The ZENworks Middle Tier Server is installed on a Windows server, a NetWare® server, or a Linux where a Web server (that is, Windows IIS on a Windows server or the Apache Web server on a NetWare server, OES Linux server, or a SLES 9 SP1 server) is already installed. The modules of the Middle Tier Server plug in to the Web server software and act as a Web service. The Middle Tier Server allows access to Novell eDirectory™ and the Windows file system (if running on a Windows server), the NetWare file system (if running on a NetWare server), or the Linux file system (if running on a SLES 9.x, SLES 10 (only on ZENworks 7 with SP1), or OES Linux server) for the users and workstations inside or outside the firewall.
Using ZENworks Desktop Management through the Desktop Management Agent and the Middle Tier Server, users can access their applications and policies through a Web server interface. For diagrams showing how the Middle Tier Server works, see Section 5.0, Process Flow in ZENworks Desktop Management.