General ZENworks for Desktops Architecture

Novell ZENworks for Desktops requires some changes to your tree structure in addition to installation and extensions to the new ConsoleOne administration tool. Additionally, you need to place new agents on the workstation. This section details the changes that need to occur to implement ZENworks for Desktops into your tree.

Objects in eDirectory and Their Impact on the Tree

When you install ZENworks for Desktops into your tree, it not only copies the executable files necessary to run the software, but it also extends the schema in your tree. The schema extension in your tree introduces several new objects and attributes to your system. Following is a high-level list of the changes to your schema. For a more detailed view of the schema changes, refer to Appendix A.

• Container package object This object collects for your administration all of the policies that can be associated with a container. You create one of these objects when you want to affect a container policy. One such policy is search, which affects the order of searching for all policies in and below the container.

• Server package object This object collects all of the policies that are available for servers. The policies for servers in the ZENworks for Desktops product include policies for automatic workstation import. Other server policies that are compatible with this object are included in the ZENworks for Servers product.

• Server group object This object enables the creation of a group of servers. This is useful when you want to apply a Server Policy Package to a group of servers.

• Service location package object This package collects the policies in the system that are related to locating services in the network.

• User package object This object holds all of the policies that are associated with users. This includes such policies as the Dynamic Local User, Remote Control, and Novell iPrint policies.

• Workstation package object This package contains all of the registered policies for a workstation. These policies can be such items as workstation imaging and inventory policies.

• Workstation image object This object represents an image taken from a workstation. This image can then be applied to any workstation in the network from some commands in Novell's eDirectory or through a boot process with a floppy.

• Workstation group object This object enables you to collect a set of workstations into a group. This is useful when you want to apply policies to a set of workstations that are not all in the same container.

• Application object This object is associated with an application that you want to distribute or make available to any desktop in the network.

• Application folder object This object enables you to create a menuing/foldering system for the presentation of your applications on the user's Start menu or windowed desktop.

• Database object This object represents the database in the network where you are storing such information as logs of ZENworks activity and events, as well as hardware and software inventory information.

• Inventory service object This object represents the inventory service that is configured and running on the network, collecting your hardware and software configurations of your workstations.

• Several policy objects This is a set of Policy objects that represents policies contained in the User, Server, or Workstation policy packages. These can be such policies as the Help Desk policy, Remote Control policy, or Restrict Login policy, just to name a few. Currently ZENworks for Desktops creates and uses over 36 policies.

Introducing most of these objects to the tree has minimal impact. The only objects that you need to consider because of their size are the Application and the Workstation objects:

The Application object can grow depending on the amount of Registry settings that a particular application contains. You need to be careful where you place these objects because they can be large, especially for some applications such as Microsoft Office.

The Workstation object only introduces approximately 4KB of information. However, the culmination of all Workstation objects in your environment needs to be managed carefully. Be sure to use good design techniques when placing your partitions to make your tree most efficient.

Novell ZENworks Management Agents

ZENworks Management agents are a collection of services and executables that are required to be on the workstation. These agents communicate with eDirectory either through the Novell Client (optionally installed) or through the Middle Tier Web server. These agents include Workstation Management Agent, Application Management Agent, Inventory Agent, and Remote Control Agent. A supplied executable or downloadable MSI (Microsoft System Installer) version is available for delivery to your workstations. This delivery can be through a push, remote install, or through a Web browser.

Additionally, ZENworks also provides a small agent, called Application View Agent, that only provides delivery of applications to the workstations through a browser. This agent is considerably smaller and can easily be delivered via e-mail or via a browser to help you kick-start your rollout of ZENworks.

Policy Packages and Policies

To help in the administration of the features and policies of ZENworks for Desktops, the various policies are conveniently grouped into policy packages. These policy packages are logical groupings of policies.

Policy packages can be associated with the various appropriate objects. For example, User Policy Packages can be associated with a single user, a group of users, or a container. Workstation Policy Packages can be associated with a single workstation, a group of workstations, or a container. A single policy package can also be associated with several users, groups, and containers.

Because the system looks for policies by searching up the tree from the User or Workstation object (depending on the application), it is desirable to keep this search from proceeding too far up the tree. Therefore, ZENworks for Desktops includes a search policy found in the Container Policy Package. This policy limits the number of levels and the search order that all ZENworks for Desktops systems use to discover and apply policies.

Various services are used by the ZENworks for Desktop system, and these services are located by the Services Location Policy Package. This package is typically associated with a container and identifies where SNMP traps and the database is located. The applications in the system then use the database specified in the location policy.