Contents
1. Using Finder to Deploy, Update and Manage Collector
This section describes how Finder is used to manage the deployment of Collector updates on your computer fleet. This optional functionality is provided for use where no other remote application deployment solution is available.
1.1. Prerequisites:
- Web access to the Engine Console
Windows settings on the computer fleet configured to provide access to Engine for Collector deployment, namely PsExec access and privileges to mount a shared drive from the PsExec process.
- The latest Collector archive (zip file), stored on the Engine server. This archive contains the latest versions of Collector and Updater.
See http://doc.nexthink.com/doc/4.0.0/GettingStarted/Installation/Collector for details on the various options to install NEXThink Updater, which installs and updates Collector.
The process of setting up the Collector archive for deployment is documented at http://doc.nexthink.com/doc/4.0.0/GettingStarted/Installation/Engine#Engine_Options_for_Collector_Update.
1.2. Deploying and Updating Collector using Finder
The Collector deployment and update process is managed from the NEXThink Collector tab in the left hand Finder pane. You MUST be logged in as admin for the NEXThink Collector tab to be visible.
Click on this tab to see the Manage and Discover & Install tabs.
NEXThink Collector Tab opened, showing Manage .. Sources (computers) in a semi-collapsed view
1.2.1. Setting Collector Update and Reboot policies
The Collector update process is set to either auto-update or manual by selecting the Auto-update policy accordingly. Click on the NEXThink Colletor tab and select the Manage tab. At the base of the Manage tab, enable or disable Auto-update of Collector as best suits your operational requirements. If Auto-update is enabled, computers with NEXThink Updater installed will automatically update to the latest version of Collector stored in the Collector archive saved on Engine as soon as they connect to Engine.
Setting Collector Auto-update on keeps your fleet updated to the latest version of the Collector archive stored on Engine.
If Auto-update is not selected, you must manually manage the update process as described in the section Using Finder to Manage Collector, below.
1.2.2. Setting Policy for Reboots after Installation of Collector and Update
At the base of the Manage tab, you can set the reboot policy for Collector installations and updates by clicking on Set reboot policy... This brings up a window (see below) where you can choose between the options:
- no automatic reboot
- automatic reboot
- automatic reboot which forcibly closes other applications
If one of the reboot automatically options is set, you can further opt to force an immediate reboot, or program one to occur at a set time (e.g. outside of business hours) by using the Scheduled at option.
Setting reboot options following Collector installation/update
The new version of Collector will commence running after the reboot. You can check how many computers have out of date versions of Collector or have had the new version installed and are awaiting a reboot by examining the quantities in the "scheduled for update" and "waiting for reboot" categories under the Outdated category as shown below.
Of the 41 computers with outdated versions of Collector, 25 are scheduled for an update and 16 are awaiting reboot to complete installation
1.2.3. Configuring the Deployment/Update list in Finder
Collector can be deployed to a list of machines listed in a text (typically CSV) file, or from an Active Directory Collection. To enter a list of machines for Collector deployment, right click on the Discover & Install tab and then click on Create Collection from AD or Create Collection from CSV.
Creating a collection for installation of Collector from Active Directory or from a CSV file
1.2.3.1. Creating a Collection from a CSV file
Clicking on Create Collection from CSV will bring up an Open File dialogue, enabling you to browse to your CSV file. This file is just a list of the computer names with a default csv extension, with two entries per line, either of:
- Identifying (NETBIOS) name,IP Address
- Identifying (NETBIOS) name,hostname
While these variables are usually comma separated, a range of separators are acceptable per the Create a computer collection - step 1 of 4 snapshot below.
Importing a text file containing a list of workstations (computers) awaiting deployment of Collector
Browse to the folder containing your list of computers awaiting deployment, use the file name extension selector to show csv, txt or All file extensions so you can see your deployment file, select it and click on Open. This will bring up another window, asking for information on the file structure. An example file can be seen displayed in the bottom of the following snap-shot.
Creating a computer collection from an imported file - specifying the file structure
If necessary, change the settings from the default Encoding, Delimiter and Text qualifier settings and click on Next >. At this stage, you can check that Finder has read the file in correctly, by clicking on Show file. The first few lines of your file should be displayed, with a scroll bar to the right so that you can verify the entire file. At this stage, if Finder doesn't understand your file structure, you will be given an error message. Otherwise, you are prompted to name your collection and optionally change the column order.
Naming your imported deployment list and modifying the column order
Note, as shown in the above snapshot, Finder does some basic error checking of your column selection from the entries in the first line in the file and displays a red exclamation mark if it suspects an error. It will not let you import the file until the error condition is cleared. [In the above example, the IP address, (the second file variable), has been incorrectly selected for the both the NETBIOS name and the IP address.]
Click on Import and the list of computers is imported and a window pops up advising how many computer details were successfully imported. The count of computers in the imported list is now visible under the Discover & Install tab in the category Without Collector.
Collection of computers ready for scheduling deployment of Collector
You can now double click on the item Without Collector under the deployment list name (or right click and then click on Show computers...) to see the list details in the right Finder pane.
Right clicking on the deployment list name (e.g. CollectorDeployment22Nov2011 in this example) now gives the following options:
Options available for an imported deployment list
Show computers... List the computers as described above
Set installation credentials Approve deployment by entering the administrator account name and password
Install on all... Provided the deployment has been approved (above), enable installation. Otherwise, prompt for approval (as above) and directly enable installation.
Delete Delete the deployment list
Enter your installation credentials, then click on OK. Next select Install on all and the right hand pane is updated to show the status as Scheduled for installation for this list of computers. The count of or computers in the category Without Collector is now set to zero and the count in the category Scheduled for Installation increases accordingly.
Credentials requested to approve deployment of Collector to imported computer list
The progress of installing Collector on these computers can now be monitored under the Manage tab (see below).
1.2.3.2. Creating a Collection from Active Directory
Clicking on Create Collection from AD will bring up a dialog that enables you to create an Active Directory Collection of machines requiring the deployment of Collector.
Hovering over the 'i' information icons to the right of the Include and Exclude DN fields brings up a tool-tip that explains how to set up filters to include and exclude computers.
To set up an Active Directory Collection, name your collection in the Name: field, then set the filters in the Include DN: and Exclude DN: to create your deployment list. You can fine tune your final deployment list by double clicking on the imported collection and selectively deleting computers as described below.
A right click on the Computers in Active Directory label brings up a list of possible actions as follows:
Show Computers... Runs the investigation - same action as a double click
Edit... Brings up a window that provides editable fields by which you can edit the Active Directory collection (uses the process you used to create the list - see above, to edit it)
Set Installation Credentials... Prompts for the entry of an Administration account, password and optionally the domain to enable remote installation of Collector
Enable Auto Install... Enable automatic installation on all computers in the collection
Install on all... Start installation on all computers in the collection
Delete: Deletes the Installation
Duplicate: Duplicates the Installation, enabling you to perhaps split a large deployment list by duplicating the original and editing the two installation lists
Installing on all computers or enabling auto-install will start deployment on all computers of the collection. Alternatively, you can deploy on specific computers of the collection: open up the collection (Show computers). This brings up the list of computers in the collection. Select the computers in the list and right-click on the selection: a popup menu appears offering the possibility to schedule installation on these computers (see screenshot below).
Schedule collector installation on specific computers from the collection.
You can monitor the progress of computers through the deployment and operational phases by opening up the collection (Show computers or double click). Below we can see that 9 computers from in the Collector Deployment22Nov2011 collection have moved from the "Without Collector category" to the "Scheduled for installation" category. They will eventually move through the remaining categories and at the end of the process you can double click on the "With error" category to find out why computers in this category failed to install Collector.
Management stages for a Collector Deployment
Having double clicked on the "Scheduled for installation" category, we can cancel installation on selected computers by right clicking and removing individual computer records from the collection.
Deleting a scheduled Collector deployment a selected computer
1.3. Using Finder to Manage Collector
Above we have seen how to use the Discover and Install tab under the NEXThink Collector Tab to deploy Collector to computers. Once this has been done, if you have not set the auto-update policy for Collector, the Manage tab provides the means of ensuring the computers under your control have functional installations of Collector. The Collector status categories may be displayed in a collapsed or expanded mode and you toggle between these modes by clicking on the + or - icon to the right of the category.
Computer Management categories; top level uncollapsed, individual categories in the Manageable category collapsed
A tool-tip providing an explanation on each of the categories can be gained by hovering over the relevant label.
Under the Manage tab, right clicking any of the category labels then clicking Refresh (or pressing F5) provides the means of refreshing the category quantity. You can refresh any label within the displayed tree, which forces a refresh of all the sub-categories.
A double click on a category label will run an investigation and provide a report listing the computer details in the right hand frame.
Why are these computers unmanageable? Double click and find out!
Computers in the Scheduled for Repair category can be have their installation of Collector repaired via Finder.
Collector installations can be repaired via Finder
Double click on any category and then right click on the computer name as shown below and select "Schedule for repair". This forces an uninstall of Collector followed by a re-installation after the machine is rebooted.
Right click the computer requiring re-installation of Collector and schedule it for repair
Likewise, Finder reports which computers have an outdated version of Collector installed. An update of these can be forced by right clicking on the Outdated category and selecting "Update all".
Forcing an update of Collector via Finder