I'm looking for some insight into how the new package server works in 7.5 SP1 compared to 7.1 (with the same package server agent settings). I have several different scenarios, so I'll separate them out:
- What to do to make a new software resource package available as quickly as possible.
- In 7.1 all I had to do was go to the package server, update configuration and it would download and be available almost immediately. I could then schedule quick deploy jobs for that package on clients in that site and the installs would happen within a few minutes.
- In 7.5 I try the same thing and while the configuration does update, the package doesn't start to download. It takes up to an hour to actually download the package. And then after the package shows ready, it takes at least ten to fifteen minutes before clients can download the package without the 'No package sources returned by server' error.
- What to do to make a changed UNC-based software resource package available as quickly as possible.
- In 7.1 when files where changed in the base UNC path for the package, all I had to do was go to do 'update distribution points' on the software package resource, then update configuration on the package server. It would download the updated package right away and be available to clients almost immediately.
- In 7.5 'update distribution points' seems to do nothing. Updating the configuration on the package server doesn't receive a new config until some random length of time later (up to an hour). I have tried 'Resource Membership Update' but that doesn't seem to hurry it along. Once it finally downloads to the package server, I have the same issues with slow availability to the client as in #1.
- What to do to force a client to re-download a software resource package.
- In 7.1 I didn't have to worry about this at all. If the package had changed, it would re-download automatically and all was well. At most in a very few cases all I had to do additionally was delete the cached GUID folder in Program Files>Altiris>Altiris Agents>Agents>Software Management>Software Delivery for the package.
- Now when a package changes, and I verify it works fine on a client without a cache, it will not always re-download on clients with old caches. It just runs the old cached version. And if I delete the cached GUID folder, sometimes it starts getting errors about package IDs not matching, with the client somehow having a newer package ID than the server and refuses to download the package again at all. It's gotten so bad at some points that I've had to completely remove the agent and re-install, or re-image the client, to get it going again.
These issues have combined to make it extremely frustrating to develop and test new software installs in 7.5 SP1. Even if they are copied verbatim from 7.1 and I know they work, it takes at least an hour from start to finish on each package to get it installing on clients and tested. God forbid if it's a new package that isn't quite working correctly yet.. then it's hours to baby it along while I troubleshoot different changes. I am guessing that these issues stem partly from the new validation/security in the new package servers. Is there some way to turn this off, temporarily preferably but permanently if necessary and it clears up these issues?