Architecting and Scaling Your ZENworks Solution

Mark S Schouls

ZENworks Product Manager / NRM Community of Practice Leader

Novell, Inc.

Jeffery Loomis

NRM Consulting Practice Lead

Novell, Inc.

Novell Resource Management (NRM - ZENworks) Community of Practice

Overview

Scaling your ZENworks architecture

Best practice approach

The “Principles of ZENworks Design and Architecture”

A closer look at each of the major components

Sample architecture

Open forum

Scaling ZENworks Architecture

Scaling ZENworks Architecture
What We Know

Based on feedback, consulting engagements, questions, and customer visits we know that customers, partners, and other parties are most concerned with...

The ZENworks Middle Tier Server implementation.

Tiered Electronic Distribution (TED) architecture and placement.

Inventory roles, placement, and roll-up.

Architecture – what is it going to look like, how much is it going to cost, and when do I know when we are are stretching the limits?

Scaling ZENworks Architecture
Answering the Questions with Best Practice

OK... so now you have all your questions, and concerns. How do you ensure that you get all your questions answered, and that the architecture you embrace is the right one for you... for now, and for the long run?

Take time to create a complete project plan.

Facilitate ZENworks Discovery Workshops with their respective stakeholders.

Continually document answers to questions, any new questions, and additional concerns.

Maintain up-to-date architectural design materials.

Scaling ZENworks Architecture
Principles of Design

Production (Branch Location)

Production (Headquarters)

Staging Environment

1

2

3

4

Use a staging environment whenever possible

Use TED to synchronize critical application source data, and application objects across the enterprise

Separate your testing environment from your production environment

Script and test your production applications outside of the production space

Create addon images for all core business applications (applications that everyone is licensed to use) – treat all other applications as functional business applications

Document everything!!!

Scaling ZENworks Architecture
Principles of Design

Use the Middle Tier architecture in your DMZ to provide full ZENworks functionality to your mobile workforce

Keep objects and services close to users if your network does not support the traffic – accomplished by distributing services, synchronizing content, and eDirectory partitioning and replication

Standardize on MSI for packaging your applications

Deliver your applications via UNC, and with no force caching... unless you are delivering your applications to the mobile workforce outside the corporate boundaries

Keep you ZENworks architecture as simple as possible... centralize what you can and use schedules and policies to spread out traffic

Modularize your imaging process... keep it simple and spend time doing other things!!

Scaling ZENworks Architecture
Principles of Design

Configure the Windows services and registry to display service screens if you need or want to...

Automatic Workstation Import and Removal

Wake-on-LAN

Tiered Electronic Distribution

ZENworks Web Server

ZENworks Middle Tier Server
Scalability Factors

There are a number of variables that enhance/impact the scalability of the Middle Tier Server in any environment. Some of these factors include:

Speed of the processor

Multi-processor server(s)

Physical memory

Speed of the NIC

Speed of the LAN/WAN

Staggered login times

Staggered Launcher refresh intervals

Frequency of distributions (applications, policies, etc.)

Whether or not application distributions are being cached

Whether or not you are accessing data via CIFS or NCP

Location of eDirectory and connection speed

Policies handled through eDirectory or Active Directory

Typically, the bottleneck is the CPU and memory. The overall performance of the Middle Tier can be increased by addressing these factors prior to the implementation.

ZENworks Middle Tier Server
Fault Tolerance and Load Balancing

The Middle Tier Server services cannot be clustered, thus fault tolerance and load balancing must be achieved through the implementation of Microsoft Network Load Balancing, or by fronting the Middle Tier Server farm with a Layer 4 switch.

ZENworks Middle Tier Server
Fault Tolerance for eDirectory

Providing fault tolerance by farming together Middle Tier Servers, and fronting them with a Layer 4 switch is pointless unless there is eDirectory redundancy behind the Middle Tier Server farm...

Put replica servers behind your Middle Tier Server farm, and point your Middle Tier Servers to each of them

ZENworks Middle Tier Server
So What are the Numbers??

Does moving to ZENworks 6.5 Desktop Management Service Pack 1 make a difference with Microsoft IIS? The numbers speak for themselves...

* Numbers based on refresh times with 100 applications associated to 460 user accounts

** Numbers based on refresh times with 100 applications associated to 240 user accounts

Middle Tier Platform

ZENworks 6.5

ZENworks 6.5+SP1

Microsoft Windows Server 2003*

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server**

18 m 26 s

16 m 59 s

2 m 35 s

3 m 17 s

Numbers include workstation boot time calculated at 1 m 30 s per workstation

Tiered Electronic Distribution
Architecting to Scale

Tiered Electronic Distribution services can be tricky to design and implement. Keep things simple...

Use network architecture and site diagrams to design your implementation.

Placement and use of Parent Subscribers close to the Distributor, and at larger remote sites allows you to achieve an incredible level of scale.

Understand your schedules and when things will kick off.

Document everything.

ZENworks Desktop Management
Image Management

Stick with the Base Operating System for your image – your Standard Operating Environment (SOE).

Modularize your image process - extract your applications (previous section talks about add on imaging), and add in drivers.

Use the ENGL Imaging Toolkit for greater flexibility, and to extend your imaging solution to the next level!!

Shoot for small and many... not large and few.

ZENworks Desktop Management
Image Management... Modularize and Simplify

Before

After

Windows XP + SP 2

Dell Latitude C610

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Compaq Presario X6000

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Dell Latitude D800

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Compaq Presario M2000

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Dell Latitude D600

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

IBM ThinkPad T41P

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Toshiba Tecra M2

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

Sony VAIO T140

All Core Applications

2 GB Total

Windows XP + SP 2

500 MB Total

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

Core Business Application

...

Methodologies and Approach

ZENworks Desktop Management
Inventory Management

Place inventory servers and databases carefully.

Smaller sites do not necessarily need an inventory server to collect inventory information... report across the network if possible.

Larger sites should report to a site based inventory server to keep WAN traffic to a minimum.

Do not place databases at remote sites unless there is a business requirement for site-based reporting.

Document and schedule your inventory rollup during OFF peak hours

ZENworks Handheld Management
Servicing the Mobile Device

You can achieve scale from your Handheld Management infrastructure as well...

Use remote Access Points to distribute load, and limit the amount of WAN traffic.

In addition, fault tolerance is natively there with ZENworks 7 Handheld Management so now you can assign Access Point lists to your mobile devices.

Sample Architecture

Sample Architecture
Centralized Services

Layer 4 Switch

Head Quarters

Devices include:

Laptops, workstations, handhelds and tablets

Tier 1

Backend Systems

Tier 2

Middle Tier

Server Environment

Branch Office

Tier 3

Branch

Appliance Systems

WAN

Sample Architecture
Distributed Services

Layer 4 Switch

Head Quarters

Devices include:

Laptops, workstations, handhelds and tablets

Tier 1

Backend Systems

Tier 2

Middle Tier

Server Environment

Branch Office

Tier 3

Branch

Appliance Systems

WAN

Sample Architecture
Hybrid Centralized and Distributed Services

Layer 4 Switch

Head Quarters

Devices include:

Laptops, workstations, handhelds and tablets

Tier 1

Backend Systems

Tier 2

Middle Tier

Server Environment

Branch Office

Tier 3

Branch

Appliance Systems

WAN

T1

Single DNS Record

Layer 4 Switch

Layer 4 Switch

Scripting Environment

Core Campus Locations

T1

T1

T1

Public

Internet

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Laptop PCs

Tablet PCs

Open Forumn

Minimize business risk—change and reconfiguration costs

Support staff are familiar with the client

Performance and scalability inside the firewall

It is already installed on your workstations

Novell Client is required for other Novell solutions

Minimize business risk—change and reconfiguration costs

Support staff are familiar with the client

Performance and scalability inside the firewall

It is already installed on your workstations

Novell Client is required for other Novell solutions

BOF15

2003-12-08T12:43:39