ZENworks Linux Management Architecture

The simplest ZENworks Linux Management deployment consists of a single server and a single client machine. The client runs the Red Carpet^TM Daemon, rcd, and fetches updates automatically, or at the user's direction, using the rug or red-carpet programs.

The ZENworks Linux Management server uses an XML-RPC interface to communicate with a variety of clients and other systems. Although remote access to the XML-RPC interface is possible, the ZENworks Linux Management server components are intended to run locally on the ZENworks Linux Management server, and are supported only when running locally.

The XML-RPC interface feeds into the core components of the server, which work with Apache, a database, and the package repository.

Similarly, the client daemon, rcd, uses an XML-RPC interface to accept commands from rug and red-carpet, remotely or locally. Additional modules provide the client with the ability to interact with the ZENworks Linux Management server for extended functionality.