Agent-Server Communication - McAfee EPOLICY ORCHESTRATOR 3.6 - WALKTHROUGH GUIDE Manual

®
ePolicy Orchestrator 3.6 Walkthrough Guide

Agent-server communication

Next Create Package
6 Click . The
creation.
Next Finish
7 Click , then .
You can distribute the custom installation package file as needed.
If you plan to deploy the custom installation package with ePolicy Orchestrator, check
the package into your master repository.
During agent-server communication, the agent and server exchange information using
SPIPE, a proprietary network protocol used by ePolicy Orchestrator for secure network
transmissions. At each communication, the agent collects its current system properties
and events, then sends them to the server. The server sends any new or changed
policies, tasks, and repository list to the agent. The agent then enforces the new
policies locally on the managed system.
Agent and server communication can be initiated in three ways:
Agent-to-server-communication
Agent-server communication after agent startup on page
Wakeup calls on page 32.
Agent-to-server-communication interval
The agent-to-server-communication interval (ASCI) is set on the
Agent 3.5.0
policy pages. This setting determines how often the agent calls into the
server for data exchange and updated instructions. By default, the ASCI is set to 60
minutes. With this setting, the agent checks into the server once every hour. This is a
configurable setting on the agent policy pages.
Best practices information
When considering whether to leave this policy setting at the default, or to modify it, you
must consider your organization's threat response requirements, available bandwidth,
and the hardware hosting the server. Be aware that ASCI communication can generate
significant network traffic, especially in a large network. In such a case, you probably
have agents in remote sites connecting to the server over slower network connections.
For these agents, you may want to set a less frequent ASCI. The following table lists
general ASCI recommendations for several common network connection speeds.
Table 4-1 General recommended ASCI settings
Network Size
Gigabit LAN
100 LAN
MB
WAN
* Dial-up or RAS
10 LAN
MB
Wireless LAN
* When you connect to a corporate intranet via dial-up or RAS, the agent communicates to the
ePolicy Orchestrator server when the connection is detected.
dialog box appears, showing the progress of the
interval.
Recommended ASCI
60 minutes
60 minutes
360 minutes
360 minutes
180 minutes
150 minutes
31
Deploying the Agent and Products
ePolicy Orchestrator agent
32.
General ePO
tab of the
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