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Enterprise User Manual
Chapter 4
Installing the Client Software
When you have created a Site, you must install the Client software on each PC that you want to manage with Enterprise. The Client software is responsible for collecting data on the software and hardware installed, the frequency with which installed software is used, and the progress of software installations. It is also responsible for checking the Offline Area for instructions from Consoles and Schedulers and performing them on the PC.
This chapter describes how to configure the behavior of your Client software, and how to install it across your network.
Controlling Client Behavior
Client behavior is controlled by the LUCLIENT.INI file in the Client kit. When you create a new Enterprise Site, the Site Creation Wizard embeds the network path of the Offline Area in the LUCLIENT.INI file, and then copies it to the \kit directory of the Offline Area as part of the configured kit. You can change the default behavior of the Client software before you install it by editing the parameters of the LUCLIENT.INI file in this \kit directory. This section describes the main parameters in the LUCLIENT.INI file and how to change them.
- The LUCLIENT.TXT file included in the Client Kit contains a commentary on the parameters in LUCLIENT.INI.
Collecting Inventory Data and Distributing Software
Enterprise Clients push their raw inventory data to, and check for software distribution tasks at the Offline Area. The frequency at which this occurs is controlled by the following parameters:
SnapshotMinutesInterval
Specifies the frequency with which the main Client application, CLBOOT, runs. It also controls the frequency with which the Client saves software metering data, and checks the Offline Area for configuration changes
The parameter is set to 60 minutes by default, and can be adjusted to a minimum value of 10.
SwmPushHoursInterval
Specifies the frequency with which the Client transfers its software metering data to the Offline Area. The parameter also controls how often the Client checks the Offline Area for Software Distribution Jobs.
The parameter is set to 24 hours, by default.
PushDaysInterval
Specifies the frequency with which CLBOOT captures the Client's inventory data and transfers it to the Offline Area. It also controls the frequency with which the Client checks for updated User Prompts.
- If you are updating your organization's PCs and you want to check their inventory more frequently than once per day, set the PushDaysInterval parameter to zero. This forces the Client to save fresh inventory data each time the PC is rebooted, but otherwise limits the inventory refresh to once per day.
Used in combination, these parameters enable you to control the actions of Clients. For example:
- If the SnapshotMinutesInterval is 30, the SwmPushHoursInterval is 1, and the PushDaysInterval is 2, the Client application runs every 30 minutes, checks for configuration changes and saves metering data. It performs a software and hardware inventory and transfers the data to the Offline Area the first time that CLBOOT runs after 00:00 every second day.
- If the SnapshotMinutesInterval is 60, the SwmPushHoursInterval is 2, and the PushDaysInterval is 7, the Client transfers its software metering data to the Offline Area and checks for distribution jobs every two hours. It performs a software and hardware inventory and transfers the data to the Offline Area once per week.
- Because the SnapshotMinutesInterval controls how frequently the Client application runs, setting its value to be greater than the other parameters prevents the functions they control from running on time. For example, if SnapshotMinutesInterval is 180, and SwmPushHoursInterval is 1, the Client only checks for distribution jobs every three hours.
Software Metering
Software Metering Agents collect raw data on the software applications being used on each Client, and the length of time each application is used for. Software Metering is controlled by the following parameters:
ScanSecondsInterval
Controls the frequency with which the Metering Agents records the applications that are currently open on the Client. Records are taken every 10 seconds by default.
If you do not want to collect software-metering data, locate the Software Metering section in LUCLIENT.INI, and change the Disabled parameter to Yes.
- For information on Hardware Inventory parameters, see "Hardware Inventory and Clients" on page 57.
User Prompt Questions
Enterprise includes a default set of questions, which Client users must complete before the Client software installation can be completed.
If you want users to answer the default questions, you do not need to make any changes.
If you want to disable User Prompting, edit the LUCLIENT.INI file with a text editor, locate the User Prompting section, and change the Disabled parameter to Yes. This enables you to install the Client software automatically, without user input.
- When the installation is finished, you can use the Get User Data Operation to distribute questions across the network.
If you want to modify the questions, customize the Get User Data Operation in the Console. (For more information, see Chapter 8, "User Prompting".) When you have created the questions, save the LUTINFO.REF file in the pre-configured \Kit directory. All subsequent Client installations prompt the user with the new questions if User Prompting remains enabled.
- You can also modify the User Prompt questions when you generate a custom Site using the Site Creation Wizard. Select the Customize User Prompt file check box in the User Prompting dialog to create a Client Kit with a modified set of prompts. For more information, see "Creating a Site Using Custom Options" on page 8.
Testing the Client Rollout
When the Site Creation Wizard has created a Client kit, you can test the Client Rollout process by running the INSTALL.EXE program from the \Kit directory (the default location of the Client kit directory) of a Client PC's Offline Area. This launches the Client installation in automatic mode.
It should run in an almost invisibly; the Client startup process will flash some windows and then display the User prompted questions.
- Silent installation status information is written to the C:\LUCLIENT.LOG log file. A successful installation reports ResultCode=0.
We recommend you perform several installations on representative PCs before starting a full rollout. Monitor these test Clients and ensure that Clients are pushing their inventory files correctly to the designated Offline Area (each Client creates its own subdirectory in the Offline Area).
Incorrect permissions on the Offline Area share, or incorrect access control settings in the Offline path entered in the Site Creation Wizard, may prevent Clients from transferring data to the Offline Area.
Deploying the Client Kit to Windows NT, 2000, XP or 2003
The Console's Distribute Client Software Operation enables you to remotely install software on PCs that require admin-level installations. Use it to open LANdeploy and install Enterprise Client software on Windows NT, 2000, XP and 2003 systems.
LANdeploy copies the Distribution Agent executable and associated data files onto each PC using a specified user account. It also installs and configures the Agent service to run the application installer under the same account settings. Because the installation needs to make a network connection to the Installation Kit location, and to perform privileged actions during the installation, the account must have Administrator privileges.
- The same account settings are used for all PCs processed by LANdeploy. If you want to specify different account details for different PCs, make a separate deployment for each account.
LANdeploy uses the following components:
Client installation kit
The Client installation kit contains the configured Client software that must be deployed to the PCs you want to manage from the Enterprise Console. For more information on configuring the software, see "Controlling Client Behavior".
Client Package Definition
Package Definition files specify how the package is to be installed. Normally, you can use the default Client definition file that is installed as part of the Enterprise Suite.
Starting LANdeploy
To start LANdeploy, click the Distribute Client Software Operation in the Client Deployment folder.
Loading a Script File
The first LANdeploy dialog enables you to load a Script file from a previous LANdeploy session. If you don't want to load any previously saved settings, click the Next button to continue.
- In the first LANdeploy dialog, click the Load Script button.
- In the Open Vector Networks Script File dialog, browse to the location of your Script file, then select the file and click Open.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Selecting a Package Definition File
The second LANdeploy dialog enables you to select the Package Definition file you want to use to install the software. Package Definition files specify how applications can be installed. You can use the dialog's Edit PD File button to edit the specified Package Definition file in Notepad.
To select the package definition file:
- Click the browse button, and select
Enterprise Client 2.00.PD (the Client Package Definition file) in the \PD_Data directory.- If you want to check or edit the file, click the Edit PD File button. (For more information, see "Configuring Package Definitions" on page 106.)
- Click the Next button to continue.
Selecting an Install Type
The third LANdeploy dialog enables you to select the type of installation you want to perform. The Install Types are specified in the selected Package Definition file.
To install a package type:
- In the Install type list, select Admin to perform a privileged Client installation.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Specifying Target PCs to Include
You can install software on a specified network domain, selected PCs in a domain, or to all PCs listed in a text file.
To select the target PCs:
- Choose a Deploy To option.
- If you chose Selected Domain, select the domain from the Domains list on the left.
If you chose Selected Clients, select an entry in the Domain list, then select the PCs from the Clients list on the right.
If you chose PCs listed in a file, enter the name of file in the Include PCs in field, or click the browse button to select the file.
- If you want to save the list of selected PCs for use in further deployments, click the Save button.
- If you selected a Domain or a list of PCs and you do not want to deploy the software to all the PCs, enter the name of the file that contains the PCs you want to exclude in the Exclude PCs listed in field.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Specifying Account Information
Use the Account Information dialog to specify the details of an account that can be used to access all the target PCs and the software kit that you want to install.
To specify a software installation account:
- In the Installation Account fields, enter the User Name, Password and Domain details of the account that Enterprise can use to access the PCs during the installation. The account must have Administrator privileges.
- If the installation kit is located on a different domain from the target PCs, select the Separate Server Account check box and enter the detail of the account that Enterprise can use to access the kit.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Specifying the Kit Path
Use the Kit Path dialog to specify the location of the Client installation kit.
To specify the kit path:
- In the Kit Path dialog, click the browse button, and select Network Neighborhood in the Browse for Folder dialog.
- Select the \kit directory in Offline Area from which you want to distribute the Client Kit.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Specifying Progress and Error Logs
LANdeploy enables you to record information and error message from all target PCs, so you can monitor the progress of the Client deployment. If you do not specify the name of a log file, the information is not recorded.
To log installation information:
- To record installation messages, such as installation starts and user refusals, enter the details of the file you want to use in the Progress Log Path field.
- To record error messages, enter the details of the file you want to use in the Error Log Path field.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Choosing a Client Installation Mode
LANdeploy's Client Installation Mode dialog enables you to control how and when software is installed on all target PCs.
To specify the installation mode for target PCs:
- By default, software installations are performed when users reboot or log on to their PCs. If you want to install the software immediately, select the Real Time Mode check box.
- If you want to record information to help debug unsuccessful installations, select the Debug Mode check box. Each PC records the information in CLDIST32.TXT in its Windows directory.
- Select an installation mode. Choose:
Normal Mode to prompt users with start and end messages, and to display any messages on the target PCs.
Silent Mode to suppress all information messages and only display errors on target PCs.
Totally Silent Mode to suppress all information and error messages on target PCs.
- Click the Next button to continue.
Specifying a Refusal Count
By default, LANdeploy installs software immediately, or the next time that users log on to the target PCs. If you chose Normal Mode for the installation, and want to allow users to postpone the installation of software, enter the number of times that users can postpone the install in the Refusal Count field. If you do not want to allow users to postpone the install, enter a refusal count of 0.
- If you are using Silent Mode or Totally Silent Mode, the Refusal Count has no effect. Click the Next button to continue.
Completing LANdeploy
The final stage of LANdeploy enables you to save your settings in a Script file, and to start the deployment.
- If you want to save the settings, click the Save Script button.
- Click the Execute button to begin the deployment.
During a deployment, a dialog displays information on the progress of the deployment. Click the dialog's Save button to save this log to a file.
Monitoring the Deployment
To monitor your Client deployment, use the progress log and error log specified in LANdeploy:
- The progress log records a message from each PC as it starts processing a package installation, another message which reports any user refusals, and further messages which report the success or failure of the installation.
- The error log records installation errors, such as an invalid or inaccessible kit location. Because successful installations do not record any entries in the error log, the error log can be used to check for PCs requiring attention.
Deploying the Client Kit to Windows 95, 98 and Me
You can automate the installation of the Enterprise Client software to Windows 95, 98 and Me systems by adding the LoginScript.BAT file to the existing Login Script of your network PCs. This batch file checks whether the Client software is already installed on the PC running the script. If the software is not installed, it maps a network drive to the location of the Client software kit, calls ROLLOUT.EXE to install the kit, and finally disconnects the mapped drive.
To install the Client software using script files:
- Navigate to the \Kit directory of the Offline Area (created by the Site Creation Wizard) and open LoginScript.BAT in a text editor.
- Change the line:
net use z: \\ExampleServer\LuClientKitto specify the location of your Client kit (the same directory as LoginScript.BAT, by default). If you change the mapped drive letter, you must also change it in the other command lines of the file.
- Save your changes and add LoginScript.BAT to your Login Script.
The Client Software is installed when users next log on to their PCs. The installation is performed silently using the responses in the SETUP.ISS file. If you specified user prompts, or used the default user prompt file, users are asked to supply the answers at the end of the installation process.
ROLLOUT.EXE
ROLLOUT.EXE is called from LoginScript.BAT. It checks that:
- The Client software is not already installed.
- There is sufficient free disk space to install the Client software on the PC's C drive.
- The user has logged on with administration privileges if the target PC is running Windows NT, 2000, XP or 2003.
If the target PC passes the tests, ROLLOUT.EXE then calls SETUP.EXE. It installs the Client software in silent mode and SETUP.EXE also copies LUCLIENT.INI (the file that controls the Client software) to the target PC. If you want to change any of the install settings, edit the ROLLOUT.INI configuration file in the \Kit directory. If you want to change the Client settings before the rollout, edit LUCLIENT.INI. For more information, see "Controlling Client Behavior".
- The responses required by the Client installer are specified in the default SETUP.ISS file supplied with Enterprise. It installs the Client software under the Program Files directory of target PCs. If you want to install the Client software in a different location, create another ISS file using InstallShield's -R parameter.
To test the deployment of Client software before starting a full rollout, use INSTALL.EXE. It behaves in the same way as ROLLOUT.EXE, but displays an error message if the installation fails.
Completing a Client Installation
After you have installed the Client software, use one of the following methods to make the PCs accessible to your Consoles, and to save the Client data to the Site Database:
Offline Scanner
Use the Offline Scanner to automatically add new Offline Clients to a Site, and to save the Clients' hardware and software inventory data to the Site Database. The Scanner checks the Offline Areas for new Clients every two minutes, by default, and provides an easy way to populate Site Databases. For more information, see "Detecting New Clients" on page 13.
Find Offline Clients Operation
If you do not want to leave the Offline Scanner running, you can use the Find Offline Clients Operation to check for new Clients interactively. The Operation does not perform an inventory analysis, so you can use it to check the status of Clients before adding their inventory data to the Site Database with the standard inventory Operations. For more information, see "Populating the Database with Clients" on page 38.
Client Kit Configuration
When you create a new Enterprise Site, the Site Creation Wizard embeds the network path of the Offline Area in the Client kit's LUCLIENT.INI file, and copies the configured kit into the \kit directory of the Offline Area. You can modify the account details that the Client uses for its network Operations and generate a new pre-configured Client kit, from the Console's Site Management folder.
To change the Client Kit settings:
- Click Offline Paths in the Site Management folder.
- In the Site Offline Paths dialog, click the Edit Account button to display the Offline Path, Share and Client Kit dialog.
- By default, Enterprise creates its own user account, LUCLIENT, to allow Clients to access the Offline Area. If you want Clients to use another account to access this Offline Area, change the Username, Password and Domain details for the Client.
- Select the Copy Client kit check box to copy the new kit to the Offline Area ready for distribution across the network.
- Click the OK button to save your changes, then click the OK button in the Site Offline Paths dialog to return to the Console.
Reconfiguring Clients after Installation
The behavior of Clients is controlled by parameter settings specified by the Site Creation Wizard when it creates the Client Kit. If you want to change these settings after you have installed the Client software, you can use the Console's Configure Clients Operation. For example, you can use the Operation to change the frequency with which Offline Clients push their data to the Offline Area, the way that drives are shared by Online Clients, and to convert Offline Clients into Online Clients.
Before you can use the Configure Clients Operation, you must customize the Operation to specify which settings you want to change.
To specify the Client settings you want to change:
- In the Console, right-click the Configure Clients Operation and choose Customize from the shortcut menu. The Customize Configure Clients dialog is displayed. Each tab configures a different aspect of the Client settings.
- Select the tabs that contains settings that you want to change. For example, if you want to change the frequency with which Clients transfer inventory data to the Offline Area, select Offline Mode.
The details of the settings are described in the following sections.
Startup Control Settings
Enterprise uses two methods to transfer data to and from Client PCs. Offline Clients use a central share, called the Offline Area; Online Clients use shares defined on each Client PC. Use the Online Mode tab to configure local file sharing for Online Clients. (For more information on Online Clients, see Chapter 15, "Online Clients".)
To configure Client file-sharing options:
- Select the Startup control tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the settings you want to change.
- Each Modify Setting check box controls whether the associated setting is sent to Clients when the Configure Clients Operation is run. When the check box is selected, the associated setting is applied to the Clients regardless of their current settings. When a Modify Setting check box is not selected, no change is sent.
- To create or change the file shares on selected Clients, enter the names of the drives you want to share in the Shared Drives field.
- To add an Enterprise-specific prefix to the share names to identify where the shares are used, enter the prefix in the Share Prefix field.
- To specify a password to restrict access to the shares, enter a Share Password.
- To prevent the shares from being displayed in Windows Explorer, select Hide Shares.
- To share the directory in which the Client Software is installed, select Client Share. If you want to manage the Client PC in Online mode, you must share the Client directory.
Inventory Analysis Settings
The Client checkers collect inventory data from Client PCs. The DOS inventory checker collects low level Hardware Inventory details and User Prompting data from Clients; the Windows inventory checker collects higher-level detail that is available from Windows operating systems. Use the Inventory Analysis tab to enable or disable the checkers.
- Because they collect the hardware inventory information used in the Enterprise Reports, you should disable the Checkers only when you are investigating problems with the Client software.
To change the analysis settings:
- Select the Inventory analysis tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the settings you want to change.
- Clear an Analyzer check box to disable it; select the check box to reinstate it.
Directory Snapshot Settings
Software Inventory data for Offline Clients is transferred to the Site Database as a compressed snapshot of the drives available on the PC. By default, Enterprise collects software inventory data for all drives on each Client PC. However, because the directory snapshot can represent a significant load for PCs, you can use the Directory Snapshot tab to limit the drives for which you maintain an inventory. For example, if all applications are installed on a Client's C: drive and only data is stored on other drives, you can use this option to limit the inventory snapshot to the C drive.
To configure the snapshots for Client PCs:
- Select the Directory snapshot tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the settings you want to change.
- If you want to prevent the collection of all software inventory data, clear the Enable directory snapshot check box.
- If you want to restrict the software inventory collection to specific drives, enter the drives in the Snapshot Drives field using a comma-separated list. For example, type C,E to collect inventory data from the C and E drives and to cancel collection from all other Client drives.
- By default, Enterprise attempts to collect the version information that some software manufacturers encode in their application files. Clear the Enable VersionInfo check box if you do not want Clients to collect this information.
- When the VersionInfo setting is enabled, Clients attempt to collect version information from *.EXE, *.DLL and *.OCX files. If you want to change the types of file from which the information is collected, enter the file extensions in the VersionInfo Files field.
- Clients attempt to collect version information from all directories of Clients. To prevent Clients from checking specific directories for version information, enter the directories in this field.
- By default, software inventory data is compressed before it is transferred to the Offline Area. To prevent this compression when for troubleshooting, clear the Enable compression check box.
Offline Mode Settings
By default, Clients are configured to work in Offline mode. This means they transfer data and receive instructions indirectly through a share called the Offline Area. Use the Offline mode tab to configure the settings of Offline Clients.
To configure Offline Clients:
- Select the Offline mode tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the settings you want to change.
- To convert Clients to Offline mode, select the Enable Offline mode check box. (By default, the Client software is configured to work in Offline mode. If you want to disable Offline mode for Clients, deselect the Enable Offline mode check box.)
- To change the Offline Area used to transfer data to and from the Offline Clients, enter the location and name of the Offline Area that you want to use in the Offline path field. The name must be entered as a UNC path. Alternatively, click Browse to select the Offline Area.
- To identify the data collected from the Offline Clients with a prefix, enter up to four alphanumeric characters in the Offline prefix field.
- By default, the Client software transfers Client inventory data to the Offline Area every time it runs. To change the frequency with which it transfers the inventory data, enter a new value in the Push interval field.
- To force the Client application to send a complete hardware and software inventory update to the Offline Area the next time it runs, select the Trigger Client check box.
Software Metering Settings
By default, the Client software automatically gathers data on which software applications are being used on Client PCs and the length of time each application is used for. Use the Software Metering tab to enable or disable the collection of software-metering data by Clients.
To configure software metering settings:
- Select the Software metering tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the settings you want to change.
- To prevent the collection of software-metering data by Clients, clear the Enable data capture check box.
- By default, the Enterprise Client software records the names of the applications that are currently open on the Client PC every 10 seconds. To change the frequency with which these snapshots are taken, enter a new value in the Scan interval field.
- By default, the Client software saves metering data to file every 60 minutes. To change the frequency with which the data is saved, enter a new value in the Snapshot interval field.
- By default, the Client software transfers metering data to the Offline Area every 24 hours. To change the frequency with which the metering data is transferred, enter a new value in the Metering push interval field.
- Software-metering data is collected and analyzed at 23:00 each day, by default. For more information, see "Software Metering".
User Prompt Settings
User Prompting enables you to collect data from Client users and from system files on Client PCs. To collect the information, Console users must create a prompt file containing one or more questions, then distribute the file to selected Clients. When the Client software next activates, it displays the questions to the user and collects the replies. Use the User Prompting tab to control the display and collection of User Prompt information.
To prevent user prompting:
- Select the User prompting tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check box to enable the change.
- Clear the Enable user prompting check box.
To re-enable user prompting:
- In the User prompting tab, select the Modify Setting check box.
- Select the Enable user prompting check box.
Pre- and Post-Processing
You can configure the Client software to execute a command or application before and after it runs. This enables you to automate the performance of tasks associated with the Clients, such as the mapping (and unmapping) of the drive that contains the Offline Area when you are running in a non-Windows Networking environment.
To change the pre-process command settings:
- Select the Pre- and post-processing tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the pre-process settings you want to change.
- If you want the Client software to execute a command before it runs, select the Enable pre-processing check box.
If you want to disable the pre-process command, deselect the Enable pre-processing check box.
- If you want to specify or change the pre-process command to be executed, enter the new command in the Pre-processing command field.
- If you want the command to be displayed on the Client PC as it is executed, select the Show command check box.
To assign a post-process command to Clients:
- Select the Pre- and Post-processing tab.
- Select the Modify Setting check boxes of the post-process settings you want to change.
- If you want the Client software to execute a command after it runs, select the Enable post-processing check box.
- If you want to specify or change the post-process command to be executed, enter the new command in the Post-processing command field.
- If you want the command to be displayed on the Client PC as it is executed, select the Show command check box.
Changing the Client Configuration
When you have selected the Client settings you want to change, click the OK button to save your changes and close the dialog. To apply the settings changes to Clients, click the Configure Clients Operation and select the Clients or Groups to which you want to apply the changes.
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