Planning for ZENworks for Servers 3 Deployment

The most important step to take when installing ZENworks for Servers 3 is to sit down and write out a detailed deployment plan. The deployment plan needs to include all NetWare and Windows NT/2000 servers, as well as Unix servers that will be part of your TED channel. You should identify the role(s) that each server will play in your ZENworks for Servers management tree.

Preparing a Network Map

One of the best ways to start planning your ZENworks for Servers deployment is to create a map depicting the layout of the servers that will be impacted by the ZENworks for Servers installation. The map should include the server's name, IP and IPX addresses, and the protocols installed, and it should show the LAN connections, including segment and router information, to the other servers.

One of the most common methods for creating a network map is by using the physical location for example, group the servers based on the building, city, or country in which they are located. Another common method for creating a network map is by organizing your servers based on their function for example, group the servers based on the departments they service, such as development, sales, marketing and human resources.

It may be useful to create more than one map and either choose the one that is the easiest to understand, or use them both to help you better understand how ZENworks for Servers 3 will be deployed.

Planning for Management and Monitoring Services

After you create your network map, you need to add data about the ZENworks for Servers 3 roles that the servers will have. We recommend that you first identify the servers' management and monitoring roles.

Management and monitoring services are composed of several agents that are placed on various servers throughout your network. You may place all or a single agent on any of these managed servers, depending on your desired level of monitoring for the target server. The following sections describe the elements that you need to define on your network map to plan for installing ZENworks for Servers 3 management and monitoring services.

Management Site

The first element that you need to identify is the management site. A management site is basically a group of servers that are all managed and monitored from a single point on the network. Many networks have only one management site. You should, however, consider things such as geographical locations, LAN/WAN connections, and administrator roles when defining your management site.

If, for example, you have two offices, one in San Francisco and the other in New York, and each has its own set of servers as well as its own IT staff, you would probably want to create two management sites one in each city.

After you identify your management site locations, group all servers that you want to be managed into one of the management sites.

Management Server

After identifying your management sites and group of servers, you need to identify one management server for each site that will act as the collection point for management data across the site. All the information, alarms, inventory, and so forth that are captured from other servers in the management site are stored on this management server.

Managed Servers

Next you need to identify target servers that will be managed in each site. Each managed server contains the server management agent, which collects statistics about the server and generates alarms, sending this information to the management server when administered targets are exceeded. This server may also collect statistics about itself and store the data for trending analysis. You may want to include the management server as a managed server as well.

Management Console

After you identify the managed servers, you should take the time to identify at least one management console for each site, although one management console could manage multiple sites. The management console is a desktop client that runs ConsoleOne and contains the plug-ins necessary to manage the service and the servers. You can install the management console plug-ins at the same time you install management and monitoring services, so it's best to install from your management console workstation.

Traffic Analysis Agents

You also need to identify one traffic analyisis agent for each segment on the network. This agent monitors LAN traffic on the segment and performs statistical analysis on the traffic on the segment.

Planning for Policy-Enabled Server Management

After identifying the management and monitoring elements on your network map, you need to identify elements for policy-enabled server management. Policy-enabled server management services comprise several components that can be installed separately on different servers. These components are such items as a TED distributor/subscriber an inventory server, and a remote managed server. The policy-enabled server management components act independently of the management and monitoring services, so you don't need to consider your management sites when planning their roles.

The following sections discuss the elements that you need to define on your network map to plan for installing ZENworks for Servers 3 policy-enabled server management.

TED Servers

The first elements you should define on your network map for policy-enabled server management are the TED distributors and TED subscribers. TED distributors and TED subscribers are NetWare, Windows NT/2000, or Unix servers that act together as a channel to deliver soft ware bundles throughout your network. A distributor transfers the software bundle to a subscriber (and can be a subscriber itself) and receives bundles from another distributor. (See Chapter 6, "Setting Up Tiered Electronic Distribution," for more information about the TED servers.)

Identify the channels to which you want to distribute software bundles, and then identify the servers as distributors, subscribers, or both.

ZENworks for Servers Database

After you identify the TED servers on your network map, you need to identify a NetWare or Windows NT/2000 server on which to create the ZENworks for Servers database. This database stores log messages detailing the TED distribution process, including errors and successes. Use a server that is readily accessible for the TED channel servers as well as your management console.

Inventory Servers

Next you need to identify ZENworks for Servers inventory servers. The inventory servers collect inventory data from other servers on the network. The inventory servers work together in a tree form to collect inventory data and push it up to the central database. Each inventory server can also have its own database that contains inventory data from its level and below. Inventory servers can have the role of standalone, root, intermediate, or leaf. (See Chapter 12, "Using ZENworks for Servers 3 Server Management," for more information about these roles.)

First, identify on your network the servers that you want to use to collect inventory data. Next draw a tree diagram to show the flow of inventory data to a root server. Finally, identify which servers will have a database stored on them.

Inventory Agents

After identifying the inventory servers, define which servers you want to scan and collect inventory data from. These servers will run an inventory scan agent that collects the inventory data and transfers it to an inventory server.

After you mark on your network map all servers that will host the inventory agent, assign them to an inventory server. You do not need to assign them to a leaf server; they can be assigned to an intermediate or even the root server. But each agent that is assigned to an inventory server represents work that a server must perform, so take some time to distribute the load to servers that can handle the pull.

Remote Managed Servers

The final items to identify on your network map are servers that you want to manage remotely. These servers need to have the ZENworks for Servers 3 remote management agent installed on them.