Server Hierarchy
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Server Hierarchy
Your Management Zone’s server hierarchy determines the relationships among the ZENworks
®
Primary Servers and Satellites. These relationships control the flow of content and information
within the zone. Proper configuration can help you to minimize network traffic between network
segments connected by slow links.
Section 8.1, “Primary Servers: Peer Versus Parent/Child Relationships,” on page 95
Section 8.2, “Satellite Role Relationships,” on page 95
Section 8.3, “Changing the Parent-Child Relationships of Primary Servers,” on page 96
8.1 Primary Servers: Peer Versus Parent/Child
Relationships
By default, each Primary Server that you add to the system is created as a peer to all other Primary
Servers. Being in a peer relationship enables a Primary Server to:
Have direct write access to the ZENworks database so that it can add information (inventory,
messages, and status).
Retrieve device configuration information directly from the database.
Pull content (bundles, policies, system updates, and patches)from any Primary Server.
Direct write access to the ZENworks database requires a JDBC*/ODBC connection. If a Primary
Server is located on the network so that it cannot effectively access the ZENworks database via a
JDBC/ODBC connection, you can configure the Primary Server to be a child of another Primary
Server that does have direct write access to the database. However, you should try to maintain peer
relationships between your Primary Servers unless your network connections do not allow it.
Being in a child relationship instructs a Primary Server to use HTTP to roll up inventory, message,
and status information to its parent Primary Server, which then writes the information to the
database. However, the child Primary Server still retrieves configuration information from the
database and passes configuration information back up to the database. For this reason, the child
Primary Server must have a direct connection to the ZENworks database.
We do not recommend having a Primary Server across a WAN link from the ZENworks database
because this causes increased traffic across the network. We recommend that you use a Satellite
device across a WAN link. For more information, see
Section 8.2, “Satellite Role Relationships,” on
page 95
.
8.2 Satellite Role Relationships
A Satellite is a device that can perform certain roles that a ZENworks Primary Server normally
performs. A Satellite can be any managed Windows device (server or workstation), but not a
Primary Server. A Satellite can also be an unmanaged Linux device (server or workstation). When
you configure a Satellite, you specify which roles it performs (Authentication, Collection, Content
or Imaging). A Satellite can also perform roles that might be added by third-party products that are
snap-ins to the ZENworks 10 Configuration Management framework. For more information about
the tasks you can perform on Satellites, see
Chapter 7, “Satellites,” on page 79
.
