How ZENworks for Desktop Clientless Workstation Management Works

The ZENworks for Desktops management agent allows a clientless workstation to authenticate to the network by establishing an HTTP connection, at port 80 and port 443, to a ZENworks for Desktops Middle Tier server. The workstation can be inside or outside the corporate firewall.

When a workstation authenticates to a ZENworks for Desktops Middle Tier server, the Middle Tier server establishes an NCP connection to a ZENworks for Desktops server. The ZENworks for Desktops 4 server can be in the same eDirectory tree or a different tree; however, user licenses are only consumed in the eDirectory tree that the ZENworks for Desktops 4 server is installed in. The capability to connect through a Middle Tier server that does not belong to the same tree enables ZENworks to provide a much more secure and dynamic clientless access environment. It does this by separating the access point from corporate data and services.

Once a clientless workstation has authenticated to the network through a ZENworks for Desktops Middle Tier server, the ZENworks for Desktops policies and application distributions can use the HTTP to NCP series of connections to manage the workstation. In other words, NAL Application objects can be applied on the workstation, the workstation can be remotely managed, and inventory data can be collected from it.

Figure 4.1. ZENworks for Desktops 4 clientless workstation management diagram.

This can be an extremely powerful tool for managing user workstations that must access the network through the corporate firewall.

For example, administrators can use the ZENworks for Desktops Management agent to manage corporate PCs that employees have at home because they work from a home office, or occasionally work from home. Corporate applications can be distributed to the home office workstation, the workstation can be remotely managed, and inventory can be tracked.

Another example of when this feature can be useful is with remote sales offices that reside outside the corporate firewall.