How To Deploy the pcAnywhere Plug-in

Products

• Symantec Products

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

The pcAnywhere plug-in must be installed on each client computer in order to remotely control them using pcAnywhere Solution.  All Agent Plug-ins, such as for pcAnywhere Solution, depend on the Altiris Agent for communication with the Symantec Management Platform.  How does one install the pcAnywhere plug-in?

The plug-in policy may be enabled prior to the deployment of the Altiris Agent, or after.  Either way, the plug-in will be automatically installed once the Altiris Agent retrieves its next scheduled configuration update from the server.

The best practices method of installing the pcAnywhere Plug-is to enable the pcAnywhere Plug-in policy for the desired platform(s).  The install policies can be found at Settings > All Settings then Agents\Plugins > Remote Management > Remote Control > Select the OS and the desired install policy.

It is possible to deploy the pcAnywhere Plug-in by running its installation program manually from the client computer, though this is not the recommended method.  Following are the steps to manually install the pcAnywhere plug-in on managed client computers running Windows:

      1. Connect from the client computer to the following share:  \\<servername>\NSCap\

      2. Copy the folder \\<servername>\NSCap\bin\Win32\X86\pcAAgent\ to the client computer

      3. Run the following command, using the local copy(choose the one for the desired install type):

• Full host:  pcAClientInstallManager.exe /iall
• Host with no remote:  pcAClientInstallManager.exe /nopcaquickconnect  (available starting in 12.6.7 HF1*)

To verify that the pcAnywhere Plug-in is installed, use one of the following methods:

•     In the Symantec Management Console, click Manage > Filters > Software Filters > Agent and Plug-in Filters > pcAnywhere for Windows Installed Active.  (MAC or Linux filters may apply as well.)  The name of each managed computer with the pcAnywhere plug-in should appear in the filter results.   
•     Right-click the Altiris Agent icon in the system tray and select Altiris Agent Settings to view which "Installed Agents" are listed.  "Symantec pcA Agent" should appear in the list.

 

*UPDATED Product Info:

pcAnywhere Solution 12.6.7 Hotfix 1 introduced a new feature of the Host Only package.  The Host Only package can be deployed with the new install/upgrade policies included.  These policies are indicated with "(Host Only)" in the policy name.  The new Host Only package allows administrators to deploy a pcAnywhere plugin that only accepts remote connections and does not allow remote connections to be made from that client with pcAnywhere Quick Connect(installed with the full plug-in) or from the SMP Console's Remote Control menu option.  In order to perform remote control from either of these options, the Host Only plugin will need to be uninstalled first.

Important Note:  When deploying a mix of Host Only and full pcA plug-in's, be sure to have the install policies only target the desired clients.  Plug-in installation can fail or install the wrong plug-in if a client belongs to both a Host Only and full Install policy simultaneously, if both policies are enabled.

Please visit our Connect Forums or contact Symantec Technical Support if you have additional questions.