ALTIRIS Software Delivery Solution for Windows 6.1 SP3 Product Guide

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A LTIRIS ®

Software Delivery Solution™ for Windows 6.1 SP3

Product Guide

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Notice

Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™ for Windows 6.1 SP3 Product Guide

Document Date: February 19, 2007

Information in this document: (i) is provided for informational purposes only with respect to products of Altiris or its subsidiaries (“Products”), (ii) represents Altiris' views as of the date of publication of this document, (iii) is subject to change without notice (for the latest

documentation, visit our Web site at www.altiris.com/Support), and (iv) should not be construed as any commitment by Altiris. Except as provided in Altiris' license agreement governing its Products, ALTIRIS ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE USE OF ANY PRODUCTS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY THIRD-PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. Altiris assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions contained in this document, and Altiris specifically disclaims any and all liabilities and/or obligations for any claims, suits or damages arising in connection with the use of, reliance upon, or dissemination of this document, and/or the information contained herein.

Altiris may have patents or pending patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights that relate to the Products referenced herein. The furnishing of this document and other materials and information does not provide any license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any foregoing intellectual property rights.

No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written consent of Altiris, Inc.

Customers are solely responsible for assessing the suitability of the Products for use in particular applications or environments. Products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, life sustaining, critical control or safety systems, or in nuclear facility applications.

*All other names or marks may be claimed as trademarks of their respective companies.

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Chapter 1 Introducing Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™

for Windows

Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™ for Windows provides secure, bandwidth-sensitive distribution of applications and the application updates throughout the organization.

Software Delivery Solution supports LAN, WAN, and remote and mobile clients from a single infrastructure and offers advanced application management features, such as application self-healing, conflict analysis, and other ongoing software management capabilities.

Software Delivery Solution lets you define software packages, distribute software packages, and run programs on Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista operating systems, and also on 64-bit computers.

Note

Software Delivery Solution for Windows works in 32-bit emulation mode on 64-bit computers.

Software Delivery Solution provides the following features:

z Computers can be targeted for software delivery based on data that is collected from a computer. You can easily designate groups of computers to receive a software delivery job based upon hardware, software, or end-user details.

z A Software Delivery task, which downloads and deploys software packages, can be designated as mandatory or optional. You can let or prohibit users from running a Software Delivery task. You can also expire programs, so they can no longer be deployed after a specified date.

z Network bandwidth throttling helps minimize network impact. This is especially useful for remote users.

z Checkpoint recovery lets you resume a package download to a managed computer if the download is interrupted. This is especially useful for remote/dial-up users.

z Non-intrusive operation on managed client computers.

z Full support for locked down Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista environments, which means software can be installed on computers even if the logged on user at the time of the installation does not have administrator rights to the computer.

z Native support for SMS packages, collections, advertisements, and status reporting.

Numerous reports to help you analyze and make proactive management decisions.

Note

You can define and deploy software packages for UNIX/Linux, Macintosh, or handheld devices using the Software Delivery products for these platforms.

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Note

Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™ for Windows 6.1 SP3 supports the Altiris Console 6.0 (the console that ships with Notification Server 6.0), which is the official console for Notification Server 6.0 and associated solutions and the new Altiris Console 6.5. In this document, the tasks for Software Delivery Task Server Plug-in are documented using the new Altiris Console 6.5 and other tasks are documented using the Altiris Console 6.0. For information to help you get started, see Using the Altiris Console 6.5 (page 96)

Quick Link

z Software Delivery Solution Features Overview (page 7) z Software Delivery Usage Overview (page 8)

z Software Delivery Solution Components (page 9)

Software Delivery Solution Features Overview

Software Delivery Solution works in conjunction with Altiris® Notification Server™

software and the Altiris Agent to define and deploy software packages and run programs. Programs can be run immediately or on a specified schedule.

You can use the Altiris Console to define and deploy a package that consists of a collection of programs. Once a package has been defined, you can create a Software Delivery task to deploy the package and to run programs in that package. In a Software Delivery task, you can specify a schedule to run a program, the security context used when a program is running, and the collection of computers to which the Software Delivery task applies.

Bandwidth Throttling

Bandwidth throttling lets you control the amount of bandwidth used for delivery of packages. This feature minimizes the impact of software deployment at peak network usage times.

The Software Delivery Agent, which is installed along with the Altiris Agent, downloads a file buffer by buffer with a delay between each buffer. Through the Altiris Agent, you can configure the buffer size and the amount of delay between buffers. You can specify different values depending on the bandwidth usage.

If the bandwidth control is disabled by the user, the Software Delivery Agent downloads the files without a delay between buffers. Effectively, the agent uses all of the available bandwidth for package download.

If bandwidth control is enabled, the agent tests the data transfer rate of downloading a package by using full bandwidth for 10 seconds, and then estimate the transfer rate during that period of time. If the estimated transfer rate is less than a threshold, the agent uses a delay between buffer downloads to slow down the download process. The data transfer rate test is done every two minutes to re-evaluate the link speed during the package download. Therefore, bandwidth usage depends on the transfer rate of the package download. For details, see the Altiris Notification Server Reference Guide.

Blockout

Blockout lets you block out times when packages are delivered with a high priority, low priority, or not at all. This feature can help you prevent package delivery from taking up

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significant network bandwidth during peak usage times. For details, see the Altiris Notification Server Reference Guide.

Multicasting

Multicasting lets you deliver packages to a selected group of recipients. This feature is provided in Notification Server to improve the Package Server performance on large networks that use significant amount of network bandwidth. It protects Package Servers from being overloaded and helps prevent slow network responses when distributing large packages.

Multicasting reduces the load on Package Servers by reducing the number of Altiris Agents that connect to the Package Server and decreases network utilization by multicasting package data to peers. For details, see Using Multicasting (page 71).

Sequential Software Delivery Tasks

You can create a Software Delivery task to deliver a single application or you can create a sequential Software Delivery task to deliver multiple tasks. When using sequential Software Delivery tasks you can configure the sequence of the tasks and dependencies that must exist for each task.

Example: You can have three tasks, Task A, Task B, and Task C, in one sequential task.

After setting the execution order, you can configure a dependency for Task C to execute only if Task B is executed successfully.

Software Portal

The Software Portal lets users install software on their computers by executing Software Delivery programs for which they have been given permission by the administrator.

Software Portal options are provided in addition to existing Software Delivery Package and Program settings.

Software Migration

The Software Migration Wizard creates tasks that can identify applications that are installed on one or more source computers and then delivers the corresponding Software Delivery packages to one or more destination computers.

You can use the Software Migration Wizard to identify applications that are installed on the original computer and then use Software Delivery to deploy software delivery packages for those applications to the new computer. If you have Altiris® PC Transplant® software, you can use it after the software migration to migrate the settings from the original computer to the new computer and both the applications and settings will be available to the user.

Software Delivery Usage Overview

Software deployment involves defining packages, creating Software Delivery tasks, delivering packages, running programs, and monitoring feedback.

The following steps outline the software deployment procedure.

1. Set up Software Delivery Solution. See Configuring Software Delivery Solution (page 24).

2. Deploy the Software Delivery agents to your client computers:

a. Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 21)

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b. Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22)

3. Define a software package that contains the files you want to deploy. See Creating a Package (page 36).

4. Define the program you want to run. See Defining a Program for a Package (page 36).

5. Create a Software Delivery task for the package that specifies a schedule for the program and the collection to which it applies. See Creating a Software Delivery Task (page 47).

Using the Software Delivery Wizard

The Software Delivery Wizard takes you through the steps of creating and delivering new and existing packages and the Software Delivery tasks that deliver those packages.

This is the easiest and most efficient way to create packages, assign programs to them, and set up Software Delivery tasks to deliver them. For details, see Using the Software Delivery Wizard and Status Page (page 60).

Other Software Delivery Tasks

z Configure and use the Software Portal:

Configuring the Software Portal (page 18) Using the Software Portal Wizard (page 75) Using the Software Portal (page 86)

z Use reports to analyze results. See Viewing a Software Delivery Task Report (page 23)

z Migrate software applications:

Using Software Migration Tasks (page 64)

Using the Software Migration Wizard and Status Page (page 67)

z Using Notifications and Automated Actions (page 73) For details, see Getting Started (page 16).

Software Delivery Solution Components

When Software Delivery Solution for Windows is installed, folders and items are placed in various tabs of the Altiris Console. You can use these folders and items to create and manage packages, programs, and Software Delivery tasks. All folders and items for Software Delivery Solution for Windows are placed in the Software Management >

Software Delivery > Windows folder in the left pane of the various tabs.

Tasks Tab

The following table lists the shortcut menu items that are provided when Software Delivery Solution is installed. You can access these shortcuts on the Task tabview by right-clicking a folder or an item in the left pane.

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Resources Tab

In this tab, Software Delivery Package folder is provided as a container for the Software Delivery packages that you create.

Reports Tab

From the Reports tab, you can view the Software Delivery dashboard and Software Delivery reports.

The Software Delivery dashboard displays a list of executed Software Delivery tasks, their status, the computers they were delivered to, and the execution time. A chart showing the number of executed tasks is also provided.

Reports let you analyze your data. Each Altiris solution includes predefined reports that you can use or modify, or you can create your own reports.

Folder Shortcut Menu Item

Description

Notification Policies

None Software Delivery Solution for Windows supplies Notification Policies that provide active reporting for the Altiris Agent. See Using Notifications and Automated Actions (page 73).

Sequential Software Delivery Task

None You can create a Software Delivery task to deliver a single application or you can create a sequential Software Delivery task to deliver multiple tasks. When using sequential Software Delivery tasks, you can configure the sequence of the tasks to be deployed as well as dependencies that must exist for each task to be run.

Software Delivery Tasks

None The Software Delivery Tasks folder is provided as a container for the Software Delivery tasks that you create.

None Software Delivery

Wizard and Status

Opens the Software Delivery Wizard. This wizard takes you through the steps of creating packages and setting up Software Delivery tasks to deliver those packages.

See Using the Software Delivery Wizard and Status Page (page 60).

None Hello World -

Sample

A pre-installed sample Software Delivery task called “Hello World - Sample”.

None New Software

Delivery Task

Creates a new Software Delivery task.

Software Migration Task

Software Migration Wizard and Status

Software Migration tasks lets you migrate applications from one computer to another.

See Using the Software Migration Wizard and Status Page (page 67).

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Software Delivery provides numerous predefined reports to help you analyze your asset information.

Configuration Tab

Software Delivery Solution for Windows places several configuration items in the Configuration tab. These items let you configure Software Delivery Solution for Windows to meet your needs. For details, see Configuring Software Delivery Solution (page 24).

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Chapter 2 Installing Software Delivery Solution

This section provides information you need to know to install Software Delivery Solution for Windows.

z Planning Information (page 12) z Prerequisites (page 12)

z Installing Software Delivery Solution (page 13) z Installing the Altiris Agent (page 13)

Planning Information

Before installing Software Delivery, we recommend that you review the following information.

Security

On Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista, the Software Delivery Agent, running on top of the Altiris Agent, runs as a service with local administrator rights on the computer.

The Software Delivery Agent can run either on the local system account or the currently logged on user account. The default is the local system account.

Notification Server and SQL Server

If Notification Server and the Microsoft SQL Server database are NOT running on the same computer, ensure that the two computers are in the same time zone with their clocks synchronized.

Note

Difference in a time or a time zone between the two computers can cause package update problems.

Prerequisites

Software Delivery Solution requires the following:

On the Target Computer

z Windows 95/98/Me/NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003/Vista z Altiris Agent 6.0

On the Notification Server

z Notification Server 6.0 SP3 R4 or later z Altiris Task Management 6.0

z Custom Console 6.5 and Custom Console Data 6.5

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Installing Software Delivery Solution

Before installing Software Delivery Solution, review Prerequisites (page 12).

To install Software Delivery Solution on Notification Server 1. Start the Altiris Console by selecting Start > Programs > Altiris > Altiris

Console.

2. Click the Configuration tab.

3. In the left pane, navigate to Upgrade/Install Additional Solutions.

4. Click the Available Solutions tab.

5. Click the Software Delivery Solution for Windows link.

6. Click Start.

This starts the installation of Software Delivery Solution.

Registration

Each Altiris product comes with a 7-day trial license that is installed by default. You can register and obtain a 30-day evaluation license through our Web site at www.altiris.com or purchase a full product license.

To view your current license, start the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab, and select Licensing.

For details, see “Licensing Altiris Software” in the Altiris Getting Started Guide on the product CD or on our Web site at www.altiris.com/support/documentation.

Installing the Altiris Agent

The Altiris Agent must be installed on the computers you want to manage, if you have not done so already (through the use of other Altiris solutions that require the agent).

When installing the agent, specify computers to which you want to install the agent. For large numbers of computers, you can use the Resource Discovery and Network

Discovery features of Notification Server to discover the computers on your network and create a list. From this list you can select the computers to install the Altiris Agent.

If you have to manage only a few computers, such as during an evaluation, you can skip computer discovery and directly perform the agent installation procedure.

Resource Discovery is used to discover Windows computers. The following procedure describes how to use this feature.

Network Discovery can discover computers using Ping, Circular DNS resolution, SNMP, and NetBIOS name and domain. You can discover Linux/UNIX, Mac OS, and Windows computers. For details, see the Network Discovery Product Guide, which you can access from the Altiris Web site (www.altiris.com/support/documentation) or from the Altiris Documentation page in the Altiris Console.

Note

You need administrator rights to install the Altiris Agent.

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To discover Windows computers using Resource Discovery 1. Start the Altiris Console by selecting Start > Programs > Altiris > Altiris

Console.

3. In the left pane, select Configuration > Server Settings > Discovery Methods

> Resource Discovery.

4. In the right pane, click and select the domains in which to search for computers.

Optionally, enter the name of a domain and click .

5. Select the discovery methods you want to use. You must select at least one method.

Select the Domain Browse List option to discover computers (including Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, and ME computers) that are currently sharing files.

Select the Domain Membership option to discover computers that have trust accounts in the domain and are running Windows NT, 2000, XP, and 2003. This method will not find any Windows 98, 98 SE, or ME computers.

6. Click Discover Now.

7. After the discovery process completes, click Apply.

The computers in the specified domains are discovered and can be selected to receive the agent.

To install the Altiris Agent Note

This procedure does not work with Windows 98, 98 SE, and ME computers. For these operating systems, see the “Pull Method” in the Notification Server documentation.

1. Start the Altiris Console by selecting Start > Programs > Altiris > Altiris Console.

3. In the left pane, select Configuration > Altiris Agent > Altiris Agent Rollout >

Altiris Agent Installation.

4. Click Select Computers to select computers for installing the Altiris Agent.

If you did not perform a computer discovery (because of less number of computers to manage, such as during an evaluation), you have to first discover computers. For details, see To discover Windows computers using Resource Discovery (page 14).

You can also specify computers manually. To specify the computers, enter the name of the computer on which you want to install the Altiris Agent in the text field provided and click Add. The specified computer is searched and added in the list.

5. Select computers from the list and click Install Altiris Agent.

This opens the Altiris Agent Installation Options page to let you configure the properties for the Altiris Agent.

6. Select the Show the Altiris Agent icon in the system tray option.

7. Click Proceed with Install.

The Altiris Agent is installed to the computers.

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To Discover Computers

1. In the right pane, do one or both of the following:

If you did not perform a computer discovery (because of less number of computers to manage, such as during an evaluation) or you want to specify a computer manually, enter the name of the computer on which you want to install the agent in the text field provided and click Add.

Repeat this step for all computers on which you want to install the agent.

If you performed a computer discovery, click Select Computers.

In the dialog that opens, select the computers to which you want to install the agent.

Click OK.

Note

Even if a computer is discovered, it does not mean that you can push the agent to it. The computer must be running an operating system that supports pushing agents to it.

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Chapter 3 Getting Started

The Getting Started tasks guide you through the basic setup, configuration, and use of Software Delivery Solution. Each task has a procedure and, in many cases, exercises to illustrate the steps of the procedure.

Getting Started tasks

1. Using the Software Delivery Wizard (page 16) 2. Configuring the Software Portal (page 18)

3. Configuring Software Portal Permissions (page 20) 4. Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 21) 5. Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22) 6. Viewing a Software Delivery Task Report (page 23) Prerequisites for Getting Started tasks

z Notification Server 6.0 with SP3 R4 or later.

z Software Delivery Solution 6.1 SP1 Hot fix 1. (Some specific features require Hot fix 2 or later. When a feature requires Hot fix 2, it is noted in the procedure.)

z A client computer running a supported Windows operating system.

z The Altiris Agent installed on client computers. See Installing the Altiris Agent (page 13).

Exercise Scenario

The exercises in this chapter will guide you through the process of creating a simple Software Delivery Package and Task for Microsoft Paint. To prepare for this exercise, do the following:

1. Create a Software Packages\Paint folder on the C drive of the Notification Server.

2. Copy mspaint.exe from the system32 directory of C:\Windows or C:\WINNT to C:\Software Packages\Paint.

Using the Software Delivery Wizard

Software Delivery Solution lets you define and deploy software packages. Software packages are a group of program files or specific resources that Software Delivery Solution uses to deploy software. Software Delivery tasks are policies that describe how and when to deploy Software Delivery packages. For more information about software packages, see Using Software Packages and Programs (page 34).

You can manually create Software Delivery packages and tasks or you can use the Software Delivery Wizard. The Software Delivery Wizard takes you through the steps of creating and delivering new and existing Software Delivery packages. This wizard also guides you through setting up Software Delivery tasks to deliver those packages.

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In this procedure you will create and deliver a new Software Delivery package. For instructions on using the wizard to deliver an existing package, see Using the Software Delivery Wizard (page 62).

To start the Software Delivery Wizard

1. In the Altiris Console, click the Task tab.

2. In the left pane, select Tasks > Software Management > Software Delivery >

Windows > Software Delivery Tasks > Wizard and Status.

3. In the right pane, click Run Software Delivery Wizard.

Step 1 - Select Existing Package option

In this step, you can select the package source and location, and a program you want to run from the selected package.

1. Select a wizard mode.

Exercise

Select Create and deliver a new package of software.

2. In Select the package source and location, select Access package from a local directory on the NS computer for the package source.

For details, see Package Tab - Software Package Page (page 38).

3. For the package location, click on the folder icon to navigate to and select the required folder.

Exercise

Click on the folder icon, and select C:\Software Packages\Paint.

4. In Select the program that will run, enter the command line name of the program you want to run.

You can click the folder icon to select the required program.

Exercise

Click the folder icon and select C:\Software Packages\mspaint.exe.

5. Click Next.

The required fields are tested and if the information you entered is correct, the wizard continues with the next step.

Step 2 - Program Options

In this step, you will select how the program will run, which rights to use, and what should happen when the program has finished the execution.

Exercise

Keep the default settings and click Next.

For details, see Programs Tab - Software Package Page (page 40).

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Step 3 - Select Collection and Schedule

In this step, you can select the collection of computers you want the software package to be delivered and configure when you want it to be delivered.

1. Click the Select a Collection link to select the collections.

2. Configure the schedule to run this task.

Exercise

Keep the default settings.

For details, see General Tab - Software Delivery Task Page (page 49).

3. Click Next.

4. Click Finish to go to Step 4 in the wizard.

Step 4 - Summary

In this step, you can enable the Software Delivery task, enter your Software Delivery task, package, and program names, and review your settings.

1. Click This Software Delivery task will be enabled to enable the Software Delivery task.

2. Enter information for the following:

Software delivery task name - Enter the name for the Software Delivery task.

Package name - Enter the name of the package. This is a required field.

Program name - Enter the name of the program. This is a required field.

Note

All these fields are mandatory.

3. Verify the information for a selected item by clicking the corresponding link.

4. Click Finish to return to the Summary page.

5. Click OK.

A Software Delivery Package and an associated Software Delivery Task is created after the wizard completes.

To view or edit the Software Delivery Task, click the Tasks tab, and select the task policy in Tasks > Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows >

Software Delivery Tasks.

To view or edit the Software Delivery Package, click the Resources tab, then select the package located under Resource Management > Resources > Software

Management > Software Delivery Packages > Windows.

Configuring the Software Portal

The Software Portal lets users install software on their computers by requesting software to which they have been given permission by the administrator. The Software Portal options are provided in addition to existing Software Delivery package and program settings.

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To implement the Software Portal, do the following two things:

z Configuring General Software Portal Settings (page 19) z Configuring Software Portal Permissions (page 20) For details, see Using the Software Portal (page 86).

Note

You must install the Software Delivery Agent and the Task Synchronization Agent to all the managed computers that you want to use as Software Portal. For details, see Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 21) and Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22).

Configuring General Software Portal Settings

The Software Portal Settings page lets you control the visibility of links to the Software Portal on managed computers.

To configure general Software Portal settings 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. Select Configuration > Solution Settings > Software Management >

Software Delivery > Windows > Software Portal Settings.

You can configure one or multiple Software Portal settings tasks. The benefit of using multiple tasks is the ability to apply different settings to different collections.

3. To create a new task, right-click the Software Portal Settings folder and select New > Software Portal settings task.

4. Click the default New Software Portal settings task.

5. In the right pane, select the Enable check box to enable the settings.

6. Select any of the following Software Portal display options:

Show link for Software Portal in Start Menu - Places a link for the Software Portal in the Start menu on the managed computer.

Show link for Software Portal in Altiris Agent’s context menu - Places a link for the Software Portal in the Altiris Agent's context menu on the managed computer.

7. Set the Maximum number of software allowed in a single Software Portal request.

This setting is useful in limiting the amount of network activity needed to deploy applications. If a user selects more than the number allowed, a popup message will tell them they have exceeded the maximum allowed and the selection will not be allowed. The default value is 2. A sequential software task counts as one request, regardless of the number of software packages in the task.

Note

This feature is only available on Software Delivery Solution 6.1 SP1 Hot fix 2 or later.

8. Use the default collection or click the collection link to specify other collections. You can select one or more collections.

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The URL of the Software Portal is listed under URL of Software Portal for Win32 users. You can e-mail this URL to your managed computer users. Users can access the Software Portal using this URL.

You can click Show me this page to view the Software Portal page.

Note

To access the Software Portal using this URL, the Altiris Agent and the Software Delivery Agent must be installed on the computer. See Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 21) and Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22).

Configuring Software Portal Permissions

You use permissions to configure access to programs available through the Software Portal. Each Software Delivery and Sequential Software Delivery task can have its own permissions.

There are two permission types:

z Install Software - The user can manually request the software without getting approval.

z Install on Approval - The user can request approval for the software. This is used to control the number of installed licenses of the software. Once approved by the administrator, the task will be scheduled for execution.

You configure permissions from the Software Portal tab of the software package resource page.

You can access the Software Package Resource page in the following ways:

z The Software Portal Configuration page on the Configuration tab.

z The Software Package Resource page on the Resources tab.

To set user permissions from the Software Portal Configuration page 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. From the Configuration tab, select Configuration > Solution Settings >

Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows > Software Portal Configuration page.

3. To configure permissions for a software package, click the Software Delivery Program tab. To configure permissions for a sequential task, click the Sequential Software Delivery Task tab.

4. Select the programs you want to configure.

You can configure one or more programs at a time. To select multiple programs, hold down the Ctrl key while you select programs.

5. Click View/Modify Privileges.

The Security Settings for selected Software or Sequential Software Delivery tasks window is displayed showing who has the following rights.

Install Software - The user will be able to select this task from the Software Portal and run the program without approval.

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Install on Approval - The user will be able to select this task from the Software Portal, but will need to wait for approval from an administrator or help desk worker before the program is run.

A check mark appears next to the groups that have rights.

If you selected multiple programs, a gray check box means the user or group does not have rights to all the selected programs.

6. Select or clear a check box for the rights you want to configure.

7. If you want to add a new user or group, do the following:

a. Click the icon.

b. Click Advanced.

c. Search for the user or group you want to add.

d. Select the user or group and click OK.

8. Click OK.

Note

To make the Software Portal user interface less cluttered for end users, the Approved Software and Software Requiring Approval folders will not appear if they do not contain any software packages configured for that user.

See also: Configuring General Software Portal Settings (page 19)

Installing the Software Delivery Agent

The Software Delivery Agent inventories programs that are installed on the managed computer and sends this data to the Notification Server. It uses this information to track programs that are installed on the managed computer and matches them with packages that are defined by the Notification Server. You can use this information in deciding which programs to send to which managed computers.

The Software Delivery Agent also controls the exposure of the Software Portal on managed computers. See Configuring the Software Portal (page 18) and Using the Software Portal (page 86).

This task will help you deploy the Software Delivery Agent to managed computers.

When to use the Software Delivery Agent

You need to install the Software Delivery Agent only if you are doing one of the following:

z Using the Software Portal.

z Tracking inventory of installed applications on managed computers (using an Application Inventory task).

Otherwise the standard Altiris Agent is used with Software Delivery Solution to deliver software packages.

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To install the Software Delivery Agent 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. In the left pane, select Configuration > Solution Settings > Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows > Software Delivery Agent Rollout.

3. Click the Software Delivery Agent Install policy.

4. On the Configuration page, select the Enable check box.

5. Use the default collection or select another.

Exercise

Use the default collection that will install the agent to all computers that do not have the Software Delivery Agent installed.

For information on how to create and manage collections, see the Notification Server documentation.

6. Configure package multicast options.

By default, the agent package will download using multicasting. You can disable multicasting by selecting the Disable download via multicast check box. For details, see Multicasting (page 8), and Using Multicasting (page 71).

7. Use the default scheduling options or configure your own.

Exercise

Use the default settings. For information about scheduling options, see the Notification Server documentation.

8. Click Apply.

Note

If you install the Software Delivery Agent, you should also install the Task Synchronization Agent. See Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22).

Installing the Task Synchronization Agent

Task synchronization is used by Software Delivery Solution and other Altiris solutions that synchronize the execution of tasks on a managed computer. The Task

Synchronization Agent should be rolled out to any managed computers that have the Software Delivery Agent installed on them.

This task helps you use the Task Synchronization Agent Install policy to install the Task Synchronization Agent to the All Windows Computers with NS 6 Agents collection.

To install the Task Synchronization Agent 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. In the left pane, select Configuration > Solution Settings > Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows > Software Delivery Agent Rollout.

3. Select the Task Synchronization Agent Install policy.

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4. In the right pane, select the Enable check box.

5. Use the default collection or select another.

Exercise

Use the default collection to install to all computers that do not have the Task Synchronization Agent installed.

For information on how to create and manage collections, see the Notification Server documentation.

6. Configure package multicast options.

By default, the agent package will be downloaded using multicasting. You can disable multicasting by selecting the Disable download via mulicast check box.

For details, see Multicasting (page 8) and Using Multicasting (page 71).

7. Use the default scheduling options or configure your own.

Exercise

Use the default settings. For information about scheduling options, see the Notification Server documentation.

8. Click Apply.

Viewing a Software Delivery Task Report

Software Delivery provides numerous predefined reports to help you analyze your software delivery information. The following procedures provide sample instructions for using reports. This report provides a list of all active Software Delivery Tasks and the collections that are assigned to them.

To run a report that lists all active Software Delivery Tasks

1. In the Altiris Console, click the Reports tab and select Reports > Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows.

2. Click the Software Delivery Task Definitions folder.

3. Click Software Delivery Task - Active.

4. Click Run this report in a new window.

5. You can use the default type All, or select another.

6. Click Refresh.

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Chapter 4 Configuring Software Delivery Solution

The following procedures configure your system for Software Delivery.

z Configuring Software Delivery Security Privileges (page 24) z Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 25)

z Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 25)

z Setting Up Distribution Point Connection Parameters (page 26) z Configuring the Software Portal (page 26)

z Configuring Application Inventory (page 26) z Configuring Application Relationships (page 28) z Configuring Software Delivery Data Purging (page 31)

Configuring Software Delivery Security Privileges

You can assign security privileges for Software Delivery administrative functions. Using role-based security you can control who has rights to do the following:

z Create Software Delivery Packages z Create Software Delivery Tasks z Create Software Portal Definitions Security Privileges Example

Suppose you want to roll out Microsoft Office to all corporate computers. You have offices in New York and Sydney and only want to give permission for employees to roll out Microsoft Office at their location. You would first give privileges to all the employees doing the roll out. Next, you could create two Software Delivery policies: one for the New York roll out and one for the Sydney roll out. Then, you would give the New York roll out employees permissions for the New York Software Delivery policy and the Sydney roll out employees permissions for the Sydney Software Delivery policy.

To configure Software Delivery Security Privileges 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. In the left pane, select Configuration > Server Settings > Notification Server Settings > Security Roles.

A list of default security roles appears under the Security Roles node.

3. From the list, select a security role.

The default settings for the selected security role appears in the right pane.

4. In the right pane, click the Privileges tab.

5. Select the check box for a privilege in the Software Delivery Solution Privileges section.

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6. Click Apply.

For more information about configuring security, see Security Role Management in the Notification Server Help Guide.

Installing the Software Delivery Agent

The Software Delivery Agent inventories programs that are installed on the managed computer and sends this data to the Notification Server. It uses this information to track programs that are installed on the managed computer and matches them with packages that are defined by the Notification Server. You can use this information in deciding which programs to send to which managed computers.

The Software Delivery Agent also controls the exposure of the Software Portal on managed computers. See Configuring the Software Portal (page 18) and Using the Software Portal (page 86).

For specific installation steps, see Installing the Software Delivery Agent (page 21).

After the Software Delivery Agent has been installed on managed computers, you can then set up and enable an Application Inventory task to perform inventory of installed applications.

Upgrading the Software Delivery Agent

When a Software Delivery Agent upgrade is available, you can enable the Software Delivery Agent Upgrade policy. This policy upgrades the Software Delivery Agent to all computers listed in the Computers Requiring Software Delivery Agent Upgrade collection.

Software Delivery Agent Uninstall

The Software Delivery Agent Uninstall folder contains a policy you can use to uninstall the Software Delivery Agent. This policy uninstalls the Software Delivery Agent from all computers listed in the Computers With Software Delivery Agent Installed collection.

If you want to uninstall the Software Delivery Agent from your managed computers, enable the Software Delivery Solution Uninstall policy.

Installing the Task Synchronization Agent

Task synchronization is used by Software Delivery Solution and other Altiris solutions that synchronize the execution of tasks on an managed computer. The Task

Synchronization Agent should be rolled out to any managed computers that have the Software Delivery Agent installed on them.

For specific installation steps, see Installing the Task Synchronization Agent (page 22).

Upgrading the Task Synchronization Agent

When a Task Synchronization Agent upgrade is available, you can enable the Task Synchronization Agent Upgrade policy. This policy upgrades the Task

Synchronization Agent to all computers listed in the Computers Requiring Task Synchronization Agent Upgrade collection.

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Setting Up Distribution Point Connection Parameters

You need to perform this procedure only if you are doing one of the following:

z Using Microsoft SMS and the SMS distribution server is not on the same computer as Notification Server.

z Creating virtual directories to UNC paths that have credentials different from the credentials specified on the Application Identity page.

To set up Software Delivery

1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. In the left pane, select Configuration > Server Settings > Notification Server Infrastructure > Package Servers.

3. In the right pane, click the Package Service Access tab.

4. In the Distribution Point Connection Parameters section, select whether or not you want to use application credentials.

5. If you chose to use other credentials, enter the user name and password.

The following are the fields in this section:

User name - Domain and user name (separated by a “\”) with administrator rights you want to use on the Notification Server computer.

Password and Confirm Password - Password for the account in the User name field.

6. Click Apply.

Configuring the Software Portal

The Software Portal can be used when:

z One or more users need to install the software right away z One or more users want control over the software they install For details, see Configuring the Software Portal (page 18).

Configuring Application Inventory

Application Inventory tasks gather information on applications that are installed on managed computers. This information is then placed in the Notification Database. You can then run reports that give you information and status on these installed

applications. You can also use this information for migrating software. For more information, see Using the Software Migration Wizard and Status Page (page 67).

After you use an Application Inventory task to gather information on applications from managed computers, you can set up application relationships (see Configuring

Application Relationships on page 28) and create packages which use applications and installer relationships.

If the Application Inventory task finds that some applications have been uninstalled when compared to the previous inventory, the information is reported to the Notification

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Database. The information about uninstalled applications is kept for 7 days (configurable using the Data Purging section) after which it is deleted.

To create an Application Inventory task 1. In the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab.

2. In the left pane, select Configuration > Solution Settings > Software Management > Software Delivery > Windows.

3. Right-click on the Application Inventory folder, and select New > Application Inventory Task.

Application Inventory Task Toolbar

The Application Inventory task toolbar contains icons which let you perform actions while using the Application Inventory task page.

The clickable icons on the Application Inventory task toolbar are:

z Rename - Lets you rename the Application Inventory task.

z Delete - Lets you delete the Application Inventory task.

z Clone - Lets you clone the Application Inventory task.

z Export - Lets you export the Application Inventory task to XML.

z View as XML - Lets you view the Application Inventory task as XML.

z Properties - Lets you view the Properties page of the Application Inventory task.

The Properties page contains general information of the Application Inventory task and also lets you set up security for the Application Inventory task.

General Tab

Item Description

Enable Select to enable this task.

Name (Required) The name of the task.

Description (Optional) The description of the task.

Applies to collection(s)

This lists the collection(s) that the task applies to. Click on the pencil icon to edit the collection(s) that the task applies to.

This task can apply to one or more collections.

Run the inventory task once

Select to run this task only one time.

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Configuring Application Relationships

The Application Relationships feature helps you manage Applications and Installers that are found on your managed computers.

Applications are any executables that may be found on your computers.

Installers are the installation executables that install Applications.

The Application Relationships page comes with pre-populated Applications and

Installers. You may also define your own Applications and Installers to suit your needs.

Applications can be associated with Installers. Each Application can be associated with one or more Installers. Each Installer can be associated with one or more Applications.

The relationships between Applications and Installers have been created already for the pre-populated Applications and Installers. If you define your own Applications and Installers, you need to associate them as applicable.

Application Relationships are used in linking application inventory to specific software packages, which can then be installed where needed. Using Application Inventory, you can scan managed computers for application information. This information is placed in the Notification Database and can then be used when deploying software packages.

Software Delivery tasks are associated with packages and programs. Software Delivery programs can then be associated with specific Applications and Installers.

This gives you the advantage of tying a software delivery package and program to an Application Relationship.

You can also use these relationships for migrating software. For details, see Using the Software Migration Wizard and Status Page (page 67).

You can associate Applications and Installers with software programs in one of two ways

z On the Application or Installer page, associate programs with the Application or Installer.

z On the Programs page, associate Applications and Installers with the program.

Run the inventory task on a schedule

Select to run this task on a schedule.

Schedule Click on the link to open the scheduler and create a schedule for this task.

Apply Click Apply to save changes.

Cancel Click Cancel to discard changes.

Item Description

ALTIRIS Software Delivery Solution for Windows 6.1 SP3 Product Guide

A LTIRIS ®

Software Delivery Solution™ for Windows 6.1 SP3

Product Guide

Notice

Contents

Chapter 1

Introducing Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™

for Windows

Software Delivery Solution Features Overview

Software Delivery Usage Overview

Software Delivery Solution Components

Chapter 2

Installing Software Delivery Solution

Planning Information

Prerequisites

Installing Software Delivery Solution

Registration

Installing the Altiris Agent

Chapter 3

Getting Started

Using the Software Delivery Wizard

To start the Software Delivery Wizard

Step 1 - Select Existing Package option

Step 2 - Program Options

Step 3 - Select Collection and Schedule

Step 4 - Summary

Configuring the Software Portal

Configuring General Software Portal Settings

Configuring Software Portal Permissions

Installing the Software Delivery Agent

Installing the Task Synchronization Agent

Viewing a Software Delivery Task Report

Chapter 4

Configuring Software Delivery Solution

Configuring Software Delivery Security Privileges

Installing the Software Delivery Agent

Installing the Task Synchronization Agent

Setting Up Distribution Point Connection Parameters

Configuring the Software Portal

Configuring Application Inventory

Configuring Application Relationships