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Enterprise User Manual

Chapter 2

Creating Sites

Before you can use Enterprise to manage the PCs in your organization, you must create at least one Site database and Offline Area. The database stores the hardware and software data collected from PCs where the Enterprise Client application is installed, and also contains information on the operations you can perform, software packages, application recognition rules and information logs. The Offline Area is a shared directory through which managed PCs make their raw inventory data available for collection and from which they collect instructions and configuration changes.

Enterprise Sites and Offline Areas are created using the Site Creation Wizard. The Wizard guides you through the process of naming and locating Sites, and specifying the shares that Client PCs, Consoles and Schedulers use to transfer data. The Wizard also creates a configured Client kit, which can be used to deploy the Enterprise Client application across your network.

Creating an Evaluation Site

This section describes how to create a new Site using the default options in the Site Creation Wizard. Vector Networks recommends using this option if you are evaluating Enterprise as it enables you to create a working, fully-featured installation with the minimum of preparation.

Evaluation Sites are not configurable and have limited scalability because they use a Microsoft Access database. To create a live Site, or to investigate all the Site creation options available in Enterprise, refer to "Creating a Production Site" for information about creating sites using the advanced options.

Starting the Site Creation Wizard

The Site Creation Wizard is automatically displayed the first time you open the Enterprise Console. To start the Wizard again, open the Console and click Create New Site in the Enterprise Management folder.

To create a Site using the evaluation options:
  1. The Site Creation Mode dialog enables you to choose a Site creation method. Select Create Evaluation Site.

    This option creates a Microsoft Access database, an Offline Area on the Console PC, and a Client Kit for you to distribute to the PCs you want to manage.

    The Site Creation Wizard automatically creates a Site database using Microsoft Access. You do not need to have installed Microsoft Access on the Console PC.
  2. In the Enter a name for the Site field, type a name for your Site. The Site name is also used as the DSN (Data Source Name) of the Site database.
  3. Click the Next button to display the Offline Area, and Client Kit dialog.

    The Offline Area and Client Kit dialog shows the default location for the Enterprise Offline Area. As default settings are being used, most of the fields cannot be changed.

    The Offline Area is a share on which Client PCs save their inventory data. The data in the Offline Area can be collected and saved in the Site database at any time using the inventory operations in the Console's Hardware Scan and Software Scan folders.
  4. By default, Enterprise creates its own user account to enable Clients to access the Offline Area. If you want Clients to use an existing account to access the share, select Use the following account, and enter the account details in the Username, Password, and Verify Password fields.
    The default Client account is automatically created as a domain user account with the correct privileges. If you specify your own account, it must have read, write and modify privileges, ideally with Interactive Logon disabled, and must be valid for all Client PCs that will use the Offline Area.

    To change the details of the Offline Area account after you have created a Site, click Offline Area Account in the Console's Enterprise Management folder.
  5. If the PC on which the Offline Area is located belongs to a Windows Domain, enter its Domain name.
  6. Click the Next button to display the Settings Complete dialog.
  7. Read the information in the dialog, and ensure the Tell me about installing the Client application check box is selected.

  1. Click the Finish button. The Wizard creates your Site, copies the default Enterprise Client Kit into the \Kit directory of the Offline Area, and customizes its settings. The process takes approximately five minutes.

    When the new Site is complete, it is displayed in the Enterprise Console. Select each folder in the Console Tree to display more information about what they contain.

    For information on how to list the PCs in your new Site, see "Populating Site Databases".

Creating Site Databases

If you are evaluating PC-Duo Enterprise or have a small-to-medium size installation (up to 500 Clients), we recommend you use a Microsoft Access database located on the same PC as the Console software. You can create the database using the Site Creation Wizard's default options, or, if you want more control over the installation, using the custom options. Microsoft Access does not need to be installed.

If you have more than 500 Client PCs at your Site, or, if your Site database is likely to exceed the 1GB limit on Access databases, we recommend you use Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle as Enterprise includes native support for these applications. However, you can use other types of database through ODBC. If you want to use a non-Access database, you must create a new, empty database before creating a new Site.

Locating and Sharing Access Databases

If you want to manage your Site using multiple Consoles and Schedulers, all Consoles and Schedulers must be able to reference the Site database. For Microsoft Access, the Consoles and Schedulers must be able to access the database through drive letters that are permanently mapped to the database share. We recommend you create Site database on a share located on a Windows NT, 2000, XP or 2003 Server.

You must share the Site database directory (by default, Access databases are created in
PC-Duo Enterprise Data\Databases) with Public Full permissions and specify the Path in the Site Creation Wizard's database Configuration dialog when you create a new Console.

Consoles and Schedulers require read, write, create, and delete access to the share holding the database. If you want to protect the database from guest access, setup the share so that it allows access from a specific account and specify the username and password in the UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path to the database. The path to the database is encrypted before it is saved. You can include a domain name in the UNC path by prefixing it with the @ symbol.

SQL Server Databases

To create a new SQL Server database for Enterprise:
  1. Start the SQL Server Enterprise Manager.
  2. Select your server from the list.
  3. Add a new database to the list, and name it.
  4. Display the Properties dialog for the new database, then select the Permissions tab.
  5. In the Permissions tab, ensure all the Create permissions (such as Create Table and Create View) are selected, then apply these settings.
To create an Enterprise user account for a SQL Server database:
  1. In the SQL Server Enterprise Manager, select the Security folder.
  2. Add a New Login account.
  3. Select SQL Server authentication option, and select the PC-Duo Enterprise database as the default database.
  4. In the dialog's Database Access tab, select the Permit option for the Enterprise database.
  5. Confirm the password details and apply the settings.

Oracle Databases

The procedure for installing Oracle and creating a new database is complex and beyond the scope of this manual. If you want to use Oracle to host an Enterprise Site database, refer to your Oracle documentation or your Database Administrator for more information on creating databases and tablespaces.

When you have set up Oracle, you must set up a local net service that enables Enterprise to communicate with its Site database. This section describes how to create a Local Net Service for Oracle 9i using TCP/IP. For more information on using other versions of Oracle and other communications protocols, refer to your Oracle documentation.

To install the Oracle 9i Client:
  1. Insert the Oracle Client CD on the PC from which you want to run the Enterprise Console. In the Autorun dialog, select Install/Deinstall Products.
  2. In the File Locations dialog of the Oracle Universal Installer, enter the location in which you want to install the Oracle Client and enter the Oracle Home name. Click the Next button.
  3. In the Installation Types dialog, select Custom and click the Next button.
  4. In the Available Product Components dialog, select the Oracle OLE DB Provider and Oracle ODBC Drivers. We also recommend you install the standard Client Configuration programs as this enables you to create and configure the Local Net Service Name.

    When you have selected all the components you want to install, click the Next button to install the Oracle Client.

    You must install the Oracle Client with the Oracle OLE DB Provider and the Oracle ODBC Drivers components on each Enterprise Console you want to use with an Oracle database.
Specifying the Local Net Service

When you have installed the Oracle Client, you must create a Local Net Service Name for the PC. This enables you to specify a name with which Enterprise can reference your Oracle database.

To configure the Local Net Service:
  1. In the Configuration and Migration Tools folder, select Net Configuration Assistant.
    If you installed the Net Configuration Assistant as part of the Oracle Client installation, it opens automatically when the installation is complete.
  2. In the Welcome dialog, select Local Net Service Name configuration and click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration dialog.
  3. Select Add to create a new Net Service Name and click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Database Name dialog.
  4. Select Oracle 8i or later database or service and click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Service Name dialog.
  5. Enter the Service Name of the Oracle database you want to use with Enterprise. Click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Select Protocols dialog.
    The Service Name is specified when you create the database on the Oracle server.

  1. Select TCP to specify the protocol to be used for communications between Enterprise and the Oracle database. Click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, TCP/IP Protocol dialog.
  2. Enter the Host name or IP address of your Oracle Database Server. Select the port number on which you want to communicate with the database server. Click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Test dialog.
  3. Select Yes, perform a test to check the connection details and click the Next button to test your configuration. Click No, do not test and click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Net Service Name dialog.
  4. In the Net Service Name field, enter the name by which you want Enterprise to refer to the database. Click the Next button to display the Net Service Name Configuration, Another Net Service dialog.
  5. Select No and click the Next button to create the Net Service Name and close the assistant.

You must now run the Enterprise Site Creation Wizard using the custom site options to create an Oracle Site database. To do this, select Create or copy a Site using custom settings in the Wizard's Site Creation Mode dialog, then select Oracle in the Database Type dialog. You must also specify the Local Net Service Name you created in the Wizard's Oracle Database Configuration dialog.

Creating a Production Site

PC-Duo Enterprise is designed to work as a distributed, scalable system. However, the location of the Offline Areas, Consoles and Schedulers, and the deployment of your databases, can make a big difference to the performance of your installation. Before creating a Site to manage the PCs on your network, Vector Networks recommends taking some time to plan your environment and its future growth. The following examples illustrate different configuration options for different types of organization.

Small to Medium Environments

For environments with fewer than 500 Clients on a LAN, a single PC can be used to host the Site database, Offline Area, Console and Scheduler. Separate Consoles and Schedulers can be installed on separate PCs to allow multiple users to manage the Site and access information.

Medium-sized and distributed Environments

If you have between 500 and 3000 Clients, or a large number of PCs on separate LANs, Vector recommends setting up an Offline Area on each LAN so that Clients do not need to send their data over WAN connections. To minimize the effects of transferring large amounts of data across the network, Schedulers should be used to automate the performance of inventory and distribution operations at quiet periods.

Large LAN / WAN Environments

On larger networks, or Wide Area Networks, we recommended creating one or more Offline Areas for each LAN and storing data in a central SQL Server or Oracle database on a network server. Alternatively, you can create multiple Sites conforming to logical or business divisions within your organization, each with their own database.

For more information on Offline Areas or Sites and the database schema, see Chapter 3, "Managing Sites".

To create a Production Site:
  1. In the Enterprise Management folder, click Create New Site. The Site Creation Wizard is displayed.

  1. In the Site Creation Mode dialog, choose Create Production Site and enter a name for the Site.
  2. Click the Next button to continue. You can now specify your Site options using the following dialogs.

The Database Type Dialog

Use the Database Type dialog to select which type of database you want to use for your Site.

Access

Choose this option to use a Microsoft Access database.

Because Microsoft Access is designed for small, single user systems, we recommend you do not use it as a Site database when you want to use multiple Consoles or Schedulers to control your Enterprise Sites, or when your installation includes more than 50 Clients.
Oracle

Choose this option to use Oracle (version 8i or later) to host the Site database

Microsoft SQL Server

Choose this option to use a Microsoft SQL Server 7 or 2000 database.

For installations with no more than 500 Clients, you can substitute for SQL Server with MSDE (Microsoft Data Engine).
Other ODBC

Choose this option to link to your database using ODBC. You must supply an existing Data Source Name (DSN) for the database.

Select the type of database you want to use, then click the Next button to continue.

Different Sites can access the same database using different access methods and different DSNs.

The Site Creation Options Dialog

Use the Site Creation Options dialog to choose the set up options for your Site.

Create new database overwriting any existing files

Select this option to create a new Site. If you are creating multiple Consoles for the Site database, only select this option when setting up the first Console.

Link to an existing database

Select this option to use this Console with an existing Site database. For example, if you are creating multiple Consoles for the Site database, select this option when setting up the second and subsequent Consoles.

Copy database from the following Site

Select this option to copy an existing Site database to a new location. This option may require you to update distributed Schedulers so that they refer to the new database location.

Use as Global Site

The Global Site contains the Package Definitions that are used to control the installation of applications on Client PCs in your PC-Duo Enterprise installation. Select this check box to store new and customized package definitions in this Site. To continue to use your current Global Site, leave this check box unselected.

When you create a new Global Site, it contains only the standard definitions supplied with PC-Duo Enterprise. Any changes to the Package Definitions in the original Site will be unavailable until you transfer them to the new Global Site using the Package Definition Editor's import and export features. For more information, see "Using the Package Definition Editor".

Select the creation mode options you want to use, then click the Next button to continue.

The Database Configuration Dialog

Use the Database Configuration dialog to identify the location of the database that will hold your Site data and to enter database access information.

For Access Databases

Enter the location of the Site database in the Database Path field.

For SQL Server Databases

In the Server field, enter the name of the PC on which SQL Server is running. In the Database field, enter the name of the SQL Server database you want to use.

For Oracle Databases

In the Service field, enter the name of the Oracle Client Service you have set up for your Site database.

For ODBC Database Configurations

In the Data source list, select the name of the ODBC data source you want to use to access the Site database.

For non-Access Databases

If access to the selected database is restricted, enter the Username and Password that you want Enterprise to use to access the database.

If you are using a SQL Server database and you want to control access to it with Windows Security, leave the Username, Password and Verify fields blank. When you use Windows Security, Enterprise uses the account details of the user who is currently logged on to the Console PC to access the Site database. This means that the accounts of users who need to access the Site must have public and db-owner privileges for the database.

Enter the configuration options for your database, then click the Next button to continue.

The Offline Area and Client Kit Dialog

An Offline Area is a shared directory located on a network. Enterprise uses them to transfer data from managed PCs to the Console, and to transfer instructions and installation information from the Console to the Clients.

Use the Offline Area and Client Kit dialog to specify the name, location and access details of the Offline Area where you want Client PCs to push their inventory data. The data in the Offline Area is retrieved by Enterprise Consoles and Schedulers, and published to the Site database.

Create local share for Offline Area

Select this option to create a new Offline Area share on the Console.

Use existing share for Offline Area

Select this option to create an Offline Area on another computer on your network, or to populate a Site with Clients from an existing Offline Area.

Location

This field displays the default location for the new Offline Area. To specify a different location, type the share directory in the field, or click the Browse button to select it.

If you use the Path Builder dialog to select an Offline Area located on another PC, choose the Network option before browsing.

Offline Areas for Macintosh Clients must be located on a Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server where Apple Sharing is enabled. For more information, see "Creating Offline Areas for Macintosh Clients".

Share Name

This field displays the default name for the Offline Area share. To specify a different name for the Offline Area share, type it in this field.

Create Client Kit

The Client kit is used to install the Client application on the PCs you want to manage. Select this check box to add a pre-configured Client Kit to the Offline Area. The Client Kit is customized with the details of this Offline Area and copied to a subdirectory. Clients created with this kit are automatically configured to transfer their data to this Offline Area.

Leave this check box unselected if the Offline Area already contains a configured Client Kit, or you do not want to install the Client Kit across the network.

Create One-shot Kit

The One-shot kit enables Console users to collect hardware and software data from PCs without installing the Client application. If you want to use this function, select this option to add a One-shot Kit to the Offline Area.

For more information, see "Auditing PCs from the Console".
Client Account

By default, Enterprise Clients use the account specified during the Console installation to access the Offline Area. If you want Clients to use another account, select Use the following account, and enter the account details. The Client account must have read, write, and modify privileges, ideally with Interactive Logon disabled, and must be valid for all Client PCs that use this Offline Area.

If the PC on which the Offline Area is located belongs to a domain, you must also enter the Domain name.

Vector recommends that you do not assign Administrator account for Offline Area access.

When you have specified the Offline Area settings, click the Next button to continue.

The Offline Scanner Dialog

The Offline Scanner monitors Offline Areas for Client data, adds newly identified Clients to the Site database and collects hardware and software inventory data from each Client.

Leave the Enable Offline Scanner check box selected if you want to populate your Site with Clients automatically. Clear the Enable the Offline Scanner check box to manually populate the Site database using the Find Clients operation.

Click the Next button to continue.

If you are a new or inexperienced user, we recommend you enable the Offline Scanner.

When all your Clients have been detected, you can disable the Offline Scanner using the Offline Scanner Options in the Site Management folder.

The User Prompting Dialog

In addition to collecting data from PCs, Enterprise Clients can collect information from users them-selves. When a PC is first rebooted after the Client application is installed, users are prompted to supply information, such as their name, location and telephone number, through a standard set of questions. The replies are then displayed in the Hardware Details of each Client. If you want to change the default prompts supplied with the Client kit, select the Customize user prompt file check box. This displays the User Prompt Editor so you can edit or add your own questions.

Click the Next button to continue.

You can prompt users for information at any time using the Get User Data operation. For more information on creating and modifying user prompts, see Chapter 8, "User Prompting".

The Settings Complete Dialog

The Wizard has the information it needs to create your Enterprise Site. If you want to view information about adding Clients to your site, select the Tell me about installing the Client application check box.

Click the Finish button to create your Site.

The Site Creation Wizard copies the Enterprise Client Kit into the \Kit directory of the Offline Area, and configures its settings with the information you supplied in the Wizard.

The Wizard creates the Site and adds it to the Console Tree. Double-click the Site to open it.

Populating Site Databases

Before you can use Enterprise to manage your network, you must install the Client application on each PC. This application is responsible for collecting hardware and software inventory data from the PC and saving it to the Offline Area. It is also responsible for collecting software-metering data, user prompt replies, logging information, and installing software deployed using the Distribute Software operation.

Installing the Client Application

This section describes how to manually install the Client Kit software onto individual PCs. If you want to install the Client Kit across a network, or deploy the Client Kit to a large number of PCs, refer to Chapter 4, "Installing the Client Application".

To manually install the Client application:
  1. On the PC where you want to install the Client Kit, use Network Neighborhood to navigate to the directory where the Client Kit is stored (by default, the \Kit directory of the Offline Area.)
  2. To install the preconfigured Client Kit on the PC in silent mode, run INSTALL.EXE.

    To install the preconfigured Client Kit on the PC in interactive mode, run SETUP.EXE.

When the Client application is installed, the Client initializes and the User Prompt Questions are displayed when the user next logs on to the PC. The PC user must answer the questions and click the Close button before the Client copies its hardware inventory and software inventory data to the Site's Offline Area.

Detecting Clients

The Offline Scanner detects new Clients when they first save data to the Offline Area. The Scanner adds the Clients to the Site database and lists them in the Console's All Clients Group (in the Clients folder). It also collects hardware and software inventory from each Client.

When you create an evaluation Site, or enable the Offline Scanner in the Wizard's Offline Scanner dialog, the Scanner automatically starts when the Site is created. You can also enable the Scanner from the Site Management folder.

To activate the Offline Scanner:
  1. Click Offline Scanner Options in the Site Management folder.

  1. In the Offline Scanner Options dialog, ensure the Enable offline scanning check box is selected.
  2. In the Scanner host list, select the Scheduler with which you want to manage the Offline Scanner. If no Scheduler is available, activate the Scheduler (see below).
  3. Click OK to activate the scanner and close the Offline Scanner Options dialog.
    If you do not want to automatically detect and inventory new Clients, you can also populate the Site manually using the Find Clients operation in the Console's Client Deployment and Maintenance folder. For more information, see Chapter 5, "Working with Clients".

Activating the Scheduler

When the Offline Scanner is running, new Clients will begin to appear in the Console's All Clients Group in approximately two minutes. If this does not happen, check that the Scheduler is active.

To check the Scheduler is active:
  1. In the Console, click the Configure Scheduler operation. The WinScheduler icon is displayed in the System Tray of the Windows Taskbar.
  2. Double-click the WinScheduler icon to display the WinScheduler Properties dialog.

  1. In the WinScheduler Properties dialog, click the Stop button to suspend the Scheduler.
  2. In the Host name field enter the name of your Console PC and select your new Site in the Database site list.
  3. To restart the Scheduler as a Service, click the Run Service button.

    If you want to restart the Scheduler as a background application:

    1. Click the Start button to restart the Scheduler. The log entries list displays the message: Offline area scan enabled.
    2. Click the OK button to hide the WinScheduler Properties dialog. The WinScheduler icon in the Taskbar's System Tray shows a green clock face to indicate the Scheduler is active.
  4. When the Offline Scanner has detected all your Clients, you can disable it using the Offline Scanner Options in the Site Management folder.
    If new Clients are not being detected, refer to the Console's online help for troubleshooting advice.

    For more information, see "Schedulers".

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