You can install the database to both NetWare and Windows servers.
The installation program checks the version of the Sybase engine before updating it. If it doesn’t exist, or is an older version, Sybase software is installed.
IMPORTANT:Make sure you select a server for the database where you are installing the Subscriber/Policies option. The Purge Database option in the ZENworks Server Management policy (Distributed Server Package) works only if the Policy/Package Agent software and the zfslog.db file are located on the same server.
The installation program automatically creates a database object for each instance of the database that is installed, and you can select a database for the object during installation. You can install only one instance of the database per run of the installation program. The database object is installed to the same eDirectory container as the Server object for the server where the database file, zfslog.db, is also installed.
Review the following to understand whether to have multiple database files:
Policy and Distribution Services can function normally without using a Server Management database, because it uses the zfslog.db file to only log information for reports. Zfslog.db for Policy and Distribution Services does not contain any configuration information. To obtain Distribution status information, use the Tiered Distribution View and the Remote Web Console options under the role in Novell iManager. Policy information (written to the database file) can be obtained through the canned reports available from the Tools menu in Novell ConsoleOne®.
The Distributor Agent writes its distribution status information (built, sent, received, extracted) and Server Software Package installation information to the database file (zfslog.db). The Policy/Package Agent writes policy enforcement successes and failures to the database file. This database information is used for the Policy and Distribution Services reports.
For the agents to know which database file they should write to, policies must be created for them. If not established during installation, the ZENworks Database policy can be used to associate (using the Service Location Package) so that the Distributor Agent can know where to write. The ZENworks Database policy is distributed (using the Distributed Server Package) to the Subscriber for the Policy/Package Agent to know where to write.
Policy and Distribution Services provides six predefined reports for the Server Policies component and four for the Tiered Electronic Distribution component. The report information is obtained from information logged to its database file. The reports listed in Table 10-2 are available:
Table 10-2 Policy and Distribution Services Reports
A selected report displays all of the applicable Server Policies or Tiered Electronic Distribution information currently logged in the database. The criteria you can specify for a report include date ranges, specific Distributions, Distribution versions, and so on.
You might want multiple databases for specialized reporting. For more information, see Advantages.
For information on reporting, see Section 11.0, Reporting.
Policy and Distribution Services supports multiple instances of the Server Management database per tree. However, we recommend that you install only one instance of the database per tree. Review the following:
The advantage in having only one database is that the Distribution information provided by all of the Distributor Agents and Policy/Package Agents can be displayed in a single report.
For example, with a single database, your software package information can be contained in one report:
The Distributor Agent’s information on building and sending the Software Package Distribution
The Policy/Package Agent’s information on extracting and installing the software package
The advantages in having multiple databases are:
Minimizing traffic over slow WAN links
For example, having a separate database for Policy/Package Agent logging on its server’s side of a WAN link.
Providing individual databases for specialized reporting
For example, if you have one database for the Distributor Agent (distributions) and one for the Policy/Package Agent (policies), the build and send information for the Software Package and Policy Package types of Distributions is written to the distributions instance of the database, and the software package installation and policy enforcement information is written to the policies instance of the database.
One zfslog.db file can receive log entries from multiple Distributors, and a Distributor can only log to one zfslog.db file. The following explains why:
For a Distributor Agent to locate a database file, it must have a ZENworks Database policy (Service Location Package) associated with a context above the Distributor’s object that points to the Database object, which contains the file’s location in its properties. (Distributors receive their policies through association.)
If you have separate databases installed on two or more of your Distributor servers, each database requires its own ZENworks Database policy for locating it (the policy points to the database’s object, which contains its file’s location).
Only one Service Location Package (which contains the ZENworks Database policy) can be associated with a given context, such as the container holding your Distributor objects.
Because only one Service Location Package can be associated with a given context, you must install your Distributor objects to different contexts to have multiple Distributors writing to their individual database files. Each Distributor would need its own database location policy that is associated with its own parent container.
For ease of management, you can keep your Distributor objects near each other by creating individual containers for each of them under the container where you usually place all of them. Then you can associate the different Service Location Packages with their appropriate Distributor’s unique parent containers.
To have all of your Distributors write to the same database file, place each of their Distributor objects somewhere under the container where you associate the Service Location Package. They would all use the same database location policy.
Consider the following to determine how many databases to have in the tree:
WAN traffic: Tiered Electronic Distribution does not perform a large number of database updates, so the actual impact on system resources should be minimal. The greatest impact could be the time it takes to perform the transaction. However, if you have slow WAN connections, you might not want database logging to occur over the WAN.
Multiple Distributors: If you have multiple Distributors in the tree, you can have one database for each, or have them share one or more databases. The type of Distributor reporting you want should determine whether to have a separate database for each. For example, are your Distributors specialized in the types of Distributions they’ll send?
Consolidated reporting: To have only one report for all of your Tiered Electronic Distribution information, install only one database object and file and have all Distributors log to that one file, regardless of WAN traffic considerations. Use the ZENworks Database policy (Service Location Package) to direct all Distributors to that database file.
Specialized reporting: You might want reports that are specific to a region or group of servers. You can install a database object and file for each such region and have the Distributors in those regions or server groups log to that database. Use a separate ZENworks Database policy (Service Location Package) to direct each Distributor to its desired database file.