Using a Linux computer as a Package Server without installing Package Server Agent

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

How can I use a Linux computer as a Package Server without installing the Package Server Agent?

Environment

ITMS 8.x

Resolution

Note: The following is provided as an example and our Broadcome Support team will not be able to assist you in implementing this.

This is an alternative that may be implemented instead of using the Linux/Unix computer as a Package Server (PS). You may want to keep this in mind.

The scenario is that the Unix/Linux computer is not actually a Package Server (PS) and the PS agent is not installed on it. The Unix/Linux computer is instead used as a "file store and access point," so to speak. This computer must be running web server services, such as Apache since unix/linux clients can only download packages via http from a valid URL.

To implement this:

1. The Unix/Linux packages are configured as follows:
   1. The "Package Location" contains a URL to the package on the Unix/Linux computer from which the clients will download the package. This must be a URL.
   2. The "Package Directory" is how the Notification Server will access the package and update the package hash code. This can be a UNC or a URL.
2. Copy the package files to the Unix/Linux computer in the specified HTTP accessible directory.
3. Copy the package files to the specified NS server package directory.

Basically, we are telling the clients to get the package from a URL somewhere other than the SMP (Symantec Management Platform) server or a PS server. This can be any valid URL. Clients do not know the difference. They are simply being told to download the package from some URL. They will download both the snapshot and the codebase files from the SMP server.

Since there is not a PS agent, the Unix/Linux box cannot automatically update the packages as they change on the SMP server. There are a couple of options that can be implemented regarding package updating:

1. Manually update both the SMP server package and the Unix/Linux package files and set the package delete option to anything other than immediately. This allows the SMP server to update the package hash and provides updated files for the clients to access from the Unix/Linux computer.
2. Alternatively, you can disregard the package on the SMP server (other than for initial creation) and only update the package on the Unix/Linux computer. In order to ensure that the clients always get an updated package, you can set the package delete option to "0 days - delete immediately". This will cause the clients to download the package every time the client runs the task. Obviously, there is increased network traffic and processing on both the client and the Unix/Linux computer.

Note that the Unix/Linux computer, whether a PS or a simple file store, must be resolvable by hostname - either via DNS or by adding the Unix/Linux computer's IP address and hostname to the client's /etc/hosts file.