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Enterprise User Manual

Chapter 3

Managing Sites

PC-Duo Enterprise collects information about your network into one or more Sites. A Site can be shared between multiple PC-Duo Enterprise Console and Scheduler PCs.

A Site is presented in the PC-Duo Enterprise Console application in its own Site window. You can have multiple Site windows open simultaneously in the Console application, enabling easy multi-Site management from your desktop.

Working with Multiple Sites

The Site concept enables you to break a large installation into a number of smaller Site Databases. You can have as many Sites as you want, providing the total number of nodes doesn't exceed your PC-Duo Enterprise license.

Larger Sites

A large installation could be divided into Sites on a geographical basis, an organizational basis, or any other criteria. A Site could be used to represent all the nodes in a building, all the nodes in a department, or all the nodes in an organization. A common practice is to associate a Site with network domain groupings.

Global Sites

One of your Sites can be specified as being your Global Site. The Global Site stores the Package Distribution Definitions which are used with the Software Distribution facility. When you add or edit the Package Definitions using PDEdit, these modifications are made to the data in the Global Site Database.

Opening Sites

You can have several Site Databases open simultaneously in the PC-Duo Enterprise Console application. One Site can be nominated as the default Site, so that it opens automatically when the Console is started.

To Open an Existing Site:
  1. Click the Open button in the toolbar, or choose the Site, Open menu command to display the Open Site dialog.
  2. Use the Select site drop-down list box to select your new Site.
  3. If you want to make this Site the default so that it opens automatically when the Console starts, select the check box.
  4. Click the OK button to open your new Site.
    You can use the Open Site dialog's Configure button to edit the database settings for Site currently selected in the Select site drop-down list box.

    Any changes you make to the database settings take effect when the Console is restarted.

Displaying Site Details

You can view the current Site's database location and license details using the Network Site Details dialog.

To Display the Site Details:

Click the Site Properties button in the toolbar.

The Network Site Details dialog displays the current Site's name, database location, current license usage, maximum license usage and number of remaining licenses. When you have finished viewing the details, click the Close button.

Viewing Offline Paths

Client PCs are typically accessed using an intermediary Offline Area, which acts as a data repository and method of communication between Hosts (Consoles and Schedulers) and Clients. You can have multiple Offline Areas defined for a Site.

Offline Areas are best located on intermediary file servers. For testing and evaluation purposes, you can use a Host PC. The only requirements are that you can define the network path to an Offline Area, and that there is a suitable network connection between all PC-Duo Enterprise Host systems (Consoles and Schedulers), as well as Client PCs, to an Offline Area.

The Site Offline Paths dialog enables you to view the Offline Paths that have been defined for the current Site. You can also add, edit and remove Offline Paths using this dialog. To display this dialog, choose the Site, Offline Paths menu command.

If you are using the Offline Scanner, it scans the Offline Areas specified in the Site Offline Paths dialog.

Changing the Global Site Settings

The Global Site stores the Package Distribution Definitions that are used with the Software Distribution facility. When you add or edit the Package Definitions using PDEdit, these modifications are made to the data in the Global Site Database.

Use the Site, Global Site menu command to change the database settings of the Global Site.

Changing the Database Settings

After creating a Site, you can recall the Database Settings dialog to view and amend the Site database configuration. Make sure that the Site is closed on your Console before editing its settings.

To Edit the Database Settings:
  1. Choose the Site, Open menu command. The Open Site dialog is displayed.
  2. Select the Site you want to edit and update the information.

    The new settings take effect the next time you start the PC-Duo Enterprise Console.

Deleting Sites

When you delete a Site, it is removed from the list of available Sites in the Console, but the Database files are not deleted. Deleting a Site on one Console does not affect other Consoles or Schedulers, which continue to use the Sites they are configured to access.

If possible, PC-Duo Enterprise also removes the Data Source Name (DSN) associated with the Site Database.

If you want to remove the Site Database itself, you must first ensure that the Site definition has been deleted from all Consoles and Schedulers.

To Delete a Site:
  1. In the Console, choose the Site, Delete menu command. The Delete Site dialog is displayed.
  2. In the Delete Site dialog, the Active Sites list box contains all of the Sites that are known to the PC-Duo Enterprise Console. Select one or more entries, then click the > button to move them to the Sites marked for deletion list box.
  3. Click the OK button to confirm the Sites marked for deletion. If the Site is not currently in use, the Site definition is deleted. Otherwise, the Site is deleted when you close the Console.

Configuring the Offline Scanner

The Offline Scanner is used to populate a Site with Offline Clients. It is usually activated using the Site Creation Wizard's Offline Scanner dialog.

After creating a Site, you can configure the Offline Scanner using the Offline Scanner Options dialog.

To Configure the Offline Scanner:
  1. In the Console, select the Site, Offline Scanner Options menu command.
  2. If you want PC-Duo Enterprise to automatically detect new offline Clients, select the Enable offline scanning check box.
  3. In the Scanner Host drop-down list, select the Scheduler that will perform the Offline Scanning.
  4. Make sure the Scan interval value is set. This value sets the number of cycles the Scheduler makes before checking for new Nodes. As the Scheduler typically checks the Offline Area every minute, the default value of 5 means the Offline Area is checked for new Nodes every five minutes.
  5. In the Backoff time (seconds) enter the time that must elapse before the Offline Scanner acts on any new Client data it detects. This prevents the scanner from picking up new Client data before all the data is pushed to the Offline Area. A delay of 120 seconds enables the data to finish being pushed before the Scanner publishes the data in the database.
  6. Click OK to save the changes.
    After the Offline Scanner has detected a new Node's data in an Offline Area, you may need to press F5 to refresh the Console's Nodes View and display the new Node. An alternative method of populating your Site with Nodes is to use the Autopopulate Operation.

Changing a Scheduler's Database Path

PC-Duo Enterprise provides two variants of the Job Scheduler for Windows - the WinScheduler application and the Scheduler service. You can intermix Schedulers, but an individual PC can run only one Scheduler, and each Scheduler can run against only one Site.

If you use multiple Sites, you need to use at least one Scheduler Hosts to process Jobs for each Site. When you create a new Database, or move an existing Database, you must reconfigure Schedulers so they reference the new Site Database.

To Change the WinScheduler Database:
  1. Run the WinScheduler, if it is not already running.
  2. Double-click the icon in the tray to restore its window.
  3. Click the Stop button if it is enabled.
  4. Select the new Site from the Database site drop-down list.
  5. Click the Start button to check and save the new settings.
  6. If you want to continue with the WinScheduler, click the OK button to minimize the WinScheduler in the tray.

    Alternatively, if you are using Windows NT4, 2000, or XP and want to run the Scheduler as a Service, click the Stop button, then click the Run Service button in the Windows Scheduler. This restarts the Scheduler service with the new Site setting.

Maintaining Microsoft Access Databases

Microsoft Access databases are limited to no more than 1GB of disk space. Errors are reported in PC-Duo Enterprise as soon as an Access Site database reaches this limit and an update fails. As your Site Database grows in size, we recommend you monitor your Access file size as it approaches a file size of 1GB.

To counter the inflated Access database file sizes, you can regularly compact them. Microsoft Access databases can often be compacted to a fraction of their size. You can do this using the Microsoft Access application. Alternatively, you can compact Access databases using the Windows Control Panel.

To Compact an Access Database using the Windows Control Panel:
  1. Make sure any PC-Duo Enterprise Consoles or Schedulers which use the Site Database are not running.
  2. From the Windows Control Panel, double-click the 32-bit ODBC Data Sources icon.
  3. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog, select the System DSN tab.
  4. Select your Database's Data Source from the System Data Sources list, then click the Configure button. The ODBC Microsoft Access Setup dialog is displayed.
  5. Click the Compact button to compact the database. You should compact from your Access database, and then compact to the same database, or to a new, temporary database file and use it to replace the original uncompacted file.
  6. After compacting the Database, close the dialogs and the Control Panel window, then check the new file size of the database and resume working with PC-Duo Enterprise.

Understanding the Site Database Tables

PC-Duo Enterprise Site Databases consist of the following database tables:

SITEPROP

Site Properties - Stores the details of the Site Database.

NODES

Stores the Node name and key items of Node data.

NODEPROP

Node Properties - arbitrary data associated with each node. The Properties include all user prompted information. Each record features the Node name, name of the property (For example, $DEPARTMENT) and the property value.

RESRCES

Resources - Holds the Client PC Resource (disks and share) definitions. For any instance of specific Nodes being associated with specific resources there is a record containing the Node and Resource combination. Resource records include encrypted access information and other characteristics such as the free space limit.

GROUPS

Holds Group names and IDs for all Groups. It also holds the SQL used to create Dynamic Groups.

GROUPID

Holds Group IDs and Group membership for Fixed Groups.

NETOPER

Stores the operations available at this Site.

NETJOBS

Scheduled Job Details - A Job links an operation with Scheduling and other information to allow it to be executed by a specified Scheduler.

NETJOBLOG

Job Logs - Each executed Job generates status and change event data such as network errors.

NETJOBEVT

Job Event Logs - Contains the event log of each scheduled job that has been completed.

HOSTS

This table lists the names and capabilities of all Schedulers.

PACKAGES

Software Inventory Packages - these are the software packages that can be identified by the Software Inventory Operation.

PKGTYPES

Software Inventory Package Types - Contains a single field, PKGTYPE, which holds the various application categories, such as SPREADSHEET.

VENDORS

Lists the Vendors associated with the Software Inventory Packages.

PKGRPTDB

The Software Inventory Results. Each record contains the Node name, the path where the package was found, the package name and the date it was found.

LG_ALLNODES

Package Policy Nodes. A temporary table used to list expanded groups. It is cleared every time a policy analysis is performed

LG_CLIENT

Package Policy Members - holds the names of Clients and Groups which belong to each Package Policy.

LG_FILTER

Package Policy Filter - contains the SQL statements that are used to generate the Compliance views in the Package Policy Manager.

LG_GROUP

Package Policies - holds the names of package policies defined by users.

LG_PACKAGE

Package Policy Packages - contains the names of the packages associated with each package policy, and the rules controlling their use.

LG_RESULTS

Package Policy Results - holds the results of the last compliance analysis.

SWDISTDB

Software Distribution Package Definitions - Packages which are available for Software Distribution are defined in this table, and are maintained with PDEdit.

SWDJOBS

Software Distribution Jobs - records the details of each scheduled, active and completed distribution Job.

SWDJOBPKGS

Software Distribution Job Packages - records all the packages that have been submitted by any Distribution Job.

SWDSTATUS

Contains the status logs of Software Distribution Jobs. It records an entry for each step of each package on each node specified in a Job.

SWMDETAIL

Software Metering Details - contains the collated software usage data collected from Clients.

SWMSUMMARY

Software Metering Summary - Contains the amalgamated software usage data from Clients. Data from this table is used in various reports, such as the Software Total Users by Day report.

HWMAIN

The Hardware Inventory Results Summary.

The full Hardware Inventory data in stored in a range of tables, prefixed with "HW".

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