1. Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks®
Novell BrainShare 2002
Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks®
Anders Gustafsson
Engineer, CNE5, ASE,
Pedago Interaktiv Ab
Shaun Pond
Novell Consulting UK
Novell, Inc.
Dave Parkes
Network Manager
Norgren
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

2. Vision…one Net Mission
Novell BrainShare 2002
Vision…one Net
A world where networks of all types—corporate and public, intranets, extranets, and the Internet—work together as one Net and securely connect employees, customers, suppliers, and partners across organizational boundaries
Mission
To solve complex business and technical challenges with Net business solutions that enable people, processes, and systems to work together and our customers to profit from the opportunities of a networked world
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

4. What Is Novell ZENworks®?
Novell BrainShare 2002
What Is Novell ZENworks®?
The Novell ZENworks family of products…
Automates and personalizes content and applications to increase productivity for end users and network managers alike
Allows you to minimize costs by reducing redundancies, effectively leveraging your resources and precisely tracking their use
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

5. The Novell ZENworks Family
Novell BrainShare 2002
The Novell ZENworks Family
ZENworks for Desktops
Manages the complete workstation lifecycle and provides personalized workstation service to end users
ZENworks for Servers
Provides cross-platform server consistency, content distribution, and management of critical resources, alarms, SNMP, and inventory assets
ZENworks Preboot Services
Enables PXE integration for ZENworks for Desktops workstation disk imaging
ZENworks for Handhelds
Automates management for wireless and handheld devices
ZENworks OnDemand Services
Automates digital asset provisioning to users wherever they are; tracks and reports usage; manages and personalizes terminal services
ZENworks Synergy
Extends the managed, personalized work environment to any location from any Windows machine
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

6. Independence? Where? Within the organization Anywhere
Novell BrainShare 2002
Independence? Where?
Within the organization
Using a workstation within the company
Using a company-supplied laptop
ZENworks
Anywhere
No designated PC
iFolder, GW WebAccess, NetStorage
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

7. Why Location Independence?
Novell BrainShare 2002
Why Location Independence?
Increased user satisfaction
Does the PHB care?
Increased reliability
Automated procedures less error-prone
If/when a PC crashes the worker can use another
Lower maintenance cost
Less scurrying around
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

8. The Ideal Application Runs entirely from the network
Novell BrainShare 2002
The Ideal Application
Runs entirely from the network
Saves all data to predefined, relative paths
Uses easily editable configuration files
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

9. The Real (Ugly) Application
Novell BrainShare 2002
The Real (Ugly) Application
Uses hard-coded paths
Needs files locally
Stores things in HKLM
Uses proprietary formats for settings/files
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

10. How Do Applications Store Their Individual Settings?
Novell BrainShare 2002
How Do Applications Store Their Individual Settings?
On a “drive”
Use HOME_DIRECTORY
In the registry
Use HKCU
Use Policies/App objects
In custom, encrypted files in C:\winnt or C:\windows
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

11. Overcoming the Problems with Proprietary Settings/Stores
Novell BrainShare 2002
Overcoming the Problems with Proprietary Settings/Stores
If the config file is text
Use text manipulation in ZENworks
If it is a binary file
Might need to write a custom app
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

12. Setting Up the Applications
Novell BrainShare 2002
Setting Up the Applications
Installing onto a clean workstation
So as not to miss any required common files or registry settings
ZENworks for Servers 3 imaging and portable execution environment (PXE) to easily reset the computer
Lowest-common-denominator operating system
SNAPSHOT
Always save snapshot output to a local drive
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

13. Get to Know the Application
Novell BrainShare 2002
Get to Know the Application
Installshield and response files
support.installshield.com/kb/
-r generates SETUP.ISS, the silent response file
MSI installs
support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q227/0/91.ASP gives the command line options
gives a good overview
Craig Wilson’s site
Lots of good stuff here
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

14. Maximizing Application Availability
Novell BrainShare 2002
Maximizing Application Availability
Simplify by reducing administration (let the system do the work)
Secure by ensuring full resilience (users can access applications, even if local servers are down)
Accelerate application deployment (uniform delivery methodology)
Extend the capabilities of application deployment (any application, anywhere)
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

15. eDirectory Design Considerations
Novell BrainShare 2002
eDirectory Design Considerations
Global app?
Local app?
Something in between?
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

16. Fault Tolerance Automatically failover to another object or MSI source
Novell BrainShare 2002
Fault Tolerance
Automatically failover to another object or MSI source
Can have multiple levels of failover
Transparent to user (if you do it right)
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

17. Fault Tolerance Novell BrainShare 2002
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

18. Novell BrainShare 2002
Load Balancing
Randomly reads distribution information from a list of application objects or MSI sources
Can be combined with fault tolerance
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

19. Load Balancing Novell BrainShare 2002
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

20. Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List
Enables application launcher to find “nearest” copy of application
Tree should be geographically based
Can be combined with load balancing and fault tolerance
Need to copy application objects (ZENworks for Servers, ZENith, etc.)
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

21. Site List (cont.) Client sends out request for tree
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List (cont.)
Client sends out request for tree
Local servers/DAs respond
Client uses standard costing algorithms to decide which is “nearest”
Client requests context of “nearest” server
Contexts of site list applications are compared with server context
“Closest” application is launched (load balancing and fault tolerance are used)
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

22. Site List Example (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List Example (cont.)
User fred.sales.chicago.home
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

23. Site List Example (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List Example (cont.)
Clicks on winzip.apps.chicago.home
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

24. Site List Example (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List Example (cont.)
Site list winzip.apps.chicago.home winzip.apps.NY.home winzip.apps.boston.home
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

25. Site List Example (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List Example (cont.)
Nearest” server is srv1.services.boston.home
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

26. Site List Example (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Site List Example (cont.)
“Nearest” server is srv1.services.boston.home
Site list winzip.apps.chicago.home winzip.apps.NY.home winzip.apps.boston.home
“Closest” app is winzip.apps.boston.home, as this matches two contexts
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

27. Setting Up Site List Always adds new application to existing list
Novell BrainShare 2002
Setting Up Site List
Always adds new application to existing list
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

28. Setting Up Site List (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Setting Up Site List (cont.)
Other members of list added automatically
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

29. Fault-Tolerant Drive Mappings
Novell BrainShare 2002
Fault-Tolerant Drive Mappings
Using login script (map drives) MAP Q:=\\SERVER1\SYS IF %ERROR_LEVEL%=“1” THEN BEGIN WRITE “USING FAULT-TOLERANT DRIVE MAPPING” MAP Q:=\\SERVER2\SYS END (or use environment variable and UNC paths) DOS SET MYSERVER=”SERVER1” MAP Q:=\\%MYSERVER%\SYS IF %ERROR_LEVEL%=“1” THEN BEGIN WRITE “USING FAULT-TOLERANT DRIVE MAPPING” DOS SET MYSERVER=“SERVER2” ELSE MAP DEL Q: END
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

30. Fault-Tolerant Drive Mappings (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Fault-Tolerant Drive Mappings (cont.)
Using the power of ZENworks for fault tolerance
Application object to MAP drives
Need to run an executable (suitable “do nothing” app submitted to Cool Solutions), and ensure “Clean up network resources” is unchecked
Application object to set environment variable
#nalwin32 : /a=".drives mapper.apps.home" /u /f /h
Use site list with fault tolerance to ensure users can always find their applications
Make sure you increase version number to get changes read
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

31. Maximizing Application Availability
Novell BrainShare 2002
Maximizing Application Availability
Many techniques
Many options
Balance administration with traffic
Which combination is right for you?
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

32. A Night at the Opera A fast, compact web browser Platform-agnostic
Novell BrainShare 2002
A Night at the Opera
A fast, compact web browser
Platform-agnostic
Free
Registration removes advertising
Really cool
Here we use it as an example (Opera 6.0)
For a similar Netscape example, see the links at the end
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

33. What Is My Opera Profile?
Novell BrainShare 2002
What Is My Opera Profile?
Personal data
Bookmarks
Downloads
Appearance
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

34. Novell BrainShare 2002
Opera Settings
OPERA6.INI in the program dir or pointed to on command line
User settings
OPERA6.INI in the windows system dir
Locked settings
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

35. Using ZENworks to Distribute and Customize Opera
Novell BrainShare 2002
Using ZENworks to Distribute and Customize Opera
Creating the Application Object
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

36. The Roaming Profile How to enable them
Novell BrainShare 2002
The Roaming Profile
How to enable them
Basically everything under <sysdir>\profiles\<user>
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

37. Problems with Roaming Profiles
Novell BrainShare 2002
Problems with Roaming Profiles
Silly assumptions
MSIE puts the cache under the profile
Windows 2000 puts temp files there
Did MS programmers forget how to create unique temp files?
Excluding stuff
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\ExcudeProfileDirs - settable within ZEN/MS policies
Change shell folders
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

38. Moving the Shell Folders
Novell BrainShare 2002
Moving the Shell Folders
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

39. Managing Laptop Users Finding the closest proxy
Novell BrainShare 2002
Managing Laptop Users
Finding the closest proxy
DHCP and proxy.pac/ins files
Use proxy.pac file, or
Read IP-address in script
Set macro accordingly
Use InSubnet.exe if you have many subnets {
if (isInNet(myIpAddress(), " ", " "))
return "PROXY :8080";
else
return "DIRECT"; }
; Default
DOS SET PROXY=”proxy.us.acme:8080”
; x
IF "%NETWORK" >> 2 = "C2700A" THEN DOS SET PROXY=”proxy.us.acme:8080”
; x
IF "%NETWORK" >> 2 = "C2700B" THEN DOS SET PROXY=”proxy.uk.acme:8080”
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

40. Managing Laptop Users (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Managing Laptop Users (cont.)
Use appobject to read macro
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

41. Managing Laptop Users (cont.)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Managing Laptop Users (cont.)
How various browsers store the proxy settings
MSIE:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings, ProxyServer=http=proxy.us.acme:8080
Opera:
In Opera.ini:
[Proxy]
HTTP Server= proxy.us.acme:8080
Netscape:
in prefs.js as: user_pref("network.proxy.http", " proxy.us.acme ");
user_pref("network.proxy.http_port", 8080);
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

42. Important ZENworks for Servers 3 Patches
Novell BrainShare 2002
Important ZENworks for Servers 3 Patches
ZENworks for Servers 3.0
zfd3sp1a.exe
zd3nal7.exe
zd3ntmsi.exe
ZENworks for Servers 3.2
zd32nw?.exe
exe
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

43. Links www.opera.com www.opera.com/support/mastering/sysadmin/
Novell BrainShare 2002
Links
Netscape Appnote
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks

44. Tools www.sysinternals.com (filemon and regmon)
Novell BrainShare 2002
Tools
(filemon and regmon)
and of course we have to add
support.novell.com/forums/
TUT311—Managing Location Independence Using Novell ZENworks