Client Management Suite

Our company has a VDI environment for some of our standard desktop users. We have several "master" systems as the basis for launching cloned copies for a managed groups of users. This means that the system does not exist (i.e. not live on the network), while no user is logged in. How does Altiris (SMP/CMS) handle this situation?  The main purpose is for inventory tracking, software license compliance.

Best practice would to not install the Altiris Agent on non-persistent VDIs because you'll rapidly consume licensing and traditional software deployment does not lend itself to this computing model.  Persistent VDIs should be managed like any other traditional computer.

That said Streaming licensing is including in CMS now so you can install the Streaming agent in your NP VDIs and distribute applications per-user.


Edit:  I've moved this post to the Client Management Suite forum for better exposure.

I have never heard of a Streaming agent so I will have to research, thanks.  We have very few non-persistant VDI's.  I am told our VDI's get refreshed regularily, monthly if not quarterly. I assume the non Streaming will discuss the best practice for deploying the agent, i.e. on the Master VDI, etc..?  When a VDI is refreshed, what does that do to the Altiris Agent, does the VDI receive a new Altiris GUID, reuse the old GUID, etc..

Check out the recorded release presentation on 7.5 SP1.  They talk about the new Streaming entitlement that comes with the product.

Personally, we're not going to install the Altiris Agent (SMA) in our non-persistent VDIs.  We can't find a reason why we'd want to do that.  We won't patch, all software will be installed virtually, images will be updated monthly, and only a single user will ever use a given Virtual Desktop.

To answer your question, though, you can clear out the SMA client GUID and each instance would be assigned a new GUID.  However, if you're using this with non-persistent VDIs you better have a good handle on how you're going to age out "old" VDs that will never be seen again.  Otherwise you'll quickly overrun your license count.

Hi,

seems like same question already discussed https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/altiris-agent-and-vdi

Thanks,

IP.

Hi Igor, that link is similar but not exact.

Our VDI environment looks like this.  We have groups that receive a VDI.  That VDI is good for about a month to 3 months, then the VDI is refreshed from the Master, which has been updated possibly with patches, etc..

Question.  How do I deploy the Agent?  To the Master?

What happens once the VDI is refreshed, does Altiris recognize the refresh as a new VDI?

What is the best practice in my situation.

High Tower, can you link the webcast presentation you are referring to please?  You also mentioned that you don't use the agent in your VDI's?  How do you keep track of the license software count for compliance?

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/itms-75-sp1-available-now

Well we're actually the Symantec Workspace Virtualization product to "install" apps on our Citrix XenApp servers.  These apps are delivered via Receiver into the VDIs.  We don't need to keep track of inventory as we get all of the information we need for licensing via Citrix.

You should not fully clone your VDI for provisioning purposes.  If you don't generalize the GUID for your SMA then every machine reporting in will have the same internal ID and will constantly overwrite the single record in your database.  You can use this info to strip out your GUIDs:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO2169

For your 3 month scenario I'd consider treating these like Persistent VDIs and fully manage them like any other endpoint during their lifecycle.

However, no matter what you do, you'll have to remove the GUID info from the SMA, your AV client, your DLP agent, and whatever else that might care about system identity as a final step before taking your snapshot.

Thank you High Tower.

For the 3 month scenario, if I follow you correctly.  When ever the VDI is refreshed, the GUID would have to be removed (deleted) from the SMP?

This sounds like alot of upkeep and the VDI personnel will have to have communication with the Computer management personnel when deleting and refreshing VDI's.  Would you agree?

I do understand the GUID will need to be stripped out of the MASTER VDI.  Thank you for the url.

Or you set your purging maintenance to something more aggressive and let the SMP take care of it.  Just be mindful of how much licensing overhead you have available.

A new, recomposed VDI with a blank GUID in the agent will present itself to the SMP as a new client and consume a new license.   As the old VDIs are discarded they'll never check back into the SMP so they'll either age out based on your purging maintenance policy or by manually retiring/deleting them.

I'm sure there's a task available or could be written in the SMP to retire computer resouces.  Give that task to your VDI admins and have them run it to retire out the old computer records.

Great clarification High Tower.   That sounds like a great plan.  I will definatly give that some serious thought.

Thank you so much everyone, very helpful.