ZenProxy and ZENWSIMPORT

Background

In order for Windows workstations to be managed through Novell ZENworks, the workstations must be represented in the Novell directory by an workstation object, much as a user must be represented by a user object. This document details how the workstation management and imaging software (on the workstation) uses either the HOSTS file or DNS to locate the workstation import service (on a server) via an alias titled ZENWSIMPORT. Once the workstation software has located the import server, it registers itself, and leaves a record of this registration both on the local machine and in the Novell directory.

The use of ZenProxy

A workstation that does Zen imaging will try to contact its Zenproxy for instructions. The ZenProxy environment variable is usually given a value during the install of the Zen Imaging partition. It is in the SETTINGS.TXT file. (See Creating the ZENworks CD, section 2)

Using the value (either IP address or DNS name) the corresponding server is contacted. That server MUST be running the workstation imaging service to answer these queries.

The server asks the workstation who does it think it is.

If the workstation already has an NDS identity, the workstation object will be referenced for any imaging activity. The identity is stored on sector 6 of the workstation disk. That value gets set through the workstation registration process by the program ziswin.exe. This process is referred to as imaging by workstation policy and it is how managment of imaging is passed over from ITS to the faculties.

The first time a newly imaged workstation tries to contact the Zenproxy, it will not have its identity set. The workstation and server then work on a second strategy. Very basic hardware attributes of the machine, such as processor, memory size, disk size and IP address are sent to the server. The server compares these with a table of rules to locate any imaging activity. This is imaging by server policy and is usually under ITS control.

ITS has to keep control of the server policies where multiple faculties refer to the same ZenProxy server. ITS runs four student servers that have the imaging service. To allow the service to be moved between the servers, an alias is used rather than the names of the servers themselves.

As described above, the zenproxy and server based imaging rules only apply to workstations without an NDS identity. Once given an identity, any server can be contacted to obtain a link to the workstation object and its imaging policy.

The use of ZenWSImport

A workstation that runs the Novell Desktop Management (ZENworks) agent must connect with and maintain an NDS object that represents the workstation. The name of the workstation object is held in the Windows registry and that name is placed there by the workstation registration process (wsreg32.exe).

If the workstation does not have an NDS registered name, it will try to register each time it reboots and the ZENworks agent is restarted. To register it must contact a server running the workstation import service. The import service in ZENworks 3.2 only allows workstations to be imported into one container. In other words, for every container within which we want workstation objects to be created automatically, there must be a distinct server running the import service for that container alone.

To find the server, the workstation does a DNS look up of the name ZenWSImport. This usually involves checking the HOSTS file and then asking the DNS server. The process of asking the DNS server will include adding the "connection specific DNS suffix" for the adapter used. The suffix is set by DHCP at the time the workstation gets its address, ip router and name router information. The suffix is the DNS domain within which the workstation has been registered. Other domains may be searched in order, as configured by the workstation administrator.

The general case is best served by placing the required value in the HOSTS file (%*WinSysDir%\drivers\etc\hosts). For staff workstations being imported into the STAFF-AU tree, the migration client kit should set this value. In the STUDENT-AU tree where the workstation image is delivered via ZENworks Imaging, the updated HOSTS file is delivered by an addon image. This adds barely a second to the imaging process and is incorporated in the image delivery script.

Staff System (STAFF-AU Tree) HOSTS file in migration kit

Student System (STUDENT-AU Tree) HOSTS file in addon image

The use of DNS Alias for ZenWSImport

If a faculty has a separate DNS domain that is exclusively for the workstations to be imported into a particular container, then an alias can be used.