Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management

August 2, 2006

Table of Contents

1.0 Overview

The issues included in this document were initially identified when Novell® ZENworks® 7 Linux Management released and then reviewed and edited when the product was updated with Interim Release 1 (IR1) on July 17, 2006. For details about issues corrected with IR1, see TID 9183 in the Novell Support site. Ensure that you click the Search by TID ID check box before performing the search.

For installation instructions, see the Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management Installation Guide.

For administration concepts and tasks, see the Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management Administration Guide.

For troubleshooting information, see the Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management Troubleshooting Guide.

2.0 Readme Updates

The following sections contain information about the issues that have been documented since ZENworks 7 Linux Management first shipped:

3.0 Known Issues

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you install and use ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.1 Installation

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you install ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.1.1 Installing ZENworks Linux Management on a Minimal Installation of SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9

Before installing ZENworks Linux Management on a SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 machine with a Minimal installation, you must install the glib2, XFree86-libs-32 bit, and compat-32bit packages to the device. For more information, see the System Requirements section of the Novell ZENworks 7 Linux Management Installation Guide.

3.1.2 Upgrade: Empty Bundles Being Created for Non-Supported SUSE Patches

By design, the zlm-upgrade utility does not migrate any package whose target platform is not supported in ZENworks 7 Linux Management. However, because SUSE® LINUX patches contain a general patch file and a target-specific RPM package, zlm-upgrade migrates the general patch file from a SUSE patch to a bundle but does not include the target-specific RPM package if the package is for a non-supported platform. The workaround is to use the ZENworks Control Center or zlman utility to remove the bundle after migration.

3.2 Administration

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you perform administrative tasks using ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.2.1 ZENworks Control Center: Device Status Not Updating

In the ZENworks Control Center, if you acknowledge all events on a device whose status is Critical but the device's status is not updated to Normal in the device list (Device tab > Servers or Device tab > Workstations), you need to ensure that the time on all of your ZENworks Servers is synchronized.

3.2.2 ZENworks Control Center: Name Filtering in the Select Object Dialog Box

When using the Item Name field in the Select Objects dialog box to search for a specific object in the list, you must append * to the name. For example, if you are looking for a bundle named Bundle1, you must enter Bundle1*.

3.2.3 ZENworks Control Center: Leaving a Secure Connection Message Displaying When Using the Internet Explorer Web Browser

If you are accessing the ZENworks Control Center from Internet Explorer and you receive a Leaving Secure Connection message whenever you perform an action, make sure that you are using a supported IE version and that it has the latest patches installed. The minimum supported versions are:

  • Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 for all Windows* operating systems other than Windows XP.
  • Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2 for Windows XP.

For the latest Internet Explorer patches, see the Microsoft Help and Support site.

3.2.4 zlman: workstation-list and server-list Not Displaying Folders

The screen output for the zlman workstation-list command and zlman server-list command includes a Folder column that should display the folder where the device resides. The column is not displaying the folder information.

3.2.5 zlman: catalog-add-bundle Help Includes Incorrect Options

The Help output for the zlman catalog-add bundle (zlman catalog-add-bundle --help) includes options that do not apply when adding a bundle to a catalog. These options are:

  • --prepare-time=
  • --prepare-date=
  • --time=
  • --date=
  • --now
  • --relative=
  • --weekly=
  • --monthly-
  • --yearly=
  • --repeat=
  • --gmt
3.2.6 zlmmirror: Timeout Occurs before Remote Server Response

When mirroring software to your primary server, if a timeout occurs before the remote server responds to the mirror request, you can increase the default timeout period (30 seconds). To do so, use the following option with zlmmirror:

zlmmirror --remote-timeout=seconds

For example:

zlmmirror --remote-timeout=60

3.2.7 Command Line Utilities: Man Pages Do Not Work on SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server

On some distributions of SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9, the ZENworks Linux Management man pages might not work. This is an issue with the operating system overwriting the MANPATH during user login.

To resolve this issue, you can add the following paths to the MANPATH:

/opt/novell/zenworks/share/man
/usr/share/man

3.3 ZENworks Agent

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you install and use the ZENworks 7 Linux Management Agent.

3.3.1 Directories Mounted over NFS

On managed devices, do not mount the following directories over NFS: /etc, /opt, /usr, /home, /var, and /root. The ZENworks Agent (zmd) is not designed to work with these directories mounted over NFS, so this configuration is not supported.

3.3.2 Deleted System Variables Not Removed

If you delete a system variable from the ZENworks Control Center (Configuration tab > System Variables or Devices tab > device details > Settings tab > System Variables), the system variable is not removed from managed devices. You can work around this issue by deleting the system variable and adding another system variable. In this case, the deleted system variable is correctly removed (and the new one added) when the managed devices refresh.

3.4 Package Management

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Package Management features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.4.1 Novell Linux Desktop SP2

Novell® Linux Desktop SP2 includes a package for Brazilian spell check dictionaries. The package is named myspell-brazilian and is version 20020806, release 1.1. The package is identical to the package released with Novell Linux Desktop, with the exception of the build date. Because of this, the ZENworks Control Center or zlman utility does not add the SP2 myspell-brazilian package to a bundle if the original package is already present. Because the packages are identical, you can skip adding the SP2 myspell-brazilian package.

3.4.2 Replacing a Package in a Bundle

When you are using the ZENworks Control Center to replace a package in a bundle, do not use the Remove button to remove the package. If you do so, the bundle version does not increment correctly. Instead, leave the package in the list and use the Upload RPM button to upload the replacement package. This ensures that the bundle version increments correctly.

3.4.3 Rollback Not Reinstalling Removed Packages

If you use the rug utility to remove a package (rug rm package) and then try to use the rollback option (rug ro) to rollback the remove operation (so that the package is still installed), the rollback fails. There is no workaround at this time.

3.4.4 The Install Schedule Does Not Display if All Schedules Are Set to None

In the Assignments section of a bundle's Summary page, the advanced properties include two schedule columns. The Schedule column is for the deploy schedule and the Install-Schedule column is for the install schedule. If none of the bundle's assignments includes an install schedule (in other words, the install schedule is No Schedule for all devices assigned to the bundle), the Install-Schedule column disappears and you have no way to edit the schedule. You must delete one of the assignments and add it again, making sure to select an install schedule other than No Schedule.

3.4.5 The Install Schedule Cannot Be Edited through the Device Summary Page

When you assign a bundle to a device, device group, or folder, you define a deploy schedule and an install schedule. After the assignment is made, you can modify the deploy schedule by going to the device's Summary page, clicking Advanced in the Effective Bundles section, and then clicking the Schedule link. However, you cannot edit the install schedule in this location. To edit the install schedule, you must go to the bundle's Summary page, click Advanced in the Assignments section, and then click the Install Schedule link.

3.4.6 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 4 Fails

Update 4 for Red Hat* Enterprise Linux 3 has an RPM database lock issue that cases the update to fail (see Article 4685 in the Red Hat Knowledgebase). To work around this issue when deploying the update through ZENworks, you can do the following:

  1. Mirror the update to your ZENworks primary server.

  2. Include the update bundle in a catalog and assign the catalog to the appropriate devices.

    Do the following at each device:

  3. Update the RHEL rpm module:

    /opt/novell/zenworks/bin/rug install rpm
    
  4. Stop the ZENworks Agent:

    /etc/init.d/novell-zmd stop
    
  5. Remove the RPM database locks. For instructions, see Article 4685 in the Red Hat Knowledgebase.

  6. Start the ZENworks Agent:

    /etc/init.d/novell-zmd start
    
  7. Complete the RHEL updates:

    /opt/novell/zenworks/bin/rug update
    
3.4.7 SUSE LINUX 9.3 YOU (YaST Online Update) Patch Fails

Some distributions of SUSE LINUX 9.3 have an issue with YOU patches failing to install on new installations. The cause is a bad signature verification because of a corrupt gpg file. The result is that the ZENworks Agent succeeds in rolling out a number of the patches and then fails to install the remaining patches.

You can resolve this issue by re-importing the SUSE signature keys into the RPM and patch information files. Instructions for doing so are located in the following documents:

3.4.8 Out of Memory Error when Distributing Large Packages to a Large Number of Devices

If you attempt to distribute a large package, such as NLD SP2, to a large number of devices, the ZENworks Agent issues an Out of Memory error and fails. To work around this issue, you can adjust several of the ZENworks Agent settings prior to distributing the package. After distribution of the package you should change the settings back to the defaults. Otherwise, when the user does a manual refresh of the agent (through the ZENworks Linux Management Update Client), the agent appears to hang.

You need to modify the following settings:

  • refresh-interval (in seconds): default = 7200; change to 604800
  • max-retries: default = 3; change to 23
  • retry-delay (in milliseconds): default = 2000; change to 300000

You use the rug utility to change these settings. The commands are:

/opt/novell/zenworks/bin/rug set-prefs refresh-interval=604800/opt/novell/zenworks/bin/rug set-prefs max-retries=23/opt/novell/zenworks/bin/rug set-prefs retry-delay=300000

You can include the rug commands in a pre-distribution script for the RPM package bundle and use a post-distribution script to change the settings back to their defaults. Or, you can define a Remote Execute policy that includes the rug commands and then run the Remote Execute policy prior to the distribution of the RPM package. You also need a Remote Execute policy to change the settings back to their defaults.

3.5 Policy Management

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Policy Management features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.5.1 Policy Enforcer Errors

After you install the ZENworks Agent using the -x option (zlm-install -a -x), the device's Event Log in the ZENworks Control Center displays the following messages:

The enforcer executable, /opt/novell/zenworks/lib64/zmd/modules/policymanager/enforcers/nldenf, could not be located.
The enforcer executable, /opt/novell/zenworks/lib64/zmd/modules/policymanager/enforcers/gconfenf, could not be located.
The enforcer executable, /opt/novell/zenworks/lib64/zmd/modules/policymanager/enforcers/firefoxenf, could not be located.
The enforcer executable, /opt/novell/zenworks/lib64/zmd/modules/policymanager/enforcers/epienf, could not be located.
The enforcer executable, /opt/novell/zenworks/lib64/zmd/modules/policymanager/enforcers/evoenf, could not be located.

The -x option causes the installation program to not install any packages that require the X Window System*. Therefore, the Generic GNOME policy, Novell Linux Desktop policy, Firefox policy, Epiphany policy, and Evolution policy enforcers are not installed on the device, causing the above messages to be generated. You can ignore the messages.

3.5.2 Repeating or Random Schedules

Policies with a repeating or random schedule (Day of the Week Specific, Monthly, Date Specific) that use GMT do not run if the start time and end time span midnight local time. For example, if the GMT start time corresponds to 11:30 p.m. local time and the end time corresponds to 12:15 a.m. local time, the policy does not run. The solution is to ensure that policy schedules that use GMT do not have start times that span midnight.

3.5.3 Concurrent Session Policy Enforcement

If two or more users are using the same device concurrently, they should not log in at the same time. When logging in, each user should wait for a few seconds after the previous user has logged in. Otherwise, enforcement of policies for some users might fail.

3.5.4 Firefox Policy: Toolbar Behavior

The Disable Javascript Control of Window Chrome setting in the Firefox* policy does not affect the toolbar behavior in the Firefox browser.

3.5.5 NLD Policy: Background Lockdown

In the Novell Linux Desktop policy, locking the Background Position and Background Shade settings does not prevent users from launching the desktop background application to change the background position and shade.

3.5.6 Evolution Policy: Save Password Setting

In the Evolution policy, locking down the Save Password Option settings does not disable the Remember Password option in the Evolution client's Account Settings.

3.6 Imaging

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Imaging features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.6.1 Add-On Image Files

To add an Add-On Image file to an Image bundle, you must run the ZENworks Control Center from the ZENworks Server where the Add-On Image file is located. For example, if the Add-On Image file is located on a secondary server, you must run the ZENworks Control Center from the secondary server, not the primary server. Otherwise, when adding the image you receive the following error message: The server selected is not valid.

Directories created from an Add-On Image file do not inherit rights from their new parent directories. You need to set the directory rights.

3.6.2 Double-Byte Characters

The Imaging engine does not support double-byte characters in image filenames. The ZENworks Control Center allows you to enter a double-byte character, but the Imaging Server does not recognized it. Therefore, do not use double-byte characters in the names of image files.

3.6.3 Red Hat Logical Volumes Appear as Unknown

The Imaging engine does not correctly identify Red Hat Logical Volumes, causing them to appear as unknown.

3.6.4 Imaging Fails after Removing the ZEN Partition

After removing the ZEN partition from a device, you must reboot the device before applying an image. Otherwise, the image downloads successfully but the device fails to boot.

3.6.5 The Device's Computer Name Is Not Updated

If you use the Image-Safe Data (ISD) Editor to change the computer name of the device, you must enter the name in the DNS Host Name field, not in the Computer Name field. When the update occurs, the computer name is pulled from the DNS Host Name field, not the Computer Name field.

3.6.6 Excluded Files and Directories Are Restored When Using Multicast Bundles

When using a multicast bundle, if you exclude a file or directory from one of the image's file sets and then image a device using the file set, the file or directory is still laid down. This applies only to multicast bundles.

3.6.7 Previous Scripts Changed During Versioning

If you define a post-distribution or post-installation script for a bundle and then change the script, a new version of the bundle is created. After you deploy the new version of the bundle, the Executable Type field and Script to Run field on the pre-distribution or pre-installation scripts for the old version are changed to Script and Specify a File. If you want to retain the original settings, you must manually reset them.

3.7 Inventory

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Inventory features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.7.1 Hardware Inventory Refresh Schedule Not Working

The hardware inventory for a managed device is collected and sent to the ZENworks Server when the ZENworks Agent is installed and first started.

After the first inventory collection, the default schedule for refreshing the hardware inventory data is once every 24 hours at midnight, with an option that allows you to change the time of day when the 24-hour refresh occurs. However, this 24-hour refresh schedule does not work.

Because inventory is also refreshed automatically every time the ZENworks Agent restarts, you can work around this schedule issue by creating a Remote Execute policy that restarts the agent. An example of a Remote Execute policy to restart the ZENworks Agent is as follows:

  • Executable Type: Select the Script option.

  • Script to Run: Select the Define Your Own Script option. Use the following script:

    sleep 60
    /etc/init.d/novell-zmd begin-restart
    
  • Schedule Type: Select the Day of the Week Specific option and specify a day (for example, Tuesday).

  • Schedule Execution: Select the Start Immediately at Start Time and Then Repeat Until End Time Every xx option. Specify 0 hours and 0 minutes as the repeat time and specify a start and end time with a short interval (for example, 1:00 am to 1:05 am).

3.8 Remote Management

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Remote Management features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.8.1 Remote Login Session Displays as a Gray Screen with X Cursor

If you select the Remote Login operation from the Remote Management dialog box, the launched session shows only a gray screen with an X cursor because XDMCP is not enabled on the managed device.

To work around this issue, you can manually enable XDMCP by running /opt/novell/zenworks/bin/novell-rm-fixrl.sh with the required options. Use novell-rm-fixrl.sh -help to view the options.

If you use the -restartdm option, make sure that all applications are closed, then run the script from the text console.

For example, if you use the gdm display manager with the configuration file that is located at /etc/opt/gnome/gdm/dgm.conf, you can enable XDMCP using the following command:

#/opt/novell/zenworks/bin/novell-rm-fixrl.sh -dm gdm -cf /etc/opt/gnome/gdm/gdm.conf enable
3.8.2 CoRRE Encoding is Not Supported with Remote Control

If CoRRE encoding is selected in the Remote Management Viewer window, the Remote Control session fails.

3.8.3 Running novell-rm-fixrl.sh with the -r Option Causes the Screen to Go Blank

On Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS release 4, ensure that all applications are closed before running the novell-rm-fixrl.sh script with the -r option. Alternatively, run novell-rm-fixrl.sh without the -r option to enable XDMCP and restart gdm manually.

3.9 Reporting

This section contains information about the issues that might occur when you use the Reporting features of ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

3.9.1 Java SQL Exception When Generating a Report

If you are using an Oracle* database for your ZENworks Data Store and you receive the following error message when generating a report, you need to increase the size of the Oracle TEMP datafile:

java sql exception -- ORA-01652 unable to extend temp segment by 128 in tablspace TEMP

Refer to your Oracle documentation for instructions and size recommendations for the TEMP datafile.

3.9.2 HTTP 500 outofmemory Java Exception

This exception can occur if the report you are generating contains a large amount of data. To resolve this issue, increase the JRE* memory allocation to 512 MB.

3.9.3 Report Limitation on the Number of Included Records

The maximum number of records that can be included in a single report is 25,000.

4.0 Documentation Conventions

In this documentation, a greater-than symbol (>) is used to separate actions within a step and items in a cross-reference path.

A trademark symbol (®, TM, etc.) denotes a Novell trademark; an asterisk (*) denotes a third-party trademark.

5.0 Legal Notices

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Further, Novell, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to any software, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Novell, Inc. reserves the right to make changes to any and all parts of Novell software, at any time, without any obligation to notify any person or entity of such changes.

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Novell, Inc. has intellectual property rights relating to technology embodied in the product that is described in this document. In particular, and without limitation, these intellectual property rights may include one or more of the U.S. patents listed at http://www.novell.com/company/legal/patents and one or more additional patents or pending patent applications in the U.S. and in other countries.

Novell and ZENworks are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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