manks

The documentation provided with the ASDK seems to be pretty light. Is there some better documentation somewhere to aid in scripting?

TRYDL

What version of the ASDK? 2.0 or 1.4?

Besides Connect and this forum, there is much else. But then again scripting is call COM calls, pretty generic. If you have a question, post it and what you have already written.

I'm sure some of us can help you

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manks

Ok so I create an agent object using:

set agent = CreateObject("Altiris.AeXNSClient")
set swd = agent.ClientPolicyMgr.ClientAgent("Altiris.SWD")

from that I can say update the agent using updatepolicies:

ignoreBlockouts = 1
call agent.UpdatePolicies( ignoreBlockouts )

or get the policy in XML using:

Set policy = agent.policies

What I can do is parse the XML and get the policy guids then run the runadvertisments method to run the policy.
So for example I can loop through all the policy guids and force an install of software. Is there a better or easier way of scripting - "install/run all policies assigned to me"?


A few questions:

1. Is there anyway to check compliance via script without running some check on the NS DB? e.g., if there is any policy that is 'Not Compliant' (say its failed or whatever to run)?

I'm sure I've got more.

cheers

TRYDL

Correct me if I am wrong, but your basic task is to accelerate all software advertised software deliveries for a computer or group of computers?

This is collection / filter driven. So once a managed object is in the proper collection and pulls a configuration update, it will perform all the assigned tasks. There is a DS task in the samples folder that does this. If you wanted to force collection updates you would pass a null value to the collection update method. I dont have the ASDK in front of me, but I can point it out more if need it.

I dont see a reason yet why you would want to parse the XML, when all assigned packages are a property.

HTH

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manks

We're not using DS, purely NS.

Basically, the script we are developing is running client side when we reimage a box.

Once we install the Agent, it needs to grab a guid from the server and send a basic inventory.

We then force a policy update which grabs the policies (software) assigned to the machine. We can then force the software to install via the runadvertisment method by passing it the policy guid.

It sounds like there a better way to grab all the policy guids via script. Can you elaborate?

Next issue is determining compliance. We essentially need to know when all the software is installed. Is there someway to grab the compliant values via script? e.g., if a machine based on the policy is considered compliant. If we can get a value that signifies that a particular policy is compliant on a machine we can determine whether the software has installed.

TRYDL

Right - this is a timing and not just purely automatic. Even if you prestage all agent installations, the NEW NS agent needs to request a GUID from the NS, the NS has to wait for Automatic Collection Updating, and then that NS agent needs to chime in again to get its configuration policy.

https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=20132&p=1

This is the basic script you need to establish a "hey do you have any policies to apply?"

You could create a collection of managed computers who are new to the NS and then have an alternate Altiris Agent policy with a more aggressive polling interval attached to the policy.

We can take it a step back and say, "Lets use tasks to delivery software installs instead of policies" Even though that may function faster, you would still have to wait for the above GUID generation and then having the agent assigned to a task server. Granted you could queue the task but the agent would need to still be registered with the NS.

In the end, it is difficult for anyone to use the NS has a staging solution as it is a "PULL" technology used to maintain objects in the environment. You need the "PUSH" technology within DS to not only provide the instant gratification of end results but a way to increase the staging speed.

You should be licenses for DS as it comes as a part of Client Management.

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