What is the option “Delete package files if unused on the Altiris Agent” for?

Products

• Management Platform (Formerly known as Notification Server)

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

Question

How about the “Delete package files if unused on the Altiris Agent” on the Altiris Agent configuration settings?

Answer

There is a setting that can be configured on Software Delivery packages individually, called "Package files will be deleted from the client computer if unused for X amount of time". This setting only applies to when the Altiris Agent will delete its unused Software Delivery packages.

For this to take effect, certain conditions must be met.One of the conditions for a Software Delivery package to be considered unused by the Altiris Agent is that the associated Software Delivery task has to have executed at least once. If it has not run at least once then the count down to delete the package will never start.

Another condition that will not allow the package to be deleted is a setting called "User can run the task immediately" that, when enabled while configuring a Software Delivery task, will cause the associated Software Delivery package to always be considered "In use".

The conditions listed below will cause a Software Delivery Package to be considered unused and, therefore, be deleted from the client computer if:

• There are no longer any enabled Software Delivery tasks associated with the Software Delivery package.
• If the client is removed from the collection which applied to the Software Delivery task.
• The option on the Software Delivery task to "Remove this task after successful install" is enabled and the Software Delivery task has run successfully at least once. 
• If the Software Delivery task has run once on the Altiris Agent, and is not configured to run on any other schedules.

Once the Software Delivery Package is considered unused, the count down begins to delete the package, and the deletion will occur in seven days (by default) from the time the Software Delivery task last executed.

NOTE!  A defect was discovered recently (3/16/2009).  Please see KB 46100 for details. Summary: Packages that have never had a Task run against them will not be deleted.