Server – Preferred Server with Ivanti EPM

Server Preferred Server – Set up preferred servers in EPM to optimize WAN usage, configure shares, accounts, replication, and server settings.

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Server Preferred Server – Using preferred servers on remote sites helps limit WAN bandwidth usage. Planning is necessary to copy sources to remote sites.

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Server Preferred Server – For provisioning, you need to configure at least the core server with its name and the read account in the preferred servers. If you want to do provisioning without remote sites, only refer to the chapter: SETTING UP THE PREFERRED SERVER For the core server

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Definition

  • Sources: Location where application sources, drivers, and patches are stored
  • The replicator: A server or Windows PC with the LANDesk agent used to copy sources from the repository to a preferred server
  • A preferred server: A relay for clients where the sources are located. LANDesk clients will use this preferred server instead of pointing to the source
Server Preferred Server screenshot

Prerequisites

Accounts

Server Preferred Server – Two accounts will be necessary:

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • A service account with read rights on the UNC share
  • A service account with write rights on the UNC share

Share on the Core Server

Server Preferred Server – At a minimum, you will need:

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • A UNC share on the core server or a third-party file server
  • An HTTP share on the core server

Preferred Server Installation

EPM Agent

Server Preferred Server – A specific agent will be needed for the preferred server. It is not mandatory, but it is advisable to change the sdmcache folder location to avoid saturating the system partition.

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Server Preferred Server – When creating your EPM agent for the preferred server:

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • Modify the cache folder to be on the same partition as the UNC share
Modifying the cache folder location

Server Preferred Server – Then install this agent on your preferred servers

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

UNC and HTTP Share

Server Preferred Server – On your EPM core server, you have:

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • 1 UNC share on the repository
  • 1 HTTP share

Server Preferred Server – On your preferred server, you will need the same shares (same name, same rights)

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Server Preferred Server – For example:

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • On the core server, you will have CoreShare and http://Core/Share
  • On the preferred server, you will need NASorCLIENTShare and http://NASorCLIENT/Share

UNC Share

  • Create the Windows share with full control for everyone
Creating a Windows share
  • Add the LDMSread account with read permissions and the LDMSwrite account with write permissions in NTFS permissions
Setting NTFS permissions

Creating the HTTP Share

Server Preferred Server – On Windows 2012 R2 or later

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • In IIS, create a new virtual directory
Creating a virtual directory in IIS
  • Specify the directory name and specify a domain or local account with rights to this folder (if the path is different from the IIS virtual directory)
Specifying the directory name
  • Ensure that anonymous authentication and Windows authentication are allowed
Configuring authentication
  • Enable directory browsing for the virtual directory
Enabling directory browsing
  • In your browser, verify that you have access to the files

Server Preferred Server – Note: In case of an error (e.g., using a NAS), you can convert the virtual directory to an Application

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Preferred Server Configuration

Configuration Menu

Server Preferred Server – The rest of this chapter will be done in the preferred server configuration menu

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • In Tools Distribution Content Replication Preferred Servers
Preferred server configuration menu

For the Core Server

  • Create a new preferred server
Creating a new preferred server
  • Add the UNC path of the core server with:
    • Its name (preferably use the FQDN)
    • An account with read rights on the share
Adding the UNC path of the core server
  • Also specify an account with write rights on the share

Server Preferred Server – This setting will only be necessary if you are capturing OS images with provisioning

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

Server Preferred Server –

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

For the Preferred Servers

Sources

Server Preferred Server – One or more sources will need to be configured to schedule copying to the preferred servers

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.

  • Create a new source
Creating a new source
  • Specify:
    • Name
    • UNC or HTTP path
    • The read account if it is a UNC path
Specifying source details
  • Enable the Mirroring option to remove deleted files from the preferred server
Enabling the Mirroring option
  • Select the server responsible for listing files. Generally, this is the core server
Selecting the server responsible for listing files

Preferred Server Configuration

  • Create a new preferred server
Creating a new preferred server
  • Specify the preferred server name
Specifying the preferred server name
  • Specify the IP ranges allowed to connect to the preferred server. Otherwise, all EPM clients can connect
Specifying the IP ranges
  • Specify the remote site computer that will copy the sources to the preferred server (the replicator)
Specifying the replicator
  • In sources, select the source created previously
  • Specify an account with write rights on the shares on the preferred server
Selecting the source
  • You can then either manually start replication or schedule it
Starting or scheduling replication

Server Preferred Server – Note: Declaring a new preferred server is applied to clients within 24 hours

Useful external reference: Ivanti resources.