Client Management Suite

What does the Coresettings.config variable MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins do and how is it set? Also, what does the registry key PkgDownloadFromNS do and how is it set? How do the two interrelate?

1. The Coresettings.config variable MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins is a value in minutes that tells the Notification Server how long the agent will continue to try to download from a Package Server before bypassing the Package Server and downloading directly from the Notification Server. This setting is more correctly defining a Notification Server behavior rather than Agent behavior. The Altiris Agent always downloads packages from the codesbases that are given out by the Notification Server. In Notification Server 6.0 SP2, the server does not provide its own codebases to agents that are members of the defined site on the Site Maintenance page; this change was the result of a very common customer request. This setting is disabled by default, and the value to disable it is 0. This will not allow the agent to receive codebases from the Notification Server. Any value other than 0 results in a time value that is sent to the server when it makes its calls to GetPackageInfo.aspx. When this time value exceeds the MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins value, the NS will hand out its codebases along with the codebases of any Package Server in the Notification Server's site/subnet. Notification Server SP3 introduced a new type of Package Server called a 'Constrained' Package Server which, by default, will not receive codebases for the NS but rather will be given only the codebases of other Package Servers listed in its same site. In the event that the Primary Package Server in that site has failed, this setting could be used to get packages down to the Constrained Package Server.
2. The registry key PkgDownloadFromNS is a on/off registry key found at HKLM\Software\Altiris\Express\Notification Server. When set to 1, it allows the agents to be able to download their packages from the Notification Server directly. When set to 0, agents cannot download from the NS, only local package servers.
3. How do the two interrelate? Both of these settings control whether the Notification Server allows or does not allow packages to download from the NS and when that can occur, if allowed. To assure that packages only come from sites and package servers, set PkgDownloadFromNS to 0, and MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins to 0 as well.