Device Imaging Work Assignment

You can determine what imaging work is to be performed on a device when it boots based on a set of hardware rules. This configuration section lets you specify a particular bundle for each set of hardware rules. The Custom Hardware Types section allows you to provide specific data for a Hardware Type hardware rule option.

All rules and custom types configured here are applied globally to all managed devices in the Management Zone. However, only those devices that exactly match the rule and its custom types have the assigned bundle applied to them when they boot.

Hardware Rules

You can specify hardware-based rules for a Imaging bundle. This enables any device matching those rules to have the specified bundle applied to it when it boots.

For example, you can create a rule that applies a bundle to any device with at least 512 MB of RAM and 150 GB of hard drive space.

A work rule is made up of filters that are used to determine whether a device complies with the rule. The rules use logic to determine whether a device meets the requirements for applying the Imaging bundle. The AND, OR, and NOT logical operators are used for creating filtering for the rule.

When a device is seeking work to be done, it scans the rules until it finds a rule where all of the rule’s filters match the device, then executes the bundle assigned to the rule.

The following table lists the tasks you can perform to configure hardware rules:

Task

Steps

Additional Details

Add a hardware rule

  1. Click Add next to the Hardware Rules list box, which opens the Rule Construction dialog box.

  2. To create the hardware rule, follow the instructions contained in Rule Construction.

  3. After exiting the Rule Construction dialog box, click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the new rule.

The information that you configure in the Rule Construction dialog box comprises one rule. You can add multiple rules.

Each time you click Add to use the Rule Construction dialog box, you can select the same bundle as the previous time that you used the dialog box, or you can select a different bundle for the rule.

Only the first hardware rule that is matched is used when a device boots to apply the assigned bundle.

Edit a hardware rule

  1. Select a hardware rule, then click Edit, which opens the Rule Construction dialog box in edit mode.

  2. To edit the hardware rule, follow the instructions contained in Rule Construction.

  3. After exiting the Rule Construction dialog box, click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the rule’s changes.

 

Disable or enable a hardware rule

  1. Select a hardware rule, then click Edit.

  2. In the Rule Construction dialog box, select the check box for Enabled to enable or disable it.

  3. Click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the rule’s change.

This is the only way to change the status of a hardware rule.

Whether a hardware rule is enabled or disabled is indicated in the Hardware Rules list box. For example, Enabled - Asset Tag Rule.

Rearrange the order of the hardware rules

  1. Select one hardware rule, then click either Move Up or Move Down.

    You cannot move multiple rules at one time.

  2. Repeat as necessary to arrange the order of the hardware rules.

  3. Click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the new rule order.

The hardware rule order is important because when the device boots, the first rule that is found to match the device is used to apply the bundle. The other rules are ignored.

This means that only one bundle can be applied to a booting device by virtue of a hardware rule match.

Remove hardware rules

  1. Select one or more hardware rules, then click Remove.

  2. Click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to effect the removal of the rules from the list.

You can use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple hardware rules to remove them from the list.

If you remove a hardware rule, any work you did to create it is lost. Removed rules do not have any of their information saved anywhere. Therefore, if you only want to remove the rule temporarily, take note of the rule’s content before deleting it so that you can more easily re-create it. For example, either select it and click Edit and note the data, or take a screen shot of the dialog box.

Custom Hardware Types

Custom hardware types enable you to include any devices matching your custom type to have the bundle assigned to the hardware rule applied to them when the devices boot. For example, you can create a rule that applies the bundle to any device that is a laptop by entering the applicable string as a custom hardware type, selecting Hardware Type in the Rule Construction dialog box, then selecting your custom type.

The Hardware Type option does not display in the Rule Construction dialog box until at least one custom type has been configured.

The following table lists the tasks you can perform to configure custom hardware types:

Task

Steps

Additional Details

Add a custom hardware type

  1. Click Add next to the Custom Hardware Types list box, which opens the Custom Hardware Type dialog box.

  2. To create the custom hardware type, follow the instructions contained in Custom Hardware Type.

  3. After exiting the Custom Hardware Type dialog box, click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the new custom type.

In the Custom Hardware Type dialog box you can add multiple strings, which identify specific hardware type information in the device’s BIOS.

The set of strings that you add in the dialog box is considered one custom hardware type that is identified by the name you also provide in the dialog box.

The custom type won’t display in the drop-down list of hardware items on the Rule Construction dialog box until you click Apply or OK to save the configuration.

Edit a custom hardware type

  1. Select a custom hardware type, then click Edit, which opens the Custom Hardware Type dialog box in edit mode.

  2. To edit the custom hardware type, follow the instructions contained in Custom Hardware Type.

  3. After exiting the Custom Hardware Type dialog box, click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the custom type’s changes.

 

Rearrange the order of the custom hardware types

  1. Select one custom hardware type, then click either Move Up or Move Down.

    You cannot move multiple types at one time.

  2. Repeat as necessary to arrange the order of the custom hardware types.

  3. Click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to save the new custom type’s order.

The custom hardware type order is important because when the device boots, the first type that is found to match the device is used to apply the assigned bundle. The other types are ignored.

Remove custom hardware types

  1. Select one or more custom hardware types, then click Remove.

  2. Click OK to exit the dialog box and save the deletions.

  3. Click Apply at the bottom of the configuration page to remove the custom types from the list.

You can use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple custom hardware types to remove them from the list.

By removing a custom hardware type, any work you did to create it is lost. Removed types do not have any of their information saved anywhere. Therefore, if you only want to remove the rule temporarily, take note of the type’s content before deleting it so that you can more easily re-create it. For example, either select it and click Edit and note the data, or take a screen shot of the dialog box.

Allow Overwrites

Select the Allow Preboot Services to Overwrite Existing Files when Uploading check box if you want existing .zmg files to be overwritten by a newer version when the image is taken.

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