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Enterprise User Manual


Chapter 2

Creating Sites


New Enterprise Sites are created using the Site Creation Wizard. The wizard guides you through the process of naming and locating Sites, and creates shares that Client PCs, Consoles and Schedulers use to transfer data. The wizard also configures the Client software for deployment across your network.

This chapter contains detailed instructions for preparing and creating new PC-Duo Enterprise Sites. Simple instructions for building a new Site and information for evaluators and new users are also included in the separate Evaluator's Guide included on the CD.

Creating a Site using Default Options

This section describes how to create a new Site using the default options in the Site Creation Wizard. Experienced users, and users who want to use existing Enterprise databases, should refer to "Creating a Site Using Custom Options" on page 8 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 default options:
  1. Read the information in the Welcome dialog, then click the Next button. The Site Creation Mode dialog is displayed.

  1. The Site Creation Mode dialog enables you to choose a Site creation method. Select Create a Site using default settings.

    This option creates a Microsoft Access database, an Offline Area, and a Client Kit for you to distribute to PCs.

    The Site Creation Wizard automatically creates a Site Database using Microsoft Access tables. You do not need to install Microsoft Access to use it.
  2. In the Enter a name for the Site field, type a name for your Site. This 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 is retrieved by Enterprise Consoles and Schedulers, and saved in the Site Database.

For more information on Schedulers, see page 47.

  1. By default, Enterprise creates its own user account, LUCLIENT, to enable Clients to access the Offline Area. If you want Clients to use an existing account to access the share, enter its Username and Password.
    If you change the Username and Password, the new account must be valid for all Client PCs that use the Offline Area. The default LUCLIENT account is automatically created as a domain user account.

    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.
  2. If the PC on which the Offline Area is located belongs to a Windows Domain, enter its Domain name.
  3. Click the Next button to display the Settings Complete dialog.

  1. Read the information in the dialog, and ensure the Tell me about populating new Sites check box is selected.
  2. Click the Finish button. The wizard creates your new Site, copies the default Enterprise Client Kit into the \Kit directory of the Offline Area, and customizes its settings.

    The new Site is displayed in the Enterprise Console.

    For information on how to list the PCs in your new Site, see "Populating Site Databases" on page 13.

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 Server 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.

Creating a SQL Server Database

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

Like SQL Server, Enterprise works natively with Oracle databases. However, the procedure for creating a new Oracle database is complex, and beyond the scope of this manual. If you want to use an Oracle database, refer to your Oracle documentation or your Database Administrator for more information on creating databases.

Creating a Site Using Custom Options

Use the custom option in the Site Creation Wizard if you want to:

To create a custom Site:
  1. In the Enterprise Management folder, click Create New Site. The Site Creation Wizard is displayed.
  2. Read the information in the Welcome dialog, then click the Next button to continue. The Site Creation Mode dialog is displayed.

  1. In the Site Creation Mode dialog, choose Create or copy a Site using custom Settings.
  2. Enter a name for the Site, then 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 fundamentally designed for 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.
Oracle

Choose this option to use an Oracle database (version 8i or later).

Microsoft SQL Server

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

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 if you are creating your first Site, or if you want to create a new Site. If you are creating multiple Consoles for the Site Database, you must select this option only when setting up the first Console.

Link to an existing database

Select this option if you want 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

If you are creating a new Site, and you want to use it to store your new and customized package definitions, select this check box. If you want to continue to use your current Global Site, leave this check box unselected.

Package Definitions contain information about how applications must be distributed and installed across your network. 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 unless you transfer them to the new Global Site using the Package Definition Editor's import and export features.

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

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 New Offline Area

Select this option to create a new share. Note that due to operating systems restrictions, it is not possible to create an Offline Area on a Windows NT, 2000, XP or 2003 system from a PC running Windows 95, 98 or Me.

Use Existing Offline Area

Select this option to use an existing share as the Offline Area.

Location

This field displays the default location for the new Offline Area. If you selected Create New Offline Area and you want to specify a different location, type it 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.
Share Name

This field displays the default share for a new Offline Area. If you want to specify a different name for the new area, type it in this field.

Username

By default, Enterprise creates its own user account, LUCLIENT, to enable Clients to access the Offline Area. If you want Clients to use an existing username to access the share, enter its name in the Username field.

If you specify your own account, it must be valid for all Client PCs that use this Offline Area. We recommend you use the default LUCLIENT account as this is automatically created as a domain user account in domain environments.
Password

If you entered the Username of an existing account, or want to change the default LUCLIENT password, type the account password in this field.

Domain

If the PC that contains the Offline Area belongs to a domain, type the name of the domain in this field.

Copy configured Client Kit to Offline Area

Select this check box to copy the Client Kit to the Offline Area so that it can be distributed to new Clients. Clear this check box if the Offline Area already contains a configured Client Kit, or if you do not want to install the Client Kit across the network.

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

The Offline Scanner Dialog

The Offline Scanner monitors your Site's Offline Path 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 automatically, such as when you are creating a new Site. Clear the Enable the Offline Scanner check box if you want to populate the Site Database with Clients using the Find Offline 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

Client PC users are prompted to supply standard information, such as their name and location, the first time their PCs are rebooted after the Client software is installed.

If you want to add your own questions to these User Prompts, select the Customize user prompt file check box. This displays the User Prompt Editor so you can edit or add user questions.

Click the Next button to continue.

User Prompt questions are contained in the LUTINFO.REF file. 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 populating this new Site 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 Kit on each PC. The Client software 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 Software on PCs

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 Software".

To manually install the Client Kit on a PC:
  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 software 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 New 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 folder. It also collects hardware and software inventory from each Client.

When you create a new Site using the Site Creation Wizard's default settings, or enable the Offline Scanner in the wizard's Offline Scanner dialog, the Scanner automatically starts when the new 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.
  2. In the Offline Scanner Options dialog, ensure the Enable offline scanning check box is selected.
  3. 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).
  4. Click OK to activate the scanner and close the Offline Scanner Options dialog.
    You can also populate the Site interactively using the Find Offline Clients Operation in the Console's Operations folder if you do not want to automatically collect hardware and software inventory data from new Clients. (For more information, see "Populating the Database with Clients" on page 38,

Activating the Scheduler

When the Offline Scanner is running, new Clients are added to the All Clients Group (in the Clients folder) after five 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.
  3. In the WinScheduler Properties dialog, click the Stop button to suspend the Scheduler.
  4. In the Host name field enter the name of your Console PC and select your new Site in the Database site list.
  5. If the Console PC is running Windows NT, 2000, XP or 2003, and you want 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.
  6. 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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