Deleting packages from site servers in a hierarchy environment

Products

• Client Management Suite
• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

You would like to clean up old software packages, including the physical files, from your SMP and site servers. What would the proper steps be to follow to accomplish this in a hierarchy environment?

Environment

Release: 8.6

Resolution

First, you would check What does the “Delete Package files if unused for" on the Package Server setting do? You want to see what “Delete Package files if unused for" is set to.  This is probably 1 week.  You can leave it or change it.  That particular setting is specific to each SMP server in the hierarchy.  Although the rest of the settings on that page replicate down the hierarchy.  This setting will control when the physical files are deleted off the site servers.

On your parent SMP you would do the following:

• Delete the policies associated with the software package.
• Navigate to Manage > All Resource > Default > Software Component > Software Release.  Find the software release and delete it.  Deleting the software release should also delete the software package associated with it.  The software package is located under All Resource > Package.
• Run NS.Package Refresh and wait for it to complete. 
• Run NS.Package Distribution Point Update Schedule and wait for it to complete.
• Connect to the primary site server associated with the parent SMP server and update configuration.  You should see the package in question disappear.
• Initiate a delta hierarchy replication from parent to child.  You should see on the child the policies and the software release deleted from the SMP.

On the child SMP, after confirming policies and software releases/packages are gone:

• Run NS.Package Refresh and wait for it to complete. 
• Run NS.Package Distribution Point Update Schedule and wait for it to complete.
• On the primary site server, update the configuration.

On the site server, you can review the PackageStatus.xml found by default under C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Server Agent\PackageStatus\{GUID of Package}  You will notice an entry in the XML saying Status="Deleted".  This XML file and its directory, along with the physical files, by default stored C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Delivery, will be removed from the site server according to the setting on the SMP “Delete Package files if unused for"