Temporary disabling package servers - can it be done?
Hi
I'm sure most people must have experienced this issue at some point or another. The situation sounds like this:
We build package servers at our head office and then ship them to the required regional offices. The period between building and shipping for reasons of internal processes is normally about 1 week. The issue is now that when you build a package server at the head office, it automatically, by virtue of the subnet it belongs to gets added to the local site.
When the device eventually arrives at the regional node, the package server listing should then rectify itself and remove those devices from the local site association.
The issue comes in for the interim period. Should I be doing software deployments of for example patches during that window period, the NS will provide all those newly built package servers as potential sites from which the package may be obtained. This seriously increases the time delay in terms of doing the software updates to the client devices.
Now, if I remove the package servers from the listing, when it gets plugged in on the other side, the package server agent as well as the populated packages will get removed from the device...unless I can time it to put it back in just before the device gets connected to the remote network.
The best way out of this would be to be able to temporarily disable the package server such that it is not proposed as a location from where the package may be obtained.
Any one have a way in which this may be achieved?
Regards
jacques loubser
Comments
What I have done
Loaded all the packages on the package server in one of two ways:
1) Copy the 'package delivery' folder in the Altiris Agent folder
2) If you designate the alternate location on the package server, then copy the Software Folders there (the package delivery folder, with the .xml files will still be in the agent directory.
Don't designate the box as a package server. Ship it, and then when it gets onsite and checks in, designate it as a package server.
Jim Harings
HP Enterprise Services
1st Rule of Connect Club: Mark the post that helped you the most as a 'solution'. 2nd Rule of Connect Club:You must talk about Connect club.
Problem also is that while
Problem also is that while the package server is offline until arriving on site, NS advertise the PS code basis to all of head office where NS server is located causing package download failures to all of head office.
What we do is to create a dummy site and dummy subnet which do not exist on the network. Then assign the package server and dummy subnet to the dummy site for Staging period. This way NS do not advertise it's code basis to the local network and once PS arrive on site we just assign it to the correct site.
Dummy Subnet / Site
Hi jaco, yes, the notion did occur to me to do that, but, because the PS was built in the primary HO network, it automatically assigns itself to that site. Assigning it elsewhere does not seem to remove that auto designation.
Jim, yours was also an option I've considered, the only thing is that surely this issue has been recognised / highlighted before and that as such a solution based method should be available to address it?
As of the current v7
I don't see a solution based method, sorry. I may just be stubborn and stick to what has worked for me in the past, but as you mentioned the auto site assignment is always a sticking point.
Jim Harings
HP Enterprise Services
1st Rule of Connect Club: Mark the post that helped you the most as a 'solution'. 2nd Rule of Connect Club:You must talk about Connect club.
possible solution
Hi chaps
based on what Jaco said I had my network chaps create and assign a separate vlan to the port on which I normall build my pkgsvr's. This has been assigned to a separate site which effectively resolves the issue.
Regards
Jacques
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