Deploying Products

Question 1

What is global updating?

Answer 1

A process that automates replication to your distributed repositories and keeps managed systems current

Question 2

How is global updating initiated?

Answer 2

Checking in contents into the Master Repository initiates a global update

Question 3

What is the typical duration of a single global updating process?

Answer 3

An hour

Question 4

What is the best practice regarding use of global updating?

Answer 4

Schedule a regular pull task (master repository update) at a time when traffic is minimal (because network traffic is increased during the update)

Question 5

What are the steps of the global updating process?

Answer 5

1 Contents are checked in to the Master Repository.

2 The server performs an incremental replication to all distributed repositories.

3 The server issues a SuperAgent wake-up call to all SuperAgent in the environment.

4 The SuperAgent broadcasts a global update message to all agents within the SuperAgent subnet.

5 Upon receipt of the broadcast, the agent is supplied with a minimum catalog version needed for updating.

6 The agent searches the distributed repositories for a site that has this minimum catalog version.

7 Once a suitable repository is found, the agent runs the update task.

Question 6

If an agent doesn’t receive the broadcast emitted from the Superagent during the global updating process, how does it get the minimum catalog version?

Answer 6

It’s supplied at the next agent-server communication

Question 7

What are the requirements that have to be met to implement global updating?

Answer 7

• SuperAgent must use the same ASSC key as the agents that receive its wake-up call
• SuperAgent installed on each broadcast segment, because global updating uses the superagent wake up call to alert agents that new updates are available, and managed systems cannot receive a superagent wake-up call if there is not superagent on the same broadcast segment
• Distributed repositories are set up and configured throughout your environment.
• If using superagent repositories, managed systems must be able to access the repository where its updates come from.

Question 8

How does one enable global updating?

Answer 8

From the ‘Global Updating’ server setting

Question 9

What are the disadvantages of global updating?

Answer 9

1. Loss of administrative overhead - having global updating takes away control from the administrator. For example, someone could initiate a pull task and check in the latest DAT file when its released, which would subsequently lead to it being distributed to the entire network without there being an opportunity to test the DAT. It’s typically better to allow the administrator to make the decision when to deploy updates/products to endpoints

2 - Increased traffic/burden on network - because global updating involves distributing content to the entirety of the network in a short period of time, it results in a significant load on the network. It’s better to deploy updates to systems in smaller groups to spare bandwidth

Question 10

What are the notable differences between a product deployment project and a product deployment client task?

Answer 10

• Product deployment projects allow you to monitor current deployment status
• In fixed product deployment projects, you can view a historical snapshot of data about the number of systems receiving the deployment
• In Product Deployment Projects, you can view the status of individual system deployments, such as systems installed, pending, and failed
• In Product deployment projects, you can modify an existing deployment assignment

Question 11

What is the difference between a continuous product deployment and a fixed product deployment

Answer 11

A fixed product deployment means that specific systems are selected, either from the system tree or from a query

A continuous product deployment means that the affected systems are chosen either by selecting a group or groups within the system tree, or specifying a tag that systems must possess in order to qualify