Packager - Software Distribution

The Packager node will provide access to the types of package which are applicable to the operating system of the respective device, that is, under a Windows client you will be able to create MSI, snapshot and custom packages, on a Linux device rpm and custom packages, while on a MacOS computer you can only create custom packages. The types of packages are indicated also via their icons:

The Packager nodes have a subnode for each type of package which can be created on the respective device.

The following topics provide more information about using Packager node:

Publishing a package to the master

When you publish an package you make it available to the general public in you network by placing it on the master. To publish a package, proceed as follows:

1. Select the package to be published in the left window pane.
2. Click Edit > Publish to Master
   .
   The package will copied to the master server and added automatically to the Packages node with its existing name.
3. If the package already exists on the master and was tagged with a renaming order when being sent to the device for modification, a window appears to inform you of this fact. Click OK to acknowledge.
   Then the Properties dialog displays on the screen, in which you must enter a new name for the package.
4. Click OK to confirm.

You can follow the status of the publication process in the Package Status line in the right window pane of the package. Be aware that the status Package successfully published to the direct parent. only indicates that the package has arrived at the parent of the current device and not yet at the master. The status Package successfully published to target device. indicates, that the package has arrived at the master and is available for general use.

Publishing a package to a relay

A package does not necessarily have to be made available to the whole network, it can just be needed and thus be published to a specific group of devices. To do so the package can be published to a relay. Be aware that packages cannot be published to relays installed on Window 95/98/ME operating systems, these cannot be used as Storage Relays. To publish a package to a relay, proceed as follows:

1. Select the package to be published to the relay in the left window pane.
2. Click Edit > Publish to Relay .
   The Select a Storage Relay pop-up menu displays displaying the list of all available relays.
3. Select the desired relay from one of the list boxes.
   The package will copied to the relay and added automatically to its Packages node with its existing name.

You can follow the status of the publication process in the Package Status line in the right window pane of the package. Be aware that the status Package successfully published to the direct parent. only indicates that the package has arrived at the parent of the current device and not yet at the target relay. The status Package successfully published to target device. indicates, that the package has arrived at the target relay and the master has received this information, thus the package is now available for general use.

Referencing a package

A package can also only be referenced by the master, that is, the master receives all information about the package but not the package itself. The package in this case is stored in a specific location, which, for example, can also be a removable unit such as a CD/DVD or a USB key, and a relay which requires the package for itself or its clients will verify the given location before requesting it from the master. To reference a package, proceed as follows:

1. Select the package to be referenced in the left window pane.
2. Click Edit > Reference Package .
   All information about the package is directly sent to the master.

Sending a package back to a packager

A package, once published to the master, might have to be modified again later on, either on the device it was created on or on another device. Make sure that the device you intend to send the package to is enabled with the Package Factory , that is, it is a Packager, and that it's operating system is compatible with the package type, otherwise it cannot be modified. To send the package for modification to a device, proceed as follows.

1. In the Packagers tab of the package to be sent to another device select Edit > Send Package .
   The Send Package to Packager pop-up menu appears.
2. Select the device to which to send the package to from one of the list boxes.
3. You can also specify if the package is to be renamed when it is being uploaded to the master again. In this case mark the Force Rename check box below the list of devices.
4. Click OK to confirm and to close the window.

The package is now sent to the device, you can follow the progress via the Status value of the table.