Before you upgrade to ZfD 4.x, it will be necessary to upgrade either the Novell Client or to install the ZfD Management Agent. One of these will be used as your means to authenticate to eDirectory. See the following sections:
Although ZfD 4.x can manage workstations in the enterprise whether those workstations have the Novell Client installed or not, most administrators who upgrade from an earlier version of ZENworks for Desktops will probably want to continue to use the client after the upgrade. The client has significant performance and scalability advantages for accessing eDirectory and network servers.
If you want your users to continue using the Novell Client to access the network after you install ZfD 4.x, the user workstations need to have at least the minimum version of the client. Check the workstations for the minimum version required for ZfD 4.x and, if possible, upgrade to the most current version. You can obtain the latest Novell Client from the Novell Product Download Web site.
NOTE: If you continue to use the Novell Client after installing ZfD 4.x, the client will not authenticate through the ZfD Middle Tier Server if the workstation is inside the corporate firewall. For more information, see The Role of the Novell Client in Understanding the Novell Client in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Administration Guide.
| Workstation OS | Novell Client Version (minimum) | Novell Client Version (recommended) |
|---|---|---|
Windows 98 SE |
3.30 |
3.32 SP2 |
Windows NT 4 |
4.80 |
4.83 SP2 |
Windows 2000 |
4.80 |
4.83 SP2 |
Windows XP |
4.82 |
4.83 SP2 |
You can automatically update the Novell Client by using the Automatic Client Update (ACU). ACU can be delivered through a login script by a ZfD application. For more information about ACU and other Client upgrade information, see Installing Novell Clients in the Novell Client for Windows Installation and Administration Guide.
ZfD 4.x requires the installation of the ZfD Management Agent, even if you intend to use the client exclusively for authentication. ZfD 4.x management components that also update the client for use with ZfD 4.x are included in the agent installation program.
When you have updated the Novell Client and the ZENworks Server, you need to install the ZfD Management Agent on the user workstations. This installation updates the Novell Application Launcher, Workstation Manager, and Remote Management software on the user workstation. It also installs the Workstation Inventory agent and the Image Safe Data service.
You can uninstall the Novell Client from user workstations after you deploy the ZfD Management Agent as the exclusive means for users to authenticate to eDirectory. In this sense, ZfD 4.x can be "clientless;" that is, ZfD 4.x does not require the Novell Client if users log in with the ZfD Management Agent. For more information, see Using the Novell Client in a ZfD 4.x Environment in The Role of the Novell Client in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Administration Guide.
The workstation functionality afforded by ZENworks for Desktops 4.x components is available only if you install the ZfD Management Agent. This is true even if you currently have the Novell Client installed on that workstation. The ZfD Management Agent installation removes the ZfD features that were previously installed by the Novell Client and replaces them with selected ZfD workstation features.
The following tasks must be performed if you want to install the ZfD Management Agent on workstations that are currently using ZfD 3.x:
The ZfD Management Agent installation program, zfdagent.msi, requires a minimum of Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) 1.11 technology during the installation process. You can upgrade Windows 98 and Windows NT 4 workstations that have a pre-1.11 version of MSI by manually installing version MSI 1.11 (or later) with administrator rights on every workstation prior to the installation.
The following table lists the versions of the MSI that should already be installed on Windows workstations.
NOTE: You should consider whether to upgrade all of the user workstations to use the same version of the MSI engine.
For your convenience, MSI 2.0 for Windows NT/2000 or Windows 98 is available in the \windows installer folder of the ZENworks for Desktops Companion CD or the ZENworks 6 Companion 1 CD.
For detailed information about Microsoft Windows Installer, see the MSI Web site.
If the MSI engine needs to be installed, you can use the Novell Application Launcher in ZfD 3.x to install it with a Simple Application distribution.
From the ZENworks for Desktops Companion CD or the ZENworks 6 Companion 1 CD, copy the appropriate MSI engine installer utility to your ZENworks Server.
Using the newly installed ZfD 4.x snap-ins in ConsoleOne, create a Simple Application object for the version of the MSI engine you want to install.
NOTE: If you want to install both versions, you must create a Simple Application object for each version.
After you name the simple application, enter the path to the location from which the application's executable file will run. Include the executable file in the path. Because the Application Launcher will copy the file to a target directory on the workstation, specify the path as it will exist after the file is copied to the target directory.
Example: c:\temp\instmsiw.exe
Define the system requirements that a workstation must meet before the MSI engine application will be distributed to it.
For more information, see Configuring the Application in eDirectory in Distributing Applications to Users and Workstations in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Administration Guide.
Associate the application object to users or imported workstations > select the characteristics you want to apply to the association.
We recommend that you select the Force Run characteristic for the association so that the Application object will run as soon as the Application Launcher or Workstation Helper starts and the Application object is available.
For more information, see Configuring the Application in eDirectory in Distributing Applications to Users and Workstations in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Administration Guide.
Configure the Simple Application object.
In the Application object Properties page, click the Distribution Options tab > Application Files.
You need to add the file to the Application Files list so that the Application Launcher will copy it to the workstation. For more information, see the online help in ConsoleOne.
Click Add > File > fill in the following fields:
Source File: Select the MSI engine installer utility you want copied to the workstation (for example, q:\public\zenworks\instmsiw.exe).
Target File: Enter the full path, including the file name, where you want the file copied (for example, c:\temp\instmsiw.exe).
Click OK to add the file to the list > click OK to save the Application Object information.
In the Application object Properties page, click the Run Options tab > Environment > select the Run Normal option > set the Executable Security Level to Run as Unsecure System User > click OK to save the Application Object information.
The MSI Engine will be installed as soon as the Application Launcher starts and the Application object is available.
The MSI engine installs an executable that will be used later for installing the ZfD Agent MSI. The MSI engine installer utility installs this file, called msiexec.exe, in the windows_drive:windows_directory\system directory of the workstation.
The zfdagent.msi package is a complex application that will install many files and make many configuration changes to the workstation.The most efficient method for installing the ZfD Management Agent is to distribute it to workstations as an MSI application using the Novell Application Launcher. The Novell Application Launcher not only distributes the Agent MSI package, it also calls the Windows Installer to perform the installation on the workstation.
This section provides the steps for configuring the MSI package for distribution with the Application Launcher, including:
When you download ZfD4 SP1, you should copy the zfdagent.msi file to a network server location that will be accessible later to the Novell Application Launcher.
When you run the MSI download file, or when you browse the \agentinstall directory of the ZENworks for Desktops Program CD or the \zenworks for desktops 4.0.1 directory on the ZENworks 6 Desktop Management Program CD, you will see the following language folders and files:
In ConsoleOne, right-click the container where you want to create the Application object > click New > click Object to display the New Object dialog box.
In the New Application dialog box, select the Application That Has an .MSI File option > click Next.
Specify the path to the network location where you copied the .msi file.
Click Next > modify the fields as necessary to customize the Application object.
Click Next > define the system requirements that a workstation must meet before the Agent MSI will be distributed to it.
Click Next > associate the Agent MSI Application object with the users to whom you want to distribute it.
NOTE: Upgrading the ZfD Management Agent (including an agent updated with support patches) requires that you associate the SP1/4.0.1 Agent MSI package to users rather than workstations. Workstation associated applications will accept only one MSI property at a time. This is a known Novell Application Launcher issue that is fixed in ZfD 4 SP1; that is, it is corrected when the ZfD 4.0.1/SP1 Management Agent is installed on the workstation.
Click Next > review the Application object settings > click Finish to create the Application object.
IMPORTANT: Before you distribute the Agent MSI (or any MSI package) using the Novell Application Launcher, we recommend that you make sure the Agent MSI application object is set to Force Cache and that the user credentials on the local workstation, in eDirectory, and in Active Directory (if used) are synchronized.
For more information about creating an MSI Application object, see Creating the Application Object from a Windows Installer (.MSI) File in Configuring the Application in eDirectory in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Administration Guide.
This section explains the other MSI Application object configurations that you should be aware of.
If the workstation receiving the distribution already has the original ZfD 4 Management Agent installed, we recommend that you do not configure the distribution of the ZfD Management Agent MSI with the User Interface Level set at Full or Reduced. Doing so will generate a Windows error message stating that the file you are trying to uninstall is in use.
If you configure the MSI Application object for a manual uninstall in the Application Window, a similar error will be displayed.
When the error message is displayed, users can click Ignore to continue with the MSI installation. All of the necessary agent files will be copied to the workstation.
By default, all of the following features are installed by the ZfD 4 SP1/4.0.1 MSI Agent package:
Application Management: This feature uses the Novell Application Launcher to provide users access to workstation applications that the administrator can install and then manage.
Workstation Manager: This feature lets administrators configure and manage workstations by using eDirectory.
Workstation Inventory: This feature helps administrators collect hardware and software inventory information from scanned workstations.
Remote Management: This feature lets an administrator manage remote workstations from a remote console. Workstation Manager is selected by default when you select this feature.
Mirror Driver: This feature provides video adapter independence and co-existence with other Remote Control Solutions. If this feature is selected, the MSI installation overrides video driver checks and suppresses any Windows messages. If you do not want this driver, you can deselect it and the default optimization driver will be installed.
NOTE: The Mirror Driver is not yet signed by Microsoft.
Workstation Imaging: This feature lets an administrator take an image of a workstation's hard drive and put it on other workstations over the network.
If you want to modify this default install, you can add MSI features as public properties of the zfdagent.msi Application object. Use the following steps to modify the list of installed features:
On the Properties page of the MSI tab of the Application Object, click Add to display the Select Property to Add dialog box.
In the Value Name field, enter ADDLOCAL as the property name, then specify the property's value in the Value Data field. Use one or more of the following feature names as a property value:
You can add more than one of these values to the list by separating them with a comma (no spaces). For example, if you wanted to add Application Launcher and Workstation Manager as features, you would type ADDLOCAL as the property and ApplicationLauncher,WorkstationManager as the values for that property.
Click OK to add the property to the Properties list.
If you want to run the Agent MSI in silent mode, set the User Interface Level to Silent on the Icon page of the Identification tab of the object properties. If you run the installation in this mode, you can add other properties to the object.
These properties and their values (including definitions for the values) are listed in the table below. If one of these properties is listed without a value, it will use the default value.
If you want to install to a single workstation at a time, you can install zfdagent.msi manually. For more information, see Manually Installing the ZfD Management Agent in Installing in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Installation Guide.
When completed with both manual command line parameters and MSI installation properties, the parameter field might look like this:
/i zfdagent.msi /qb STARTUP_APPEXPLORER=1
Because the Parameters field of the Application object has a line length limitation, you might not be able to add a large number of MSI Installation properties. To work around this limitation, you can do one of two things:
For more information about using the Wise InstallTailor, see Wise InstallTailor in the ZENworks for Desktops 4 Installation Guide.
For information about how to install and use orca.exe, see the Microsoft Knowledgebase Article 255905 at the Microsoft Support Web site.