How to configure a Remote Windows Server as a Distribution Center for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x content

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

• Guidance on how to configure a remote Windows Server to be a LUA 2.x Distribution Center.
• Set up LiveUpdate Administrator Distrivbution Centers on a remote server
   

Cause

WebDAV is used to allow the Distribution Centers to get the updates from LiveUpdate Administrator.

Resolution

 

 

Administrators configuring a remote DC for the first time may be interested in the illustrated Connect Forum article LiveUpdate Administrator: How to configure a remote Distribution Center and its accompanying video.

 

 

Windows Server 2008 comes with IIS 7.0 (although not installed by default).
This guide outlines the steps to install and configure IIS 7.0 so it can be used as a LUA 2.x Distribution Center.

There are 4 main tasks:
1. Add Web Server (IIS) role and the required Role Services using Server Manager.
2. Create a folder and a user account for LUA distribution. Give the user account appropriate NTFS permission to the folder.
3. Install WebDAV 7.5 for IIS 7.0
4. Configure IIS 7.0 for LUA distribution center

Add Web Server (IIS) role and the required Role Services using Server Manager.

1. Launch Server Manager, select Roles in the left pane, click Add Roles in the right pane.
2. In the Add Roles Wizard window, check/tick Web Server (IIS) role.
3. When it comes to add Role Services, check/tick Basic Authentication (under Security) in addition to all other default selections.
4. Follow the instructions to complete Web Server installation.

Create a folder and a user account for LUA distribution. Give the user account appropriate NTFS permission to the folder.

1. Create a folder on the local hard disk with plenty of free space. This folder will be used to host the contents distributed by LUA and it will also be used by IIS to serve the contents to LiveUpdate clients. Bear in mind that depending on the purge policy, the size of this folder can be over 10 Gb.
2. Depending on whether the server is in a domain or workgroup, create a domain or local user account. This user account will be used by LUA to upload content files. Please note down the user name and password of this user account. You will need them when configuring LUA to use this distribution center.
3. Give the user account created in step 2 of this task full control permission to the folder created in step 1 of this task.

Install WebDAV 7.5 for IIS 7.0

1. Depending on the version of Windows Server 2008, download WebDAV 7.5 for IIS 7.0 (x86) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8A47D609-8D95-4E1A-B2F2-2303E7E10EDC&displaylang=en or WebDAV 7.5 for IIS 7.0 (x64) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ef237a40-9d06-4a6c-830c-31653624cf79&DisplayLang=en
2. Follow the instructions to install WebDAV for IIS 7.0

Note that WebDAV is available in IIS 7.5, but its role is not installed and enabled by default. Just like with Basic Authentication, the WebDAV Publishing Role must be added to the IIS server before a Distribution Center can be correctly set up.

 

Configure IIS 7.0 for LUA distribution center
If this web server is or will be used for web applications other than LUA distribution center, it is recommended to create a separate website for LUA distribution center. This way, specific configuration for LUA distribution center website will NOT interfere with other website(s). This guide shows how to create and configure a separate website. Similar steps can be applied to the default website is so desired.

1. Launch IIS manager
2. Expand the server in the left pane, right click Sites and click Add Web site...
3. Give it a descriptive site name such as Symantec LiveUpdate. For physical path, browse to the folder created in step 1 of task 2 above. Assign an unused port such as 8081. Click OK to create the web site. Please note down the IP address and the port number as you will need it when configuring LUA to use this distribution center.
4. In the left pane, select the newly created web site. Double click Authentication feature in the middle pane to open it. Select Basic Authentication then click Enable in the right action pane to enable it. Please see screen shot below for reference.

 

5. Select the web site again in the left pane, double click Directory Browsing in the middle pane, then click Enable in the right action pane to enable directory browsing.
6. Select the web site again in the left pane, double click Handler Mappings in the middle pane, then double click OPTIONSVerbHandler, select WebDAVModule for module and click OK. Please see screen shot below for reference.

 

 

7. Select the web site again in the left pane, double click MIME Types in the middle pane, click Add in the right action pane. In Edit MIME type dialogue window, type .* in File name extension field and application/octet-stream in MIME type field and then OK . Please see screen shot below for reference.

 

 

8. Select the web site again in the left pane, double click WebDAV authoring rules in the middle pane, click Enable WebDAV in the right pane. After it's enabled, click Add authoring rule in the right pane. In the Add authoring rule dialogue window, leave allow access to All content. Type the user name of the user account created in step 2 of task 2 in specified users field. Check/tick Read, Source and Write permissions. Click OK to close the window. Please see screen shot below for reference.

Now the IIS 7.0 server is ready to accept LUA 2.x distribution. All you need to do is to configure your LUA 2.x to point to this IIS 7.0 server as a distribution center. For detailed instructions on how to do this, please see "Configuring Distribution Centers" section in Symantec article title: 'LiveUpdate Administrator 2.1 installation walk through' - http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102862

References
 

- http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/350/installing-and-configuring-webdav-on-iis-7/

- Title: 'LiveUpdate Administrator 2.1 installation walk through' - http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102862

- Title: 'How to configure IIS 6.0 as a Distribution Center for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x content' - http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH104645


 

 

Applies To

 

Windows 2008 requires the WebDAV to be downloaded.  Windows 2008 R2 comes with WebDAV already installed. 
Both require the settings below to allow the Distribution Center (DC) to get the updates from LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x.