Register Workstations into eDirectory
You are going to want workstation objects in the tree so that you can send content and policies to them and run a secure remote control. To get these objects into the tree, you need to set some registry keys on the workstations. You can have the registry key set as part of a corporate image that you place on your corporate machines, for example, or you can do it automatically when any user logs in to those workstations. Let’s do it automatically when a user logs in to ZENworks.
You need to create an application object that will create the appropriate registry key for the workstation and associate it with all users. Additionally, you need to create an import policy to tell ZENworks how to name these newly created workstations and where to put them.
The following steps configure the settings in your ZENworks tree:
Log in to eDirectory as admin and launch ConsoleOne.
Optionally create an Applications container and browse to that container.
Choose the Application Object Creation Wizard on the toolbar, or select the container, right-click, and select New→Application.
Create a new simple application object called Workstation Registration. Define no path and system requirements, and don’t associate it with anyone yet. On the last page of the wizard select Display Details After Creation and click Finish.
Select the Distribution Options→Registry page and enter the following registry key:
Select the Associations tab and associate this new application object with all users in the system. Make sure that the association has Force Run turned on and all the other settings turned off so that the application will not show up on the user’s desktop.
Click OK.
?HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Novell\ZENworks\zenwsreg\ImportServer = IP/DNS
Figure 3.2 illustrates this process.
Figure 3.2 The registry key for Workstation Registration object.
ZENworks attempts to register the workstation at boot time and user login or logout. If you want to manually force it to register immediately, just call zwsreg.exe in the postdistribution script of the Workstation Registration application object.
You now need to set up a workstation import policy to tell the system how to name the workstation objects when they are automatically created. This can be done by executing the following steps:
Open the server package created when you installed ZENworks Desktop Management on the server. (This will most likely be found in the container where the server is located in the tree.) Enable the workstation import policy.
Select the import policy and click Properties.
Select the Containers tab and click Add to add to the list the container where you want the workstations to be created. If they are going to be scattered around the tree (because you want them in the user’s or relative container), you need to select on this screen a container in the tree that is higher than any of the potential locations of the workstation objects.
Select the Platforms→General tab and fill in the container where you want the workstation objects to be placed (under the Location tab on page).
Select the Naming tab and enter the rules for the names of your workstations.
Select the Groups tab and enter the groups you want the workstations to be added as members.
Select the Limits tab and enter the value of the user login number that you want. This value causes ZENworks to create the object only after the user has logged in the specified number of times.
Click OK.
Verify that the server package is associated with the server running the installed Import process.
Click OK.
You are now set on both the server side and configuration, and ready for the next step.