NetWare 5.1 Administration

Chapter 11: Using ZENworks to Manage Applications

 

Objectives:

This chapter discusses distributing applications and managing workstations with the Application Launcher, a part of ZENworks. The objectives important to this chapter are listed on page 11-1:

1. Identify How Application Launcher Leverages NDS
2. Create Application Object Templates for Applications
3. Configure Application Objects for Distribution
4. Distribute Applications Using Application Launcher and Application Explorer

Key Concepts:

This chapter concerns the Application Launcher component of ZENworks. It enables you to push applications to users, based on user or workstation objects.

Identify How Application Launcher Leverages NDS

The chapter begins by describing the two ways that were available to network administrators for providing application access to users before ZENworks:

• installing the application on each workstation by hand
• installing the application on the network and granting the users rights to it

The amount of time required for the first option is extensive. The second option requires additional steps that are not obvious, listed on page 11-2:

• Easy Access - installing an icon on the workstation for the application (this is not always done)
• Changes - revisiting the workstation when upgrades are made, to change the properties of the icon (or other means of access)
• The Unexpected- providing access to individuals who were not on the list of users, but who you are required to support as well
• Repairs - recreating the means to access the application when users lose, delete or break it

The Application Launcher overcomes many of the above problems by automating the users' access to applications. Three benefits for administrators are explained on pages 11-3 and 11-4:

• Single-Point Application Administration means that the administrator creates Application objects. These objects have properties that include:
  • Drive mappings or paths to the applications
  • Printer settings
  • Registry entries and INI file settings
  • Additional program files
  • Drive mappings
• Centralized Application Maintenance and Control means that the Application object can repair damage that happens on the workstations.
• Push-and Pull Software Distribution means that the administrator can force delivery of applications (Push or Forced Run) or users can request them (Pull).

Benefits to the user are described on page 11-5:

• Location independence - applications can be delivered to the user, regardless of the workstation used
• Application Fault Tolerance - the Application object can provide access to multiple copies of the application, on multiple servers, in case one is not available
• Application Load Balancing - the Application object can randomly deliver from one of several servers, relieving the strain from a single server

Application Launcher has four components, of two types:

• Application Launcher Snap-In - this is an administrator component. It adds new NDS icons to the schema (the set of objects that can be in the Tree) and new options to the Tools menu of NetWare Administrator.
• snAppShot - this is an administrator component. It creates Application Object Templates (AOTs) by taking a "snapshot" of a workstation before and after installing an application. The AOT allows you to create an Application object. Note, you could use an Application Object Text Template (AXT) instead. This is a text only version that can be edited easily, but cannot create an Application object with all the properties that are available if you use an AOT.
• Application Launcher Window - this is a workstation/user component. This is a little tricky. The Launcher Window appears because the user runs the NAL.EXE program, which in turn runs either the NALW31.EXE program (if running 16 bit Windows) or the NALWIN32.EXE program (if running 32 bit Windows). This makes the setup for the workstation generic in a mixed environment.
• Application Explorer - this is a workstation/user component. The executable for this component is NALEXPLD.EXE. It can deliver application icons to several targets:
  • the Application Explorer Window itself
  • Windows Explorer
  • the Start Menu
  • the System tray
  • the Desktop -the text notes that icons for Shortcuts delivered by Application Explorer have red arrows in their lower left corner instead of black arrows

Create Application Object Templates for Applications

Steps for creating and distributing application objects appear on page 11-11:

• Run NetWare Administrator
• Choose a container to hold the Application object
• Create the Application object, as on page 11-15.
• Specify the path to the actual executable for the application
• Associate the object with some NDS objects (so they have rights to it). This is done through a property of the Application object, as shown on page 11-16.
• Run NAL.EXE or NALEXPLD.EXE in a login script for the users.
• Launch applications from the venue you chose.

Pages 11-12 through 11-14 discuss creating an AOT. You should become familiar with this process. Note the warning on page 11-13: when creating the AOT, do not use periods, equal signs, or plus signs in its name.

Having created the AOT, you will have completed the hard work. On page 11-15, you see the short list of steps for creating the Application object from the AOT. You just create an object in the Tree, telling it where and what kind, and this time, from what AOT. The note on this page reminds us that a source directory contains the original application files, while a target directory is a directory on a workstation that will hold the installed application files.

Configure Application Objects for Distribution

Page 11-26 begins the discussion of using Application Launcher as a management tool. Using the properties of the Application object you specify how the application is to be installed, what users may have it, what types of workstations may run it and more.

Note the settings on page 11-28. These are the settings for the Environment property:

• Command line parameters
• Working directory
• Window type: Normal, Minimized, Maximized, or Hidden
• Shared or Separate memory space for 16 bit apps in Windows NT
• Error logging
• Clean up - the removal of mappings, captures, and other connections when done running the app

The settings on the System Requirements property are shown on page 11-29:

• limit this application to a particular version of Windows: 3.1x, 95/98, or NT
• require the workstation to have minimum amount of RAM, free hard disk space, and a minimum processor.

Distribution Schedules are discussed on page 11-32. It is important not to kill your network by pushing the applications to everyone at once.

Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance are explained on pages 11-36 and 11-37. Note that Load Balancing uses a random number system to distribute the load, and does not do so based on processor utilization. (Perhaps in a future version?) We are warned to balance loads on servers on the same side of a WAN link. This leads to the often repeated Novell admonition: Don't Span the WAN.

Distribute Applications Using Application Launcher and Application Explorer

The text supplies a set of steps to make Network Application Launcher available to users. Remember that you only have to run NAL.EXE to start the platform appropriate version of Network Application Launcher.

1. Make sure NAL.EXE or NALEXPLD.EXE is in a network directory that users have rights and access to. By default, these files are copied to SYS:PUBLIC during ZENworks installation. If you have moved them, consider moving them back.
2. Access the Details window of a user, organization, or organizational unit object.
3. Select Login Script.
4. Do one of the following:
   • To make the Application Launcher window available, enter the following line at the end of the login script:
     @\\servername\SYS\PUBLIC\NAL.EXE
   • To make Application Explorer available, enter the following line at the end of the login script:
     @\\servername\SYS\PUBLIC\NALEXPLD.EXE