Mapping configuration to software installation keep the administrators on their toes. With increasing requests and a growth in the number of desktop, it becomes more difficult to keep up with escalating demand on limited manpower.

Desktop Central enables configuring and managing desktop from a single point. With the pre-defined configuration options, administrators can perform almost all the regular desktop administration / management activities with ease. The ability to execute custom script gives complete administration control over the desktop. The Web-based user interface allows for applying the configuration to a single or group of desktop using a powerful filtering capability.

Desktop Central ensures that the configurations are applied to the desktop and the status is made available to the administrator to provide an end-to-end configuration experience.

In addition to the remote configuration options, it also provides you with an automated patch management system that helps you to manage and apply Windows patches and hot fixes.

The Inventory Management module provides the hardware and software details of the devices in the network. In enables you to manage the software licenses and detect any unauthorized software that are being used.

Remote Desktop Sharing enables you to gain access to a desktop in the network to be controlled remotely.

Desktop Central provides the complete history of the configurations applied to the users, computers, and by configuration types in the form of reports that can be used for auditing the deployed configurations.

In addition to the configurations reports, it also provides Active Directory reports for Sites, Domains,

Organization Units, Groups, Computers, etc., which gives you a complete visibility into the Active

Directory.

The User Logon Reports provides an up-to-date user logon details like the logon time, logoff time, logon computer, reported logon server, etc. It maintains the history of the logon details that can be used for auditing purposes.

Mobile Device Management provides system administrators, a complete control over managing the mobile devices using iOS and Android operating system. You can enroll devices and push apps,

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impose policies & restrictions, scan the devices for hardware and software inventory details. You can also impose security commands on the devices as and when required.

The following sections will help you to get familiar with the product:

Getting Started: Provides you the details of system requirements, product installation and startup.

Configuring Desktop Central: Helps you to customize our product to suit your working environment.

Windows Configurations: A step-by-step guide to define and deploy configurations to remote

Windows users and computers.

Configuration Templates: Provides the details of configuration templates and helps you to define configurations from Templates

Software Installation: Helps you to install Windows software to the users and computers of the domain from remote.

Patch Management: Details the steps involved in managing the Windows Patches and hot fixes. It helps you to automate the patch management process.

Hardware and Software Inventory: Guides you to collect the hardware and software inventory details of your network and view the reports.

Mobile Device Management: Helps you to manage mobile devices using iOS and Android operating system.

Active Directory Reports: Helps you to view the reports of the Active Directory components.

10. Windows Tools: Provides the list of Windows tools like Preventive Maintenance Tools,

Remote Tools, etc., and the steps in using them.

11. User Logon Reports: Helps you get an up-to-date- details of the user logon and history.

12. Appendix: This section includes, Interpreting Error Messages, Knowledge Base, FAQs,

Known Issues and Limitations of Desktop Central, and Glossary.

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Release Notes

Release Notes for 8.0.0

Release Notes for 7.0.1

Release Notes for 7.0.0

Release Notes for 6.0.3

Release Notes for 6.0.2

Release Notes for 6.0.0

Release Notes for 5.0.0

Release Notes for 4.0.5

Release Notes for 4.0.4

10. Release Notes for 4.0.3

11. Release Notes for 4.0.2

12. Release Notes for 4.0.1

13. Release Notes for 4.0.0

14. Release Notes for 3.0.1

15. Release Notes for 3.0.0

Release Notes for 8.0.0

Enhancements

Support for MS SQL Database has been included

The image format of the screenshot attachments sent using the Help Desk Requests from Desktop Central icon in system tray is made configurable.

Support for user environment variables in Custom Script has been introduced.

'Show deployment progress' and 'Skip deployment' options introduced in

Install/Uninstall software configuration.

Configurations deployed to an OU or Active Directory Group will automatically be applied to any new computers/users that gets added to that OU or group

Option to deploy configurations immediately has been included for computer configurations.

Option to exclude specific USB device instance from being blocked has been included.

Option to exclude computers based on the processor type has been included.

Option to save an existing configuration as a new configuration has been included.

10. Apply Always Option is enabled for Power Management,Shared Network Printers,File

Folder Operations,Services,Firewall and Permission Management Configurations.

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11. File Folder Configuration has been enhanced to support copying files via HTTP to make them work across WAN.

12. Templates for disabling automatic updates for Adobe Reader,Adobe Shockwave,Java and Microsoft Reboot Notification on specific computers have been added.

13. Deployment Options like deployment time, reboot policies, etc., can now be saved and loaded from templates for software, patch and servicepack deployments.

14. Remote Control initiated computer's IP audit is introduced in Action Log Viewer.

15. Remote Control now has the functionality of prompting even the user is not logged in or the computer is locked.

16. Administrators can also configure the color quality for the remote connections to optimize the bandwidth. The color quality and compression level can be set at the remote office level, which will be common for all the computers in that remote office.

17. Support for viewing User Access Control (UAC) dialogs of the remote computers has been included in Remote Control. This is applicable only for client computers running

Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS.

18. Remote Control will now provide the history of remote connections established using

Desktop Central with the duration of each sessions.

19. Remote Control has been enhanced with an option to connect with "View Only" mode.

20. Option to make User Confirmation permanent has been included in Remote Control.

21. Software Metering is a new functionality introduced. This can be used to get the software usage for the selected applications.

22. Inventory Alert notifications has been enhanced to include the ability to customize the alert messages.

23. Software License Management has been enhanced to include the ability to add multiple license purchases and to associate a license to a resource.

24. Disk Usage report now includes a detailed view to get the drive specific usage statistics.

25. Software Metering engine has been optimized to address the performance issues.

26. Option to disable Software Metering feature has been included.

27. A new report to view the computers running specific services has been included.

28. SM Bios reported version details are included in the Inventory, Computer Hardware

Details.

29. Automatic retrieval of warranty information for Lenovo computers has been included.

30. Option to specify the DNS name of the Distribution Server along with its IP Address while creating a remote office has been included.

31. SoM page has been enhanced to include Agent Installation, Uninstallation and Last

Upgraded time.

32. Moving Desktop Central installation from one computer to the other is made easy with the option to provide the details of the new computer in the user interface.

33. Automatic synchronization of computers between Active Directory and SoM has been included to detect the deleted and newly added computers.

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34. Introduced a new feature called Scheduled Reports which enables you to receive query reports, custom reports and predefined reports in specific formats and a at a specific time.

35. Ability to automatically scan to fetch the systems' warranty has been included for Dell,

HP and Toshiba computers.

36. Reports based on system warranty has been included under Inventory Reports.

37. HTTP Software Repository location for packages in software deployment can be changed.

38. Automated Patch Deployment has been enhanced to improve performance.

39. Patch Management has been enhanced to include an option to mark a patch as

"Approved", "Decline", etc., in Download Patches, All Supported Patches and Latest

Patches Views.

40. Memory usage during Patch Deployment has been optimized.

41. Option to download a patch again in the Download Patches View has been added.

42. Option to schedule an Automated Patch Deployment task on a specific day of the week in a month has been included.

43. Long lived TCP connections are used to enhance on-demand actions.

44. Windows 7 (x86 and x64) Service Pack 1 and Windows 2008 R2 (x64) Service Pack

1 is Supported.

45. IP scope feature is introduced ,which can auto change Agents Remote Office setting on the client computer according to the Scope defined in Desktop Central.

Bug Fixes

Issue in recreating the agents even when there is no change in agent properties has been fixed.

Application error in dcconfig.exe during user logoff has been fixed.

Black screen when sending screenshot attachment from agent tray icon helpdesk issue is fixed.

Issue in remote control service getting crashed while closing a remote session has been fixed

Issue in registering the Desktop Central Agent as a windows service after agent upgradation has been fixed.

Issue in displaying the wrong execution status when the patch or the configuration is not applicable in one or more computers has been fixed.

Issue in order of deploying configuration as Collection is fixed.

Issue in repeatedly processing the user configuration when multiple users login to a computer has been fixed.

Issue in showing the correct update time in the execution status view of the configurations has been fixed.

10. Issue in applying configuration has been fixed.

11. Issue in adding target computers/users from a remote office where the length of remote office name exceeds 50 characters has been fixed.

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12. Issue in deploying Software and Patches when the installation option is selected as

"Install during Startup" has been fixed.

13. Issue in connecting to a remote computer having multiple IP Addresses has been fixed.

14. Support for capturing/rendering the transparent windows in Remote Control has been included.

15. Issue in establishing remote connections from Inventory and Patch views has been fixed.

16. The issue related to upgrading agents in remote office names that contain Latin alphabets has been fixed.

17. Issue in taking Remote Control of Windows 2003 Server that has an active Remote

Desktop Connection has been fixed.

18. Issue in high memory usage in software metering has been fixed.

19. Issue with Microsoft Office 2010 product key fetch is fixed.

20. Issue in modifying the license details of the software when the software name contains an '&' character has been fixed.

21. Issue in displaying the hard disk details of computers running non-English versions of

Windows OS has been fixed

22. Issue in showing negative values in Physical Memory for a computer when flash memory is detected has been fixed.

23. When a prohibited software that is awaiting administrators approval is disabled (not prohibited), the users where it was detected earlier will continue to see the warning on every logon. This has been fixed.

24. Issue in sending test email while creating a scheduled report has been fixed.

25. Issue in scheduled prohibited software report has been fixed.

26. Issue in showing a wrong login time in User Logon History reports has been fixed.

27. Issue in deleting the software install-able from the client computers after successful installation of the software has been fixed.

28. Issue in listing folders with special characters (apostrophe and comma) in network browser has been fixed.

29. Issue in showing the Managed Computers in the Scan Systems and All Managed

Systems view under the Patch Management has been fixed.

30. Issue in Automate Patch Deployment has been fixed.

31. Issue in showing a wrong start time of the "Automated Patch Deployment" task in the email notification has been fixed.

32. Issue in showing Patch Deployment status as "Reboot Pending" even if the system has been restarted has been fixed.

33. Issue in patch download due to transaction timeout has been fixed.

34. Issue in retrying Automated Patch Deployment tasks has been fixed.

35. Distribution Server service startup issue has been fixed.

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Release Notes for 7.0.1

Enhancements

Desktop Central Server performance has been optimized.

Free Edition limit extended to manage up to 25 computers.

Support for scheduled backup of the database used by Desktop Central has been added.

Role based administration has been introduced. You can define roles specifying the modules and access levels, which can be delegated to users.

In Define Target Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 have been added in the exclude OS list.

Custom group filter has been added for 'Software Usage by Computer' report.

Computer Name column added in e-mail alerts of Prohibited Software/New Hardware

Detected/New Software Detected.

Computer Details view enhanced to include the system details like installed Windows

Services, local users and groups in that computer.

Exclude Custom Groups option has been added for Auto-Uninstallation of Prohibited

Software.

10. User Notification before Auto-Uninstallation of Software has been added.

11. "Logged On Users" column included in Inventory Reports.

12. Asset Data from Desktop Central can now be integrated with ManageEngine

ServiceDesk Plus.

13. The Computer Details view of the Inventory Reports will now include the Serial

Numbers of Monitor and Hard Disk.

14. License Management enhanced with the ability to attach license files and invoices to the software. You will also be able to add license details of software that are not detected in your network.

15. System Vulnerability Summary will now include additional system details like the operating system, service pack version, etc.

16. Support for deploying patches for Non-Microsoft applications has been included.

17. You will now be able to specify the type of updates with the severity levels while adding the Automated Patch Deployment task.

18. Vulnerability Summary, which includes the application and missing patch information, of the computer can now be exported to PDF/CSV/XLS formats.

19. 'Manager' column has been added in 'All User Accounts' Report under AD Reports category.

20. Option to create and save Custom Query Reports has been included.

21. Remote Office agent communication (Distribution Server / Direct Communication) can now be modified from the SoM page.

22. Remote Office details can now be imported using a CSV file.

23. Inclusion of Alerts for Distribution Server.

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24. Apache web server has been integrated to improve the performance for large network of computers.

25. Support for deploying File and Shared Printer Configurations to Windows Vista,

Windows 2008 and Windows 7 computers have been added.

Bug Fixes

Issue with Non-English Computer names displayed in Network Browser is fixed.

Issues related to Active Directory computers with names exceeding 15 characters have been fixed.

'java.lang.Exception: NetBIOS and DC name cannot be null' issue while clicking on the workgroup name in SoM page has been fixed.

Issue with selecting all computers while adding computers in SoM has been fixed.

Issue in displaying computer message box on Vista and above has been fixed.

Issue in showing a pop up in Windows 2000 computers stating non-availability of a

DLL file has been fixed.

Remote Office names sorted in filters.

Issue in installing agents on Vista and above when UAC is enabled has been fixed.

Agent side fix for inventory scanning.

10. Issue with Microsoft Office 2007 Productkey fetch is fixed.

11. Prompt User issue in Remote Control has been fixed for Multiple User Login of

Vista/2008 Server/Windows 7.

12. Issue in Schedule Vulnerability Update is fixed.

13. Issue in Reboot Policy during Patch installation is fixed.

14. Issue in deploying the patches that have dependent patches has been fixed in the

Automated Patch Deployment process.

15. Time interval issue in Filter has been fixed for all reports.

16. Number of characters allowed in the NOTES field of AD Reports has been increased.

Release Notes for 7.0.0

Enhancements

Distribution Server introduced to reduce the bandwidth consumption in managing computers across WAN

Support to block/unblock specific USB Devices included

Desktop Central internationalized to manage computers running non-English version of operating systems

Support for Windows 2008, Windows Vista, and 64-bit included

Power Management Reports has been introduced.

Ability to create Custom Reports has been included

Automatic Patch Deployment enhanced with the ability to define multiple tasks.

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Install / uninstall silent switches of popular software now comes pre-filled

Option to automatically uninstall the prohibited software from the managed computers has been included.

10. Support for applying user configurations when you switch from one user to another has been included for Windows Vista and Windows 2008.

11. Custom group creation has been enhanced by listing the computers/users in a tree view with search and filter options.

12. Option to enable/disable trimming of column values in reports has been included

13. IP Printer and Shortcut configurations can now be deployed to computers.

14. A new report "Software Product Key" has been added under Inventory module.

15. Support for viewing Remote Desktops from Firefox 3.0 and above has been included.

Bug Fixes

Desktop Central Server performance has been optimized.

Desktop Central agent binaries have been digitally signed.

Issue in deploying patches in bulk has been fixed.

Issues in Drive Mapping and Folder Redirection Configurations have been fixed.

Issue in updating the patch database manually has been fixed.

Issue in downloading patches and service packs has been fixed.

Issues with dynamic variables has been fixed.

Issue while deploying configurations with multiple targets has been fixed.

Issues related to child domain networks has been fixed

10. Issue in showing duplicate listing of computers in the SoM page has been fixed.

Release Notes for 6.0.3

Adding multiple packages while defining an install software configuration is introduced.

Introduced MS-Office Patching Support and service pack installation.

Commercial Software Grouping is introduced in Inventory module.

Provision added to terminate Windows Remote Desktop connection and establish connection with Remote Control of Desktop Central.

Introduced Connect with IP option in Remote Control.

Ctrl+Alt+Del for Vista OS is handled in Remote Control.

Introduced IP range in the Define target Section of Configurations.

Sending AD Reports by E-Mail is introduced.

Introduced Rebranding Option to change Desktop Central logo.

10. Added 64-Bit OS Support for Inventory, Patch Management, Software Deployment and

Remote control.

11. Added Windows 2008 OS support for Desktop Central Agents.

12. Provision to change E-Mail domain for Help Desk emails is added.

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Release Notes for 6.0.2

Support for managing computers across WAN included.

In software deployment, environment variable support is added for the network paths, pre, post installation scripts. Eg: %ProgramFiles% --> C:\Program Files

Support for establishing remote connection from Mozilla has been added.

Options to lock/unlock remote computers and to black-out remote monitors have been added in Remote Desktop Sharing.

Scheduled installation is added in Patch deployment configuration.

Prohibited Software Report is added in Inventory.

Export PDF option is included In Computer Details of Inventory Management.

Provision added to delete an already defined message box through message box configuration.

Option added to apply configurations on every logon/bootup.

10. Automatic detection of Windows Firewall and adding necessary exceptions (required for

Desktop Central server) is handled.

Release Notes for 6.0.0

Support for Windows Workgroup added

Support for configuring desktop in multiple domains has been added.

Support for creating custom groups of users and computers has been added. The groups can then be chosen as target for deploying configurations/patches/software.

Wake on LAN tool included.

Release Notes for 5.0.0

Hardware and Software Inventory module included.

Support for installing EXE packages in addition to MSI

Support for Configuration Templates Added.

Release Notes for 4.0.5

Microsoft Non Security Patches are supported for deployment.

Provided an option to delete the failed download patches from patch configuration download status page. Also, provided an option to deploy from download status page.

"Fix on Errors" option for Check Disk system tool is added.

Provision to define SoM with individual computers.

Added multiple OUs support in SoM definition.

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Release Notes for 4.0.4

Provision added for multiple user login in Desktop Central with different access roles.

Folder Redirection configuration has been enhanced to copy the local folder contents to the redirected folder.

ActiveX Component used for Desktop Sharing is signed for security reasons.

Active Directory Reports loading performance has been improved.

Status update and additional filtering options have been added for "Install Software" configuration.

Release Notes for 4.0.3

System Tools that can be scheduled on multiple client machines have been added.

New configurations, File and Folder Operations and Permission Management, have been added

Patch Management enhanced to include support for installing service packs of Microsoft products.

Release Notes for 4.0.2

Active Directory Reports enhanced to include over 90+ granular reports of the individual components.

Included User Logon Tracking Reports for an up-to-date user logon details with history.

Ability to schedule report update interval has been included.

Enhanced Remote Desktop Sharing with the ability to change the screen resolution.

New look and feel for better usability.

Release Notes for 4.0.1

Ability to connect to remote desktops through web browser using Remote Desktop Sharing.

Added Power Management configuration to define and apply power schemes to the client computers.

Option for instant and manual installation of agent software on the client computers.

Option to uninstall agent software from client computers.

Number of users, computers, and container details are added in Resource Browser.

Improved usability of Add configuration and SoM page screens.

Issues related to persisting Active Directory computer details in database is fixed.

Release Notes for 4.0.0

Patch Management module included - enables automatic detection of the required patches, download and install in the affected systems.

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Computer configurations to manage windows local groups, users, and to install patches have been included.

Scheduler configuration has been added to schedule tasks for users.

Reports relating to Patch Management have been included.

Ability to view and audit the tasks executed using Desktop Central has been added.

Release Notes for 3.0.1

Configuration based reports have been enhanced with more details.

Provision to remember view settings like the page size, sort order etc. across logins.

Overall usability is enhanced for the product.

Provision to change the admin credential alone in Scope Of Management (SOM) settings page.

Issues in Active Directory reports with large number of users is fixed.

Issues with multiple ip addresses given in target exclude is fixed.

Issue with creating shortcut in User Quick Launch Bar is fixed.

Release Notes for 3.0.0

The key features of this release are:

Ability to define configurations for users and computers in the Windows 2000/2003 domain from a central point.

Out-of-the-box configurations include Alerts, Message Boxes, MS Office, Display, Outlook,

Drive Mapping, Path, Environment Variable, Registry Settings, Folder Redirection, Security

Policies, Internet Explorer, Shared Printer, IP Printer, Shortcut, Launch Application, Windows

Installer, Firewall, Services, Legal Notice, Custom Scripts, and Common Folder Redirection.

Ability to run custom scripts to get complete administration control over the domain.

Multiple configurations can be defined and deployed to users or computers simultaneously using Collections.

Ability to define selective targets for applying the configurations. Targets can be either single user/computer or all users/computers belonging to a Site, Domain, OU, or Groups.

Ability to view the status of the deployed configurations from the Desktop Central client.

Ability to suspend, modify, and redeploy defined configurations.

Comprehensive reports for the defined configurations and other Active Directory components.

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Contacting ZOHO Corporation

ZOHO Corp.

Sales

Technical Support

ZOHO Corp. Headquarters

Web site

www.zohocorp.com

Zoho Corporation

4141, Hacienda Drive

Pleasanton, CA 94588 USA

Phone: +1-925-924-9500

Fax : +1-925-924-9600

E-mail: [email protected]

Zoho Corporation Private Limited

DLF IT Park, Block 7, Ground floor, No. 1/124,

Shivaji Garden, Nandambakkam Post,

Mount PH Road, Ramapuram

Chennai 600 089

Corporate Office

Phone: +91-44-22707070

Fax: +91-44-22707172

E-mail: [email protected]

Zoho Corporation Pte Ltd

C/o Cananex Singapore Pte Ltd

Block 1003 Bukit Merah Central #05-23

Inno-Center, Singapore 159836

Main Line : 63344486

Fax: 62819188

Mobile: 97552882

Contact Person: Ong Yang Peng

Email: [email protected]

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Sales

You can buy ManageEngine Desktop Central from anywhere in the world. To buy our product contact us in the following ways:

Fill out our sales request form to receive a call from our sales personnel

Send us an e-mail at [email protected]

Call the ZOHO Corp. headquarters or send us a fax. The numbers are as follows:

Phone: +1-925-924-9500

Fax: +1-925-924-9600

Technical Support

One of the value propositions of ZOHO Corp. is excellent support to its customers. During the evaluation phase the support program is extended to you free of charge. Please send your technical queries to [email protected].

Use the following support format while sending e-mails to the support team:

Edition of the product (Free, Standard, Professional, or Enterprise Edition)

Version of the operating system you are using. For example, Windows 2003.

Version of the browser you are using. For example, Firefox 1.5 or Internet Explorer 5.5.

Details of the problem

Steps to reproduce the problem

Alternatively, you can select the

Support

tab from the client window. It has the following options that will allow you to contact us:

Request Support: Submit your technical queries online

Need Features: Request for new features in Desktop Central

User Forums: Participate in a discussion with other Desktop Central users

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How Desktop Central Works?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is a Web-Based windows desktop administration software that helps administrators to effectively manage the desktops from a central point. It provides Configurations,

Inventory Management, Patch Management, Service Pack Installation, Software Installation, Desktop

Sharing, System Tools, Active Directory Reports and User Logon Report.

•

Desktop Central LAN Architecture

•

Desktop Central WAN Architecture

•

Desktop Central Mobile Device Management Architecture

Desktop Central LAN Architecture

The figure below depicts the Desktop Central Architecture. The details of the individual components are given below:

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Fig: Desktop Central Architecture for LAN

Server Component

Desktop Central Server is located at the enterprise (customer site) is responsible for performing various Desktop Management activities. It pushes the Desktop Central agent to the client machines, deploys configurations, initiates scanning for Inventory and Patch Management, and generates reports of the Active Directory Infrastructure Components to effectively manage the desktops in the enterprise network. It is advised to keep the Desktop Central server always running to carry out the day-to-day Desktop Management activities. All these actions can be initiated from a web-based administration console in a few simple clicks.

Agent Component

Desktop Central Agent is light-weight software that gets installed in the client systems that are being managed using Desktop Central. It acts as a worker to carry out the operations as instructed by the

Desktop Central Server. It is also responsible for updating the Desktop Central Server with the status of the deployed configurations. The agent periodically pulls the instructions from the Desktop Central Server and executes the tasks. The agent contacts the server at the following intervals:

For user-specific configurations - during user logon and every 90 minutes thereafter till the user logs out of the computer.

For computer-specific configurations - during system startup and every 90 minutes thereafter till the system is shutdown.

Patch Database

The Patch Database is a portal in the ManageEngine site, which hosts the latest vulnerability database that has been published after a thorough testing. The Desktop Central Server periodically synchronizes this information and scans the systems in the enterprise site to determine the missing patches. Subsequently, the patches are installed to fix the vulnerabilities.

The communication between the Desktop Central Server and the Patch Database is through the

Proxy Server or a direct connection to internet. The required patches will be downloaded from

Microsoft website and stored locally in the Desktop Central Server before deploying the patches to the client computers. Hence, each client computer (agent) will take the patch binaries from the Desktop

Central Server.

Web Console

Provides a central control point for all the desktop management functions.

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Can be accessed from anywhere: LAN, Remote Offices, and Home through Internet/VPN.

No separate client installations are required.

Active Directory

For Active Directory based Domain setup, the Desktop Central Server queries the Active Directory to generate out-of-the-box reports for Sites, Domains, Organization Units, Groups, Computers, etc., which gives you a complete visibility into the Active Directory.

Ports Used by Desktop Central

Ports to be opened on the Agent

To enable remote installation of the Agent, you should open these ports, these ports may not be required post agent installation.

•

135 : Used to enable remote administration.

•

139 & 445 : Used to enable sharing of files and printers.

Ports to be opened on the Server

•

8020: Used for agent-server communication and to access the Web console

•

8383: Used for secured communication between the agent and the Desktop Central server

•

8443: Used for the Remote Control feature with secured communication

•

8444: Used for the Remote Control feature

•

8031: Used to transfer files in a secure mode while accessing a remote computer using Remote

Control

•

8032: Used to transfer files while accessing a remote computer using Remote Control

•

8027: Used to complete on-demand tasks like inventory scanning, patch scanning, remote control, remote shutdown and moving agents from one remote office to another

Desktop Central WAN Architecture

Desktop Central supports managing Computers in a distributed setup like branch/remote offices and for mobile users (eg. Sales Persons). The figure below depicts the Desktop Central Architecture for managing computers in WAN. The details of the individual components are given below:

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Fig: Desktop Central WAN Architecture

Advantages

•

Simple, fast, and an affordable solution for your desktop management needs.

•

Low bandwidth utilization

•

Network-neutral desktop management.

•

No separate VPN infrastructure is required.

•

Secured communication between the Server and the Agent.

•

Centralized management of computers from a single console.

Server Component

Desktop Central Server has to be installed in your LAN (say, the head office) and has to be configured as an EDGE device. This means that the designated port (default being 8020 and is configurable)

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should be accessible through Internet. You need to adopt necessary security standards to harden the

OS where the Desktop Central Server is installed. Agents from all the remote locations report to this

Desktop Central Server.

The Server acts as a container to store the configuration details and, upon request, provide the instructions to the agents. It is advised to keep the Desktop Central server always running to carry out the day-to-day Desktop Management activities.

Distribution Server Component

Desktop Central Distribution Server is light-weight software that is installed in one of the computers in the Branch Offices. This agent will communicate with the Desktop Central Server to pull the information for all the computers in that branch. The agents that reside in the branch office computers will contact the Distribution Server to get the information available to them and process the requests.

•

Low bandwidth utilization as only one agent will contact the Server periodically

•

Pulls the configuration details, software packages, patches to be installed, etc., from the Desktop

Central Server and makes it available for the rest of the computers in the branch.

•

Supports secured mode of communication (SSL/HTTPS) with the Server.

•

Distribution Server installation is one-time and subsequent upgrades will be automatically performed.

Agent Component

Desktop Central Agent is light-weight software that is installed in the client systems that are being managed using Desktop Central. It acts as a worker to carry out the operations as instructed by the

Desktop Central Server.

•

Unobtrusive light-weight component.

•

Can either be installed manually or through the logon script in all the computers that are being managed using Desktop Central. However, for computers in the local LAN, the agents will be automatically installed.

•

Agent installation is one-time and subsequent upgrades will be automatically performed.

•

For computers in the same LAN as that of the Desktop Central Server, the agent will periodically connect to the Server to PULL the configurations available for them, deploys them and updates the status back to the Server.

•

For computers in Branch Offices, the agent will contact the Master Agent to PULL the configurations available for them, deploys them and updates the status back to the Server.

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Web Console

•

Provides a central control point for all the desktop management functions.

•

Can be accessed from anywhere: LAN, Remote Offices, and Home through Internet/VPN.

•

No separate client installations are required.

Ports Used by Desktop Central

Ports to be Opened on the Agent

To enable remote installation of the Agent, you should open these ports, these ports may not be required post agent installation.

•

135 : Used to enable remote administration.

•

139 & 445 : Used to enable sharing of files and printers.

Ports to be Opened on the Server

•

8020: Used for agent-server communication and to access the Web console

•

8383: Used for secured communication between the agent and the Desktop Central server

•

8443: Used for the Remote Control feature with secured communication

•

8444: Used for the Remote Control feature

•

8031: Used to transfer files in a secure mode while accessing a remote computer using Remote

Control

•

8032: Used to transfer files while accessing a remote computer using Remote Control

•

8027: Used to complete on-demand tasks like inventory scanning, patch scanning, remote control, remote shutdown and moving agents from one remote office to another.

Ports to be Opened on the Distribution Server

•

8021: Used for communication between the agents in Remote Offices and the Distribution Server

•

8384: Used for secured communication between the agents in Remote Offices and the

Distribution Server

Desktop Central Mobile Device Management Architecture

Desktop Central MDM simplifies the work of administrators by using a single console to manage desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile devices. Desktop Central MDM can be used to deploy configuration settings, security commands and retrieve asset data over-the-air (OTA).

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Fig : Desktop Central - MDM Architecture

All Communications from Desktop Central to the mobile device will be routed through intermediate services such as APNs for iOS devices and GCM for android devices. A live TCP connection is maintained for intermediate service. APNs & GCM acts an intermediate wake up service to wake up the device whenever an action is triggered to be performed from the Desktop Central. Managed mobile device communicates with Desktop Central to receive the instructions and report back the status and data. For the above setup to work, the following should be done

Assuming users' mobility, Desktop Central Server should be reachable via public IP address. If you are installing Desktop Central Server in the LAN, add an entry in your external router to route the requests to your public IP to the internal IP of the computer where Desktop Central Server is installed.

If all the devices managed are within the LAN, this requirement is not needed.

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Ports Details

Ports that needs to be opened at Desktop Central Server

•

8383 - Used for secured communication between the agent and the Desktop Central

Ports that needs to be opened for managing iOS devices

•

2195 - Should be open for the Desktop Central Server to reach the APNs. Host address: gateway.push.apple.com (Outbound port).

•

5223 - If the mobile device connects to the internet through the WiFi, then this port should be opened. For better security, you can restrict these connections on the IP range 17.0.0.0/8. If all the managed devices have access to cellular data network, this requirement is not needed

(Outbound port).

Ports that needs to be opened for managing Android devices

Port numbers 5228, 5229, 5230 should be open on the fire wall, If the mobile device connects to the internet through WiFi.

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Installation & Setup

This sections guides you in installing Desktop Central and performing the required configurations.

Setting up Desktop Central can only be done by users with administrative privileges in Desktop

Central.

The following sections describes how to get started with Desktop Central.

•

System Requirements

•

Installing Desktop Central

•

Working with Desktop Central

•

Installing Service Pack

•

Licensing the Product

•

Understanding the Client UI

•

Setting Up Desktop Central

•

Setting Up Mobile Device Management

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System Requirements

Hardware Requirements for Desktop Central Server

Hardware Requirements for Distribution Server

Hardware Requirement for Desktop Central Agent

Software Requirements

Hardware Requirements for Desktop Central Server

No. of Computers

Managed

Upto 250 Computers

251 to 500 Computers

501 to 1000 Computers

1001 to 3000 Computers

3001 to 5000 Computers

5001 to 10000 Computers

Processor

Single processor Intel P4 ~1.5 GHz

Single processor (Intel P4 or Xeon 2.0 Ghz

(Dual Core), 800+ Mhz FSB, 4 MB cache)

Single processor (Intel Xeon ~2.4 Ghz

Dual Core, 800+ Mhz FSB, 4MB cache)

Dual processor (Intel Xeon ~2.0 Ghz Dual

Core, 1000 Mhz FSB,4 MB cache)

Dual Processor (Intel Xeon processors

Quad-Core at 2 ~ 3 GHz, 1000+ MHz

FSB, 4 MB Cache)

Quad Processor (Intel Xeon processors

Quad-Core at 2 ~ 3 GHz, 1000+ MHz

FSB, 4 MB Cache)

RAM

Hard Disk

Space

1 GB 2 GB*

2 GB 2 GB*

4 GB 3 GB*

4 GB 5 GB*

667

Mhz.

ECC

667

Mhz.

ECC

20 GB (HDD speed

@ 7200 ~ 10,000 rpm)

50 GB (HDD speed

@ 7200 ~ 10,000 rpm)

* May dynamically grow according to frequency of scanning

When managing computers above 1000, it is advisable to install Desktop Central on a Windows 2003

Server Enterprise Edition

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Hardware Requirements for Distribution Server

No. of Computers

Reporting to the

Distribution Sever

Upto 250 Computers

251 to 500 Computers

501 to 1000 Computers

Processor RAM

Hard Disk

Space

Single processor Intel P4 ~1.5 GHz

Single processor (Intel P4 or Xeon 2.0 Ghz

(Dual Core), 800+ Mhz FSB, 4 MB cache)

512

1 GB*

1 GB 2 GB*

2 GB 2 GB*

* Hard disk space may grow depending on the number of software and patches that are deployed.

Hardware Requirements for Desktop Central Agent

Hardware

Processor

Processor Speed

RAM

Hard Disk Space

Intel Pentium

1.0 GHz

512 MB

30 MB*

Recommended

* May dyanamically grow depending on the operations performed on the client computer

Software Requirements

Supported Platforms

ManageEngine Desktop Central supports the following Microsoft Windows operating system versions:

Desktops

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows XP Professional

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Servers

Windows Server 2000

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 R2 and

Terminal Clients

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Supported Browsers

ManageEngine Desktop Central requires one of the following browsers to be installed in the system for working with the Desktop Central Client.

Internet Explorer 5.5 and above

Netscape 7.0 and above

Mozilla Firefox 1.0 and above

Preferred screen resolution 1024 x 768 pixels or higher

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Installing Desktop Central

•

Supported Operating Systems

•

Pre-Requisites for Installing Desktop Central Server

•

Ports Used by Desktop Central Server

•

Installing Desktop Central Server

•

Uninstalling Desktop Central Server

Supported Operating Systems

Desktop Central can be installed on computers running the following operating systems (both 32-bit and 64-bit):

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows XP Professional

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows 2000 Server

Windows 2003 Server

Windows 2008 Server

Windows 2008 R2 Server

Virtual Servers (VM Ware)

10. Windows 2008

11. MaC version

Pre-requisites for Installing Desktop Central Server

Desktop Central has to be installed in any of the operating systems mentioned above. It can either be installed on the Domain Controller or in any Workstation/Server in the network.

Ensure that the hardware requirements are met in accordance to the number of computers being managed using Desktop Central.

It is recommended to have a Static IP Address for the computer where Desktop Central

Server is installed. This is because, the agents installed in the client computers communicates with the Desktop Central Server using this IP Address.

You should install the product as an administrator, since the product is installed and run as an

Windows Service.

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Ports Used by Desktop Central Server

Desktop Central Server uses the following ports:

TCP Port 8020 - Used for HTTP communication between the server and the agent

TCP Port 8383 - Used for HTTPS communication between the server and the agent (

Secure

)

TCP Port 8443 - Used for Remote Desktop Sharing (

Secure

)

TCP Port 8444 - Used for Remote Desktop Sharing

TCP Port 8031 - Used for File Transfer (

Secure

)

TCP Port 8032 - Used for File Transfer

If you are running any third party firewall in the computer where Desktop Central Server is being installed, open these ports by configuring the firewall. If you are running Windows Firewall, these ports can also be automatically be opened in the firewall from the SoM page (post installation) from the

Desktop Central Console.

Installing Desktop Central Server

Desktop Central is distributed in the EXE Format. Run the

self-extracting EXE

with an Install Shield program for installation and follow the instructions provided. The installation wizard will guide you through a series of instructions like the installation directory, web server port, etc. You can either install the product with the default values or can change the values as required. If you are changing the web server port (default is 8020), ensure that you open the appropriate port in the firewall.

Upon successful installation of the product, all the required components like the web server, database server, etc., are automatically installed.

Uninstalling Desktop Central Server

It is recommended to uninstall the agent from the client computers prior to uninstalling the product. If the client computers are in the same LAN as that of the Desktop Central Server, the agents can be uninstalled from the SoM page of the Desktop Central Console. However, the agent in the remote office computers have to be removed manually. Refer to the online Knowledge base for the steps to remove the agent from remote office computers.

To uninstall Desktop Central, select

Start --> Programs --> ManageEngine Desktop Central -->

Uninstall

If you have uninstalled the product before removing the agents and if you wish to remove later, refer to the online knowledge base for steps.

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Working with Desktop Central

Starting Desktop Central

Launching Desktop Central Client

Steps to Perform after Initial Login

Stopping Desktop Central

Starting Desktop Central

To start Desktop Central, select

Start

-->

Programs

-->

ManageEngine Desktop Central

-->

Start

Desktop Central

On starting the Desktop Central, the client is automatically launched in the default browser.

The following processes are started along with the Desktop Central:

java.exe - Desktop Central Server

postgres.exe - Database Server

wrapper.exe - For system tray operations

When Desktop Central is started in Windows XP / Windows 2003 machines with firewall enabled,

Windows will pop up security alerts asking whether to block or unblock the the following programs as shown in the images below:

Java(TM) 2 Platform Standard Edition binary - Java.

You should

Unblock

these programs to start Desktop Central.

Fig: Java Alert

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Launching the Desktop Central Client

To launch the Desktop Central client,

open a Web browser and type http://hostname:8020 in the address bar. Here the hostname refers to the DNS name of the machine where Desktop Central is running.

Specify the user name and password as

admin

in the respective fields and click

Login

Steps to Perform after Initial Login

When you login to Desktop Central for the first time, perform the following steps:

Define the scope of management - Scope can be limited to a small set of computers or the whole domain.

Define and apply configurations to either users or computers. The applied configurations will take effect during user logon for user configurations and during reboot for computer configurations.

View the status if the configurations applied to the users/computers.

Setup Software Deployment Module

Setup Patch Management Module

Setup Inventory Management

Configure AD Reports Update Interval and Enable User Logon Reports

Stopping Desktop Central

To stop Desktop Central, select

Start --> Programs --> ManageEngine Desktop Central --> Stop

Desktop Central

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Installing Service Pack

Desktop Central periodically provides Service Packs which provide new features (requested by the customers), fixes for certain bugs and document updates in the form of HTML files. Service Packs can be downloaded from the Web site, and updated into ManageEngine Desktop Central using the

Update Manager tool.

Note:

Ensure that no application is running when applying the Service Pack. This prevents any files used by the application from being over-written. For example if the Desktop Central is running, stop the server and then install the service pack.

Important:

You should login to the computer with the Domain Administrator credential as specified in the Scope of Management to install a Service Pack.

The steps to apply a Service Pack are as follows:

Stop Desktop Central Server.

Start Update manager by executing the script

UpdateManager.bat

file located in

<Desktop

Central Home>/bin

directory.

Click

Browse

and select the Service Pack file (.ppm) to be installed. Click

Install

to install the

Service Pack.

You can go through the Readme file of the Service Pack by clicking the

Readme

button.

Note:

On clicking

Install

, the tool checks whether there is enough space for the installation of the service pack. If there is no enough space, the tool informs you about the lack of space.

You must clear the space and then proceed with the installation.

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Licensing the Product

Desktop Central is available in four variants-

Free

Standard

Professional

, and

Enterprise

Editions

Download the product from the Website.

The

Free Edition

Standard Edition

Professional Edition

and

Enterprise Edition

, come packaged as a single download. During the evaluation phase, the

Enterprise Edition

is installed, and can be evaluated for 30 days. After 30 days, it is automatically gets converted to the

Free Edition

, unless the

Standard

Professional/Enterprise Edition

license is purchased. Given below is the comparison matrix of the features available in the various editions:

Feature

Software Deployment

Patch Management

Asset Management

Remote Control

Service Pack Deployment

Windows Configurations

USB Device Management

Power Management

System Tools

User Logon Reports

Active Directory Reports

Managing Desktops Across WAN

Manage Desktops of Roaming Users

Multi-Technician Support

Distribution Server for Bandwidth Optimization

Mobile Device Management

Standard Professional Enterprise Free

Edition**

***

Free Edition

can be used to manage up to 25 desktops.

*** Granular reports on Active Directory are not available in the Free Edition.

For purchasing the license or for any pricing related queries, please contact [email protected].

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To upgrade from a Trial/Free Edition to Standard/Professional/

Enterprise Edition

When you purchase the product, the license file will be sent through e-mail, which can be used to upgrade the product.

Click the

License

link available in the top right corner of the Desktop Central client. This opens the License details of the product.

Click the

Upgrade Now

link and select the license file received from ManageEngine using the

Browse

button.

Click

Upgrade

button to upgrade.

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Understanding the Client UI

Tabbed Pane

Quick Links

Left Pane

Content Pane

Desktop Central client presents complex desktop management information to administrators in a clear, well organized, and easily understandable manner. The Client is a multi-pane interface with tabs and quick links on the top pane, tab-specific links on the left pane, and object-specific views on the right pane. The home page looks similar to the one shown below:

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Tabbed Pane

Tabs provides easier navigation between various modules/features of Desktop Central. Each tab represent a specific module/feature in Desktop Central. The content of the left pane varies depending on the tab selected. The following are the tabs present in the product:

Home

: The home tab provides a quick summary of the configurations defined in the form of charts. Apart from the configuration summary, it also provides Inventory summary and the health/patch status of the network.

Configurations:

The configurations tab provides the core functions of the product. It has links to define configurations and collections and view the defined configurations based on the type and status.

Patch Mgmt

: This provides the details of the available and missing patch details along with options to install them.

Software Deployment:

Provides options to create MSI and EXE package repository, which can then be used to deploy software to the windows machines in the network.

Inventory:

Provides the details of the software and hardware inventory of the network. It allows you to manage software licenses and prohibited software.

Tools:

The Tools tab provides ability to share a remote desktop and control it through a Web browser. You can also schedule a task to run various system tools like Disk Defrag, Check

Disk, and Disk Cleanup on different machines in the network.

Reports:

The reports tab provides a comprehensive reports of the defined configurations based on users, computers, and type. It also provides ready-made reports of the Active

Directory components. For more details about the available reports, refer to Viewing Reports topic.

Admin

: The admin tab helps you to customize the product to your environment. It helps you to define the scope of management, manage inactive users in your domain, manage

MSI/EXE files and scripts, apart from other personalization options. For further details, refer to

Configuring Desktop Central section.

Support:

The support tab helps you to reach us for your needs, such as getting technical support, requesting new features, participating in user discussions, and so on. It also provides self-diagnostic details about the product.

Apart from the tabs, it also has the following links on the top right corner:

Contact Us

: To reach us to support, feedback, sending logs, joining web conference to troubleshooting, etc.

Personalize

: To customize the skin, password, and session expiry time.

License

: To upgrade to the licensed version of the software and to view the license details.

About Us

: To view the product version details.

Help

: To view the product help documentation.

Sign Out

: To sign out the client.

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Quick Links

Quick links enables you to navigate to the frequently used pages instantly.

Left Pane

The navigation links in left pane enables navigation across the various features in the tab. The leftside navigation links changes dynamically according to the tab selected.

Content Pane

The content pane displays the specific view of the currently selected item from the tabbed pane, quick links or the left pane.

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Setting Up Desktop Central

After installing Desktop Central, the administrator has to setup the various modules in Desktop

Central by making the required configurations.

Note:

The steps/configurations described in this section can only be performed by users with administrative privileges in Desktop Central.

Follow the links to learn more:

Configuring Desktop Central for Windows Vista / 2008

Working with the Scope of Management

Configuring Agent Tray Icon Settings

Configuring Mail Server

Configuring Help Desk Integration

Managing Custom Scripts

Configuring Server Settings

Creating Custom Groups

Personalizing the Client Settings

10. Authenticating Users via Active Directory

11. Migrating Desktop Central Server

12. User Administration

13. Setting Up Software Deployment

14. Setting Up Patch Management

15. Setting Up Asset Management

16. Setting Up User Logon Reports

17. Setting Up Active Directory Reports

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Configuring Desktop Central for Windows Vista / 2008 /

Windows 7

This is applicable only if you install Desktop Central Server in Windows Vista, Windows 2008 or Windows 7.

For running Desktop Central Service in Windows Vista, Windows 2008 or Windows 7 operating systems, you need to specify user credentials with administrative privileges. This is not required for other operating systems like Windows XP, 2003 Server, etc.

Specifying Admin User Credentials for Windows Vista / Windows 2008 / Windows 7.

When you install Desktop Central server in Windows Vista / Windows 2008 / Windows 7 and start, the

Desktop Central client will show a page asking for the user credentials with administrative privileges on that computer. Specify the user name and password of an user account that has administrative privileges on the computer where Desktop Central Server is installed. The user specified here can be either a domain user or a local user with admin privileges.

It is recommended to set the password of the user specified here to "

Password Never Expires

When the password of this user changes, Desktop Central Server will not be able to start as the credentials will fail.

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Defining the Scope of Management

After successful installation, the first thing you do is to define the Scope of Management(SoM) to use the features of Desktop Central. The SoM refers to the list of computers that are managed using

Desktop Central. The managed computers can be from Active Directory, Workgroup, or any other directory service like Novell eDirectory. The managed computers can be either in the same LAN or in any remote location that are connected through VPN or Internet.

Following the Scope of Management section, you can proceed with:

Adding Domain/Workgroup

Managing computers in LAN

Managing computers in WAN

Managing Computers with MAC OS

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Adding Domain/Workgroup

A windows network is typically based on Windows Active Directory, Workgroup, or Novell eDirectory.

When you install desktop Central in your network, it automatically discovers all the domains and workgroups available in your network. Novell eDirectory based network are discovered and managed as workgroups in Desktop Central.

Discovering Domains / Workgroups

To view the discovered domains/ workgroups or to initiate the discovery, select

Admin tab --> Scope of Management (SoM) --> Add Computers

. This will discover all the available domains and workgroups and list them under Discovered Networks.

Adding Domains

Domain can be added in Desktop Central in two ways:

From the auto-discovered list available in the

SoM --> Add Computers

page by clicking the

Edit

link corresponding to the domain.

By Manually adding the domain - If for some reason, one or more domains are not discovered, you can use the

Add Domain

link available in the same page to add domains manually.

Both the above options will open the

Add Domain

dialog for accepting the following information:

Parameter

Domain

Description

Name of the domain. This is usually the netbios or the pre-2000

Name name of the domain

Network Type Select "Active Directory" option

Domain User

Name

Password

AD Domain

Name

Domain

Controller

Name

This should be the domain user name that has administrative privileges in all the computers of that domain. It is recommended to have a dedicated domain admin user account for Desktop Central whose password policy is set to "Never Expire"

Password of the domain admin user

The DNS name of the Active Directory Domain

The name of the domain controller. If you have multiple domain controllers, provide the name of the domain controller that is nearest to the computer where Desktop Central Server is installed

Type

Mandatory

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If you have problems in adding the domains, refer to our online knowledge base for possible reasons and solutions.

Adding Workgroups

Similar to domains, Workgroups can be added in Desktop Central in two ways:

From the auto-discovered list available in the

SoM --> Add Computers

page by clicking the

Edit

link corresponding to the workgroup.

By Manually adding the workgroup- If for some reason, one or more workgroups are not discovered, you can use the

Add Domain

link available in the same page to add workgroups manually.

Both the above options will open the

Add Domain

dialog for accepting the following information:

Parameter

Domain

Description

The name of the workgroup

Name

Network Type Select "Workgroup" option

Admin User

Name

A common user name which has administrative privileges in all the computers within that workgroup. It is recommended to have a dedicated user account for Desktop Central whose password policy is set to "Never Expire"

Password The password of the common admin user

DNS Suffix This is required to uniquely identify a computer within a workgroup.

For example, if you have a computer with the same name in two different workgroups, the DNS suffix is used to identify it uniquely

Type

Mandatory

Optional

If you have problems in adding the workgroups, refer to our online knowledge base for possible reasons and solutions.

Note:

Computers in Novel eDirectory based network are managed as Workgroups in

Desktop Central.

Changing the Domain or Workgroup Credentials

Desktop Central establishes a remote connection to the managed computers to perform the various

Desktop Management activities like agent installation / upgradation, patch/inventory scanning, and remote desktop sharing, which requires an admin credential. The credential provided when adding a domain/workgroup is used for this purpose. When the username/password provided while adding the domain/workgroup has changed later due to password expiry or other reasons, you need to update

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the correct credentials from the

Admin tab --> SoM

page to avoid getting "Access Denied" errors while performing any remote operations.

To update the credentials, click the

Edit Credentials

button available in the SoM page. Select the

Domain/Workgroup from the select box, update the username/password and click

Update Domain

Details

SoM Policy

Synchronizing computers from Active Directory will help you find the computers that are newly added, but or not managed in Desktop Central and the computers that have been deleted from the Active

Directory. This helps you to quickly add or remove computers from being managed using Desktop

Central.

The synchronization will happen at a specified time everyday and can be configured to notify you whenever a change is detected. You can also initiate the sync option as and when required with sync only modified data and sync all option. Sync only modified data will list only the changes that has happened after the previous sync. So the computers which are added or removed after the previous sync will be listed here. Sync all option can be used to get the complete list of all the computers that has been added or removed in the active directory.

To enable synchronization follow the steps below:

Select

SoM --> AD Sync

tab

Click

AD Sync Settings

link from the right, below the AD Sync tab.

Select

Enable AD Sync

Specify the time at which the sync should happen. The time should be specified in 24 hour format and the sync will happen at the same time everyday.

Click

Choose Domains/OUs

to select the domains and OUs that you would like to sync. This will only list the domains and OUs for which the credentials have been specified.

Note:

If you do not see all the domains, you should check and specify the credentials first from SoM --> Computers --> Edit Credential.

If you wish to be notified on any change, select "

Enable Email Notification

" and specify the

"To Address", subject and message.

Click

Save

Next Steps

The next step is to add and install the agent in the client computers that have to be managed using

Desktop Central. The following sections will detail the steps:

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Managing Computers in LAN - To add and install the agent in the client computers from the same LAN where Desktop Central Server is installed

Managing Computers in WAN - To add and install the agent in the client computers from remote locations like branch offices and mobile users.

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Managing computers in LAN

Desktop Central installs an agent in all the client computers that have to be managed using Desktop

Central. The agent properties can also be customized prior to installing the agents. For details on customizations, refer to Configuring Agent settings.

Installing Agents

Installing Agents from Desktop Central Console

The client computers can be added from

Admin tab --> SoM --> Add Computers

button. This will list the domains and workgroups that have been added.

Click the Select Computers link pertaining to a domain/workgroup. This opens the

Select Computers dialog listing all the available computers of the domain/workgroup.

Select the computers that have to be managed using Desktop Central and click OK.

You can also manually specify the computer names instead of choosing them from the list. The selected computers gets added to the Selected Computers table in the

Add Computers view.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for adding computers from multiple domains/workgroups.

Select the "Start Agent Installation Immediately" check box to install the Desktop

Central agents in the selected computers immediately. When this option is not selected, the computers are only added. You need to install the agents later to manage them.

Select the Configure Agent Settings option for configuring the agent properties and post installation actions.

Click Done to add the selected computers. All the selected computers gets added to the Scope of Management.

The Scope of Management page will list all the computers that are being managed by Desktop

Central along with the status of the agent installation and the agent version.

Agents can also be installed at a later stage, by selecting the computers from

Admin --> SoM

page and clicking the

Install Agent

button from the Desktop Central Console

If you have problems in installing the agents, refer to our online knowledge base for possible causes and solutions.

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Installing Agents Using Windows GPO

Agent installation through the console might fail due to various reasons like some security restrictions, firewall configurations, etc. There is a possibility that even after trying the resolutions provided in the online knowledge base, the installation can still fail. In such cases, you can install the agents with a startup script using Windows GPO. The agents gets installed during the next computer startup.

Refer to the online knowledge base for the steps to install the agents using Windows GPO

Installing Agents Manually

You can also install the agents manually, by downloading the agent program from:

http://<host name>:<port number>/agent/DesktopCentralAgent.msi

where,

<host name>

refers to the machine running Desktop Central and

<port number>

refers to the Web port to access the client, the default being 8020.

Double-click the msi file to install the agent manually.

Uninstalling Agents

To uninstall the agents from the computers, select the desktops from the list and select

Uninstall Agent from the Actions box.

Removing the Computers

To remove the computers from the list, select the computers and select Remove Computer from the Actions box. The Desktop Central agents have to be uninstalled prior to removing a computer from the scope.

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Managing Computers in Wide Area Networks (WAN)

A WAN is a computer network that enables communication across a large area that could include communication across cities, states and countries. Most companies operate from a head office, located in a city, and have branch offices located in other areas within the city, the state, the country or even in another country. These branch offices are known as remote offices.

As a system administrator, you must do the following:

Ensure that the computers in the head office and branch offices are monitored efficiently

Manage computers of roaming or mobile users who connect to the network using the Internet

One of the main challenges that you could face, while managing computers in a WAN, are with the bandwidth allocated. There could be bandwidth issues that reduce the speed of data-transfer between computers at the head office and those at the branch office. This could result in costs associated with bandwidth utilization.

Managing Computers Across a WAN

There are two options to manage computers, across a WAN, using Desktop Central. The option that you choose depends on the number of computers you are going to manage at your remote office. The options available, enable you to use either of the following:

Distribution servers and WAN agents: It is recommended that you use this option if you are managing more than 10 computers in a remote office.

WAN agents only: It is recommended that you use this option if you are managing less than

10 computers in a remote office.

Using Distribution Servers and WAN Agents

A distribution server is a server that is located in a remote office. This server communicates with the

Desktop Central server, which is located at the head office, to get information; for example information about configurations to deploy. It synchronizes its repositories, related to configurations, patches, service packs and software applications, with those located in the Desktop Central server. This takes place at specific intervals.

WAN agents are installed in computers in a remote office. After the synchronization, between the distribution server and the Desktop Central server is complete, the WAN agents will download information related to patches, service packs and software applications to be deployed, from the distribution server. This information is downloaded locally using the LAN in the remote office.

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Desktop Central's technology related to distribution servers helps you plan and control bandwidth utilization (including associated costs) for your remote office. This technology addresses bandwidthrelated issues, improves the efficiency and the level of control that network managers and administrators can use while managing computers in remote locations.

Before you start managing computers in a remote location you are required to do the following:

Add a remote office

Deploy a distribution server to a remote office

Deploy WAN agents to computers managed using the distribution server

Adding a Remote Office (with a distribution server)

Before you can start managing computers in a remote office, you are required to add a remote office and create a distribution server. To add a remote office and create a distribution server using your

Desktop Central server, follow the steps given below:

Select

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Select the

Remote Office

s tab

Click

Add Remote Office

Enter a name for the remote office

In the Desktop Central Server Details section, specify the IP address and port numbers for the Desktop Central server

The IP address is already entered in the given field. Change this address only if you have a secondary IP address for the Desktop Central server. The information for the HTTP and HTTPS ports are already entered (8020 and

8030 respectively). Change the port numbers if you have specified ports other than these while installing the Desktop Central server.

In the Communication Details section, select

Through Distribution Server

In the Distribution Server Details section, enter the following information:

Domain NetBios name

Computer name

IP address of the computer on which the distribution server will be installed

It is recommended that you have a dedicated computer as your distribution server. This computer should have a static IP address. This will ensure that you have hassle-free communication between the WAN agents and the distribution server.

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DS FQDN/DNS Name (optional)

HTTP and HTTPS port numbers for the distribution server

The HTTP and HTTPS ports are used for communication between the WAN agents and the distribution server. The default ports of the distribution server

8021 (HTTP) and 8384 (HTTPS). You can use different ports if required.

Replication interval time

The replication interval time is the interval at which the distribution server synchronizes its repositories with those in the Desktop Central server. The default interval is two minutes. However you can customize the replication interval if required.

Data-transfer rate

In the Distribution Server/WAN Agent to Desktop Central Server Communication section, check the following check boxes:

Enable Secured Communication (HTTPS)

Proxy Configuration. Enter information about the proxy host, user name and password.

10. In the computers to be managed section, add the computers that you want to manage using the distribution server. To add computers to be managed, follow the steps given below:

Select the required domain or workgroup

Select the required organization units or computers

Click

Add

If you know the name or the IP address of the computers that you want to manage in the remote location, add them in the given field using commas.

11. Click

Add

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You have added a remote office and created a distribution server. You are now required to deploy this distribution server to a specific remote office.

Deploying Distribution Servers To Remote Offices

After you have added a remote office and created a distribution server, you are taken back to the

Remote Offices tab view in the Scope of Management page. In the Managed Computers column, against the name of the remote office you have created, the status will be

Agent is not installed

. You are required to deploy and install the distribution server in the required remote office.

To deploy a distribution server to the required remote office, follow the steps given below:

Select

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Select the

Remote Office

s tab

In the

Download Agent

column, against the remote office you added, click the Download

WAN Agent + Distribution Server icon

Save the .zip file in the computer on which you want to install the distribution server

You are required to login as the administrator, on the computer in which you want to install the distribution server, to save the required file in it.

Extract the contents of the zip file

Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, follow the steps given below: a.

Click

start>Run

Enter cmd c.

Click

Navigate to the working folder (this is the folder which you have extracted the .zip file in). For example: C:\Remote-Office\dssetup

Run the command setup.bat

10. Select option 1 to deploy the distribution server

You have deployed the distribution server to the required remote office. Refer to the Agent Installation section for information on how to install WAN agents.

Deploying WAN Agents in Computers in Remote Offices

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You are required to install WAN agents in the computers you want to manage, in a remote office, using a distribution server. A WAN agent can be installed:

While deploying a distribution server

After deploying a distribution server

Deploying WAN agents while deploying a distribution server

To deploy a WAN agent while deploying a distribution server, follow the steps given below: a.

Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, follow the steps given below: a.

Click

start>Run

Enter cmd c.

Click

Navigate to the working folder (this is the folder which you have extracted the .zip file in, while deploying the distribution server). For example: C:\Remote-Office\dssetup c.

Specify which computers the WAN agents have to be installed in by editing the computers.txt file d.

Run the command setup.bat file e.

Select option 2 f.

Specify the administrator's user name and password when prompted

This can be a domain administrator or a user who has administrator privileges in all the computers where WAN agents have to be installed. The user name should be prefixed with the name of the domain or the workgroup.

For example, the user name of an administrator who is deploying WAN agents in computers, which are in the zohocorp domain, could be zohocorp\administrator.

You have deployed both the distribution server and WAN agents to computers in a remote office.

Deploying WAN agents after deploying a distribution server

To deploy a WAN agent after deploying a distribution server, follow the steps given below: a.

Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, follow the steps given below:

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Click

start>Run

Enter cmd c.

Click

Navigate to the working folder (this is the folder which you have extracted the .zip file in, while deploying the distribution server). For example: C:\Remote-Office\dssetup

Specify which computers the WAN agents have to be installed in by editing the computers.txt

file

Run the command setup.bat

Select option 3

Specify the administrator's user name and password when prompted

For example, the user name of an administrator who is deploying WAN agents in computers, which are in the zohocorp domain, could be zohocorp\administrator.

You have deployed WAN agents to computers in a remote office.

Using WAN Agents Only

When you manage less than 10 computers, typically, there are no bandwidth-related issues. In such cases, you can manage computers in your remote office using WAN agents only.

Before you start managing computers in a remote office using WAN agents only, you are required to do the following:

Add details of a remote office (single remote office or multiple remote offices)

Install WAN agents in the computers in the remote office

Adding a Remote Office (without a distribution server)

If you are managing in branch/remote offices, you need to add the details of the branch/remote offices and generate Desktop Central Agent for each of your branch/remote office. This agent has to be installed in the managed computers of that branch. To add the details of the remote offices, follow the steps below:

Select

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

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Select the

Remote Office

s tab

You will see a list of all the remote offices that are added. In that list, you will see a remote office which is called Local Office. This is related to the LAN where the Desktop Central server is located. The remote office Local Office is added by default.

Click

Add Remote Office

Enter a name for the remote office

In the Desktop Central Server Details section, specify the IP address and port numbers for the Desktop Central server. You can also enter the DNS of the server.

This IP Address should be common for all the Remote offices and will be used by the agents in the remote office computers to contact the Desktop Central server. If this IP Address is changed, the agent MSI for remote offices will be recreated. You need to reinstall the agents in all the remote computers.

In the Communication Details section, select

Direct Communication

In the WAN Agent to Desktop Central Server Communication section, do the following: a.

Specify the communication interval

The communication interval is the interval at which the WAN agents in the computers in the remote office, contact the Desktop Central server for information. The default communication interval is two minutes. However, this value can be configured if required. b.

Check the following check boxes: a.

Enable Secured Communication (HTTPS) b.

Proxy Configuration. Enter information about the proxy host, user name and password.

In the computers to be managed section, add the computers that you want to manage using the distribution server. To add computers to be managed, follow the steps given below: a.

Select the required domain or workgroup b.

Select the required organization units or computers c.

Click

Add

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If you know the name or the IP address of the computers that you want to manage in the remote location, add them in the given field using commas.

10. Click

Add

You have added a remote office.

Adding Multiple Remote Offices

You can add multiple remote offices simultaneously by importing details of the remote offices, using the CSV import option.

To add multiple remote offices simultaneously, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Click the

Remote Offices

tab

Click

Import Remote Offices

Click

Choose File

and select the required CSV file

Click

Import

You have imported multiple remote offices simultaneously. These will be listed in the Remote Offices tab.

Information about CSV files

This section gives you information about CSV files.

File specifications

The first line of a CSV file is the header specifying the column names.

The Remote Office name is a mandatory field and all the other fields are optional. If left blank, the default values will be added to those fields.

Column names and descriptions

REMOTE_OFFICE_NAME: Name of the remote office

POLLING_INTERVAL: Communication Interval / Replication Interval based on the

Communication Type. The default value is 2 minutes

SERVER_IP:The IP Address of the Desktop Central server, which is accessible from the computers in the remote office.

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HAS_DS - The values can be Yes or No. Yes means that the communication type is through the distribution server. If newly added (or the previous values are present in case of modification), the default value is No. If the value is Yes, the following columns are mandatory:

DS_DOMAIN_NAME: Name of the Netbios domain in the distribution server

DS_NAME: Name of the computer in which the distribution server will be installed

DS_IP: IP Address of the computer in which the distribution server will be installed

DS_PORT: HTTP port through which the distribution server and the WAN agents communicate

DS_HTTPS_PORT: HTTPS port through which the distribution server and the WAN agents communicate

PROTOCOL: The mode of communication between distribution server, WAN agents and the

Desktop Central server. The default is HTTP.

HAS_PROXY - The values can be Yes or No. Yes means the communication between the distribution server or WAN agents to the Desktop Central server takes place through the proxy server. If newly added (or the previous values are present in case of modification), the default value is No. If the value is Yes, the following columns are mandatory:

PROXY_SERVER:Name or IP address of the proxy server

PROXY_PORT: Proxy port number

10. PROXY_USER:User name used to acces the proxy server

11. PROXY_PASSWORD: Password of the proxy user account.

12. COMPUTERS: Names of the computers in the remote office. If more than one computer is specified, it should be within double-quotes. Example: "john,jerry"

Sample CSV Formats

REMOTE_OFFICE_NAME,POLLING_INTERVAL,HAS_DS,DS_DOMAIN_NAME,DS_NAME,

DS_IP,DS_PORT,DS_HTTPS_PORT,PROTOCOL,HAS_PROXY,PROXY_SERVER,PROXY

_PORT,PROXY_USER,PROXY_PASSWORD,COMPUTERS

RO_1,2,yes,zohocorpin,DSserver1,192.168.1.227,8021,8384,http,yes,web proxy,80,admin,admin,"test,mathi,karups"

RO_2,3,yes,zohocorpin,DSserver2,192.168.1.232,8021,8384,http,no

RO_3,10,yes,zohocorpin,DSserver3,192.168.1.222,8021,8384,https,yes,webproxy,80,admin,admin

RO_4,30,yes,zohocorpin,DSserver4,192.168.1.233,8021,8384,https,no

RO_5,2,no,,,,,,http,yes,web-proxy,80,admin,admin

RO_6,3,no,,,,,,http,no

RO_7,33,no,,,,,,https,yes,web-proxy,80,admin,admin

RO_8,35,no,,,,,,https,no

Editing Remote Office Parameters

The method of importing CSV files also has an option where you can edit the details of a remote office. Assume that you want to change the name of the proxy server for your remote offices. You don't have to manually edit the proxy details of each and every remote office. You can do this by

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creating a CSV file that contains only the remote office name and the parameter that needs to be updated. For example,

REMOTE_OFFICE_NAME,PROXY_SERVER

RO_1, web-proxy1

RO_2, web-proxy2

Installing Agents in Computers in Remote Offices

You can install agents in computers in remote offices in:

Single computers

Multiple computers

Desktop Central agents have to be manually downloaded and installed in computers in remote offices. ffice computers. To install an agents in multiple computers in the same location, you can use the command line tool that is provided.

Installing Agents in a Single Computer

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Click

Download Agent

Ensure that you have downloaded the agent with the respective remote office name.

Install the agent in the required computer in a specific remote office, manually

Extract the .zip file to a directory

Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, follow the steps given below: a.

Click

start>Run

Enter cmd c.

Click

Change the directory to <Extracted_Dir>/directsetup

Execute the following command:

%systemroot%\\system32\msiexec.exe /i DesktopCentralAgent.msi ENABLESILENT=yes /qn

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You have installed an agent in a single computer in a specific remote office

Installing Agents in Multiple Computers

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Click

Download Agent

Ensure that you have downloaded the agent with the respective remote office name.

Install the agent in the required computer in a specific remote office, manually

Extract the .zip file to a directory

Add all the names of the computers in which the agent has to be installed in the computernames.txt file

Each computer name should be entered in a separate line.

Open a command prompt. To open a command prompt, follow the steps given below: a.

Click

start>Run

Enter cmd c.

Click

Change the directory to <Extracted_Dir>/directsetup

Run the command setup.bat

10. Specify the user name and password of the administrator, when prompted

For example, the user name of an administrator who is deploying WAN agents in computers, which are in the zohocorp domain, could be zohocorp\administrator.

You have installed the agent in multiple computers in a remote office.

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The logs.txt file is located in <Extracted_Dir>/directsetup. It has the details about the errors you face during installation, if any.

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Modifying Remote Office Details

If you require to change the mode of communication between the WAN Agents and the Desktop

Central server, you can modify the remote office details and make the necessary changes. For example, if you have chosen the direct communication mode for a remote office and you want communication to take place through the distribution server, you can modify the details of the remote office.

To modify the details of the remote office, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Click the

Remote Offices

tab

In the

Action

column, click the modify icon against the required remote office

Change the required parameters

Click

Modify

If you have changed the mode of communication from direct communication to communication through the distribution server, you need to re-install and restart the distribution server in the specified computer. The changes will be implemented only after you complete this task.

However, even if you have not completed this task, you can still deploy the configurations, patches, and software applications to the specific remote computer.

You have modified details of a remote office.

Moving Computers Across Remote Offices

You can move computers across remote offices. For example, if you are moving from remote office to another you are required to add your computer to the WAN in that remote office.

Scenario

Each remote office has its own agent. Assume that you are moving from remote office A to remote office B. You must do the following when you are moving computers across remote offices:

Move the computer physically

Make the settings to move the computer from one remote location to another in the user interface (UI)

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The sequence of operations, mentioned above, will depend on whether you have a proxy connection or not.

When the agent does not use a proxy connection

When the agent does not use a proxy connection to communicate with the Desktop Central server, you can physically move your computer from remote office A to remote office B, the agent from remote office B gets installed in your computer. As there is no proxy connection, it can communicate with the Desktop Central server.

When the agent uses a proxy connection

When the agent uses a proxy connection to communicate with the Desktop Central server, you must make the settings to move the computer from one remote office to another, in the UI, before you physically move your computer.

To move computers across remote offices, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

In the

Computers

tab, select the required computers

In the

Move To

list, select the name of the remote office to which you want to move your computer to

You can create a new remote office with or without a distribution server. To create a new remote office with a distribution server, refer to the Adding a

Remote Office (with a distribution server) section. To create a new remote office without a distribution server, refer to the Adding a Remote Office

(without a distribution server) section.

You have created a request to move computers across remote offices. If the office you are moving to is a local office (LAN), the computers that you have specified will be moved immediately. This is because the Desktop Central server can contact the agent in the computer, that you have requested to move, immediately. However, if the office you are moving to is a remote office (WAN), the computers that you have specified will be moved only when the agent (in the specified computers) contacts the Desktop Central server agent during the two-minute communication interval.

If the agent does not contact the Desktop Central server within the time interval, the request will be removed from the Desktop Central server. You will then have to create a new request.

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Adding an IP Scope

Desktop Central has different agents for different locations, for example a local office agent will not be the same as the remote office agent. Similarly every remote office has different agents as well. When you are managing computers one or more remote locations, you can have a defined set of IP ranges for different offices. This enables the Desktop Central Server to identify the agents with respect to the

IP range.

So whenever a computer is moved from a local office to a remote location, IP scope is used to automatically detect and deploy the respective WAN agent. Desktop Central will check for the change in the IP address periodically and will deploy the appropriate agents whenever a change is detected.

If there is no movement or a rare chance of moving computers between remote offices, you do not need to define an IP Scope for your remote offices.

In this case, you can move your computers, if required, by using the

Move to

list in the

Computers

tab in the

Scope of Management

page. For more information, click here.

When a computer (or a laptop) is transferred to a new remote office, a new IP address is automatically assigned to that computer (or laptop) by the DHCP server in the remote office network.

The Desktop Central agent then determines whether the new IP address, that was assigned, is within the IP range of the new remote office. You can add an IP Scope for remote offices as well as local offices.

If you are moving computers only between specific remote offices, you should assign an IP Scope only for those remote offices.

To add an IP Scope, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

Scope of Management

Click the

IP Scope

tab

Click

Add Scope

In the

Select Remote Office

list, click the required remote office name

Select either of the following types of IP Scope:

IP Address Range

: Enter the start and end IP addresses

Subnet

: Enter the subnet mask and subnet IP address

Click

Save

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You have added an IP Scope.

You can add more than one IP Scope to a remote office. To add more than one IP Scope, follow the steps from step number 4.

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Managing computers with Mac OS

Desktop Central can be used to manage computers with Mac operating Systems. Desktop

Central has separate agents to manage Mac computers.

Supporting Mac OS

Desktop Central currently supports the following Mac versions:



10.6 Snow Leopard



10.7 Lion

Note

: Desktop Central currently supports managing Mac OS with Intel Processor

Configuring Mac Agent Settings

Desktop Central has different agents for windows and Mac computers. Mac agents will not be created by default. You can create Mac agents by configuring the settings in the scope of management. This will help you automatically create Mac agents for the local office and the remote offices. To Configure the Mac agent settings follow the steps mentioned below.

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Agent Settings

link available under Global Settings.

Select

Mac Agent Settings tab

Click on the check box to automatically create agents for managing Mac computers.

Enabling the option to create Mac agents automatically will create agents for all the existing remote offices as well the any new remote office that is created subsequently.

Select the domain or the workgroup to group Mac computers (this is virtual grouping and will not impact on its functions).

Click Save to create Mac agents.

Mac agents can be download from the SoM page.

Installing Mac Agents

Mac agents can be installed manually in the computers that need to be managed. Agents can be installed manually in every computer or through SSH. To install the agent, log-in into the computer as an administrator and follow the steps mentioned below.

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click on

Scope of Management

link under

Global Settings.

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Click on

Download Agent

link

You will have a drop down list, from which you can choose and download the appropriate agent. If the managed computers are in the same LAN, download

Mac local agent.

If the managed computers are in remote locations, download agents appropriately. Follow the steps mentioned below to install the agents manually,

Extract the zip file and locate

DesktopCentral_MacAgent.pkg

and serverinfo.plist file.

Double click to install the agent.

Enter administrators password when prompted to complete installation.

Installing Mac Agents Using SSH

Installing Mac agents in computers can be done easily through SSH. Using a Mac computer you can remotely connect to other computers and install the Mac agents. To know about installing agents follow the steps mentioned below.

Download the Mac agent.

Copy the downloaded Mac agent



Open the terminal



Navigate to the location where the agent is downloaded.



Type

scp DCMacAgent.zip adminusername@hostname:

to copy the agent to the target computer.



Where

adminusername -

administrator user name of the remote computer



hostname -

local host name of the remote computer



Agent is copied in the location

~/Users/adminusername

in target computer

Install the agent in the remote computer



To login into the target computer using SSH type

ssh adminusername@hostname



Navigate to the location where the agent is copied, Unzip the agent zip file by typing

unzip oq DCMacAgent.zip



Install the agent using the command

sudo installer pkg DesktopCentral_MacAgent.pkg -target /



Enter the administrator password when prompted to complete agent installation.

Once the agents are installed successfully, the Mac computers will be listed in the SoM page in the Desktop Central web console.

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Uninstall Mac agents

To uninstall the agents from the computers, follow the steps mentioned below.

Navigate to the directory /Library/DesktopCentral_Agent/uninstall

Type

sudo chmod 744 uninstall.sh,

and enter administrator password when prompted.

Type the command

sudo ./uninstall.sh,

this command removes all the files except logs.

Supported Features

Desktop Central currently supports the following features for Mac computers.

Features supported in the Inventory Module



Hardware and software inventory reports



Managing software License



Managing Software Category



Alerting by email for every hardware or software changes.

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Configuring Agent Settings

Desktop Central installs an light-weight non-intrusive agent on the computers that have to be managed using Desktop Central. You have an option to configure the settings for these agents.

Agent General Settings

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Agent Settings

link available under Global Settings.

The

General Settings

tab is selected by default. You can specify the following from here:

Server IP Address -

The IP Address of the computer where Desktop Central server is installed is displayed here. The agents residing in the client computers communicate to the Desktop Central server using this IP Address. Desktop Central automatically detects the server IP Address whenever Desktop Central Server is started. If you wish to automatically detect and save the IP Address, select the

Automatically detect and save the IP Address change

option.

You can also enter the DNS name of the Server.

Enable Secured Communication

- Select this option, if the communication between the Agent and the Desktop Central Server should be secured (HTTPS)

Disable Uninstallation Option in Control Panel

- Selecting this option will ensure that users do not uninstall the Desktop Central Agents from their computer.

Perform Patch Scanning

- Select this option if Patch Scanning has to be initiated immediately after the agent installation. If this option is not selected, Patch Scanning will only happen when it is scheduled or when On Demand scanning is initiated.

Perform Inventory Scanning

- Select this option if Inventory Scanning has to be initiated immediately after the agent installation. If this option is not selected,

Inventory Scanning will only happen when it is scheduled or when On Demand scanning is initiated.

Enable Firewall Settings

- Desktop Central requires the Windows Firewall running in the client computers to be configured for using all its features. Select this option to configure the firewall for enabling Remote Administration, DCOM, File and Printer

Sharing, and Simple File Sharing in Windows XP.

Click

Save Changes

Agent Tray Icon Settings

Desktop Central provides an option to display the Agent Icon in the System Tray of all the managed computers. The users can perform the following actions using the system tray:

Initiate Patch Scanning

Initiate Inventory Scanning

Pull and apply configurations that are available to them

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Send requests to Help Desk for specific needs.

When User Logon Reports is enabled, the user will be able to view his/her login history.

Follow the steps below to configure the Tray icon settings:

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Agent Settings

link available under Global Settings.

Select the

Agent Tray Icon

tab and specify whether to display the icon in the system tray of the managed computers. When choosing this option, you can choose the following:

Show Patch, Inventory, and Configuration Menus

Show Last Logon Details

Show Information Balloons While Processing Configurations, Patch Scanning and

Inventory Scanning

Click

Save

Changes

Configuration Settings

When a computer is added to the OU / Active Directory, all configurations that were deployed to the group will automatically get applied to the newly added computers. Configuration settings will help you to specify the time when and how often should Desktop Central look for the newly added computers and deploy the configuration. This can be customized as per the options mentioned below.

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click

Configuration Settings

Under Auto-detect OU/Group changes and Apply Configuration, click the checkbox to configure the settings.

Enable "

Detect and Apply Configurations at every System Startup or User

Logon"

to apply configurations to computers during user logon and system startup.

If you choose to enable the

configurations at scheduled time

, then the change detection will happen at the nearest refresh cycle and the configurations will be applied after the specified time subsequently .

Click

Save Changes.

Note :

If the configurations are applied to a Custom Group/OU/Active Directory, the newly added computers will have all the configurations applied to it automatically. Whereas, if any computer is removed from the Active Directory / OU/ Custom Group, the applied configurations will not be removed automatically.

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Configuring Mail Server

Desktop Central has an option to send a notification by email when the patches are downloaded and are ready to be installed. Email Alerts are also sent for notifying the Inventory related events. To send email, the mail server has to be configured. Follow the steps given below to specify the mail server details:

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Mail Server Configuration

link. This opens the Configure Mail Server Settings page.

Specify the name and port of the mail server.

Email Type :

Indicates the type of mail email despatching (For example: SMTP, SMTPS).

TSL Enabled :

Option to enable Transport Layer Security (TLS).

If it requires authentication, select the Requires Authentication check box and specify the user name and password.

Click

Save

to save the configuration.

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Configuring Help Desk Integration

Desktop Central provides an option to integrate with Help Desk. With this, users will be able to send their help desk queries and requirements so that they are attended by help desk professionals.

Steps to Integrate with Help Desk

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Help Desk Settings

link available under Global Settings.

The

Help Desk Settings

tab is selected by default.

Specify the "To Email addresses" of the help desk.

Specify the "From Email domain" if the windows network domain is different from the email domain name.

(for example if the Windows domain is mycompany.com and your email domain is myemaildomain.com)

Enter the email subject prefix which will be prefixed to all the tickets that has been created from the help desk ticket.

Specify the file format type, so that the end user will be notified to attach the screen shot in the correct format.

Click

to save the changes.

When you integrate with Help Desk, the users will have an additional menu as "Send Help Desk

Requests" in the Agent icon that is shown in the system tray of the managed computers. It may be noted that the Agent Tray icon should have been configured to be shown to get this working.

Customizing the Ticket Subjects and Messages

Desktop Central has a set of pre-defined request templates that will be available under the Tickets tab. The administrators has an option to modify the subject and messages to suit their need. This helps them to automate the Help Desk Ticketing system based on the mail subject. To add or modify a ticket, follow the steps below:

Click the

Admin

tab to invoke the

Admin

page.

Click the

Help Desk Settings

link available under Global Settings.

Select the

Tickets

tab. This will list all the pre-defined ticket templates.

Click

Add Ticket

to add a new template or select a template and click

Edit

to modify.

Specify the Subject and the Message and click

The templates specified here will appear in the users' desktop when they click the Desktop Central icon from the system tray.

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Integrating Desktop Central with ServiceDesk Plus

ServiceDesk Plus is a Web-based help desk and asset-management software. It enables you to integrate your help-desk requests and assets to help you manage your IT infrastructure effectively.

You can integrate the following features of Desktop Central with ServiceDesk Plus:

Data related to hardware and software assets

Help-desk requests

Deploying software packages

Complete UI Integration - This makes you access all the features of Desktop Central from the

ServiceDesk Plus console.

Benefits

Integrating the features mentioned above with ServiceDesk Plus enables you to do the following:

Get comprehensive information about IT assets like hardware and software assets installed in the computers in your network

Log service and configuration requests, made by users as tickets automatically

Install software packages from the ServiceDesk Plus console

Steps to Integrate

The pre-requisites and the steps for integration vary for every feature that you wish to integrate. The links below will guide you through the integration:

Integrating Asset Data with ServiceDesk Plus

Automatically Log Help Desk Requests as Tickets in ServiceDesk Plus

Include Software Install / Uninstall option under the Actions menu of a Help Desk request in

ServiceDesk Plus

Make a complete UI integration between ServiceDesk and Desktop Central

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Configuring Service Desk Plus

Desktop and MDM plug-in can be installed in the same computer where Service DeskPlus has been installed. Desktop and MDM plug-in should be installed in the same computer where Service

DeskPlus is running. Follow the steps mentioned below to install Desktop and MDM plug-in:

Double click to install the

Desktop and MDM plug-in exe

to start installation

Click

Next

in the installation shield

Click

Yes

to accept the license agreement

The storage will be located under ManageEngine > Service Desk by default.

Click

Next

to continue or

Browse

to change the storage location.

Specify the port number as

8020

Click

Next

to complete installation. This will take a few minutes for the files get extracted.

Once the installation has completed, you can also enter your name and email address to register for technical assistance.

You can now see Desktop and MDM menu available in the Service DeskPlus window. All you need to do now is configure the Service DeskPlus settings. To configure the Service DeskPlus settings follow the steps mentioned below:

Click

Desktop Central

menu on the Service DeskPlus

Click

Admin Settings

and Choose

General Settings

Select

Service DeskPlus Settings

Server Name and Port Number will be pre filled

Select the Communication type as HTTP or HTTPS

Click and

Generate Authentication Key.

Refer to this, to know about generating authentication key.

Click to enable the features that you wanted to be integrated

Click

Save

to save the changes.

Desktop Central and MDM plug-in is ready to be used.

See also

: Integrating ServiceDesk Plus with Desktop Central, Deploying Software

Applications, Sending HelpDesk Requests as Tickets

Zoho Corp.

Integrating Asset Data

Desktop Central scans the computers in your network periodically and collects data related to hardware and software assets that are installed. Information related to hardware and software applications is updated by Desktop Central. This data is synchronized with ServiceDesk Plus.

If both Desktop Central and ServiceDesk Plus scan the computers in your network for data related to hardware and software assets the existing information will be overwritten with the latest information.

Prerequisites

Before you integrate details about assets with ServiceDesk Plus, you must ensure the following:

Ensure that the build numbers conform to the details given below:

Desktop Central: Professional Edition, Build number 70017 or later versions

ServiceDesk Plus: Professional Edition, Build number 7601 or later versions

Run both Desktop Central and ServiceDesk Plus in your network

Manage all the computers in your network using Desktop Central

Integrating Desktop Central with ServiceDesk Plus

To integrate ServiceDesk Plus with Desktop Central, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

In the

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

section, check the

Enable ServiceDesk Plus Integration

checkbox

In the

Service Desk Server Plus Details

section, specify the following details about the

ServiceDesk

Plus Server:

IP address/DNS name

Port number

Required communication protocol

In the

Features to Integrate

section, select IT Asset Data checkbox

Click

Save

If you select HTTPS mode of communication, Select the Product Type :If you are using an standalone installation of ServiceDesk Plus product, select the ServiceDesk Plus option. If you wish to integrate with the ServiceDesk module within IT360 product, select IT360 option.

Zoho Corp.

you must provide the SSL certificate of ServiceDesk Plus. copy the file

"sdp.keystore"

located in

<ServiceDesk Plus Installation Home>/server/default/conf

directory to your local computer and Browse to select this file here.

If you are using IT360 product with HTTPS communication enabled, copy the file

"it360.keystore"

located in

<IT360 Installation Home>/servicedesk/server/default/conf

directory to your local computer and Browse to select this file here.

If you are using a third-party SSL certificate, like GoDaddy, you need to provide the keystore file that you have generated.

f you are using a third-party SSL certificate, you must also provide information regarding the alias name you provided when generating the keystore file and the password for the keystore.

Checking the third party SSL keystore alias name and password

Ensure that the keystore alias name and the keystore file password are correct when using a third-party SSL certificate in your ServiceDesk Plus installation.

Determining the password required to access the keystore file

To determine the password required to access the keystore file, follow the steps given below:

Navigate to the

server.xml

file. The path is

<ServiceDesk_Home>\server\default\deploy\jbossweb-tomcat50.sar

Determine the value of the parameter

keystorepass

You have determined the password required to access the keystore file. You can use this password to determine the alias name of the keystore.

Determining the alias name of the keystore file

To determine the alias name of the keystore file, follow the steps given below:

Using the command prompt, navigate to

<ServiceDesk_Home>\jre\bin

Execute

keytool -list -v -keystore

<ServiceDesk_Home>\server\default\conf\sdp.keystore -storepass

<ServiceDesk KeyStore File Password>

You will find the alias name of the keystore file here.

Note : If you are using a PFX Certificate File, then Specify the "asc" as ServiceDesk

Keystore Alias Name

Zoho Corp.

See also

: Integrating ServiceDesk Plus with Desktop Central, Deploying Software

Applications, Sending HelpDesk Requests as Tickets

Zoho Corp.

Logging Help Desk Requests as Tickets

Desktop Central enables you to contact their support team by logging help desk requests. This feature can be integrated with ServiceDesk Plus. Integrating this feature with ServiceDesk Plus enables you to log helpdesk-related requests in ServiceDesk Plus as tickets using Desktop Central.

You can also use predefined templates available in the Tickets tab to send requests. These templates comprise of predefined messages. You can modify the subject and content of these messages as required and send the tickets as requests using the tray icon of Desktop Central. You can also add tickets if required.

Benefits

The benefits include the following:

Submit requests without logging in

Send requests using predefined templates and can even attach screenshots automatically.

Use customizable subject lines to configure the HelpDesk application and enable automatic assignment of tickets

Configure settings in Desktop Central to log the following asset-related alerts as tickets in

ServiceDesk Plus. These include alerts related to:

Recently added hardware

Commercial software applications that have recently been installed or uninstalled

Prohibited software applications that have recently been installed

Software compliance issues related to expired licenses or under licensed software applications

Prerequisites

Before you begin logging helpdesk-related requests as tickets or sending them using e-mail, you must ensure the following:

Ensure that the build numbers conform to the details given below:

Desktop Central: Professional Edition, Build number 70133 or later versions

ServiceDesk Plus: Version 8.0 or later versions

Run both Desktop Central and ServiceDesk Plus in your network

Manage all the computers in your network using Desktop Central

Zoho Corp.

Logging Help Desk Requests & Alerts as Tickets in ServiceDesk Plus

To log help desk requests and alerts from Desktop Central as tickets in ServiceDesk Plus, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

In the

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

section, check the

Enable ServiceDesk Plus Integration

checkbox

In the

Service Desk Server Plus Details

section, specify the following details about the

ServiceDesk Plus Server:

IP address/DNS name

Port number

Required communication protocol

In the

Features to Integrate

section, select Log Help Desk Requests as Tickets checkbox

Click

Save

"sdp.keystore"

located in

<ServiceDesk Plus Installation Home>/server/default/conf

directory to your local computer and Browse to select this file here.

If you are using IT360 product with HTTPS communication enabled, copy the file

"it360.keystore"

located in

<IT360 Installation Home>/servicedesk/server/default/conf

directory to your local computer and Browse to select this file here.

If you are using a third-party SSL certificate, like GoDaddy, you need to provide the keystore file that you have generated.

f you are using a third-party SSL certificate, you must also provide information regarding the alias name you provided when generating the keystore file and the password for the keystore.

Checking the third party SSL keystore alias name and password

Ensure that the keystore alias name and the keystore file password are correct when using a thirdparty SSL certificate in your ServiceDesk Plus installation.

Zoho Corp.

Determining the password required to access the keystore file

To determine the password required to access the keystore file, follow the steps given below:

Navigate to the

server.xml

file. The path is

<ServiceDesk_Home>\server\default\deploy\jbossweb-tomcat50.sar

Determine the value of the parameter

keystorepass

You have determined the password required to access the keystore file. You can use this password to determine the alias name of the keystore.

Determining the alias name of the keystore file

To determine the alias name of the keystore file, follow the steps given below:

Using the command prompt, navigate to

<ServiceDesk_Home>\jre\bin

Execute

keytool -list -v -keystore

<ServiceDesk_Home>\server\default\conf\sdp.keystore -storepass

<ServiceDesk KeyStore File Password>

You will find the alias name of the keystore file here.

Note : If you are using a PFX Certificate File, then Specify the "asc" as ServiceDesk

Keystore Alias Name

See also

Integrating ServiceDesk Plus with Desktop Central,

Integrating Asset Data,

Deploying Software Applications

Zoho Corp.

Deploying Software Applications

You can integrate the Software Deployment feature in Desktop Central with ServiceDesk Plus. This allows you to create or use existing packages in the Desktop Central server to deploy software applications. The ServiceDesk Plus server and the Desktop Central server are synchronized automatically.

Prerequisites

Before you integrate details about assets with ServiceDesk Plus, you must complete the following tasks:

Ensure that the build numbers conform to the details given below:

Desktop Central: Professional Edition, Build number 70133 or later versions

ServiceDesk Plus: Enterprise Edition, version number 8.0 or later versions

Run both Desktop Central and ServiceDesk Plus in your network

Manage all the computers in your network using Desktop Central

Enabling Software Deployment from ServiceDesk Plus

To enable software deployment from ServiceDesk Plus, follow the steps given below:

Click the

Admin

tab

In the

Global Settings

section, click

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

In the

ServiceDesk Plus Settings

section, check the

Enable ServiceDesk Plus

Integration

checkbox

In the

Service Desk Server Plus Details

section, specify the following details about the

ServiceDesk Plus Server:

IP address/DNS name

Port number

Required communication protocol

In the

Features to Integrate

section, select Software Deployment checkbox

Generate and authentication key and provide it here.