The following sections describe the general changes to ZENworks Desktop Management functionality in ZENworks 6.5.
Prior to Novell ZENworks 6.5, all environments without the Novell ClientTM were forced to access data through the ZENworks Middle Tier Server, even if a Microsoft Client was available. The ZENworks Multiple UNC Provider uses the Microsoft Client (through the CIFS/SMB protocol) to increase the speed of customer access to network policies and applications.
For more information, see "Understanding the ZENworks Multiple UNC Provider" in the Novell ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management Administration Guide.
ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management supports Windows naming conventions with regard to the format that users enter when they log in.
The e-mail naming format and the dotted name naming format (for example, joe.black.users.mycompany) are both acceptable for authentication with the Desktop Management Agent.
For more information, see "E-Mail and Dotted Name Login Support" in the Novell ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management Administration Guide.
Large organizations might use multiple repositories for storing and managing user identification and user-specific information. Although the network directory is often the authoritative source for authentication, other sources, such as applications or databases owned by Human Resources, also play a significant role in managing users.
If your organization uses Novell eDirectoryTM and DirXML® to aggregate the user information and identification data from multiple areas, you can deploy a dedicated eDirectory tree for exclusive ZENworks use. This "workforce tree" is a way that you can control or limit the source from which desktop applications or workstation policies are available so that users receive them from a single source.
You can deploy a ZENworks tree without requiring changes to the corporate directory where your users authenticate. This makes it possible to deploy ZENworks Desktop Management without affecting the current tools, identity management processes, or authentication processes you currently have in place. It also allows you to create and manage ZENworks objects in a single tree.
You designate a ZENworks tree during the ZENworks Desktop Management Agent installation program. For more information, see "Manual Installation Procedure" in the Novell ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management Installation Guide and "Using a ZENworks Tree" in the Novell ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management Administration Guide.
The Desktop Management Agent Distributor facilitates the initial deployment and future upgrades of the ZENworks Desktop Management Agent through the use of Microsoft Domains and Active Directory. The distributor uses Microsoft Domains and Active Directory when selecting target workstations and during deployment of the ZENworks Agent to those same target workstations.
For more information about the distributor, see Using the Desktop Management Agent Distributor to Deploy the Agent to Workstations in a Microsoft Domain.