Best Practice Approach to Intelligently Managing Software Applications Hands-On Lab

Transcription

1 Best Practice Approach to Intelligently Managing Software Applications Hands-On Lab Description See firsthand how Symantec is raising the bar and changing the way you manage software in your organization. You will learn how Altiris Client Management Suite 7.1 uses new product-based data from the Software Catalog to intelligently distribute, inventory, license, and block the usage of software. At the end of this lab, you should be able to Describe the methods for Software Detection Convert newly discovered software to fully managed software products Import and deliver new software into the software catalog Deliver a software component that upgrades an existing installation Notes The lab will be directed and will provide you with step-bystep walkthroughs of key features. Feel free to follow along with the instructor, or you may optionally perform this lab at your own pace. Be sure to ask your instructor any questions you may have. Thank you for coming to our lab session.

2 Introduction Organizations typically manage hundreds of applications that require dependent applications, routine updates and tracking for software audit preparation. For many administrators this means making sense of thousands of moving parts to ensure compatibility and compliance. Altiris Client Management Suite s software management capabilities enable organizations to be more intelligent when it comes to software delivery, software license management, and compliance with software management policies. Track all aspects of software in one place, including inventory, installations, usage and dependencies. Virtualize applications on the fly with built-in application virtualization technology, including the ability to run multiple, independent instances of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and Windows Internet Explorer in a conflict-free manner. Leverage a software catalog with over 60,000 commercial software product definitions. 2 of 20

3 Exercise 1: Converting Newly Discovered Software into Fully Managed Software Products Altiris Client Management Suite uses a customizable software catalog to enable administrators to deliver software packages throughout a managed environment using secure, bandwidth-sensitive technology. Software relationships can be identified using Altiris Software Management for ongoing MSI package management. Altiris Software Management can also ensure that required software gets installed, remains installed, and operates correctly through the use of software Managed Delivery policies. In this exercise we will examine the software catalog, create a managed software product for a newly discovered software component, and create a delivery policy to deliver the managed software product to a remote system. 1. If they are not already powered, power-on the virtual machines in the following order. o o o DC-SQL NS71 Win7 2. Switch to the NS71 virtual machine. 3. Launch the Symantec Management Console by double-clicking the Symantec Management Console 7.1 shortcut located on the desktop. The Symantec Management Console loads. 4. Maximize the Symantec Management Console so that it fills the screen. 5. Click Manage >Software. The Software Management interface appears. 6. Select the Newly Discovered Software menu entry from within the left-hand pane. Software discovered within the environment is displayed within the central pane. 7. Type OpenProj within the available search field. OpenProj English is displayed. Note: This represents a software component that has been discovered within the environment. In order to properly manage this software within the environment, the software component must be converted to a Managed Software product. 3 of 20

4 8. Select Manage this software from the upper-right pane. The Add Software Product interface is displayed. 9. Modify the Product name to match the following: OpenProj 1.x 10. Modify the Version field to match the following: 1.x 11. Within the Identify inventory tab, modify the fields as follows: Software name: Open Proj Company: Serena Software Inc. Version: 1. Note: These fields are used to determine which software components should be assigned to the newly created Software Product. These rules are dynamic and will apply to all current and newly discovered components. The current rule will assign all 1.x version of OpenProj to this software product. Be aware that and (+), not (-), and or ( ) logic can be used within the fields. Select the Meter / track usage tab. Note: Notice that an executable has already been associated to the software component. The executable association was accomplished through the dynamic metering functionality. Dynamic application metering feature enables ITMS to automatically detect an executable that is assigned, within the operating system, to an.msi application and automatically add it to the metering tab within a Software Product. If new versions of software are detected as part of Software Product inventory filter, the applicable executable is automatically added to the metering tab, and included in tracking usage and license consumption. This feature removes the requirement of the administrator to constantly monitor managed Software Products and ensure that all applicable components of that product are assigned appropriate executables for metering. 12. Mark the Turn on metering checkbox is marked. Note: The associated file(s) will be monitored to determine application usage. Note the field at the bottom of the tab which indicates in which time frame a product must be used in order to be determined as used. The default time period is 90 days. 13. Select the Delivery tab. 4 of 20

5 14. Click Import The Import Software interface is displayed. Note: In order to define a deliverable component within the software, we must import the software installation file, and designate the appropriate installation commands, relationships, etc. 15. Click Add from within the Package contents field. A file browse windows is displayed. 16. Browse to and select the following file: C:\SoftwareResources\OpenProject\Install File\openproj-1.4.msi 17. Click Open. The file browse window is closed. 18. Verify that the openproj-1.4.msi file is listed within the Package contents field. 19. Click Next. 20. Verify that the Update an existing software resource radio button is selected. Note: This is selected becase the imported.msi was able to identify the discovered OpenProj software component within the database. Selecting this radio button will update this entry, as opposed to creating a new software entry from the.msi. 21. Click OK. The.msi package is imported into the Software Library and the package is now listed within the Delivery tab, and marked as the default package for delivery. 22. Verify that the OpenProj entry is selected. Note: This indicates which component within managed product is assigned as the authorized deliverable. When a product is delivered to a managed system, this is the product which will be installed. 23. Select the Licenses tab. Note: This tab is used to associate licensing to a managed product, and is only made available if Asset Management Solution is installed. 5 of 20

6 24. Click OK. The Add Software Product interace is closed. 25. Select Installed Products from within the top-left pane of the Symantec Management Console. 26. Type OpenProj in the search field. The OpenProj managed product is displayed. 27. Left-clik and hold the OpenProj managed software product. The Managed Computer list is than displayed. 28. Drag the OpenProj managed product to the Win7 system, and release. The Deliver software dialog is displayed. 29. Mark the Ensure the software stays installed using a policy checkbox, and click Deliver Software. The Deliver software dialog is closed, and a managed software policy for OpenProj is created and displayed. 30. Select and edit the policy name from the current name of: New Managed Software Delivery to: OpenProj Delivery Policy 31. Scroll-down and expand the Schedule tab. 32. Within the Compliance field within the Schedule tab, click the first Add schedule drop-down menu, and select Schedule Window. A Schedule Window is added to the policy. 33. Within the During window, check every: field, specify 10 minutes. 34. Click the No repeat hyperlink and select daily from the resulting menu. Note: This specifies how frequently the assigned system should run a check to determine if the managed software is required. 6 of 20

7 35. Verify that the Remediation field specified that remediation should occur immediately if needed. Note: This specifies that if the compliance check fails (indicating that the managed software is not installed on the managed system) that the software should be installed immediately. 36. Scroll to the top of the policy, and click the Off button, and select On from the resulting menu. The policy is set to On, and the color changes to green. 37. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the policy. The policy is saved, and applied to the applicable systems. 38. Close the policy window. 39. Switch to the Win7 virtual machine. 40. Right-click the Symantec Management Agent and select Symantec Management Agent Settings from the resulting menu. The Symantec Management Agent Settings are displayed. 41. Click Update to force the agent to check for new policies or udpates from the Notification Server. 42. Verify that the Changed date upgrades in order to verify that the agent configuration is updated with the new policies. Note: The agent is set to update frequently, so the agent may have already updated itself. To check this, simply check the current Changed date and time field. Note: The Configuration Update would have occurred automatically at the next scheduled time, and thus this step is not required. Manually updating the configuration, however, will allow us to more quickly apply the newly created policy. 43. Close the Symantec Management Agent Settings window. 44. Right-click the Symantec Management agent, and select Symantec Management Agent from the resulting menu. The Symantec Management Agent interface is displayed. 45. Maximize the Software Management Agent window. 7 of 20

8 46. Select the Software Delivery tab. All currently assigned software delivery policies are displayed. 47. Verify that the OpenProj policy is displayed. 48. Note the steps that are included within the policy. 49. Click the hyperlink within the Application Tasks menu, located within the left-hand pane. The policy is immediately executed. 50. Note that the OpenProj software is not detected, and that the software is downloaded and installed. 51. Close the Symantec Management Agent window. 52. Verify that the OpenProj software icon is displayed on the desktop. 8 of 20

9 Exercise 2: Importing and Delivering New Software Altiris Client Management Suite uses a customizable software catalog to enable administrators to deliver software packages throughout a managed environment using secure, bandwidth-sensitive technology. Software relationships can be identified using Altiris Software Management for ongoing MSI package management. Altiris Software Management can also ensure that required software gets installed, remains installed, and operates correctly through the use of software Managed Delivery policies. In this exercise we will import software that has not been detected within the environment, and then schedule it to be delivered to a managed system. 1. If they are not already powered, power-on the virtual machines in the following order. o o o DC-SQL NS71 Win7 2. Switch to the NS71 virtual machine. 3. Launch the Symantec Management Console by double-clicking the Symantec Management Console 7.1 shortcut located on the desktop. The Symantec Management Console loads. 4. Maximize the Symantec Management Console so that it fills the screen. 5. Click Manage >Software. The Software Management interface appears. 6. Right-click within the Installed Software pane, and select Import Software from the resulting menu. The Import Software dialog is displayed. 7. Click Add. 8. Browse to and select the following file, and click Open. C:\Software Resources\7-Zip\InstallFiles\7z915.msi 9. Verify that the imported.msi is listed, and click Next. 10. Verify that the Create a new software resource radio button is selected. 9 of 20

10 11. Edit the Name of the software so that it looks as follows: 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) 12. Click OK. The.msi package is imported into the Software Library and the existing Software Component details are displayed. 13. Select the Package tab and verify that installation, uninstallation, and repair command lines are now available for the software component. These command lines were extracted from the.msi file. 14. Select the Install no UI command line, and click the edit (pencil) icon. The Add or Edit Command Line interface is displayed. 15. Mark the Set as the default for this command type checkbox. 16. Click OK. The Add or Edit Command Line interface is closed. Note: This indicates that this is the default installation command line that will be used if this software component is delivered to a managed system. 17. Review the information in each of the tabs. 18. Click OK. 19. The Software Component details window is closed. 20. Right-click within the Installed Software pane, and select Manage Software Catalog from the resulting menu. The Manage Software Catalog dialog is displayed. 21. Locate the search field in the Newly discovered / undefined software field. 22. Type 7-zip in the search field. 23. Locate and select the 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) entry from the results of the search. 24. Click the double-right-arrow to move the selected entry into the Managed software products pane. The Software Product interface is displayed. 10 of 20

11 25. Modify the Name field as follows: 7-Zip 9.x 26. Modify the Version field as follows: 9.x 27. Within the Identify inventory tab, modify the fields as follows: Software name: 7-Zip Company: Serena Software Inc. Version: 9. Note: These fields are used to determine which software components should be assigned to the newly created Software Product. These rules are dynamic and will apply to all current and newly discovered components. The current rule will assign all 1.x version of OpenProj to this software product. Be aware that and (+), not (-), and or ( ) logic can be used within the fields. 28. Note that all of the detected versions of 7-Zip within the environment are displayed. 29. Select the Meter / track usage tab. Note: Notice that no executables have been dynamically assigned to the Software Product. In the real-world, this field could be left blank, and once a full inventory had been run on a system with the software installed (and the NS.Nightly task had been executed) the executable would dynamically be added. For the sake of demonstration, we will manually make the execuable associations. 30. Select the first entry in the list of software (7-Zip 9.15). 31. Click the Add Program hyperlink. The Add Program interface is displayed. 32. Select all the files that match this version of the software selected, and click the right arrow. Note: The file listed has been gathered from a cached.msi through the inventory process. If a cached.msi file is not available, you can mark the Show all program files checkbox, to display all files detected using the inventory process. 11 of 20

12 33. Click OK. The Add Program interface is closed. 34. Repeat steps for each version of 7-Zip listed. 35. Verify that the selected executable is listed, and that the Turn on metering checkbox is marked. Note: The associated file(s) will be monitored to determine application usage. Note the field at the bottom of the tab which indicates in which time frame a product must be used in order to be determined as used. The default time period is 90 days. 36. Select the Delivery tab. 37. Verify that the 7-Zip 9.15 entry is selected. Note: This indicates which component within managed product is assigned as the authorized deliverable. Only components which are deliverable are displayed. When a product is delivered to a managed system, this is the product which will be installed. 38. Select the Licenses tab. Note: This tab is used to associate licensing to a managed product, and is only made available if Asset Management Solution is installed. 39. Click OK. The Add Software Product interace is closed. 40. Close the Managed Software Catalog interface. 41. Select Software Products from within the bottom-left Deliverable pane of the Symantec Management Console. 42. Type 7-Zip in the search field. The 7-Zip managed product is displayed. 43. Select the the 7-Zip Managed Software Product. The product details are displayed. 12 of 20

13 44. In the right hand pane, view the computers that have been identified as having 7-Zip 9.x installed. Now that the software delivery information has been added to the software component. We will now deliver the software to a managed system using a Quick Delivery task. 45. Left-clik and hold the OpenProj managed software product. The Managed Computer list is than displayed. 46. Drag the 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) component to the Win7 system, and release. The Deliver software dialog is displayed. 47. Click Deliver Software. The New Schedule Dialog appears. 48. Verify that the Now radio button is selected. 49. Verify that the Win7 system is listed in the Selected Devices pane. 50. Click Schedule. The task is scheduled and executed on the Win7 system. 51. Switch to the Win7 virtual machine. 52. Wait approximately 1 minute to allow the task to complete. 53. Click Start >All Programs, and verify that the 7-Zip program is listed. 13 of 20

14 Exercise 3: Updating Software within the Environment Altiris Client Management Suite uses a customizable software catalog to enable administrators to deliver software packages throughout a managed environment using secure, bandwidth-sensitive technology. Software relationships can be identified using Altiris Software Management for ongoing MSI package management. Altiris Software Management can also ensure that required software gets installed, remains installed, and operates correctly through the use of software Managed Delivery policies. In this exercise we will import a new version of an application, and set it to supercede an existing version. The software will then be delivered to a system, and added to an existing managed product. 1. If they are not already powered, power-on the virtual machines in the following order. o o o DC-SQL NS71 Win7 2. Switch to the NS71 virtual machine. 3. Launch the Symantec Management Console by double-clicking the Symantec Management Console 7.1 shortcut located on the desktop. The Symantec Management Console loads. 4. Maximize the Symantec Management Console so that it fills the screen. 5. Click Manage >Software. The Software Management interface appears. 6. Select Installed Products from within the top-left pane of the Symantec Management Console. 7. Type 7-Zip in the search field. The 7-Zip managed product is displayed. 8. Double-click to open the 7-Zip Managed Software Product. The Software Product interface is displayed. 9. Select the Delivery tab. The 7-Zip 9.15 package is displayed, and selected. 14 of 20

15 10. Click Import The Import Software interface is displayed. Note: In order to define a deliverable component within the software, we must import the software installation file, and designate the appropriate installation commands, relationships, etc. 11. Click Add from within the Package contents field. A file browse windows is displayed. 12. Browse to and select the following file: C:\SoftwareResources\7-zip\InstallFiles \7z920.msi 13. Click Open. The file browse window is closed. 14. Verify that the 7z920.msi file is listed within the Package contents field. 15. Click Next. 16. Verify that the Create a new software resource radio button is selected. 17. Modify the name field as follows: 7-Zip 9.20 (x86) 18. Click OK. The.msi package is imported into the Software Library and the package is now listed within the Delivery tab. 19. Click the 7-Zip 9.20 (x86) hyperlink within the delivery tab to view the package details. The package details are displayed. 20. Select the Package tab and verify that installation, uninstallation, and repair command lines are now available for the software component. These command lines were extracted from the.msi file. 15 of 20

16 21. Select the Install no UI command line, and click the edit (pencil) icon. The Add or Edit Command Line interface is displayed. 22. Mark the Set as the default for this command type checkbox. 23. Click OK. The Add or Edit Command Line interface is closed. Note: This indicates that this is the default installation command line that will be used if this software component is delivered to a managed system. 24. Select the Associations tab. 25. Select Supercedes from the Association Type drop-down menu. 26. Click Add in the Software resources that are superceded by this software resource pane. The Select Software Resource dialog is displayed. 27. Type 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) in the seach field. The 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) software component is displayed. 28. Select the 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) component and click the right-arrow. 29. Click OK. 30. Verify that the 7-Zip 9.15 (x86) component is listed in the Software resources that are superceded by this software resource pane. 31. Review the information in each of the remaining tabs. 32. Click OK. The Software Component details window is closed. 33. Select the 7-Zip 9.20 (x86) radio button to designate it as the default deliverable package for the 7-Zip software product. 34. Click OK. The Software Product dialog is closed. 35. Select Installed Products from within the top-left pane of the Symantec Management Console. 16 of 20

17 36. Type 7-Zip in the search field. The 7-Zip managed product is displayed. 37. Left-clik and hold the 7-Zip managed software product. The Managed Computer list is than displayed. 38. Drag the OpenProj managed product to the Win7 system, and release. The Deliver software dialog is displayed. 39. Mark the Ensure the software stays installed using a policy checkbox, and click Deliver Software. The Deliver software dialog is closed, and a managed software policy for 7-Zip is created and displayed. 40. Select and edit the policy name from the current name of: New Managed Software Delivery to: 7-Zip 9.x Delivery Policy 41. Locate and mark the Automatically upgrade software that has been superseded by this software checkbox in the right-hand pane. 42. Scroll-down and expand the Schedule tab. 43. Within the Compliance field within the Schedule tab, click the first Add schedule drop-down menu, and select Schedule Window. A Schedule Window is added to the policy. 44. Within the During window, check every: field, specify 10 minutes. 45. Click the No repeat hyperlink and select daily from the resulting menu. Note: This specifies how frequently the assigned system should run a check to determine if the managed software is required. 17 of 20

18 46. Verify that the Remediation field specified that remediation should occur immediately if needed. Note: This specifies that if the compliance check fails (indicating that the managed software is not installed on the managed system) that the software should be installed immediately. 47. Scroll to the top of the policy, and click the Off button, and select On from the resulting menu. The policy is set to On, and the color changes to green. 48. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the policy. The policy is saved, and applied to the applicable systems. 49. Close the policy window. 50. Switch to the Win7 virtual machine. 51. Click Start >All Programs >7-Zip >7-Zip File Manager. The 7-Zip application is launched. 52. Click Help >About 7-Zip. The About dialog is displayed. 53. Verify that the version is listed as Close all Windows. 55. Right-click the Symantec Management Agent and select Symantec Management Agent Settings from the resulting menu. The Symantec Management Agent Settings are displayed. 56. Click Update to force the agent to check for new policies or udpates from the Notification Server. 18 of 20

19 57. Verify that the Changed date upgrades in order to verify that the agent configuration is updated with the new policies. Note: The agent is set to update frequently, so the agent may have already updated itself. To check this, simply check the current Changed date and time field. Note: The Configuration Update would have occurred automatically at the next scheduled time, and thus this step is not required. Manually updating the configuration, however, will allow us to more quickly apply the newly created policy. 58. Close the Symantec Management Agent Settings window. 59. Right-click the Symantec Management agent, and select Symantec Management Agent from the resulting menu. The Symantec Management Agent interface is displayed. 60. Maximize the Software Management Agent window. 61. Select the Software Delivery tab. All currently assigned software delivery policies are displayed. 62. Verify that the 7-Zip 9.20 (x86) policy is displayed. 63. Select the 7-Zip 9.20 (x86) policy. 64. Note the steps that are included within the policy. 65. Click the hyperlink within the Application Tasks menu, located within the left-hand pane. The policy is immediately executed, and the existing version of 7-Zip is uninstalled and replaced with the updated version of the software. 66. Click Start >All Programs >7-Zip >7-Zip File Manager. The 7-Zip application is launched. 67. Click Help >About 7-Zip. The About dialog is displayed. 68. Verify that the version is listed as 9.20 Close all Windows. 19 of 20

20 Exercise 3: Viewing Installed Software Per Computer Symantec pcanywhere Solution within the Client Management Suite allows an administrator to securely access and remotely manage Windows, Linux, and Macintosh computers within a managed environment. pcanywhere Solution allows an administrator to fully control a remote system in a bandwidth-optimized state, and allow for full control of a remote system, as well as an integrated file transfer technology between the host and managed system. In this exercise a system will be examined to determine what software has been installed. 1. If they are not already powered, power-on the virtual machines in the following order. o o o o DC-SQL NS71 WinXP Win7 2. Switch to the NS71 virtual machine. 3. Launch the Symantec Management Console by double-clicking the Symantec Management Console 7.1 shortcut located on the desktop. The Symantec Management Console loads. 4. Maximize the Symantec Management Console so that it fills the screen. 5. Click Manage >Computers. The Computer Management interface appears. 6. Type Win7 in the search field, located in the central pane. 7. Select the Win7 managed computer. The WinXP computer details are displayed in the right-hand pane. 8. Expand the Software tab, located at the bottom of the right-hand pane. All installed software on the managed system is displayed. 9. Mark the Managed software only checkbox located within the Software pane. The software is limited to Managed Software Products that have been installed on the system. 20 of 20

21 TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER What to Expect in IT Management Suite 7.1 SP2

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23 Technical Paper What to Expect in IT Management Suite 7.1 SP2 Contents Introduction... 4 General Enhancements and Improvements... 5 Improved Symantec Management Agent Performance and Stability... 5 Updated Operating System Version Support... 5 Improved Management Console Performance... 5 Updated Version Support for SQL, and Internet Explorer... 5 Improved Symantec Installation Manager Support and Efficiency... 5 Single Streaming and Virtualization Package Format... 5 Improved IT Analytics Language Support... 6 Performance and Feature Improvements within the New Console Views... 6 Software Management Improvements... 7 Software Management Security Roles... 7 Ability to Select Multiple Components from within the Managed Software Catalog... 9 Changed Managed Software Product Definition... 9 Ability to Create Blank Software Products Dynamic Application Metering Support Ability to Meter Single Components within a Software Product Ability to Import Deliverable Components from within the Software Management interface Asset Management Improvements Ability to Display Existing Licenses and Purchases within the New Console Views Ability to Display Multiple Purchases within the New Console Views Ability to Correctly Display License Compliance within the New Console Views for Applications which do not Require a Software License... 12

24 Introduction The purpose of this document is to introduce some of the new features and enhancements that are provided within IT Management Suite 7.1 SP2. While this document will focus on those features that will be of the most interest to the average ITMS administrator, a full listing of the features can be found in the official release notes. Specifically this document highlights the following topics: General Enhancements and Improvements - Improved Symantec Management Agent Support and Stability - Updated Operating System Version Support - Improved Management Console Performance - Updated Version Support for SQL and Internet Explorer - Improved Symantec Installation Manager Support and Efficiency - Single Streaming and Virtualization Package Format - Improved IT Analytics Language Support - Performance and Feature Improvements with the New Console Views Software Management Improvements - Software Management Security Roles - Ability to Select Multiple Components from within the Managed Software Catalog - Changed Managed Software Product Definition - Ability to Create Blank Software Products - Dynamic Application Metering Support - Ability to Meter Single Components within a Software Product - Ability to Import Deliverable Components from within the Software Management interface Asset Management Improvements - Ability to Display Existing Licenses and Purchases within the New Console Views - Ability to Display Multiple Purchases within the New Console Views - Ability to Correctly Display License Compliance within the New Console Views for Applications Which do not Required a Software License 4

25 General Enhancements and Improvements Improved Symantec Management Agent Performance and Stability The Symantec Management Agent includes overall performance and stability improvements. Some of the issues addressed in 7.1 SP2 include agent update and data migration issues, improved logging, improved Package Server detection, and improved agent shutdown performance. Although there are no visible components for this feature, the increased stability and performance of the agent should greatly improve the overall end-user experience. Updated Operating System Version Support Support for the following operating systems has been added: Mac OS 10.7 RHEL 6 64-Bit RHEL SUSE Linux 11 SP1 Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Network Discovery Support for AIX 6.1 LPAR and Solaris Zones. Improved Management Console Performance Numerous enhancements have been made to improve the overall performance of the Management Console. Some of these improvements include increased task replication efficiency, SQL Lite implementation or better state handling by the Task Server, and improved handling of User Account Control (UAC) on Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Updated Version Support for SQL and Internet Explorer The Symantec Management Platform has added support for the following versions of SQL and Internet Explorer: SQL 2005 SP4 SQL 2008 R2 SP1 Internet Explorer 9 Improved Symantec Installation Manager Support and Efficiency 7.1 SP2 introduces support for developing off-line ITMS installation packages on platforms not supported by Notification Server, such as Windows XP and Windows 7. In addition, the product listings have been optimized to increase overall performance when using the Symantec Installation Manager. Single Streaming and Virtualization Package Format In the past, Workspace Virtualization and Workspace Streaming used their own proprietary format (.vsa for Workspace Virtualization, for example). 7.1 SP2 introduces the use of an.xpf format that can be used by both Workspace Virtualization, as well as Application Streaming, without repacking the application. This will greatly increase the overall usability for customers who are using both Workspace Virtualization and Application Streaming within their environment. 5

26 Improved IT Analytics Language Support Previously IT Analytics (ITA) 7.1 supported English only; no other language support was available. ITA 7.1 SP2 now supports all languages supported by the Symantec Management Console. Performance and Feature Improvements within the New Console Views Improved Performance Numerous changes have been made improve the new console views when interacting with large computer of software lists. For example, in a test environment over 80,000 resources were able to load in under 10 seconds. Summary Views of Computer Groups ITMS 7.1 SP2 introduces a summary view of computer groups within the new console views. A new chevron is available within the interface (as shown in the screenshot below) which, when selected, will give you a basic summary of the systems included within the selected computer group. 6

27 Differentiation between Physical and Virtual Systems ITMS 7.1 SP2 introduces differentiation within the new console views between physical and virtual systems. As shown in the screenshot below, a separate computer group now exists for virtual system, and a circular icon will be assigned to all virtual systems. This enhancement will make easier for administrator to manage, at a glance, a mixed physical and virtual environment. Software Management Improvements Software Management Security Roles Since the introduction of the new console views in ITMS 7.1, we have received numerous requests (primarily from a Software Management perspective) to add security support to components within the interface. Administrators wanted to provide specific roles within their organization access to only the portions of the interface which they would require. ITMS 7.1 SP2 introduces this support through the use newly developed Software Management Security Roles. 7

28 The following security roles were added: Define Software Product Inventory Filter This security role enables a user to view a modify the Software Product Identify Inventory tab within a managed Software Product, and is also required (along with the Create Software Products security role) in order to view Newly Discovered Software within the new console view. Configure Software Usage Tracking This security role enables the user to view the metering tab within a managed Software Product, which is used to enable or modify license metering for the applicable product. Create and Import Software Resources This security role (which exists as part of the Software Framework) enables the user to import software resources from the right-click menu within the Silverlight Software Management interface, or from within a managed Software Product Create Software Licenses This security role enables the user to view and access the Licenses tab within a managed Software Product in order to created or edit software licenses related to that Software Product. 8

29 Create Software Products his security role enables the user to create a new software product (from within the Manage Software Catalog interface, or using the Manage this Software link within the new console view. The Create Software Products security role is also required (along with the Define Software Product Inventory Filters security role) in order to view Newly Discovered Software within the new console view. Create Software Delivery This security role (which exists as part of the Software Framework) enables the user to deliver software to the end user using either tasks or policies. Within the new console views, this security role enables the user to drag-and-drop software to a managed client system. Ability to Select Multiple Components from within the Managed Software Catalog When managing the Software Catalog with ITMS 7.1, only one entry within the Newly discovered / undefined software panel could be selected at a time. The ability to only select individual entries within the catalog became problematic when users desired to move multiple software entries to the Unmanaged software list. ITMS 7.1 SP2 adds multiple select to the Software Catalog interface to enable users to move multiple entries to the Unmanaged software list, but note that when multiple entries are selected, you will be unable to move those entries to the Managed software products list, as a product can only be developed from a single software component. Changed Managed Software Product Definition In ITMS 7.1 a Software Product was only displayed if an instance of the product was detected as installed within the environment, otherwise the product was hidden from view. The hidden product (when an instance of the product had not been installed) was based upon the definition of managed software as installed software. Based upon feedback, the definition of managed software has now been modified to include any software that has been licensed, is deliverable, or has been detected as installed within the environment. This allows an administrator to create a deliverable Software Product for distribution within the environment, which not possible in ITMS

30 In addition to the above feature, ITMS 7.1 SP2 also enables the ability view hidden Software Products (known as pre-defined software products) which are Software Products which are neither licensed, deliverable, or installed (and thus are normally hidden from view). To view these hidden entities, simply check the Include pre-defined software products checkbox, as shown in the screenshot above. Ability to Create Blank Software Products With the addition of security roles within ITMS 7.1 SP2, the use case was created of a user being able to develop a software product, without being able to define any of the properties of that product (metering, deliverables, inventory filter, licenses). To accommodate this use case, ITMS 7.1 SP2 supports the ability to create a Software Product that includes any combination of Software Product properties. As an example, using ITMS 7.1 SP2, a user could create a Software Product with nothing but the Software Product name. This Software Product (which would be hidden from view by default, and would only be visible if checking the Include pre-defined software products checkbox) could be modified by a different user with separate software roles to then modify the inventory filters, metering, and delivery properties, and then handed off to yet another user who might have access to apply the licensing filter. This use case would not have been possible in ITMS 7.1 as the primary user would have had to enter many of these properties in order to create the initial Software Product. Dynamic Application Metering Support When using ITMS 7.1 to meter usage of a Software Product, the user was required to specify the specific (and static) executable that would be metered. Selecting a specific (and static) executable was problematic when users would upgrade or patch their software, which would change the executable, and break the metering process. In order to address this, ITMS 7.1 SP2 adds dynamic application metering support. The dynamic application metering feature enables ITMS to automatically detect an executable that is assigned, within the operating system, to an.msi application and automatically add it to the metering tab within a Software Product. If new versions of software are detected as part of Software Product inventory filter, the applicable executable is automatically added to the metering tab, and included in tracking usage and license consumption. This feature removes the requirement of the administrator to constantly monitor managed Software Products and ensure that all applicable components of that product are assigned appropriate executables for metering. To use this feature, inventory and file inventories must be completed, and the NS.Nightly task must be ran. Once these inventory and NS.Nightly tasks have been performed, the applicable executables will automatically be assigned to Software Products. When creating a new Software Product, any assigned software components which have been included the above inventory process, will automatically publish their applicable executable to the metering tab. Note that although the executables are automatically added to the metering tab, the administrator will still be required to enable metering with the Software Product for this information to be used. Ability to Meter Single Components within a Software Product In order to enable metering within a Software Product using ITMS 7.1, ever included software component was required to include an associated executable. ITMS 7.1 SP2 allows metering to be enabled as long as one included component has an associated executable. While it still suggested that all assigned components have an associated executable, this is no longer required. 10

31 Ability to Import Deliverable Components from within the Software Management Interface ITMS 7.1 SP2 introduces the ability to import software directly from the Delivery Tab within a Software Product. In ITMS 7.1 adding deliverable software packages to a Software Product required an administrator to leave the Software Product and import the software packages using the traditional interface; a technique that was cumbersome and confusing. The new Delivery tab within the Software Product can now be used to directly import the appropriate packages in order enable the delivery of the applicable software. 11

32 Asset Management Improvements Ability to Display Existing Licenses and Purchases within the New Console Views ITMS 7.1 introduced the Software Product interface within the new console view, which included a simplified form for creating and managed licenses (as shown below). The new license interface in ITMS 7.1 was restricted, however, to only display licenses that had been developed within the new interface, and would not display existing licenses that had been developed in the traditional Asset Management Suite interface. This was problematic to users who had created purchases and licenses prior to ITMS 7.1, and who could not view these licenses within the new Software Product Interface. ITMS 7.1 SP2 resolves this issue and the new Software Product interface will now display all appropriate License Purchases, even if they were not created in the traditional Asset Management Suite interface. Ability to Display Multiple Purchases within the New Console Views The new license interface within a Software Product, introduced with ITMS 7.1, was limited to displaying only single licenses with multiple purchases (even if multiple purchases were created for a license, only one purchase would be displayed). While having a single license per purchase is recommended, this is not always possible in the real-world. To address this issue, ITMS 7.1 SP2 was modified to support multiple purchases within the interface. To create a multiple purchases, simple click Add License Purchase (which will, by default, open the Add License Purchase interface and attempt to modify an existing purchase) and rename the Software license. Renaming the license will result in a new purchase and license. Ability to Correctly Display License Compliance within the New Console Views for Applications which do not Require a Software License When reporting on Software Product License and Usage with ITMS 7.1, there was not a method to determine if the software was even a licensable product. As shown below, for example, Adobe Reader would display as being under licensed, even though it was a free product, and thus licenses were not applicable. 12

33 ITMS 7.1 SP2 introduces the ability to indicate that a product was licensable via a checkbox on the Licenses tab (as shown below). If not marked, a Software Product will never show as being under licensed, regardless of how many are installed and / or used. Usage Metering will still occur, but the graphic will always indicate a perfect license count. 13

34 About Symantec Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Symantec has operations in 40 countries. More information is available at For specific country offices and contact numbers, please visit our website. For product information in the U.S., call tollfree 1 (800) Symantec Corporation World Headquarters 350 Ellis Street Mountain View, CA USA 1 (800) Copyright 2011 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, and the Checkmark Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.