.com
and select
Support
>
Forums
.
NS Client Bootstrap Program
3
4
When the NS Client is installed using a Push or Pull installation, a small (approximately 100 KB) bootstrap program is used. This program, the NS Client bootstrap program, downloads a larger
(approximately 3.5 MB) program, the NS Client installation program, which actually performs the
NS Client installation. The NS Client bootstrap program gets sent to all managed computers at the same time, so it is kept small to prevent an overload of the network. The NS Client bootstrap program then handles the network throughput (starting and stopping) until it downloads the
NS Client installation program to the managed computer.
Because the NS Client bootstrap program controls how fast the NS Client installation program gets downloaded to the managed computer, it can reliably download the NS Client on remote managed computers or managed computers with poor connections.
The following steps show the installation process during an NS Client installation using a Push or
Pull installation:
1
2
5
The NS Client bootstrap program (
AeXSWDInstSvc.exe
) is downloaded to the managed computer (either by Push or by Pull).
This program is quite small (approximately 100k) and can be sent quickly even over a slow line.
Because the NS Client bootstrap program is an NT service, it runs as soon as it is downloaded.
While the NS Client bootstrap program is running, there is a process running on the managed computer (viewed in the Windows Task Manager) called
AeXSWDUsr.exe
.
Note
The NS Client bootstrap program creates a log file,
AeXSWDInstSvc.log
, in the OS directory (WINNT on Windows NT). This log file records the process of downloading the
NS Client installation program and installing it. It displays a “Sending ‘Remote Install Finished:
Success’ message to NS” message when the process of downloading and installing the NS Client installation program is complete. Some messages recorded in this log file are sent back to the
Notification Server and logged in the Notification Server database.
The NS Client bootstrap program downloads the NS Client installation program
(
AeXNSC.exe
) from the Notification Server. It has the ability to stop and start again until the
NS Client installation program is downloaded completely.
The NS Client bootstrap program runs the NS Client installation program.
The NS Client installation program installs the NS Client onto the managed computer.
Note
If solutions have been configured to auto-download, the running MSI may cause the
NS Client installation program to fail. If another MSI is being installed, the NS Client installation program waits until it is finished before installing the NS Client. It checks every minute to see if the other MSI is finished. The NS Client installation program also adds itself to the registry run key so that, if the computer is rebooted, it will run when a user logs on.
When the installation is complete, you will see an NS Client icon in the system tray of the managed computer (if Deployment Server Aclient is not installed). On startup, the NS Client detects if the Deployment Server Aclient (version 5.5 and above) is installed on the computer. If it is, then the NS Client icon will not be shown in the system tray.
Note
Throughout the installation process, status messages are sent back to the Notification
Server. There is a slight chance that one or more of these messages can end up in a Bad event directory on the Notification Server and not be processed into the Notification Server database
(see
“NSE Processing and Bad Event Directories” on page 244
). However, the NS Client
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 52
Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation installation could still be successful. For information on how to determine if the NS Client installation was successful, see
“NS Client Installation Troubleshooting” on page 53 .
Note
From the time you start a Push or Pull installation, it can take several minutes before the
NS Client icon appears in the system tray. This is because the NS Client bootstrap program is downloaded, then the NS Client bootstrap program downloads the NS Client installation package, then the NS Client installation package installs the NS Client on the managed computer.
Depending on the network traffic, this process can take some time.
Note
There is an MSI program available,
AeXNSCInstSvc.msi
that also installs the Altiris eXpress Client Installation Service. This service downloads the NS Client installation program from the Notification Server and installs it on the managed computer. The only parameter that
AeXNSCInstSvc.msi
takes is [NS=ServerName.domain.com], where ServerName is the name of your Notification Server and domain is the domain that your Notification Server is on. This MSI supports the elevated privilege install (see
“Installing the NS Client Using Active Directory Policies
(Intellimirror)” on page 50 ).
NS Client Installation Troubleshooting
The following are some tips for checking to see if your NS Client was installed on your managed computers and how to troubleshoot if the installation fails.
• Run reports to find out which managed computers have the NS Client installed on them - The following report groups can be found in the Web Administration Console in the
Solutions
tab by clicking
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
in the left pane.
• Client Deployment - These reports let you see what NS Client versions you have.
• Discovered Machines - These reports let you see what computers have been discovered by
Notification Server. This contains a report that tells you if your Push installation failed on any computers. It also contains a report that lists managed computers that had the NS Client installed on them using methods other than Push.
• NS Client Inventory - There are two reports in this group that are of interest here: one that lists your newest installed/registered NS Clients, and one that lists your oldest NS Clients.
• Check the logs on the managed computer if the NS Client installation failed.
•
AeXSWDInstSvc.log
- The NS Client bootstrap program (
AeXSWDInstSvc.exe
) creates this log file in the OS directory (WINNT on Windows NT/2000 and windows
\ system
on Windows 9x after a Push installation and WinDir
\system32
after a Pull installation). This log file records the process of downloading the NS Client installation program and installing it. Look in this log file to determine if the Push or Pull part of the installation failed. If there is an entry in this log file saying that the “Remote Install Finished”, it means that the download of the NS Client installation program was a success and the command to install it was performed.
•
AeXNSC.log
- The NS Client installation program (
AeXNSC.exe
) creates this log file in the OS directory (
WINNT\system32
on Windows NT/2000 and windows\system
on
Windows 95/98/Me/XP). This log file records the process of installing the NS Client on the managed computer. If there is an entry in this log file saying that the installation failed, it means the actual NS Client installation failed.
• After the NS Client is up and running, these processes should be on the managed computer (view using the Task Manager):
•
AeXNSClient.exe
– This runs as an NT service.
•
AexNSClientTran
– This runs as an NT service. It is responsible for delivering the
Notification Server event from the NS Client to the Notification Server. Any agent can send a Notification Server event to this service. The event is queued up in the
NS
Client\Queue\
ServerName directory before being sent to the Notification Server.
•
AeXSWDUsr.exe
– This only runs when the user is logged on. This is the NS Client icon.
However, if Aclient is running, the NS Client icon will not appear. If you do not see the
NS Client icon, but this process is running and you have just done a Push or Pull installation, the icon might not show up until the next login. This happens because, when the NS Client is installed, it starts in the local system account. The local system account is where the Push gets launched the first time. When the user on the managed computer logs out and logs back in, the user account runs the process and the NS Client icon appears.
• View the Push status events for specific NS Clients. See
“Push Status Events” on page 55 .
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 53
Chapter 3: Installation NS Client Installation
AeXSWDInstSvc Command Line Arguments
AeXSWDInstSvc [-u
URL
]
[-s
server_name
]
[-w
URL
]
[-d
path
]
[-c
chunk_size
]
[-p
pause_interval
]
[-exe]
[-checkonly]
[-notrayicon]
[-nostartmenu]
[-preconfig]
[-?] [-h]
AeXSWDInstSvc Parameters
Parameter
u URL s server_name w URL d path c chunk_size p pause_interval exe checkonly notrayicon nostartmenu preconfig
? or h
Description
The URL to download the NS Client setup program from. This can be from either an FTP or an HTTP site. This argument is required.
The name of the server that the NS Client will report to (without leading \\).
This argument is required.
The URL that the NS Client will use to report to the server. This argument is required.
The destination path that the NS Client will be installed to.
The size (in bytes) of data to bring down each time. If omitted, 1 KB is used.
The time (in ms) between downloading each chunk. If omitted, 25 ms is used.
This forces the program to run as an EXE under
Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, ignoring any service registration to this EXE.
This option has no effect under Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, or Me.
This forces the program to check that the NS Client minimum requirements are met. Details are displayed to the screen in a message box.
Specifies that the NS Client will not show tray icon on initial startup. This will be overridden by the NS Client Settings policies as soon as they are downloaded.
Specifies that no start menu item will be installed for the NS Client.
If specified, the program and the NS Client will use the existing client proxy configuration. If omitted, both will attempt to connect to the Notification
Server directly.
Shows the usage dialog.
Example of Installing the NS Client Using a Login Script
The following is an example of using a login script to install the NS Client.
IMPORTANT
Before implementing this example, run it on a test server to ensure that it will work for your environment. Also, make sure you have administrative rights to the computer(s) you are installing the NS Client on.
Note
If you use this example, make sure that you include the quotes around the URL path as shown.
Note
In the following example, be sure to substitute MY_NS_SERVER with your Notification
Server name. Also, substitute domain with your domain name.
if exist c:\winnt\sytem32\aexswdinstsvc.exe goto install net use n: \\
MY_NS_SERVER
\x86 /persistent:no copy n:\aexswdinstsvc.exe c:\winnt\system32 net use n: /delete
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 54
Chapter 3: Installation Solution Licensing
:install if exist c:\winnt\system32\aexnsc.log goto end c:\winnt\system32\aexswdinstsvc.exe -u “http://
MY_NS_SERVER
/aexns/nscap/ bin/win32/x86/ns client package/aexnsc.exe” -s
MY_NS_SERVER
.
domain
.com w http://
MY_NS_SERVER
/aexns
:end
Push Status Events
Push Status events let you see if the NS Client installation requirements were met and if the
NS Client installation succeeded.
To access the Push Status events
1
2
In the Resource Explorer, select the
Event
tab. (See “Resource Explorer” on page 255
.)
In the left pane, select
AeX Push Status
.
Push Status events are sent in two groups. The first is the result of the NS Client requirements check (either status 1 or 2). The second is the result of the actual installation (either status 3 or
4). Descriptions are given below: status 1 - The NS Client installation requirements were met.
status 2 - The NS Client installation requirements were not met.
In both of the above cases, the message contains a list of the requirements and the detected versions.
status 3 - The NS Client installation succeeded.
status 4 - The NS Client installation failed.
In the case of status 4, the message contains a description of the error.
NS Client GUID Creation
Each NS Client has a unique GUID. This GUID is created by the Notification Server after the
NS Client sends the computer name and domain to the Notification Server. This Name and Domain is found in the AeX AC Identification class.
Solution Licensing
You can try each of the Altiris solutions free using a 7 day trial license. This trial license is part of the solution installation. After the trial license expires, you can either request a 30 day free evaluation license or purchase the solution and get a full license for it. The licensing is easy and performed online using the Web Administration Console. The procedure for licensing each solution is the same.
Note
To see how long you have before the trial or evaluation license expires, in the Web
Administration Console, click on the
Licensing
tab, and look at the
Expires
column.
Note
You do not need to purchase a license for Notification Server, only the solutions that run with it.
To license a solution
1
2
3
From the Web Administration Console, click the
Licensing
tab.
In the left pane, click
Request License
.
In the right pane, click
product licenses
. Follow the instructions on the Altiris Web site for registering your product. Your license key will then be sent to you.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 55
Chapter 3: Installation Solution Licensing
5
6
4
Once you receive your license key, open the Web Administration Console, then click the
Licensing
tab.
In the left pane, click
Install License
.
Follow the instructions on
“Install License Page” on page 57 .
To view license information
1
Click on the
Licensing
tab.
2
Select
License Status
from the left pane.
License Status Page
This page lets you view the status of your solution licenses. You can see whether your licenses are full or evaluation licenses. You can also view the number of licenses, the licenses in use, and when each license expires for each solution. This lets you manage your solution licenses and helps you keep in compliance with your license agreement.
Click the
Refresh
button to refresh the license count.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Licensing
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
License Status
.
Related Topic
“Solution Licensing” on page 55
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 56
Chapter 3: Installation Solution Licensing
Request License Page
This page lets you request a license key for a solution. It provides links to the Altiris Web site where you can request an evaluation license or activate your purchased product.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Licensing
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
Request license
.
Install License Page
This page lets you install the license that you receive from Altiris.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 57
Chapter 3: Installation Solution Licensing
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Licensing
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
Install license
.
Item
Install from an email
Description
If you receive your license via e-mail, copy and paste the license into the window, then click
Install License
.
Install from a file If you receive your license in a file:
1) Click
Browse for a license file
.
2) Select the file.
3) Click
Open
.
4) Click
Install License
.
Install from a
Folder
If you receive more than one file and want to load all licenses at the same time:
1) Place all files in the same folder.(
Note
This folder should
only contain license files.)
2) Click
Browse for a license folder
.
3) Navigate to the folder containing the license files.
4) Click
OK
.
The licenses will be installed. If there is an error, it will appear
on the bottom of the page.
Server Specific Licenses
Altiris Solutions that use license certificates are licensed to specific computers and may not be moved from one computer to another, combined from multiple computers, or divided among multiple computers without the issuance of a new license certificate(s). For instructions on how to
get new license certificates, see “License Transfer For Solution Products” on page 58 .
Note
If you are upgrading to a new computer that has the same name, you can use the previously
. However, the licensed product must be removed in its entirety from the former computer and will in no way be hosted or executed from the former computer without the express written permission of Altiris, Inc. as agreed upon in the signed Server Transfer Form
License Transfer For Solution Products
Follow these steps if you want to
• move license certificates from one computer to another
• combine license certificates from multiple computers
• divide license certificates among multiple computers
To transfer license certificates for solution products
1
Download and print the License Transfer for Solution Products form found at http:// www.altiris.com/support/docs/forms/SolutionLicenseTransfer.pdf
2
3
Complete and sign the License Transfer for Solution Products form.
Fax the completed form to Altiris (the fax number is printed on the bottom of the form).
4
5
After Altiris verifies ownership of the license, Altiris will send an updated license certificate(s) for the new full computer name to the e-mail address specified on the form.
Install the product on the new computer and apply the updated license certificate that was sent to the e-mail address. (See
“Solution Installation” on page 44 and
“To license a solution” on page 55 .)
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 58
Chapter 3: Installation Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client
6
If you are moving or combining license certificates, remove the solution from the former
computer. See “Uninstalling a Solution” on page 59
.
Important
If you are moving or combining license certificates, the licensed product must be removed in its entirety from the former computer and will in no way be hosted or executed from the former computer without the express written permission of Altiris, Inc. as agreed upon in the signed Server Transfer Form.
Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client
This section contains instructions for uninstalling Notification Server, solutions, and NS Client.
Uninstalling a Solution
To uninstall a solution
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, right-click on the solution name, then select
Delete
.
Click
OK
.
4
5
Click
Start
>
Control Panel
>
Add/Remove Programs
.
If there is a package for the solution listed, select the package name, then click
Remove
.
6
Follow the instructions to remove the solution package from your computer.
Note
You can uninstall the solution by using Add/Remove Programs. However, the solution data will not be deleted from the NS database and the solution will still appear in the Web Administration
Console under the
Solutions
tab. To remove the solution and solution data from Notification Server, you must uninstall the solution as described above.
Uninstalling the NS Client
There are two ways to automatically uninstall the NS Client from client computers. If you are not able to automatically uninstall the NS Client, you can manually uninstall it.
1
1
4
5
2
3
To automatically uninstall the NS Client - Method 1
Note
This will only work on computers where there are no Notification Server agents installed.
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
Navigate to
Altiris eXpress Configuration > Policies > NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs > NS Win32 Client
Uninstall
.
Enable this advertisement.
Select the Collection that you want this advertisement applied to.
In the
Mandatory Assignments
section, select to
Run this advertisement ‘As Soon As Possible’
.
Click
Apply
.
3
4
1
2
5
6
To automatically uninstall the NS Client - Method 2
Note
This will only work on computers where there are no Notification Server agents installed.
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Configuration
tab.
Select the
Client Installation
task.
Expand the
Client ‘Push’ Installation
section.
Select the
Include existing clients in list
check-box.
Make sure all of the other check-boxes are cleared.
Select the computers from which you want to delete the NS Client.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 59
Chapter 3: Installation Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client
7
Click the
Uninstall now from:
link.
To manually uninstall the NS Client
1
On the NS Client computer, click
Start
>
Control Panel
>
Add/Remove Programs
.
2
Remove all NS Client agent packages.
a
Select the NS Client agent package name, then click
Remove
.
IMPORTANT
The NS Client agent packages should be uninstalled before uninstalling the
NS Client.
b c
Follow the instructions to remove the NS Client agent package from your computer.
Repeat
until all NS Client agent packages are removed.
OR do one of the following:
• Run the following on each NS Client computer you want to remove the NS Client from
AeXNSC -s -a /REMOVE /s
This lets you uninstall the NS Client without needing to reboot the NS Client.
Note
If you have SW Delivery Solution installed, you can create an advertisement that runs this automatically on all specified managed computers.
• From the NS Client computer, select
Altiris eXpress NS Client
, then click
Remove
. Then follow the instructions to remove the NS Client software from your computer.
Uninstalling Notification Server
To uninstall Notification Server
1
2
Click
Start
>
Control Panel
>
Add/Remove Programs
.
Remove all solution packages.
a
Select the solution package, then click
Remove
.
b c
Follow the instructions to remove the solution package from your computer.
Repeat
until all solution packages are removed.
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Chapter 3: Installation Uninstalling Notification Server, Solutions, and NS Client
3
Select
Altiris eXpress Notification Server 5.5
, then click
Remove
.
4
5
Follow the instructions to remove the Notification Server package from your computer.
When prompted, reboot your server.
Note
The uninstall program does not remove the Alert Manager Mail and Web directories. If you want these directories deleted, you will need to delete them manually. They are found in install
path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Helpdesk
.
Note
If you are going to install to a previous version of Notification Server after uninstalling
Notification Server, you need to purge your cached files in Internet Explorer by clicking
Tools
>
Internet Options
>
Delete Files
.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 61
Chapter 4:
Configuration
This section contains configuration information for Notification Server, Configuration Solution, and
NS Client.
•
“Notification Server Configuration” on page 62
•
“Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution” on page 97
•
“Notification Server Solution Center Page” on page 154
•
“NS Client Configuration” on page 154
•
“Securing the Notification Server Web Console” on page 155
•
“SMS Integration and MIFs” on page 157
Notification Server Configuration
The Web Administration Console has a
Configuration
tab containing configuration tasks. These tasks let you set up the various settings that Notification Server uses.
Note
The version number and build number of the server are indicated on the upper right corner of the Web Administration Console.
Computer Discovery
The
Computer Discovery
task lets you discover computers on the network that you can install the
NS Client on (perform a Push installation).
This task controls the computer discovery methods available for client deployment in your network environment. The
Discovery Settings
section contains methods that can be used to discover computers visible on the network. The
Discovery
section allows the configuration of discovery parameters, such as which domains to scan. The
Discovered Machines
section lists all discovered computers and also allows the manual addition or removal of computers.
There are two computer discovery methods that Notification Server offers:
Domain Browse List
and
Domain Membership
. Both of these can be used for domains but only
Domain Browse List
can be used to discover a single computer.
Notification Server uses the network browse list, which is the Network Neighborhood, to discover computers. This lets you discover computers without affecting network traffic.
Notification Server can discover computers based upon domain membership. The domain discovery enumerates Windows computers that appear in the browse list for the specified domain.
Note
Computer Discovery is used for discovering computers that you want to perform a Push
NS Client installation on. The computer discovery methods used in Computer Discovery only discover Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers, not Windows 9x computers. Therefore, you cannot use the Push NS Client installation on Windows 9x computers.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 62
Chapter 4: Configuration Notification Server Configuration
Note
After a computer is discovered, you can install the NS Client on it. Discovering a computer only identifies the computer and does not provide any management functions.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Computer Discovery
.
Any computer that is listed under Windows Network Neighborhood can be discovered by
Notification Server.
Note
If for some reason a managed computer is configured so that it cannot be seen by Network
Neighborhood, Notification Server will not be able to discover it either.
Discovered computer data is stored in a table in the Notification Server database. This table can be used to see which computers do not have a current NS Client on them.
To use this page
1
Set the
Discovery Settings.
2
3
Use the
Discovery
section to discover your computers.
View, delete, or add to discovered computers in the
Discovered Machines
section.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the information. This will save the information entered.
Discovery Settings
This lets you choose to discover all computers that are currently sharing files or printers or are running the Messenger service (
Domain Browse List
) and/or all computers that have trust accounts in the domain (
Domain Membership
).
The available discovery methods are Domain Browse List and Domain Membership. These settings are used for real time (for example, run using
Discover Now
button), background discovery, and scheduled discovery. At least one method should be selected.
• Domain Browse List - This option discovers all computers (including Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME computers) that are currently sharing files or printers or are running the Messenger service.
• Domain Membership - This option discovers all computers that have trust accounts in the domain. This finds all Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers in the domain. However, it will not find any Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME computers. Note that this method is substantially
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Domain Browse List
The Domain Browse List works by enumerating the records in the computer browse list. This computer browse list was designed for a small, peer-to-peer environment, so it does not scale to large environments well.
When the Notification Server performs a Domain Browse List discovery, it requests a copy of the computer browse list, which includes additional information such as the computer’s operating system and version. It then does a reverse lookup of the computer’s name to get its IP address.
Even though all computers register themselves in the computer browse list, Notification Server is only interested in those computers that can be pushed to, so it only gets the list of computers that are sharing one or more resources. This means that it will not pick up Windows 9x computers as they are configured not to share files or printers by default.
The three reasons why you might have problems discovering computers using this method are:
• The computer is not in the computer browse list.
• The computer is in the computer browse list but not registered as sharing files.
• It can take between 15 and 51 minutes for changes to be reflected in the computer browse list.
Note
The Domain Browse List discovery method gets as much of the computer browse list as it can as fast as it can. This can overload a PDC in a large domain or a multi-domain environment. The recommended practice is to run this outside business hours, preferably over a weekend.
Domain Membership
This works by enumerating the computer accounts in the specified domains. You cannot discover individual computers using this method because it requires a domain to get the account(s) from.
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When you add a Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computer to a domain, a computer account is created in that domain. This computer account is used by the computer to authenticate with the domain so the computer can authenticate user logons using a secure connection. Windows 9x computers do not create a computer account, which is why you cannot find Windows 9x computers using this method.
When discovering computers using the Domain Membership method, Notification Server enumerates these accounts. Unlike the Domain Browse List method, these accounts have no additional information beyond the computer’s name. Notification Server still does a reverse lookup on the name to get its IP address.
If problems occur using this discovery method, check that accounts exist for these computers using
Server Manager (Windows NT 4.0) or Active Directory Users and Computers (Windows 2000 and later). Check that the AeXNS package user account is not locked out or disabled and the password is correct. Although this is highly unlikely to occur, for Windows 2000 domains, check that the account the AeXNS package is running under has ‘Read’ permission to the computer objects. For more information about the AeXNS package, see
“Component Services” on page 42 .
Both of these methods write errors to the Notification Server log file (see
).
If you ever have a problem regarding
Computer Discovery
, check these log files for more information.
Discovery
This performs a computer discovery for a specified list of domains. These settings are shared between scheduled discovery, “discover now”, and background discovery.
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Item
New Domain
Add
Remove
Description
The domain to perform the discovery on.
Adds the domain to the list of domains of computers to discover.
Removes a domain from the list of domains. Click the domain from the list, then click
Remove
.
Edit
Discover now
Lets you set up an automatic discovery schedule.
Performs the computer discovery on the domains in your list.
Background Discovery Starts a discovery in the background, allowing you to continue using the console.
Discovered Machines
The grid shows details of all computers that have been discovered. To add a new computer, enter its
NetBIOS name (without the leading \\ characters) and click
Add
. You can manually add a new computer (see
“To manually add a managed computer to the Discovered Machines list” on page 67
).
To remove computers from the database, select them and click
Delete Machine(s)
. Note that deleted computers can still be rediscovered later. To prevent a computer from showing in the grid of computers that can be pushed to in the
Client Installation
page, select their
Ignore
column in the grid in the
Client Installation
page.
To discover a managed computer
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab and then click
Computer
Discovery
in the left pane.
Enter the domain you want to search for computers in the
New Domain
field and then click
Add
.
Repeat this procedure if there are additional domains you want to discover computers in.
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3
4
Click
Discover now
.
Click
Discovered Machines
and scroll down to the Discovered Machines section to see the computers that were discovered. Click
Refresh
to see the newest added computers.
Note
If you want to set the Computer Discovery as a background task, click
Background Discovery
.
If you want to add a managed computer to the list of discovered computers, but the managed computer cannot be discovered, (because it is configured such that it cannot be seen, it is not part of a domain, or for some other reason), you can manually add it in the Discovered Machines section.
To manually add a managed computer to the Discovered Machines list
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab, and then click
Computer
Discovery
in the left pane.
Click
Discovered Machines
in the right pane.
3
Enter the name of the computer you want to add in the
New Machine Name
field and then click
Add
.
You can now push the NS Client onto one of these discovered computers (see
“Client Installation” on page 67 ).
Client Installation
The
Client Installation
task provides two different means of installing the NS Client to target computers.
The Push installation is currently limited to Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers that have been discovered. The Pull installation requires a user of the target managed computer to access a predefined web page and run the NS Client setup program. The
Client ‘Pull’ Installation
section provides assistance for doing this, including a URL that may be mailed to the users.
In order to use Notification Server with Win32 clients, you must install the NS Client package onto your Win32 computers. This package provides the base functionality that Notification Server requires of its NS Clients and allows you to easily install and use other Notification Server solutions.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Client Installation
.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the information. This will save the information entered.
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Remote Installation Settings
Provides settings that affect both a Push and Pull NS Client Installation. Select none, some, or all of the following:
•
Show the client icon in the start menu
- Select if you want the NS Client icon displayed in the start menu.
•
Show the client icon in the system tray
- Select if you want the NS Client icon displayed in the system tray. This setting will be overridden by the NS Client Settings policy once the NS Client is installed. This just sets the initial NS Client behavior.
•
Use proxy (if configured on client)
- Select to use the proxy if it is configured on the NS Client.
•
Override default installation path
- Enter the desired installation path. By default, the NS Client will be installed to the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client
directory on the same drive as the %WINDIR% directory.
Client ‘Push’ Installation
See
“Pushing the NS Client to a Managed Computer” on page 46 .
Client ‘Pull’ Installation
See
“Pulling the NS Client down to a Managed Computer” on page 48
.
Application Identity
The
Application Identity
task lets you define the security context that Notification Server runs under.
Notification Server runs as a Microsoft Transaction Server (COM+ or Component Services on
Windows 2000) package (AeXNS). (For more information, see
“Component Services” on page 42 .
For information on permissions, see
.)
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Transaction Server
.
Microsoft Transaction Server (referred to as Component Services in Windows 2000) provides a scalable framework for COM objects to run under. With Transaction Server, you specify the security context that Notification Server runs under.
You must define a user ID that has local administrator permissions on Notification Server. As an alternative, you can view and change the Transaction Server package identity by using the standard
MS Transaction Server Management Console (Component Services in Windows 2000).
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The account you use must be able to logon to the SQL server computer to establish an IPC$ connection. In addition, ensure that the account has rights to be able to connect an IPC$ share to any
SQL server to which Notification Server will attach (example: SMS DB for Web Administrator for
SMS, Lease DB for Contract Management Solution)
SMS Hint
If you are going to access the Microsoft SMS database or the SMS WMI provider with some of the SMS solutions, you need to use a security ID that will be able to access the computer that houses the SMS database and the SMS WMI provider.
To define user identity settings
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab and then click
Application
Identity
in the left pane.
2
Select a
User
and
Password
in the format of domain\user that has:
• Local administrator rights on Notification Server.
3
• Permission to create files on the SMS Client Access Point (if you use SMS).
• Local administrator rights on any remote Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers where you want to install the NS Client.
Click
Apply
when a domain\user name and password have been entered.
Note
This step can be performed later, but an account is needed before Notification Server can function when no one is logged in locally.
Database Settings
The
Notification Server Database Configuration
task lets you create or use an existing database to store the Notification Server status information.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Database Settings
.
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Item
SQL Server Name
Login Id
Password
Use existing database
Create new database
Command Timeout
Description
The name of your SQL server. If you are using MSDE, this will probably be the name of your Notification Server computer.
If you have SQL Server 2000 but did not install as default 'instance', then when specifying the server you need to use the format
computer\server instance name.
Optional: Supply the User ID to access the SQL server.
You may leave this field blank to use integrated
Windows NT/2000/2003 security.
Optional: Supply the password for the Login ID.
If you have a previously created Notification Server database that you want to use, select it from the dropdown list.
If you do not have a Notification Server database already, enter the name of the database you want created. The default name of AeXNS can generally be used
The database command timeout setting applies to all SQL Server connections used by Notification Server (including connections to your
SMS databases, however excluding connections used internally by the
Pivot type reports).
If you experience timeout errors when using a database connection due to network traffic or heavy server usage, increase the value of this setting. You must set this property to a value greater than 0.
Two databases are supported:
• Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or higher. This database is recommended for medium and large deployments of Notification Server (more than 1000 computers reporting to the database). It is strongly recommended that you install SP 1 or higher.
• Microsoft Database Engine (MSDE). This database is included free with Notification Server.
MSDE has a 5-user connection limit and does not include various SQL administration tools that you get with the full copy of SQL Server 7.0. You can download the Altiris Notification Server kit with embedded MSDE from our site .
If you do not have a license to install Microsoft SQL server, then you can use MSDE.
When you start the Web Administration Console for the first time after completing the server installation, it determines that there is no active database configured for the computer. The
Administrator opens a page that lets you specify database settings.
You can use a Microsoft SQL Server database that is installed on a remote computer. However, for increased performance, you should generally use a SQL server that is on the same computer as
Notification Server.
IMPORTANT
Notification Server and the database should be in the same time zone and synced in time.
IMPORTANT
Notification Server uses its own database. Do NOT configure Notification Server to use the SMS database if you install Notification Server in an SMS environment.
WARNING
Changing the database information may cause existing solutions to fail.
Note
You can use SQL server with integrated or standalone security. If you use integrated security
(where you don't explicitly use a logon ID or password) then the security context of the Notification
Server Transaction Server package is used to connect to the database. (If you have a SQL server on a remote computer, then the Transaction Server package security ID is always used to establish the remote session to the computer over the Windows NT session independent of the security ID used for the database login to the SQL server.)
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IMPORTANT
All of the solution data, saved report runs, and configuration data is stored in the SQL database. If you change the database after you have downloaded solutions for Notification Server, you will have to redownload and reconfigure the solutions. Or, you can back up and restore the database to another location and then reconfigure your Notification Server to use the new database location.
The Connection Properties setting applies to all connections used by Notification Server (including connections to your SMS database). If you experience timeout errors when using a database connection due to network traffic or heavy server usage, increase the value of this setting. You must set this property to a value greater than 0.
Note:
You must set the timeout for the ASP Script in Microsoft Windows Internet Information
Services (IIS) to a number greater than or equal to the Connection Properties timeout amount.
To set the timeout for the ASP Script
1
From Windows 2000, click
Start
>
Programs
>
Administrative Tools
>
Internet Services Manager
.
2
Double-click on the server name in the left pane (cw-server in the example screen shot).
3
Right-click
Default Web Site
and click
Properties
.
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4
Select the
Home Directory
tab, then click
Configuration
.
Notification Server Configuration
5
6
Select the
App Options
tab.
In the
ASP Script timeout
field, enter a number greater than or equal to the Connection Properties timeout amount.
7
Click
OK
.
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The
E-Mail Configuration
task lets you set e-mail settings so certain solutions can send e-mail messages based upon data that is received by Notification Server.
To access this task
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
In the left pane, select
.
Some solutions for Notification Server can be configured to send e-mail messages based upon data that is received by Notification Server. For protected SMTP gateways, a user name and password is required. The e-mail settings page lets you define the address of an SMTP server and the default administrator mailbox where you want to send messages. The mailbox can be any valid SMTP address that will be recognized by your SMTP server.
The default reply address (address in the From: field) is [email protected].
To specify another reply address, create a registry string called
SMTPFromAddress
and assign your desired reply address to it. For more information on this registry setting see
“Registry Settings” on page 329 .
Item
User Name
Password
SMTP Server
Description
The user name used to access the e-mail account.
Note
Do not use a User Name/Password unless the SMTP server requires authentication to send an e-mail.
The password used to access the e-mail account.
Note
Do not use a User Name/Password unless the SMTP server requires authentication to send an e-mail.
The SMTP Server where the e-mail account can be accessed.
The SMTP server is the hostname or IP address of a SMTP mail server that will accept incoming SMTP messages sent from the Notification
Server.
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Item
Administrator Email
Address
Apply
Cancel
Test
Description
The e-mail address of the administrator of the e-mail account.
The Administrator E-mail Address is the default address that mail messages will be sent to. The address can be any address for a user or alias that is recognized by your SMTP server.
Note
This address can be overridden on a per policy basis.
Saves the information entered.
Discards the information entered.
Sends a sample test message.
Click this button to have Notification Server send a sample test message to the SMTP server addressed to the Administrator Email Address.
Error Logging
The
Error Logging Configuration
task lets you control the level of messages that are placed in the log
files on Notification Server. (Also see “Log Files” on page 334
.)
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Error Logging
.
Select none, some, or all of the following Error Logging messages:
• Errors - There is an error with Notification Server. This is usually critical and something that needs attention.
• Warnings - This is something to watch. It is not an error and is not critical.
• Information - This is informative. It lets you know that something interesting, but non-critical, has happened (example: an e-mail message was sent).
• Trace - This traces the logic flow in the code. This is used by Altiris Support to help troubleshoot errors and warnings. Detailed information is given that can be sent to Altiris Support. Due to the nature of a Trace, many messages will be generated in the Log file. Turn Trace on only when instructed to by Altiris Support.
Note
Errors
,
Warnings
,
Information
, and
Trace
are all turned off by default.
Note
If you select all four status message levels, a Severity value is added in the registry and given the value of 7. This Severity value reflects the Error Logging settings you select on this page.
Click
status messages
to view the current log file. You can also view the current Log file from a browser by going to http://
NSName
/AeXNS/celogview.asp
. See
Click
Apply
after you have selected your desired status message levels. This will save the information entered.
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Inventory History
The
History Schedule Configuration
task lets you back up and purge the history for each inventory class on regular schedules. This functionality requires that Asset Control Solution be downloaded on your Notification Server. To avoid overloading the system, it is recommended that you set the schedule to initially start at midnight.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Inventory History
.
Item
Enabled
Description
Select
Enabled
to back up each inventory class.
Keep History for number
of days
Enter the number of days you want to keep a history for. The history will be purged after this time. It is recommended that you keep this number smaller as the history is kept in the database.
Select Inventory Classes which report history
Edit History Purge
Schedule
This opens a dialog which lets you select which inventory classes you wish to track history for.
This opens a dialog which gives you advanced purge scheduling options.
Edit History Create
Schedule
Apply
Cancel
This opens a dialog which schedules the frequency of your historical inventory capture.
Click to save and apply the changes.
Click to cancel all changes.
Solution Center
The
Solution Center Configuration
task lets you designate where solutions or suites are downloaded from.
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The Solution Center contains all of the solutions that can be installed on your Notification Server.
The Solution Center is distributed on CD-ROM and is also available on the internet.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Solution Center
.
Select one of the following radio buttons to specify where you would like Notification Server to get its Solution Center:
• Search the CD drive on the Notification Server for the Solution Center
• Use the Solution Center on the Altiris Web site
• Specify another location - If specifying another location, enter the location in the
Solution Center
field.
Click
(Edit...)
to specify how often the Solution Center should be checked for available solution updates.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the information. This will save the information entered.
Web Reports
The
Web Reports Configuration
task lets you designate options for how reports are run.
You can configure Notification Server to automatically download the Microsoft Office 2000 components for pivot view reports (this is not required if you are running Office XP). You can also control ActiveX settings, and whether end-users can create new reports or only view saved reports.
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You can use the Custom Web Reports View Editor to specify the reports and the settings you want to be in the view, and use standard file permissions to control access. This process allows you to package specific sets of reports to meet the needs of the various departments and managers you support.
To access this task
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
In the left pane, select
Web Reports
.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the information. This will save the information entered.
Office 2000 Web Components
Microsoft Office 2000 Web Components are required for pivot view reports. These components can be automatically downloaded and installed on Windows managed computers that run Internet
Explorer 4.01 SP1 or higher. To do this, specify a file location (using UNC naming) that points to the root directory of the Microsoft Office 2000 CD #1. For example: file:\\myserver\CDs\office2000\disk1.
Note
The directory must contain the file MSOWC.CAB and the URL must be in UNC format (you cannot use a drive letter). Copy your Office 2000 CD #1 to the file UNC URL that you specify. The
URL must start with “file:\\”.
Note
If you are using Microsoft Office XP, you do not need to download MS Office 2000 Web
Components.
Web Reports Settings
This lets you select the following settings that apply when running the standard Web Reports:
• Don’t use ActiveX controls on Internet Explorer systems. This disables pivot view, interactive graphs, and the windows grid control for table views (this will also affect Resource Explorer).
• Allow users to only view existing saved reports.
• Do not list reports in the Web Reports explorer that do not have any saved report runs.
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Custom Web Reports Views
This provides a link to the
Custom Web Reports View Editor
. The
Custom Web Reports View Editor
lets you organize your reports into views. Use the
Custom Web Reports View Editor
to customize the appearance of the Web reports titles and set permissions for accessing the reports. Use standard file permissions to control access to the view. This process lets you package specific sets of reports to meet the needs of the various departments and managers you support by letting you control access to reports. Click
help documentation
to see how to run the
Custom Web Reports View Editor
.
The
Custom Web Reports View Editor
link opens a page that installs prerequisite components and allows you to run the Custom Web Reports View Editor.
Inventory Forwarding
The
Inventory Forwarding
task lets you configure your Notification Server to forward Inventory data to one or more other Notification Servers. This allows you to forward data to a central server for reporting purposes. Only inventory can be forwarded. Message events cannot be forwarded. For more information regarding inventory and message events, see
“NS Client and Notification Server
If you set up Inventory Forwarding, NS Clients send Notification Server Events (NSEs) to the
Notification Server as normal. On a schedule, the forwarding Notification Server creates an inventory NSE from data in its database, adds its sitecode to the inventory NSE, and forwards the inventory NSE to the specified Notification Server(s). Only inventory that has changed is forwarded.
Inventory Forwarding offers you great flexibility in deciding which inventory gets forwarded. You can select one or more resource collections that inventory will be forwarded for. You can also select one or more inventory classes that will be forwarded.
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Note
If you are forwarding Asset Control data, Asset Control Solution must be installed on the
Notification Server that the data is being forwarded to.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Inventory Forwarding
.
Item
This Notification Server's
Sitecode
Description
The sitecode of your Notification Server. The default is the name of your Notification Server.
The sitecode identifier is added to the Inventory data when it is forwarded to another Notification Server. It is used to indicate the location that the Inventory data came from.
Inventory Forwarding Rules After the sitecode has been entered, inventory will be forwarded to all the Notification Servers contained in the Inventory Forwarding
Rules list box. In the list box, Notification Servers you are forwarding to will appear with the
Forward Inventory To
checkbox selected. Computers running the NS Client will have their parent
Notification Server listed with the
Client Of
checkbox selected.
If one or more of the Notification Server computers in the list box is unavailable, the inventory data is queued and forwarding will occur when the connection is re-established.
New Rule Click to add a new Inventory Forwarding Rule. See
.
You can add as many rules as you want.
Remove Rule
Enabled
Click to remove an inventory forwarding rule. Select the rule from the list, then click
Remove Rule
.
Select to enable a rule in the list of Inventory Forwarding Rules.
Forward selected rule now Forwards the selected rule immediately.
This forwards only changes since the last time the data was forwarded.
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Item Description
Resynchronize selected rule Forwards all inventory data immediately (including data that was previously forwarded).
Apply
Cancel
Click to save and apply changes.
Click to cancel changes.
To add a new forwarding rule
1
Click
New Rule
.
2
Select the resources in the collection.
a
Click
all resources
.
b c
Add or remove the collections of resources that inventory will be forwarded for. By default, all collections are selected.
Click
Done
.
3
Select the Inventory Classes that will be forwarded.
a
Click
all inventory classes
.
b
Add or remove the Inventory Classes that will be forwarded. By default, all classes are selected.
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c
Click
Done
.
Notification Server Configuration
4
Specify the Notification Servers to forward inventory data to.
a b
Click
specified Notification Servers
. You can only specify Notification Servers that have the
NS Client installed to them (the NS Client is automatically installed during the installation of
Notification Server).
In the
Notification Server Name
field, enter the name of the Notification Server you want to forward inventory data to. Click
Browse
to search all Notification Servers.
c d
In the
Notification Server Web site
field, enter the name of the Notification Server Web Site to forward inventory data to. Click
Add
to add the Notification Server Web Site to the list. To remove a Notification Server from the list, select it, then click
Remove
.
Click
Done
.
5
Select the schedule you wish to use to forward the inventory data.
a
Click
on the specified schedule
.
b
Click
New
and define your schedule.
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c
Click
OK
.
Notification Server Configuration
6
7
Make sure your new Inventory Forwarding rule is enabled.
Click
Apply
.
Package Servers
The
Software Delivery Package Servers
task lets you specify NS Client computers that you wish to be
Package Servers. For more information, see
“Using Package Servers” on page 190 .
In order for a computer to be designated as a Package Server, the computer must be running the following software:
• Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
• NS Client - The NS Client must be loaded on the computer in order for it to be designated as a
Package Server. Just being a “Discovered Machine” is not enough.
• IIS is optional but highly recommended. See “Using IIS” on page 191
.
With each package in Notification Server, you have the option to specify Package Servers for the package download. If you do not specify any Package Servers, the Notification Server is the only source for the package download. If you select some Package Servers to replicate the package to, these Package Servers become additional sources for the package download. We recommend that you replicate all packages to all Package Servers, which provides the best performance.
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Note
By default, SMS packages are sent to all Package Servers. If you do not want SMS packages to be sent to any Package Servers, you must set the registry key
UseAllPackageServers
to 0. (If this registry key is missing or set to 1, then the SMS packages will be sent to all Package Servers.)
The
UseAllPackageServers
registry key is found in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server\SMS2 Config
.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Package Servers
.
Add Package Server
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Item
Allow packages to be downloaded from the
Notification Server itself
Description
Select to allow NS Clients to download packages directly from the
Notification Server or a Package Server, whichever is closest.
If this check box is cleared, the Notification Server can only distribute packages to Package Servers. Then, the Package Servers distribute the packages to the NS Clients.
Note
If you use Package Servers, you must remember to select one or more Package Servers when you create a package. See
.
Package Server Summary
Table
The Package Server summary table displays information on all of your
Package Servers. The following columns are found in the Package
Server summary table.
Machine Name
- The name of the Package Server.
Domain
- The Package Server domain.
Ready Packages
- How many packages are ready to be downloaded from the Package Server.
Not Ready Packages
- How many packages are not ready to be downloaded from the Package Server. A package is not ready if it has been queued for downloading, is in the process of being downloaded, or is out of date with the package on the Notification Server (the files that make up the package are different).
Invalid Packages
- How many invalid packages are on the Package
Server. Packages that are invalid will not be downloaded or retried until the NS Client Settings policy changes. A package is invalid if retrying will not result in the package being downloaded. For example, if a package is configured to install to a network share and the share does not exist, the package will be invalid. From the Package Server computer, you can use the NS Client console to determine why a package is invalid. From the Notification Server, you cannot tell why a package is invalid. You only know that it is invalid.
Client Connections (last 24 hrs)
- How many NS Clients have connected in the last 24 hours to download a package from the Package Server.
Client Connections (last 7 days)
- How many NS Clients have connected in the last 7 days to download a package from the Package Server.
Package Server Status
Reports
Add Package Server
Click to access a number of Package Server status reports. For more
information on reports, see “Reports” on page 137 .
Click to add a Package Server to your list.
Search
field - Enter a resource name or click
Search
to search for a resource.
System Type
field - Select the platform and operating system of the resources you want to add.
Add
button - Select the resources you want to add, then click
Add
.
Cancel
button - Click
Cancel
to discard changes.
Note
When you click the
Add
button, the Package Server agent is sent to the designated Package Server.
Note
If you use Package Servers, you must remember to select one or more Package Servers when you create a package. See
Properties Page” on page 109 .
Remove Package Server To remove a Package Server from your list, select the Package Server, click
Remove Package Server
, they click
Yes
.
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Package Server Subnet Mapping
The Package Server subnet mapping feature is used to restrict the NS Clients from downloading of packages from particular subnets.
Notes:
• Package Servers are not constrained by the subnet mappings, and can download packages from any available server.
• The subnet mappings are only used to restrict NS Clients from downloading packages from
Notification Servers in different subnets. If a Package Server is on the same local subnet as the
NS Client, the subnet mappings will not be used.
Item
Use subnets constraint table
Subnet mapping table
Description
If the
Use subnets constraint table
checkbox is cleared, the subnet mappings will not be used and NS Clients will be allowed to download from any available Notification Server.
This table lists the various administrator-defined mappings. The first column lists the NS Client subnets and the second column lists Package
Server subnets that NS Clients can download from.
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Item
Add Client Subnet
Description
The
Add Client Subnet
button is used to create a constraint for a particular client subnet.
Assign Package Server
Subnets
The
Assign Package Server Subnets
is used to associate Package Server subnets to a particular client subnet.
Remove Client Subnet The
Remove Client Subnet
button is used to remove a constraint from a particular client subnet.
Note
When you set up the mappings on Notification Server, it will take up to 10 minutes for that information to be included in the NS Client Settings policy. This is due to the fact that the NS Client
Settings policy cache is refreshed every 10 minutes by default and is not cleared when the subnet mappings are defined.
Caution
Care must be taken when configuring Package Servers and NS Clients. The Package
Servers need to be configured before the subnet mappings are put in place. If an NS Client is deployed and made a Package Server after subnet mappings are in place, the NS Client may not be able to download the Package Server agent package because of the subnet mappings.
To designate a Package Server and have the Package Server Agent sent to it
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, select
Package Servers
.
In the right pane, click
Add Package Server
.
4
5
In the right pane, click the
Add Package Server
button.
Select one or more resources from the resource list or search for a resource, then select it.
6
Click
Add
.
After the
Add
button is clicked, the Package Server agent is immediately sent to the designated
Package Server(s).
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Software Delivery
The
Notification Server Software Delivery Configuration
task lets you configure settings for Software
Delivery including settings for Notification Server stand-alone Software Delivery and Integrated
SMS Software Delivery. For more information on using SMS Distribution Points to retrieve SMS
Software Delivery information, see
“SMS Distribution Points” on page 199
.
If you wish to enable Software Delivery integration with SMS you must first go to the SMS Data
Forwarding configuration page and enter your SMS 2.x database connection information in the SMS
Database section.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
SMS Software Delivery
.
You can control how to integrate with SMS Software Delivery as well as the security used when creating virtual HTTP and FTP directories on Notification Server. However, this functionality requires that the SW Delivery Solution be installed.
If you wish to integrate your SMS Software Delivery environment (including all SMS
Advertisement, Packages, Programs and Collections) into the Notification Server (thus allowing your mobile clients to execute these SMS jobs), you need to specify all the information in the
SMS
Site Connection Information
and
SMS Distribution Point
sections below.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the requested information. This saves and tests the information entered by attempting to connect to the SMS site server you have specified as well as by checking that the given credentials have sufficient permissions to the required SMS objects.
Note
Only advertisements that refer to packages that are on the designated SMS distribution server will be able to run on the NS Client. If you do not run Microsoft SMS, then you do not need to configure any of the following SMS settings.
Integrate with my SMS Software Delivery Environment
- Selecting this box enables you to pull SMS packages and advertisements into Notification Server. Before you can select this box, you must enter your SMS 2.x database connection information in the SMS Data Forwarding Configuration task
(
“SMS Data Forwarding” on page 94 ). By selecting this box, you will then be able to enter data in
the fields found in the SMS sections below.
Distribution Point Connection Parameters
The Distribution Point Connection Parameters are used in the creation of virtual HTTP and FTP directories when the source of Software Delivery packages is not on a Notification Server. These virtual directories are called distribution points.
If credentials are specified, any HTTP virtual directories that are mapped to packages will have anonymous access disabled and will have Integrated Windows authentication enabled. Packages that are replicated to Package Servers will also have their HTTP virtual directories secured if credentials are specified.
When the Notification Server needs to map HTTP/FTP virtual directories to package source directories that exist on a UNC, it must do so using login credentials that have read access to the files on the UNC. The fields in this section also allow you to specify the connection credentials that the
Notification Server will use when mapping HTTP/FTP virtual directories to UNCs.
When you configure the Software Delivery package source location to be a Universal Naming
Convention (UNC) path, or when you pick a remote SMS distribution server, Notification Server will create virtual directories that connect to these remote network locations.
When you use the Microsoft Internet Services Manager, you can see the properties of these distribution points point to the UNC location of the files as well as a connection security property.
If your Notification Server cannot already access the remote network location, the user credentials in this section need to be provided.
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Example
Suppose you create a Software Delivery package and choose “Access package from
). Then you create an advertisement and attach this package to it. When the advertisement gets sent to the NS Client and the NS Client tries to access the package, if the package is at a remote network location that the NS Client computer does not have access to, it will use the credentials entered in this section. The credentials entered must have permission to validate user accounts. You must enter the credentials in this section before you create a package and choose to access the package from an existing UNC path. If you have not entered proper credentials (and proper credentials are required), the package will fail to download.
The
User
and
Password
must have read permissions on all the files that are on the remote distribution points. The NS Client only connects to these remote points by using the virtual directories that are created on Notification Server.
Item Description
User (domain\username) The user name used to access the virtual directories (distribution points).
Password The password used to access the virtual directories (distribution points).
Package Access Credentials
These fields allow you to specify the connection credentials that the NS Clients will use when accessing packages.
If credentials are specified, any HTTP virtual directories that are mapped to packages on the
Notification Server will have anonymous access disabled and will have Integrated Windows authentication enabled. Packages that are replicated to Package Servers will also have their HTTP virtual directories secured if credentials are specified.
Item Description
User (domain\username) The user name used by NS Clients to access packages.
Password The password used by NS Clients to access packages.
SMS Site Connection Information
This lets you specify your primary SMS server and SMS Site Code information.
If you do not specify the SMS Logon ID and Password to be used when connecting to your SMS server, the connection will be made with the account that the Notification Server Transaction Server
Package is running under.
If your SMS server is on the same computer as Notification Server, then you cannot specify an SMS
Logon ID and Password. The security context of the Notification Server Transaction Server Package is used to connect to the SMS WBEM provider when this is housed on the same computer.
The SMS Login ID must have permissions within the SMS WBEM provider to create status messages. If these permissions do not exist, all SMS advertisement status messages generated from
NS Client computers will not be able to be forwarded to SMS.
When installing the Notification Server on an SMS secondary site, specify the parent (primary) SMS site in the
SMS Site Server
field (as well as the database server computer in the SMS Data Forwarding configuration task), and specify the secondary SMS site in the
SMS Site Code
field (this allows for the display of the secondary site’s distribution points in the SMS Distribution Point section).
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At the query level, the distribution points are filtered by the site information entered in the
SMS Site
Code
field. If the name of the secondary SMS site is specified in the
SMS Site Code
field, distribution points for the secondary site will be listed in the SMS Distribution Point section. The query, however, is run against the primary SMS site server database because the primary SMS site server is specified in the
SMS Site Server
field.
Item
SMS Site Server
Description
The primary SMS site server name.
This allows for the display of the primary site’s distribution points in the SMS Distribution Point section.
SMS Login ID (domain\user) The SMS Login ID to access the SMS site server.
SMS Login Password The SMS Login Password to access the SMS site server.
SMS Site Code (e.g., SVY) The SMS Site Code.
You can specify the secondary SMS site server name in this field.
This allows for the display of the secondary site’s distribution points in the SMS Distribution Point section.
SMS Distribution Point
SMS packages are sourced from one of the distribution points of your SMS site. This section lets you specify which SMS distribution point the Notification Server should use to source SMS package files. The
Distribution Servers
list contains all the distribution server computers for your SMS site.
The recommended option is to create an SMS distribution point on the Notification Server computer
(using the SMS Administration Console) and then to select the name of the Notification Server computer in the
Distribution Servers
list. If you do not wish to create an SMS distribution point on the Notification Server computer, choose the SMS Distribution server that you wish to use from the
Distribution Servers
list.
If you choose a distribution server on a computer other than the Notification Server, you must specify login credentials in the
Distribution Point Connection Parameters
section. You can use the
Test connection to Distribution Point
link to verify that the given credentials have read access to the SMS
Distribution Point UNC.
You will not be able to choose an SMS distribution point if the data you entered in the SMS Site
Connection Information section is incorrect. All packages at this SMS distribution point will be pulled in to the Notification Server. For technical information on how SMS distribution points are set up, see
“SMS Distribution Points” on page 199
.
Item
Distribution Servers
Test connection to
Distribution Point
Description
The Distribution Server for your SMS site to act as the distribution point. Select the desired Distribution Server from the drop-down list.
Click the
Refresh List
button to refresh the list of Distribution Servers.
Click this link to verify that the credentials given in the SMS Site
Connection Information section have read access to the SMS
Distribution Point UNC path.
SMS Software Delivery Synchronization
These settings control what SMS Software Delivery information is synchronized with SMS and how often and when this should occur.
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By selecting
SMS Software Delivery Objects
, you tell the Notification Server to synchronize the SMS
Software Delivery objects (SMS packages, advertisements, and programs). Synchronizing both replicates these objects into the Notification Server and makes these objects available to NS Clients.
You can choose to synchronize now, but the synchronization will be done based on the schedule you set up by clicking
(Edit...)
.
By selecting
Software Delivery Events
, you choose to forward Software Delivery events that originate in Notification Server from synchronized SMS Software Delivery advertisements back to your SMS environment. You can choose to forward all captured Software Delivery events immediately, as soon as possible (one time only), or on a schedule that you set up. If you click
forward now
, the
Software Delivery events get forwarded immediately, then according to the schedule you set up.
Note
For this synchronization to work in Notification Server 5.5, FTP needs to be installed on the
Notification Server computer.
Item
SMS Software Delivery
Objects
Description
Select to synchronize SMS Software Delivery objects with SMS. Click
synchronize now
for immediate synchronization of all objects.
Thereafter, the synchronization will be performed according to the schedule you set up when you click
(Edit...)
.
Software Delivery Events Select to synchronize Software Delivery events with SMS. Select whether you want to forward the events
as soon as possible
(one time only) or
on schedule
. Click
forward now
to forward the events immediately.
Delete all mapped SMS
Software Delivery
Objects
Click this link to delete all mapped SMS Software Delivery objects from your Notification Server.
SMS forwarding and
Synchronization schedule
Click
(Edit...)
to set up the SMS forwarding and synchronization schedule.
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Other Settings
The
Advanced Notification Server Settings
task lets you select events to capture, enable a primary user update, and select collection update intervals.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Other Settings
.
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Notification Server Event Capture
Item Description
Notification Server Event
Capture
By clearing any of these check boxes, Notification Server will not process incoming NS Client events (NSEs) in the designated category.
It is recommended that you leave these enabled. However, if you have a large number of NS Clients and are receiving unneeded events, this section lets you disable the events you do not need.
For a description of the most commonly generated events, see
“Common Notification Server Events” on page 248 .
Events which are not sent by the NS Client are written by the NS Client to the NS Client logs instead.
These event capture settings get transferred to the NS Client at the next
NS Client Settings Policy request. The NS Client will not send NSEs unless the event check box is selected on this page. The Notification
Server receives NSEs from the NS Clients, then the Notification Server
Dispatcher Service checks the event capture list and throws NSEs away if the applicable check box is cleared on the list. The NS Client checks this event capture list and will not send NSEs for the categories that are cleared.
These event capture settings are applied immediately on the
Notification Server, but are not applied on the NS Client until it next receives its NS Client Settings Policies. The reason both the
Notification Server and the NS Client discard the disabled captured events is because of the possible delay in the NS Client sending the next
NS Client Settings Policies request, such as in a scenario like this:
You have set the NS Client to send an NS Client Settings Policies request every 6 hours. You disable one or more events from the event capture list, which is kept on the Notification Server. The NS Client does not get this information for up to 6 hours because it has not yet sent an NS Client Settings Policies request. The Notification Server immediately starts discarding the disabled events as soon as the
Apply
button is clicked. Then, when the NS Client next sends its NS Client
Settings Policies request, it gets told to disable the NSEs. The NS Client stops sending these NSEs to the Notification Server. At this time, the
NSE traffic slows down between the NS Client and the Notification
Server.
For information on capturing events in large environments, see
Primary User Generation
Item
Enable Primary User
Update
Description
Select to enable primary user generation. See
Inventory Class” on page 256 .
Collections Update
The collections update intervals control the period at which collections are updated. A collection is updated if a new resource has reported inventory and the specified
New Resource Update Interval
has elapsed, or if any resource has reported inventory and the specified
Existing Resource Update Interval
has elapsed or if the
Always Update Interval
has elapsed.
Note
These parameters must be set to values greater than 0.
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Item
New Resource Update
Interval (in minutes)
Description
Determines the interval in which Notification Server updates collection membership based on newly inventoried NS Clients.
Notification Server checks its database for new resources every 1 minute (default). It is recommended that you adjust this setting for the
size of your environment. See “Scalability” on page 258 .
If it finds a new resource, it puts the resource into the appropriate collection(s). A resource can be a computer or any asset control resource.
Notification Server performs this task by examining the
wrksta
table line by line and doing the following:
• If the resource is new, then Notification Server adds it to the appropriate collection(s).
• If the resource is not new, then Notification Server does nothing.
Existing Resource Update
Interval (in minutes)
Determines the interval in which Notification Server updates collection membership based on inventory updates to existing NS Clients.
Notification Server checks its database to update existing resources every 30 minutes (default). It is recommended that you adjust this setting for the size of your environment. See
Every 30 minutes (default), Notification Server examines the
wrksta
table and updates the collections with the information it finds there. The
wrksta
table contains the basic inventory from existing resources. So this updates the collections based on which NS Clients have changed since the last Collections Update. For example, the Notification Server receives a basic inventory for a computer and some of its basic inventory has changed. Then, at this time interval, the Notification
Server will update the collections and maybe even put this resource in a different collection based on the change in basic inventory. For large numbers of NS Clients, it is recommended to set this at a higher time interval to cut down on CPU usage. However, the more frequently this runs, the more up-to-date the collections are. This only affects basic inventory information, not events.
Notification Server performs this task by examining the
wrksta
table line by line and doing the following:
• If the resource is not new and the Notification Server has received basic inventory since the last Collection Update, then it updates the collection.
Always Update Interval
(in minutes)
• If the resource is not new and the Notification Server has not received basic inventory since the last Collection Update, then it does nothing.
Determines the interval in which Notification Server updates collection membership regardless of inventory status or the previous two settings.
Notification Server always updates its resources every 240 minutes
(default). It is recommended that you adjust this setting for the size of your environment. See
.
Notification Server examines the
wrksta
table and updates all collection information (both basic inventory and events) regardless of whether any updates have happened. Collection Update information is mostly based on basic inventory. This is why it is recommended to set the
Existing
Resource Update Interval
time to a lower interval than the
Always Update
Interval
time.
Notification Server performs this task by examining the
wrksta
table line by line and doing the following:
• Updates the collection information completely with information from the
wrksta
table.
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SMS Data Forwarding
The
Microsoft SMS Configuration
task settings let you specify how Notification Server interfaces with
Microsoft SMS. These settings are optional. If you do not run Microsoft SMS in your environment or if you don't want to send any information to SMS, then you do not need to configure any of these settings.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
SMS Data Forwarding
.
Some of the solutions available for Notification Server (including Web Admin for SMS and SW
Delivery) work with an SMS 2.x database. Use the
SMS Database (Optional)
section to enter your
SMS database name, server and login credentials. If you do not enter database login credentials, the database connection is made using the credentials of your MTS package.
Notification Server can also forward inventory data (including full Win32 or Unix inventory as well as Data discovery records) to your SMS 2.x server. To use this feature, your Notification Server computer must be an SMS Client. Use the
Data Forwarding To SMS (Optional)
section to enable data forwarding and specify whether inventory forwarding should be done real time or on a schedule.
Click
Apply
after you have entered all of the required information. This will save and test the information entered, by attempting to connect to the SMS database.
SMS Database
If you plan on either getting Software Delivery advertisements from SMS or sending inventory from
Notification Server to SMS, you need to let Notification Server know which SMS database to get the Software Delivery information from or to put the inventory data in. The fields in this section require SQL Server information. When you enter the SQL Server name and advance out of the field,
Notification Server searches for the SQL Server name on your network. If Notification Server finds this server name, you are allowed to enter the SQL Login ID. After you enter the login ID and advance out of the field, Notification Server verifies that there is a Login ID for the specified SQL
Server. If there is, Notification Server lets you enter a SQL Login Password. After you enter the password and advance out of the field, Notification Server verifies that the password is correct for the specified Login ID and Server. If all this is correct, the available SMS SQL Databases are displayed in the drop-down list. Choose the one you want to use. Any errors in this process are displayed at the bottom of the page. You need to have SW Delivery Solution installed to receive
SMS Software Delivery data.
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When you enter the SQL server name, the Notification Server will attempt to connect and display the list of available databases. If the SQL server name is mistyped, it may take a while for DNS to timeout and control to be returned to the user interface. If the database list is empty, confirm the SQL server name and login ID and password.
No SQL insert operations occur on the SMS database from Notification Server, only select operations occur.
Item
SQL Server
SQL Login ID
SQL Login Password
Description
The SQL Server name.
The SQL Login ID to access the SQL Server.
The SQL Login Password to access the SQL Server.
SMS SQL Database (e.g.,
SMS_<site>)
The SMS SQL database. Select the database from the list.
Data Forwarding to SMS (Optional)
These settings let you specify if Inventory Solution and UNIX Inventory Solution data is forwarded to the SMS server and when it is transferred. Data Discovery Records (DDRs) can be generated whenever Notification Server receives a basic inventory record from an NS Client. This will then make the NS Client computer appear in the SMS database. The inventory data that is posted to
Notification Server can immediately be forwarded to the SMS server or it can be sent on a scheduled basis. In either case, Notification Server will only send those groups of information that has changed since the last time data for that computer was forwarded to SMS.
Note
If you fill in the SMS Site Details, but do not select Data Discovery Record or Inventory Data, nothing will get sent to SMS. You must select either Data Discovery Record or Inventory Data or both for any data to get sent to SMS.
Note
You need to have one of the Inventory Solutions installed in order to send Inventory Data to
SMS.
Forwarding both DDR and Inventory Data
The following Notification Server database tables must contain entries of the NS Client data to be forwarded in order for Notification Server to forward both the NS Client DDR and Inventory data to SMS.
•
Wrksta
table
•
ResourceType
table
• An entry in the
AeX AC Identification
table
• An entry in the
AeX AC TCPIP
table
• An entry in the
AeX AC Roles
table
Note
Data from each NS Client must be in the following core tables:
Wrksta
,
ResourceType
. If the
NS Client data is not found in these two tables, there is something wrong with that particular
NS Client data. If this is the case, Notification Server will log an error, “Unknown Resource GUID
{Resource Guid}”, and Notification Server will not forward the DDR and Inventory data from that
NS Client to SMS.
Note
If the NS Client does not have an entry in all of the
AeX AC Identification
,
AeX AC TCPIP
, and
AeX AC Roles
tables, no error will be logged, but Notification Server will not forward the DDR and
Inventory data from that NS Client to SMS.
Forwarding only Inventory Data
The following Notification Server database tables must contain entries of the NS Client data to be forwarded in order for Notification Server to forward the NS Client Inventory data to SMS.
•
WrkstaInventory
table
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•
InventoryClass
table
•
ResTypeInvClass
table
Note
Data from each NS Client must be in the following core tables:
WrkstaInventory
,
InventoryClass
,
ResTypeInvClass
. If the NS Client data is not found in these tables, there is something wrong with that particular NS Client data. If this is the case, no error will be logged, but Notification
Server will not forward Inventory data from that NS Client to SMS.
Reports
Notification Server contains several SMS related reports that let you see whether or not NS Client
Inventory data is getting forwarded to SMS. These reports are found by clicking the
Solutions
tab in the Web Administration Console, then clicking
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
>
NS Client
Inventory
.
Data Forwarding to SMS
Item
SMS Site Server
Description
The SMS Site Server name.
SMS Site Code (e.g. SVY) The SMS Site Code.
SMS CAP The SMS CAP.
Browse
Data Discovery Record
Browse for the SMS CAP.
Selecting forwarding of Data Discovery Records (DDRs) forwards a minimum set of identification information (for example: IP Address,
Name, OS.) and allows SMS to discover new computers.
DDRs are always forwarded in real time.
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Item
Inventory Data
SMS Inventory forwarding schedule
Description
Selecting forwarding of Inventory Data will forward un-sent inventory data to SMS either on a schedule (
on schedule
) or on a realtime basis (
as soon as possible
).
Forwarding
as soon as possible
means that the information will get to SMS sooner, but you utilize network bandwidth right away.
When forwarding on a schedule, the inventory for a given resource can be updated more than once. However, the Notification Server will only forward that resource’s inventory a maximum of once per scheduled update to SMS, thus reducing network traffic. Forwarding on a schedule lets you gain control of when to utilize network bandwidth, allowing you to do SMS forwarding during off peak times.
Click
Edit
to edit the SMS inventory forwarding schedule. From there, you can enable the schedule, or click
Edit schedule
to edit the schedule.
Note
By clicking the
Settings
tab, you can control how long the SMS
Inventory forwarding task runs by clicking
Stop the task if it runs for
, and selecting the desired time in hours and minutes. This will limit how long Notification Server will forward SMS data, which lets you do more at a later time if the SMS server gets overloaded.
Send DDR and inventory for all machines
Click
Forward Now
to immediately send DDR and Inventory data to
SMS. You must have either selected
Data Discovery Record
or
Inventory Data
for this to work.
Note
This may be a lengthy process depending on a number of factors including the number of computers and the time period since the last forwarding occurred.
AD Integration
This Configuration task appears when the Altiris Connector for Active Directory is installed. See
“Altiris Connector for Active Directory” on page 315
.
User Group Import
This Configuration task appears when the Altiris Connector for Active Directory is installed. See
“Altiris Connector for Active Directory” on page 315
.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
The Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution (Configuration Solution) lets you configure Notification
Server and enables the automated replication of Client Settings policies to managed computers and the ability to schedule reports. The Configuration Solution is similar to other Notification Server solutions, except:
• There is no need to license it.
• Configuration Solution is required by all of the other solutions.
• Configuration Solution must be installed before solutions are installed.
The Configuration Solution interface, like all other solutions, contains four main groups called solution groups:
• Collections (see
• Packages (see
)
• Policies (see
• Reports (see
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These groups can contain any number of sub-groups. Sub-groups contain items, which let you perform a specific function based on the groups and sub-groups they are in. For more information on groups, see
Note
The Configuration Solution gets installed automatically during Notification Server installation.
Data Purging Configuration
Data purging configuration lets you set the period for which saved reports and captured events remain in the Notification Server database before they are deleted.
All saved reports belonging to the Configuration Solution that are older than the period you specify are automatically purged from the database on a daily basis. Likewise, events belonging to policies in the Configuration Solution that are older than the period you specify are also purged.
Note
If you are having trouble running your reports (if they are slow), try purging your events or set the purge of events to happen more often.
Note
There is a similar data purging task for each solution that purges saved reports and captured events for that particular solution.
WARNING
Purging will also cause the history of assets to be deleted. This information is very important when tracking details such as the cost details of assets. Enabling Purging will cause Asset data to be lost with potential loss to financial information.
Item Description
Purge events older than This lets you purge all events belonging to this solution that are older than the period you specify.
Purge saved reports older than
This lets you purge all reports belonging to policies in this solution that are older than the period you specify.
Purge machines that haven’t sent data for
Purge deleted software delivery objects older than
This lets you automatically remove all computers (including their inventory and events) from the database that have not responded to
Notification Server since the period you specify.
This lets you automatically remove all deleted software delivery objects from the database that are older than the period you specify. Deleted software delivery objects which are removed include deleted packages, programs, and advertisements.
Apply
Cancel
Purge Now
Click to save all changes. The old data is then purged from the
Notification Server database on a daily basis.
Click to cancel changes.
Click to immediately purge old data from the Notification Server database.
To enable or change the purging of saved reports or events for this solution
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
.
In the right pane, under
Tasks
, select
Purge old events and reports
.
4
In the right pane:
a
To purge events, select the check box next to
Purge events older than
. Select the time period
(Minute(s), Hour(s), Day(s), or Week(s)). Then type in the corresponding number for your time period.
b
To purge saved reports, select the check box next to
Purge saved reports older than
. Select the time period (Minute(s), Hour(s), Day(s), or Week(s)). Then type in the corresponding number for your time period.
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5
Click
Apply
.
The following events get purged:
• User login/logout
• Event History table
• Transport status
• Push status
To disable the purging of saved reports or events for this solution
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
.
In the right pane, under
Tasks
, select
Purge old events and reports
.
4
5
In the right pane, clear the check box next to
Purge events older than
and
Purge saved reports older than
.
Click
Apply
.
Note
You can also use the
Purge Now
button to immediately purge old data from the database.
Group Page
The group page appears when you select a sub-group under a solution group in the solution interface.
The group page contains a list of all Policies, Collections, Packages, and Reports that are associated with items in that group. Click on an item name listed under the solution group to access that item.
To access this page
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name > group name > sub-group name.
Related Topics
•
•
•
•
•
“Exporting and Importing Items or Groups” on page 271
•
“Item Names Versus File Names” on page 272
•
“Deleting Items or Groups” on page 270
•
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General Page
This page lets you view and edit collection, policy, and report properties and also access collection, policy, and report tasks.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
or
Policies
or
Reports
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
General
.
General Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Guid
Version
Template Name
Enabled
Description
Collection, policy, or report name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want. When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Collection description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Collection, policy, or report Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Collection, policy, or report version. This field cannot be edited.
Template name. This field cannot be edited.
Enables the policy or report.
Show Collection
Membership
Collection
Definition
Configure
Displays the members of the collection. See
Configure the filters of this collection. See
Configure Event
Handlers
Configure task. See
“Client User Logon Policy Configuration Page” on page 117 .
Configure Event Handlers task. See
“Event Handler Configuration Page” on
Configuration
Configuration task. See “Configuration Page” on page 121
.
Set update schedule Set update schedule task. See “Schedule Configuration Page” on page 123 .
Configure the
Win32 Client
Set Schedule
Configure the NS Client settings. See “Client Settings Configuration Page” on page 130 .
Configure the schedule for this policy. See
“Global Schedule Configuration
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General Page Items
Item
View Saved
Reports
View Report on
Latest Data
View Report in a
New Window
Configure this
Report/Configure
Report
Set this Report’s
Schedule/Set
Report’s Schedule
Description
View reports that you have already saved. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
View Saved Reports
page. See “Previous Report Runs Page” on page 139 .
View the report created using the most recent data. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
View Report on Latest Data
page. See
.
This is good for long running reports. Clicking the task lets you view the report in a new window.
Configure the parameters of this report. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the Query, Filter, Parameter, and Views Configuration pages. See
Configuration Page” on page 140 ,
.
Note
Your report may not contain all four of the configuration pages.
Set this report’s schedule. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
Set Report’s
Schedule
page. See “Schedule Configuration Page” on page 123 .
Collections
A collection in Notification Server is a group of related objects (usually computers, but can be any resource).
Configuration Solution contains collections that help you keep track of different types of computers and servers on your network. (See
,
“Standard Collections” on page 102
and
“Standard System Roles Collections” on page 102
.) There is also a collection that lets you keep track of NS Clients that need to be upgraded. (See
“NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs” on page 101
.)
All collections in the Configuration Solution have a collection definition. A collection definition is a SQL query that returns a list of resources. You can set up your own collections that return only the resources that you want (for example: All Unix computers, All Windows 95 computers, All computers
Out of the box, Notification Server updates all of its collections every minute (this can be changed in
Configuration
>
Other Settings
>
Collections Update
). If it finds a new computer (it only finds a computer when that computer sends its basic inventory, which it sends as soon as the NS Client is installed on the computer), it puts it into all collections that apply to it. It does this based on the basic inventory that the computer sent. For example, if it is a Windows 95 computer with a Pentium 2 processor, it would be placed in both an All Windows 95 computers and an All computers with
Pentium 2 or higher processors collection.
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
This group contains collections, packages, and advertisements that help you perform an NS Client installation or upgrade. The corresponding advertisements that perform the necessary installation or upgrade are found in the
Policies
section. The collections for this group can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
.
Clients Requiring NS Client Upgrade - This collection lists all computers that have a version of the NS Client that is older than the version available on the Notification Server.
Clients with no additional Agents - This collection contains all computers that do not have the NS
Client or any Altiris Agents installed.
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Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs
This group contains collections and advertisements that help you perform a Package Server agent installation and upgrade. The corresponding advertisement that performs the necessary upgrade is found in the
Policies
section. The collection for this group can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
>
Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs
.
Clients Requiring NS Package Server Agent Upgrade - This collection lists all computers that have a version of the NS Package Server agent that is older than the version available on the
Notification Server.
Standard Collections
The Configuration Solution contains standard computer collections that other solutions use. These are found by clicking the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
>
Standard
Collections
.
When you click on a collection, you will see a list of the first 1000 computers in that collection. If you want to view and select other computers in the collection that are not listed in the initial 1000 computers, click on
Find Machine
and enter the computer name. The
Find Machine
link will only appear if there are more than 1000 computers in the collection.
Note
A standard collection named
Duplicate Machine Name
is provided to aid in maintaining your
Notification Server.
Duplicate Machine Name
tells you if there are two or more computers with the same name. This can happen if a computer is cloned and the original computer and the cloned computer reside on your network. From
Duplicate Machine Name
, you can select a duplicate, then delete it by clicking on the computer name, pressing the
Delete
button, then clicking
OK
.
Standard System Roles Collections
The Configuration Solution contains standard system roles collections that other solutions use.
These are found by clicking the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
>
Standard System Roles Collections
.
Related Topics
•
“Collections General Page” on page 102
•
“Show Collection Membership Page” on page 103
•
•
“Edit Filter Page” on page 105
•
Collections General Page
This page lets you view and edit collection properties and also access collection tasks.
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
General
.
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Guid
Version
Template Name
Show Collection
Membership
Collection
Definition
Description
Collection name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Collection description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Collection Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Collection version. This field cannot be edited.
Template name. This field cannot be edited.
Displays the members of the collection. See
Configure the filters of this collection. See “Filters Page” on page 104 .
Show Collection Membership Page
This page lets you view the membership of the collection.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
> sub-group name.
When the collection membership is displayed, there will be icons above the list that let you perform tasks on the collection. These tasks include:
• Drill down
• Copy the collection
• Print the collection
• Refresh the collection
• Find first instance of a string
• Find next instance
• Delete a collection
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Filters Page
This page lists the filters that have been created for this collection or report. It also lets you edit, delete, and create new filters.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
Collection Definition
.
Page Items
Item Description
Join Query Filters together using Join query filters together using AND or OR.
Join Machine Filters together using
Join machine filters together using AND or OR.
Edit Filter
Delete Filter
New Filter
Test Query
Generate Report
Back
Edits filter. See
“Edit Filter Page” on page 105
Deletes a filter. Select the filter, then click
Tests the query based on filter criteria changes.
Delete Filter
“New Filter Page” on page 106 .
.
Next
Finish
Generates the report based on filter criteria changes.
Takes you back to the
General
Collections page.
OR
Takes you back to the
Query Configuration
page, if available. If not, it takes you to the
General
Report page.
Takes you to the
Parameters
page.
Click
Finish
to save the changes.
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Edit Filter Page
This page lets you edit a filter.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
Collection Definition
.
4
5
Select the filter you want to edit.
Click
Edit Filter
.
Page Items
Item
Type
Table
Field
Operator
Value
Description
Machine Filter - Lets you filter your query based on any inventory table in the database.
The table to query.
The field (table column) to query.
The operator for the query.
The value for the query. Accept the default, enter a value, or select a value from the list created after selecting either
First 100 distinct values
or
Show all values
.
Select this to display the first 100 distinct values.
First 100 distinct values
Show all values
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Select this to show all values.
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired.
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Page Items
Item
Ok
Cancel
Description
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
New Filter Page
This page lets you create a new filter.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Collections
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
Collection Definition
.
Click
New Filter
.
Page Items
Item
Type
Table
Field
Description
Machine Filter - Lets you filter your query based on any inventory table in the database.
The table to query.
The field (table column) to query.
Operator
Value
The operator for the query.
The value for the query. Accept the default, enter a value, or select a value from the list created after selecting either
First 100 distinct values
or
Show all values
.
First 100 distinct values Select this to display the first 100 distinct values.
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Page Items
Item
Show all values
Description
Select this to show all values.
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired.
Ok
Cancel
Click
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Creating a Collection
The Configuration Solution comes with standard collections for you to use. If desired, you can create your own collections in one of two ways:
• Create a Collection
• Change an already defined collection
Keep in mind that you can use collections to separate your computers by location. For example, if you have offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Sydney, you could have a Los Angeles collection, a New York collection, and a Sydney collection. You can even have collections for separate floors of a building. Collections make it possible for you to set up Notification Server depending on what is most logical for your business.
To create a collection
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
.
Right-click on the collections group that you want to add a collection to.
4
Click
New
, then
Collection
or
Static Collection
:
•
Collection
lets you define a collection based on SQL criteria. It lets you use filtering to define collection membership.
Enter a name for your collection. The new collection now contains all available NS Client computers. To create a subset of these computers, click
Collection Definition
, then create a new filter (see
“New Filter Page” on page 106 ).
•
Static Collection
lets you manually add resources to your collection from a list of resources on your network.
To add a resource to your collections, click
Add Resource
, select the resource(s) by either searching for them based on criteria or selecting them from the list, then click
Add
.
To change a previously defined collection
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Collections
.
Click on the collections group that contains the collection you want to change.
4
5
6
7
Right-click on the collection you want to change, then select
Clone
.
Select the cloned collection (it will be the original collection name, preceded by ‘Copy of’.
Select
Collection Definition
.
Click on the filter you want to edit.
8
9
Click
Edit Filter
.
Edit the filter so that the collection contains the resources you want. (See
“Edit Filter Page” on page 105 .)
Note
Some previously defined collections (such as Static Collections) do not have filters that can be edited.
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Packages
Software Delivery packages contain files (usually program files) which can be downloaded to
NS Client computers (see
“Software Delivery” on page 198 ). One or more programs can be
identified with a package. Advertisements can be created that can be downloaded to NS Client computers. The advertisement can then download a particular package and run a program associated with that package on your NS Client computers. Most Altiris solutions come with one or more predefined packages. In order to create your own packages, you must have SW Delivery Solution installed.
Note
You can view all of the Software Delivery packages that have been created on your
Notification Server. To see this list, start Computer Management, then click
Services and
Applications
>
Internet Information Services
>
Default Web Site
>
AeXNS
. Each package is listed by package name, which is the package GUID. If you right-click on the package name, then select
Properties
, you can view the package properties.
The Configuration Solution comes with one predefined package:
•
NS Client
can be used for installing the NS Client onto managed computers. This package is found in the NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs group and can be accessed by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Packages
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
>
NS Client
.
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Package Properties Page
This page is used to configure packages and specify Package Servers for the package.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click solution name >
Packages
> sub-group name.
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Page Items
Item
Name
Version
Publisher
Language
Description
Package Status
Events Enabled
Description
Name of the package.
Version of the package.
Publisher of the package.
Language for which the package is designed.
Description of the package.
This setting controls whether the NS Client sends package status events for this package to the Notification Server. Select the check box to enable sending package status events to the Notification Server.
Disabling events for this package prevents NS Clients from sending AeX
SWD Package and AeX SWD Status events to the Notification Server.
Note
The
Other Settings
in
Configuration
take precedence to this setting.
Events are only sent if their corresponding check box is enabled in the
Capture
Event Name
section.
The following types of AeX SWD Status events are not sent if package events are disabled:
• Package Updated
• Package Added
• Package To Be Removed
• Package Removed
• Unable To Check Package
• Insufficient Disk To Download Package
• Download Complete
• Package Download Blocked
See
Capture Event Name
in
.
For information on capturing events in large environments, see
.
A command-line is sent to the NS Client computer, for example a call to a utility like Chkdsk.exe. The package contains no source files.
Package does not contain source files
Access Package from a local directory on the
Notification Server machine
Select this to access the package from a local directory on the Notification
Server computer. If this is selected, you must enter a
Package Location
.
Notification Server will map anonymous FTP and HTTP URLs to this location through which NS Client computers will access the package.
Package Location - The location of the package on a local directory on the
Notification Server computer.
Access Package from Existing UNC
Select this to access the package from an existing Universal Naming
Convention (UNC) path.
In order for the Notification Server to access packages that exist at a UNC path, you must first enter the credentials that the Notification Server will use when connecting to the UNC path. To do this, go to the Software Delivery
Configuration page and fill in the credentials in the Distribution Point
Connection Parameters drop-down section (see
“Software Delivery” on page 87 ).
This option requires a package location. Notification Server will map anonymous FTP and HTTP URLs to this location through which the
NS Client computers will access the package.
Package Location UNC - The location of the package at a UNC path.
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Page Items
Item
Access Package from URL
Description
Select this to access the package from a URL. This option requires a package location URL.
Package HTTP URL - The NS Client will access the package through this anonymous URL.
Available Package
Servers
This grid lists the Package Servers available for your Notification Server.
The
Package Servers
section allows you to specify which Package Servers you would like this package to be replicated to. The grid contains a list of all
Package Servers that have been created for the Notification Server. Select the box in the enabled column next to each of the Package Servers that you wish this package to be replicated to. The default and recommended option is to have the package replicated to all Package Servers. This can be done by selecting the
Select all package servers (recommended)
box below the grid.
All selected computers will have the package copied to them. See “Using
Package Servers” on page 190 .
Configure Package
Servers
Link to the page that allows you to configure Package Servers. See
Select all package servers
(recommended)
Package
Destination
Location on
Package Servers
When this check box is selected, the package will be copied to all listed
Package Servers. This check box is selected by default, which is recommend.
This lets you specify where this package will be located on the Package
Servers. If no location is specified, the Notification Server will place the package in the default location.
Only UNC paths (example: \\computername\share_name\dir_name) or local directory paths (example: C:\dir_name) are valid package destinations.
(System environment variables on the Package Server can be used in this field, for example: \\%computername%\share_name\dir_name).
Note
In the location field, you can use system environment variables on the
Package Server. For example, on every Deployment Server, there is a share directory named eXpress. If you want to replicate images to many
Deployment Servers, you can use \\%COMPUTERNAME%\eXpress in the location field.
Default Location on
Package Servers
(recommended)
Select this to place the package in the default location on the Package Server.
This is the default and recommended option.
The default location is:
..\NS Client\Package Delivery\{GUID}\ where GUID is the ID of the package.
To specify another location for the package to be located on the Package
Servers, clear this check box, then enter the location in the location field.
Apply
Cancel
Click
Click
Apply
to save the changes.
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Update Distribution
Point
Click this button to update this package information as soon as possible on all enabled Package Servers.
See Also
•
“Software Delivery” on page 198
•
“Using Package Servers” on page 190
Programs Page
This page is used to configure the programs associated with a package.
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Select a program from the drop-down list to view the details on that program. To add a new program to the package, click
New
. To delete a program from the package, select the program from the dropdown list, then click
Delete
.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Packages
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
Programs
.
Page Items
Item
Programs
New
Delete
Name
Description
Description
Drop-down box that allows you to select the program to be associated with the selected advertisement. This box also allows you to select a program definition for editing or deletion.
Creates a new program definition using the information currently listed in the
Program Details
section of the page.
Deletes the program definition selected in the
Program
drop-down box.
(required) Name of the program.
(optional) Description of the program.
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Page Items
Item
Command Line
Description
(required) Command line entry to run program, including switches and parameters if applicable. The command line entry must be in the same location as the package or along the same path as the package.
Working Directory (optional) Directory where files needed by the program are temporarily stored during deployment.
Estimated Disk
Space
(optional) Estimated disk space required by the installed program. This is only an information field.
Estimated Run
Time
Terminate After
(optional) Estimated time in minutes required to complete the deployment.
This is only an information field.
(optional) Terminates running of the program after the specified number of minutes.
After Running (optional) Specifies the action to take after running the program. The options are
No action required
,
Restart computer
,
Log off user
, and
Program restarts computer
.
Starting Window Specifies the status of the program window when the program is run. The options are
Normal
,
Hidden
,
Minimized
, and
Maximized
.
Run With Rights Specifies whether the program is run with the
System Account
,
Logged in User
, or
Specified User
account. If you select the
Specified User
, you must specify the user, domain, and password in the fields below this one.
User Name User name of the account to use if
Rights field
. This user must have administrator rights on the computers on which the package will be run.
Specified User
is selected in the
Run with
User Domain Domain of the account to use if
Specified User
is selected in the
Run with Rights field
.
Password Password for the account specified in the
User Name
field.
Confirm Password Password for the account specified in the
User Name
field.
User Input
Required
Specifies whether user interaction is required to run the program. If this check box is selected, user input is required.
Program Can Run Specifies the condition under which the program can be run. In order for this field to be applicable, the
User Input Required
check box must be cleared. The options are
Whether or not a user is logged on
,
Only when a user is logged on
, and
Only when no user is logged on
.
Run Programs For Specifies when the program is run if the
Only when a user is logged on
option is selected in the
Run Program for
field. The options are
First user who logs in
and
Every user who logs in
Minimum
Connection Speed
Drop-down box used to specify the minimum connection speed required between the NS Client computer and distribution point for the package to be downloadable. This helps prevent attempts to download large packages across slow connections.
This program can run on any platform
Select this if the program can run on any platform.
This program can only run on the platforms specified below
Select this if the program can only run on certain platforms. Select from the list all platforms that apply.
Apply
Cancel
Click
Apply
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
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Package Reports Page
This page lets you view a report that is filtered on the package.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Packages
> sub-group name.
In the right pane, click
Reports
.
Page Items
Item
Report
Description
The report to view that is filtered for the package.
Generate Report Click to generate the report that is filtered for the package. See
.
Policies
Policies let Notification Server and its solutions perform a variety of actions when defined conditions occur. Each policy is applied to one and only one collection. On a schedule, policies are sent to each NS Client found in the collection it applies to.
The Configuration Solution comes with policies that help you perform tasks in Notification Server.
In addition, custom policies can be created that can perform various actions using event handlers
when certain conditions occur. See “Custom Policies” on page 182 .
Alert Manager Notification Policies
The Alert Manager Notification Policies allows active reporting for Alert Manager sources. These policies can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Alert Manager Notification Policies
.
Create sample work item - This policy creates a sample work item. This is used to verify that the
Alert Manager component of Notification Server is working properly. It creates a single work item.
After the work item is created, this policy should be disabled.
High priority items not assigned after N minutes - This policy creates a report and sends e-mail when one or more high priority items have not been assigned after 60 minutes and up to 30 days. It is disabled by default. After you set up Notification Server and you want to use the Alert Manager capabilities, enable it.
Source refresh - This policy updates Alert Manager sources on a schedule.
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Machine Usage Group
The Machine Usage Group contains reports and policies that produce and summarize usage data from NS Client computers. The Client User Logon Policy can be used to determine the current owner of a computer and computers whose ownership has changed in the last month. This policy can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Machine
Usage Group
.
Client User Logon Policy - See “Client User Logon Policy General Page” on page 117 .
Notification Policies
Notification Policies provide active reporting for the NS Client. They can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Notification Policies
.
Notification Policies work as follows:
• The
Configure Event Handlers
task lets you create and configure Event Handlers. See
.
• The
Configuration
task lets you configure the Query and Parameters values of the Event Handler.
See
“Notification Policy Usage” on page 174
.
•
Query
is the SQL Query used against the database. See
“Notification Policy Queries” on page 173 .
• From the
Query
screen, click
Next
to get to the
Parameters
screen. The
Parameters
screen lets you define values for parameters that are replaced at run time. See
• The
Set update schedule
task determines how often the conditions are checked (how often the
Selection Criteria are checked in the database). See
“Editing Schedules” on page 180
.
New machines discovered in last 1 days - Used to notify an administrator when one or more new computers are discovered.
NS client installed in last 1 days - Creates a report and sends e-mail when one or more new
NS Clients are installed.
NS client not installed after 7 days - Creates a report and sends an e-mail if one or more discovered computers does not have a NS Client installed on it after N days.
Solution Center update - Sends an e-mail whenever there is a solution update available.
For information on changing Notification policy properties, see “Notification Policies General
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
This group provides advertisements, packages, and collections that install, upgrade and uninstall the
NS Client agent. The advertisements for this group can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
.
NS Win32 Client Uninstall - Uninstalls the NS Client as soon as possible on computers where there are no Notification Server agents installed. This uses the
Clients with no NS Client Agents installed
collection. The NS Client will not uninstall from a computer that has a Notification Server agent installed.
NS Win32 Client Upgrade (when logged in) - Installs the NS Client ASAP on computers where there is a logged in user.
NS Win32 Client Upgrade (when logged out) - Installs the NS Client ASAP on computers where there is no logged in user.
For more information, see
“Advertisement Properties Page” on page 123 .
For information on advertisements, see “Advertisements” in the Altiris SW Delivery Solution User
Guide.
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NS Client Configuration
This group applies general configuration settings to collections of managed computers. The
NS Client Settings policy can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress
Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Configuration
.
Client Settings - See
“Client Settings General Page” on page 130 .
Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs
This group lets you rollout and uninstall the Package Server agent. The policies for this group can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Package
Server Agent Rollout Jobs
.
Clients Requiring NS Package Server Agent Upgrade - Installs the Package Server agent as soon as possible to the NS Clients that require it. This policy is used by Notification Server to distribute the Package Server agent when you select computers to be Package Servers. See
“Package Servers” on page 82 .
Package Server Agent Uninstall - Uninstalls the Package Server agent from all Package Servers found in the designated collection.
Standard NS Schedules
The Standard NS Schedules are a set of common schedules that can be shared by other solutions.
This simplifies management of scheduled tasks. These schedules can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Standard NS Schedules
. These schedules can be edited by clicking
Set Schedule
in the right pane.
NS Business Hours Schedule - This policy creates an hourly schedule during business hours that other solutions can share.
NS Daily Schedule - This policy creates a daily schedule that other solutions can share.
NS Half-Hour Schedule - This policy creates a half-hour schedule that other solutions can share.
NS Hourly Schedule - This policy creates an hourly schedule that other solutions can share.
NS Monthly Schedule - This policy creates a monthly schedule that other solutions can share.
NS Weekly Schedule - This policy creates a weekly schedule that other solutions can share.
Package Refresh Schedule - This schedule performs a periodic refresh of the package distribution points and package snapshots.
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Client User Logon Policy General Page
This page lets you view and edit policy properties and also access policy tasks.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Client User Logon Policy
.
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Guid
Enabled
Configure
Description
Policy name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Policy description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Policy Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Select to enable this policy.
Configure task. See
“Client User Logon Policy Configuration Page” on page 117 .
Client User Logon Policy Configuration Page
The NS Client will send a single event to the Notification Server whenever a user logs onto or logs off of a computer. These events are captured by this policy and appear in the “AeX Client LogOn” event class. This event information can be used to determine patterns of computer usage, computer ownership (based on greatest total usage) and month to month changes in computer ownership. Note that this feature is not available if you are only using standalone Inventory Solution and have not installed the NS Client onto your managed computers.
This policy will also produce computer usage summary inventory data based upon the raw login/ logout events. This inventory is generated by a scheduled process and appears in the “AeX AC
Machine Usage” inventory class.
This page lets you set the schedule that controls when and how often the generation of the computer usage summary inventory occurs. You can also use this page to disable real-time forwarding of this inventory data to SMS. By default, if you have enabled real-time forwarding of inventory data to
SMS (this is set on the SMS Data Forwarding page under the
Configuration
tab) all inventory data
(including the AeX AC Machine Usage data) will be forwarded to SMS. The setting on this page lets you override this default setting and stop real-time forwarding of the “AeX AC Machine Usage” inventory to SMS.
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Note
Although this page can disable real-time forwarding, it will not disable the scheduled forwarding of “AeX AC Machine Usage” inventory if you have scheduled forwarding of inventory data configured (see the
SMS Data Forwarding
task under the
Configuration
tab).
Reports on this inventory and event data appear in the Machine Usage Group under the Reports node.
To access this page
1
2
3
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Client User Logon Policy
.
In the right pane, click
Configure
.
Page Items
Item
Disable real-time forwarding of AeX AC Machine Usage
Inventory to SMS
Generate AeX AC Machine
Usage Inventory
Scheduler Type
Apply
Cancel
Description
Select this to disable real-time forwarding of AeX AC Machine
Usage inventory to SMS.
Select this to generate AeX AC Machine Usage inventory.
Select Custom (private) or Standard (shared).
• Standard Schedule - Select a standard schedule. Click
Manage
Shared schedules
to see the available standard schedules (see
“Standard NS Schedules” on page 116 ).
• Custom Schedule - Click
Edit schedule
to create a custom schedule (see
“To use a custom schedule” on page 181 ).
Click
Apply
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
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Notification Policies General Page
This page lets you view and edit Notification Policy properties and also access notification policy tasks.
To access this page
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
Page Items
Item Description
Name
Description
Policy name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Policy description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Guid
Enabled
Configure Event
Handlers
Policy Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Select to enable this policy.
Configure Event Handlers task. See
.
“Event Handler Configuration Page” on
Configuration Configuration task. See
“Configuration Page” on page 121 .
Set update schedule Set update schedule task. See
“Schedule Configuration Page” on page 123
.
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Event Handler Configuration Page
This page lets you enable, edit, and create event handlers.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
Click
Configure Event Handlers
.
Page Items
Item
Name
Type
Description
Enabled remove
Description
Name of the event handler. Click on the name to open a page for additional information about the handler and to edit it.
The type of handler.
Description of the handler.
Select the check box to enable the event handler.
Click this link to remove the associated event handler.
Name field Name of the event handler to be created.
Description field Description of the event handler to be created.
Handler Type
Create Handler
Drop-down list for specifying the type of event handler to be created.
Creates an event handler based on the information in the fields above this button.
For more information on event handlers, see
“Event Handlers” on page 163 .
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Configuration Page
This page lets you configure a query and parameters for the notification policy.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
Click
Configuration.
Page Items
Item
Query field
Test Query
Back
Description
Enter or edit the query for the Notification Policy.
Click to test the query.
Click
Back
to go to the Notification Policies General page (see
Policies General Page” on page 119 ).
Click
Next
to go to the Parameters page (see
“Parameters Page” on page 122 ).
Next
The
Query
and
Parameters
sections are already completed for the Notification Policies. For information on editing these sections, see
“Notification Policies” on page 163 .
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Parameters Page
This page lists the parameters that are replaced at run time.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
2
3
4
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
Click
Configuration
.
Click
Next
.
Page Items
Item
Edit Parameter
Description
Edits the parameter. See
“Edit Parameter Page” on page 149 .
Delete Parameter Deletes a parameter. Select the parameter, then click
Delete Parameter
.
New Parameter Creates a new parameter. See
“New Parameter Page” on page 151 .
Test Query
Back
Finish
Tests the query based on parameter criteria changes.
Takes you back to the
Saves your changes.
Query
page.
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Schedule Configuration Page
This page is used to specify the schedule used by a notification policy or report to query the
Notification Server database for information related to the notification policy or report query.
To access this page
1
2
3
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
Click
Set update schedule
.
Page Items
Item Description
Enabled
Scheduler Type
Enables the update scheduler when selected. The update scheduler is enabled by default for each notification policy.
Specifies whether the
Standard
or
Custom
scheduler is used. By default, the
Standard
scheduler is used.
Standard Schedule If the
Standard
scheduler is selected, this drop-down list allows you to select a
Standard
schedule.
Manage shared schedules
If the
Standard
.)
scheduler is selected, this link is available for opening a page that allows you to edit the
Standard
schedules. (See
Edit schedule
Apply
Cancel
If the
Custom
scheduler is selected, this link is available for opening a dialog that allows you to specify a custom schedule (see
“To use a custom schedule” on page 181
).
Click
Apply
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Advertisement Properties Page
This page is used to configure advertisements.
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For information on advertisements, see “Advertisements” in the Altiris SW Delivery Solution User
Guide.
To access this page
1.
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
> advertisements group > advertisement policy.
In the right pane, click the
Reports
button.
Page Items
Item
Name
Enabled
Package Type
Package
Go to Package
Program Name
Description
Name of the advertisement.
Enables the policy when selected. Disables the policy when cleared.
Drop-down list to specify the type of package that the advertisement with which the advertisement is associated.
Package associated with the advertisement. Click on the larger of the two drop-down lists associated with this field for a list of available packages. The smaller drop-down list allows you to filter the list of available packages by the collection selected in this drop-down list.
Opens the Programs page for the program selected in the
Program Name
field.
Name of the program to run. The list of available options in the drop-down list depends on the value selected in the
Package
field.
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Page Items
Item
Go to Program
Description
Priority
Description
Opens the Package Properties page for the package selected in the
Package
field.
Description of the advertisement.
Differentiates the order in which packages associated with advertisements are downloaded. For information on advertisements, see “Advertisements” in the
Altiris SW Delivery Solution User Guide.
Specifies the collection to which the advertisement applies.
Applies to
Collection
Advertisement
Status Events
Enabled
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
Run this advertisement ‘As
Soon As Possible’
This setting controls whether the NS Client sends advertisement status events for this advertisement to the Notification Server. Select the check box to enable sending advertisement status events to the Notification Server.
Disabling events for this advertisement prevents NS Clients from sending
AeX SWD Execution and AeX SWD Status events to the Notification Server.
Note
The settings in the
Other Settings
task in the
Configuration
tab take precedence to this setting. Events are only sent if their corresponding check box is enabled in the
Capture Event Name
section.
The following types of AeX SWD Status events are not sent if advertisements events are disabled:
• New Job
• Job Updated
• Job Removed
• Job Expired
• Job Disabled
• Job Activated
• Job First Run
See
Capture Event Name
in
.
For information on capturing events in large environments, see
.
This option allows users to manually run this advertisement from the
NS Client.
For more information on this check box, see
This option runs the advertisement as soon as the package has been downloaded to the NS Client computer and the run conditions have been met.
This option creates a mandatory advertisement that does not display a dialog on the NS Client computer before running.
For more information on this check box, see “Mandatory and Non-Mandatory
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Page Items
Item
Run this advertisement on a schedule
Description
This specifies that the advertisement is run according to a schedule. When this is selected, scheduling options appear. You can then select a schedule for the advertisement to run. Then select one of the following two options.
•
Run advertisement as soon as possible after the scheduled time
- This option tells the NS Client to run the advertisement as soon as possible after the time you have scheduled. The NS Client will wait until the scheduled time, then run the advertisement as soon as it can. This option can help spread out the network load as the advertisements will most likely run at different times on each NS Client.
•
Only run advertisement at the scheduled time
- This option tells the
NS Client to run the advertisement only at the scheduled time. This option will force all NS Clients to run the advertisement at the same time.
Edit
For more information on this check box, see “Mandatory and Non-Mandatory
This link opens the scheduling dialog, which allows you to schedule the running of the advertisement. This link is only available if the
Run this advertisement on a schedule
check box is selected.
Run advertisement as soon as possible after the scheduled time
This option runs the advertisement as soon as possible after the scheduled run time if it cannot be run at the scheduled time. This option is only available if the
Run this advertisement on a schedule
check box is selected.
Only run advertisement at the scheduled time
This option runs the advertisement only at the scheduled time. If Notification
Server cannot run the advertisement at the scheduled time, Notification Server will wait until the next scheduled time to attempt to run it. This option is only available if the
Run this advertisement on a schedule
check box is selected.
Start Time
Expiration
The initial date and time when the package is available. For the time input
format, see “Time Format” on page 126 .
The last date and time the package is available. For the time input format, see
.
Use Greenwich
Mean Time
Select this check box to use Greenwich Mean Time for events. This is useful if you want to make sure events are synchronized across computers in different time zones.
Time Format
The following is the format for entering times into the
Start Time
and
Expiration
fields: month/day/year [hour:minute[:second] [AM]] where:
• month - (required) The month number.
• day - (required) The day of the month.
• year - (required) The year in two or four digit format.
• hour:minute - (optional) The hour in 12-hour or 24-hour format and minutes separated by a colon
(“:”). If you use 24-hour format, do not specify the
AM
parameter. If this parameter is not specified, “12:00” is used.
• second - (optional) The seconds proceeded by a colon (“:”). If this parameter is not specified,
“00” is used.
• AM - (optional) Set this to AM or PM. If this parameter is not specified, “AM” is used. If you are using 24 hour time format, do not specify this parameter.
Mandatory and Non-Mandatory Assignments
Mandatory and non-mandatory assignments can be set in the
Mandatory Assignments
section of the
Advertisement Properties page (see the above table).
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Mandatory assignments allow advertisements to be executed on a schedule (the advertisement will run without user input, either by a schedule, or ASAP). An advertisement is completely mandatory if one or both of the
Run this advertisement ‘As Soon As Possible’
and
Run this advertisement on a schedule
check boxes are selected and the
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
check box is cleared.
Non-mandatory assignments allow advertisements to be executed by the user of the NS Client computer only. These advertisements do not have any set schedules to run. They will never run unless the user chooses to run them. An advertisement is completely non-mandatory if the
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
check box is selected and the
Run this advertisement ‘As Soon As Possible’
and
Run this advertisement on a schedule
check boxes are cleared.
At least one of the
Mandatory Assignments
check boxes must be selected for the advertisement to run.
If all three check boxes in the
Mandatory Assignments
section are cleared, the advertisement will never run. The user cannot run the advertisement and the advertisement cannot run on its own because it is not scheduled to run.
If all three check boxes in the
Mandatory Assignments
section are selected, the advertisement is both mandatory and non-mandatory - It runs ASAP, on a schedule, and allows the user to download and install the program.
When the
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
check box is selected, the user is periodically given the chance of installing the program. A pop-up menu appears on the NS Client computer and the user can choose to snooze, to not be reminded again to install, or to install the program.
• Snooze for (amount of time) - Close this pop-up window until the specified time has transpired.
• Don’t remind me again - Close this pop-up window and do not remind the user again to install the program. Users can still install the program later, they just are not reminded again.
• Install the Application - Install the program on the NS Client computer.
Note
Package Servers will always download a package whether or not it is mandatory. The reason is that packages are always sent to the designated Package Servers as soon as they (packages) are created. Mandatory assignments are chosen when an advertisement is created, not when the package is created. (See
“Using Package Servers” on page 190 .)
Note
NS Clients that receive Mandatory advertisements will download the associated package as soon as possible. NS Clients that receive Non-mandatory advertisements will not download the associated package until the NS Client computer user asks for it. If the advertisement is both
Mandatory and Non-mandatory, the package will be downloaded to the NS Client computer as soon as possible.
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Example 1 - Non-mandatory Assignment
Suppose you want to set an advertisement to be non-mandatory. To do this, in the
Mandatory
Assignments
section of the Advertisement Properties page, select
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
advertisement and click the
Apply
button.
. Then select all other desired options for your
When the NS Client next requests its NS Client Settings policies, the Notification Server will download or update this advertisement.
To see what options this gives the NS Client computer user, on the NS Client computer, open the
NS Client interface. Click the
Software Delivery
tab. Click the icon next to the application name sent by the advertisement.
This gives you three options:
• Show application properties - This takes the user to a page that displays the advertisement and package properties and history.
• Download this application - This lets the user download the application.
• Install this application - This lets the user install the application after it has been downloaded.
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Example 2 - Mandatory Assignment
Suppose you want to set an advertisement to be mandatory and to run ASAP and on a schedule. To do this, in the
Mandatory Assignments
section of the advertisement Properties page, select
Run this advertisement ‘As Soon As Possible’
and
Run this advertisement on a schedule
. Then select all other desired options for your advertisement and click the
Apply
button.
When the NS Client next requests its NS Client Settings policies, the Notification Server will download or update this advertisement.
To see what options this gives the NS Client computer user, on the NS Client computer, open the
NS Client interface. Click the
Software Delivery
tab. Click the icon next to the application name sent by the advertisement.
This takes you to a page that displays the advertisement and package properties and history. The user does not have the option of downloading or installing the program.
Example 3 - Mandatory and Non-mandatory Assignment
Suppose you want to set an advertisement to be both mandatory (running ASAP) and nonmandatory. To do this, in the
Mandatory Assignments
section of the Advertisement Properties page, select
Allow users to run this advertisement independently of mandatory assignments
and
Run this advertisement ‘As Soon As Possible’
. Then select all other desired options for your advertisement and click the
Apply
button.
When the NS Client next requests its NS Client Settings policies, the Notification Server will download or update this advertisement.
After the program has been downloaded to the NS Client, the program installs and runs ASAP.
Afterwards, the program will only run when the user chooses to run it.
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Client Settings General Page
This page lets you view and configure the Client Settings policy.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Configuration
>
Client
Settings
.
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Policy name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Description
Guid
Enabled
Policy description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Policy Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Select to enable this policy.
Applies to all machine in collection
Select collection from the drop-down list that this policy applies to.
Configure the Win32
Client
Configure the NS Client settings. See
“Client Settings Configuration
.
Client Settings Configuration Page
This page lets you configure some general parameters that control the behavior of the NS Client, including how the NS Client communicates with Notification Server.
For information on using reports to evaluate how these settings are affecting the Notification Server, see
“Using Reports to Monitor the Load on Notification Server” on page 252
.
Notes
• The settings on this page are only used for Windows 32-bit computers that have the NS Client installed on them.
• You can create multiple instances of the Client Settings policy and apply them to different collections. This lets you configure groups of computers differently.
• If you want to run Inventory Solution on computers that do not have the NS Client installed, (zero footprint mode), in the left pane, select
Inventory Solution
>
Policies
>
Inventory Capture > Win32
Inventory Policy
.
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• Any collection that uses these settings should only apply to Windows 32-bit computers.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Configuration
>
Client
Settings
.
In the right pane, click
Configure the Win32 Client
.
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Page Items
Item
Slow connection threshold
Bandwidth
Utilization
Description
Select your desired slow connection threshold (the connection speed that triggers a slow connection). If the transfer rate from the NS Client to the
Notification Server gets below the selected amount, then the
slow connection threshold
has been reached.
Note
The NS Client re-checks the available bandwidth periodically. If the transfer rate rises above the slow connection threshold, the NS Client returns to the maximum bandwidth utilization.
When downloading a package, the first 10 seconds of every 2 minutes is downloaded at maximum speed to test the bandwidth. The download then throttles according to the settings specified.
If the
slow connection threshold
is set to
always throttle
, it will not do the 10 second speed check.
When the
slow connection threshold
is reached, the NS Client switches to the chosen bandwidth utilization when downloading files. The bandwidth utilization is defined as follows:
•
High
- Utilizes approximately 75% of the bandwidth.
•
Medium
- Utilizes approximately 50% of the bandwidth.
•
Low
- Utilizes approximately 30% of the bandwidth.
•
Very Low
- Utilizes approximately 15% of the bandwidth.
•
Very Very Low
- Utilizes approximately 5% of the bandwidth.
For Example
The following are example amounts found on a test computer. These give you an idea of what to expect when using the different settings.
•
High
- The buffer size is 1024 bytes. The buffer delay is 1 millisecond.
•
Medium
- The buffer size is 1024 bytes. The buffer delay is 40 milliseconds.
•
Low
- The buffer size is 1024 bytes. The buffer delay is 80 milliseconds.
•
Very Low
- The buffer size is 512 bytes. The buffer delay is 120 milliseconds.
•
Very Very Low
- The buffer size is 256 bytes. The buffer delay is 160 milliseconds.
To see the exact buffer size and buffer delay settings on your Notification
Server, from the
Configure the Win32 Client
page select one of the above settings (High, Medium, Low, Very Low, Very Very Low) and click the
Apply
button. Then in the left pane right-click on
Client Settings
and select
View XML
.
Search for
BufferSize=
and
BufferDelay=
on the page to see these settings.
The default is
Medium
. When a file is downloaded from the Notification
Server to the NS Client, it gets sent down one piece at a time until it is completely downloaded. The buffer size is the size of the file piece that gets downloaded incrementally to the NS Client. The buffer delay is the time delay between each buffer.
The client should request new configuration information every...
Select how often you want the NS Client to request new Client Settings policy information from the Notification Server. 12 hours is recommended.
However, this should be adjusted based on your number of NS Clients.
Usually, the more NS Clients you have, the longer this time should be.
When you first set up your Notification Server, it is suggested that you set this time to 1, 5, or 15 minutes to better be able to see how Notification Server interacts with the NS Clients. This time can then be increased to fit your needs.
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Page Items
Item
The client should send basic inventory every...
Default minimum connection speed for Software
Delivery programs execution
Description
Select how often you want the NS Client to send basic inventory to the
Notification Server. 1 day is the default and is recommended. However, this should be adjusted based on your number of NS Clients. See
Select the minimum connection speed for SW Delivery programs to be executed. Before the program is run, the connection speed from the NS Client to the Notification Server is tested. If the connection speed is below the selected speed, the program will not be run.
The default is
no network connection required
. This means there is no default minimum connection speed for SW Delivery programs to run.
If a _
kByte/sec
speed is chosen, before an NS Client executes a SW Delivery program, it checks the connection speed between the NS Client and the
Notification Server. If the connection speed is faster than this speed, then the program gets executed. This only applies to program execution, not package download. The package must already be downloaded for this setting to be utilized.
This setting was designed for the following scenario:
You create a package (we will call this “Package1”) that contains a small program that is designed to download a larger package (we will call this
“Package2”). In this scenario, the NS Client downloads Package1. Package1 uses a minimum amount of bandwidth, so it does not need a minimum connection speed. Before the NS Client executes the program from Package1, it checks the connection speed between the NS Client and the Notification
Server. If this speed is below your selected speed, Package1 will not execute its program. If this speed is above your selected speed, Package1 will execute its program. The program from Package1 then downloads Package2.
SMS Integration This lets you set how you want SMS integrated on your NS Clients if you have
•
Only run SMS advertisements when remote (recommended)
- The SW
Delivery agent enables all SMS advertisements on the client computer.
Packages are downloaded automatically for mandatory advertisements, regardless of whether the SMS client has delivered the advertisements.
However, the SW Delivery agent only runs SMS advertisements when the client computer is on a remote network connection. When the client computer is not on a remote network connection, only the SMS client runs the SMS advertisements.
•
Run all SMS advertisements -
The SW Delivery agent disables the entire
SMS client on the client computer and runs all SMS advertisements. In addition, after an SMS advertisement has run, the SW Delivery agent notifies the SMS client, by updating a status file, that the SMS advertisement has run. This way, the SMS client will not run the same advertisement when the SMS client is re-enabled. The SMS client will not be re-enabled until this setting is cleared.
•
Ignore all SMS advertisements -
The SW Delivery agent disables all SMS advertisements on the client computer. If the SMS client was previously disabled, it is re-enabled. It is then up to the SMS client to run the SMS advertisements on the client computer. The SW Delivery agent will ignore all SMS advertisements (it will not download or execute them) while this setting is selected.
•
Don’t download SMS packages larger than ____ MBytes
- This prevents SMS packages larger than the chosen amount from being downloaded to the client computer.
Disable the Altiris eXpress
Notification client software
Select this to disable the Package Server and NS Client software for a time period. Select the blockout hours. These are the hours that the Package Servers and NS Clients will be disabled (either Standard or Total). See
Blockout type
below for an explanation on
Standard
and
Total
blockout.
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Page Items
Item
Blockout type
Description
If you disable the Package Server and NS Client software, you can set the blockout type, either Standard or Total. Standard is the default.
•
Standard
- Standard blockout means that the Package Server and NS Client will not download any Software Delivery packages. However, the
NS Client will still send events and get Client Settings policy requests from the Notification Server. Events and Client Settings policy requests are typically only small amounts of information and will have minimal impact on the network traffic. However, packages can be large and could affect the network load. This setting can help minimize the impact of
Package Servers and NS Clients on the network during business hours.
Note
Software Delivery packages that are downloading when the blockout period starts will continue to download completely.
•
Total
- Total blockout means there is no communication between the
Package Server/NS Client and Notification Server during the specified time period. All events from the NS Client are queued (on the NS Client) and will only be sent after the blockout.
Note
Software Delivery packages that are downloading when the blockout period starts will continue to download completely.
If a Software Delivery package download is prevented by a blockout, the package will not be downloaded immediately when the blockout expires. The download will enter the backoff state, and depending on how long the blockout lasts, the download may not be attempted again for several hours after the blockout expires.
Disable configuration requests and sending basic inventory at startup and after blockouts for up to...
This disables Client Settings policy requests and sending basic inventory at startup after the blockout has ended for up to a certain amount of time. This is set up to avoid the problem of having all NS Clients waking up at the same time and sending basic inventory and doing Client Settings policy requests at the same time. Whatever time you choose, the basic inventory and Client
Settings policy requests will be sent at a random time within this time frame.
For example, if you choose 30 minutes, the NS Client sends basic inventory and Client Settings policy requests at a random time between 1 minute and 30 minutes. This staggers the waking up of all NS Clients and prevents the
Notification Server from being overwhelmed following a blockout. The larger amount of NS Clients you have, the longer the time you should choose.
The default is
Do not disable
which means that NS Clients immediately start sending out basic inventory and Client Settings policy requests.
Select this to display a system tray icon on NS Client computers. This is a default only and can be changed by the user.
Display a system tray icon on client machines
Notify users when mandatory advertisements arrive
Select this to notify users of the NS Client computer when mandatory advertisements arrive.
Notify users when a mandatory advertisement is about to run
This drop-down list lets you select whether or not to disable pop-up notification for mandatory advertisements. The default is
Do not notify
. This disables pop-up notification. To enable pop-up notification, select one of the following (these settings control how soon before the advertisement is run to notify the user via pop-up notification):
• 1 minute in advance
• 2 minutes in advance
• 3 minutes in advance
Apply
Cancel
• 5 minutes in advance
Click
Apply
to save changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
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Standard NS Schedules General Page
This page lets you view and edit NS schedule properties.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Standard NS Schedules
> schedule
name.
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Guid
Enabled
Set Schedule
Description
Policy name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Policy description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Policy Guid. This field cannot be edited.
Select to enable this policy.
Configure the schedule for this policy. See
“Global Schedule Configuration
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Global Schedule Configuration Page
This page lets you enable and edit the schedule for your Standard NS Schedules policy.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Standard NS Schedules
> schedule
name.
In the right pane, click
Set Schedule
.
Page Items
Item
Enable
Edit Schedule
Apply
Cancel
Item Name
Description
Enables the schedule when selected. The schedule is enabled by default for each notification policy.
Click
Edit schedule
to edit the schedule (see
“To use a custom schedule” on page 181 ).
Click
Apply
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Click on item names to follow link to policies that use this schedule.
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Reports
The reports that are included in Configuration Solution give you information about your Notification
Server configuration. You can use these reports to learn how much configuration traffic there is, how long configuration requests are taking, how many NS Clients are generating the Client Settings policy requests from Notification Server, and which events and notification policies Notification
Server is executing and how long they take. These reports are found in the Web Administration
Console under the
Solutions
tab by selecting
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
.
The reports are organized into the following categories:
• Active Directory Reports - Provides information on Active Directory Resources and OUs. See
“Active Directory Reports” on page 325 .
• AeX Config Request - Provides information about Client Settings policy requests from
NS Clients.
• AeX Scheduled Event - Provides information about scheduled NS Client events.
• Alert Manager Work Item History - Contains reports that let you see work item history based on end user, computer, and worker.
• Client Deployment - Provides information about NS Client deployment.
• Discovered Machines - Helps you track how many computers are discovered versus how many have the NS Client installed and determine where you need more deployment.
• Discovered machines not reporting inventory - This report shows you which computers you do not have inventory on that you know exist in the network.
• High Priority Alerts - Contains reports that help you manage your High Priority work items.
• Inventory Analysis Reports - Contains reports that help you find computers that report events and inventory and computers that never report events and inventory.
• Inventory Forwarding - Contains reports regarding Inventory Forwarding. Contains a report that lists the destination Notification Server which is receiving forwarded inventory and the last time the inventory was sent. You can drill down and login to access the destination Notification
Server’s Web Administration Console.
• Inventory Forwarding (SMS) - Contains reports regarding Inventory Forwarding to Microsoft
SMS.
• Machine Usage Group - Contains reports and policies that produce and summarize computer usage data from NS Client computers.
• NS Client Inventory - These reports contain NS Client inventory and registration information.
• Package Server Status - These reports let you get status on your Package Servers. See
Package Servers” on page 190 .
• Policy Reports - Provides information on how many times each policy is executed on the server and how long the server is taking to process the policy. The timeticks are measured in milliseconds.
• Problem Machines - Contains reports that help you discover which computers are problem computers on your network based on work item history.
• Report History - Contains a report that lists a count of the reports that have been executed. It accepts a parameter filtering by solution. Depending on whether '%' or a solution is passed, this report displays the solution that it is associated with. If a solution is passed in as a parameter, this report does not need to list the solution it belongs to. Either way, this report displays the report name, the count of execution times, and the last time the report was run. You can then drill down into a count and get the list of reports and the dates they were executed and the number of rows returned.
Note
Since the report tracking is real time, this report is not included in the count.
• Saved Report Runs - Shows which report runs are stored on the computer.
• Server Performance - Contains reports that show events and configuration requests processed by the Notification Server over a defined time period.
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• Site Reports - Contains a report that lists a count of computers grouped by site code. You can drill down on a group to get a list of computers in that group. You can drill down on a computer for more details in the Resource Explorer.
• Solution Client Status - Reports on package downloads and program execution on NS Clients.
The data that is used for the NS Client configuration and event history reporting comes from tables that are automatically purged. The default settings are to purge event and Client Settings policy request history data older than 30 days. (See
“Data Purging Configuration” on page 98
.)
For information on changing report properties, see “Report General Page” on page 138 .
Report General Page
This page lets you view and edit report properties and also access report tasks.
To access this page
1
2
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
Page Items
Item Description
Name Report name. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the name you want.
When you leave the page, the new name will be saved.
Description
Guid
Report description. This field can be edited. To edit, type in the description you want. When you leave the page, the new description will be saved.
Report Guid. This field cannot be edited.
View Saved Reports View reports that you have already saved. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
View Saved Reports
page. See
“Previous Report Runs Page” on page 139 .
View Report on Latest
Data
View the report created using the most recent data. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
View Report on Latest Data
.
page. See
View Report in a New
Window
This is good for long running reports. Clicking the task lets you view the report in a new window.
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Page Items
Item
Configure this Report/
Configure Report
Set this Report’s
Schedule/Set Report’s
Schedule
Description
Configure the parameters of this report. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the Query, Filter, Parameter, and Views Configuration pages. See
“Query Configuration Page” on page 140
,
“Parameters Page” on page 149 , and
Note
Your report may not contain all four of the configuration pages.
Set this report’s schedule. Clicking the task or tab takes you to the
Set
Report’s Schedule
page. See “Schedule Configuration Page” on page 123
.
Previous Report Runs Page
This page lets you view previously run reports. Select a report name and click
View
to see the report.
If there is a Sample Report, it is selected by default. You can delete a saved report by selecting it and clicking
Delete
.
Note
You cannot delete a Sample Report.
At any time, you can navigate between the various tabs. If you select the
View Report on latest data
page without selecting
View
, then a new report run is generated using the current Client Settings policy settings.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
View Saved Reports
.
View Report on Latest Data Page
This page lets you view the report using the latest data. Some reports have filters, requiring entry of parameters. Enter the requested parameters or accept the default, then click
Submit
. Most reports let you drill down to Resource Explorer by double-clicking on a resource.
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When the report is displayed, there will be icons above the report that let you perform tasks on that report. These tasks include:
• Drill down
• List requests
• Copy the report
• Refresh the report
• Save the report
• Print the report
• Find first instance of a string
• Find next instance
To access this page
1
2
3
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
View Report on latest data
.
Query Configuration Page
This page lists the queries that have been created for this report. It also lets you edit, delete, and create new queries as well as generate a report based on your query criteria changes.
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Query Configuration
or
Configure Report
.
Note
Not all reports have queries available to them.
Page Items
Item
Edit Query
Delete Query
New Query
Description
Edits Query. See “Edit Query Page” on page 141 .
Deletes a Query. Select the Query, then click
Delete Query
.
Create new Query. See “New Query Page” on page 142 .
Generate Report Generates the report based on query criteria changes.
Back Takes you back to the
General
Report page.
Next Takes you to
Filters
page.
Edit Query Page
This page lets you edit a report’s query.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
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3
4
In the right pane, click
Query Configuration
or
Configure Report
.
In the right pane, click
Edit Query
.
Page Items
Item
Query Window
Description
Contains the query to edit.
Define a SQL query in the provided box. The query can contain placeholders for parameters and filters. Insert ‘%Query Filter% %Machine Filter%’ into the
WHERE clause to achieve placeholders for filters.
Query Builder Click to access the query builder. This option is not available for provided reports, only to reports that you create.
Resource Explorer Select this to display inventory for an individual computer listed in the report.
This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Web Admin Select this to display the SMS record for an individual computer listed in the report. This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Same Report
Another Report
Custom URL
Select this to display an additional query defined in this report.
Name
field - Enter column names separated by a “;”. These are the column names to drill down to in this report.
Select this to display a report that has already been created.
Solution field - Select the solution containing the report to drill down to.
Solution Group field - Select the solution group containing the report to drill down to.
Report field - Select the report to drill down to.
Name field - Enter column names separated by a “;”. These are the column names to drill down to in the other report.
Select this to display custom Web content.
Enter the URL in the provided field.
No Drilldown
Ok
Cancel
Select this to disable drill down features.
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
New Query Page
This page lets you create a SQL query for a report.
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Note
Depending on the complexity of your query, you may need to manually modify the SQL statements after you have built your query. Please consult your SQL documentation for information on advanced SQL statements.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Query Configuration
or
Configure Report
.
In the right pane, click
New Query
.
Page Items
Item
Query Window
Description
The window that displays your query.
Define a SQL query in the provided box. The query can contain placeholders for parameters and filters. Insert ‘%Query Filter% %Machine Filter%’ into the
WHERE clause to achieve placeholders for filters.
Query Builder
Web Admin
Click to access the query builder. See “Query Builder Page” on page 144 .
Resource Explorer Select this to display inventory for an individual computer listed in the report.
This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Select this to display the SMS record for an individual computer listed in the report. This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Same Report Select this to display an additional query defined in this report.
Name
field - Enter column names separated by a “;”. These are the column names to drill down to in this report.
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Page Items
Item
Another Report
Custom URL
No Drilldown
Ok
Cancel
Description
Select this to display a report that has already been created.
Solution
field - Select the solution containing the report to drill down to.
Solution Group
down to.
field - Select the solution group containing the report to drill
Report
field - Select the report to drill down to.
Name
field - Enter column names separated by a “;”. These are the column names to drill down to in the other report.
Select this to display custom Web content.
Enter the URL in the provided field.
Select this to disable drill down features.
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Query Builder Page
This page lets you build a SQL query.
Note
Depending on the complexity of your query, you may need to manually modify the SQL statements after you have built your query. Please consult your SQL documentation for information on advanced SQL statements.
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Query Configuration
or
Configure Report
.
4
5
In the right pane, click
New Query
.
Click
Query Builder
.
Choose columns to be included in this query. Each column can have an alias, a function applied to it to summarize, and can be sorted. Separate tables must be joined together on common columns.
Once details have been selected, click the
Add
button. Filters can be created by continuing in the wizard to the
Filters
page.
Page Items
Item
Table
Column
Alias
Function
Join
Description
Select a table from the database to perform the query on.
Choose the data that you want displayed in your report.
Enter an alias to overwrite column names displayed in the report.
Select the function to perform: Sum, Average, Count, or none.
Select the table to join this query to. Unless you are an advanced SQL user, accept the default tables.
Linked to report above Select to link to an already created column.
Ordered Select to make this an ordered column.
Add Click to add this column to the list. You can add as many columns as you wish. Your query will not be finished until you click
OK
.
Update
Remove
OK
Cancel
Click to update this column if you have made changes to it.
Click to remove a selected column.
Click
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Filters Page
This page lists the filters that have been created for this report. It also lets you edit, delete, and create new filters as well as generate a report based on your filter criteria changes.
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There are two types of filters (Query and Machine) that you can define for reports. Query Filters allow you to restrict the results based on any field in the underlying tables of this report. Machine filters allow you to constrain the resources that this report applies to.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Filter Configuration
.
Note
Not all reports have filters available to them.
Page Items
Item
Join Query Filters together using
Join Machine Filters together using
Edit Filter
Delete Filter
New Filter
Generate Report
Back
Next
Description
Join query filters together using AND or OR.
Join machine filters together using AND or OR.
Edits filter. See
“Edit Filter Page” on page 147
.
Deletes a filter. Select the filter, then click
Delete Filter
.
Create new filter. See
“New Filter Page” on page 148 .
Generates the report based on filter criteria changes.
Takes you back to the
Query Configuration
page, if available. If not, it takes you to the
General
Report page.
Takes you to the
Parameters
page.
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Edit Filter Page
This page lets you edit a filter.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Filter Configuration
.
Select a filter to edit, then click
Edit Filter
.
Page Items
Item
Type
Table
Field
Operator
Value
Description
Machine Filter - Lets you filter your query based on any inventory table in the database.
Query Filter - Only lets you filter your query based on the tables defined in your query.
The table to query.
The field (table column) to query.
The operator for the query.
The value for the query. Accept the default, enter a value, or select a value from the list created after selecting either
First 100 distinct values
or
Show all values
.
First 100 distinct values Select this to display the first 100 distinct values.
Show all values Select this to show all values.
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired.
Ok
Cancel
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
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New Filter Page
This page lets you create a new filter.
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Filter Configuration
.
Click
New Filter
.
Page Items
Item
Type
Table
Field
Operator
Value
Description
Machine Filter - Lets you filter your query based on any inventory table in the database.
Query Filter - Only lets you filter your query based on the tables defined in your query.
The table to query.
The field (table column) to query.
The operator for the query.
The value for the query. Accept the default, enter a value, or select a value from the list created after selecting either
First 100 distinct values
or
Show all values
.
First 100 distinct values Select this to display the first 100 distinct values.
Show all values Select this to show all values.
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired.
Ok
Cancel
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
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Parameters Page
This page lists the report parameters that are replaced at run time.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Parameter Configuration
.
Page Items
Item
Edit Parameter
Description
Edits parameter. See “Edit Parameter Page” on page 149
.
Delete Parameter Deletes a parameter. Select the parameter, then click
Delete Parameter
.
New Parameter Create new parameter. See
“New Parameter Page” on page 151 .
Generate Report Generates the report based on parameter criteria changes.
Back Takes you back to the
Filter
page.
Next Takes you to the
Views
page.
Edit Parameter Page
This page lets you edit a parameter.
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Your selection criteria can contain parameters that are replaced at run time. This section allows you to define values for these replaceable parameters.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Parameter Configuration
.
In the right pane, select a parameter, then click
Edit Parameter
.
Page Items
Item
Parameter Type
Name
Description
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Type
Value
Description
Text
- A simple text value.
Query
- Use for a dynamic value created by a sub-query.
Data Table
- For debug and support purposes only.
DropDown
- Use to create a drop-down menu.
The name of the parameter.
The parameter description.
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired. This is typically to indicate the function of the parameter.
none - Select this to not limit parameter values to a type.
number - Limits parameter to numerical values.
string - Limits parameter to a string value.
For
Parameter Type
Text, enter the parameter value.
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Page Items
Item
Sql Query
Data Table
Value
Ok
Cancel
Description
For
Parameter Type
Query, enter the parameter query.
For
Parameter Type
Data Table, select the data table.
For
Parameter Type
DropDown, select
Fixed List
or
Results of sql query
, then enter the drop-down values.
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
New Parameter Page
This page lets you create a new parameter. Your selection criteria can contain parameters that are replaced at run time. This section allows you to define values for these replaceable parameters.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Parameter Configuration
.
Click
New Parameter
.
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Page Items
Item
Parameter Type
Description
Text
- A simple text value.
Query
- Use for a dynamic value created by a sub-query.
Data Table
- For debug and support purposes only.
DropDown
- Use to create a drop-down menu.
The name of the parameter.
The parameter description.
Name
Description
Prompt user for value at report execution time
Select this to prompt the user for a value at report execution time. Enter a
Prompt Tag
if desired. This is typically to indicate the function of the parameter.
Type none - Select this to not limit parameter values to a type.
number - Limits parameter to numerical values.
string - Limits parameter to a string value.
Value
Sql Query
Data Table
Value
Ok
Cancel
For
Parameter Type
Text, enter the parameter value.
For
Parameter Type
Query, enter the parameter query.
For
Parameter Type
Data Table, select the data table.
For
Parameter Type
DropDown, select
Fixed List
or
Results of sql query
, then enter the drop-down values.
Click
Ok
to save the changes.
Click
Cancel
to discard the changes.
Views Page
This page helps you choose how the report is displayed.
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Reports
> report group > report name.
In the right pane, click
Views Configuration
.
Page Items
Item
Default View
Table
Graph
Pivot
Back
Finish
Description
The default view that first appears when the report is run: Table, Graph, or
Pivot.
Select to enable the table view - Grid control, similar in appearance to an
Excel spreadsheet.
Select to enable the graph view - Presentation quality graphs.
• Graph Title - The title of the graph.
• X Title - The title of the X axis.
• Y Title - The title of the Y axis.
• Z Title - The title of the Z axis.
• Label Style - The label style: Horizontal or Vertical.
• Graph Type - The type of graph you want to create.
• Graph Style - The style of graph you want to create.
• Labels - The labels for the graph.
• Legend - The legend of the graph.
• Legend Source - The legend source. You can select column names or column values.
• Data Sets - The data sets of the graph.
Select to enable the pivot view - Office 2000 Pivot Table.
Takes you back to the
Parameter
page.
Saves your changes and takes you to the
General
Report page.
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Notification Server Solution Center Page
This page lets you download solutions and suites that work with Notification Server.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solution Center
tab.
To download a solution or suite, click on the solution or suite name. See
“Solution Installation” on page 44
.
To upgrade your Notification Server, click
Notification Server Upgrade
To update an installed solution, click
View installed Solutions
, then click the solution name.
NS Client Configuration
The Notification Server Client (NS Client) can be installed on virtually any Windows 32-bit computer. The NS Client retrieves Client Settings policies, downloads files from the Notification
Server, and posts status feedback information and settings to the Notification Server.
Example
The NS Client retrieves information about software that is to be installed. The NS Client also retrieves the list of Windows NT event log events and/or processes to monitor. It queues and transmits inventory data and other categories of event data that are to be sent to Notification Server.
The NS Client also sends status information about the execution of Software Delivery tasks.
The only tasks that are visible to the user are those associated with Software Delivery, although these can also be configured to run ‘hidden’ from the end user. Other than that, the NS Client does not interact with the user logged on to the computer.
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NS Client Setup Through Configuration Solution
Communications between the NS Client and Notification Server are configured through
Configuration Solution.
To access the NS Client configuration page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Configuration
>
Client
Settings
.
3
4
In the right pane, select the
Configure the Win32 Client
link.
When you have made the desired changes, click
Apply
to save these changes.
For more information, see
“Client Settings Configuration Page” on page 130 .
Memory
There are a number of settings in the registry that control the working set size of memory that the
NS Client, Client Transport, and the User processes use. They are found in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client
“NSC WORKINGSETSIZE”=DWORD:0x00300000
“NST WORKINGSETSIZE”=DWORD:0x00100000
“NSU WORKINGSETSIZE”=DWORD:0x00100000
By default, the working set size for the NS Client (NSC), Client Transport (NST) and the User processes (NSU) are 3 MB, 1 MB and 1 MB respectively.
Securing the Notification Server Web Console
To secure the Notification Server application, AeXNS, perform the following steps
1
Run the Component Services MMC Snap-in by clicking
Start
>
Programs
>
Administrative Tools
>
Component Services
.
2
3
4
Browse to
Console Root
>
Component Services
>
Computers
>
My Computer
>
COM+ Applications
>
AeXNS
>
Roles
.
Add a new role by right-clicking
Roles
, then selecting
New
>
Role.
In the Configuration Solution, the role is called “Administrators”, but you can name it anything you want.
Add the local administrators group, the IIS anonymous user account (usually in the form of
IUSR_xxx where xxx is the computer name) and the IIS out-of-process COM object account
(usually in the form of IWAM_xxx where xxx is the computer name). To do this:
a b
Right-click
Users
, then select
New
>
User
.
Select Administrators, IUSR_xxx, and IWAM_xxx, where xxx is the computer name, then click
Add
.
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c
Click
Ok
.
Securing the Notification Server Web Console
5
Add the role to each of the components in the application. To do this:
a
Browse to
AeXNS
>
Components
.
b
For each component listed, right-click the component name, select
Properties
, and click the
Security
tab. Then, under
Roles explicitly set for selected item(s)
, select the new role. Also, make sure
Enforce component level access checks
is selected. Click
Ok
.
6
Browse to
AeXNS
, right-click
AeXNS
, select
Properties
, then click the
Security
tab.
a
Select
Enforce access checks for the application
.
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d e b c
Select
Perform access checks at the process and component level
.
Select anything other than
None
for
Authentication level for calls
.
Select anything other than
Anonymous
for
Impersonation level
.
Click
OK
.
SMS Integration and MIFs
7
Shutdown and restart AeXNS for the changes to take affect.
SMS Integration and MIFs
By default, Notification Server sends No History MIFs.
If you choose to start sending MIFs that contain history, you must set the following registry value
(found in
HKLM\Software\Altiris\Notification Server\SMS2 Config
):
DWORD: NoHistoryMif = 0
See
“Registry Settings” on page 329 .
If you configure Notification Server to send history MIFs, it will send all inventory classes for a given resource to SMS every time it forwards inventory. There is no attempt, on the Notification
Server side, to send a delta of the data. When SMS receives the history MIF, it performs its own delta if needed. The SMS delta is a per-row delta.
If Notification Server sends No History MIFs, Notification Server will perform a delta before forwarding. The Notification Server delta is a per-class delta. This means that for a given resource, only the inventory classes that have changed will be sent (the entire class will be sent). When SMS receives the No History MIF, it does not calculate any deltas before forwarding through the SMS hierarchy.
Example
What does this mean? Let’s say that the entire inventory for a given resource results in a MIF file of
800 KB. Also, the inventory for that resource was updated by the Notification Server inventory agent and there were only 4 differences – 2 rows had changed in 2 different classes. When configured to send history MIFs, the Notification Server will still send the 800 KB file to the SMS CAP. SMS will calculate a delta, realize only 4 rows have changed, and forward a smaller file (approximately 2 KB) up the SMS hierarchy. If, however, the Notification Server is configured to send No History MIFs, it will calculate its own delta for the resource. Because the Notification Server delta is per class, it will realize that only 2 classes have changed, and forward the entire contents of those 2 classes to
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SMS (not just the rows that had changed). This file would be approximately 50 KB in size. SMS would get this 50 KB file and forward it around the SMS hierarchy because it is a No History MIF and it will not calculate its own delta.
Using No History MIFs reduces the Notification Server-to-SMS load, but increases the load around the SMS hierarchy. The difference in load depends upon which classes are changing and how many rows are changing.
Note
There is an issue with No History MIFs where rows are not deleted from a class. With history
MIFs, SMS calculates the delta and deletes rows where appropriate. With No History MIFs, the entire inventory class is sent and SMS will add to and update what it has, but it will not delete rows that are no longer found in the No History MIF.
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Chapter 5:
Administration
This section contains the following administration topics:
•
“Using the Web Administration Console” on page 160
•
“Notification Policies” on page 163
•
“Inventory Forwarding” on page 187
•
“Inventory History” on page 189
•
“Using Package Servers” on page 190
•
“Software Delivery” on page 198
•
•
•
“Monitoring Notification Server Operations” on page 241
•
“Resource Explorer” on page 255
•
•
“Extending the Notification Server Database” on page 257
•
•
“Disaster Recovery and High Availability” on page 268
•
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Using the Web Administration Console
The Web Administration Console lets you administer Notification Server through a Web-based interface. You can open the Web Administration Console by clicking
Start
>
Programs
>
Altiris
>
Altiris eXpress
>
Notification Server
>
Web Administration Console
.
From the Web Administration Console you can do the following:
• Install solutions (see
“Solution Installation” on page 44 )
• Perform tasks on solutions (see the individual solution user guides)
• Configure Notification Server (see “Notification Server Configuration” on page 62
)
• Deploy the NS Client (see
“NS Client Installation” on page 45
)
• Set up and use Package Servers (see
“Using Package Servers” on page 190
)
• Create policies (see
“Notification Policies” on page 163 )
• Deploy packages (see “Software Delivery” on page 198 )
• Query the database (see “Create the SQL Statement” on page 182 )
• Create and view reports (see
“Creating a Web Report” on page 187 )
Note
Since the Web Administration Console includes some ActiveX controls, you can only use
Internet Explorer on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers. These ActiveX controls use a combination of HTTP and RPC protocols to communicate with Notification Server.
Note
You must have local administrator rights on the Notification Server to access the Web
Administration Console.
Interface
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Tabs
The Web Administration Console interface contains the following tabs:
Note
Depending on the solutions you have installed, there can be more tab choices available.
• Solutions - The Solutions page lets you access all solutions you have installed as well as the
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution.
• Solution Center - The Solution Center page lets you download new solutions and suites. For information on how to configure the solution center settings, see
“Solution Center” on page 75 .
• Configuration - The Configuration page lets you configure Notification Server. See
“Notification Server Configuration” on page 62 .
• Licensing - The Licensing page lets you manage your solution licenses. This lets you see your license status, request new licenses, and install licenses. See
“Solution Licensing” on page 55
.
Consoles
The Web Administration Console interface lets you toggle between the following consoles:
Note
Depending on the solutions you have installed, there can be more console choices to toggle to.
• Administration - The Web Administration Console.
• Custom Web Reports - Lets you access your custom Web Reports.
• Web Reports - Lets you access all available solution Web Reports.
• Alert Manager - Lets you access the Alert Manager consoles page. See “Alert Manager
• Documentation - Lets you access the Altiris eXpress Documentation Index page.
Icons
The Web Administration Console interface has the following clickable icons:
Go back to previous page. This takes you back to the previous page in the same console.
Go forward. This takes you forward one page in the same console.
Click me for help. This gives you context sensitive help.
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Click here for the Altiris eXpress Documentation Index page. This takes you to the Altiris eXpress Documentation index console, which lets you access all Notification Server and installed solutions User Guide and Release Notes documentation.
Accessing the Web Administration Console using a Remote Computer
This section describes the steps that are needed to access the Web Administration Console using a remote computer located outside of the network where the Notification Server is located.
Note
In most cases, using Carbon Copy to remotely access the Web Administration Console at the
Notification Server computer is preferable. For more information, see the Altiris Carbon Copy User
Guide.
The following steps were performed in a test environment with the following specifications:
• Notification Server 5.5 installed on Windows 2000 SP2 (PDC) Server. No security or other settings relative to Notification Server were modified from the “out-of-the-box” standard installation including IIS, Notification Server, or NTFS permissions.
• The Notification Server computer is connected to the internet via a static IP address over a 256/
512K DSL connection.
Note
A dial-up ISP connection was also tried. However, navigation was slow.
• All port filtering is disabled on the Notification Server computer and the firewall was disabled.
• Remote computer is a Windows 2000 Pro.
To connect to the Web Administration Console
1
2
Resolve the name of the Notification Server from the computer you are using to connect to the
Notification Server. (In the test environment, an LMHOST file was used to resolve the external static IP of the Notification Server to its name.)
Gain rights to the Notification Server from the remote computer.
Note
Domain security is used between the Notification Server and the Web Administration
Console.
a
Create a local administrator account on the remote computer that has the same username and password as the administrator account username and password that the Notification Server
COM+ package is using on the Notification Server.
3 b
Note
In a test environment, other accounts were tried that had local administrator rights on the Notification Server computer, but only using the same account as the COM+ package was successful.
Log onto the remote computer with the account described in the previous step.
c
Establish a VPN connection to the Notification Server using the same administrator account that the Notification Server COM+ package is using. Remember that this account needs to be configured on the Notification Server to have dial-in access enabled.
Open the browser (Internet Explorer 5 or better) on the remote computer and go to http://
NSName
/AeXNS
and from there click on the
Administration
link.
4
Communication between Notification Server and the Web Administration Console uses RPC,
DCOM, and HTTP, so make sure RPC services are running on the Notification Server and the appropriate ports are open. The following is a list of ports associated with services in use:
a b
HTTP - port 80
DCOM - port 135
c d e
RPC - ports 135, 1500, 2500, (Dynamic)
SQL - ports 53, 135, 137, 139, 1433
VPN - L2TP - port 1701, PPTP - port 1723
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Installing the Web Administration Console on a
Remote Computer
The Web Administration Console can be installed on a remote computer running Windows NT/
2000/XP/2003 and Internet Explorer 5.
Since the browser includes some ActiveX controls, you can only run the Web Administration
Console from Internet Explorer on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers. These ActiveX controls use a combination of HTTP and RPC protocols to communicate with Notification Server.
To install the Web Administration Console
1
Go to the following URL with Internet Explorer 5.0 or above: http://
NSName
/AeXNS
2
where NSName is the name of your Notification Server computer.
Click
Click here for Altiris Notification Server
.
You will see a page that will download various ActiveX controls on your computer. After the
ActiveX controls are installed, you can then start the Web Administration Console on your computer by going to the following URL: http://
NSName
/AeXNS where NSName is the name of your Notification Server computer, and selecting
Administration
.
Notification Policies
Many of the solutions that work with Notification Server come with Notification Policies. These policies let Notification Server perform a variety of actions when defined conditions occur.
Notification Policies can be set on something as simple as a single process starting on a computer or on more complex scenarios, such as multiple processes across a wide range of computers.
Automated responses include sending of e-mail, running corrective commands and scripts, generation of SNMP traps, automatically generating a report and e-mailing you the URL of the report, and creating Alert Manager work items.
With Notification Policies you can specify a condition to monitor and then when this condition occurs the action is taken. Each solution that defines a Notification Policy specifies its own criteria for the type of condition that leads to the action being initiated.
For example:
• Web Reports for SMS uses data from the SMS database that is periodically queried.
• Inventory Solution uses data from the Notification Server database.
• Application Metering Solution uses the list of monitored processes.
In all these solutions, however, there are common sets of actions that can automatically be run.
Custom Notification Policies can be created that can perform various actions using Event Handlers when certain conditions exist.
Event Handlers
An Event Handler specifies the action to take when a policy is run. Each policy can have multiple
Event Handlers. There are five types of Event Handlers.
Note
To add parameters to an Event Handler, clone the Notification Policy, then edit the Notification
Policy XML.
The following table lists each of these handler types and provides details about each handler.
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Handler Type
E-Mail based event handler
Command launcher event handler
SNMP based event handler
Details
Specifies the creation of an e-mail. The e-mail can be sent to the default
Notification Server e-mail account or a user-specified account. Various replacement strings can be specified in the e-mail message to report system environment variables as well as details about the condition monitored. You can choose to execute this handler once for the entire report or once per each row in the report.
If you want to send the e-mail to multiple recipients, separate the e-mail addresses with a ; (semi-colon) character. Each e-mail address needs to be a valid SMTP address. The message will be sent to the SMTP server that is defined in the Notification Server e-mail configuration settings.
Specifies a command to execute. Several variables (listed on the page where you configure the handler) allow you to replace a variable in your command line with information about your specific situation. You can choose to execute this handler once for the entire report or once per each row in the report.
Any process can be started with various command line arguments that are based upon the available fields for that solution. To execute multiple commands, put them in a batch file and run the batch file as the command to be launched.
IMPORTANT:
The process that is launched is run from the context of the
Notification Server Transaction Server/Com+ Package. When you configure
Notification Server to run as a user ID other than interactive user, then programs that are launched are not visible on the logged on user desktop.
However they are seen as processes in the task list.
Specifies the sending of SNMP traps to an SNMP management console.
Several variables (listed on the page where you configure the handler) allow you to replace a variable in your message with information about your specific situation. You can choose to execute this handler once for the entire report or once per each row in the report.
As the administrator, you specify the various options that are sent in the
SNMP trap. Typically you will modify the message with the available fields.
Traps are sent in SNMP Version 1 format.
• Source IP address - Typically the IP address of Notification Server.
• Trap destination address - The hostname or IP address of the SNMP manager that will receive the trap.
• Community Name - The value to use for the community name parameter. Typically you use the value public.
• Enterprise OID - The Enterprise Object ID for the trap that is being sent.
There is no pre-defined MIB for Notification Server events. You can specify any Enterprise OID that you want your SNMP manager console to use.
• Trap ID - The ID of the trap that is defined for the Enterprise OID.
• Message - This is a text message that is sent as a string variable in the trap.
The available fields for the policy can indicate context specific information about the conditions that generate the trap.
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Handler Type
Generate report for event handler
Details
Specifies the creation of a report. You will see the result set in the list of saved reports for that policy. You also have the option of sending an e-mail when the report is created.
After a report has been generated and you want to delete it, you will have to delete it manually.
Auto-generated reports cannot use user prompted filter values.
Generate Workitem
Event Handler
Specifies the creation of a work item. This Event Handler was added for
Notification Server 5.5. It can be used in any Notification Policy or SNMP
Listener Policy. This Event Handler is used to create new work items in the
Alert Manager database. It can be used by Alert Manager and Helpdesk
Solution 5.1 or above. This Event Handler will only raise new work items. It does not have the ability to edit existing work items.
For details on creating an Event Handler, see “Creating an Event Handler” on page 175
.
Configuration for Send Email Event Handler Page
This page lets you configure the Send Email Event Handler. See
“Event Handlers” on page 163 .
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
4
For
Handler Type
, select
E-Mail based Event Handler
.
Note
If
E-Mail based Event Handler
is not available for
Handler Type
, you can create an
E-Mail based Event Handler
. See “Event Handler Configuration Page” on page 120
.
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Page Items
Item
Enabled
Name
Description
Execute
Description
Select to enable this Event Handler.
Name of the Event Handler.
Description of the Event Handler.
Select one of the following:
• Once Only - This runs the Event Handler only once.
• Once per row - This runs the Event Handler once per row.
To Address
Default Address
Subject
The e-mail address to which Notification Server sends the link of the report every time the event is received.
The default address, if configured.
The subject of the e-mail.
Message The message of the e-mail.
Available Fields The values from the policy that you can use for replacement strings in the text of your e-mail message.
Note
You can only use the values found in this section. If you use a value that is not found in this section, it will not be recognized. For information on adding values, see
“Adding Available Fields for Event Handlers” on page 172 .
Apply
Cancel
Click to save the changes.
Click to cancel the changes.
Configuration for Launch Application Event Handler Page
This page lets you configure the Launch Application Event Handler. See
.
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
4
For
Handler Type
, select
Command launcher event handler
.
Note
If
Command launcher event handler
is not available for
Handler Type
, you can create a
Command launcher event handler
. See
“Event Handler Configuration Page” on page 120 .
Page Items
Item
Enabled
Name
Description
Execute
Description
Select to enable this Event Handler.
Name of the Event Handler.
Description of the Event Handler.
Select one of the following:
• Once Only - This runs the Event Handler only once.
• Once per row - This runs the Event Handler once per row.
Application to Execute The application name that you wish to execute.
Available Properties The available properties that can be used as replacement strings in the command line.
Note
You can only use the property values found in this section. If you use a value that is not found in this section, it will not be recognized. For information on adding values, see
“Adding Available Fields for Event
Apply
Cancel
Click to save the changes.
Click to cancel the changes.
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Configuration for Generate SNMP Message Event Handler
Page
This page lets you configure the Generate SNMP Message Event Handler. See
.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
4
For
Handler Type
, select
SNMP based Event Handler
.
Note
If
SNMP based Event Handler
is not available for
Handler Type
, you can create an
SNMP based Event Handler
. See “Event Handler Configuration Page” on page 120
.
Page Items
Item
Enabled
Name
Description
Execute
Description
Select to enable this Event Handler.
Name of the Event Handler.
Description of the Event Handler.
Select one of the following:
• Once Only - This runs the Event Handler only once.
• Once per row - This runs the Event Handler once per row.
Source IP address or hostname Source IP address or hostname to be sent in the SNMP trap.
The hostname can be a variable computer name to let the
Notification Server send traps on behalf of other computers.
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Page Items
Item
Trap destination hostname or
IP address
Description
Trap destination hostname or IP address.
Community Name (e.g. public) Community Name (e.g. public).
Enterprise OID (e.g. .1.3.6.1.4) Enterprise OID (e.g. .1.3.6.1.4).
This is an ISO assigned OID for your enterprise.
Trap ID (e.g. 1)
Message (e.g. Event xyz occurred)
Available Fields
Trap ID (e.g. 1).
This ID needs to be unique for each Event Handler.
Message (e.g. Event xyz occurred).
Available properties from the policy that can be used as replacement strings in the command line.
Note
You can only use the property values found in this section. If you use a value that is not found in this section, it will not be
recognized. For information on adding values, see “Adding
Available Fields for Event Handlers” on page 172 .
Apply
Cancel
Click to save the changes.
Click to cancel the changes.
Configuration for Generate Report Event Handler Page
This page lets you configure the Generate Report Event Handler. See
“Event Handlers” on page 163 .
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To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
4
For
Handler Type
, select
Generate Report for Event Handler
.
Note
If
Generate Report for Event Handler
is not available for
Handler Type
, you can create a
Generate Report for Event Handler
. See
“Event Handler Configuration Page” on page 120 .
Page Items
Item
Enabled
Name
Description
Solution Group
Description
Select to enable this Event Handler.
Name of the Event Handler.
Description of the Event Handler.
Solution Group of the report that you wish to be generated whenever an event is received.
Report Report that you wish to be generated whenever an event is received.
Enable Email sending Select to enable e-mail sending.
To Address The e-mail address to which Notification Server sends the link of the report every time the event is received.
Default Address
Subject Line
Apply
Cancel
The default address, if configured.
The subject line of the e-mail.
Click to save the changes.
Click to cancel the changes.
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Configuration for Generate Workitem Event Handler Page
This page lets you configure the Generate Workitem Event Handler. See
.
To access this page
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
For
Handler Type
, select
Generate Workitem Event Handler
.
Page Items
Item
Enabled
Name
Description
Execute
Title
Description
Select to enable this Event Handler.
Name of the Event Handler.
Description of the Event Handler.
Select one of the following:
• Once Only - This runs the Event Handler only once.
• Once per row - This runs the Event Handler once per row.
Title of the work item.
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Page Items
Item
External ID
Assigned to
Priority
Status
Category
Type
Contact
Description
External ID is provided for you to use if you have your own numbering scheme for work items.
The person who the work item is assigned to.
The priority of the work item.
The status of the work item.
The category of the work item.
The work item type.
The contact person for the work item.
None
- If
None
is selected, then the Contact Wizard will not run when
Apply
is clicked.
New
- If
New
is selected, then the Contact Wizard will run when
Apply
is clicked.
This contact
- If
This contact
is selected, then you must choose or find an existing contact. If the desired contact is a recently used contact, you can find it in the drop-down menu.
Linked NS Resource The Notification Server resource that this work item is linked to.
Comment The work item comment.
Notify Rules
Available Fields
Select any
Notify rules
that you want associated with this work item.
IMPORTANT
Notify Rules that are specified here are logged in the
HelpDesk
directory on the Notification Server. This directory is located in the following path: install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server
. The
HelpDesk
directory contains two subdirectories called BadMail and SendMail. When an Alert Manager related Notify Rule sends an e-mail, the action is logged in the SendMail directory. When an Alert Manager related Notify Rule fails, the action is logged in the BadMail directory. These directories are not automatically cleared. If you desire, you will need to periodically manually clean out their contents.
The values from the policy that you can use for replacement strings in the text of your work items.
Note
You can only use the values found in this section. If you use a value that is not found in this section, it will not be recognized. For information on adding values, see
“Adding Available Fields for Event Handlers” on page 172 .
Apply
Cancel
Click to save the changes.
Click to cancel the changes.
Adding Available Fields for Event Handlers
You can add new values in the
Available Fields
section that is found in most Event Handlers. To do so, you will need to edit the policy XML.
To add a new value in the Available Fields section
1
2
3
4
5
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
Open the desired Event Handler by clicking the Event Handler name.
Make sure this Event Handler has an Available Fields or Available Properties section.
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6
In the left pane, right-click on the policy name, then select
View XML
.
Notification Policies
7
Locate the
ActionParameter
section of the XML document. This is the section that you will need to edit.
8
9
10
Export the policy by right-clicking on the policy name in the left pane, then selecting
Export
. For
more information on exporting, see “Exporting and Importing Items or Groups” on page 271 .
Locate the policy XML that you exported and open it with an editor such as Notepad.
Edit the policy XML file.
a b c
At the top of the XML file, update the policy version:
<Version updateable=“yes”>5.5.0.42</Version>
Locate the ActionParameters tag and change it from <ActionParameters> to
<ActionParameters updateable=“yes”>.
Add the parameter you want inside the ActionParameters tag, providing the name, source, and field information.
11
12
13
Save the Policy XML file.
Import the policy by right-clicking on the server node in the left pane and selecting
Import
. For more information on importing, see
“Exporting and Importing Items or Groups” on page 271
.
Verify that the policy has been changed by right-clicking on the policy name, then selecting
View
XML
.
Notification Policy Queries
A query specifies the SQL query that is made to the Notification Server database to create the specified query criteria. The query necessary for each Notification Policy is already specified and usually does not need to be modified.
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Notification Policy Parameters
A parameter is an item you can place in your Notification Policy selection criteria that is replaced by a value at run time. There are predefined parameters that you can use, or you can create your own.
The following are the parameter types:
• Text - Replaces a variable with a text value.
• Query - Replaces a parameter with the results of a query.
• Data table - Replaces a parameter with the information in a data table.
To edit parameters, see
“Creating and Editing Parameters” on page 178 .
Notification Policy Usage
This section contains these Notification Policy tasks:
•
“Tips for Creating a Notification Policy” on page 174
•
“Using an Existing Notification Policy” on page 174
•
“Creating a Notification Policy” on page 175
•
“Creating an Event Handler” on page 175
•
“Creating and Editing Parameters” on page 178
•
“Editing Schedules” on page 180
Tips for Creating a Notification Policy
1
2
3
Create the query and test it in SQL (see
). This will be used for your
Selection Criteria
.
Select
Launch
. To test, add a simple action like running Notepad.
Select
Schedule
and set the interval to 1 minute (for testing).
4
5
Verify that the
and
Generate Report
actions work.
Set the interval (
Schedule
) to the appropriate setting.
Additionally:
• Use the last N days in the query and the interval.
• Don't use reports with prompts. They will not work in background at this time.
• For the
Condition
:
• Use
Execute action once only
for large samples.
• Use
Execute action per row
for small samples.
• Create reports that use the same “where” clause as the Notification Policy.
Using an Existing Notification Policy
To use an existing notification policy
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, select the
Enabled
check box.
4
5
Click the
Configure Event Handlers
button.
Select the
Enable
check boxes of the predefined Event Handlers you want to use.
If you need to edit an Event Handler, click on the name of the handler and make the necessary changes.
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Create new Event Handlers as needed. For details on creating an Event Handler, see
Creating a Notification Policy
To create a notification policy
1
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, right-click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
and select
New
>
Notification Policy
.
3
4
5
6
Enter a name for the new policy.
In the right pane, enter a description for the new policy and select the
Enabled
check box.
Click the
Configure Event Handlers
button.
Select the
Enable
check boxes of the predefined Event Handlers you want to use.
7
8
9
If you need to edit an Event Handler, click on the name of the handler and make the necessary changes.
Create new Event Handlers as needed. For details on creating an Event Handler, see
“Creating an Event Handler” on page 175
.
Click the
Configuration
button.
Enter a query for the policy.
Creating an Event Handler
An Event Handler specifies the action to take when a Notification Policy is run. For more
information on Event Handlers, see “Event Handlers” on page 163
.
To create an Event Handler
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane under the desired solution, select
Policies
>
Notification Policies
, then select the
Notification Policy for which you want to create an Event Handler.
3
4
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
Enter a name and description for the new handler.
5
6
Select the desired handler type, and then click
Create Handler
. The new handler will be added to the list of handlers at the top of the right pane.
Click on the new handler name.
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7
Specify the handler properties. Make sure the
Enabled
check box is selected if you want the handler enabled.
Depending on the type of Event Handler you are creating, the properties will be different. For a general description of each handler type, see
“Event Handlers” on page 163 .
The following is an example of a Send Email Event Handler.
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The following is a sample policy for SNMP Trap integration:
Notification Policies
The following is an example of a Launch Application Event Handler.
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The following is an example of a Generate Report Event Handler.
Notification Policies
8
Click
Apply
.
Note
To add parameters to an Event Handler, clone the Notification Policy, then edit the Notification
Policy XML.
Creating and Editing Parameters
A parameter defines a value that can be replaced with specified text at policy run time. For
information about parameters, see “Notification Policy Queries” on page 173 .
To create or edit a parameter
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
4
In the left pane under the desired solution, select
Policies
>
Notification Policies
, then select the
Notification Policy for which you want to create or edit parameters.
In the right pane, click
Configuration
.
Click
Next
.
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5
If you want to create a new parameter, click
New parameter
. If you want to edit a parameter, double-click on the parameter you want to edit.
6
Make changes in the dialog and click
Ok
.
The following are the fields in the dialog (depending upon the Parameter Type you choose, some of these fields do not apply and are not displayed):
•
Parameter Type
- Specifies the type of parameter: text, query, data table, or DropDown.
•
Name
- The name of the parameter.
•
Description
- Description of the parameter for documenting purposes only.
•
Prompt user for value at report execution time
- check box
•
Prompt Tag
- The tag used for the prompt.
•
Type
: none, number, string.
•
Data Table
- Data table used for the parameter.
•
SQL Query
- SQL query code.
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•
Value
- Value on which the filter is operating.
Notification Policies
7
Click
Finish
.
Editing Schedules
A schedule is used to specify when a policy is run. There are two types of schedules: standard and custom. A standard schedule is one that is available to all policies to use. Using a standard schedule saves you the work of defining a custom schedule for a policy. Whenever the standard schedule is changed, all policies that use that schedule will use the new schedule. Each custom schedule is used by a single policy.
To use a standard schedule
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane under the desired solution, select
Policies
>
Notification Policies
, then select the
Notification Policy for which you want to specify a schedule.
3
4
In the right pane, click
Set Update Schedule
. This will open the
Schedule Configuration
page.
Make sure the schedule is enabled and
Standard
is selected for
Schedule Type
.
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5
Select one of the standard schedules in the drop-down box.
Notification Policies
6
Click
Apply
.
Note
: You can see the details or modify a standard schedule by clicking on the
Manage shared schedule
link. Any changes made to a standard affect all policies that use that schedule.
To use a custom schedule
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane under the desired solution, select
Policies
>
Notification Policies
, then select the
Notification Policy for which you want to specify a schedule.
3
4
In the right pane, click
Set Update Schedule
. This will open the
Schedule Configuration
page.
Make sure the schedule is enabled and the
Custom
option is selected.
5
Click
Edit schedule
.
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6
Click
New
and define your schedule.
Notification Policies
7
Click
OK
.
Custom Policies
Custom policies are easy to create using simple Microsoft tools. Because Notification Policies run straight SQL queries, it is possible to use Microsoft Access or MS Query to assist in creating queries for custom policies. If you are familiar with SQL statements, skip the section
and go to “Creating a Web Report” on page 187 .
IMPORTANT
The queries that you develop for custom queries must be SQL 92 compliant.
Notification Server accesses the databases using ODBC drivers. If your query runs in an ODBC based query tool such as Microsoft Query then the query should run in Notification Server. Note that the Query Analyzer tool that comes with SQL Server 7.0 doesn't use ODBC. As a result, there are some queries that you can run in Query Analyzer that are not syntactically compatible with ODBC and the SQL 92 standard.
Create the SQL Statement
The following example will demonstrate how to create a simple query with Microsoft Query
(Msqry32.exe).
1
Connect to the target SQL database.
a
Click
File
>
New
.
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b
Select
<New Data Source>
and click
OK
.
Notification Policies
c
Enter the name that you want to give your data source. Select the
SQL Driver
and then click
Connect
.
d
Select the
SQL Server
from the
Database
drop-down list box and enter the Login ID and
Password. Click
Options
and set the Database to your SMS database (generally SMS_<Site
Code>). Click
OK
when ready. Click
OK
again to Create New Data Source.
2
Select the tables and columns that you want in your query.
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For this example, we want to get operating system information (OS, Version, SP, and the
Windows directory). The name and domain name are also required.
a b
From the Operating_System_DATA table, select the columns Caption0, Version0,
WindowsDirectory0, and CSDVersion0.
From the System_DATA table, select the columns Name0 and Domain0. Click
Next
.
c
If you wish to filter the data, you can do so here. Click
Next
.
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d
If you wish to sort the data, you can do so here. Click
Finish.
Notification Policies
e
Double-click on the line joining InstanceKey in both tables.
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f
From the Joins in Query, select INNERJOIN on InstanceKey and click
Remove
>
Close
.
3
After the query runs, copy the SQL statement.
a
Click on the SQL button in the button bar.
b c
Select the SQL statement script and copy it to the clip board (CTRL+C).
Paste into the new Notification Policy SQL query window.
Note
To make this SQL statement usable on other databases, delete the database name (in the example above “SMS_SVY”) that precedes “.dbo” in the statement.
Strings in the SQL query statement need to be in single quotes. Therefore, the strings
“c1%.pkg” and “ddm2429” need to be written 'c1%.pkg' and 'ddm2429', as seen in the example below. See the following example query statement:
SELECT DISTINCT System_DATA.Name0,
Count(vUnknownFile.FileName) AS
CountOfFileName
FROM vUnknownFile INNER JOIN System_DATA ON vUnknownFile.ClientId =
System_DATA.MachineID
WHERE (((vUnknownFile.FileName) Like “c1%.pkg”))
GROUP BY System_DATA.Name0, System_DATA.Name0
HAVING (((System_DATA.Name0)<>”ddm2429”) AND
((Count(vUnknownFile.FileName))>1))
ORDER BY Count(vUnknownFile.FileName) DESC,
System_DATA.Name0;
You may get the following error:
Failed to generate the report. Error fetching report data.
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Check your report criteria and filter values using the Configuration page.
The Notification Server error log ( http://
NSName
/nfysvr/celogview.asp
) may report a message similar to the following:
Error executing (sql suppressed) [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server
Driver][SQL Server]Invalid column name 'c1%.pkg'
Creating a Web Report
See
“Creating Custom Web Reports” on page 226
for information on how to create a Web report.
NS Client Settings Policies
Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution comes with an NS Client Settings policy, called Client
Settings. This can be found by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Configuration
>
Client Settings
. For more information, see
Configuration Page” on page 130 .
To create your own NS Client Settings policy
1
Right-click on
NS Client Configuration
, then select
New
>
NS Client Settings Policy
.
2
3
In the right pane, enter the name for your policy.
Enter a description for your policy.
4
5
6
Select whether or not you want your policy to be enabled.
Select the desired collection from the
Applies to all machines in collection
drop-down list.
IMPORTANT
If you have more than one NS Client Settings policy for different collections, and if a computer is a member of both collections, you will get indeterminate results in terms of which policy will take precedence. You need to choose an appropriate collection from this dropdown list so that each NS Client computer will only get one NS Client Settings policy.
You can now click the
Configure the Win32 Client
link to change the settings that control the behavior of the NS Client software.
Inventory Forwarding
If you have more than one Notification Server on your network, you can forward inventory information from one Notification Server to other Notification Servers.
When a Notification Server is set up to forward information and receives an inventory Notification
Server event message, the Notification Server inserts its Site Code, if necessary, and then uses the
Client Transport to send the Notification Server event message to the target Notification Servers.
Thus, the entire inventory message and all inventory Notification Server events received are forwarded.
Notification Server uses a store and forward method for sending messages. This means that if the
Notification Server is connected to the target Notification Servers, the messages are sent immediately. If the Notification Servers are not connected, the messages are queued (on disk) and are sent automatically when the connection resumes. After messages are forwarded, they are not resent again at a later time as part of a resynchronization procedure. The default Inventory Solution policies re-send all inventory once a month.
To forward inventory information
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, click on
Inventory Forwarding
. This opens the
Inventory Forwarding
configuration page. This page requires that you specify a
Site Code
for this Notification Server. The site code is attached to the inventory when it is forwarded to another Notification Server and is recorded in the
Wrksta
table in the [Site Code] column in the Notification Server database.
Specify which of the currently configured Notification Servers to which you want to forward inventory. You can also add a new Notification Server here. Adding a new Notification Server
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To stop forwarding information to a certain Notification Server, just clear the associated check box for that Notification Server.
Note
You can use the policies in Inventory Solution to allow the full inventory to be sent to your target Notification Server. See “Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data” in the Altiris
Inventory Solution User Guide.
Note
An
Inventory Forwarding Status
report is available which lists the destination Notification
Server which is receiving forwarded inventory and the last time the inventory was sent. See
Inventory Forwarding and Data Forwarding to
SMS
Within Notification Server, there are two forms of Inventory Forwarding: Inventory Forwarding to another Notification Server and Inventory Forwarding to SMS. These operate separately from each other, but can both be set up on the same computer (although this is not recommended).
With Inventory Forwarding, one Notification Server computer would be receiving inventory that has been forwarded from one or many other Notification Server computers. This computer (being the top of the tree) could then forward all inventory data to SMS, if you are forwarding data to an SMS server.
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Some items to keep in mind when forwarding data
• To set up Inventory Forwarding to another Notification Server, go to
Configuration
>
Inventory
Forwarding
in the Web Administrator Console. If the computer you are forwarding inventory to does not have SMS, you do not need to set up anything about SMS. If at a later time you wish to do Data Forwarding to SMS to either another computer or to the same computer (if you have installed SMS on the local computer) then go to the
Configuration
>
SMS Data Forwarding
>
Data
Forwarding to SMS (Optional)
section in the Web Administration Console and enter the necessary information.
• If you have Inventory Forwarding to another Notification Server and/or Data Forwarding to SMS set up on a computer and you no longer want to forward to either a Notification Server or SMS, then all you need to do is remove the settings for the one you want to remove. If you remove the
Notification Server or SMS from the destination computer (either a remote computer, or in the case of SMS, possibly the same computer as the Notification Server) and the Notification Server is still set up to forward data, you will end up with errors on the sending Notification Server computer concerning an inability to forward data. You should always remove the Inventory
Forwarding to another Notification Server or Data Forwarding to SMS settings first.
Inventory History
Notification Server lets you back up and purge the history for each inventory class through use of
Inventory History. You configure Inventory History by accessing the
Configuration
tab in the Web
Administration Console (see
“Inventory History” on page 75
).
Note
Inventory History is only enabled when the Asset Control Solution is installed.
Inventory History copies all inventory data, not just the changes to history.
IMPORTANT
It is not recommended that you keep history for the
AeX SW Audit Software
inventory table. This table has a large number of rows per NS Client. Suppose you have 10,000 NS Clients reporting inventory to the Notification Server database with an average of 100 rows of software being reported. This would cause 1 million rows to be added to the history table for any given snapshot of history. Depending on how many snapshots of history you maintain, the table may become so large that querying for data from the table will simply take too long to be useful. You should use the Special Groups feature of the Software Audit Agent in Inventory Solution to define only those software programs for which you want to maintain history to avoid this issue in large databases. See the Inventory Solution User Guide for additional details.
You can view history information in Resource Explorer. See
“Resource Explorer Interface” on page 255
.
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Using Package Servers
Package Servers let you distribute your Software Delivery packages to different computers on your network where NS Clients can download the packages. Distributing packages reduces the load on the Notification Server and reduces network traffic, since the NS Client accesses the closest Package
Server to it for downloads.
Note
You can select Package Servers without having SW Delivery Solution installed. However, to utilize the full functionality of Package Servers, you need to have SW Delivery Solution installed.
See
“Using Package Servers Without SW Delivery Solution” on page 195 .
Package Servers are managed by the Notification Server and allow the balancing of the load of package downloads to NS Clients. The Notification Server maintains a list of computers designated as Package Servers. Each Software Delivery package can be specified as being available on one or more of these Package Servers. The package will then be replicated to the specified Package Servers.
The NS Clients will then be able to download packages from the closest available Package Server.
For information on how to specify an NS Client as a Package Server, see
.
You can create any number of Package Servers as you want (up to the number of NS Clients you have). It is recommended that you have at least one Package Server in each location of your company.
In order for a computer to be designated as a Package Server, the computer must be running the following software:
• Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
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• NS Client - The NS Client must be loaded on the computer in order for it to be designated as a
Package Server. Just being a “Discovered Machine” is not enough.
• IIS is optional but highly recommended
Using IIS
Without IIS, NS Clients will not be able to access package files using HTTP. However, NS Clients can still be used to place files onto a known share (location), such as a local directory or using an existing UNC, for other purposes (Deployment Server RIPS and images, for example).
Software Delivery cannot be performed using Package Servers without IIS being installed on them.
The NS Client can only receive the package download URL from a Package Server with IIS installed on it. The IIS service on the Package Server maps virtual directories to the package location on the
Package Server, allowing the package to be accessed using a URL.
The NS Client does not know whether the package is on a Package Server or on the Notification
Server. It is only given a URL telling it where to access and download the package. See
Servers and the NS Client” on page 198 .
Note
If you configure IIS after the Package Server agent is installed, you will need to enable IIS logging by doing the following:
1
2
3
4
5
On Windows 2000, start the Internet Services Manager.
Right-click on Default Web Site and select
Properties
.
In the Web Site tab, click the
Properties
button.
Click the
Extended Properties
tab.
Enable the following:
• Date
• Time
• Client IP Address
• URI Stem
• Bytes Sent
• Bytes Received
• Time Taken
Note
Windows NT 4.0 computers can be configured for IIS logging. However, a Windows NT 4.0
Package Server cannot send up IIS logging events. This is because the component that reads the IIS logging events is not part of the IIS that is installed with Windows NT 4.0.
How Package Servers are chosen
When an NS Client downloads a package, it considers the Notification Server where the package was created and the list of Package Servers for that package as sources from which it can download the package. The source selected is based on the subnet of the source (the NS Client looks for the closest source) and the line speed between it and the source according to the following algorithm:
1
2
If there is only one Package Server on the same subnet as the NS Client, it is chosen.
If there are multiple Package Servers on the same subnet or none on the same subnet, then the NS Client will perform a throughput check. It randomly checks a few Package Servers
(approximately four) and chooses the fastest from the sample. It checks by pinging the randomly chosen Package Servers with a small and a large packet. The small packet identifies latency and the large packet identifies throughput.
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Package Server Agent Rollout
The Package Server agent handles the downloading of packages between the Notification Server and the NS Client. When NS Client computers are selected as Package Servers on the Package Server configuration page, the Package Server agent is downloaded and installed on the designated Package
Server. The Notification Server uses the
Package Server Agent Upgrade
policy to deliver the Package
Server agent to the designated Package Servers (see
“Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs” on page 102
).
The following describes the process of adding and using Package Servers
1
2
3
4
5
Specify one or more NS Clients as Package Servers. See
“Package Servers” on page 82 .
The Notification Server rolls out the Package Server agent to the specified Package Servers
(using the
Package Server Agent Upgrade
policy). See “Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs” on page 102 .
When the Package Server agent gets installed, it creates a virtual directory called http:// localhost/AeXPS/
{GUID}, where GUID is the package GUID. This virtual directory is where packages can be downloaded from the Notification Server.
You create or edit a package on the Notification Server and specify which Package Servers to send the package to. You can choose to select all Package Servers or select the desired Package
Servers from the list of all Package Servers. If you choose to select all Package Servers, when new Package Servers get added they are automatically added to the list of Package Servers for that package. See
“Package Properties Page” on page 109 .
Note
You need to have SW Delivery Solution installed in order to create packages.
The Package Server agent wakes up on a schedule (every 10 minutes) and requests package information (using an NS Client Settings policies request) from the Notification Server.
The Package Server agent uses NS Client Settings policies to identify which packages it needs to either download for the first time or update (it checks to see if its GUID is in the list of Package
Servers in the NS Client Settings policy). It then downloads the necessary files of each package.
The Package Server agent downloads the packages from either the Notification Server (if chosen as a Package Server) or another Package Server that has the updated files, whichever is closest.
The Package Server agent (if IIS is installed) manages the virtual directories (the location of the package files on the network). It makes sure that the packages on the Package Server are synchronized with the packages on the Notification Server.
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6
7
When the Package Server agent receives the NS Client Settings policies and processes them, it disables the virtual directory and updates the files. When it is finished updating the files in the package, it re-enables the virtual directory.
If IIS is not installed, the Package Server agent verifies that the package files are synchronized.
If not, it downloads the files. However, it will not be able to download them by the AeXPS virtual directory (HTTP). If they need to be downloaded, they will need to be downloaded to a known share (directory).
The Package Server agent sends back an event to the Notification Server saying it has the latest package and is ready to deploy it to requesting NS Clients.
The Notification Server now knows that the Package Server has the package and is ready to deploy it to NS Clients.
The Notification Server always knows which Package Servers have downloaded a particular package. Every time an NS Client requests details about an advertisement that has the corresponding package, the Notification Server tells the NS Client which Package Servers in the environment has the package ready for download. This way, the NS Client only asks for a package from Package Servers that actually have the package downloaded.
The NS Client will not receive an advertisement for the package until the package is ready to be sent by one or more Package Servers. After the package is ready to be sent by a Package Server, then the next time the NS Client requests its NS Client Settings policies, it receives the advertisement that applies to the package.
8
9
After the NS Client receives the advertisement, it chooses the Package Server that will download the applicable package fastest. Then, if it determines that the advertisement is either ASAP or has a scheduled run time, it downloads the package from the Package Server.
If you have set up Notification Server to get packages from an SMS Distribution Point (in
Configuration
>
SMS Software Delivery
>
SMS Distribution Point
), Notification Server points to an
SMS Distribution Point to download the SMS packages from. SMS packages can be viewed in the
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Packages
tree under the
Solutions
tab. Click on the package name to select Package Servers for this SMS package. After you select Package Servers for that package and click the
Apply
button, the next time the selected Package Servers request NS Client
Settings policies, they will download the package from the SMS Distribution Point. The
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Notification Server just points to the SMS package on the SMS server, it does not store the SMS package itself.
Note
If you create a package, the NS Clients will not know about it until it is attached to an advertisement. However, with Package Servers, as soon as the package has been created, the next time an assigned Package Server requests NS Client Settings policies, the package will be downloaded to it. Package Servers do not need an advertisement in order to download a package.
Troubleshooting
If packages are not getting delivered to the specified Package Servers, try the following:
• Check to see if the packages are getting sent to a share that exists. The Package Server agent will not create a share. If the share does not exist, the package delivery fails.
• If there is an error with the package delivery, view the Package Servers tab on the NS Client. See
“Package Server Tab” on page 208 .
Package Server Agent Directories
The Package Server agent creates two subdirectories in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server\NS CLIENT
directory on the Package Server:
Package
Delivery
and
Package Server Agent
.
• The
Package Delivery
directory contains packages that have been downloaded from the
Notification Server or another Package Server. Each package is in a directory named after the package GUID. The contents of the GUID directory are:
• cache - This directory contains the package files.
• log.xml - This file contains a record of the package downloads (start time, end time, source, transfer rates, history of downloads, etc.).
• package.xml - This file contains package information including the list of available Package
Servers to download packages from.
• snapshot.xml - This file contains a snapshot of the package (file names, size, last modified time). This snapshot information is used by the Package Server agent to determine if the package is up-to-date. Only files that have changed will be downloaded. Periodically, the
Package Server agent accesses the http://localhost/AeXPS/
GetPackageSnapshot.asp
page. This page generates a new snapshot.xml
file.
The Package Delivery agent then compares the new snapshot.xml
file with the one it has.
This is how it knows what package files to download.
• The
Package Server Agent
directory contains the files necessary for running the Package
Server agent.
When you configure a package, you can specify where that package will be located on the Package
Server. The default location is in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\
Notification Server\NS CLIENT\Package Delivery\{
GUID
}\cache
directory.
If you specify a different package location on the Package Server, the cache directory will be located at the location you specify. However, the log.xml
, package.xml
, and snapshot.xml
files will still be located in the GUID directory.
For example
Suppose when you create a package that you specify
C:\Package
as the package location on the
Package Server. The package information will then be on the Package Server as follows:
•
C:\Package\cache
- This directory contains the package files.
• install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NS CLIENT
\Package Delivery\{
GUID
}
- The log.xml
, package.xml
, and snapshot.xml
files are always found in this directory.
See Also
•
“Package Properties Page” on page 109
•
“Selecting a Different Package Destination Location on your Package Servers” on page 195
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Package Server Agent Events
There are three types of events that get sent from the Package Server agent to the Notification Server:
1
2
If IIS is installed, the Package Server agent sends up IIS logs which indicates how many
NS Clients have been downloading packages from the Package Server. This is sent once per day.
Note
These IIS logs do not get sent by Windows NT 4.0 Package Servers.
The Package Server sends the status of the packages that are on the Package Server. There are two types of these events:
a b
An event that gets put into the table. This event lists packages that are on the Package Server and the status of those packages.
An event that goes into the Event Logs. These events are sent as they happen.
Deleting the Package Server Agent
There is a policy that can be used for deleting the Package Server agent. It can be accessed on the
Web Administration Console by clicking on the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
Package Server Agent Rollout Jobs
>
Package Server Agent Uninstall
.
This policy, by default, uninstalls the Package Server agent from all Package Servers. However, you can set up a collection to include a subset of Package Servers and apply it to this policy.
Using Package Servers Without SW Delivery
Solution
If you have set up Notification Server to use Package Servers, but do not have SW Delivery Solution installed, the following will happen.
• The Package Server agent will get rolled out to the designated Package Servers.
• The NS Client package will get rolled out to the designated Package Servers.
• Any solution provided packages will get rolled out to the designated Package Servers.
SW Delivery Solution lets you use the full functionality of Package Servers. Without SW Delivery
Solution, you will not be able to define new packages.
Using Package Servers to Send Files Over the
Network
You can use Package Servers to send any existing packages over the network, not just Software
Delivery packages. (If you need to create new packages, then SW Delivery Solution is needed). To do this, create a package as you normally would, specifying one or more Package Servers as the delivery mechanism. Packages get sent to the Package Servers when they (packages) are created.
They do not wait until advertisements are created.
This is a powerful tool that will let you replicate any files and packages throughout your network.
For example, every Deployment Server has a share directory called eXpress. You can maintain a library of rips and images and use Package Servers to deploy and replicate these packages throughout your network to this eXpress directory. See the Deployment Server User Guide documentation for more information.
Selecting a Different Package Destination
Location on your Package Servers
When you configure a package, you can choose where to place the package on the Package Server
if you do not want to use the default location (see “Package Properties Page” on page 109 ).
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Note
When the storage location for a package is changed from the default location to a custom location, the Package Server will first move the files from the old location to the new location, delete the old location, and then check if anything needs to be downloaded.
Note
When files are removed from a package, the Package Server will delete them the next time it refreshes the package. However, removed files will not be deleted if the package has a custom location. They are not deleted because it cannot be determined if files located at a custom location are part of the package. For example, several packages could be set up to have the same destination or the custom location could contain user files.
In the location field, you can specify a directory path or you can use system environment variables found on the Package Server.
For example, the following are valid paths:
• c:\share
• f:\
• \\%COMPUTERNAME%\share
• \\%COMPUTERNAME%\eXpress
On every Deployment Server, there is a share directory named eXpress. So, if you want to replicate images to many Deployment Servers, you can use \\%COMPUTERNAME%\eXpress in the location field.
Deleting Packages from Package Servers
After packages have been created and replicated to Package Servers, you can delete them from either the Notificition Server or one or more Package Servers.
• If you want to keep a package on the Notification Server, but you want to remove it from one or more Package Servers, do the following:
1
2
From the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, navigate to the package you want to delete from the Package Server(s).
3
4
5
Click on the package name.
In the right pane, click
Package Servers
.
Clear the check box that is associated with the Package Server(s) that you no longer want to receive the package.
Note
If you have selected
Select all package servers (recommended)
, you will need to clear this and select all desired Package Servers from the Package Server list.
6
Click
Apply
.
• If you want to delete a package from the Notification Server, do the following:
1
2
From the Web Administration Console, click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, navigate to the package you want to delete.
3
Right-click the package name, then select
Delete
.
Note
If you delete a package that was attached to an advertisement, the advertisement will no longer function properly until it has a package re-attached to it.
Note
Deleting packages from Notification Server works the same whether or not you use
Package Servers.
Packages that are removed from a Notification Server or Package Server will:
• Be removed from the user interface of the NS Client (if they are removed from the Notification
Server or from all Package Servers). This prevents NS Client computer users from trying to perform actions on a deleted package. The virtual directory to the package is also deleted.
• Be stored for 7 days on the Package Server even after they are deleted from the Notification
Server. This is in case the package is re-enabled. After 7 days, if the package has not been re-
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Note
Deleting packages from Notification Server works the same whether or not you use Package
Servers. If you are not using Package Servers and remove packages from Notification Server, they will not be available to the NS Client computer users. However, the package files will be left on the
NS Client computer for 7 days.
Getting Status on Package Servers
There are several reports that let you get status on your Package Servers. To access these reports, in the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab, then select
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
>
Package Server Status
.
These reports are:
• Package Distribution Data Transfer Efficiency - Reports on the efficiency of package downloads.
• Package summary - Reports on the size and version of a package and how many servers they reside in.
• Recovered Packages - Lists recovered packages.
• Server Download by Package - Lists the server, package, and event type by package.
• Server load summary - Lists the top N most accessed servers.
• Server summary - Gives a summary of each Package Server, the packages hosted, the status, and disk space used.
• Servers With Recovered Events - Reports on servers with recovered events.
Note
You can drill down on these reports to see detailed data such as where the Package Server is installed.
Disk Space Planning
The Package Server gets installed on the same drive as the NS Client. If you want the Package Server to be installed on a different drive, you will need to install the NS Client on that drive. When you install the NS Client, you can choose where it is to be installed (see
“Client Installation” on page 67
.)
When you create a package, you can choose to download it to the default directory or specify your own directory. For more information, see
“Package Properties Page” on page 109
.
Recovering and Replacing Files
If a package is being downloaded on a Package Server, and the downloading fails, the process will restart and continue until completed. If a package is being updated, only the files that have changed will be downloaded.
Viewing Package Information on the NS Client
Package Server package information can be viewed on the NS Client. See
“Package Server Tab” on page 208
.
You can view information on all installed NS Clients on your computer, including Package Servers, by viewing the
AeX AC Client Agent
Inventory Agent. This can be viewed in the Resource Explorer by clicking the
Inventory
tab (see
“Resource Explorer” on page 255 ).
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Package Servers and the NS Client
The NS Client has no concept of Package Servers. The NS Client receives advertisements when it performs an NS Client Settings policy request. These NS
Client Settings policies also include the available Package Server information in the form of URL code bases (the package location). The NS Client only knows that it has choices of where to download the package. It does not differentiate whether the package is coming from a Package Server or the Notification Server (or even any other location). If there is more than one code base to choose from, the NS Client chooses the best one and downloads the package. This provides for seamless package delivery.
You have the flexibility of adding and removing Package Servers as your needs warrant.
For information on how packages get updated, see “Software Delivery” on page 198 .
Package Download Retry
Each successive failure of a package to download doubles the amount of time before another attempt to download the package is made, until a maximum back off time is reached (by default two hours).
The NS Client retries according to the following pattern until the package is sent:\
1st Retry
2nd Retry
3rd Retry
4th Retry
5th Retry
6th Retry
7th Retry nth Retry
2 minutes
4 minutes
8 minutes
16 minutes
32 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
2 hours
Software Delivery
Notification Server contains components that let you deliver software packages to your
NS Clients. The Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution comes with packages and advertisements that you can use that take advantage of these Software Delivery components. If you want to create your own packages and policies, you will need to purchase SW Delivery Solution. For more information about SW Delivery Solution, see the Altiris SW Delivery Solution User Guide.
The Software Delivery components work by utilizing packages, programs, and advertisements. A package can contain one or more programs. An advertisement is linked to one package and one program from that package. An advertisement is a policy, and therefore can be downloaded to all NS Clients in the collection it applies to. When the NS Client receives an advertisement, it downloads the package and runs the program based on its schedule.
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Package Updates
After files in Software Delivery packages are created, they are updated as needed. The following describes the interaction between Notification Server and the NS Client when this happens.
1
2
Software Delivery packages have a schedule for updating. At the scheduled time, the
Notification Server recreates the package snapshot, sees if it is different at all (added, updated,
or removed) and, if different at all, it replaces the current snapshot. See “Package Snapshot
.
Note
This schedule is set in the Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution by clicking
Policies
>
Standard NS Schedules
>
Package Refresh Schedule
.
If package files have been added, updated, or removed, the Notification Server updates the distribution point (the location where the package is stored and accessed by the NS Client).
The distribution point can be either one of these:
a b
The Notification Server, in which case the distribution point is manually updated with files by the customer.
A Package Server, which will be updated when the Package Server agent requests a configuration. This works the same as for NS Clients.
3
4
The NS Client then updates the package files after it has received its NS Client Settings Policies from the Notification Server. The new snapshot does not affect the NS Client until the NS Client has received its NS Client Settings Policies.
When the NS Client next receives the NS Client Settings Policies, it checks for any updates to the package. It does not check for updates until it receives its NS Client Settings policies. If there have been any updates (added, changed, or deleted files), it implements the changes.
Note
To immediately update the package after the contents have changed, click the
Update
Distribution Point
button on the Package Properties page, then in the NS Client interface in the
Configuration
tab, click
Update Configuration
.
See Also
•
•
“Package Properties Page” on page 109
•
“Advertisement Properties Page” on page 123
•
•
SMS Distribution Points
If you run Microsoft SMS in your environment, you can get SMS packages from SMS using an SMS
Distribution Point (see
“Software Delivery” on page 87 ).
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If you select
Software Delivery Events
in the SMS Software Delivery Synchronization section on the
SMS Software Delivery page (see
“Software Delivery” on page 87 ), events generated from the SMS
Software Delivery data will be sent back to the SMS Distribution Point.
The following information may be helpful when you set up Notification Server to use SMS
Distribution Points.
Note
You must have SW Delivery Solution installed in order to set up Notification Server to use
SMS packages.
Note
The sections titled
SMS Help
(found below) come directly from Microsoft SMS documentation found on the Microsoft Web site. See the Microsoft Web site for the complete SMS documentation.
SMS Help
“SMS uses distribution points to store the files needed to distribute programs to clients.
To run advertised programs that require files that do not reside on the local computer, clients must have access to at least one distribution point. Therefore, you should specify for each package a group of distribution points that can be accessed by all targeted clients. If the target clients use different network operating systems, specify a group of distribution points that allow network access for all targeted clients. For example, if the target collections contain both Windows NT and NetWare clients, the package must be distributed to both Windows NT and NetWare distribution points.”
SMS distribution points can be one of the following:
• Windows NT server
• Windows NT share
• NetWare Volume
For every SMS package containing source files that Notification Server uses, a virtual directory is created in the Notification Server so NS Clients will be able to download the package files. A virtual directory is a pointer to the SMS distribution point containing the source files. Notification Server creates virtual directories automatically based on the information it receives of how SMS stores its distribution points.
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When creating a new SMS package, the
Package Property
dialog >
Data Access
tab is used to specify where SMS stores the package on the distribution point. There are two options.
1
2
The default option is
Access distribution point folder through common SMS package share
: “Users will access the package through the common SMS package share (SMSPKGx$, where x is the drive letter) on distribution points.”
a
If ‘Window NT Server’ was selected as a distribution point, SMS creates an SMSPKGx$ folder (where x is the drive letter) and manages the folder automatically. For each package with source files, SMS creates a subfolder named with the Package ID. (For example:
C:\SMSPKGC$\LAB00001)
b
If 'Window NT Share' was selected as a distribution point, SMS creates an SMSPKG folder and manages the folder automatically. For each package with source files, SMS creates a subfolder named with the Package ID. (For example: for a ‘Window NT
Share’=\\Server1\ShareDir and a package with an ID of LAB00001, the following folder is created \\Server1\ShareDir\SMSPKG\LAB00001)
The second option is
Share Distribution folder
: “The package will be created on distribution points with an administrator-specified share (and path name).”
The Share name can be entered as one of the following:
• As a share only (For example: sdf): “all files and subdirectories within that share will be deleted and re-created each time the package is updated or refreshed.”
• As a share name and as a path (For example: sdf\testPkg): “will be deleted and re-created each time the package is updated or refreshed.”
If ‘Window NT Server’ was selected as a distribution point and the ‘Share Distribution folder’ was set to sdf\testPkg, SMS creates a distribution point under the same default drive letter. (For example: C:\sdf\testPkg)
If ‘Window NT Share’ was selected as a distribution point and the ‘Share Distribution folder’ was set to sdf\testPkg, SMS creates a distribution point under the shared folder. (For example: for a Window NT Share=\\Server1\ShareDir and if the distribution folder was set to sdf\testPkg, the following folder is created \\Server1\ShareDir\sdf\testPkg)
SMS Help
“To control which drive either the default or custom package folder is created on, assign the distribution point role to a Windows NT share rather than a computer running Windows NT
Server. For distribution points on Windows NT shares, if a share name is entered for a package, it is treated as a path beneath the distribution point share (\\MyServer\MyShare).”
When setting up Notification Server to use SMS distribution points, keep the following in mind.
• All types of SMS distribution points are supported.
• The drop down list of the ‘SMS Distribution Point’ in the SMS Software Delivery configuration page, displays the distribution point type (Server/Share) next to the distribution point name (see
“Software Delivery” on page 87 ).
• There is no need for FTP to be installed. A Warning will be logged if a virtual directory can’t be created within the FTP.
• The following table describes the virtual directories the Notification Server creates to support all types of distribution points, so the NS Client will be able to download the source files.
DP
Type
1.1
1.1
1.2
SMS Package
Location
\\Server1\SMSPKG
C$\LAB00001
\\Server1\SMSPKG
C$\LAB00002
\\Server1\ShareDir\S
MSPKGC$\LAB000
01
Virtual Directory
Name
Virtual Directory
Local Path
Code Base URL
NSSWD_SMSPKGC$ \\Server1\SMSPKGC$ //Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/NSSWD_SMSPKGC$/
LAB00001
NSSWD_SMSPKGC$ \\Server1\SMSPKGC$ //Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/NSSWD_SMSPKGC$/
LAB00002
NSSWD_ShareDir \\Server1\ShareDir //Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/NSSWD_ShareDir/
SMSPKG/LAB00001
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1.2
2.1
2.2
\\Server1\ShareDir\S
MSPKGC$\LAB000
02
\\Server1\sdf\testPkg NSSWD_sdf
\\Server1\ShareDir\s df\testPkg
NSSWD_ShareDir
NSSWD_ShareDir
\\Server1\ShareDir
\\Server1\sdf
\\Server1\ShareDir
//Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/NSSWD_ShareDir/
SMSPKG/LAB00002
//Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/NSSWD_SMSPKG_sdf/ testPkg
//Server1.lab1.DemoCorp.com/
AeXNS/
NSSWD_SMSPKG_ShareDir/sdf/ testPkg
Notes
• When deleting a Software Delivery package, the package does not clean itself from the
SWDPackageCodebase table.
• The Notification Server does not delete any of the created virtual directories, even if none of the
Software Delivery packages use the virtual directory.
Using NS Client
The Notification Server Client (NS Client) retrieves Client Settings policy requests, downloads files from the Notification Server, and posts status feedback information and settings to the Notification
Server. The NS Client interface lets the end user view advertisements for programs that can be installed onto a local computer. It also lets the end user view basic configuration settings about the
NS Client.
The administrator defines the programs (stored in packages) that can be installed on each NS Client computer. Software Delivery packages are generally software installation programs that can perform actions such as installing new applications, updating the operating system components, updating virus definition files, and so forth.
When new optional software packages are sent to the NS Client by the administrator, a popup notification is received (if not running in silent mode). From this popup notification, the end user can view the properties of the package (and subsequently execute it), dismiss the popup, or postpone the reminder for some time period.
Note
If a user runs an advertisement job that has been scheduled “once” using the popup, this advertisement job will not be run again at the scheduled time. If the administrator has set a recurring scheduled advertisement job, then it will run at the scheduled time regardless of whether the user has executed it already.
Note
On startup, the NS Client detects if the Deployment Server Aclient (version 5.5 and above) is installed on the computer. If it is, then the NS Client icon will not be shown in the system tray.
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Data Flow for a Newly Installed NS Client
After the NS Client is installed, it does the following:
1
It asks for and gets a Global Unique Identifier (GUID) from the Notification Server that it was installed from.
The NS Client requests a MachineGuid from the Notification Server using the
CreateResource.asp
page. It gives its name and domain to the Notification Server. The
Notification Server then generates the MachineGuid and gives it to the NS Client. The NS Client places its MachineGuid in its registry at
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS
Client
. This is used by Notification Server as a unique identifier for the NS Client computer.
2
The NS Client generates and sends the computer’s basic inventory to the Notification Server.
Basic inventory contains basic identification information of the NS Client computer, such as the
IP address, computer name and domain, operating system, etc.
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When the Notification Server next runs its Collection Update (see “Other Settings” on page 91
), it places the NS Client in one or more collections based on the information in the basic inventory
(such as whether it is a Windows or UNIX computer, etc.). The Notification Server cannot send
the NS Client any policies until it is in a collection. See “Collections” on page 101
.
3
Note
Out of the box, the NS Client sends basic inventory every 1 day. This can be changed in the Client Settings policy configuration. See
“Client Settings Configuration Page” on page 130 .
The NS Client asks the Notification Server for its NS Client Settings policies.
It does this by running the
GetClientPolicies.asp
page from the Notification Server.
Every 15 minutes, initially, the NS Client requests the latest NS Client Settings policies from the
Notification Server. The Notification Server evaluates all of its policies and sends only the policies to the NS Client that apply to the collection that the NS Client is in. The NS Client
Settings policies contain instructions for the NS Client such as the schedules for downloading packages and sending back basic inventory. To see the NS Client Settings policies that the
NS Client has received, look in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server\NS Client
\
Client Policies
directory on the NS Client computer. Look in the file named for your Notification Server to make sure the NS Client is receiving the correct configuration changes.
4
Note
A Client Settings policy is provided out-of-the-box by Notification Server for your Win32
NS Client computers (see
“Client Settings Configuration Page” on page 130
). It is recommended that you leave the settings in this policy as-is until you have set up a test environment and become familiar with Notification Server. Then you can adjust the settings for your enterprise.
The NS Client sends events to the Notification Server. These events are generated either when policies send information back to the Notification Server or when inventory needs to be sent to the Notification Server.
On the Notification Server, there is a file in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server
directory called
PostEvent.asp
, which is the entry point for sending and posting events from the NS Client.
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The events that get sent from the NS Client can be viewed in Resource Explorer in the
Event
tab.
See
“Resource Explorer” on page 255
.
Note
The Client Settings policy that comes out-of-the-box with Notification Server applies to all computers in the ‘All Windows Machines’ collection. When the NS Client sends basic inventory, and it is a Windows computer, it gets placed in the ‘All Windows Machines’ collection. If you want
NS Client Settings policies to be applied to computers that are not in the ‘All Windows Machines’ collection, such as ‘All Unix Machines’, you need to create a ‘All Unix Machines’ collection, then create a new NS Client Settings policy and apply it to that collection. You can also do this by cloning
).
The NS Client can request its NS Client Settings policies before it sends its basic inventory. (This could happen if an NS Client was moved from one Notification Server to another Notification
Server.) If the Notification Server receives a request for NS Client Settings policies from an unknown NS Client, it creates a computer resource for that NS Client and places the NS Client in the “All Machines” collection. However, the Notification Server will not send NS Client Settings policies to the NS Client until it receives the basic inventory from it.
Data Flow Troubleshooting Example
The NS Client requests NS Client Settings policies by running the
GetClientPolicies.asp
page (which is the entry point for NS Client Settings policies) with this MachineGUID as the parameter:
GetClientPolicies.asp?{60418A85-577E-98D3-3430F6EE66DC}
. However, the Notification Server does not return any NS Client Settings policies.
If you just installed the NS Client, it is possible that the Notification Server has not processed the basic inventory yet. If the Notification Server has not received basic inventory from the NS Client, it has not created any NS Client Settings policies for the NS Client.
The speed at which this happens depends on the NS Client Settings policies request interval and how often the basic inventory is sent.
Note
When the NS Client receives NS Client Settings policies from the Notification Server, it always caches them into the XML file found in the
Client Policies
directory. If you want to know whether the NS Client is receiving all the NS Client Settings policies you have asked it to, look at this file.
NS Client Directory Structure
The following is information regarding the NS CLIENT directory and its subdirectories found on the NS Client computer after the NS Client has been installed. This directory is found at install
path
\Altiris\eXpress\NS CLIENT
.
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•
Client Policies
- This directory contains the NS Client Settings policies that it receives from the Notification Server. The NS Client Settings policies are appended to a file named after the Notification Server that sent them.
•
Images
- This directory contains images necessary for the NS Client UI.
•
Include
- This directory contains files necessary for the NS Client UI.
•
Package Delivery
- This directory exists on all NS Clients on which the Package Server
Agent is loaded. This is where Package Server packages are stored on a Package Server. This directory contains packages that have been downloaded from the Notification Server or another
Package Server. Each package is in a directory named after the package GUID.
•
Package Server Agent
- This directory contains the files necessary for running the
Package Server agent. The Package Server agent is loaded on the NS Client computer if it has been selected to be a Package Server. For more information, see
“Package Servers” on page 82 .
•
Queue
- This directory contains the event queue used by the NS Client. Events that are generated by the NS Client are placed in a subdirectory named after the Notification Server that needs to receive the events. Events are only stored here temporarily. They are sent to the
Notification Server as soon as possible.
•
Software Delivery
- This directory contains all the Software Delivery information used by the NS Client. This is where the Software Delivery packages are stored on the NS Client computer. This directory also contains package status information.
Troubleshooting Tip
If the NS Client is not functioning correctly, check the
Client Policies and
Queue
directories to make sure policies and events are getting processed correctly.
NS Client Interface
This section describes the NS Client interface. To start the NS Client, do one of the following:
• Click
Start
>
Programs
>
Altiris
>
Altiris eXpress
>
Notification Server
>
NS Client
.
• Open install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NS CLIENT
\AeXSWDUsrUIWin.exe
.
• Click on the NS Client icon in the system tray.
Configuration Tab
The Configuration page shows the NS Client computer GUID and the version of the NS Client.
Show client in the system tray - Select this to place an icon in the system tray that the end user can use to access the NS Client. Changes do not take effect until the end user restarts the computer.
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Hide Internal/Mandatory Advertisement - Select this to hide the Internal/Mandatory advertisements from the Software Delivery page.
Enable bandwidth control for package download - Clear this to override the bandwidth utilization settings found in the Client Communication section in Client Settings. See
Configuration Page” on page 130 .
Show Disabled/Expired Advertisements - Select this to show any disabled or expired advertisements on the Software Delivery page.
Blockout Period in hours - Select this to block out client/server communications for a designated time period. This lets end users temporarily block communications if they do not want the traffic interfering with their work. NS Clients will upload events as soon as they come out of blockout mode.
Altiris Notification Servers - This section shows information about the Notification Servers with which the NS Client communicates. How often the NS Client requests configuration data and the NS
Client sends the basic inventory data to the server is set by the administrator. These settings are read only.
The NS Client sends basic inventory only if the inventory is different from the one last sent, except when it has reached the basic inventory re-send interval.
Because of this, agents started due to a NS Client computer restart will not cause basic inventory to be sent, unless there was a change.
Update Configuration - Clicking the
Update Configuration
button sends a request for the NS Client
Settings policies to the Notification Server. The updated information is then used to update the contents of the
Software Delivery
page. See
“NS Client Settings Policies” on page 187 and
Settings Configuration Page” on page 130
.
Send Basic Inventory - Clicking the
Send Basic Inventory
button causes the NS Client to send a small amount of information about the configuration of the NS Client computer to the Notification
Server, regardless of re-send interval or inventory changes. This helps the administrator at the server know what IP address the NS Client computer uses, what version of the NS Client is installed, and what operating system version the NS Client computer is running.
Software Delivery Tab
The Software Delivery page displays information about advertisements available to the NS Client.
The administrator controls if the programs associated with the advertisement are run on a mandatory schedule or if the end user can manually run the program.
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Clicking on the icon to the left of the advertisement
• Opens a dialog that lets the end user show the properties and history of an advertisement
• Downloads the package associated with the advertisement
• Executes the programs associated with the advertisement by selecting the corresponding option, and then clicking the
OK
button
Note
If a program runs on an administrator-defined mandatory schedule, the administrator can choose to not let the end user execute the program manually
The properties of an advertisement show
• The details of the package location on the server
• The command line that will be executed on the NS Client computer
• The security context that the programs will run under
• Various other settings
Note
By clicking on the location of the package, the end user can browse to the location of the package on the distribution server.
When the end user selects an advertisement to execute, the NS Client will ensure that the most recent copy of all the files are downloaded and then will run the associated program.
Clicking the
Refresh
button sends a request for advertisement data to the Notification Server. The updated advertisement information is then used to update the contents of the Software Delivery page.
If a package starts to download to the NS Client computer and the end user disconnects from the network, the next time the end user connects to the network, the package download will resume at the point where the download was previously suspended.
Packages are downloaded to the NS Client computer’s local hard drive to the
Software
Delivery\Software Packages
folder. This folder is found under the folder where the
NS Client is installed. The NS Client is generally installed under install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\NS Client
. If the end user manually deletes these files, the NS Client will re-download them from the Notification Server the next time the NS Client tries to run the package.
Note
There is a priority field on the Advertisement page which gets passed down to the NS Client.
Packages associated with higher priority advertisements get downloaded before those for lower priority advertisements. Any package that is being downloaded will be suspended if a higher priority advertisement arrives.
Package Server Tab
The Package Server page shows the Package Server packages that are installed on the NS Client computer if it is a Package Server.
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On this page, you can:
• see how many available packages there are
• see how many packages are downloading/pending
• see how many packages are retrying
• see how many invalid packages there are
• click the icon on the left to view full details on downloaded packages
Clicking on the icon to the left of the package name opens a dialog that lets you see the properties and download history of a package. The properties page shows information on the package including the package download location(s).
Agents Tab
The Agents page shows the version and install path of all the installed Notification Server agents that communicate with Notification Server.
Help Tab
The Help page provides documentation on how to use the NS Client features.
Switching NS Clients From One Notification
Server to Another
You can switch NS Clients from one Notification Server to another and still use the same Software
Delivery packages without needing to re-download them. Packages are Notification Server independent. A utility is provided that lets you do this. For more information on this utility, see
To switch an NS Client from one Notification Server to another
1
From the NS Client, run the following:
2
AeXNSCUtils.exe RemoveServer
Server
where Server is the name of the Notification Server that the NS Client is attached to.
From the NS Client, run the following:
AeXNSCUtils.exe AddServer
Server
where Server is the name of the Notification Server that you want the NS Client to be attached to.
Notes
• The packages that are the same (have exact IDs) on both of the Notification Servers will not need to be downloaded again onto the NS Client computer unless the version has changed. Even if the
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• The packages that are on the new Notification Server, but not on the old one, are downloaded onto the NS Client computer.
• The packages that are on the old Notification Server, but not on the new one, are deleted from the NS Client computer.
NS Client Utility
The NS Client utility lets you:
• View the Notification Server that the NS Client is configured to.
• Add a Notification Server that the NS Client reports to.
• Remove a Notification Server that the NS Client reports to.
• Set the default Notification Server that the NS Client is configured to.
• Specify the Notification Server Web site for the Notification Server.
IMPORTANT
An NS Client can only communicate with one Notification Server at a time. If you want to change the Notification Server that the NS Client reports to, use this utility to delete the
Notification Server, and then add a new Notification Server.
AeXNSCUtils [/?]
[/hidden]
[<ListServers |
AddServer
Server
|
RemoveServer
Server
|
RemoveAllServers |
SetDefaultServer
Server
>]
[
Server Web
]
[ResetGuid]
Switches:
AeXNSCUtils Parameters
Parameter Description
?
hidden
ListServers
AddServer
RemoveServer
SetDefaultServer
Shows a usage dialog.
Makes the progress dialog invisible.
You can enter the following commands:
• ListServers
• AddServer Server
• RemoveServer Server
• RemoveAllServers
• SetDefaultServer Server
Examples:
To list all Notification Servers:
AeXNSCUtils.exe ListServers
To add a Notification Server to the NS Client:
AeXNSCUtils.exe AddServer server01
To remove a Notification Server from the NS Client:
AeXNSCUtils.exe RemoveServer server01
To remove all Notification Servers from the NS Client:
AeXNSCUtils.exe RemoveAllServers
To set a default Notification Server:
AeXNSCUtils.exe SetDefaultServer server01
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AeXNSCUtils Parameters
Parameter
Server Web
(optional)
ResetGuid
Description
Lets you specify the NSWeb for your server. By default, the NSWeb is http://server01/AeXNS.
Example:
To add a server with NSWeb specified:
AeXNSCUtils.exe AddServer server02 “<http://server02/
AeXNS>”
This switch deletes the following registry values, if they exist:
• HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\MachineGuid
• HKLM\SOFTWARE\Computing Edge\Notification Server
\MachineGuid
• HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGuid
This setting is useful if you have imaged several computers with the
NS Client or only the MachineGuid already on them. Each NS Client needs to have a unique MachineGuid. The ResetGuid switch clears the GUIDs. You can run
AeXNSCUtils.exe
from a logon script or by setting an AT command and the GUIDs will be cleared. After the GUIDs are cleared, computers create all new, individual, GUIDs.
LAN, WAN, and Disconnected Environments
The NS Client is specifically designed to work with LAN, WAN, and sometimes-connected environments. The following core capabilities are part of every NS Client on all Windows computers:
• Throttled download of files. When the NS Client receives a policy indicating a set of files needing to be downloaded, the NS Client limits the rate at which the files are downloaded from
Notification Server. The bandwidth used by the NS Client when downloading files from the
Notification Server is controlled from within the Web Administration Console.
• Restart and recovery during the download of files. When the NS Client is downloading files associated with a policy, it maintains a record of files that have been downloaded. If the network link to the server is discontinued during a download, the NS Client will resume the download at a later point. Files that were already downloaded are not downloaded a second time.
• Queuing of information to be sent to the server. All of the solution products that can be installed on the NS Client have data that is returned from the NS Client to the Notification Server.
These include inventory results, event log data, and process data. This information is placed in a file queue on the NS Client. When a file is placed in the file queue directory, the NS Client tries to post this data to Notification Server. If the connection to the Notification Server is not available, the information remains in the queue on the NS Client. The NS Client then retries at a later time to establish the connection to the Notification Server and post the information.
• Use standard HTTP/HTTPS protocols to communicate with the Notification Server. HTTP protocol is used for all communication between the NS Client and the Notification Server. This lets you leverage existing VPN and firewall configuration networking settings to control
Windows NS Client computers. The Client Settings policy requests that are downloaded are accessed from a defined URL on Notification Server. Notification Server responds to the Client
Settings policy request with an XML formatted document that contains the policy information.
Correspondingly, when an NS Client is posting data from the NS Client queue to the Notification
Server, the data is sent to a URL as XML formatted information in the HTTP packet.
Note
Because the HTTP protocol works independently of Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 domains and security, managed clients do not have to be a member of a domain, nor does the user on a managed client need to log in to a Windows domain in order for the client to be managed.
• Basic inventory transfer. Once the NS Client is installed on a Windows computer, it sends a basic inventory record. This basic inventory record includes information about the operating system, the domain, and the TCP/IP settings on the computer. The NS Client sends this basic inventory record to Notification Server regardless of whether you have installed Inventory
Solution. (Inventory Solution provides much more comprehensive inventory information.)
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Software Delivery and the NS Client
The NS Client downloads files from Notification Server in order to perform basic Software Delivery functions, such as policy updates and agent distribution. The user can see the status of the Software
Delivery advertisement jobs on the local computer by running the NS Client interface, if available, in the system tray. Once additional solutions are purchased, the following Software Delivery policies are sent to the NS Client:
• Software that is installed to support one of the Notification Server solution products such as
Inventory Solution or Event Solution. These solutions are installed on NS Clients when they are installed on Notification Server. No license for SW Delivery Solution is required for this capability. The installation of the solution on the Notification Server defines the software package and the policies that cause the files to be installed on the NS Client computers.
• Software that is installed as part of a standalone Software Delivery advertisement job. In this case, the package and advertisement are defined using the Web Administration Console. You must have a valid license for SW Delivery Solution in order to use this capability.
Example
You can define a package to update a virus definition file or install a service pack for
Windows 2000 computers.
• Software that is installed as a result of a Microsoft SMS advertisement that is targeted to an
NS Client. You must have a valid license for SW Delivery Solution in order to use this capability.
All three of the different types of Software Delivery advertisements are consistently presented to the end user in the NS Client interface. The user is not able to tell which type is which.
Package Snapshot Caching
To improve performance, the Notification Server sends a snapshot of each package to the NS Client.
When there has been a change in the package, the NS Client will know by comparing the snapshots.
It will then download only the new or updated files in the package.
Note
If the package was only partially downloaded, the downloading will resume from where it was interrupted.
Viewing the Version of NS Client Components
Through Configuration Solution
If you want to know the current version of the NS Client component on a Notification Server, you can check it through Configuration Solution.
To get NS Client components versions on a Notification Server
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Policies
>
NS Client Agent Rollout Jobs
.
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In the bottom of the right pane, the version of each of the NS Client components is listed.
Accessing NS Client Configuration Information
You can access configuration information about a NS Client from a browser by using the following
URL: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/GetClientPolicies.asp?xml=
<Request><WrkstaGuid>
GUID
</WrkstaGuid><WrkstaName>
ClientName
</
WrkstaName></Request>
Where NSName is the name of the Notification Server computer, ClientName is the NS Client computer that you want configuration information on, and the GUID is replaced by the GUID of the
NS Client computer.
Note
This configuration information can be viewed in the Resource Explorer. (See
The NS Client configuration information is also stored in the following file:
install path
\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\Client Policies\
NSName
.xml
where NSName is the name of your Notification Server.
Event Queue Size
Each NS Client contains an event queue. The
EventQueueSizeType
value in the registry (found at
HKLM\Software\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client
) is used to specify the type of queue used. It can be set to
RelativeToFreeSpace
or
Absolute
.
RelativeToFreeSpace
is the default.
Note
You can view these events in Resource Explorer. See “Resource Explorer” on page 255 .
For
RelativeToFreeSpace
,
EventQueueSize
represents a percentage of the current free disk space. If the NS Client attempts to place an event into the event queue directory and the total size of the directory is larger than the specified percentage of the current free disk space (
EventQueueSize
), the
NS Client then says the event queue is full by sending a
queue is full
status event. All new events after the queue is full will be discarded. When space becomes available to queue additional events, a
queue ok now
event is sent.
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For
Absolute
,
EventQueueSize
represents the maximum queue size in bytes. If the total size of the event queue directory (EventQueuePath) is larger than this value, the queue is full.
If the queue is full, any new coming events are discarded.
Disk Imaging While Using the NS Client
If you image a computer that has the NS Client already installed, then deploy that image on other computers, all of those computers will have the same NS Client GUID. This creates an inventory reporting problem as you will only see the name of the last computer that has reported that NS Client
GUID to the database.
Before making an image, you need to do the following
1
Stop the NS Client service and the client transport service. They need to still be set to autostart.
2
3
Open the NS Client computer’s Registry Editor.
Delete the
HKLM\Software\Computing Edge
key.
4
5
6
7
Delete
HKLM\Software\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\MachineGuid
.
In the file system under install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
\NS CLIENT\Client Policies
, delete the .xml file (there should only be one).
In the file system under install path\
Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NS CLIENT\Software Delivery\Software Packages
, delete all .xml files in this directory and in all subdirectories.
In the file system under install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NS CLIENT\Software Delivery\Status
, delete the two .xml files.
8
Shut down the computer and image it. Make the image before the NS Client posts any event to the Notification Server (When this happens, a new unique NS Client GUID will be created by the Notification Server and sent to the NS Client). All of the deleted files will be regenerated.
The same NS Client GUID is placed in three locations for backward compatibility reasons.
NS Client Log On Events
Every time a user logs onto or off of a computer, the NS Client sends a logon/logoff event to the
Notification Server. These events can be viewed in the Resource Explorer by clicking the
Event
tab, then
AeX Client LogOn
.
A scheduled process runs every day at 2:00 AM. If there is sufficient logon/logoff data in the
AeX
Client LogOn
Event table, this process generates an inventory class,
AeX AC User Logon
. This inventory class contains the total usage (day to month) of every person who has logged onto each computer. This inventory class can be viewed in the Resource Explorer by clicking the
Inventory
tab, then
AeX AC User Logon
.
In order for the
AeX AC User Logon
inventory class to be generated, two things must occur:
1
2
There are one or more logout events in the
AeX Client LogOn
Event table.
The daily standard schedule must have run.
Note
If you wish to manually run this schedule, go to the Scheduled Tasks folder in the Control
Panel, right-click the schedule that has the description “At 2:00 AM every day, starting . . . ”, then select
Run
.
Web Reports
Web Reports is the general term used for the pages that show the listing of all the reports that are available. Web Reports are accessed by going to http://
NSName
/AeXNS
, where NSName is the name of your Notification Server.
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Each solution that is installed and configured on your Notification Server comes with reports. These reports can be accessed from any Web browser. Custom Views can be made (for example
Managers
)
to allow only certain reports to be viewed (see “Custom Views for Web Reports” on page 220 ).
Custom Views also makes viewing Web Reports faster, because the Web Reports page does not have to enumerate all of the available reports. The example of a
Managers
custom view would contain select reports that are of interest to managers. When managers go to the custom
Managers
Web
Reports view, they will only see the reports that pertain to them. Similar views can be created for groups within your environment such as Alert Manager, Helpdesk, Server Team, Desktop Team,
Asset Management, Procurement, and so forth.
Another valuable feature is the ability to clone existing prepackaged reports. This lets you take a general report and apply filters to narrow the returning data set. So, instead of running an Operating
System report that returns all computers, you might have a filter that only returns computers with less than 64 MB of RAM or computers in Atlanta. Filtering allows a high degree of customization without having to create your own SQL scripts.
From the Web browser you can
• View new reports from a PC or UNIX based compatible Web browser
• View previously run reports that have been saved
• Generate a report based on current data in the database
From the Web Administration Console you can
• Configure the automatic generation of reports
• Configure query and resource filters
• Configure new Web Reports with SQL Server queries
• View saved reports
• Delete saved reports
• Generate and save new reports
• E-Mail reports using the Generate Report Event Handler
View Reports from Browsers
Reports can be viewed with a Web browser or the Web Administration Console. The Web browser makes the reports available to anyone on the network that has a Web browser. There is no need to install special software.
To use the Web Browser to view Web Reports
1
Go to
http://
NSName
/AeXNS
, where NSName is the name of your Notification Server.
2
Select
Web Reports
.
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To navigate the Browser Report Window
1
Web Reports are selected from the available reports in the left pane.
Web Reports
1 - Right facing arrow indicates a closed menu. For example, clicking on
Inventory Solution
(not the arrow) will display the submenu.
2 - Down facing arrow indicates an open menu. For example, clicking on
Operating System
will display all available reports.
3 - Bold text indicates a Saved Report Run.
4 - The number in parenthesis indicates the number of Saved Report Runs.
5 - Underlined names in the right pane are hyperlinks to Saved Report Runs. This displays the saved report (an XML file).
6 - Indicates a hyperlink,
here to view a new report,
to execute a real time query for a new report from current data in the database.
To Use the Browser Report Menu
1
Click
Altiris Web Reports
from the Web browser. (See
“To use the Web Browser to view Web
2
3
Navigate to your desired report. (See
“To navigate the Browser Report Window” on page 216 .)
In the right pane, click on the report name.
4
In the right pane, above the report, are the following tabs: Report, Edit, View, Links, and Help.
• Report
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• Properties - Displays the Graph Control dialog box. It is used to customize the properties of the graph to present the report data.
• Print - Used to print the report.
• Edit
• Copy - Used to place report on the clip board. Paste the report into a Word Processor or other application.
• Refresh - Used to retrieve the latest report from the server.
• View
• Graph - Displays the report in a graph.
• Table - Displays the report in a table.
• Pivot - Displays the report in an Excel PivotTable.
Note
Views can be custom configured by the administrator from the Web Administration
Console report configuration tab.
• Links
• Internal drill-down report - This is part of the data-mining feature that lets you drill down for more information about the data that is used to create the graph or table.
• Help
• Help for Web Reports - An online help for Web Reports
• Altiris Home Page - The link to browse the Altiris Web site.
To print the report from the browser, click the browser print button. You can also copy the report graph or table and paste it into another application for printing or documentation.
To use the Web Administration Console to view a new report
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, double-click on the solution in which you want to generate the new report.
In the left pane, select the report you want to generate.
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6
7
4
5
In the right pane, select
View Report on latest data
.
Click on the diskette icon to save the report.
Enter the name of the report.
Click
OK
.
To use the Web Administration Console to view saved reports
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, double-click on the solution in which you want to view the report.
In the left pane, select the report you want to view.
4
5
Click
View Saved Reports
.
Double-click on the report you want to view.
To navigate the Web Administration Console Report Window
The following is a view of the left pane in the
Solutions
tab in the Web Administration Console.
1 - The solution node containing the reports that you want to run.
2 - The reports node containing solution reports.
3 - The report category.
4 - A specific report.
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Here is a view of the right pane.
Web Reports
• The
General
tab lets you view general information about the report.
• The
View Saved Reports
tab lets you view the Previous Report Runs.
• The
View Report on latest data
tab lets you generate a new report from the database. The data is seen the same here as it will be on an Internet Explorer based browser accessing the data directly from the Notification Server Web pages.
• The
Configuration Report
tab lets you configure settings on how the report is displayed.
• The
Set Report’s Schedule
tab lets you configure a report’s schedule.
Note
Tasks have been set up to provide easy access to what the tabs allow you to do. These are found in the lower right pane.
E-Mail Report Links
You can configure a Notification Policy to generate a report and e-mail a link to that report. To do this, you set up the Generate Report Event Handler in the desired Notification Policy.
Note
The available reports to generate depend on the solution that the Notification Policy is in.
To configure a Notification Policy to send the results of a report via e-mail
1
2
3
4
5
In the Web Administration Console, ensure that the
E-Mail Configuration
page has been filled out correctly. For more information, see
.
Navigate to the
Solutions
tab and select a Notification Policy in a solution.
For example: Navigate to
Altiris eXpress Configuration > Policies > Notification Policies > New machines discovered in last 1 days
.
Make sure this policy is enabled (in the right pane, select the
Enabled
check-box).
In the right pane, click on the
Configure Event Handlers
link.
Select or create a
Generate Report for Event Handler
.
To select:
a
Under the
Name
column, click
Generate Report for Event Handler
.
To create:
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6
7
8
9
10 a b c d
Under the
Create New Event Handler
section, enter a name and description for the new handler.
In the
Handler Type
drop-down list, select
Generate Report for Event Handler
.
Click
Create Handler
. The new handler will be added to the list of handlers at the top of the right pane.
Under the
Name
field, click on the new handler name.
In the Configuration for Generate Report Event Handler page, expand the
Generate Report
section.
In the
Solution Group
drop-down list, select the desired report solution group.
You are only given a choice of the solution groups for the solution from which you have chosen the Notification Policy.
In the
Report
drop-down list, select the desired report to generate when the policy is run.
You are only given a choice of reports found in the solution group you selected in the previous step.
Expand the
Send Email
section.
Make sure that the
Enable Email sending
check-box is selected.
11
12
13
If you do not want to use the default e-mail address, enter one in the
To Address
field.
Note
If an address is entered in the
To Address
field, it will be used instead of the default address.
If desired, edit the
Subject Line
field.
Click
Apply
.
14
15
16
Click on the
Configure Event Handlers
link.
Make sure that the Event Handler that you just edited is enabled (click the corresponding checkbox under the
Enabled
column).
Click out of the right pane to save the settings (for example, click another policy in the left pane).
Note
This edited policy may take some time deploying to the NS Clients depending on your configuration settings.
Custom Views for Web Reports
Custom views are used by an administrator to provide information configured for a specific user group. This makes it easier to control and provide access to Web Reports.
The Web Reports View Editor program ( wrviewgen.exe
) lets you specify which reports a user will see, how the reports are organized, and set security on which user IDs are able to view the reports.
The default Web Reports view page, http://
NSName
/AeXNS/reports/webreports.asp
, shows all of the reports from all solutions that are installed on Notification Server. The View Editor makes it easy to organize views on sets of these reports for specific sets of users in your network.
To Install the Web Reports View Editor
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab.
2
3
Select
Web Reports
in the left pane.
Select
Custom Web Reports Views
in the right pane.
4
5
Click
Custom Web Reports View Editor
.
If prompted to download the file, click
Yes
.
6
Click
Run the Custom Web Reports View Editor
to run the View Editor.
Note
You can also access the Web Reports View Editor by going to http://
NSName
/AeXNS/ reports/wrviewgenstart.asp
. This page will make sure that you have the proper version of support DLLs installed to run this application before you can start the wrviewgen.exe
program.
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Note
When running wrviewgen.exe
from the network, note that the Reports folder is already shared as “NSRpts”. Thus you can access the wrviewgen.exe
as http://
NSName
/NSRpts/
WRViewGen.exe
.
By using the View Editor you can
• Limit which reports are made available to which users through access controls
• Rename and reorganize groups of reports for your own specific organizational purposes
• Control whether users are able to generate new reports or only access previously defined reports
View Editor Properties
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
This is the base name of the files to be generated for use with this custom view.
Example:
Accounting
View Editor will create these files when you save the view:
Accounting.XML
- Links the view to the respective report definitions
Accounting.INI
- Configuration file to save the settings of this view.
These files should be treated as one logical unit. Do not edit or change the files manually. If you want to delete a view, delete the two files that have the same prefix.
Note
You need to save these file in the install path
\Altiris
\eXpress\Notification Server\Reports
folder.
View Description User description of the view. This name will be displayed as a description next to the available link on the following Web page: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/reports/webreportsviews.asp
Go to this URL in your browser and then select the view name that you have saved.
Example:
Reports for the Accounting Group
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Page Items
Item Description
Notification Server The host name or the IP Address of your Notification Server. This name or address is used to connect to the Windows Management service on your
Notification Server.
Example:
localhost
Note
The View Editor tries to determine the Notification Server name automatically. If View Editor is started through a UNC connection, it uses the name from the remote computer. If View Editor is launched from a drive letter, it sets the default value to localhost. localhost is valid and does not need to be replaced if you run wrviewgen.exe
on your Notification Server.
Note
If you launch the View Editor remote through a network drive, it does not automatically detect the Notification Server name and regards the local computer as the Notification Server. In this case, you need to type in the correct Notification Server name manually.
Once you press the
Load
button, View Editor will retrieve all the existing reports that are registered on the Notification Server.
Disable New
Report Generation
By default, the Web Reports interface allows you to create new reports based on the current data in the database. If this check box is enabled, the user will not be allowed to create new reports when using this view.
Note
Some reports include drill down queries. These queries perform active
SQL queries against your database even when running from a saved report.
Disable ActiveX
Controls for
Internet Explorer
Hide Reports without saved Runs
Web Reports leverages table, graph, and Microsoft Office 2000 ActiveX controls for Internet Explorer users. These ActiveX controls are a series of files that let users easily adjust their presentation of table, graph, and pivot reports. If you don't want to allow the use of ActiveX controls, then users will not be able to use any Pivot reports. All other reports can still be viewed without ActiveX controls and are rendered as HTML tables and JPEG images.
By selecting this option, the Custom View will only display those reports that have saved report runs. When used in conjunction with the
Disable New Report
Generation
, this option keeps reports from being displayed where the user isn't able to see any data.
Note
If you enable this option, the rendering of the table of contents page will be slightly slower as the Notification Server has to query every report to see if there are saved report runs available for that report.
Load Loads the list of available reports.
After you have entered the proper Notification Server name, retrieve the list of available reports from your Notification Server by clicking
Load
.
Note
You need to have administrator rights on the Notification Server to be able to enumerate the possible reports and save the view in the reports folder.
Defining the Custom View
Use the two Tree View controls to create your customized view. You can move a single report, a single group, or an entire solution into your custom view.
To add individual new solution nodes and group nodes
1
In the Custom View Structure pane, right-click on a solution or group name.
2
Select either
New Solution Node
or
New Group Node
.
To rename any node in the custom view
1
In the Custom View Structure pane, right-click on a solution or group name.
2
3
Select
Rename Node
.
Enter the new name and click
Enter
.
Note
You can also press the
F2
key when the solution or group name is selected to change the name.
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Depending on which node you have selected, items are moved from one pane to another. The following table shows the movement relationships.
Solutions\Custom
Solution Level
Group Level
Report Level
Nothing Solution Level Group Level Report Level
The entire Solution will be moved. A new top level node is created for the
Solution.
The entire Group will be moved. A new Top level node for the
Solution gets created.
The single reports will be added. A new Top
Level node and Group level node will be created.
All groups and reports are move (added) to the selected Solution. No new Top Level nodes get created.
All groups and reports are moved (added) to the solution the selected group belongs to. No new Top Level nodes get created.
All groups and reports are moved
(added) to the solution the selected report belongs to. No new Top Level nodes get created.
The group will be added to the selected
Solution.
The single reports will be added to the solution. A new Group level node will be created.
The group will be added to the Solution the selected custom group belongs to.
The report will be added to the selected group.
The group will be added to the Solution the selected custom report belongs to.
The report will be added to the group the selected report belongs to.
As a general rule solutions, groups, and reports are always added to the existing custom reports. If you add a solution, group, or report several times, you can generate duplicates. This allows you to add the same reports to multiple group or solution nodes.
There is no way to detect if a report was already added to the list except through manual verification.
1
2
1
2
To remove a custom report, solution, or group
1
In the Custom View Structure pane, right-click on a solution or group name.
2
Select
Remove Node
.
OR
In the Custom View Structure pane, right-click on a solution or group name.
Press the
Del
key.
OR
In the Custom View Structure pane, right-click on a solution or group name.
Click the
<--
button.
Saving Custom View Settings and Generating a Custom
View
Once you have defined your view, save this configuration in the reports folder. To save and generate your configuration, use the
File
>
Save
or
File
>
Save As
menu command. The default location of custom reports is the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Reports folder.
WARNING: You must not create your custom view pages in a different folder other than the install
path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Reports
folder since all hyperlinks are based on this location. The webreportviews.asp
file will only display views that are in the proper folder.
Once you've generated a custom view, you can access this view using the following URL: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/Reports/WebReportsView.asp?view=
ViewName
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Controlling Security Access for Custom Views
Rights for Creating Web Reports
To create Web Reports, you have to have local administrator rights on the Notification Server and local administrator rights on the workstation on which you are running the Web Reports console.
These are the same rights as if you were running the Web Administration Console.
Rights for Viewing Web Reports
If you want to limit the number of people who are allowed to use a Custom View, you can leverage standard Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 and IIS security features. By default, the reports folder is set to disallow anonymous HTTP access. This means that all users that access the
WebReportsView.asp
page will do so with an authenticated user name. This user name is then used to access the files that are saved with the view. Use Windows Explorer to set the security permissions on the XML file of the views. If the user doesn't have access to this XML file, then this view is not made visible to that user in the
WebReportsViews.asp
page.
Example
Suppose you have a user group called Accounting and you want the users to see a series of
Serial Number reports that show a list of computers and serial numbers and manufacturers. You only want people in the Windows NT group called Accounting to access these reports. You select the file accounting.xml
in the reports folder in Windows Explorer, right-click on the file, select the
Properties
>
Security
dialog and then set the permissions so that Accounting has Read access on the file. (Even though the user is connecting to the page through HTTP, this is the same way that you use Windows NT file permissions to control who can access files through a network drive.)
You can view reports either through the Web Administration Console, the Web Reports console, or
Custom Web Reports console.
Using the View Generator on a Remote Computer
To run the View Editor remotely, connect to the
WRGenView.exe
using a UNC connection to
//
NSName
/NSRpts/WRViewGen.exe
.
On the remote computer, you must have Windows Management version 698 or higher installed as well as the ActiveX controls: COMDLG32.OCX and COMCTL32.OCX. These controls may be installed on your computer by accessing the URL http://
NSName
/
AeXNS/reports/ wrviewgenstart.asp
.
Sharing Data
Once you can view the results of a report, there are various ways that you can easily share this data within other applications:
•
“Copy and Paste Through the Clipboard” on page 224
•
Copy and Paste Through the Clipboard
For Internet Explorer browsers, there is an Edit menu. If you are viewing the data in a graph control, the
Edit
>
Copy
command places an image of the graph in the clipboard. You can then go to any other application, such as Microsoft Word or Outlook and paste this graph image into your document. If you are viewing the data in the table control and select the copy command, the contents of the table as well as the table column headers are copied into the clipboard. You can then paste this data into any application.
Example
Suppose you are viewing the results of a report that shows UNIX operating system data in a table control. You want to send this information to another person in your group as an Excel file.
To do this:
1
2
Highlight the data.
Select the
Edit
>
Copy
command from within the report page's menu bar.
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3
4
Open up Excel.
Paste the data into Excel.
Note
You can copy and paste large reports through the clipboard. However, the size of the report you paste depends on your available computer memory.
IMPORTANT
In Internet Explorer when using the ActiveX controls, use the Edit menu in the menu in the report, not the Edit menu within your browser, to copy the contents of the control.
If you are looking at pivot reports, there is a button on the Excel Pivot view toolbar to export to
Excel. At that point you can then print and perform additional data manipulation within Excel. (See
“Pivot Reports” on page 225 .)
If you are using Netscape or another browser besides Internet Explorer, use the browser copy function to copy the text or image into the clipboard.
Printing
For Internet Explorer browsers, use the
Report
>
menu from the Report menu in the report.
Note
If you use the standard Internet Explorer print menu, you will only get an outline of the
ActiveX control on your printed output.
Note
You are not able to explicitly control the format of the printing. If you want to have detailed control over the format of printed output, copy and paste the data to another application and then print.
For Netscape or other browsers besides Internet Explorer, use the standard browser print functions to print your reports.
Pivot Reports
Some of the reports that are supplied with various solutions are implemented as Pivot Table
(crosstab) reports. These reports use Microsoft Office 2000 Web Components. (For NS Clients that do not have Office 2000 installed on them, see
“Office 2000 Web Components” on page 226
for instructions to set up these components for automated download.)
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When running a pivot report, ActiveX controls within Internet Explorer make a direct connection to the database to retrieve the data. As part of this operation, you may see the following message from
Internet Explorer.
From within the
Options
dialog you can add the Notification Server that you are connected to as a trusted site.
Office 2000 Web Components
In order to use Pivot Tables in Web Reports, you must have Office 2000 installed or configure
Notification Server to be able to direct the NS Client computer to the Office 2000 source files.
To specify the location of the Office 2000 source files
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Configuration
tab.
2
3
Select
Web Reports
in the left pane.
Select
Office 2000 Web Components
in the right pane.
4
Enter the file location that points to the root directory of the Office 2000 CD #1.
You must use UNC naming for the file location.
Example:
file:\\NSName\CDs\office2000\disk1
Note
If you do not have access to Office 2000, then you can delete the reports that are based upon pivot tables from your Web Administration Console. To delete a report, right-click on the report and select the
Delete
menu option.
Creating Custom Web Reports
WARNING
When naming a solution group, do not use the underscore character (_) to start your name. If you do, your solution group will disappear from view.
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To create Web Reports and customize them to your needs
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
2
3
In the left pane, open the
Reports
folder under the desired solution.
Right-click on the solution group you want to add a report to. Select
New
>
Report
. Give the report a name (Test1 in the example).
4
In the right pane, select
Configure Report
.
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5
In the right pane, under Query Configuration, highlight the first row in the table (default is 0).
Select
New Query
.
6
Either insert a pre-built SQL statement or select
Query Builder
.
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
From
Query Builder
, select the
Table
field. Select an inventory table from the database.
Select
Column
. Choose the data that you want displayed in your report.
To overwrite column names displayed in the report, select
Alias
.
To perform a Sum, Average, or Count, select
Function
.
Unless you are an advanced SQL user, leave
Join
as the default.
Click
Add
. Repeat
Step 7 through Step 11 as necessary.
To save your query, click
OK
.
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You should see a SQL statement in the box.
Web Reports
14
WARNING
You can adjust this statement manually for advanced queries, but it may affect your ability to use Query Builder to adjust this report further.
Select the drill down options as described in the following table:
Resource Explorer
Web Admin
Same Report
Custom URL
Another Report
No DrillDown
Select this to display inventory for an individual computer listed in the report.
This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Select this to display the SMS record for an individual computer listed in the report. This is not available for Count, Sum, or Average reports.
Select this to display an additional query defined in this report.
Select this to display custom Web content.
Select this to display a report that has already been created.
Select this to disable drill down features.
15
16
17
Click
OK
.
Click
Generate Report
to test your query. Then click
Back
on your Web browser to continue configuring the report.
If you have elected to include a
Same Report
drill down as part of this report, select New Query
Note
If you choose not to use the Altiris provided Query Builder, you may add a SQL 92 compliant SQL statement into the provided box manually to create new reports. You will also be able to create drill down queries for these queries by specifying appropriate column name values from your first level query in the
Drilldown columns . . .
text field in the Edit Query dialog. This lets Web Reports link the first and second level queries appropriately.
Note
Depending on the complexity of your query, you may need to manually modify the SQL statements after you have built your query. Please consult your SQL documentation for information on advanced SQL statements.
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f
To manually create drill down queries
a
In the Edit Query dialog, click inside the box above the
Query Builder
button and start typing your SQL query.
b c
Click
OK
.
Finish typing your SQL query in the box.
d e
Click the
Same Report
radio button.
Manually enter the drill down column names, separated by a semicolon (;) in the
Drilldown columns. . .
text field.
Click
OK
.
18
Click
Next
.
You are now at the
Filters
dialog.
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IMPORTANT
In order to view the
Filters
dialog, you must have entered a query in the Query
Configuration page that contains %Query Filter% %Machine Filter% underneath the WHERE clause. You may also need to test your query by clicking
Generate Report
.
5
6
3
4
1
2
If you would like to add a filter to restrict query results, select
New Filter
. If not, proceed to parameters dialog by clicking
Next
.
To create a filter, in the
New Filter
window, select
Type
:
Machine Filter - Lets you filter your query based on any inventory table in the database.
Query Filter - Only lets you filter your query based on the tables defined in your query.
Select the appropriate
Table
.
Select the appropriate
Field
(Table column).
Select the appropriate
Operator
.
If you would like the end user to be prompted for a value at run time, select
Prompt user for value at report execution time
.
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7
Click
OK
.
Web Reports
8
9
10
Add more filters as necessary by repeating these steps.
Click
Generate Report
to test. Then click
Back
on your Web browser to continue configuring the report.
Click
Next
.
You are now at the
Parameters
dialog. A parameter lets an administrator or end user specify values for variables in the query.
To add a new parameter
1
Select
New Parameter
.
2
Select the
Type
:
Text
- A simple text value.
Query
- Use for a dynamic value created by a sub-query.
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3
4
5
6
7
8
Data Table
- For debug and support purposes only.
DropDown
- Use to create a drop-down menu.
Enter the
Name
.
Give the
Description
.
If you would like the end user to be prompted for a value at run time, select
Prompt user for value at report execution time
.
To display text to the end user, enter the text in the
Prompt Tag
field. This is typically to indicate the function of the parameter.
Select
Type
:
none - Select this to not limit parameter values to a type.
number - Limits parameter to numerical values.
string - Limits parameter to a string value.
For
Parameter Type
Text, enter the length of the text in the
Value
field.
9
10
11
For
Parameter Type
Query, enter the SQL query in the
Sql Query
field.
For
Parameter Type
DataTable, select the desired
Data Table
.
For
Parameter Type
DropDown:
a
Select either the
Fixed List
or the
Results of sql query
radio button.
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If you selected the
Fixed List
radio button, in the
Value
field enter your desired drop-down contents, delimited by ‘|’. The last item will be the default.
12
13
14 b
If you selected the
Results of sql query
radio button, in the
Value
field enter the SQL query which will generate your drop-down list.
Click
OK
.
Add as many parameters as you would like by repeating these steps.
Click
Next
.
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You are now at the
Views
dialog. This dialog will help you choose how the report is displayed.
3
4
1
2
Select
Default View
. This is the view that first appears when the report is run.
Select which views you would like to enable:
Table - Grid control, similar in appearance to an Excel spreadsheet
Graph - Presentation quality graphs
Pivot - Office 2000 Pivot Table
If you have enabled the
Graph
view, be sure to configure individual graph parameters.
Click
Finish
.
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5
To view your report, click
View report on latest data
.
Web Reports
Using Custom Reports
This section contains the following Custom Reports topics and tasks.
•
“Changing the Name of a Report” on page 236
•
“Report Drill Downs” on page 237
•
“Linking with Reports in the Query Wizard” on page 237
•
“Canceling Reports” on page 239
Changing the Name of a Report
The following describes two ways to change the name of a report.
WARNING
When naming a solution group, do not use the underscore character (_) to start your name. If you do, your solution group will disappear from view.
1
2
Change by right-clicking on the report in the left pane.
a
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
b c
Highlight the
Reports
folder in the left pane.
Find the report whose name you want to change.
d e
Right-click on the report name, then select
Rename
.
Type in the new name and press
Enter
.
Change by updating the name in the right pane.
a
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
b c
Highlight the
Reports
folder in the left pane.
Find the report whose name you want to change.
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d e f
Click on the report name.
In the right pane, enter a new name in the
Name
field.
Click out of the field to save the new report name.
Report Drill Downs
Drill-downs in reports let you quickly and easily access related reports. When you are viewing a graph report, you can click on one of the graph bars to drill-down on that particular bar. For example, if you are looking at a graph of computers by operating system and you click on the Windows 2000 bar, you will see a report on the related Windows 2000 computers.
If you are viewing a table report, you can drill-down on a row by selecting that row, right-clicking on the row, and selecting a drill-down option. The drill-down options are also available on the left side of the set of icons just above the table. In a table, if there is only a single drill-down option, rightclicking on a row does the same as left-clicking.
Linking with Reports in the Query Wizard
4
5
1
2
3
The following demonstrates how to drill down in the same report through the Query wizard.
Create a Web report as described in
“Creating Custom Web Reports” on page 226 .
Open the Web report, then select the
Configure Report
tab.
For an existing Query, select the query in the box, then click
Edit Query
. If there is no existing
Query, click
New Query.
Select
Query Builder
.
f
Create a top level report using the Query wizard. Create two columns with column names of
Wrskta.Name
and
Average of Wrksta.Name
.
a b
In
Table
field, select
Wrksta
.
In
Column
field, select
Name
.
c d e
Click
Add
.
In
Table
field, select
Wrksta
.
In
Column
field, select
Name
.
In
Function
field, select
(none)
.
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g
Click
Add
.
Web Reports
6
Select the
Same Report
radio button.
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7
8
9
10
11 e f
Create the new query as a level 1 report by clicking
OK
.
Click
OK
.
Click
New Query
.
Click
Query Builder
.
Match
Wrksta.Name
with
Name
from
Link to report above
.
a
In the
Table
field, select
Wrksta
.
b c
In the
Column
field, select
Name
.
In the
Linked to report above
field, select
Name
.
d
Click
Add
.
The
Link to report above
field contains columns from the previous report. This will define the drilldown links in the report above and match up the parameters in the WHERE clause for this report.
g
In the
Table
field, select
AeXHW Logical Disk
.
In the
Column
field, select
Size in MBytes
.
Click
Add
.
12 h
Click
OK
.
Click
Generate Report
to test your drilldown report.
Canceling Reports
If you want to be able to cancel a report after you have started creating it, use the
View reports in a new window
option instead of the
View report on latest data
option when initiating the creation of a report. This option is available in the right pane after you have selected a report in the left pane of the Web Administration Console.
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My Reports, Importing and Exporting Reports
You can right-click on a report template within the Web Administration Console and get the menu command to generate a new report.
When you generate a new report, the report inherits initial properties that are defined by the writer of the report template. You go into the configuration page of the report to then further define the details associated with the report.
If you are going to move your Notification Server to another computer or if you want to copy a custom report you have made on your server, you can export and import your report (see
“Exporting and Importing Items or Groups” on page 271
).
Security Access
This section discusses security access for Notification Server.
Limiting Who Can See Which Reports
All of the reports that are published using Web Reports are published by active server pages. These active server pages are located in the NSName
/AeXNS/reports
virtual Web directory that is created on Notification Server. The default settings created on this directory are set such that anonymous HTTP access is not allowed. This means that when users access the Web Reports URLs they will be authenticated by the IIS.
Note
If you want to enable anonymous access, this setting can be changed using the IIS Admin tool.
1
2
3
4
Navigate to the Reports virtual directory.
Select
Properties
.
Go to the
Directory Security
tab.
Select the
Anonymous Control
option.
All reports are made available by accessing one of two active server pages in the reports virtual directory:
• Webreports.asp publishes a complete listing of all of the reports from all of the solutions that are available. To limit who has access to this master table of contents, simply set the security permissions on webreports.asp
to limit who can read the file. To set the permissions on the file, select the file in Windows Explorer, select properties and select the security. When anonymous access is turned off as part of the Notification Server installation, the IIS will access the files on the file system under the user ID supplied by the user accessing the page. Thus if a user doesn't have read permissions on the webreports.asp
file, then the user won't be able to view the master table of contents of all the reports.
• Webreportsviews.asp is used to generate the custom views that can be created with the Web
Reports View Generator tool. With these custom views, you can pick and choose which reports are available in a particular view, rename the reports, and control various other options. (These are all described in the Help -> contents help page accessed when you run the Web Reports View
Generator. The help file is
WRViewGen.htm
).
Webreportsviews.asp
accesses XML files that are saved by the View Generator program in the reports folder. Each XML file contains information about the reports in the view and the settings. To limit who can access which custom views, set the security on the XML file, not on webreportsviews.asp
. (This is because all users for all the custom views will use the same ASP page.
Webreportsviews.asp
will only show views from XML files that the user can access.)
For example, you might have the need to create the following custom views: managers, operations, and servers. This will create XML files in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server\Reports
folder (
Managers.xml
, operations.xml
, server.xml
.). Give managers permissions to the managers.xml
, help desk personnel permissions to operations.xml
, and server team members permissions to server.xml
and operations.xml
. This will control who is able to see which custom views.
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To secure Custom Views
1
Create custom views as needed. (See
“Custom Views for Web Reports” on page 220 )
You can use sample NT groups such as Managers, Operations, and Servers or use existing groups if available.
2
3
4
5
6
Select
Managers.xml
, right-click and select
Properties
, and click on the
Security
tab.
Click
Permissions
.
Remove the
Everyone
group.
Add the
Managers
group (or NT groups as appropriate) so that the proper individuals may access the
Managers
custom view.
Repeat for other custom views as necessary.
For the Managers to access a custom view
1
Open a browser and enter the URL for Notification Server ( http://
NSName
/AeXNS
).
2
3
Click
Custom Web Reports
.
Click
Managers
.
Monitoring Notification Server Operations
This section gives you information on how to monitor Notification Server operations. This will help you understand how to monitor the performance and load on your Notification Server.
The following topics are discussed in this section:
•
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
•
“Common Notification Server Events” on page 248
•
“Using Reports to Monitor the Load on Notification Server” on page 252
NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues
NS Clients send Notification Server Event (NSE) files to the Notification Server. These NSEs are in
XML format. NSEs contain data from solutions (items such as inventory or application metering data or Carbon Copy usage data) or status messages (such as how the NS Client is proceeding with the download of a software package, or the results of the installation of a piece of software). NSEs are placed in the Notification Server database.
Depending on the number of NS Clients, there are times when a Notification Server can receive a large amount of NSEs from NS Clients in a short amount of time. An example of this is when an
NS Client executes a Software Delivery task. Suppose you have 5000 NS Clients and each one generates 5 status messages as part of the Software Delivery task. In this case, your Notification
Server would receive 25,000 NSEs. (Status messages are small, but may be disabled. For more
information, see “Other Settings” on page 91
).
Both the Notification Server and the NS Client contain queues that hold NSEs. The Notification
Server contains two event queues, a large event queue and a small event queue. Each NS Client also contains a queue that is used to store NSEs when an event queue on the Notification Server is full.
This creates a scalable queuing system because it scales with the number of installed NS Clients.
The large event queue is found in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NSCap\EvtQueue
directory.
The small event queue is found in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server\NSCap\EvtQFast
directory.
The queue on the NS Client is found in the install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NS CLIENT\Queue\
Server Name directory.
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The NS Client places NSEs into the NS Client event queue. The NS Client sends these NSEs to the
Notification Server as soon as it can. If there are no NSEs in this queue, all generated NSEs have been sent to the Notification Server.
The NS Client generally uses the file called PostEvent.asp found in the install path
\Altiris
\eXpress\Notification Server
directory on the Notification Server to post the NSEs to the Notification Server (this .asp file lets the NS Client post the NSEs using HTML).
The following graphic shows how the Notification Server queuing works.
NSEs that contain inventory data are typically 50-300 KB. NSEs that contain status messages are typically around 1 KB. The two event queues that Notification Server uses are two file queues.
Notification Server sets up a file queue (EvtQueue) and designates this as the large event queue to hold the larger NSEs (primarily inventory data files). Another file queue is created (EvtQFast) and designated as the small event queue.
The Notification Server processes the files in the two queues independently. Each small NSE (status message) takes much less time to process than a larger NSE (inventory data file). In this way, the
Notification Server can process the larger inventory NSEs without stopping the processing of smaller status message NSEs. Therefore, the small event queue is also known as the fast queue.
Many status messages (which are smaller files) come to the Notification Server and need to be processed quickly to keep the event queue from filling up.
The large event queue is also known as the slow queue. Most solution data files get placed in the large event queue. Fewer solution data files (larger files) come to the Notification Server, but since they are larger, they take longer to process.
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Notification Server Event Data Flow
The following graphic shows how an NSE is processed by the Notification Server.
Description of the above graphic
1a - The NS Client passes the data to the
NSCap\EvtInbox
directory. A thread created by the
Altiris eXpress NS Receiver Service monitors the
EvtInbox
directory. When an NSE appears, the NS Receiver Service renames the NSE file and spawns a Router Object (COM Object), which routes the NSE to a queue. This is usually used for stand alone inventory.
1b - The NS Client passes the NSE via HTTP to the PostEvent.asp Web page. The NSE is passed through IIS, which spawns a Router Object (COM Object). This Router Object routes the NSE to an event queue. This is how most NSEs get placed on the Notification Server.
2 - The Router Object places the NSE into either the large event queue or the small event queue.
The EvtQueue is the large event queue. This is primarily where inventory and other solution data is placed. The small event queue is primarily where status messages are placed. The small files are placed in the
EvtQFast
directory.
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3 - The NS Dispatcher Service monitors both event queues using two Dispatcher thread pools, one for the large event queue and one for the small event queue. NSEs that are in a file queue
(EvtQueue and EvtQFast) get processed generally on a last in - first out basis.
There is no order to which NSEs get processed. You cannot assume any order that the NSEs get processed.
4 - When an NSE appears in one of the event queues, the Dispatcher thread that is monitoring that queue moves the data into the
Process
directory.
5 - The NS Dispatcher Service, through a Dispatcher thread, gives the NSE in the
Process directory to MTS.
6 - MTS creates a process (Event Processor) that processes the event. This Event Processor finds which policy the NSE is attached to, looks at the Event Handlers that are in the policy, then acts on the NSE based on the policy and Event Handlers. This usually includes inserting the NSE data into the Notification Server database. If the data is corrupted or cannot be processed, it is placed in a Bad event directory by the NS Dispatcher Service.
Optional:
7 - If the Notification Server is set up to forward data to SMS, MTS creates a process to pass the inventory data in native SMS format (MIF) to an SMS CAP (Client Access Point). (For information on forwarding data to SMS, see
“SMS Data Forwarding” on page 94 .)
8 - The SMS Server picks up the inventory data from the SMS CAP.
9 - The SMS Server places the inventory data into the SMS database.
EvtQueue and EvtQFast Directories
When an NS Dispatcher Service thread retrieves an NSE from the
EvtQueue
or
EvtQFast directories, the thread moves the NSE to the
Process
directory and then calls to the
EventProcessor component (in the MTS package) to process the message. If the call to process the
NSE succeeds, the file is deleted from the
Process
directory. If the call returns a fail code, the file
is moved to a Bad event directory (see “Data Flow” on page 16 ).
For Example
If a package is being retrieved, but is stopped before it is completely retrieved, then any NSEs being processed are placed in a Bad event directory. You can move these files back into the
Process directory to complete the package retrieval. The files that have errors will immediately be placed back in a Bad event directory and corresponding errors will be placed in the log file.
Note
The
Process
directory is used so that other NS Dispatcher Service threads do not attempt to process the same NSE.
NSE Processing and Bad Event Directories
The NS Dispatcher Service (using a Dispatcher thread) gets NSEs (one at a time) from the Event
Queues. The Dispatcher thread gives the NSE to the Event Processor to process. The Event
Processor evaluates the NSE, figures out which policy it applies to, and has the policy process the
NSE. Event Handlers in the policy process the NSE. The Event Processor and the policy are in the
MTS package.
When Notification Server receives an NSE but cannot process it into the database, the NSE gets placed in a Bad event directory by the NS Dispatcher Service. There are several reasons why this could happen.
• The NSE format is not correct.
• The XML in the NSE cannot be loaded (is not recognized as XML code).
• No such policy exists that the NSE says it is supposed to go to.
If the Event Processor cannot find the policy that the NSE is supposed to go to, it returns a
‘Failed’ message back to the NS Dispatcher Service, which then places the NSE in a Bad event directory.
For example, if an inventory agent sends an NSE to the Notification Server, but the Notification
Server does not have Inventory Solution installed any more, then the NSE cannot be processed
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• The MTS package is restarted while the NSE is being processed. If a process restarts the MTS package, then all of the NSEs that have not been processed get placed in a Bad event directory.
Good files can end up in a Bad event directory because the MTS package was shut down while the NSEs were being processed.
If the Event Processor cannot process the NSE, it returns a ‘Failed’ message back to the NS
Dispatcher Service. The NS Dispatcher Service then places the NSE in a Bad event directory.
The Bad event directories are found in one the following directory paths:
• For large NSEs (this uses a file queue) - install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NSCap\EvtQueue
• For small NSEs (using the file queue) - install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\NSCap\EvtQFast
These Bad event directories are named according to the error. The following table shows the Bad event directory names and descriptions.
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Event Error
Directories
\UnexpectedError
\OutOfMemory
\InvalidArguments
\OperationAborted
\AccessDenied
\UnknownClient
\ServerBusy
\GeneralFailure
\ServerNotReady
\Deadlock
\OutOfLicense
\UnknownItem
\XmlParseError
\RPCError
\Other\<ErrorCode>
Explanation of Error
Undefined error
AeXNS components did not have enough available memory to process the data
Error within AeXNS components
Process Interrupted
Security restriction prevented completion of process
Resource GUID in XML unknown / not in database
Server could not process data due to load
Undefined error
Server could not process data due to system state
SQL deadlock due to concurrent table/row access
Number of resources has exceeded licence levels
XML item does not exist (package, solution, or policy)
XML in NSE has corrupt format and cannot be loaded
DCOM access error
Unknown error code returned, directory name is error code
It is recommended that you monitor the Bad event directories periodically. If you find files in these directories, move them to the Process directory. If the files were placed there due to a system shutdown, they should process correctly. If the NS Dispatcher Service thread places them back into a Bad event directory, there is something wrong with the XML in the files.
Many of the factors for which an NSE will be rejected are temporary, such as deadlock, server not ready, operation aborted, and server busy. Once the issue is resolved, the NSEs can be moved back into the Process directory for re-processing.
Unknown resource GUID rejections can occur during large NS Client rollout or upgrade scenarios, when the basic inventory sent by the NS Client is queued for processing in the EvtQueue, and smaller Software Delivery and Logon events are processed through the EvtQFast prior to a resource being added to the Notification Database. These events can be reprocessed once the EvtQueue has processed all events.
Once a licence issue is resolved, NSEs rejected because of out of license can be reprocessed.
The contents of an unknown item NSE can be examined to determine the system side XML component which is missing. The solution, package, or policy can be restored and the NSE reprocessed. The NSEs can be deleted if the data is not required and the NS Clients sending the data should be modified to prevent sending of further unneeded data.
Contents of XML parse error NSEs should be examined to determine the cause. The typical cause for this error is an NS Client side agent not formatting the NSE correctly before sending or including reserved XML characters. Custom Inventory is a common cause of this error.
All other errors should be further investigated as they cannot be ‘easily’ explained and may be an indication of a server problem.
As a general rule, most NSEs can be reprocessed back through the queue to confirm that they were not a result of a temporary condition.
If you find that an NSE is not being processed by the Notification Server, but you know it has been sent from the NS Client, look for it in a Bad event directory.
If an NSE is in a Bad event directory, you can view the log files to see why it was placed there (see
).
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Technical Details
There is a thread in the NS Receiver Service, with the interval setting
EvtQueueCheckSecs
, that checks whether the event queues are full. A file queue is considered full if the number of queued
NSEs is greater than
MaxFileQEventCount
or the total queued NSE size is greater than
MaxFileQSize(KB)
.
This thread checks for the two possible event queues: the file-based EvtQueue and the file-based
EvtQFast. When an NSE is delivered to one of these queues, the NSE is only accepted if the appropriate event queue is not full. Otherwise, the NSClientTransport fails to post the NSE to the
Notification Server, places the NSE in the NS Client queue, and retries later. The NSClientTransport retries according to the following pattern until the NSE is sent:
1st Retry
2nd Retry
3rd Retry
4th Retry
5th Retry
6th Retry
7th Retry nth Retry
2 minutes
4 minutes
8 minutes
16 minutes
32 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
2 hours
Configurable Registry Settings
KEY Value Description
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
MaxFileQEventCount REG_DWORD Maximum number of NSEs in a file queue. This applies to both EvtQueue and EvtQFast (if EvtQFast is applicable).
The default is 20,000.
MaxFileQSize(KB) REG_DWORD
EvtQueueCheckSecs REG_DWORD
Maximum total size of NSEs in a file queue. This applies to both EvtQueue and EvtQFast (if EvtQFast is applicable).
The default is 512,000.
Interval, in seconds, to check event queues. The default is
180.
The event queuing uses two event queues: a small event queue and a large event queue. This behavior is controlled by the NS registry setting
FastQueueThreshold
.
If
FastQueueThreshold
exists and is non-zero then:
• Larger NSEs are sent to the
EvtQueue
directory.
• The NS Dispatcher Service (AeXNSDspSvc) uses two thread pools to process NSEs: one for the large event queue and one for the small event queue. By default, the standard
MaxDispatchThreads
setting is used to specify the number of threads in each event queue (the default is 2). A setting,
MaxDispatchThreadsFast
, may be used to increase the threads for the small event queue. The
MaxDispatchThreads
key only applies to both file-based queues when the
MaxDispatchThreadsFast
key does not exist.
If
FastQueueThreshold
does not exist or is zero, then all NSEs are sent to the
EvtQFast
directory.
This is how Notification Server operated before 5.5 SP1.
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Configurable Registry Settings
KEY Value Description
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
FastQueueThreshold REG_DWORD Message size threshold in bytes. The default is 5000.
MaxDispatchThreads
MaxDispatchThreadsFast
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
Number of threads in each event queue. The default is 2 (if this setting is not used).
Number of threads for the small event queue.
Example:
Suppose you want to set up the NS Dispatcher Service to use three threads for the large event queue and five threads for the small event queue. You would create the following registry settings under
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server:
Name
MaxDispatchThreads
MaxDispatchThreadsFast
Type
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
Data
0x00000003 (3)
0x00000005 (5)
When the NS Client tries to send an NSE to the Notification Server and the server event queues are full, it will get a server busy message. The NS Client then queues the NSE in the following directory:
install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NS CLIENT\Queue\
Server
Name
The queue on the NS Client is limited by hard drive size. A registry key called
EventQueueSize
contains the amount (as a percentage) of the hard drive size that the queue can use up. The default is 5%. This means that the NS Client queue can use only 5% of the hard drive. If the queue size reaches 5% of the hard drive, a queue full message is placed in the queue and every message after that is discarded.
This setting can be changed and is found at the following location in the registry.
Configurable Registry Setting
KEY Value Description
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\NS Client
EventQueueSize REG_DWORD The percentage of the hard drive space that the queue on the
NS Client can take up. The default is 5%.
Common Notification Server Events
This section describes the most common events for Notification Server. Situations that might cause large numbers of these events to be generated are also described.
When performing certain operations on the Notification Server, particularly in regards to Software
Delivery, it is important to have some idea of the number of events that might be generated per computer, as well as the total number of events that will be generated across all computers in the organization.
Although the Notification Server is theoretically capable of processing these events at a rate of greater than 1 per second (more than 86400 per day), this will cause the Notification Server computer to be fully occupied during this time and it will be unable to run the Notification Server console or reports.
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It is recommended that if you are doing something that could cause very large numbers of these events to be generated, and if the information contained within these events is not considered useful, then you should disable the capture of these events. This can be done using the
Other Settings
page under the
Configuration
tab (see
“Other Settings” on page 91 ). Most of the time, disabling the capture
of AeX SWD Status events will be sufficient.
After the surge in activity as a result of these changes has subsided, the capture of these events can be re-enabled.
Client Transport Status
This event gets generated whenever the event queue on the NS Client becomes full. The event will get generated once only each time the queue becomes full.
AeX SWD Execution
This event gets generated whenever the NS Client:
• Executes a Software Delivery advertisement.
AeX SWD Package
This event gets generated whenever the NS Client:
• Starts or resumes downloading a package from a Package Server.
• Finishes downloading a package from a Package Server.
• Is interrupted while downloading a package for any reason.
Very large numbers of these events can be generated in the following situations:
• A problem occurs on a Package Server that terminates the download of packages to NS Clients.
This situation might occur:
• When the IIS server on a Package Server is stopped.
• When a Package Server computer fails or is powered down.
• When the virtual directory for one or more packages is removed or becomes disabled.
When the NS Client is unable to continue the download from a given Package Server, it will generate an AeX SWD Package event indicating that the download was interrupted and will then attempt to find another Package Server and continue the download. When the download is recommenced from the new Package Server, a new AeX SWD Package event will be generated to indicate this fact.
• The source files of many packages are changed which causes NS Clients to have to re-download packages from the Package Servers.
AeX SWD Status
This event gets generated whenever the NS Client:
• Gets informed of changes to the details of a package, advertisement, or program in its configuration XML.
• Finishes downloading the files of a new package, or finishes downloading the changed/new files of an updated package.
• Gets informed of a new package or advertisement in its configuration XML.
• Gets informed of a deleted package or advertisement in its configuration XML.
Because so many things can cause this type of event to be created, it is easy to get situations where very large numbers of these events can be created and cause a possible overload on the Notification
Server.
Very large numbers of these events can be generated in the following situations:
• A large number of packages, advertisements, or programs are created, deleted, or modified on the server in a short period of time. This could occur:
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• During a Software Delivery synchronization with SMS. An SMS system can have a large number of packages and advertisements defined and it is possible that during the short time of a Software Delivery synchronization with SMS, a large number of these objects get created in Notification Server. When an NS Client gets these packages and advertisements in its configuration XML, it will send an AeX SWD Status event for each new object. This will cause a large number of these events if there are a large number of NS Clients.
• During the install or upgrade of a solution that has many packages or advertisements defined.
The upgrade of a solution could create one or more new packages or could update the files in one or more packages. Both of these will cause the generation of SWD Status events on the
NS Client.
• By the user creating, deleting, or modifying a large number of packages, programs, or advertisements in the console within a short period of time. Typically, the impact of this will be lessened simply because of the limited rate at which a user can make these changes manually.
• The source files of many packages are changed which causes NS Clients to have to download these new files from the Package Servers.
AeX Push Status
This event gets generated by the NS Client install service when it
• Finishes checking installation prerequisites.
• Starts or resumes downloading the NS Client install package.
• Finishes downloading the NS Client install package.
• Is interrupted while downloading the NS Client install package for any reason.
• Starts installing the NS Client.
• Finishes installing the NS Client.
• Succeeds with remote installation.
AeX Client LogOn
This event gets generated whenever the
AeXSWDUser.exe
process is started or stopped on the NS
Client computer. This process starts whenever a user logs into a computer and stops whenever a user logs off the computer. However, anything that causes this process to stop or start will cause a login/ logout event to be generated. These events can occur during an upgrade of the NS Client or an NS
Client agent when the NS Client is stopped.
This means that during an install or upgrade of the NS Client or an upgrade of NS Client agents, many login/logout events will be generated.
Examples
Here are some common Software Delivery situations and the events received.
3
4
1
2
5
6
NS Client gets a new package and advertisement
Package download completes without interruption
SWD Status – new package
SWD Status – new advertisement
SWD Package – start package download
SWD Package – finished package download
SWD Status – package available
SWD Execution – command line complete
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7
8
5
6
3
4
1
2
Package download completes with one interruption
SWD Status – new package
SWD Status – new advertisement
SWD Package – start package download
SWD Package – package download interrupted
SWD Package – package download resumed
SWD Package – finished package download
SWD Status – package available
SWD Execution – command line executed
NS Client gets informed of a change in the files contained within a package
1
SWD Package – start package download
2
3
SWD Package – finished package download
SWD Package – updated package
NS Client gets a informed of a deleted or expired advertisement (and corresponding deleted/expired package)
1
2
SWD Status – deleted package
SWD Status – deleted advertisement
--- after package expires ---
3
SWD Status – package files removed from client
Upgrade of NS Client
1
SWD Status – new package
2
3
SWD Status – new advertisement
SWD Package – start package download
4
5
6
7
SWD Package – finished packages download
SWD Status – package available
SWD Execution – command line executed
SWD Client LogOn – user logged out
--- after NS client upgrade completes and NS Client computer restarts ---
8
SWD Client LogOn – user (will be local system) logged in
--- after next configuration request ---
9
10
SWD Status – deleted package
SWD Status – deleted advertisement
--- after package expires ---
11
SWD Status – package files removed from client
NS Client is disconnected after downloading configuration, but before downloading the package
1
2
SWD Status – new package
SWD Status – new advertisement
3
4
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 4 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 8 mins)
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5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 15 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 28 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 53 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 1 hr 41 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 3 hrs 17 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 5 hrs 17 mins)
Then one event every two hours until the PC is reconnected to the server
NS Client is disconnected after the package download starts
1
SWD Status – new package
2
3
SWD Status – new advertisement
SWD Package – start package download
4
5
6
7
8
SWD Package – finished package download, with error status
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 2 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 4 mins)
SWD Status – Unable to check package (after 8 mins)
Then continuing as in the previous example.
Not enough space on the hard drive
1
SWD Status – new package
2
3
SWD Status – new advertisement
SWD Status – Insufficient space on disk
4
5
6
7
SWD Status – Insufficient space on disk (after 2 mins)
SWD Status – Insufficient space on disk (after 4 mins)
SWD Status – Insufficient space on disk (after 8 mins)
The insufficient space events will continue until there is enough space on the disk to download the package. The events will be timed similarly to the events in the previous two examples.
Using Reports to Monitor the Load on Notification
Server
The Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution provides several reports that help you see how much load has been placed on your Notification Server. These reports are found in the Web Administration
Console. In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
.
There are three general types of actions that cause load on the Notification Server.
• NS Clients requesting a Client Settings policy update from the server
• Scheduled events that run based on system times on the Notification Server
• Processing of event data received from NS Client computers
The reports outlined below indicate how you can easily measure the load on your Notification Server in each of these areas. Through proper use of these reports, you can understand how the system is impacted when you change various configuration settings. (For information on changing NS Client configuration settings, see
“Client Settings Configuration Page” on page 130 .)
Reports are also provided that help you monitor the versions of all the solution agents that are installed on all the NS Client computers.
The following is not a comprehensive list of provided reports. However, these reports provide useful information that helps you monitor your Notification Server.
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AeX Config Request Group
When the NS Client performs a Client Settings policy request from the Notification Server, it also sends up an indication of the current configuration that was last loaded on the NS Client computer
(a hash number). After the server has finished processing the request, if there is no change in the settings as compared to the hash that the NS Client sent up, then the full configuration is not re-sent over the network. The NS Client is told its current settings are up to date. The reports on the Client
Settings policy requests do not indicate if the configuration data was actually sent to the NS Client, they only indicate how big the configuration data was that was generated on the server before deciding if it was already up to date. The configuration reports are most useful to see how many requests are being processed – they do not indicate how much outbound traffic was generated as the response to the Client Settings policy request.
Clients with no configuration in last N days - This report lists Client Settings policy requests. This can be used to see which NS Clients are not actively requesting updated Client Settings policy settings from the Notification Server.
Config request statistics by time - This report computes the time to process Client Settings policy requests. The default is report on daily statistics for the last week. This helps you see how fast your
Notification Server is communicating (on a daily basis) with your NS Clients and where any problems lie.
Config request summary statistics - This report computes the time it took to process Client
Settings policy requests for the last week. This is useful because it gives you a summary of CPU usage and response times for the last week.
Config requests all - This report lists all Client Settings policy requests for the last 7 days. This helps you see CPU usage and response times for each individual Client Settings policy request.
Config requests requiring > 5 seconds to process - This report lists NS Client Settings Policy requests that took more than 5 seconds to process. This helps you pinpoint where performance problems are occurring. Generally, you should see NS Client Settings Policy requests being responded to in under 100 milliseconds on a reasonable server. You will note from time to time that the time to process an individual request will be larger – this is due to flushing a refreshing cached data. If you consistently have large numbers of NS Clients taking more than 5 seconds to receive a
Client Settings policy request, this indicates a performance issue on the computer.
Config requests that result in error - This report lists NS Client Settings Policy requests that result in error. This helps you quickly see if any Client Settings policy requests are resulting in errors and gives you valuable information to help with troubleshooting.
Last N config requests - This report lists the last N NS Client Settings Policy requests where N is the number of items to report.
AeX Scheduled Event Group
The updating of collections is generally the most commonly scheduled task that occurs on the
Notification Server. You can change the collections update settings on the Other Settings configuration page. See
Count scheduled events - This report lists the selected scheduled events and the number of times they have run.
Count scheduled events by type - This report groups scheduled events by type: Package, Policy, or Solution. It lists the type and the count for each type.
Last N scheduled events - This report lists the last N NS Client scheduled events where N is the number of items to report.
Scheduled events requiring > 5 seconds to process - This report lists NS scheduled events that took more than 5 seconds to process.
Scheduled events statistics by time - This report computes the amount of network traffic and the time to process NS scheduled events for the last week. This lists each individual day and the scheduled events statistics for each day.
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Scheduled events summary statistics - This report computes the amount of network traffic and the time to process NS scheduled events for the last week. This lists a summary of the scheduled events statistics.
Client Deployment Group
Client agent version vs. collection - This report counts distinct NS Client versions. It lists the
NS Clients found on your NS Client computer and the number of copies of each NS Client.
Inventory collection method - This report compares inventory collected from an NS Client with inventory collected using the zero footprint method. It lists the inventory collection method and the number of computers that used each method.
NS client version - This report counts distinct NS Client versions and displays the version number of the NS Client package that is staged on the Notification Server. This reports lets you determine which computers are not up to date.
Discovered Machines
Discovered machines not reporting inventory - This report shows you which computers you do not have inventory on that you know exists in the network from a prior discovery operation. (See the
Discovered Machines section in “Computer Discovery” on page 62 .)
Policy Reports Group
Policy Events History - This report lists the event history of a policy. This history lists the last N policies that were run and the number of events that they generated. If your Notification Server is receiving a large number of events, you can use this report to pinpoint which policies are generating the most events. You can then use this information to solve this problem, such as choosing to turn off these policies, adding another Notification Server, re-configuring your Notification Server, etc.
Note
When you run this report, you may see listed “Win32 Inventory Policy”. The Win32 Inventory
Policy is used for processing Inventory Solution data. There are also internal Software Delivery policies that deploy and cause the Inventory Solution files to be executed. The policies listed in this report are not the processing of policies, but the processing of data.
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Some capture of events can be turned on or off at the Other Settings configuration page. See
Here is an example of how you could use this report. Suppose you want to know how much time the
Notification Server is using to process inventory data and how many inventory events it received in one day. You could create a policy titled “Report newly discovered applications (daily)” that would create events whenever an application was discovered. Then, when you run the Policy Events
History report, you can see how many events this policy generated.
Resource Explorer
Resource Explorer is used to display information about a resource. Resource Explorer is opened when you right-click on a specific computer found in a Machines Collection in
Altiris eXpress
Configuration > Collections > Standard Collections
.
Launching the Resource Explorer Through a Web
Page to Link
The Resource Explorer for Notification Server is accessed through a URL that can take a computer name or set of parameters passed on the URL line. The format of the URL to call in your Web page is: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/reports/resourceexplorer.asp?name=
Target Computer Name
If you use a case sensitive database, then ensure that the name of your target computer matches the name of the computer in the Notification Server database, including case.
The reports virtual directory, which is under the AeXNS directory by default, has security turned on such that anonymous users do not have access to resourceexplorer.asp
. You might need to modify the security access to the resourceexplorer.asp
file to enable a broader set of users to be able to access this page. Use standard NTFS file permissions on the resourceexplorer.asp
file to limit who can access the page.
Resource Explorer Interface
This section discusses the Resource Explorer interface.
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Summary of Client
When Resource Explorer opens, you will see a summary of the NS Client you are enquiring about.
This summary includes ID, User, Operating System, Network, and Client Details information.
Inventory Tab
The Inventory page displays a list of inventory tables from the Notification Server database in which the computer has associated data. Selecting a table in the left pane displays the contents of the table for the specified computer in the grid control in the right pane.
Primary User Inventory Class
Notification Server provides an inventory class that lets you know who the primary user is on your
NS Client computer. This class is called
AeX AC Primary User
and is found in the Resource Explorer by clicking on the
Inventory
tab.
Primary User information is generated on the server once a day from the following sources (in order, assuming they exist).
1
2
(If available): The NS Client will send Logon and Logoff events to the Notification Server. These are used to determine who has logged onto the computer and for how long and generates
Machine Usage. If a user never logs off, then this information will not be created for this user.
This information is in the
AeX Client LogOn
event. If you have the NS Client loaded, then the
Primary User information is generated this way.
(If available): Information from the Exchange Profile (generated from the Machine Inventory
Agent in Inventory Solution) is used. This information is in the
AeX EU Logon Users
inventory class. If standalone Inventory is being used instead of having the NS Client loaded, then the
Primary User information is usually generated this way.
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3
(If available): When Basic Inventory is sent, it contains the details of the currently logged on user. This information is found in the
Last Logon User
field in the
AeX AC Identification
inventory class.
These sources are worked through and the Machine Usage table is created. This information is generated separately from anything else. This happens even if you have no solutions installed.
Note
The primary user is reported on a monthly basis. A primary user is determined for the current month, which is reported in the database. Each month, a different primary user could be reported.
AC Roles Inventory Class
The
AeX AC Roles
inventory class lets you know what a computer’s role on your network is. This class is found in the Resource Explorer by clicking on the
Inventory
tab. By reviewing the roles, you can tell if the computer is an NS Client, is an SMS client, is a Notification Server, etc.
History Tab
Displays inventory history for each of the groups. Selecting a group in the left pane displays the history for that group in the right pane.
Note
Inventory history has to be enabled to view and use this information. See
“Inventory History” on page 75 .
Event Tab
Displays a list of tables containing NS events that have been forwarded by the NS Client to the
Notification Server. Selecting a table in the left pane displays the contents of the table for the specified computer in the grid control in the right pane.
Policy Config Tab
Displays a list of NS Client settings, installed agents, and policies that are defined for the specified
NS Client computer.
Note
To see the raw policy XML data (not formatted to show the SW Delivery items in detail), add
&RawConfigXML=1
to the end of the parameter line in the Address field, then click the
Policy Config
tab. You can then view the policy XML that can help you troubleshoot problems with your policies.
This can help diagnose whether you have configured the policies on the Notification Server correctly. To troubleshoot missing policies, view the XML to see if all of your policies are listed.
The policies that were created and enabled, but are not listed, were never sent to the NS Clients. In this case, you will know that the problem is with the Notification Server.
Solutions
To view the versions of your solution packages
1
In the Web Administration Console, click on the
Solution Center
tab.
2
Click
View Installed Solutions
.
Extending the Notification Server Database
We encourage all customers looking to extend the Notification Server database to use existing Altiris mechanisms where possible. By default, we provide numerous mechanisms for extending the database, which are covered under your support agreement (some limitations apply). They also help preserve data integrity and ensure smooth upgrades. If you are considering extending your database, please ensure that you have examined your supported options below.
• Asset Control – (This is the recommend method for general database extension)
Asset Control solution allows you to create and define custom tables in the Notification Server database, using a GUI interface. While designed primarily for tracking company assets, thanks to the powerful design of Asset Control, it can be used to extend the database and host virtually
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Chapter 5: Administration Scalability any kind of data. This is also the recommended method for importing data from other data sources, including Active Directory. Asset Control is inexpensive and is the best way to successfully model virtually any type of data into Notification Server, while minimizing potential issues with data integrity and upgrade processes. Upon release, this solution will be fully covered under your support agreement.
• Extending Inventory at the NS Client
• Customizable VB application - Used to prompt an end user for information during an
Inventory Solution scan. See the Altiris Inventory Solution User Guide for additional details.
Use of the utility (as it is shipped) is fully covered under your support agreement.
Customization of the application for individual needs is not covered.
• AeXCustInv.exe - Application that enables Inventory Solution customers to capture additional data from WMI, the registry, and INI files. See the Altiris Inventory Solution User
Guide for additional details. This application is fully covered under your support agreement.
• MIF2NSI utility - Check with your Altiris representative for more information on this utility, which allows you to convert data provided by a third party vendor from MIF format to our XML schema, allowing instant integration into our database schema. This utility is currently available in the Altiris Resource Kit.
• Additional Options
• Professional Services – Our professional services group can help you create a solution for your extended database needs. And since they are Altiris Certified staff members, they can ensure that your solution is implemented with all concern for preserving the integrity of your existing Altiris solutions. In addition, their work will be fully covered under your Altiris support agreement (limitations may apply). Please contact a member of our Professional
Services group today to arrange for a consultation.
• Important Information
If one of these mechanisms does not meet your needs, and you feel it necessary to extend the database using your own methods, you may encounter the following issues:
• You may invalidate your support agreement.
• You may potentially damage or ‘break’ your Altiris software.
• If you have registered your new table in one of our existing tables, such as the InventoryClass or InventoryClassAttributes table, you may break the database upgrade when upgrading to the latest version of Notification Server. You are encouraged to remove these entries before upgrading to a new version of Notification Server.
• Data may not be fully available with other Altiris Solutions.
Scalability
When Notification Server is installed, it is set up to run in a small (test) environment. This lets you learn the features of Notification Server and experiment with changing its settings before you implement it into your working environment. After you are comfortable with Notification Server, and depending on the size of your environment, you can change these settings to fit a small, medium, or large company.
The following sections focus on scalability in a large environment (see
). However, this information can be useful in helping you determine settings for a small and medium size environment.
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Definition of a Large Environment
Before digging in to specific configuration recommendations, it is important to point out that there is no strict definition for large environments. The following points should be considered in determining if you or your customer can take advantage of these settings:
1
2
3
What is the server capacity of the Notification Server computer?
A slow server (or server with other processes besides Notification Server [and IIS and SQL supporting just NS] eating cycles) means fewer clients per server would be required to consider it a 'large environment'.
Are the client computers connecting by LAN, WAN, or dial-up? What is the mix?
Slower connections mean that fewer clients per server are required to consider it a 'large environment'.
What Altiris Solutions are being run from the Notification Server?
Each solution takes more processing.
4
What is the frequency of operations on the Notification Server?
Consider the quantity of Software Delivery jobs, Inventory Solution scans, Application
Metering, Application Management, and Deployment Solution tasks. The more frequently operations occur, the greater the server load.
As far as this Scalability section is concerned, a 'large environment' is considered to be 2000 or more
LAN-connected clients.
Upgrading Notification Server in a Large
Environment
Because the NS Client has the ability to store data locally if it is unable to connect to a server, and then to forward the data once the connection is restored, a Notification Server upgrade (which requires the server to be down) can create a significant workload for the server in the days immediately following the upgrade.
After a server upgrade or install, do not turn on the client upgrades advertisements for NS client,
Application Metering, and Carbon Copy all at the same time. Allow time for the server to settle down and for the clients to get their backed up data to the server (a day or two).
After the server is upgraded, make a collection with just a couple of computers. Set the client upgrade advertisements to this collection, let them run and see what happens. Then turn one client upgrade advertisement on and then the others.
Note
If the server is in a steady state and you are just adding incremental computers, it should be fine to turn all client upgrade advertisements on at once.
Configuring Notification Server for Large
Environments
The following three items utilize Notification Server computer resources:
•
“NS Client Settings Policies” on page 260 - The Notification Server sends NS Client Settings
policies to each NS Client that requests them.
•
“Events” on page 261 - In a large environment, you have a large number of events getting sent
from the NS Clients to each Notification Server. If you have 1000 NS Clients and each one sends
10 events, you will have 10,000 events coming into the Notification Server.
•
- On the Notification Server, schedules update collections and Primary
User Generation. If you have 1000 NS Clients, each schedule needs to evaluate 1000 records when updating collections.
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When you work with large environments, these three areas should be looked at and adjustments made. Most customer performance issues come with Events (NSEs) and Schedules.
NS Client Settings Policies
The NS Client periodically performs NS Client Settings policy requests. Notification Server
Configuration Solution comes with one NS Client Settings policy.
The Notification Server has the ability to cache NS Client Settings policy requests. Notification
Server can process 300-500 NS Client Settings policy requests per minute due to this caching.
NS Client Settings policy requests are originally set for every 15 minutes. It is recommended that
this be changed to 12 hours for large environments. See “Client Settings General Page” on page 130 .
The default setting is to report Basic Inventory every day. In a large environment, one Basic
Inventory update per week should be fine, if there are no compelling reasons to do otherwise.
You can have different NS Client Settings policies for different groups of NS Clients. For example, if you have 1000 computers, most would be fine to send NS Client Settings policy requests every 6-
12 hours. However, you might have some computers that you would want to be more responsive, such as servers. You could set up an All Servers collection and set it to send NS Client Settings policy requests every hour or even sooner, depending on your needs. You do this by doing the following:
1
2
Make sure you have a collection that is mutually exclusive to the collections that are used by all
of the other NS Client Settings policies. If you need to, create a new collection. See “Creating a
Create an NS Client Settings policy. See
“To create your own NS Client Settings policy” on page 187 .
IMPORTANT
When creating an NS Client Settings policy, make sure you target a collection that has resources that are not in a collection that any other NS Client Settings Policy uses. For example, Notification Server comes with an NS Clients Settings policy which applies to the All
Windows Machines collection. If you set up an NS Client Settings Policy and apply it to a collection called All Servers, you will need to make sure that no computer is found in both the
All Windows Machines collection and the All Servers collection. If the same computer is in both of these collections, you will not be able to determine which policies the NS Client gets when it performs an NS Client Settings policy request. The two collections need to be mutually exclusive.
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See Also
•
“NS Client Settings Policies” on page 187
•
•
“Client Settings General Page” on page 130
Events
Notification Server receives events (NSEs) from NS Clients regarding Software Delivery, packages, log on, inventory, and so forth. Notification Server then processes the NSEs and puts them in the
Notification Server database. Notification Server places inventory NSEs directly into the
Notification Server database.
Each Notification Server has a large event queue and a small event queue. Large event queues hold
NSEs that contain inventory data and data from solutions. Small event queues hold NSEs that contain status messages. The large event queue is always a file queue. If these queues fill up, the NS
Clients each have a file queue that store the NSEs until they can be sent. For a discussion on NSEs and file queues, see
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
.
This queuing system allows for the processing of a large number of NSEs (file queues max out at around 64,000 files per directory). However, in large environments there may be times when
Notification Server gets overwhelmed with NSEs. This may happen when you upgrade solutions, send a new version of a package, send new advertisements, or send new agent rollouts. The two things you can do when your Notification Server gets overwhelmed are:
• Adjust the Queue Sizes. (See
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241 .)
This registry setting indicates how large the event queue is allowed to grow. By default these are set for .5 GB and 20,000 files. In a large environment, increase to 2 - 5 GB and 30,000 to 40,000 files.
• Discard the NSEs that you determine to be less useful. This should only be done when your
Notification Server is getting overwhelmed. The process of turning off the capturing of
Notification Server events is described below.
Notification Server gives you the ability to control what NSEs get captured. To select which events are captured, go to the Notification Server Event Capture section of the Other Settings page (see
“Other Settings” on page 91 ). By default, all captured events are selected for processing. If your
Notification Server gets overwhelmed by NSEs, you can disable the capture of the events that you do not need.
The Other Settings page displays the events (by type) that the Notification Server may receive.
The following are guidelines for deciding which events to disable:
• On small and medium size environments, we do not recommend that you disable the capture of any events unless you are having problems.
• We do not recommend disabling the capture of any events that are useful to you.
• For large environments, disable the capture of whatever events you do not need. For example, if you do not use SW Delivery Solution, disable the capture of AeX SWD events. The reason the events on the Other Settings page are captured by default is so you will receive necessary information regarding the Notification Server internal rollout (such as for basic inventory and application metering).
• If something goes wrong and the NS Clients start producing a lot of events and your Notification
Server starts getting overwhelmed, first disable the capture of the events that are getting sent in abundance.
• Out of the events on the Other Settings page, if you have SW Delivery Solution installed, the
AeX SWD events are the events that should be most relevant to you. If something goes critically wrong with your system, we recommend you coming in and disabling the capture of all other events first.
From the NS Client, you can filter out Software Delivery events either per package or per advertisement.
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• Per package - On the Package Properties page, under the Status Events section, select or clear the check box for
Package Status Events Enabled
. If this check box is cleared, then no events will be captured for this package. See
“Package Properties Page” on page 109 .
• Per advertisement - On the Advertisement Properties page, under the Status Events section, select or clear the check box for
Advertisement Status Events Enabled
. If this check box is cleared, then no events will be captured for this advertisement. See
“Advertisement Properties Page” on page 123 .
These individual Package and Advertisement filters are not an override for the event filtering on the
Other Settings page. If you have the individual package or advertisement set to capture its events, and you have set up on the Other Settings page to discard those types of events, the events will not get captured. The event capture settings on the Other Settings page take precedence.
See Also
•
•
“Package Properties Page” on page 109
•
“Advertisement Properties Page” on page 123
•
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
Schedules
Notification Server updates all Standard Collections data on a regular schedule. When this happens, the Primary User inventory data is also updated. If you have many computers on your network, the whole update could take some time. Collection Update and Primary User Generation are the most processor intensive schedules. The following two sections are given to you so you can plan the update schedule if you have a large environment. The update intervals can be changed on the Other
Settings page (see
).
Primary User Inventory
When you first install or upgrade to Notification Server, the Primary User inventory data will not exist for any computer and will need to be generated for all computers. Since the data will need to be completely generated, the process will take longer the first time. After the data has been generated the first time, the process will take less time because it will only be an update, not a complete generation.
Each time the Standard Collections Update Schedule runs, it will spend no more than 20 seconds each minute generating Primary User inventory data for as many computers as possible. It does this until all data is gathered.
Each 24 hours, the Primary User inventory data is updated. The time interval can be overwritten by changing the following registry entry:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Primary User
Update\Update Interval (min)
For Example
If you have 20,000 computers, and your server can gather data for 300 computers in 20 seconds, it would take around 67 minutes to gather the Primary User inventory data on all computers.
(Remember that Primary User inventory data is only gathered for 20 seconds per minute.)
The default is for Primary User Generation to be disabled. You should keep it disabled unless you want to use Primary User data (see
“Other Settings” on page 91 ).
Standard Collections Update
The Standard Collections are updated on a regular basis according to the Standard Collections
Update Schedule. An update is required if any of the following are true (the following are default times - they can be changed on the Other Settings page or by changing registry settings):
• Any resource has reported new inventory more than 1 minute since the last update.
• Any resource has reported updated inventory more than 30 minutes since the last update.
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• More than 240 minutes has passed since the last update.
Standard Collections Update (see “Other Settings” on page 91 ) recommendations for a large
environment are:
•
New Resource Update Interval (in minutes)
- The default for this setting is 1 minute. It is recommended that this interval be increased to 30 minutes.
•
Existing Resource Update Interval (in minutes)
- The default for this setting is 30 minutes. It is recommended that this interval be increased to 2 hours.
•
Always Update Interval (in minutes)
- The default for this setting is 4 hours. It is recommended that this interval be increased to 2 days (2880 minutes).
The following registry settings for the Standard Collections Update Schedule are found at
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Collections
Update
:
Last Run Date
- Contains the last date and time collections were updated.
New Resource Check (min)
- The time interval for which a new resource is checked. The default is 1.
Resource Update Check (min)
- The time interval for which an updated resource is checked. The default is 30.
Always Refresh (min)
- The time interval for an automatic refresh. The default is 240.
The Task Scheduler wakes up the Collection Update schedule every 1 minute (by default). The
Collection Update schedule checks to see if it is time to run either New Resource Update, Existing
Resource Update, or Always Update. If it’s not time, The Collection Update schedule goes back to sleep.
WARNING
It is not recommended that you change the Task Scheduler settings unless you have performance issues.
DispatcherThrottleDelay Registry Key
For large environments, it is recommended that you add a registry key for DispatcherThrottleDelay
(see
“Registry Settings” on page 329
).
This is a Registry Key that can be added under Notification Server. The number is how many milliseconds to wait between events. This is useful if you have a continuously busy system and want to slow it down. It is particularly useful when there will be a heavy load of running reports and administering items during the day, as it will make the console respond faster.
Note
This registry setting is not added at installation time. You must manually create it when it is needed.
Start with a value of 5 as it seems to make things work pretty well without slowing down dataloading too much. If most of the work takes place overnight, when fewer computers are reporting inventory, etc., there is no need to leave it turned on, as it is not necessary.
NS Dispatcher Service Threads
When Notification Server is installed, the NS Dispatcher Service is set up to create up to 5 threads that process events. These 5 threads are shared between the large event queue and the small event queue. If this is limited to 2 or 3 threads, you may get better performance in a large environment. It is recommended that you experiment with the number of threads to see what is right for your environment. A registry setting called
MaxDispatchThreads
controls the number of threads that the
NS Dispatcher Service uses.
See Also
•
“NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241
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•
“Registry Settings” on page 329
Notification Server Database
For best performance, it is recommended that you have the SQL Server and the Notification Server on the same computer and the same hard drive.
The following are recommended placement of Operating System, Notification Server, and related components on your computer if you have 2 or 3 hard drives.
Recommendation 1 (if you have 3 drives)
• Drive C – Operating System, SQL Server, and Notification Server
• Drive D – Notification Server database and log files
• Drive E – Operating System page file
Recommendation 2 (if you have 2 drives)
• Drive C – Operating System, SQL Server, Notification Server, Operating System page file
• Drive D – Notification Server database and log files
Whatever drive the Notification Server database is on will have many fragmented files, so it is recommended that it be on a separate drive as the SQL Server and the Notification Server.
See Also
•
“Database Settings” on page 69
•
“Log File Settings” on page 335
Purging Events
Most events that are received by the Notification Server are logged onto the Notification Server database. Notification Server gives you the ability to purge events from your Notification Server database periodically.
The default is for event purging to be turned off. However, for large environments, it is recommended that you purge events on a regular basis. How often depends on your needs. 30 days is most likely appropriate for large environments, but you could make this shorter or longer while keeping in mind the following:
• Large environments produce many events. The more events that get produced, the larger your
Notification Server database is. The larger your Notification Server database is, the less responsive it is when running reports.
• This will not purge individual Solution events, just events associated with Notification Server and the Configuration Solution. Each Solution should have an option to purge its own events.
• Excessive purging of events may lead to incomplete report data.
See Also
•
“Data Purging Configuration” on page 98
Package Servers
If you have a large environment and you use Software Delivery packages, you are encouraged to set up some of your NS Clients as Package Servers. This lets Notification Server run more efficiently.
See Also
•
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•
“Using Package Servers” on page 190
Understanding and Improving Inventory
Forwarding in a Large Environment
In an environment where there are thousands of NS Clients reporting to first-level Notification
Servers which then report to second-level Notification Servers, and which could be forwarded again, there are a number of issues which need to be taken into account if successful data forwarding is to be achieved.
Key Understanding
When the client is acting as a client only, and it receives the 'Queue Full' message from the
Notification Server it communicates with, it starts queuing the files it has to report to the Notification
Server so they can be sent later.
When the client is acting as a relay agent to the next level server, this does not happen because there is no need to queue data that will be regenerated the next time around. (The “last forwarded” timestamp is not updated unless the Notification Server has successfully submitted the inventory message to the target Notification Server.)
Improving Inventory Forwarding Results and Reducing “Queue Full” Errors in NS 5.5
SP1
When an inventory forwarding policy is created, the default selections are All Resources/Collections
(meaning all computers) and All Inventory Classes. This may not be optimal in large environments.
In Notification Server 5.5 SP1 or earlier, when Notification Server forwards inventory, it evaluates whether each client record (in the collection) has received any update since the last forward, before it tries to forward the computer's inventory again. While this evaluation is faster than the actual forwarding process itself, it burns about 1 second per computer evaluated. If you have 10,000 computers to forward, even if half of them have not actually received any new data since the last forward, you will burn ~2 hours of processing time just evaluating these computers.
2
3
4
Note
In Notification Server 5.5 SP2, a change has been made so that the initial selection of computers only includes those that have received inventory since the last forwarding event, so the following recommendation is not required. However, other suggestions are still valid and should be considered.
The following collection and query can be used to forward computers which have run inventory within the last three days plus one hour (73 hours) to make sure there is no underlap (computers not being forwarded).
To create a collection based on a query, do the following:
1
5
Create a new collection:
In the Web Administration Console, click the
Solution
tab, right-click
Altiris eXpress
Configuration
>
Collections
>
My Collections
, then select
New
>
Collection
.
In the right pane, select
Collection Definition
.
Click
New Filter
.
In the New Filter dialog, select:
Type
= machine
Table
= Wrksta
Field
= WrkStaID
Operator
= NOT IN
In the Value box, insert the following (note you have to make this one long line to be able to copy and paste it into the value box; if there are line feeds only part of the query will get pasted):
Use this statement (IMPORTANT notice the extra “)” mark at the end):
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Chapter 5: Administration Scalability select WrkstaId from AeXInv_AeX_AC_Inventory_Results where datediff(hh,[Collection Time],getdate()) < 73 and WrkstaId not in
(select ResId from AeXNSInvSiteForward where datediff(hh,ForwardDate,getdate()) < 73))
You would expect the statement to work without the extra “)” because it is SQL syntax correct, but because of a bug in the parser for the Value box, you must add the additional character.
6
Select this collection as the collection to be forwarded. The evaluation will be much faster.
Other items to consider, with regards to this collection definition in your environment:
• If you have more than one forwarding event.
If, for example, you wanted to forward data after a custom file scan used to determine whether a
3rd party software package was successfully installed, you might create a special rule for forwarding just this information. However, in this case, the forwarding event might only forward one table/group but it would change the forwarded stamp in the AeXNSInvSiteForward table, which would affect the collection definition above.
• Computers being off the network when the Inventory scan ran.
In this case, the AeXInv_AeX_AC_Inventory_Results time stamp would be from the time the scan ran, not when the data was inserted into the tables. Effectively if it was more than 73 hours after the inventory scan ran that the data was loaded and the inventory forwarding process was started, this query would not work. A query against the WrkstaInventory table for the InvClassId number corresponding to the AeXInv_AeX_AC_Inventory_Results table could alleviate this. To make this change, you will need to look up the number in the InventoryClass table. (This will be different from Notification Server installation to Notification Server installation because the number assigned to tables depends on the order they were first received. After they have been received once they are unlikely to change, unless the table name is completely changed by being generated by the AeXNSInvCollector program). However the query described above should generally work, as the vast majority of clients reporting in will not be off for more than three days.
Best Practices
• Do not use the default recommendation to forward Basic Inventory every day.
What this means for inventory forwarding (when all groups/classes are selected) is that each computer's data is going to be forwarded every day because some inventory has changed.
Inventory is usually forward at the rate of 4 - 6 full computer records per minute. Taking 5 as an average means only 7200 computer's records can be forwarded in a day. If you have more computers and Basic Inventory causes you to forward all records every day, it will never get done. Forwarding starts with the lowest numbered WrkstaId that the collection query returns and continue incrementally to the highest numbered WrkstaId. So if inventory forwarding is not completing, it will usually be the newest computers added to the Notification Server database that won't get forwarded (because they will have the highest WrkstaId numbers). The collection evaluates whether the computer has new inventory before handing the list over to the forwarding process.
In large environments, Basic Inventory can safely be gathered only once a week (or less). Basic inventory items do not change often and the NS Client will forward a Basic Inventory out of schedule if something major changes.
• Increase the queue size on Notification Servers receiving forwarded inventories.
Both the size (kb) and file number (registry values “MaxFileQEventCount”=dword:00004e20 and “MaxFileQSize(KB)”=dword:0007d000) should be increased. However, make sure you don't set the size as larger than your hard disk. Simply adding a '0' to the standard 512000 will increase the file size from 1/2GB to 5GB. File count is 20,000 by default. While you will only see a negative performance impact when you get close to 65,256; be conservative and start with
30,000 or 40,000. With recent changes to the software, the count increase may not be necessary
(because status message files will no longer eat up the file count and typically the size limit will be exceeded first), but the count increase should not hurt anything either.
• Spread out the inventory jobs by using AeXRunControl in either the weekly or monthly mode.
Using AeXRunControl, you can set the Inventory job to run every day but randomize when it is carried out and reported (to avoid having all the computers trying to report their data to the
Notification Server at the same time). In this case, even though the policy may be set to run every day, it would only actually run what was in the “Command Line” on the day that it randomly
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Chapter 5: Administration Scalability selected. It also delays a random number of seconds set by /d:min-max (/d:1-3600 would be one second to 1 hour).
AeXRunControl /rndschedule KEYNAME “enclose the standard commandline of the package here” <Weekly|Monthly> <RangeMin> <RangeMax> /d:min-max
See the AeXRunControl /? if you have any questions and try it in a quick test.
• Do not use all five of the default Inventory jobs.
Generally two (the software inventory and the CleanBeforeRun full) are sufficient if they are run in a user context that has no problems gathering the hardware, software, or serial number inventory. If the user is not an administrator, you will need three jobs. Run the main two as
Administrator. AeXExchPls needs to be run as the user to be successful.
• Set the forwarding schedule to be fairly frequent (even hourly).
You might want to do this if the upper level Notification Server regularly goes into the 'Queue
Full' state and generates forwarding stops or other errors that stop forwarding. Even if a forwarding job is already occurring, having the schedule start again should not be a problem.
Note
When forwarding restarts, if the collection is not a limited collection such as suggested above, it will have to evaluate all the computers fitting the collection query again.
• Exclude Notification Server-side generated inventory classes/groups
Classes such as Primary User will be regenerated at the upper level Notification Server. Exclude them from forwarding by removing them from the all inventory classes option when creating the
Inventory Forwarding rule.
Other Notes
• Do not use newer Inventory Solution agents with old-version Notification Servers.
This is not supported. The newer Inventory Solution agents create different styles of XML code in the NSEs and NSIs, which, among other possible things, will not forward properly between
NS 5.1.2 servers. The first level Notification Server may load the data, but the forward will generally have corrupt XML code in the forwarded inventory file.
• Forwarding is started by a schedule and the item in the scheduled tasks folder will generally show
'running' as long as the task is running. However, this is actually being carried out by an internal process in the AeXNS COM+ object, so if you want to stop the task, you must do a shut down on the AeXNS COM+ object. (Stopping the scheduled item will not stop the forwarding.)
• The speed of forwarding will be slowest when the full forward occurs (first time forwarding), as well as when the monthly cleanbeforrun advertisements run (which will also cause a full inventory to be forwarded).
• In almost all cases, the outgoing inventory files are actually larger than the incoming files. This happens because if Inventory Solution reports/removes the inventory rows for a particular computer from a particular group/table, then in order for this to replicate up the chain, a group class XML definition without any data rows needs to be sent to the next level Notification Server to clear the data rows for that computer. As a result, the forwarded inventory files include the
Group Class XML definition for each table selected for forwarding, even if the computer does not have any inventory in that table.
General Scalability Notes
• Do not run your Notification Policies or Reports too often, especially if the reports take a long time to run. This puts a load on the computer. If a report takes two minutes to run and you set up for the report to run every minute, the report will always be running and will use up most of your
CPU time.
• The items discussed in the Scalability sections are suggestions for companies running over 1000
NS Clients. Remember that the more you increase response times, the less responsive the
Notification Server is. For example, if you back off the Standard Collections Update to every 5 minutes, it will be up to 5 minutes before changes to the inventory get reflected to the collection membership. Out of the box, these settings are quite responsive so you can see the changes for testing and demonstration purposes. It will take some experimenting to find the right responsiveness for your needs.
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• Make sure the Notification Server is optimized for 'Maximized data throughput for network applications'. To do this, from the Control Panel open
Network and Dial-up Connections
. Rightclick on the network connection, then click
Properties
. In
Components checked are used by this connection
, select
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
, then click the
Properties
button.
Select
Maximize data throughput for network applications
, then click
OK
.
• Try adjusting your paging file size for increased performance. You can increase your paging file size as well as add more paging files. See the paging file information on the Microsoft Web site.
Disaster Recovery and High Availability
Your Notification Server data is important to you. This section tells you how you can recover your data if disaster strikes.
There are three failure modes that can cause Notification Server to be unavailable.
Failure Action
Loss of computer Go to standby Notification Server computer. See
“High Availability” on page 270 .
Network failure This is out of the scope of Notification Server disaster recovery.
This section contains the following information:
•
“Disaster Recovery” on page 268 - This gives you the information you need for backing up and
recovering your data in case of system failure. If you follow the instructions listed here, you should have your Notification Server running with your latest backed up data in 1 to 2 hours.
•
“High Availability” on page 270
- This tells you how to have the Notification Server and Altiris solutions available to users within 5 to 10 minutes of a system failure. This is meant as a quick fix while you recover your data using the steps found in Disaster Recovery.
Disaster Recovery
The key to disaster recovery is performing regular backups to your data. This section discusses the necessary backups you will need to perform as well as how to restore Notification Server due to system failure.
•
“Back up Notification Server” on page 268
•
“Restore Notification Server” on page 269
Back up Notification Server
We recommend that you regularly back up your Notification Server system. How often depends on how critical you consider your data to be.
You should back up:
• When numerous Reports are created.
• When numerous Notification Policies are created.
• On a regular interval, based on how critical your data is. We recommend that you back up at least weekly.
Notification Server stores its data in the configuration registry and in the Notification Server database. The registry contains various settings. The database contains all of the actual data. All of the custom policies, inventory data, information on Software Delivery status events, and so forth are stored in the database.
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Before performing a back up, we recommend that you stop Microsoft SQL Server, but Notification
Server does not need to be stopped. This will ensure that the database gets backed-up properly. Any data that needs to go into the database will be queued until the Microsoft SQL Server is started again.
Note
If you are using a shared Microsoft SQL Server and cannot shut it down, Microsoft SQL Server lets you dump the database into a back up file without shutting it down.
You should regularly back up your Notification Server database. You should also back up the registry. If you do not back up the registry and there is a problem with the registry, you can restore
Notification Server registry information by re-installing Notification Server. After you have reinstalled, configure Notification Server to use the existing SQL database. See
If possible, you should make a complete back up of the system, including the registry. You should back up the following:
• Notification Server database
• Notification Server program files (
\Altiris\eXpress
folder)
• Registry
Notes
• You can use Deployment Solution to create an image of your drive that Notification Server is on.
• If you need to back up items or groups, you can do so individually. See
Items or Groups” on page 271 .
• If you have multiple sites, there is a tool on the Altiris Technical Resource Kit that lets you import and export policies and reports across sites. Contact your Altiris representative for more information.
• Some back up programs let you back up a Microsoft SQL Server database while Microsoft SQL
Server is running. Although these programs will probably work fine with Notification Server, they are not supported by Altiris. If you use such a program, we highly recommend that you verify that your database was backed-up properly after performing the back up.
Restore Notification Server
Restoring Notification Server is a relatively easy process, as long as you performed the recommended backup (see
“Back up Notification Server” on page 268 ).
To restore Notification Server
1
Reconstruct the Notification Server database from the backup.
2
IMPORTANT
You must have MSSQL7 service pack 2 or later installed for you to properly reconstruct the Notification Server database.
After restoring a back up copy of the database, Notification Server may have problems downloading solutions. If this happens, you need to download and install MSSQL7 service pack
3.
Reinstall Notification Server. (See
“Notification Server Installation” on page 37
.)
3
4
5
6
7
8
Note
Be sure to select
Use existing database
when configuring the Notification Server database during installation.
If you backed up your Notification Server program files (
\Altiris\eXpress
folder), restore them.
If you backed up your registry, reinstall your registry information.
Export all Collections, Packages, Policies, and Reports groups. (See
Items or Groups” on page 271 .)
Uninstall your solutions. (See
“Uninstalling a Solution” on page 59 .)
Re-install your solutions. (See
“Solution Installation” on page 44 .)
Re-import all Collections, Packages, Policies, and Reports groups. (See
Importing Items or Groups” on page 271 .)
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9
Reinstall your product licenses. (See
“Solution Licensing” on page 55
.)
Note
If you did not back up your registry, you will need to reconfigure Notification Server. (See
“Notification Server Configuration” on page 62 .)
Note
If you have multiple sites, there is a tool on the Altiris Technical Resource Kit that lets you import and export policies and reports across sites. Contact your Altiris representative for more information.
High Availability
The following are suggestions for keeping your Notification Server and Altiris solutions available to users within 5 to 10 minutes of a system failure:
• Package Servers - Implement the Package Server component of Notification Server. For more information on Package Servers, see
“Using Package Servers” on page 190 .
• Standby Notification Server - Set up a duplicate Notification Server computer that can be accessed quickly. Remember, you do not need to purchase a license for Notification Server; you can set up as many Notification Servers as you need for no charge.
Maintenance
This section contains the following tasks:
•
“Deleting Reports” on page 270
•
“Deleting Items or Groups” on page 270
•
“Exporting and Importing Items or Groups” on page 271
•
“Hidden Solution Groups” on page 271
•
“Item Names Versus File Names” on page 272
•
•
“Disabling Scheduled Tasks” on page 272
•
“Enabling Scheduled Tasks” on page 272
Deleting Reports
You can delete reports automatically or one at a time.
To delete reports automatically
1
Configure the report purging setting in the Altiris eXpress Configuration solution. See
Purging Configuration” on page 98
.
To delete reports one at a time
1
In the Web Administration Console, click
Solutions
.
2
3
4
In the left pane, navigate to the report you want to delete.
Right-click on the report name, and select
Delete
.
Click
OK
to confirm delete.
Deleting Items or Groups
You can delete items or groups from the solution tree. Caution should be used when deleting items or groups that you did not create as it might impact the usefulness of the solution.
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To delete an item or group
1
In the Web Administration Console, click
Solutions
.
2
3
4
In the left pane, navigate to the item or group you want to delete.
Right-click on the item or group, and select
Delete
.
Click
OK
to confirm delete.
Exporting and Importing Items or Groups
If you have more than one Notification Server, you can export any item or group (such as policies and reports) from one Notification Server and import them into another Notification Server. This will let you have the same items or groups on other Notification Servers without needing to manually re-create them.
To export an item or group
1
In the Web Administration Console, click
Solutions
.
2
3
In the left pane, navigate to the item or group you want to export.
Right-click on the item or group, and select
Export
.
4
Specify a location for the exported item or group XML file, and click
Save
.
Note
See
“Item Names Versus File Names” on page 272 .
To import an item or group
1
In the Web Administration Console, in the
Solutions
tab, in the left pane, right-click on the
Notification Server node to which you want to import an item or group, and select
Import
.
In the screen shot examples below, the Notification Server node name is craigw.
2
Search for and select the item or group XML file, then click
Open
.
The item or group will be placed in the location of the tree it was exported from.
Hidden Solution Groups
You can hide solution groups by renaming the solution group so it has a leading underscore in the name.
For example, if you have a solution group called My Policies, you can rename it to _My Policies.
You will then not be able to view this solution group or any items in it using the Web Administration
Console.
One reason you may want to have a hidden group is if you have a policy that you don’t want the user to change. The policy is still functional; it is just hidden from the user and therefore cannot be deleted accidentally.
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This feature should be used with extreme caution and should be well planned in order for you to change the items in a group.
Things to consider or do before hiding a group
• You should first export all items in the group
• All group items are fully functional after the group is hidden
• To change any items that are in a hidden group, change the exported item, then import it
Item Names Versus File Names
You can create items using illegal file name characters. When you export an item, you are given a default name using the name of the item. If this item name has illegal file name characters, the item will not export when you click
Save
. If you remove the illegal file name characters when prompted for the file name, the item will export when you click
Save
. When you import that item, it is restored to the same name it had before, including the illegal file name characters. See
Importing Items or Groups” on page 271 .
Cloning Items
You can clone any item in any solution in Notification Server. This lets you make changes to a copy of the item, while maintaining the option of recovering all changes because you have the original item. It also lets you create an item that is similar to an item you have.
To clone an item
1
In the Web Administration Console, click
Solutions
.
2
3
In the left pane, navigate to the item you want to clone.
Right-click on the item, and select
Clone
.
A copy of the cloned item is created. You can now rename it to anything you want and make any other desired changes.
Disabling Scheduled Tasks
You can stop scheduled tasks (such as Administrator or SW Delivery) from running if you need to
(for example, when shutting down the Notification Server Dispatcher).
To disable scheduled tasks on a Windows 2000 computer
1
Click
Start
>
Settings
>
Control Panel
.
2
3
Double-click
Scheduled Tasks
.
Right-click on the scheduled task you want to stop, then select
Properties
.
4
5
Clear the
Enabled (scheduled task runs at specified time)
box.
Click
OK
.
Enabling Scheduled Tasks
To enable scheduled tasks on a Windows 2000 computer
1
Click
Start
>
Settings
>
Control Panel
.
2
3
Double-click
Scheduled Tasks
.
Right-click on the scheduled task you want to stop, then select
Properties
.
4
5
Check the
Enabled (scheduled task runs at specified time)
box.
Click
OK
.
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Alert Manager
Alert Manager is a subset of features contained in Helpdesk Solution. Alert Manager lets you manage and report on specific events effecting your environment using a basic workflow model.
You use the
Generate Workitem Event Handler
to create work items (see “Notification Policies” on page 163
). After work items are created, you can then make changes to them.
This provides a powerful way for you to use Notification Server. For example, you can set up the
Generate Workitem Event Handler
notification policy.
to generate work items requesting software deployment based on a
Alert Manager Administration
Alert Manager allows the following administration functionality:
• Worker creation and editing
• Bulletin creation, editing, and deleting
If you purchase Helpdesk Solution, the following administration functionality will be added:
• Notify rules creation, editing, and deleting - Notify rules describe what work item modifications must take place before e-mail is generated and sent, the format of the message that gets sent, and who should receive the e-mail notification.
• Email template creation and editing - E-mail notification is used to automatically generate and send e-mail and pager e-mail messages in response to work item modification.
• Work item deletion - Helpdesk Solution lets an administrator delete work items.
In addition, Helpdesk Solution lets you:
• Associate assets with work items and delete those assets - Assets are real devices such as computers, printers, phones, modem jacks, etc. that are identified as unique objects in the database.
• Associate contacts with work items and delete those contacts - Contacts can be end users who request help or managers acting as the contact point for an end user and the problem.
Alert Manager Worker Console
Alert Manager allows the following worker functionality:
• Work item editing
• Retrieval of next available work item
• Finding work items using search criteria
• Using queries that provide a flexible way to access work item data.
• Viewing the last results of a query
If you purchase Helpdesk Solution, the following worker functionality will be added:
• Work item creation - Users and administrators are able to create work items.
• Template creation - In a template you can specify the pages that will be displayed, the sequence or order that the pages will be displayed, and provide definitions that let you manage flow such as branching and looping behavior.
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• Contact and asset creation, editing, and deletion
See Also
•
•
“Alert Manager Consoles” on page 274
•
“Workers and Virtual Workers” on page 275
•
•
•
“Configuring Workers” on page 283
•
•
“Finding Work Items” on page 290
•
•
•
•
“Work Item History” on page 300
•
“Managing Work Items” on page 300
•
“Alert Manager Interface” on page 307
•
“Administrator Console” on page 310
Architecture
Consoles
Tasks performed in Alert Manager are performed in web-based consoles. Each console is accessed through a unique URL and has unique security properties.
Web Reports and Notification Policies
Alert Manager provides numerous reports that allow you to track work items, worker activity, schedules, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), etc.
Alert Manager also provides Notification Policies, which let the Notification Server perform a variety of actions when defined conditions occur. These Notification Policies automate the monitoring of work item activity.
Alert Manager Consoles
Alert Manager provides two consoles: Alert Manager Admin and Alert Manager Worker.
You can access these consoles by doing one of the following:
• Click
Start
and select
Programs > Altiris > Altiris eXpress > Notification Server
.
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• From the Web Administration Console, open the consoles drop-down list (found in the upper right-hand corner of the browser), then select
Alert Manager
.
Alert Manager Admin Console
The Alert Manager Admin Console provides full access to the Worker Console, as well as the following administrator functions:
• create worker and virtual workgroup accounts
• manage asset and contact data sources
• publish news bulletins
• manage work item category values
• manage work item routing assignments
• email template content
• manage the database
• import data
• manage the notification rules and content specifically for Helpdesk Solution
Alert Manager Worker Console
The Alert Manager Worker console lets workers search and manage work items, define and view detailed managed assets and user contact information, run queries, manage service requests, generate custom worker reports, and remotely control computers (if Altiris Carbon Copy is purchased).
Workers and Virtual Workers
Workers
A worker is a help desk worker or technician at any level. Workers are created in the Administrator
Console and must correspond to a valid Windows NT/2000 user.
Administrators can assign an hourly rate to workers to track costs associated with work items.
Virtual Workgroups
Virtual Workgroups are defined as work queues containing real workers assigned to manage the appropriate work items routed to the workgroup. Workers are able to run queries to list work items that are assigned to specific virtual workgroups.
Twelve active virtual workgroups are provided:
• Level 1 A worker in the Level 1 workgroup accepts and qualifies work item requests and provides dispatching to field technicians, if the work item cannot be resolved by a worker in the
Level 1 workgroup.
• Level 2 A worker in the Level 2 workgroup is generally more technical than a Level 1 worker and is the first level of escalation if the work item cannot be resolved by a Level 1 worker.
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Typically, this group is a combination of telephone support people, system managers, or field managers.
• Level 2 Desktop A worker in the Level 2 Desktop workgroup is a Level 2 worker specifically trained to handle desktop issues.
• Level 2 Network A worker in the Level 2 Network workgroup is a Level 2 worker specifically trained to handle network issues.
• Level 2 Server A worker in the Level 2 Server workgroup is a Level 2 worker specifically trained to handle server issues.
• Operations A worker in the Operations workgroup is assigned work items generated for the
Operations department.
• Professional Services A worker in the Professional Services workgroup is assigned work items generated for the Professional Services department.
• Human Resources A worker in the Human Resources workgroup is assigned work items generated for the Human Resources department.
• Asset Management A worker in the Asset Management workgroup is assigned work items generated for the Asset Management department.
• Deployment-Software Delivery A worker in the Deployment-Software Delivery workgroup is responsible for tasks associated with the initial deployment of software packages and subsequent updates.
• Supervisor This can be used for managers, supervisors, or administrators.
• Guest The guest worker is used as the worker in the end user consoles. The only property available for modification for the guest worker is the name.
Work Items
A work item defines a task to be performed. Work items in Alert Manager are created through the
Generate Workitem Event Handler
. After work items are created, you can then make changes to them.
Note
In Alert Manager, work items can only be created using the
Generate Workitem Event Handler
.
Helpdesk Solution lets users and administrators create work items and expands the capabilities of
Alert Manager.
For information on using Event Handlers, see
“Notification Policies” on page 163 .
A work item is assigned to either a worker or a virtual workgroup. A worker can use the
Retrieve
command to retrieve work items with the earliest creation date from their assigned queue.
Note
The
Retrieve
command performs its action depending upon the settings as chosen in the preferences section in the Admin console.
A work item is given a start date and a due date. The date and time information is used to determine
Service Level Agreements, worker schedules, and the elapsed time to completion.
To generate a work item
1
Select a policy that you want to trigger a work item. This policy can be from any solution that has notification policies as well as from the Altiris eXpress Configuration.
2
3
4 a b
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click solution name >
Policies
>
Notification Policies
> policy name.
In the right pane, click
Configure Event Handlers
.
If there is a
Generate Workitem Event Handler
listed that you want to use, enable it.
a
Click the
Enabled
check-box to enable the event handler.
If there is no
Generate Workitem Event Handler
listed, or you want to use one other than the one listed, create a new one and configure and enable it.
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c d a b e f g
In the
Name
field, enter the name of the event handler you want to create.
In the
Description
field, enter the description of the event handler.
In the
Handler Type
drop-down menu, select
Generate Workitem Event Handler
.
Click
Create Handler
to add the new event handler to the list of event handlers.
Click on the name of the newly-created event handler to go to the configuration page.
Enter the information in the fields that you desire (see “Configuration for Generate Workitem
Event Handler Page” on page 171 ). Then click
Apply
.
Click the
Enabled
check-box to enable the event handler.
Security
This section gives information about Alert Manager security.
Admin
Alert Manager relies on the security features provided by IIS and NTFS to control access to Alert
Manager features.
The logged in user who does the initial installation of Notification Server is automatically created with administrator rights.
You add administrators to Alert Manager by adding them as administrators on the computer running
Notification Server.
Workers
In order to access the worker console, users must be configured as a worker. This allows administrators to carefully control how work items are created and changed.
Workers are required to have an NT domain\username that the IIS server can authenticate.
Authentication is achieved through the IIS server accessing the domain controller for a worker’s NT identification.
The IIS security settings can be changed by accessing the Internet Services Manager, then, in the left pane, selecting server name
> Default Web Site > AeXHelpdesk > ep
. Then, right click on a folder name
(for example: admin) and select
Properties
. Click the
Directory Security
tab, then click the
Edit
button for
Anonymous access and authentication control
. Click the
Help
button to access help on these items.
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• Anonymous access - Lets users establish an anonymous connection for this folder. The server then logs on the user with an anonymous or guest account.
• Basic authentication - This is an industry standard method used for collecting user name and password information. Note that this results in passwords being transmitted over the network without data encryption.
• Integrated Windows authentication - This uses a cryptographic exchange with the user’s
Internet Explorer web browser to confirm the identity of the user.
We recommend that all environments use Integrated Windows authentication for tighter security.
Workers with Internet Explorer 4.01 (or higher) can pass their login credentials without any prompting. If IIS cannot authenticate the logged-in user, then a dialog is displayed asking for a new
NT credential. Passwords are not transmitted in the clear.
Workers with other browsers (Netscape, Opera) will see a dialog asking for an NT domain\username and a password (basic authentication). Because passwords are passed in the clear, we do not recommend using either Netscape or Opera.
Permissions
Once IIS has authenticated the requesting user, then NTFS permissions on the directory holding the requested commproc.asp file are checked to determine if the user has NTFS read permissions for the file (usually inherited from the directory). If so, the request is allowed to proceed and a response page will be generated.
The directories and files being discussed are installed in the web directory created under the installation location. Following is the directory structure.
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The admin, anon, guest, NSAdmin, nsworker, user, and worker subdirectories are where NTFS security can be effectively placed to restrict access to the Administrator (admin) Console, End User
(guest, user, and anon) Console, and Worker (worker) Console, respectively. The entry points, admin, user, and worker, use Integrated Windows Authentication and NT IDs to identify people
(though the user entry point and its corresponding user credential act in a non-worker context, wiring the user to a specific contact record but interacting with the software as a guest). These three are useful in an intranet where everybody has NT credentials. The other two, guest and anon, are appropriate for the Internet and do not require an NT ID at all. The guest entry point identifies and associates the user with a contact by email address and an optional password while the anon entry point doesn't enforce or require any credentials at all. The ability to identify users by email address allows administrators the ability to give low-level users access to their own contact and work item data without giving them visibility of any other user’s data.
Altiris recommends creating local NT groups on the server with IIS, adding domain accounts to those groups, then giving each group appropriate permissions on each of the five entry point subdirectories.
To set Web permissions
1
Create NT groups for each class of user:
• Administrator (admin)
• End User (User)
• Worker (worker)
• End User (guest)
• End User (anon)
Note:
These groups can be global groups in the domain or local groups on the Web server.
2
3
4
5
6
For example, if you wanted to create local groups, you would use the Computer Management tool to create a group called
Administrator (admin)
and so on.
Add NT users to the appropriate groups. These can be NT domain users or local users defined on the Web server.
Using Windows File Explorer, locate the physical directory location of the admin, worker, and guest entry points.
Note:
By default, the setup creates these in the following location:
C:/Program Files/Altiris/eXpress/Notification Server/HelpDesk/Web/ep
Right-click an entry point folder (i.e.
Admin
).
Click
Properties
. This displays the property sheet for the folder.
Click the
Security
tab.
7
Remove unwanted access (i.e.
Everyone
) and add the appropriate groups (i.e.
Admins
).
Note:
The "Read" permission is sufficient.
With permissions set, when a user invokes a URL inside one of these entry points (admin, user, and worker), they must be logged on to NT as a member of the appropriate group or they will be prompted to log in. As previously mentioned, the guest and anon entry points do not require an NT
ID.
Note:
Login credentials are automatically provided by Internet Explorer so IE users won't be prompted for user information unless they are not a member of the correct group. Other browsers don't participate with NTLM and will always be prompted.
Credentials
Two groups of credentials are provided, the Worker credential and the Contact credential. A credential is created by specifying its type, Worker or Contact, and setting special flags associated with its type. Therefore you can have various configurations of both the Worker and Contact credentials (for example, one that uses a password and one that does not). The primary distinction between the Contact credential and the Worker credential is that work items created when
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Work items created when authenticated using a Worker credential will have the real worker as the
“Created by” worker.
Note:
You can create your own credentials to fit your organization. The easiest way to do this is to copy an existing credential and modify its flags to fit your specifications. The credentials can be found in Web\AppWeaverSiteDoc.xml. To modify them, copy them into the custom\sitCustom.xml file.
Credentials
Name
NSAdmin
NSWorker
HDAdmin
HDWorker
HDUser
Type Description
Worker These credentials will permit access based on the NT ID of the caller as determined by IIS and Integrated Windows Authentication. Guests are not allowed. If there are no workers in the database at all, then one will be created for the first user (this typically happens on initial setup). Workers can be allowed to self-enroll after initial setup by setting createuser="yes" and restarting the Web.
Contact This credential always allows access as a guest worker but uses or creates contact information based on the user's NT ID. This is useful in an intranet environment where you have trusted users (with NT IDs) but do not want to pre-create every contact.
HDGuest Contact This credential always allows access as a guest worker but uses or creates contact information based on the user's email and password it collects.
This is useful for the internet case where you want to collect some contact info and your guests are often coming to the site and you don't want to require IE5 and Integrated Windows Authentication. These people can have most recently used lists of work items and personal preferences. It asks for the password each time but remembers the email address in a cookie.
HDAnon Contact This credential always allows access as a guest worker but does not create or connect to a contact record. There is no credential page displayed at all.
This credential is useful for internet use where the commands will collect contact data and place it into work items without explicitly creating a contact record.
The custom\sitCustom.xml file comes with two credentials: UseAdminCred and UseWorkerCred.
These credentials allow access to consoles in a pre-defined worker context. They are useful in demo or kiosk situations when you want to open up a console to anyone but have them identified as a single pre-defined worker.
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The following screen shots show credentials found in the AppWeaverSiteDoc.xml file.
Security
Worker Credential Group
Two credentials are provided in the Worker credential group: Admin and Worker. These credentials require an NT ID.
Flags:
• loginasguest="yes|no" - Causes the credential to use the Guest worker (as opposed to a real or virtual worker).
• allowguest="yes|no" - Defines whether this credential requires a real worker or can use the
Guest worker.
• createuser="yes|no" - Defines the console's behavior if the incoming user is not yet in the database. If "yes", the credential will prompt for info and create a new worker record. If "no", the incoming user will be denied access.
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• template=templatename - Defines the output ui_template to be used by the Credential code when interacting with the user.
Contact Credential Group
Three credentials are provided in the Contact credential group: User, Guest, and Anon. These credentials do not require an NT ID.
Flags:
• createuser="yes|no" - Defines the console's behavior if the incoming user is not yet in the database. If "yes", the credential will prompt for info and create a new worker record. If "no", the incoming user will be denied access.
• usenoid="yes|no" - Defines whether the console should expect an NT ID. If "yes" then the absence of an NT ID (provided by Integrated Windows Authentication) is tolerated. If "no" then an NT ID must be present (whether or not the credential will otherwise use it).
• useemailid="yes|no" - Tells the credential to use an email address as the unique identifier for a worker rather than an NT ID.
• usepassword="yes|no" - Tells the credential whether or not to require the incoming user to enter a password (the one entered when the account was set up and when prompted to do so in the createuser="yes" case). This only applies to contact credentials.
• emailcookie="yes|no" - Tells the credential to store the user's email address in a cookie so that it doesn't have to be requested when the user returns later.
• passwordcookie="yes|no" - Tells the credential to store the user's password in a cookie so that it doesn't have to be requested when the user returns later.
Credentials and Browser Sessions
The root of the Web contains a default.asp page that opens the Consoles page. When an IIS server validates a credential, it creates a session that remains in effect until the browser is closed or the session times out (20 minutes of inactivity for most browsers; Microsoft Internet Explorer does not time out).
Note:
The session time out amount can be changed in the AppWeaverSiteDoc.xml file. Find the
sessiontimeout
property and change its value.
3
4
During the session, the original credential remains in effect. This means it is possible to have a disconnect between the credential used to access the Web and the one used once the console has come up. To prevent this, you should restrict the NTFS permissions to the root of the Web as well.
1
2
Select the following folder in File Explorer:
C:/Program Files/Altiris/eXpress/Notification Server/HelpDesk/Web
Click
Properties
.
This displays the property sheet for the folder.
Click the
Security
tab.
Restrict access for this folder to the Workers group.
Note:
If the default.asp page has been customized to do something different, the permissions should be set accordingly.
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Configuring Workers
Workers are individuals authorized to manage work items. Workers who are actual network users are identified as real workers. You can also create virtual workgroups which are similar to workgroups. Workers are able to run queries to list work items that are assigned to specific virtual workgroups (Level 1, Level 2, and Supervisor).
To configure virtual workgroups
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
4
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Workers
.
Click
New
, found on the right side of the screen.
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Enter the name of the virtual workgroup as you wish it to appear in the various consoles.
Enter the virtual workgroup’s full name.
Select
Virtual
as the workgroup type.
Enter the virtual workgroups’s e-mail address.
Note:
If the specified e-mail address property collides with an existing worker or virtual workgroup, then a validation message is displayed and the virtual workgroup will not be created.
Note:
If the specified name and phone number properties collide with an existing worker or virtual workgroup, then a validation message is displayed and the virtual workgroup will not be created.
Select the virtual workgroup’s organization from the drop-down list or enter a new one.
(Optional)
Enter any comment that you want. (Optional)
If desired, select the
VIP
box to make the virtual workgroup a VIP (Very Important Person).
This can be used to elevate a priority and notify workers any time a VIP contact creates a work item.
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12
13
The
Active
box should be selected. If you wish to make the user inactive, deselect this box.
Click
OK
.
To configure real workers
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Workers
.
4
5
6
Click
New
, found on the right side of the screen.
Select
Real
worker type.
Enter the name of the worker as you wish it to appear in the various consoles. For example, if the name of the worker is Lane Waite, you could enter lwaite.
7
8
9
10
11
12
Enter the worker’s full name.
Select
Real
as the workgroup type. This will create a real worker, not a virtual workgroup.
(optional) Enter an hourly rate for the worker.
Enter the person's network domain name and user name (for example: DOMAIN\username).
Note:
If the specified network domain name and user name properties collide with an existing worker, then a validation message is displayed and the worker will not be created.
Choose how the worker selects a virtual workgroup when retrieving work items. Select one of these two:
• Prompt the worker to select a virtual worker queue when retrieving work items - This lets the worker select a virtual workgroup to retrieve work items from.
• Always use this virtual worker - This lets the worker always select work items from a specific virtual workgroup.
Note:
This can be changed later.
Enter the worker’s e-mail address.
Note:
If the specified e-mail address property collides with an existing worker, then a validation message is displayed and the worker will not be created.
Note:
If the specified name and phone number properties collide with an existing worker, then a validation message is displayed and the worker will not be created.
13
14
Enter the worker’s pager e-mail address, phone number, and cell phone number.
Select the worker’s organization from the drop-down list or enter a new one.
15 Comment
(optional) - Enter any comment that you want.
16
17
18
The
VIP
box can be selected to make the worker a VIP (Very Important Person).
This is used to elevate a priority and notify workers any time a VIP contact creates a work item.
The
Active
box should be selected. If it is not, select it.
Click
OK
.
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Worker Console
You can load the Worker Console by clicking
Start
and then selecting
Program > Altiris > Altiris eXpress > Notification Server
and then selecting
Alert Manager Worker
. You can also access this page
through the Alert Manager Consoles page. See “Alert Manager Consoles” on page 274 .
The main entry point for workers is: http://server name/AeXNS/AeXNSConsoles.asp
Administrators can publish the correct URLs to the appropriate workers and end users.
Users authenticate as network users to access the consoles.
For more information on the Worker Console interface, see
Home Page
The Work Items Home page is the gateway to all Work Item information and administration. The
Home page contains work item actions, summary categories, a list of recent work items, and a list of bulletins.
The Work Item Actions
Home - Displays the Work Items Home page.
Retrieve - Lets worker retrieve the next available virtual worker work item. See
.
Find - Lets worker find work items using simple or advanced searches. See
.
Queries - Lets worker set up and use queries. See
Last results - Shows the results of the last query. See
“Last Results Page” on page 288
.
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The Summary Categories
Report period
lets you select how far back in time you want the worker report to go. Enter the number of days you desire, then click
Go
.
Note
Clicking on the work item number to the right of these categories (for example: 2 work items) will take you to a Queries page listing all work items that are found in the category.
Priority - Lists the number of work items with ‘High’ or ‘ASAP’ priority and ‘Open’ status.
Requested - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Requested’.
Planned - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Planned’.
Open - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Open’.
Late - Lists the number of work items still ‘Planned’ after start date.
Overdue - Lists the number of work items still not ‘Closed’ or ‘Resolved’ after due date.
Resolved - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Resolved’.
Held - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Hold’.
Closed - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Closed’.
Recent Work Items
The Home page lists the most recent work items. You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to work item tasks. For more information, see
.
View
Use the view button to see a work item’s details and make any changes. Select the work item from the
Recent work items
table, then click
View
.
Retrieve Page
The
Retrieve
page lets workers retrieve the next available virtual worker work item.
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To access this page
1
Open the Worker Console by entering either the complete URL, or by entering a URL alias if created.
2
3
Click the
Work items
tab
Click
Retrieve
.
The work item will automatically retrieve. If the worker is set up to select a virtual workgroup each time, click the view icon next to the virtual workgroup to retrieve the next available work item.
If the worker is set up to use the same virtual workgroup every time, the next available work item will be displayed.
Note:
When the worker was created, the choice was made whether to select a virtual workgroup each time or use the same virtual workgroup every time. After the worker is created, the worker can change this by changing the
When retrieving work items
field in Worker Preferences.
See
“Alert Manager Interface” on page 307 .
Find Page
The
Find
page lets you find a work item using search criteria. Two search options are available:
Simple and Advanced. For information on using these options, see
“Finding Work Items” on page 290
.
To access this page
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
Click the
Work items
tab.
Click
Find
.
Click either the
Simple
or
Advanced
tabs, enter the search criteria, then click
Find
to perform the search.
Note
You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to work
item tasks. For more information, see “Table Menu” on page 297 .
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Queries Page
The
Queries
page lets you run a query, create a query, or delete a query. For more information, see
To access this page
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
Click the
Work items
tab.
Click
Queries
.
To run a query, select a query from the Queries drop-down list, then click
Run
. To create a query, click
New query
. To delete a query, click
Delete queries
.
Note
You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to work
item tasks. For more information, see “Table Menu” on page 297 .
Last Results Page
The
Last Results
page shows the results of the last query.
To access this page
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
Click the
Work items
tab.
Click
Last results
.
To refresh the display, click
Refresh
.
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Note
You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to work
item tasks. For more information, see “Table Menu” on page 297 .
Support for Pocket PC (PPC)
Administrators and workers can access the worker console from any Windows CE device. Handheld support is included with your product and does not require any additional cost or configurations.
Handheld support adds even greater flexibility for managing your product by extending functionality beyond the desktop.
You can access the Worker Console using the worker URL. The Worker Console features that are not supported include Remote Control and file upload. Consoles make extensive use of ActiveX controls. As these controls were originally designed for desktop Windows operating systems, some features within these controls may not function fully within the Pocket PC OS environment. Some fields in lists throughout the Worker Console have been scaled down for better viewing on the lower resolution Pocket PC.
Requirements
• Windows CE version 3
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
• Resolution: Standard Pocket PC dimensions of 240 x 320
Note:
While the Worker Console is fully supported with the exceptions noted above, the
Administrator Console is not currently supported on the Pocket PC platform. The Administrative
Console will load on a Pocket PC device. However, the screen is not properly formatted for the reduced screen resolution size of most handhelds. Administrative features can be executed on a handheld device by directly accessing the URLs for those features.
Pocket PC Navigation
There is a dropdown for recent work items at the top of the Worker Console. Select a work item number and click the
View Work Item
icon to the left of the dropdown to view the report for the item.
To view the report for an item not displayed in the dropdown, the standard toolbar has been included so that the worker can enter a work item number in the
Edit
field and click the
View Work Item
icon to the left of the
Edit
field on the toolbar.
Work item actions are not displayed as a horizontal list for the Pocket PC, but have been added to the command dropdown. Select an action and click the green arrow icon to the left of the dropdown to perform the action. The action will be performed on the work item that is selected in the recent work item dropdown that appears to the left. This dropdown is shared by commands that are available on the
Work items
tab.
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Work item
commands are available by clicking the home icon at the top of the console. All commands for the
Work item
command group will populate the command dropdown (this is a shared dropdown).
Execute a command by selecting it from the dropdown and clicking the green arrow icon.
See Also
•
Finding Work Items
Workers can find work items through searches and queries. If you know the work item number you can enter the item number in the either the
View item
or
Edit item
fields located below Common tasks, click
Enter
or click the
green arrow
next to the text box.
It is possible to work on several work items at once in multiple browsers without the consoles interfering with one another. The last console that has any activity will “win” with respect to saving the user's preferences and state (for example: the list of last items worked on). Each time a console is opened, it will inherit the state of the last console that had any activity. The item tabs across the top may be different as the user moves between consoles.
You can also search for work items using the find feature. Two search options are available: Simple and Advanced.
You can perform a simple search based on the following properties:
• Title
• Comment
• External ID
• Who the item is assigned to
• Priority
• Status
• Category
• Type
The advanced search tab adds the following search properties:
• Contact name
• Contact e-mail address
• Asset association--for example, a specific printer
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• Asset association type--for example, all printers
• Modified, created, start, and end dates
Search in Comment
You can search within the comment field of a work item. Unlike searching in other fields, which use the current state of the work item, searching in comments works against the current state of the work item as well as historical work item data. This is very beneficial as workers search work items for helpful solutions to similar problems.
Full-text searching using FREETEXT and CONTAINS (Transact SQL) syntax is supported, but may require configuration. Full-text searching provides very powerful searching within the comment field.
If MS SQL 7 or 2000 has not been configured for full-text searching, searches can still be done using
Transact SQL wildcard character searches (see “Wildcard Searches” below). These searches are more limited than full-text and can be less efficient than full-text searching, especially as your database grows larger. Workers not wanting to utilize full-text search can mark the checkbox below the
Comment
filed.
Full-text (FREETEXT and CONTAINS) Searches
Note:
Full-text searching is only supported with MS SQL 7/2000, not MSDE.
During initial configuration, full-text search configuration is attempted. In order to do this, the Full-
Text Search service, MSSearch, must be installed using an advanced options available during the
MS SQL installation. Additionally, this service can be activated post install. If successful, a full-text index is created on the comment column of the workitem table, and a new catalog,
HD_workitem_comment, is created to store the full-text index.
When full-text searches have been correctly configured, a message is displayed beneath the comment field that indicates that FREETEXT and CONTAINS syntax may be used. Additionally, the message contains the date and time that the index in the catalog HD_workitem_comment was last updated. Comment data modified after this date will not be found using a full-text search until the catalog has been updated (repopulated). If full-text search has not been correctly configured, a warning message, with a yellow background is displayed beneath the comment field that indicates that full-text search is not enabled. When full-text search is not enabled, FREETEXT and
CONTAINS syntax may not be used.
Manual Configuration
If the Full-Text Search service, MSSearch, is not installed, full-text searches cannot be configured and full-text searches will need to be configured manually. MSDN has a good article on implementing full-text searches at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/periodic/period01/ ntp0111.htm
. This article includes information on installing the MSSearch service, creating a fulltext index and catalog, populating the full-text catalog, and scheduling catalog updates.
IMPORTANT:
When manually configuring the Full-Text Search service, the index must be saved in a catalog named HD_workitem_comment or report dates will be incorrectly reported in the
Simple
/
Advanced Find
feature.
Syntax
When full-text search service is enabled, it recognizes whether the search being performed is a
FREETEXT or CONTAINS search.
IMPORTANT:
Do not include the FREETEXT or CONTAINS predicate in the search field, this will be done for you.
FREETEXT is less precise than CONTAINS and matches values on meaning, not the exact word.
The following MSDN article discusses FREETEXT in detail: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ psdk/sql/ts_fa-fz_2juc.htm
.
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CONTAINS is more precise then FREETEXT and recognizes special syntax such as and, or, and
not, FORMSOF, NEAR, etc. The following MSDN article discusses CONTAINS in detail: http:// msdn.microsoft.com/library/psdk/sql/ts_ca-co_2y2h.htm
.
If full-text searching is enabled, the user can override FREETEXT or CONTAINS searches by checking
Disable full-text searching
in the
Find
feature. This lets the user perform wildcard searches as discussed in “Wildcard Searches” below.
Wildcard Searches
Wildcard searches are not nearly as powerful as FREETEXT and CONTAIN searches. If full-text searches have been configured, the user is limited to this type of search. Any valid Transact SQL wildcard character can be used (e.g. %, _, [] [^]). The following MSDN article discusses wildcard searches: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?URL=/library/psdk/sql/ ts_tsqlcon_6lyk.htm
IMPORTANT:
Do not include the LIKE predicate in the search field, this will be done for you.
See Also
•
“Finding Work Items” on page 290
Using Queries
There is a query capability that provides workers a flexible way to access work item data. A number of useful queries are included as shared queries, or queries common to all workers. Additionally, features are provided that let the worker manage his/her own personal set of queries.
Also built into the query system is a parameter replacement system so that input can be solicited whenever the query is run. Note that the query system only works against the most recent version of all work items.
To run a query
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
Click
Queries
.
From the Queries drop-down menu, select a query.
4
5
Click
Run
.
To see details, double-click the work item.
You can easily view the last query run by clicking the
Last results
button.
To create a new query
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
4
Click
Queries
.
Click
New query
.
It is usually easiest to modify the codes of an existing query. Select an existing query from the drop-down menu.
5
6
7
8
Click
Get Expression
.
Modify the parameters of the query.
Click
Run
.
If you would like to save this query, click
Save this query
.
9
10
Give the query a name.
Click
OK
.
11
The new query will now appear in the drop-down list.
You can also delete queries you have created, but you may not delete the default (shared) queries.
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To delete a query
1
Open the Worker Console.
2
3
4
Click
Queries
.
Click
Delete queries
.
Click the check box next to the queries you want to delete, then click
Delete
.
Custom Queries
Alert Manager has a parameter replacement system so that input can be solicited whenever the query is run. Note that the query system only works against the most recent version of all work items.
Work Item Fields
When creating queries the worker must be aware of the data types of the fields that are used in the query so that single quotes can be added or omitted appropriately. There are three basic data types for these fields: uint, string, and datetime. If the data type of the field is string or datetime the argument must be quoted.
String Examples
workitem_external_reference like ‘SMS%’ (wild card character for partial string matching) assigned_to_worker_name = 'mdavis'
Datetime Examples
workitem_modified_on > '12/11/00 10:10:00 AM' workitem_modified_on > '12/11/00 10:05:00' (interpreted as 24 hour clock) workitem_modified_on > '12/08/00 15:00:00'(interpreted as 24 hour clock) workitem_modified_on > '12/11/00' (interpreted as midnight between 10th and 11th) workitem_modified_on > 'Dec 09, 2000 10:00:00 AM' workitem_modified_on > '20001209'
Uint Examples
workitem_number > 150 workitem_minutes_spent > 3 workitem_status_lookup_id = 100
The table below lists the field names that can be queried against, their type, and additional information where appropriate.
Field Name Type Acceptable values (and comments)
workitem_link_parent_number uint workitem_number uint workitem_version uint
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Field Name Type Acceptable values (and comments)
workitem_external_reference string workitem_priority_lookup_id uint workitem_status_lookup_id uint workitem_category_lookup_id uint workitem_type_lookup_id uint workitem_link_type_lookup_id uint workitem_assigned_to_worker_id uint workitem_created_on datetime workitem_created_by_worker_id uint workitem_start_on datetime (only date part is in db; e.g. 11/10/00) workitem_due_on datetime (only date part is in db; e.g. 11/10/00) workitem_modified_on datetime workitem_modified_by_worker_id uint workitem_minutes_spent uint
Create, Open, Assign, Attach, Link, Edit,
Associate contact, Associate object, Resolve
(values that are provided, however this field is customizable) workitem_title string workitem_managed_object_id uint workitem_contact_id uint workitem_tag_collection_id uint assigned_to_worker_name string a, workers can be inactive virtual workgroups or inactive real workers) assigned_to_worker_email string assigned_to_worker_phone string assigned_to_worker_cell_phone string assigned_to_worker_pager string assigned_to_worker_location string created_by_worker_name string a, workers can be inactive virtual workgroups or inactive real workers) created_by_worker_email string created_by_worker_phone string created_by_worker_cell_phone string created_by_worker_pager string created_by_worker_location string modified_by_worker_name string
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Field Name
modified_by_worker_status
Type
string
Acceptable values (and comments)
a, i, v (a=active, i=inactive, v=virtual; inactive workers can be inactive virtual workgroups or inactive real workers) modified_by_worker_email string modified_by_worker_phone string modified_by_worker_cell_phone string modified_by_worker_pager string modified_by_worker_location string workitem_priority_lookup_value string workitem_priority_lookup_ordinal uint workitem_status_lookup_value string workitem_status_lookup_ordinal uint workitem_category_lookup_value string workitem_category_lookup_ordinal uint workitem_type_lookup_value string workitem_type_lookup_ordinal uint workitem_link_type_lookup_value string workitem_link_type_lookup_ordinal uint contact_name string contact_email string contact_phone string contact_organization_name string managed_object_name string managed_object_type_lookup_id uint managed_object_type_lookup_value string managed_object_type_lookup_ordinal uint workitem_comment string
Query Parameter Replacement
There are a number of special parameters that the query system recognizes. When a query is run the parameters are resolved and the results are returned. With the exception of $current_worker_id$, all queries containing parameters will present an intermediate page where the worker can provide input.
$current_worker_id$
The parameter $current_worker_id$ will automatically be resolved to the ID of the credentialed worker. The resolved parameter will not be quoted.
example - [My open items]: workitem_assigned_to_worker_id = $current_worker_id$ and workitem_status_lookup_id =
300 example - work items that the current worker created: workitem_created_by_worker_id = $current_worker_id$
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$prompt_number(“<prompt>”)$
The parameter $prompt_number(“<Prompt>”)$ will produce an edit control labeled with <prompt> on an intermediate page where the worker can provide numeric data. The resolved parameter will not be quoted.
example of $prompt_number(“<prompt>”)$: workitem_number >= $prompt_number("Enter work item number lower boundary")$
$prompt_string(“<prompt>”)$
The parameter $prompt_string(“<Prompt>”)$ will produce an edit control labeled with <prompt> on an intermediate page where the worker can provide string data. The resolved parameter will be quoted.
example of $prompt_string(“<prompt>”)$: assigned_to_worker_name >= $prompt_string("Enter a worker name")$
$prompt_lookup(“<prompt>”, “<lookup query name>”)$
The parameter $prompt_lookup(“<prompt>”, “<lookup query name>”)$ will produce a drop-down on an intermediate page where the worker can select a value from the drop-down. The resolved parameter will be the ID of the selected value and will not be quoted. The second parameter must be the name of an existing lookup query. Lookups are customizable. As long as a query is created for the lookup, and the lookup table follows the format of existing lookup tables the lookup prompt parameter will produce a drop-down.
Example
$prompt_lookup(“<prompt>”, “<lookup query name>”)$: workitem_status_lookup_id=$prompt_lookup("Select work item status:",
"StatusList")$
The following lookup queries are available:
• CategoryList
• PriorityList
• StatusList
• TypeList
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$prompt_datetime(“<prompt>”)$
The parameter $prompt_datetime(“<Prompt>”)$ will produce a datetime control labeled with
<prompt> on an intermediate page where the worker can provide datetime data. The control will be initialized with the current date and time. The resolved parameter will be quoted.
Example: $prompt_datetime(“<prompt>”)$: workitem_modified_on > $prompt_datetime("Work items modified after:")$
$prompt_date(“<prompt>”)$
The parameter $prompt_date(“<Prompt>”)$ will produce a datetime control labeled with <prompt> on an intermediate page where the worker can provide date data. The control will be initialized with the current date. This parameter is particularly useful when querying against workitem_start_on and workitem_due_on fields because only the dates are stored in the db. The resolved parameter will be quoted.
Example
$prompt_date(“<prompt>”)$: workitem_start_on >= $prompt_date("Work items that will start on or after:")$
Table Menu
Alert Manager provides a table menu for quick access to table tasks.
To access the table menu, do one of the following
• Click on this icon, found on the left side of the window:
• Right-click inside the table
The table menu lets you do the following, if applicable
• View item data
• Gain quick access to actions found on the work item view page.
• View - Takes you to the view page. See “View Page” on page 301
.
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• Open - Opens a Web page dialog that lets you open the work item. See
• Assign - Opens a Web page dialog that lets you assign the work item. See
• Edit - Opens a Web page dialog that lets you edit a work item. See
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• Resolve - Opens a Web page dialog that lets you change the status of a work item to
‘Resolved’. See
• Close - Opens a Web page dialog that lets you change the status of a work item to ‘Closed’.
See
• Print table
• Copy table data to a spreadsheet or file
• Copy selected item data to a spreadsheet or file
• Find an item using search criteria
• Find the next item using previous search criteria
• Change to detail view from full view.
• Detail view - Shows complete information on the highlighted work item. This view also lets you scroll to the other work items in the table.
• Full view - Shows a list of work items with partial information on each item. This is the default view.
Detail View
The Detail view shows complete information on the highlighted work item in a table.
To select the Detail view, click the table menu icon or right-click inside of the table, then select
Detail
View
.
When the Detail view is selected, you can scroll to the previous or next work item quickly by clicking on the left or right arrows found below the table.
To switch back to the Full view, either click the magnifying glass icon found below the table or click the table menu icon and select
Full View
.
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Work Item History
When a work item is created, a record of all actions taken against the work item are recorded in the work item history. It is not possible to remove information from the work item history once a work item is created.
Each history record includes the date and time used for historical reporting to determine:
• When the work item request was first processed
• When new associations are made
• When the work item was edited (frequency of updates and by whom)
• When the work item changed status (i.e. open, resolved, open, resolved, closed)
Managing Work Items
When a work item is accessed, the interface displays the work item View page. The user can perform one of several actions at this point.
• View – See
• Open – See
.
• Assign – See
• Attach – See “Attach Page” on page 303 .
• Link – See
• Edit – See
.
• Resolve – See
.
• Close – See
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View Page
The
View
page displays the work item data and history.
Managing Work Items
To access this page
1
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
2
Click
View
.
Open Page
The
Open
page opens a work item.
To access this page
1
2
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
Click
Open
.
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Assign Page
The
Assign
page lets you assign the work item to a different worker. This results in a new detail record being created.
To access this page
1
2
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
Click
Assign
.
Page Items
Item
Title
Reassign to
Comment
Time Spent
(minutes)
OK
Cancel
Description
Enter the title of the work item.
Select the new owner for the work item.
Enter a comment.
The time spent working on this work item. This number can be changed.
Click to save the changes.
Click to discard the changes.
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Attach Page
The
Attach
page lets you attach a file to a work item.
Managing Work Items
To access this page
1
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
2
Click
Attach
.
Page Items
Item
Name
Description
Enter a brief name which describes the attachment.
File to attach
Assign to
Comment
Enter the full file path of the file to attach or click
Browse
and select the desired file.
Note:
The maximum file size is 5 MB.
Select the new owner of the work item, if desired.
Enter a comment, if desired.
Time Spent (minutes) The time spent working on this work item. This number can be changed.
OK Click to save the changes.
Cancel Click to discard all changes.
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Link Page
The Link page lets you associate a work item with another work item. The worker can find an existing work item, use a recent work item, or enter a work item number.
To access this page
1
2
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
Click
Link
.
Page Items
Item Description
Find an existing work item Enter some text to search for, then click
Find
.
Use a recent work item Select a work item from the drop-down list, then click
Use
.
Item # Enter the item number of the work item you want to link to, then click
Link
.
Cancel Click to discard all changes.
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Edit Page
The Edit page allows modification of almost all of a work item’s fields, including schedule. This results in a new detail record.
To access this page
1
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
2
Click
Edit
.
Page Items
Item
Work item
External ID
Assign
Schedule
Start
Due
Priority
Status
Category
Comment
Time Spent
(minutes)
Description
Enter a new work item as desired.
(Optional) Enter an
External ID
.
This is provided for you to use if you have your own numbering scheme for work items.
Assign the item to a worker or virtual workgroup.
Select the desired schedule.
Enter the start date.
Enter the due date.
Select the priority.
Select the item status.
Select the category.
Enter a comment.
The time spent working on this work item. This number can be changed.
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Page Items
Item
OK
Cancel
Description
Click to save the changes.
Click to discard all changes.
Resolve Page
The
Resolve
page lets you change the status of a work item to ‘Resolved’ and assigns it back to the user who opened it. This is an intermediate step that allows support to verify with the end user that the problem has truly been fixed before the work item is closed. This operation changes the work item status to ‘Resolved’ and will by default preselect the worker that opened the work item if the worker is not a virtual worker or the guest worker. This results in a new detail record being created.
This step is optional.
To access this page
1
2
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
Click
Resolve
.
Page Items
Item
Assigned to
Comment
Time Spent
(minutes)
OK
Cancel
Description
Assign the item to a worker or virtual workgroup, if desired.
Enter a comment explaining why you have resolved the item.
The time spent working on this work item. This number can be changed.
Click to save the changes.
Click to discard all changes.
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Close Page
The
Close
page lets you change the status of the work item to ‘Closed’.
Alert Manager Interface
To access this page
1
Select the work item from the
Work items
or
Work item #
tabs.
2
Click
Close
.
Page Items
Item
Comment
Time Spent
(minutes)
OK
Cancel
Description
Enter a comment explaining why you have closed the item.
The time spent working on this work item. This number can be changed.
Click to save the changes.
Click to discard all changes.
Alert Manager Interface
This section describes the interface elements found on Alert Manager pages.
Home
Clicking on the
Home
icon takes you to the Work Items Home page.
Altiris Console
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Clicking on the
Altiris Console
icon takes you to the Altiris Console.
Console Report
You can create and view custom web reports. Sample custom web reports are provided. To view the available custom web reports, click the
Console report
icon:
Preferences
You can customize how information on the Worker Console is displayed through worker preferences. You can also specify whether or not to collect contact and/or object data and the order in which contact data is collected, and the virtual workgroup to use during “Retrieve” or whether you should be prompted each time to select a virtual workgroup.
Information that can be customized includes the following:
1
2
• Number of recent items to save
• Recent tab labels
• Format for creating new work items
• Format for displaying lists
• virtual workgroup selection
To set worker preferences:
Open the Worker Console.
Open the Worker Preferences screen by clicking the following icon:
3
4
Modify settings as desired.
Click
Save
to exit and save settings.
Format for Printing
Clicking on the
Format for Printing
icon formats your page for printing.
Help on the Web
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Clicking on the
Help on the Web
icon lets you download help documentation from the Altiris web site.
About
Clicking on the
About
icon gives you information about the product.
Log Off
Workers can log out of the console by clicking the
Log Off
icon.
Workers can free up session resources by logging out of the console they are in. This can improve performance during shift changes. If the worker does not log off, the session expires after 20 minutes of inactivity.
Queries
Clicking on the
Queries
icon takes you to the Queries page, where you can run queries on work items.
Find Work Items
Clicking on the
Find Work Items
icon takes you to the Find page, where you can enter search criteria to access work items.
Last Query Results
Clicking on the
Last Query Results
icon takes you to the Last Results page, where you can view the results of your last query.
Retrieve Next Available Work Item
Clicking on the
Retrieve Next Available Work Item
icon lets the worker retrieve the next available work item.
View Work Item
Clicking on the
View Work Item
icon takes you to the View page of the work item number that is entered in the field.
Enter the work item you want to view in the field next to the
View Work Item
icon, then click the icon.
Open
A worker can view the open work items by clicking on the
# items
link next to Open:
Queued [queue name]
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A worker can view the work items (according to virtual workgroup) in the queue by clicking on the
# items
link next to Queued [queue name]:
Administrator Console
The Alert Manager Administrator Console allows you to perform administrative tasks. This section contains the following topics:
•
•
•
Summary
The
Summary
page displays work item totals for all workers. This page contains administration actions, summary categories, and a list of bulletins.
The Administration Actions
Workers - Lets you modify worker properties. See “Workers” on page 311 .
Routing - Lets you control which workers gets assigned to which categories for routing. See
.
Bulletins - Lets you view, create, or delete bulletins. See “Bulletins” on page 313
.
The Summary Categories
Report period
lets you select how far back in time you want the summary report to go. Enter the number of days you desire, then click
Go
.
Note
Clicking on the work item number to the right of these categories (for example: 2 work items) will take you to a Queries page listing all work items that are found in the category.
Priority items - Lists the number of work items with ‘High’ or ‘ASAP’ priority and ‘Open’ status.
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Requested items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Requested’.
Planned items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Planned’.
Open items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Open’.
Late items - Lists the number of work items still ‘Planned’ after start date.
Overdue items - Lists the number of work items still not ‘Closed’ or ‘Resolved’ after due date.
Resolved items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Resolved’.
Held items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Hold’.
Closed items - Lists the number of work items with status as ‘Closed’.
Workers
The
Worker
page lets you modify worker properties. You can modify worker properties or create new workers.
Note
There is no way to make the Guest worker inactive. The Guest worker (unlike all other workers, both real and virtual) always has to be active so there is something to use when a real worker context is not available.
To modify a worker’s properties
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Open the Administrator Console.
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Workers
.
Click on a worker from the list.
Click
View
or right-click on the worker, then select
View
username.
Click
Edit
.
Update the desired fields.
Click
OK
.
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To add a new worker
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Workers
.
4
5
To add a new worker, click
New
, or right-click inside the table, then select
New worker
.
To add a new worker from an existing contact, click
New from contact
, or right-click inside the table, then select
New worker from contact
.
6
7
Enter the appropriate information.
Click
OK
.
Note
You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to administration tasks. For more information, see
Routing
The
Routing
page lets you control which workers gets assigned to which categories for routing. You can select a default worker to route to. You can also reassign categories from one worker to another.
No changes will be saved until the
OK
button is clicked.
To select a default worker for all unassigned categories
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Routing
.
4
5
Select a worker from the
Default
drop-down list.
Click
OK
.
To assign a worker to route to
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Routing
.
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6
7
4
5
8
9
Select a category.
Click
Assign
.
Select a worker from the
Route to
drop-down list.
Select
Selection and children
from the
Apply to
drop-down list if you want the
Route to
to apply to the category’s children.
Click
OK
.
Click
OK
.
To reassign categories from one worker to another
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Routing
.
4
5
6
7
Under
Reassign categories
, select the worker to reassign from in the
From
drop-down list.
Select the worker to reassign to in the
To
drop-down list.
Click
Reassign
. All categories assigned to the
From
worker will be reassigned to the
To
worker.
Click
OK
.
Bulletins
The
Bulletins
page lets you view, create, or delete bulletins.
Bulletins are messages that are created in the Administrator Console and can be displayed on the
Worker Console and End User Consoles. Bulletins are shown on the bottom of the console screens and are listed in a newest to oldest order.
Note
You can click on the table menu icon or right-click inside the table to get quick access to administration tasks. For more information, see
Bulletins can announce known problems, policies, scheduled upgrades, etc. Bulletins are helpful in providing the current status of IT resources. For example, if a specific server is down, many users may open the End User Console to report the problem. If a bulletin is published, users can see that the problem is a known issue, possibly when the problem will be resolved, and will eliminate many redundant work requests.
Once bulletins have been created, they may be deleted or made inactive. Inactive bulletins are saved but are not displayed.
To broadcast a new bulletin
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click the
Admin
tab.
Click
Bulletins
.
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6
7
4
5
8
9
Click
New
.
Enter the title of the bulletin.
Enter the message of the bulletin.
(Optional) If you want the bulletin displayed in End User (guest) Consoles, check the appropriate box.
(Optional) To make this an active bulletin, check the
Active
box.
Click
OK
.
To make a bulletin inactive
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click
Bulletins
.
Click the bulletin you want to make inactive.
4
5
6
7
Click
View
.
Click
Edit.
Uncheck the
Active
box.
Click
OK
.
To delete a bulletin
1
Open the Administrator Console.
2
3
Click
Bulletins
.
Click
Delete
.
4
5
Select the bulletin you want to delete.
Click
Delete
.
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Altiris Connector for Active Directory
Altiris Connector for Active Directory lets you import Active Directory objects such as
Organizational Units, Users, and Computers into your Notification Server database. The Connector also imports User Group information into the Notification Server database from Windows NT4/
2000/2003 domains.
The Altiris Connector for Active Directory uses LDAP to provide one-way synchronization from
Active Directory to Notification Server. You can specify which Domain Controller the AD data is gathered from.
The Altiris Connector for Active Directory creates Notification Server collections based upon
Active Directory Organizational Units (OUs) as well as collections based upon user groups. These collections can be used in policies across any solution. For example, suppose you want to distribute software to all computers in an OU. A collection based upon an Active Directory OU can be used as a target for a Software Delivery policy. As another example, suppose you want to schedule a
Deployment Solution event to all computers for people in the Sales User Group. You can do this using a User Group collection created as part of this Connector.
Imports can either be scheduled or can be manually initiated.
Altiris Connector for Active Directory supports both forests and multiple forests.
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Collections Added to Notification Server
After you import data from Active Directory OUs or User Groups, collections based on this data are added to Notification Server.
Active Directory Import
There are three types of Active Directory objects that you can import:
•
Organizational Units
(OUs) - When OUs are imported, collections are created that enable you to define policies from any solution and target Active Directory OUs.
• Users - The imported Users data (from either Active Directory or Windows NT/2000/2003 User
Groups) is used to populate the Contact information in Alert Manager, Helpdesk Solution, and other Solutions.
Note
No policies can be sent to the NS Client based on User objects, only based on Computer objects. User data can be used for creating contacts in Alert Manager and Helpdesk Solution and for generating reports. User data is also mapped to computers. Also note that policies are based on collections. Computers with the NS Client installed make up collections. Just importing computers from Active Directory does not ensure that the NS Client is installed on them.
• Computers - Importing Computer objects has the following advantages:
• It provides a list for Asset Control Solution of those computers that do not have the NS Client.
• It lets you know which computers in your environment do not have the NS Client installed.
You can then use this information to make sure the NS Client is installed on all of your computers.
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Note
When you install Asset Control Solution, you can import more types of Active Directory objects, such as Print Queues. Without Asset Control Solution, you can only import OUs, Users, and
Computers. For more information, see the Altiris Asset Control Solution User Guide.
During the import process, the computers from Active Directory are matched with known
NS Clients in the Notification Server database (using computer name and domain). Note, however, that the import process imports all resources regardless of their NS Client install state. The
Organizational Units (OUs) then appear as collections in Notification Server, identified as “OUs from source” collections, and are then available to all Altiris Solutions as targets for policies, reports, software advertisements, etc. (only if the NS Client is present). At a peer level, OUs appear as “OUs from source - users to machines”. Collections under this peer level are called “OU name - user to machine”. The “OU name - user to machine” collections only contain computers mapped based upon the Users in the OU. They do NOT explicitly contain the computers that are in fact in the OU. These
“user to machine” pairs are based on primary user data matched to computers.
For Example
If you want your Policies to go to computers based on location of computers in the OU, select from the “OUs from source” collections. For example, if you have a North America\Sales OU with 3 computers and 6 users and you want your policies to go to the 3 computers, you would use the corresponding North America\Sales collection from the “OUs from source” collections.
If you want your Policies to go to users in an OU, select the corresponding collection of users from the “OUs from source - users to machines” collections. For example, if you have a North
America\Sales OU with 3 computers and 6 users and you want your policies to go to the computers that the 6 users use, you would use the corresponding North America\Sales collection from the “OUs from source - users to machines” collections.
User Group Import
User Group import lets you select groups of users from a Windows NT/2000/2003 domain.
Collections of the users in these groups are mapped to the primary user on computers.
User groups appear as collections in Notification Server and are identified as “User Groups from
source”, where source is the name of the domain controller or server - this is dependant on what was used at the time of authentication. At a peer level, there is a collection group called “User Groups to
Machines from domain name”. The names of the collections in this group are “UserGroupName - user to machine”. Each of these collections contain computers whose primary users are the users in the User Group collections - thus these are dynamic collections.
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For Example
Installation
If you want your Policies to use collections based on User Group data, they can only use collections found in the “User Groups to Machines from domain name” collections.
Collections found in the “User Groups from source” group cannot be used by Policies.
Configuration Tab
The Altiris Connector for Active Directory adds two options in the Administration Console
Configuration tab:
• User Group Import - Lets you import Windows NT/2000/2003 User Groups and, optionally,
Users from Windows NT4/2000/2003 domains, on a schedule. See
“User Group Import” on page 319 .
It is very highly recommended that this is scheduled to run at the most once a week and then on the weekend.
• AD Integration - Lets you import from Active Directory on a scheduled basis. You are given options to define one or more Active Directory servers as data sources and to define importing rules that specify the server to import from, which Organizational Units (OUs) or Users to import, and the recurring schedule for updating the information. See
“AD Integration” on page 321 .
See Also
•
•
•
•
“Monitoring Performance” on page 326
Installation
This section tells you how to install and uninstall the Altiris Connector for Active Directory.
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Installing the Altiris Connector for Active Directory
1
Open the Web Administration Console.
• Click
Start
>
Programs
>
Altiris
>
Altiris eXpress
>
Notification Server
>
Web Administration
Console
2
3
4
5
Click the
Solution Center
tab.
Click
Partner Integration
.
Click
Altiris Connector 5.5 for AD
.
Click
Start
.
When the Altiris Connector for Active Directory has been installed, you will be able to see two new tasks when you click the Web Administration Console
Configuration
tab: User Group Import and AD
Integration.
Note
The Active Directory import functions make use of the ADS Interfaces. On a Windows NT computer, these must be manually installed. The installation files are available from the Microsoft
Web site. Windows 2000/XP/2003 computers already have these interfaces installed and it is not necessary to install anything.
Uninstalling the Altiris Connector for Active
Directory
1
2
Open
Add/Remove Programs
from the Control Panel.
Remove
Altiris Active Directory Connector 5.5
.
Configuration
This section tells you how to configure the Altiris Connector for Active Directory on your
Notification Server.
User Group Import
The
User Group Import
task lets you import Windows NT4/2000/2003 User Groups and, optionally,
Users from Windows NT4/2000/2003 Domains on a schedule. The Domain Controller used can be either a Windows NT4/2000/2003 Domain Controller.
When importing a User Group, keep these things in mind:
• It is recommended that you schedule the import to run, at most, weekly and then on the weekend.
• Monitor the size of the domains you are importing from. If your domains contain over 5000 users, the import process may be very slow.
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When the import is restarted, then all User Groups are deleted and if the import users is enabled, then all the User Groups will be re-imported.
To access this task
1
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
2
In the left pane, select
User Group Import
.
Item
Domain Name
User Name
Description
Enter the name of the Windows NT/2000/2003 Domain from which you want to import. Do not use your .com name as the User Group domain name.
Example:
MyDomain
Enter the name of a user who has administrative privileges for the domain. This can be in the form of domain\user.
Enter password for
User Name
.
Password
Confirm Password
User Groups Select one or more groups from the list of Available Groups that are found in the domain. Click
Add
or
Remove
to add or remove groups to/ from the list of Selected Groups.
IMPORTANT
User Groups will be recreated in their entirety at each scheduled run. If the User Groups are not in the Selected Groups list (on the right side), they will not be recreated.
Refresh
Import Users
Select this to refresh the list of User Groups.
Select to import Users in addition to the User Groups.
Enable Scheduled Import Select to enable scheduled import.
Note
Only users added or changed will be re-imported.
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Item
Edit Schedule
Apply
Description
If
Enable Scheduled Import
is selected, this link is available for opening
a dialog that allows you to specify a custom schedule (see “To use a custom schedule” on page 181
).
Click to save and apply changes.
AD Integration
The
AD Integration
task lets you create or remove resource importing rules. You need to have
Organizational Unit importing to see the Users/Computers in collections that represent the Active
Directory hierarchy.
This task may generate a timeout error during a long running import which has been manually initiated. If a timeout does occur, the import will still continue in the background.
Any Active Directory import which has been configured to run as a background process or on a schedule will not be subject to any timeout errors.
Item
Perform import for selected rule now
Enabled
New Import Rule
Remove Rule
Description
Forces the import for the selected rule.
Select this check box to enable the rule.
Click to add a new import rule to the Rule list.
Click to remove the selected rule from the Rule list.
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Item
Active Directory
Synchronization
Schedule
(Edit...)
Description
Click the
Edit
link to view the Global Schedule Config Page. From there, you can enable and edit the
Apply
Cancel schedule.
Click to save and apply changes.
Click to cancel changes.
To add a new import rule
1
Click
New Import Rule
.
A new rule appears in the Rules list.
2
Select a resource type.
a
Click
specified resource type
.
b c
Select the desired Active Directory item from the drop-down list.
IMPORTANT
You need to import Organizational Units to have collections created. Computer and User import will go into collections you create. Generally, you will always want the OU,
User, and Computer collection to be from the same Organizational Unit. For example, suppose you have the following Organizational Units: root\North America, root\South
America, and root\Europe. If you want your OU, User, and Computer collections to come from the root\North America Organizational Unit, import the whole root\North America
Organizational Unit.
Click
Select
.
3
Enter the data source information.
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a
Click
Specified data source
.
Configuration
b
Enter the domain or server of the data source.
If you enter the domain, LDAP may query any Domain Controller. This could cause unnecessary network traffic. To ensure a local Domain Controller is queried, specify the name of the Domain Controller.
Examples
Mycompany.com
4
Server1
c d e
Enter the user ID of the data source.
The user ID can be in the form domain\user. If no user ID is specified, you will be connected under the ID of the AEXNS COM+ package.
Note
This user only needs to have rights to enumerate. This user does not need to have modify/create rights.
Enter the password and confirm.
Click
Apply
.
Select the Organization Unit from which importing will start.
a
Click
root
.
b c
Select the desired Organization Unit from the drop-down list.
Select whether or not to import items in all Organizational Units under the selected OU.
This lets you import a portion of your Active Directory data. For example, suppose your
Notification Server site contains data for all of your North America sites and you have a
North America OU. You can then import only users/computers in North America.
5 d
Click
Select
.
Select the default column mapping (if “and using the specified column mapping” appears).
a
Click
specified
.
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b c
Note
If you get an LDAP class enumeration error, retry clicking
specified
. This error means that you haven’t given the class enumeration time to authenticate.
Select the Class to import from.
Select the Columns mappings you wish to use to import data. You can enable/disable specific groups or select different entries in the Data Source Column.
Note
The out-of-the-box defaults should be sufficient for User or Computer. These fields are generally used for new asset types in conjunction with Asset Control Solution.
6 d
Click
Apply
.
Select the schedule you wish to use to import data.
a b c
Click
specified schedule
.
Click
New
and define your schedule.
Click
OK
.
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7
Click the
Enabled
check box to enable the rule.
Administration
8
Click
Apply
.
Note
When importing occurs, NSE files are created in the Event Queue directory. If there are errors,
check the CE.log file for information. For more information, see “NS Client and Notification Server
Administration
This section gives administrative topics for Altiris Connector for Active Directory.
Deleting Objects
If an object (User, Computer, or OU) is deleted from Active Directory, and it has been imported to
Notification Server, the following applies:
• If an OU is deleted from Active Directory, its corresponding collection will be deleted from the
NS database on the next resynchronization.
• Any other object deleted from Active Directory will not automatically be deleted from
Notification Server during a resynchronization and will need to be deleted manually.
Active Directory Reports
Several reports are provided that list information Active Directory information.
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To access these reports
1
Open the Web Administration Console.
• Click
Start
>
Programs
>
Altiris
>
Altiris eXpress
>
Notification Server
>
Web Administration
Console
.
2
3
Click the
Solutions
tab.
In the left pane, click
Altiris eXpress Configuration > Reports > Active Directory Reports
.
Monitoring Performance
There are two reports that you can use to see how Notification Server is performing based on Active
Directory and User Group import. These reports are found by clicking the
Solutions
tab, then
Altiris eXpress Configuration
>
Reports
>
AeX Scheduled Event
>
Count scheduled events
, selecting
View report on latest data
in the right pane, selecting one of the following from the
Scheduled Events
drop down list, then clicking
Submit
.
• Schedule import policy for LDAP Resource import rule - This displays User Group import data. If you double-click on an item, you can monitor the tick count in milliseconds.
• Schedule import policy for OU import rule - This displays Active Directory import data. If you double-click on an item, you can monitor the tick count in milliseconds.
These reports can help you decide the best time for importing Active Directory and User Group data.
For example, if you have 10,000 users, it might be best to perform the importing during the night or only on weekends.
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Chapter 8:
Troubleshooting
This section lists common troubleshooting problems and gives probable resolutions.
•
“Troubleshooting on the Notification Server and NS Client” on page 327
•
“Troubleshooting the Package Server” on page 329
•
“Dispatcher Service” on page 329
•
“Registry Settings” on page 329
•
•
•
“Receive Norton AntiVirus Warning When Accessing Pages in the Notification Server Web
•
“Package Download Error” on page 338
•
“E-mail Notification Not Working” on page 338
•
“Sending Events to Notification Server, But You Don’t See Any Data on the Server” on page 338
•
“Errors While Installing” on page 339
•
“Rebuilding a Notification Server” on page 339
•
“Unable to Validate the Software Delivery Connection Point Credentials” on page 340
•
“Windows XP: CryptoApi Issue” on page 340
•
“Windows XP: Problem Deploying NS Client in a WorkGroup” on page 341
•
“Log Error: Exceeding Optimal Number of Connections When Using MSDE” on page 342
Troubleshooting on the Notification Server and NS Client
You troubleshoot the Notification Server and the NS Client by analyzing their log files.
1
2
To configure Notification Server error logging
a
In the Web Administration Console, select the
Configuration
tab.
b c
In the left pane, select
Error Logging
.
In the right pane, select all four boxes.
d e
Click
Apply
.
To view the log, click
status messages
.
This link views the latest logged information in an ASP page at http://
NSName
/AeXNS/
CELogView.asp
with the severity level default of 1.
Note
For more information, see
To turn on logging on the NS Client, add the same registry keys that are on Notification Server.
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a
In the registry, go to
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Event
Logging\LogFile
.
b c d
Add a file name. Right-click in the right pane, select
New
>
String Value
. Type
FileName
, then press
Enter
. Right-click on
FileName
, select
Modify
, then enter a value for
FileName
in the
Value data
field ( ce.log
in the screen shot below).
Add a file path. Right-click in the right pane, select
New
>
String Value
. Type
FilePath
, then press
Enter
. Right-click on
FilePath
, select
Modify
, then enter a value for FilePath in the
Value data
field (install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Logs
in the screen shot below).
Add a Severity value. Right-click in the right pane, select
New
>
DWORD Value
. Type
Severity
, then press
Enter
. Right-click on
Severity
, select
Modify
, then enter a value for Severity in the
Value data
field (F hex in the screen shot below).
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3
This will make the following file: install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\Logs\ce.log
.
To view this file using
CELogView.asp
on the server, type in the following URL: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?file=ce.log
You can also reference the log file in the Notification Server Console using the
status messages
link described in
Note
If further help is needed, these log files can be sent through e-mail to Altiris support.
Troubleshooting the Package Server
The URL http://Package Server Name/AeXPS/PackageServerStatus.xml provides real time status from a Package Server about the status of various packages.
Dispatcher Service
1
2
3
4
You can restart the Dispatcher Service if one of the dispatcher threads is terminated or is no longer operational for a long time. Each dispatcher thread periodically updates a timestamp in the registry.
The EvtQFast dispatcher thread updates the EvtQFastHeartBeat registry value. The EvtQueue dispatcher thread updates the EvtQueueHeartBeat registry value. These timestamps act as the heartbeats of the threads. There is a dispatcher watcher thread that monitors the heart beats. If any one of the threads did not update the timestamps for longer than 2 X
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs, the dispatcher watcher thread will do the following:
Stop the Dispatcher Service.
If the Dispatcher Service could not be stopped, shutdown the AeXNS MTS package and then retry stopping the Dispatcher Service again.
If the Dispatcher Service still could not be stopped, terminate the Dispatcher Service process.
Restart the Dispatcher Service.
Related Configurable Registry Settings
KEY Value Description
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIn tervalSecs
REG_DWORD The interval which the dispatcher threads update their corresponding timestamp registry values. These regular timestamps indicate an operational dispatcher thread
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs REG_DWORD The interval which the dispatcher watcher thread checks the dispatcher threads timestamps and determines whether the dispatcher threads are still operational and whether restart of the dispatcher service is required.
For testing purposes, if the registry setting PauseActivities, is set to 666 or 0x666, all the dispatcher threads will crash and the service will not be stopped properly. (Remember to reset PauseActivities to 0 after you crash the Dispatcher Service. Otherwise, it will keep crashing after it is restarted by the receiver.)
Registry Settings
The following registry settings can be found on your Notification Server computer in
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress
.
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KEY Value
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
ClientPolicyCacheTimeoutSecs REG_DWORD
DBTimeout
DefaultServer
REG_DWORD
REG_SZ:<server name>
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs REG_DWORD
Description
This value controls how long cached NS Client Settings
Policies are valid on the Notification Server. If a cached
NS Client Settings Policy is valid, the cached policy is used when building the NS Client Configuration settings.
Once a cached NS Client Settings Policy is older than this value, it is regenerated based on the latest data in the NS database.
The default is 600 (10 minutes).
This key is not created automatically. If you want a different setting other than 10 minutes, you must create this key and set it to the desired time (in seconds).
Number of seconds that various SQL operations will wait for completion of a SQL operation. The default value used if no timeout is specified is 60 seconds.
Name of Notification Server.
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatInt ervalSecs
DispatcherThrottleDelay
EventHistoryLogMode
EvtQFastHeartBeat
EvtQueueCheckSecs
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
The interval which the dispatcher watcher thread checks the dispatcher threads timestamps and determines whether the dispatcher threads are still operational and whether restart of the dispatcher service is required.
See
EvtQFastHeartBeat
,
EvtQueueHeartBeat
, and
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs
.
The interval which the dispatcher threads update their corresponding timestamp registry values. These regular timestamps indicate an operational dispatcher thread.
Number of milliseconds to wait between events. This is useful if you have a continuously busy system and want to slow it down.
Note
This registry setting does not get added at installation time. You must create it when it is needed.
Controls Event History Logging.
0 = no logging
1 = logging as before
2 = logging but without the EventData column
This is used to restart the dispatcher service if the
EvtQFast dispatcher thread is not responding. This is a timestamp that acts as the heart beat of the EvtQFast dispatcher thread. The EvtQFast dispatcher thread updates this registry value.
There is a dispatcher watcher thread that monitors this value. If the EvtQFast dispatcher thread has not updated this value for longer than 2 X
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs, the dispatcher watcher thread restarts the dispatcher service automatically.
See
EvtQueueHeartBeat
,
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs
, and
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs
.
Interval, in seconds, to check event queues. The default is
180.
See
MaxFileQSize(KB)
and
MaxFileQEventCount
.
See “NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241 .
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KEY
EvtQueueHeartBeat
Value
REG_DWORD
InstallPath REG_SZ:C:\Program
Files\Altiris\eXpress\N otification Server
InvForwardFullLoggingEnabled REG_DWORD
Description
This is used to restart the dispatcher service if the
EvtQueue dispatcher thread is not responding. This is a timestamp that acts as the heart beat of the EvtQueue dispatcher thread. The EvtQueue dispatcher thread updates this registry value.
There is a dispatcher watcher thread that monitors this value. If the EvtQueue dispatcher thread has not updated this value for longer than 2 X
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs, the dispatcher watcher thread restarts the dispatcher service automatically.
See
EvtQFastHeartBeat
,
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs
, and
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSecs
Location of Notification Server installation.
MachineGuid REG_SZ:{a long number}
MaxConcurrentConfigRequests REG_DWORD
MaxConcurrentConnections
MaxDispatchThreads
MaxEventProcessTime
MaxFileQEventCount
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
Enables full logging when NS to NS inventory forwarding is taking place.
There are two valid values for this key: 0 and 1.
1 = enable extra logging
0 = disable extra logging
The default is 0.
Note
This registry setting does not get added at installation time. You must create it when it is needed.
Used to identify the NS Client computer when sending data to Notification Server.
Maximum number of Configuration requests that can be handled simultaneously.
Minimum value is 1
Maximum value is 1000
Default is 10
Maximum number of concurrent connections to
Notification Server.
Minimum value is 1
Maximum value is 1000
Default is 10
Maximum number of simultaneous events that the NS
Dispatcher Service can process (default is 5). This is a hidden setting - its default is 5 if it does not appear in the registry. If you want to set it to something other than 5, you must create it in the registry.
Specifies the number of seconds a script associated with a solution can take before Notification Server will cancel the script. Default is 15 minutes * 60 seconds = 900.
Maximum number of NSEs in a file queue. This applies to both EvtQueue and EvtQFast (if EvtQFast is applicable). The default is 20,000.
See
MaxFileQSize(KB)
and
EvtQueueCheckSecs
.
See “NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241 .
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KEY
MaxFileQSize(KB)
MaxInvForwardThreads
MaxNPResultRows
MaxResultRows
MaxSavedResultRows
MQMSGDelivery
RpcEndPoint
Value
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
Description
Maximum total size of NSEs in a file queue. This applies to both EvtQueue and EvtQFast (if EvtQFast is applicable). The default is 512,000.
See
MaxFileQEventCount
and
EvtQueueCheckSecs
.
See “NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues” on page 241 .
The number of threads per forwarding rule.
The default is 1.
This key is used by the component that handles NS to NS inventory forwarding. Using this key can help to decrease forwarding times.
Note
This registry setting does not get added at installation time. You must create it when it is needed.
Specifies the maximum number of rows returned when using %Results% in the message body of an Email
Handler in a Notification Policy. The default is 100 rows. the initiated report.
REG_DWORD Specifies the maximum number of rows returned in a saved report.
REG_DWORD:0x1
REG_SZ:9090
MQMSG_DELIVERY_EXPRESS (Default) - Message stays in memory until it can be delivered. Not recoverable if computer is rebooted.
MQMSG_DELIVERY_RECOVERABLE - In every hop along its route, the message is forwarded to the next hop or stored in a backup file until delivered. This guarantees delivery even in case of a computer crash.
The TCP port used to accept incoming RPC packets from
NS Client computers. The default is 1000.
RpcMaxCalls
RpcMinCallThreads
RpcProtocolSequence
SMTPFromAddress
SolutionCenter
REG_DWORD:0x14 Maximum number of incoming calls before rejecting.
REG_DWORD:0x1 Number of threads that will listen.
REG_SZ:ncacn_ip_tcp
REG_SZ
REG_SZ:http:// www.solutionsam.com/
Solutions/5_5
The reply address used when sending e-mail messages.
If this registry setting does not exist, the default reply address is used ([email protected]).
This is used to specify a valid reply address or for environments where SMTP relay is restricted by source domain (for example: where only hosts in specific domains can relay through secure SMTP gateways).
Note
This registry setting does not get added at installation time. You must create it when it is needed.
Source for Solutions Download Page.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Collections Update
Last Sched Run Date REG_SZ Holds the last date/time the update collections ran.
If the
Last Sched Run Date
registry value does not exist, it will be created automatically.
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KEY
New Resource Check (min)
Value
REG_DWORD
Description
The New Resource Update Interval.
Before updating collections, the Last Run Date is checked against this registry value.
Only if the New Resource Check (min) minutes have passed since Last Sched Run Date will the collections be updated.
You can set the New Resource Check (min) registry value from the Advanced Setting Configuration page - New
Resource Update Interval (in minutes). See
.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\office2000
ServerInstallPath REG_SZ:FILE:\\server name\sharename\<Offic e2000 source files root>
Point to the root of Office 2000 CD or source files.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Primary User Update
MaxProcessMachines REG_DWORD This specifies the maximum number of different computers the primary user inventory will process.
If this registry value does not exist, the default is 20.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\SMS2 Config
Database REG_SZ:sms_svy Name of SMS Database.
ForwardStatusEventsTimeOut REG_DWORD
ForwardExecutionEventsTimeO ut
ForwardUnixEventsTimeOut
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
If exists, status events forwarding will time out after the registry value (in seconds) passes.
If exists, execution events forwarding will time out after the registry value (in seconds) passes.
NoHistoryMif REG_DWORD
If exists, Unix events forwarding will time out after the registry value (in seconds) passes.
This lets you choose whether to send MIFs with history or no history. The default is for Notification Server to send
No History MIFs.
To send MIFs with no history:
NoHistoryMif = 1
Password
Server
REG_SZ:
REG_SZ:sunvalley
To send MIFs with history:
NoHistoryMif = 0
See “SMS Integration and MIFs” on page 157 .
Password of SQL account to access database.
Name of SMS SQL Server.
User REG_SZ:sa Name of SQL Account.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\WebAdmin
Path REG_SZ:webadmin/ep/ standard/ commproc.asp?comma
nd=retools
Path to the Web Administration Console ASP file.
Server REG_SZ:luge Name of Server hosting the Web Administration Console.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\Event Logging\LogFile
FileName REG_SZ The file name of initial log file. See
“Error Logging” on page 74 and
“Log Files” on page 334 . If this setting does
not exist, the default file name is ce.log
.
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KEY
FilePath
Severity
Value
REG_SZ
REG_DWORD
Description
The path of the Logs directory. If this setting does not exist, the default path is install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification
Server\Logs
.
The level of severity of error messages to record in the
FileName. See
“Error Logging” on page 74 and
Files” on page 334 . If this setting does not exist, the
default severity is 7, meaning Errors, Warnings, and
Information severity levels are recorded.
The maximum size of a Log file. If this setting does not exist, the default is 100 KB.
The maximum number of log files in the Logs directory.
If this setting does not exist, the default is 20.
MaxSize
MaxFiles
REG_DWORD
REG_DWORD
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client
EventQueueMaxEvents REG_DWORD
EventQueueSize
EventQueueSizeType
REG_DWORD
REG_SZ
The maximum number of events that can be in the
NS Client event queue. If this setting does not exist, the default is 500.
The maximum size of the NS Client event queue. This size type is determined by
EventQueueSizeType
. The default for this setting is 5.
The size type that the
EventQueueSize
setting refers to.
The two options are:
- Absolute
- RelativeToFreeSpace
The default is RelativeToFreeSpace.
Example
EventQueueSize
is set to 5.
If
EventQueueSizeType
is set to RelativeToFreeSpace, then the value of
EventQueueSize
would mean 5% of the hard disk space.
If
EventQueueSizeType
is set to Absolute, then the value of
EventQueueSize
would mean 5MB.
Log Files
Notification Server uses log files as a mechanism for capturing and displaying error messages.
Note
For clarity, in this section, the term “error message(s)” includes these severity levels: Errors,
Warnings, Information, and Trace. See “Error Logging” on page 74 .
All components on Notification Server write error message information into the
install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Logs
directory by default. This can be changed in the registry. See
“Log File Settings” on page 335 .
The
Logs
directory can contain up to 20 Log files (by default). The first log file that gets created is ce.log
. When this file reaches its maximum size (100 KB default), it gets renamed to ce1.log
.
The ce.log
file then fills up again and when it reaches its maximum size, gets renamed to ce2.log
. This process repeats until there are 20 Log files (by default). At this point, when the ce.log
file reaches its maximum size, its contents will be deleted and the latest error messages will be written into it. So, when the maximum number of files is reached, the ce.log
file always contains the most current messages (and the other Log files get more and more outdated).
If your Notification Server has been running for a while and you start having problems, it is a good idea to transfer all of your Log files into another directory and let Notification Server generate fresh
Log files (the
Logs
directory will need to be empty so the Log files can be refreshed).
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To change the SIZE of each Log file
The maximum size of the Log files can be changed by adding the
MaxSize
registry setting. If the
MaxSize
registry setting does not exist, the default maximum size is 100 KB. The
MaxSize
registry setting is a DWORD. This setting can be added at:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\ Event Logging\LogFile\MaxSize
Example - to set the
MaxSize
registry setting to 300 KB:
MaxSize REG_DWORD 0x0000012c (300)
To change the NUMBER of Log files that can get created
The maximum number of Log files can be changed by adding the
MaxFiles
registry setting. If the
MaxFiles
MaxFiles
registry setting does not exist, the default maximum number of Log Files is 20. The
registry setting is a DWORD. This setting can be added at:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\ Event Logging\LogFile\
MaxFiles
Example - to set the
MaxFiles
registry setting to 10:
MaxFiles REG_DWORD 0x00000010 (10)
Log File Settings
The default behavior of error logging is as follows:
• Log the Errors, Warnings, and Information severity levels to the install path
\Altiris
\eXpress\Notification Server\Logs\ce.log
file.
Note
The default severity level is 7 (Severity = 7), which causes the Errors, Warnings, and
Information severity levels to be recorded.
• The maximum number of Log files is 20.
• The maximum size of a Log file is 100 KB.
• Any Log files older than 7 days are deleted.
For configuration, you can specify override Log file settings in the registry under
HKLM\Software\Altiris\eXpress\Event Logging
.
To control logging to a file, you create a subkey called
LogFile
under Event Logging (this subkey only needs to start with
LogFile
and multiple
LogFile
subkeys are allowed). Under this key you can then define the following values (the following shows the defaults that are used if the values are not created):
FileName=ce.log
Filepath=%SystemDrive%\Program Files\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server
\Logs
Severity=7
MaxSize=100
PurgeDays=7
To control logging to the NTEventLog, you create a subkey called NTEventLog and under this you can have the following value:
Severity=7
Note
The values for severity in the above examples represent the default severity of
Errors+Warnings+Information.
To view the ce.log file
Access the ASP page at http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp
. This lets you view all error messages found in the ce.log
file.
When viewing log files using the CELogView.asp page, the following applies:
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•
Errors
shows up in red and has an ‘E’ next to the date.
•
Warnings
shows up in blue and has a ‘W’ next to the date.
•
Information
shows up in Purple and has an ‘I’ next to the date.
•
Trace
shows up in gray and has a ‘T’ next to the date.
To view one or more severity levels in the ce.log file
There are four main levels of severity in the Log files:
• Errors
• Warnings
• Information
• Trace
You can choose one or more severity levels to view within the ce.log
file (or the other Log files).
Each severity level has a number attached to it. This number lets you select one or more severity levels to view using the ASP page. The numbers are:
• Errors = 1
• Warnings = 2
• Information = 4
• Trace = 8
You add these together to specify the desired level of detail to see in the browser.
To view only Errors, access the ASP page with: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=1
To view Warnings, access the ASP page with: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=2
To view Errors and Warnings, access the ASP page with: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=3
To view Errors and Information, access the ASP page with: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=5
To view all severity levels, access the ASP page with: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=15
To view the ce.log file on another computer
You can access the page with celogview.asp?server=
NSServer, where NSServer is the name of your Notification Server. This causes celogview.asp
to open the ce.log
file from the default location on the specified Notification Server. This is very useful for examining the ce.log
file on an NS Client computer.
To specify the path to the ce.log file on another computer
Go to
CELogView.asp?server=
NSName
&path=
PathName, where NSName is the name of your
Notification Server and PathName is the path where ce.log
is found.
This lets you access the ce.log
file found at PathName on NSServer.
To view another log file other than ce.log
You can view another Log file other than ce.log
using the ASP page using the file
parameter.
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Example:
If you want to get the Errors and Warnings from ce2.log
, you would enter the following URL in your browser: http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?severity=3?file=ce2.log
To view an NS Client log file from a Notification Server
You can view log files on an NS Client computer using the
CELogView.asp
page.
Note
This works best on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 as Windows 9x does not have any default shares.
Use
http://
NSName
/AeXNS/CELogView.asp?server=
NSName
?path=
PathName
where NSServer is the name of your Notification Server and PathName is the UNC path to the directory the log files are stored on the NS Client computer. If you want to do this with Windows 9x computers, share the
Logs
directory and use http://
NSName
/AeXNS/
CELogView.asp?server=
NSServer
?path=Logs
For this to work, you need to be running the
CELogView.asp
page logged into a computer that has admin privileges on the destination/remote/client computer because you are connecting to an administrative share.
This is very useful when viewing NS Client log files because the bare ce.log
file can be difficult to read.
Notes/Warnings
• The current version of
CELogView.asp
assumes the default Log file path:
install path
\Altiris\eXpress\Notification Server\Logs
• To allow the ASP script to do event reporting/logging, ensure that the local IUSR_<machine> and IWAM_<machine> users have read/write access to the logs folder.
Name Resolution
Notification Server will work with or without a DNS server. Notification Server will try all available sources for name resolution.
• If DNS is present on the network, the console and the NS Client use the fully qualified server name for name resolution.
• If DNS is not present, the console and NS Client use any of the following sources in an order based on Windows operating system conventions.
• HOSTS file (in
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\drivers\etc
if present)
• Local NetBIOS name cache (to view, use “nbtstat -c”)
• WINS (if supplied)
• Broadcast on local subnet
• LMHOSTS file (in
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\drivers\etc
if present)
Receive Norton AntiVirus Warning When Accessing Pages in the Notification Server Web Console
The issue is being caused by a script in an HTML page in our console that makes a call to a script block running on the Notification Server. This script block is using the MS File System COM object, which is what Norton is detecting and warning about. Normal HTML pages are not allowed (and are
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Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Package Download Error typically unable) to use COM objects such as the File System Object, since the object has the ability to read and write private data on the disk, which is not something that you want a random HTML page to do.
Our Web Console uses DCOM calls to objects (including script blocks) on the Notification Server.
Many of these script blocks make use of objects that a normal HTML page would be unable to access
(unless you turn your IE security settings to their lowest levels). Norton seems to be detecting this use of “unsafe” objects from an HTML page and giving the warning.
Resolution
Click Norton Antivirus
Options
, select
System
>
Script Blocking
. Clear
Enable Script
Blocking (recommended)
. Then click
OK
.
Package Download Error
If you receive an error on NS Client while downloading a package, and there are MAP files in the package, here is the probable cause and a solution.
Probable Cause
First, IIS reserves the MAP file extension for image maps. (See http:// support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q251/2/19.ASP
for more information.) This means that you will receive an error if you are downloading a MAP file larger than 128 KB in size. The error will say “Failed to download package”.
Solution
The workaround is to rename the MAP file(s) to a different extension before performing the download. Next, run a batch file that renames the file(s) back to the MAP extension before you proceed with the program setup/installation.
E-mail Notification Not Working
If your e-mail notification is not working, try using the following command: telnet <hostname> 25
If you type telnet webmail 25 this should provide a message like the following:
220 webmail.altiris.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service, Version:
5.0.2195.1600 ready at Tue, 8 May 2001 15:14:22 -0600
Sending Events to Notification Server, But You Don’t See
Any Data on the Server
4
5
2
3
6
If you are sending events to the Notification Server, but you don’t see any data on the server, check the NT event log. If there is an error message in the NT event log stating that postevent.asp
cannot write to the evtqueue
directory, you need to do the following (in Windows 2000):
1
Click
Start
>
Programs
>
Administrative Tools
>
Internet Services Manager
to open Internet
Information Services.
Click the server name, then
Default Web Site
.
Right-click on
AeXNS
, then select
Properties
.
Click the
Directory Security
tab.
Under
Anonymous access and authentication control
, select
Edit
.
Under
Anonymous access
, select
Edit
.
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The username entered must have access to write to the evtqueue
directory in order for events to make it to your Notification Server.
Errors While Installing
1
2
3
If you receive errors while installing, such as “Failed to create NS admin object”, do the following:
Delete all temporary internet files.
Refresh the console.
Re-install Notification Server.
Rebuilding a Notification Server
3
4
As a last resort, you may encounter a situation that may require you to rebuild your Notification
Server. Primarily this situation would be most likely to occur in a test lab where you may have tested beta products, new OS patches, etc. If this situation occurs, we have listed steps to help you rebuild your installation of Notification Server without re-imaging your computer (which may be preferable is some cases). Remember that Notification Server is the base for all solutions so uninstalling
Notification Server will also remove all solutions as well.
1
2
Back up Notification Server and any applicable solutions, if you have valuable data. See
“Back up Notification Server” on page 268 .
In
Control Panel
>
Add/Remove Programs
, uninstall anything related to Notification Server including the packages. This would include the Notification Server and the Altiris eXpress
Configuration Solution. There are also the solution packages that you can uninstall if you need to (Inventory Solution, Web Admin for SMS, Helpdesk Solution, NS Client, Unix solutions, etc.).
Reboot the computer on which Notification Server was installed.
Delete the Notification Server directory structure from install path
\Altiris\eXpress
\Notification Server
on down.
Note
If you want to uninstall only Notification Server and leave all your solutions, then delete everything in the Notification Server directory structure except the X86 and Unix directories.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 339
Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Unable to Validate the Software Delivery Connection Point Credentials
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Leaving the X86 directory could possibly cause some errors because Notification Server stores
CAB files in that directory. To ensure you do not have any problems and if you want to update all solutions, delete everything in the directory structure from Notification Server on down.
Clear the registry from
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress
on down for the Notification
Server items (Notification Server and any of the package listings that might still exist). Don't delete items related to NS Client or Deployment Server (if applicable).
Delete all Temporary Internet Files from the internet browser as well as any objects that are registered there (NS admin component is the key item; we also have the flexgrid and other items with Altiris or AeX on them).
Search %windir% and %windir%\system32 and delete all files that match AeX*.*.
Confirm that the AeXNS COM package in Transaction Server and the IIS virtual directories are removed.
Delete the temp files under Internet Explorer. This will cause a download of the new CAB files.
Reinstall Notification Server.
Install solutions from the Solution Center as necessary. Enable the NS Client and individual agent upgrade policies.
Unable to Validate the Software Delivery Connection Point
Credentials
You may get the following message when setting up a package:
Unable to validate the Software Delivery connection point credentials. The account specified in the Application Identity configuration page does not have permission to validate user accounts.
NS Client and Package Servers may not be able to download this package.
This message can appear when you select
Access Package from Existing UNC
, enter the required information and click
Apply
. This is a warning message stating that the connection point credentials could not be validated. The credentials associated with a UNC package location cannot always be validated but may still be valid.
The following are items that you can do to make sure your connection point credentials are valid:
• Make sure that the
Distribution Point Connection Parameters
section on the
SMS Software Delivery
configuration page contains user credentials that have permission to access the specified UNC.
• Run a test and see if the NS Clients and Package Servers are able to download the package. If they can, then your connection point credentials are correct.
• Make sure that the account specified in the Application Identity configuration page has permission to validate user accounts.
• Check the following setting:
• Under Administrative Tools, there is an option for
Local Security Policy
. Under this option, drill down to
Local Policies
>
User Rights Assignments
. Locate the option for
Act as part of the operating system
. Make sure the account specified for Software Delivery exists here and has administrative rights.
Windows XP: CryptoApi Issue
Problem
Permissions assigned to the key container used by the MS CryptoApi for encryption/decryption are more restrictive on Windows XP.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 340
Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Windows XP: Problem Deploying NS Client in a WorkGroup
Symptoms
The NS Setup wizard may fail to save the COM+/MTS identity of the AeXNS package. Setup
Wizard errors will be signified by failures in the Notification Server log file having to do with
CEBasicCrypto.cpp
. Also, the Notification Server may also fail to operate completely. There will be lots of errors in the log indicating failures to connect to the database.
Cause
If a pre 5.5 SP1 version of the Notification Server has been installed on a Windows XP computer, then most likely a key container has been created with permissions restricting access to ONLY the user logged on at the time or ONLY to the user specified in the MTS identity. As a result, if the
Notification Server MTS package identity is changed and it does not have access to this file,
Notification Server will be unable to perform any encryption/decryption. This results in Notification
Server being unable to connect to the database because Notification Server relies on decrypting passwords saved in the registry database connection. Even if the Notification Server has been uninstalled, this file will still exist and may cause problems during re-installation if being attempted by a different user then before.
Solution
Locate the key container. Under Windows XP this is a file under the path (or a very similar path to)…
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Application
Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeys
The particular key container file in use by the Notification Server will most likely have the first 32 characters in its name as 9a0698c0f27abf0e8ffdfb7f8dd44239, followed by a GUID identifying the computer. (To be absolutely certain which key container is in use, a program like filemon
can be used to see what file is being accessed in this directory when the problem occurs). Add the
Administrators Group to the permissions list for the file.
Windows XP: Problem Deploying NS Client in a WorkGroup
Problem
If the following points apply to your environment:
• You have a Windows XP NS Client in a workgroup environment
• You have no NT or Active Directory domains
• Your users do not have local admin rights
• Simple File Sharing is enabled then you will not be able to install NS Client using Push or any method that tries to make a remote connection to the NS Client computer.
Cause
Simple File Sharing is enabled during Windows XP installation by default.
The following is found in the Windows XP documentation concerning Simple File Sharing:
“When Simple File Sharing is enabled, remote administration and remote registry editing does not work as expected from a remote computer because all remote users authenticate as Guest, which has no administrative privileges.”
Notification Server requires administrative access to install the NS Client on a computer.
Solution
The problem involving Simple File Sharing is beyond the scope of Notification Server. However, here are two things you can do:
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 341
Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Log Error: Exceeding Optimal Number of Connections When Using MSDE
• Develop a script that can be used by a low rights user in conjunction with a login script to turn off Simple File Sharing. There are scripts available that do this. Contact Altiris Support if you need help finding these scripts. Please note that these scripts are not supported by Altiris.
• Visit each computer, either in person or with Remote Desktop to disable Simple File Sharing.
Log Error: Exceeding Optimal Number of Connections
When Using MSDE
If you get an error in your logs saying that you are exceeding the optimal number of connections and you are using MSDE, here are a few suggestions.
• Decrease the MaxDispatchThreads registry key. The default for this key is 5. Try decreasing it to 2 or 3. See
“Registry Settings” on page 329 .
• Spread out your scheduled items. When several scheduled items start up at the same time, the connection limit can get exceeded.
Note
Every time the Notification Server Transaction Server package (AeXNS) restarts, it can use 9 or 10 SQL connections for a short time. This can exceed the optimal number of connections for a brief time.
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 342
Index
A
address
advertisements
setting minimum connection speed 133
AeXNS package
agent
Alert Manager Consoles
Altiris
Altiris eXpress Configuration solution 97
assignments
mandatory vs. non-mandatory 126
AT commands
available fields
B
back up of Notification Server 268
badmail
bandwidth throttling 132, 207 bandwidth utilization 132
C
severity 336 viewing 336 viewing on another computer 336
client configuration information 213
ClientPolicyCacheTimeoutSecs 330
cloning
collection
collections
configuration
connections
console
Console. See Web Administration
copyright 2 creation date of document 2
CryptoApi
custom package destination 195
custom report
Custom View
custom views for Web Reports 220
D
default package destination 195
delete
deleting
items or groups 270 reports 98, 270
Deployment Solution
diagnosing Notification Server problems 241
directories
directory
package delivery 194 package server agent 194
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 343
Index directory structure
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs 329
DispatcherCheckIntervalSecs key 330
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSec s 329
DispatcherThreadsHeartBeatIntervalSec s key 330
DispatcherThrottleDelay key 330
document
down-level client and inventory 26
download
E
error
event
event handlers
event queue
export 271 exporting a group 271
extending the Notification Server database 257
F
find work items
forwarding data
G
group exporting 271 group importing 271
groups
H
I
installation
using a terminal server session 44
installing NS Client
inventory 13, 14, 15, 36, 37, 137, 154,
inventory forwarding 78, 187, 188, 265
InvForwardFullLoggingEnabled 331
item exporting 271 item importing 271
items
L
last query results
log files 74, 264, 327, 334, 336
login script
M
MaxConcurrentConfigRequests key 331
Microsoft Database Engine. See MSDE
Microsoft Foundation Classes 28
Microsoft Transaction Server 68
MIFs
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 344
Index
monitor Notification Server 241 monitoring NS 241
N
notification policies 114, 115
creating 174, 175 parameter 174
Notification Server
Notification Server Console. See Web
Notification Server database
Notification Server Dispatcher service 16
Notification Server installation 37
Notification Server upgrade
NS Business Hours Schedule 116
NS Client
agent rollout jobs 101, 108, 115
data flow for newly installed 203
installation troubleshooting 53
switching Notification Servers 209
NS Client Settings policies 54, 128, 129,
NS Client Settings policy
NS database
NS Dispatcher Service
NS installation
NS web console
O
object
Office 2000 Web components 77, 225,
P
package
package server agent 194 package server agent directories 194
package server agent events 195
sending any files on network 195 sw delivery solution 195
deleting from Package Servers 196 removing from Package Servers 196
parameter
parameters
permissions
pivot reports 225 pivot table reports 225
primary user
primary user inventory 262, 333
primary user inventory class 256
printing
processes
programs
setting minimum connection speed 133
purge
purging
push installation of the NS Client 46
Q
queries
queues
R
rebuilding a Notification Server 339
recovery during file download 211
remove
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 345
Index report
reports
requirement
requirements
Resource Explorer 255 launching 255
restoring Notification Server 269
retrieve next available work item
rights for creating web reports 224 rights for viewing web reports 224
S
Scheduled Tasks
search
securing the NS web console 155
contact credential group 282 credentials and browser sessions 282
sendmail
settings
snapshot.xml
software delivery 87, 206, 212
Altiris eXpress Configuration 97
solution groups
SQL database and NS
Standard Collections
support 12 contact information 12
sw delivery solution
T
threads
time synced
Transaction Server. See Microsoft
troubleshooting
U
Uninstall
update schedule
updates
upgrading
using a terminal server session 44
upgrading Notification Server
using notification policies 174
V
view
Using on a Remote Computer 224
virtual workgroups 275 level 1 275 level 2 275
W
Web Administration Console 13, 17,
Web components for Office 2000 226
web console
rights for creating 224 rights for viewing 224
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 346
Windows XP
problem deploying NS Client 341
work item
open 309 retrieve next available 309 view 309
Z
Index
Altiris Notification Server User Guide 347
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Table of contents
- 2 Notice
- 11 Preface
- 11 Document Conventions
- 12 Support
- 12 Training
- 13 Chapter 1: Introduction
- 14 Altiris Solutions
- 14 Tasks Performed by Notification Server
- 16 Policies
- 16 Data Flow
- 17 Administration
- 18 Chapter 2: Quick Start
- 18 Getting Started
- 18 Step 1 - Install Notification Server
- 18 Step 1a - Select a Computer to be Your Notification Server
- 18 Hardware
- 19 Software
- 19 Step 1b - Install Prerequisite Software on Your Computer
- 22 Step 1c - Install Notification Server on Your Computer
- 24 Step 4 - Install Solution Licenses
- 24 Step 5 - Install the NS Client
- 24 Step 6 - What Next
- 25 Chapter 3: Installation
- 25 Operating System
- 26 Database
- 26 Down-level Compatibility
- 26 SMS Integration
- 27 Licensing
- 27 Hardware
- 27 Software
- 28 Web Administration Console Requirements
- 28 Upgrading from Notification Server 5.0, 5.1x, 5.5, 5.5 SP1, or 5.5 SP
- 35 Upgrade Recommended
- 35 Upgrading from Notification Server 3.6.5 to
- 36 Licenses
- 37 Web Reports for SMS
- 37 PC Inventory
- 37 UNIX Inventory
- 38 Installing Notification Server
- 38 Configuring Notification Server
- 41 What Happens During Notification Server Installation
- 41 Setting the Notification Server Security Context
- 41 Permissions
- 42 Component Services
- 44 Solution Installation
- 45 NS Client Installation
- 45 NS Client Requirements
- 46 Pushing the NS Client to a Managed Computer
- 48 Pulling the NS Client down to a Managed Computer
- 48 Installing the NS Client Using the NS Client Installation Program
- 49 AeXNSC Command Line Arguments
- 50 Installing the NS Client Using a Stand-Alone Push Script
- 50 Installing the NS Client Using Active Directory Policies (Intellimirror)
- 52 NS Client Bootstrap Program
- 53 NS Client Installation Troubleshooting
- 54 AeXSWDInstSvc Command Line Arguments
- 54 Example of Installing the NS Client Using a Login Script
- 55 Push Status Events
- 55 NS Client GUID Creation
- 55 Solution Licensing
- 56 License Status Page
- 57 Request License Page
- 57 Install License Page
- 58 Server Specific Licenses
- 58 License Transfer For Solution Products
- 59 Uninstalling a Solution
- 59 Uninstalling the NS Client
- 60 Uninstalling Notification Server
- 62 Chapter 4: Configuration
- 62 Computer Discovery
- 67 Client Installation
- 68 Application Identity
- 69 Database Settings
- 73 E-Mail
- 74 Error Logging
- 75 Inventory History
- 75 Solution Center
- 76 Web Reports
- 78 Inventory Forwarding
- 82 Package Servers
- 87 Software Delivery
- 91 Other Settings
- 94 SMS Data Forwarding
- 97 AD Integration
- 97 User Group Import
- 97 Altiris eXpress Configuration Solution
- 98 Data Purging Configuration
- 99 Group Page
- 100 General Page
- 101 Collections
- 102 Collections General Page
- 103 Show Collection Membership Page
- 104 Filters Page
- 105 Edit Filter Page
- 106 New Filter Page
- 107 Creating a Collection
- 108 Packages
- 109 Package Properties Page
- 111 Programs Page
- 114 Package Reports Page
- 114 Policies
- 117 Client User Logon Policy General Page
- 117 Client User Logon Policy Configuration Page
- 119 Notification Policies General Page
- 120 Event Handler Configuration Page
- 121 Configuration Page
- 122 Parameters Page
- 123 Schedule Configuration Page
- 123 Advertisement Properties Page
- 130 Client Settings General Page
- 130 Client Settings Configuration Page
- 135 Standard NS Schedules General Page
- 136 Global Schedule Configuration Page
- 137 Reports
- 138 Report General Page
- 139 Previous Report Runs Page
- 139 View Report on Latest Data Page
- 140 Query Configuration Page
- 141 Edit Query Page
- 142 New Query Page
- 144 Query Builder Page
- 145 Filters Page
- 147 Edit Filter Page
- 148 New Filter Page
- 149 Parameters Page
- 149 Edit Parameter Page
- 151 New Parameter Page
- 152 Views Page
- 155 NS Client Setup Through Configuration Solution
- 155 Memory
- 155 Securing the Notification Server Web Console
- 159 Chapter 5: Administration
- 160 Interface
- 162 Accessing the Web Administration Console using a Remote Computer
- 163 Installing the Web Administration Console on a Remote Computer
- 163 Notification Policies
- 163 Event Handlers
- 165 Configuration for Send Email Event Handler Page
- 166 Configuration for Launch Application Event Handler Page
- 168 Configuration for Generate SNMP Message Event Handler Page
- 169 Configuration for Generate Report Event Handler Page
- 171 Configuration for Generate Workitem Event Handler Page
- 172 Adding Available Fields for Event Handlers
- 173 Notification Policy Queries
- 174 Notification Policy Parameters
- 174 Notification Policy Usage
- 174 Tips for Creating a Notification Policy
- 174 Using an Existing Notification Policy
- 175 Creating a Notification Policy
- 175 Creating an Event Handler
- 178 Creating and Editing Parameters
- 180 Editing Schedules
- 182 Custom Policies
- 182 Create the SQL Statement
- 187 Creating a Web Report
- 187 NS Client Settings Policies
- 188 Inventory Forwarding and Data Forwarding to SMS
- 192 Package Server Agent Rollout
- 195 Deleting the Package Server Agent
- 195 Using Package Servers Without SW Delivery Solution
- 195 Using Package Servers to Send Files Over the Network
- 195 Selecting a Different Package Destination Location on your Package Servers
- 196 Deleting Packages from Package Servers
- 197 Getting Status on Package Servers
- 197 Disk Space Planning
- 197 Recovering and Replacing Files
- 197 Viewing Package Information on the NS Client
- 198 Package Servers and the NS Client
- 198 Package Download Retry
- 198 Software Delivery
- 199 SMS Distribution Points
- 202 Using NS Client
- 203 Data Flow for a Newly Installed NS Client
- 205 NS Client Directory Structure
- 206 NS Client Interface
- 206 Configuration Tab
- 207 Software Delivery Tab
- 208 Package Server Tab
- 209 Agents Tab
- 209 Help Tab
- 209 Switching NS Clients From One Notification Server to Another
- 210 NS Client Utility
- 211 LAN, WAN, and Disconnected Environments
- 212 Software Delivery and the NS Client
- 212 Package Snapshot Caching
- 212 Viewing the Version of NS Client Components Through Configuration Solution
- 213 Accessing NS Client Configuration Information
- 213 Event Queue Size
- 214 Disk Imaging While Using the NS Client
- 214 NS Client Log On Events
- 215 View Reports from Browsers
- 219 E-Mail Report Links
- 220 Custom Views for Web Reports
- 221 View Editor Properties
- 222 Defining the Custom View
- 223 Saving Custom View Settings and Generating a Custom View
- 224 Controlling Security Access for Custom Views
- 224 Using the View Generator on a Remote Computer
- 224 Sharing Data
- 224 Copy and Paste Through the Clipboard
- 225 Printing
- 225 Pivot Reports
- 226 Office 2000 Web Components
- 226 Creating Custom Web Reports
- 236 Using Custom Reports
- 236 Changing the Name of a Report
- 237 Report Drill Downs
- 237 Linking with Reports in the Query Wizard
- 239 Canceling Reports
- 240 My Reports, Importing and Exporting Reports
- 240 Security Access
- 240 Limiting Who Can See Which Reports
- 241 NS Client and Notification Server Event Queues
- 248 Common Notification Server Events
- 252 Using Reports to Monitor the Load on Notification Server
- 255 Launching the Resource Explorer Through a Web Page to Link
- 255 Resource Explorer Interface
- 256 Summary of Client
- 256 Inventory Tab
- 257 History Tab
- 257 Event Tab
- 257 Policy Config Tab
- 258 Scalability
- 259 Definition of a Large Environment
- 259 Upgrading Notification Server in a Large Environment
- 259 Configuring Notification Server for Large Environments
- 263 DispatcherThrottleDelay Registry Key
- 263 NS Dispatcher Service Threads
- 264 Notification Server Database
- 264 Purging Events
- 264 Package Servers
- 265 Understanding and Improving Inventory Forwarding in a Large Environment
- 267 General Scalability Notes
- 268 Disaster Recovery
- 268 Back up Notification Server
- 269 Restore Notification Server
- 270 High Availability
- 270 Deleting Reports
- 270 Deleting Items or Groups
- 271 Exporting and Importing Items or Groups
- 271 Hidden Solution Groups
- 272 Item Names Versus File Names
- 272 Cloning Items
- 272 Disabling Scheduled Tasks
- 272 Enabling Scheduled Tasks
- 273 Chapter 6: Alert Manager
- 274 Architecture
- 276 Work Items
- 277 Admin
- 277 Workers
- 278 Permissions
- 279 Credentials
- 285 Home Page
- 286 Retrieve Page
- 287 Find Page
- 288 Queries Page
- 288 Last Results Page
- 289 Support for Pocket PC (PPC)
- 291 Search in Comment
- 293 Work Item Fields
- 295 Query Parameter Replacement
- 301 View Page
- 301 Open Page
- 302 Assign Page
- 303 Attach Page
- 304 Link Page
- 305 Edit Page
- 306 Resolve Page
- 307 Close Page
- 310 Administrator Console
- 310 Summary
- 311 Workers
- 312 Routing
- 313 Bulletins
- 315 Chapter 7: Altiris Connector for Active Directory
- 318 Installation
- 319 Installing the Altiris Connector for Active Directory
- 319 Uninstalling the Altiris Connector for Active Directory
- 319 Configuration
- 319 User Group Import
- 321 AD Integration
- 325 Deleting Objects
- 325 Active Directory Reports
- 326 Monitoring Performance
- 327 Chapter 8: Troubleshooting
- 327 Troubleshooting on the Notification Server and NS Client
- 329 Troubleshooting the Package Server
- 329 Dispatcher Service
- 329 Registry Settings
- 339 Rebuilding a Notification Server
- 340 Unable to Validate the Software Delivery Connection Point Credentials
- 341 Windows XP: Problem Deploying NS Client in a WorkGroup