Deployment Solution

 View Only
  • 1.  Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?

    Trusted Advisor
    Posted Nov 10, 2010 02:15 PM

    I've been looking today at the 5 minute delays I'm getting in WinPE when waiting for my scripted XP install jobs to run.

    This seems to be down to the task agent within WinPE being set to a 5 minute polling to the server. Is there a reason why it must wait 5 minutes?

    Could the task agent be configured in automation to,

    1. Have a polling time of 1 minute
    2. Poll immediately on startup

    I also see many instances of  traffic orginating from WinPE automation on port UDP 500 directed at  the server. This is mostly listed in Wireshark as "ISAKMP (unknown 243)". Can anyone from Symantec shed light on this? It seems to be one-way -no answers.



  • 2.  RE: Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?

    Trusted Advisor
    Posted Nov 13, 2010 10:32 AM

    Can anyone else confirm they are too seeing these long delays in WinPE due to task agent? Is this just me?



  • 3.  RE: Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?

    Posted Nov 13, 2010 06:56 PM

    Could you clone the "Task Agent Settings" page (Settings > All Settings > Notification Server > Task Settings) with a Task Update interval of 1 minute (the lowest setting)?

    Not sure if it would easily just apply to WinPE Client Task Agents, but it would help narrow down the problem.

    Otherwise is there any information here that might help:

    http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO21727



  • 4.  RE: Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?
    Best Answer

    Posted Nov 13, 2010 07:10 PM

    Symantec Consulting (as was) recommended that the Task Update interval be set to 30 minutes, both for the Task Service on the Task Server (Settings > All Settings > Notification Server > Site Server Settings > Task Server > Settings) and the Task Agent.

    To test the 1 minute thing you'll probably need to change the Task Server setting too, that goes down to 10 seconds.

    Perhaps other people who haven't had this problem have tickle working.



  • 5.  RE: Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?

    Trusted Advisor
    Posted Nov 14, 2010 04:49 AM

    Hi Andy,

    I think automation isn't configured to use these sever specified settings. On the server it's configured with the default of 30 minutes, and I can see the client-server comms declaring 5 minutes.

    So, my reckoning was that dev specifically put in a shorter interval for automation. But  5 minutes is a long time to wait for a scripted install to start....

    Thanks for the top tip about the tickle -will look into that.. !!



  • 6.  RE: Deployment Server: Task Agent polling interval shortened?

    Trusted Advisor
    Posted Nov 14, 2010 01:17 PM

    Hi Andy,

    The results are in and the tickle does the trick -everything is now nice and responsive in automation.

    Will ask the Beta dudes what the reasoning is for not enabling this by default. Would certainly ease the 'Getting Started' frustrations... !!

    Kind Regards,
    Ian.,