The software delivery (SD) functionality comprises offline distribution possibilities for Windows and Linux agents that let you install and uninstall software packages for target computers that are offline of the domain manager or scalability server and update the software inventory the next time the target computer comes online.
The offline distribution features can be particularly useful in case of communication breakdown (that is, no connection between agents and the manager) or for Laptops that seldom dock.
Software packages exported from the Software Package Library can be installed and uninstalled using the "Agent Administrative Commands" interface, sd_acmd, which is part of the Windows and Linux agents. A Job Container Order file (COF), containing paths to packages to install or uninstall, is given to the command line interface.
The SD agent service executes the Job Container, and manages necessary log offs and reboots. The execution is either of the type no linkage or in batch form with an option to rollback SXP, PIF, and PKG packages in case of failure.
The job linkage option synchronized is not supported in this context.
You can use a batch file (.bat) to set up execution of more than one COF, with multiple calls to sd_acmd ExecuteContainer. The container files should be executed in the same order as specified in the batch file.
Optionally, you can use sd_acmd WaitContainers after sd_acmd ExecuteContainer calls (in batch files) to wait for all pending or running jobs to finish.
During execution, feedback is given through an output result file and optionally through message dialogs. Information about jobs executed by sd_acmd is stored in a local log file on the target computer for tracking purposes.
The offline software inventory for the SD agent is updated and next time the agent contacts the scalability server the inventory is uploaded.
A template file, template.cof, is present in the CONF directory.
Note: There is a special offline feature where you can place an offline container named Runonce.cof in the %sdroot%\ASM\CONF directory and have it run once before the agent connects to the scalability server.
For details on the three sd_acmd commands that are used in handling COF files, ExecuteContainer, SecureContainer, and WaitContainers, see the References guide, which is part of the CA ITCM online documentation set.
Note: You cannot execute unsecured Job Container Order Files. Use the sd_acmd command SecureContainer to secure the COF. If the container is secured with the optional p (password) parameter, the same password must be supplied on the command line when executing the container.
You cannot execute a modified secured job container order file. To resecure a COF, set the entry secured=1 to secured=0, and reenter user account (Library section) and passwords (Library and Container sections) in the COF.
In a Windows NT Technology environment, everyone can secure containers. To be able to successfully execute an SD offline job using sd_acmd ExecuteContainer, sufficient security privileges are needed. By default, only users assigned local or global administrative rights are privileged to run the SD offline jobs.
Optionally, users who are members of the Windows NT Technology local group SDOFFLIN, or global domain group SDOFFLIN, are privileged to run SD offline jobs.
The local group SDOFFLIN is created on all Windows NT Technology computers when installing SD functionality.
Administrators can create the global domain group SDOFFLIN, and add users to these groups, to enable the users to run SD offline jobs.
UNIX has NIS, which acts similarly to domain user validation in Windows NT Technology. The NIS user group for offline jobs is also called SDOFFLIN.
|
Copyright © 2013 CA.
All rights reserved.
|
|