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Extend Software Delivery Solution with the Software Delivery Plug-in for Task Server 

Jun 27, 2007 11:18 AM

The Software Delivery for Task Server Plug-in adds functionality not available in standard Software Delivery Solution for Windows. Built off the Task Server framework, this plug-in has the ability to immediately push down critical jobs in a timely manner, without worrying about client configuration updates and the inability to alert a large number of machines that a critical task is pending. Take advantage of Software Delivery Package/Programs already configured within the environment. Also leverage Task Server's built in scripting ability and 'active' communication with the Task Server Agents.

Installation

Currently this plug-in is already provided with the core install of Software Delivery Solution for Windows version 6.1 SP3 (build 1058). Previous versions had the two components as separate installs.

Solution Installs

The Plug-in requires the following prerequisites (they can be installed after Software Delivery if needed):

  1. Task Management (the core install for the Notification Server Task Server)
  2. The Altiris Console 6.5 (The User Interface elements in use by Task Server and the Plug-in are supplied by this install whether you use the 6.5 console or the 6.0 version)
  3. Recommended: Altiris Console 6.5 Data Pack
  4. Other installs such as the Report, Documentation, and Language Packs are also recommended to be installed for full functionality
Note: The recommended install method is to use the Solution Center found in the Altiris Console under View > Configuration > Install/Upgrade Additional Solutions > Available Solutions > A-Z Solutions > and click on 'Software Delivery Solution for Windows'.

Required Agents

For full functionality with both Task Server and Software Delivery for Task Server Plug-in, the following subagents to the Altiris Agent should be installed.

The installs for these are found in the Altiris 6.5 Console under Configure > Agents > All Solution Agents Rollout. The Policies for each Agent rollout are found here:

Each Agent has a purpose, and not all the Agents are necessarily required. In the above picture it shows the Install and Upgrade policies for these agent rollouts as 'enabled'. By default after install none of these are enabled and at least the installs for the Agents need to be enabled to use the functionality in Task Server.

  1. Client Task Agent Rollout > This is the core Task Server Agent and is required for any server or client-side job.
  2. Power Management Task Agent > The following Power Management Tasks are controlled by this agent:
    1. Shutdown
    2. Restart
    3. Logoff
    4. Force Applications to Quit
  3. Script Task Agent > This Agent controls the running of scripts, whether directly or called (in the UI you can write the script directly or make reference to a script file).
  4. Service Control Task Agent > As the name suggests this Agent can start, stop, and restart services on the target system.
  5. Software Delivery Agent for Task Server > Not to be confused with the Software Delivery Agent or the Software Delivery Solution Agent, this agent only conducts Software Delivery Package/ Program execution within Task Server.

As #5 suggests, the download and execution of Task Server Software Delivery Package/ Programs is separate from the download and execution of standard Software Delivery Tasks. The download location is different, as shown below.

The first list of download Guid folders are from the standard Altiris Agent download repository, under the 'Software Delivery' folder. The subsequent folder labeled 'SWDAgentForTS' is used by only Software Delivery for Task Server. All other functions from the other Task Server subagents are called on the fly. For example the script agent merely downloads the script in memory and executes it.

Lastly, the only two Task Server subagents required to actually execute Software Delivery Task Server tasks on a client are Client Task Agent and the Software Delivery Agent for Task Server.

Using Task Server jobs

Task Server jobs provide a way to roll out Software Delivery Package/ Programs and any other Task Server function in an ordered and potentially conditional fashion.

Creating a Server Job

To create a Task Server job to execute a Software Delivery Package/ Program, run through the following steps:

  1. In the Altiris Console 6.5 browse under Manage > and click 'Jobs'.
  2. Browse under Tasks and Jobs and right-click on the 'Jobs' folder.
  3. Go to New > and click on Tasks/Job.
  4. A new Window will appear. Click on 'Server Job' to populate the right-hand pane.
  5. Note the following for navigating through a Server Job, referencing this screenshot:
    • When you select 'Server Job', it creates a sequential job that will run various Task Server functions like a Sequential Task.
    • Note that when you click New > Task you'll get a new window that shows the same Task Server objects in the left-side pane as the original Task/Job you created. The first screen becomes a 'Task' if only one function is called. If you create a 'Job', then you have the ability to input multiple Tasks and create a Job.
  6. Name the Server Job for identification purposes.
  7. Click New > Task.
  8. Name the Task for identification purposes.
  9. Click the 'Select Package' link to select an existing Software Delivery Package/ Program.
  10. Once selected, click OK to return to the Task configuration page.
  11. Check the box 'Run Program', and from the dropdown select which Program you want this Task to execute. If this step is skipped, this package will only be delivered to the client and no execution will take place.
  12. If desired, click the 'Advanced' button to apply overrides to how the Altiris Agent handles the Package/ Program.
  13. Click OK.

At this point other Tasks of any kind can be applied to the job from the list of available items in the Task Server Task list. You can also create Conditional items between Task executions to fine-tune how the job runs.

Considerations

The following items should be considered when using Task Server with Software Delivery Solution to avoid unexpected results.

  1. Task Server is not a policy-based engine. To explain, think of a Policy as something that can be scheduled to run repeatedly or once from the client-side. The trigger is policy based, whereas a Task is an active execution initiated directly by either the client or the server.
  2. All settings, etc, for Task Server are communicated over the wire and not stored in files. This means the Tasks or Jobs scheduled or initiated from Task Server will not download XML files to reference but will stream the data directly to the client at the time of execution.
  3. The agent.log file will capture all XML transferred data as normal process. This is your best source for information on how the task details were transmitted to the client system. Here is a sample of the data from such a log entry:
    Module: SWDAgentForTS.dll
    Source: SWD Agent For Task Server
    Description: Running Task with Command line C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\SWDAgentForTS\252d8b75-cd6b-4c94-93d4-34406ce4c855
    
    
  4. If the same Package is referenced by both standard Software Delivery Tasks and Task Server ones, the Package will be downloaded to two locations:
    • C:\ Program Files\ Altiris\ Altiris Agent\ Software Delivery\ {Guid of Package}\ Cache
    • C:\ Program Files\ Altiris\ Altiris Agent\ SWDAgentForTS\ {Guid of Package}\ Cache
  5. Commands are sent down as the Task executes from the Task Server. This does increase Network Traffic between Task Servers and clients. In light of this Task Servers should be distributed to avoid WAN connection issues, etc.

Best Practices

The following items can be utilized to get the most out of Task Server jobs with Software Delivery Solution.

  1. Name all your tasks and executions. Most of these are referenced either in the console or in Reporting, and leaving the default names will lead to confusion. Especially remember to name actual Jobs and subtasks, or they will take on the default name of the Task. Since this field isn't blank when you create your Jobs/Tasks, it's easy to overlook renaming them to something more specific.
  2. When selecting computers to run a specific Job or Task, you can double-click on entire Collections to add all associated computers to the target computers list.
  3. Always test a rollout with a small group of computers to see the results, including timing of execution to avoid any unexpected results.
  4. If you have a large environment, multiple Task Servers should be brought up, typically in the same manner Package Servers are distributed. This will allow Load to be well distributed between multiple servers and allow a smooth execution of the Tasks or Jobs.

Conclusion

This version of Task Server and the Software Delivery Plug-in provides a peek into the functionality that will be provided with Notification Server and Task Server version 7. If used properly, it can enhance the current functionality available in the standard Software Delivery Solution. Look forward to additional functionality when version 7 ships at the end of this year (2007 > Note! This is an Estimated Time for Arrival and may be subject to change). If Jobs are not fulfilling your business needs, consider using Software Delivery Sequential Tasks as an alternative.

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