Staging And Grouping - Novell ZENWORKS 10 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT SP3 - SYSTEM PLANNING-DEPLOYMENT-BEST PRACTICES GUIDE 10.3 30-03-2010 System Planning Manual

Rights: When files are stored in a traditional file and print model, the rights to these locations
must be managed carefully. If users roam between sites, they might need access to all
application repositories to ensure that applications can be installed and verified at any location.
With ZENworks Configuration Management, bundles can be created to install applications
from mapped network drives and UNC paths as before. If you used mapped drives and UNC
paths, file synchronization and the rights to those files must be managed outside of ZENworks
Configuration Management.
ZENworks Configuration Management also allows for application content to be injected in to the
ZENworks Content Repository. By default, the Content Repository is synchronized between all
Primary Servers and is downloaded by devices using HTTP. You can, however, specify which
Primary Servers host content (at least one Primary Server must host the content).
Using the ZENworks Content Repository has the following advantages:
Synchronization: Content is automatically synchronized to other Primary Servers and Satellite
devices. This allows devices to download content from the most appropriate location.
Rights: Rights to files do not need to be managed. Only device and users who are assigned to
the content in ZENworks Configuration Management have access to that content. If a user
accesses a ZENworks Content Repository, the content files are encrypted and cannot be used.
In a traditional model, a user with read access to an application store has the ability to manually
install any application that resides there.
Content is firewall and location friendly: Files are delivered encrypted over HTTP. This
means that there is no need for the user to have the correct drive mapping with the necessary
rights. If the user has been assigned the content, it is downloaded via HTTP from the most
suitable location.
Downsides to using the Content Repository include the following:
Disk Space: Additional disk space is required. Many customers have extremely large
application repositories distributed over many servers. These repositories must be re-created in
ZENworks Configuration Management. If a customer has a 100 GB application repository,
ZENworks Configuration Management requires at least 100 GB on each Primary Server to
store applications, in additional to the space needed for other content, such as patches and
system updates.
MSI applications cannot be easily changed: After an MSI application is uploaded to the
Content Repository, it cannot be changed. To make changes, the original MSI must be updated
and then re-injected back into the Content Repository. In this scenario, a master store of all
applications must reside outside of ZENworks Configuration Management to allow for edits.

Staging and Grouping

Grouping devices is very important in ZENworks Configuration Management because it allows
applications, policies, and system updates to be deployed in a staged fashion.
We recommend that the following groups are identified in your customer environment:
Test devices: Identify test devices that are first to receive updates. Ensure that build versions
are represented for each operating system in the field.
IT departments: Identify IT staff that are typically the first users to receive live updates and
applications.
Gathering Critical Information for Design Activities 23