Deployment Solution

Hi

I have a subnet with about 200 computers and multicast works ok - but it is very slow...

Is it posisble to kick slow computers off the multicast session something like if bandwith < 15 Mb/s then exit multicast session or is there a loggin feature that i can enable?

Cheers

Kåre Bering

 

I would suggest you set a maximum amount of connections for your multicast.  This can be done via the Configuration panel (Start ---> Programs ---> Altiris --->  Deployment solution ---> Configuration).

Click on Options.  Click on the Disk Imaging tab.  I would set the number no higher than 10 (I personally use 4 with no problems).  If I understand the process correctly, it will create groups with multiple masters.

Each Master will redistribute the image to the amount of machines listed in the configuration.  The more machines you put in there, the slower your network will become.

Also, on a side note, multicasting can be dangerous on the network if you aren't segmented or your network hardware isn't configured properly.  You may wish to talk with your networking group before they start looking for you with pitchforks everytime their network slows to a crawl.

We have looked at deploying to multiple masters.  But if I deploy to 200 machines in batches of 10, that would produce 20 masters that each gets the whole image. And that would kill the uplink...

Our problem is that 1 faulty or slow machine will slow the entire multicast... And there is no way, that I know of, that can be used to identify this machine...

Alternatively I could use some kind of test-job to determine wich machines might not make the cut?

I have been googling this issue for some time now, and I have found nothing... Am I alone in trying to deploy to that many machines??

Does Ghost provide something in this regard that rdeploy does not??

Thanks in advance
/Thomas Olsen

I'm sure that you are not alone in wanting to image that many machines.  Most corporate environments are only going to do batches of machines.  For example, our environment, our helpdesk only deploys images as needed on equipment as it comes through the door.  That being said, if we received 200 computers, our helpdesk would only image as many as they could work on as a batch (but then again we have a small helpdesk team).

If you have an active AUP with Altiris/Symantec, you might open a case with them.  They might be able to come up with a configuration change or if they have heard of this issue, maybe offer a work around?

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