Symantec Management Platform (Notification Server)

I have been going through the documentation, getting ready to possibly deploy in a two site setup with one site running a NS server and Site server and the other location running just a site server.
(200 seats at both places; but only one site has the hardware to support a NS7 install)


What are the hardware / software requirements of the Site Server? (I understand that site server is just a PC that has specific site services setup on it).

At the min, does it require everything SMP requires? (Windows 2003 server, iis 6, ie 7, .net 3.5 etc)

Or, like I am hoping, can you setup a random XP box on the network to act as a site server?

Thanks!
 

This depends on what roles the site server will perform.  You can use Windows XP for a site server functioning as a package server, but not a task server.  (Task server cannot be installed on desktop operating systems.)  And if your site server is only running a desktop OS like Windows XP, keep in mind connection limits -- 10, for TCP/IP.

Because you'll probably want to use both Package and Task services, you'll want an actual server.

Here's what the Altiris 7 Planning & Implementation Guide puts out (with a DISCLAIMER! -- not tested by Symantec Labs!):

Minimum requirements:
Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, any Windows OS, IIS 5, 1.5GB of HDD + 1.2x total size of packages, NTFS no RAID.  Altiris Agent, .NET 1.1, and TCP ports 50120-50124 opened.  (Keep in mind this conflicts with what they've said elsewhere that a task server cannot be installed on Windows XP.)

Here's what they recommend:
P4 2GHz+, 1GB RAM, Windows 2003 Server Standard SP1+ (x86), IIS 6, 2GB HDD + 1.2x total size of packages, NTFS R1 if available.  Altiris Agent, .NET 1.1, TCP ports 50120-50124 opened.

Hope this is helpful.

 From what I have read, I understand that the site server also helps in that it makes it the single point of contact for the NS?

For example:

Site 1:  NS7 + 1 site server
Site 2: 1 site server

The flow of information from agents deployed at site two should go:  agent -> site 2 site server -(across WAN)-> site 1 NS7

Is this a correct assumption?  

What i don't want to happen is get it deployed at site 1 and 2, and then notice that every agent in site two is directly communicating with the NS in site 1 basically killing the WAN connection between the two sites.

Yes, the site server becomes the point of contact, or the middleman, really.  It doesn't replace the NS, it only communicates for it.

You will want to read the Altiris 7 Planning & Implementation Guide.
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=45803&p=1

This covers the topics you should be considering as you design your Altiris 7 architecture and roll it out.

To answer your question, during your configuration of the site server, you should define which network subnets connect to which site servers.  Without defining sites, Altiris Agents will have access to all site servers.  The NS will then try to find a site server on the same subnet as the managed computer.  If it finds one, the managed computer will use it.  If it doesn't find one on the same subnet, it will inform the managed computer of all site servers.  However, the agent typically chooses the closest site server based on subnet grouping.

To review, the process is thus:
All network subnets should be assigned to sites.
All sites should be assigned to site servers.