Agent Procedures – Hands-On Exercisesusers.cis.fiu.edu/~sadjadi/Teaching/IT Automation/KAS201/Book/PD… · 349 Chapter7 – Agent Procedures Hands-On Exercises Agent Procedures–

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Agent ProceduresHands-on Exercise

Chapter7 – Agent Procedures Hands-On Exercises

Agent Procedures– H

ands-On Exercises

Sadjadi et al.

You have been hired as the lead IT Administrator at the Florida International University (FIU) to manage the computers at the School of Computing and Information Sciences (SCIS), the Machine Room (MR), the Green Library (GL), and the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). As shown in Fig. 7.1, SCIS, MR, GL, and CEC are physically located in four buildings. SCIS maintains about 200 desktop workstations in its instructional lab, MR maintains about 5 servers, GL maintains about 50 open access guest desktops, and CEC maintains about 500 PCs and laptops. The exact number and configurations of computers are not well documented. Typically, the servers run Windows 2003 and the desktop workstations, PCs, and laptops all run Windows XP. Active Directory is implemented in one of the servers, named dc, and is assigned to all comput-ers in SCIS and GL, but not to those in CEC. As the lead IT Administrator of the organization you are respon-sible for ensuring that all systems run efficiently with minimal disruption of computing services to the users.

You have decided to employ a Kaseya server to help you manage all computers at SCIS, MR, GL, and CEC. Your Kaseya server is now installed and is fully operational. In addition, you have successfully deployed agents on some of the machines under your management.

Scripting is an excellent way to create small and reusable programs to automate well understood, but repeat-ing and error prone system management procedures. When having a large network of computers to manage, using such reusable programs (also called scripts or procedures) greatly helps in reducing redundant actions needed for multiple computers. However, with no reliable way of deploying, running scripts, and the countless amounts of scripting languages out there, it is difficult for the technician to choose one solution that fits all. Another issue arises if the technician wants to install the same program across multiple computers. It would be time consuming if the technician had to be physically present at each individual computer and installing the program.

Kaseya’s Agent Procedures module enables you to create dynamic scripts (called procedures in K2) using an easy-to-use language and interface. It also allows you to deploy software packages across multiple platforms for time saving software installation.

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Background Story

Fig. 7.18:A logical

diagram ofFIU’s network.

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Your dedicated virtual environment includes the computers and network devices depicted in Fig. 7.1 and further described below:

• NAT Router: 192.168.0.1 & 192.168.1.1 & 192.168.2.1 & 192.168.3.1

• SCIS: ws1.scis.fiu.edu - 192.168.0.100

• MR: dc.scis.fiu.edu - 192.168.0.10 & 192.168.1.10 & 192.168.3.10

• GL: guest1.gl.fiu.edu - 192.168.1.100

• CEC: pc1.cec.fiu.edu - 192.168.2.100 & laptop1: laptop1.cec.fiu.edu - 192.168.2.200

Note: This virtual environment includes only a limited number of representative servers and workstations physically housed in the four buildings.

For future troubleshooting, it would be good to create a procedure that takes a snapshot of available memory, both virtual and physical, on the designated computer. However, it will be useless to only run the procedure during time of urgency; therefore you should schedule the procedure to run at a set interval so that you can monitor the usage.

Management has also requested to install 7-Zip on all desktop machines for their users to be able to open zip files. By using Kaseya’s Agent Procedures, one can install software packages across the network to multiple computers.

The installation of Spybot Search and Destroy is needed on ws1, laptop1, and future machines. To help with future installation of the program, Kaseya’s Packager will help you create a package for future installation of the product.

Finally, the enduser of ws1 has requested to view a screenshot of his machine and to also send him a Google Chrome installation file. Using Get File and Distribute File, retrieve his screenshot and send him the installa-tion file.

Create a procedure that will measure the available virtual and physical memory. If either the available virtual or physical memory is less than 20% of the total amount, the procedure creates a warning message in the agent procedure logs along with the ratio of the available-to-total memory. If the available virtual or physi-cal memory is equal to or greater than 20%, then the procedure just logs the ratio of the available-to-total memory. Once created, schedule the procedure to run on all machines. For the server machines, set it to run every 10 minutes. For the desktop machines, set it to run every 30 minutes.

-Create a procedure, named “checkMemory-<USERNAME>” that provides you with a snapshot of available physical and virtual memory. Within the procedure, create four variables, freeVirtual (free virtual memory), freePhysical (free physical memory), totalVirtual (total virtual memory), and totalPhysical (total physical mem-ory).

Exercise

Technical Information

Part 1

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Disclaimer: Even though this task can be accomplished using a monitor set too, and the use of monitoring may seem a more intuitive approach, we chose to use agent procedure instead to give an overview of how to create an agent procedure, how to obtain variables, and use different statements including the if-then-else statement.

1. Open the Agent Procedure module. Go to Manage Procedure > Schedule / Create.

2. Click on the “myProcedure - <USERNAME>” folder.

3. Click on New Procedure.

4. Type “checkMemory-<USERNAME>” in the Name textbox.

5. Click on New Step.

6. Select Get Variable in the Step Type dropdown box.

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7. Select WMI property in the Select the type of the value to get from the agent dropdown box.

8. Type in “root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.FreeVirtualMemory” in the Specify the registry value name…or drive value type textbox.

9. Type in “freeVirtual” in the Specify a name for the variable (without # signs). Refer to this variable as #name# in any of the following steps textbox.

10. Click on Save.

11. Repeat steps 5-10 for the variables freePhysical, totalVirtual, and totalPhysical.

Note: Kaseya allows the use of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) as scripting methods to return data. The location and name of the methods will be typed in under Specify the registry value name…or drive value type textbox. The location and methods used for this exercise are as follows:

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Free Virtual Memory: root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.FreeVirtualMemory

Free Physical Memory: root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.FreePhysicalMemory

Total Virtual Memory: root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.TotalVirtualMemorySize

Total Physical Memory: root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.TotalVisibleMemorySize

Note: When using a physical machine, “root\cimv2:Win32_ComputerSystem.TotalPhysicalMemory” is rec-ommended as a better WMI for detecting the total physical memory. As we are using virtual machines in this virtual environment, “root\cimv2:Win32_OperatingSystem.TotalVisibleMemorySize” must be used to pro-duce an accurate reading. Also note, the memory size will be displayed in bytes, rather than kilobytes, when using “root\cimv2:Win32_ComputerSystem.TotalPhysicalMemory”. For more information on WMI please refer to Microsoft’s site, http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394582%28v=VS.85%29.aspx

Note: To call a variable in a procedure, use the # sign before and after the variable name. (e.g., #freeVirtual#)

- Log the total amount of free and total values for the physical and virtual memory. If the free memory is less than 20% of the total memory, log a warning stating so.

12. Click on New IF.

13. Select Evaluate Expression in the Condition Type dropdown box.

14. Type in “#freeVirtual# / #totalVirtual#” in the first textbox under Enter an expression containing vari-ables.

15. Select Is Less Than in the dropdown box below the previous step.

16. Type in “.20” in the textbox below the previous step.

17. Click on Save.


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19. Select Write Procedure Log Entry in the Step Type dropdown box.

20. Type in “Warning: Free Virtual Memory is below 20% MB (Total configured memory is #totalVirtual#, Free is #freeVirtual#)” in the Enter the comment for the procedure log entry textbox.

21. Click on Save.

22. Click on #freeVirtual# / #totalVirtual# Is Less Than .20

23. Click on Toggle Else.


25. Select Write Procedure Log Entry in the Step Type dropdown box.

26. Type in “Information: Free Virtual Memory is over 20% (Total configured memory is #totalVirtual#, Free is #freeVirtual#)”

27. Click on checkMem-<USERNAME >.

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28. Repeat steps 12-27 for the available physical memory.

29. Click on Save and Close.

Note: Make sure that when you refer to a variable, you type its name carefully and put it within two # signs, as any mistake may result is failure of running the instruction that contains a wrong reference to that variable.

-Schedule the newly created procedure to the agent templates. For the Server template, schedule procedure to run every 10 minutes. For the Instructional and Guest templates, schedule the procedure to run every 30 minutes.

30. Open the Agent Procedure module. Go to Manage Procedures > Schedule / Create.

31. Select “checkMemory - <USERNAME>”.

32. Select the “server.templates.fiu-<USERNAME>” checkbox.

33. Click on Schedule Procedure.

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34. Set the procedure to run every 10 minutes.

Note: If distribution window is a greater amount of time than recurrence (e.g., recurrence is 10 minutes and distribution window is 1 hour), it will give an error and requires you to adjust the distribution window to be equal to or less than the amount indicated in the recurrence.

35. Click on Schedule.

36. Repeat steps 31-35 for the Instructional and Guest templates.

Management has asked you to deploy 7-Zip on all desktop machines. Application Deploy can accomplish this by creating an agent procedure. Once the procedure is created, it’s only a matter of deploying the procedure to all the agents.

-Deploy the 7-Zip install file to all desktop templates. Run the procedure immediately on the Instructional and Guest templates.

37. Open the Agent Procedure module. Go to Installer Wizards > Application Deploy.

38. Click on Next.

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39. Select 7-Zip-Install.msi in the Select the install package to send to the remote machine dropdown box.

40. Select Windows Installer (MSI files) in the What kind of installer is this? dropdown box.

41. Click on Next.

42. Type in “Install 7-Zip - <USERNAME>” in the name the agent procedure to deploy this application textbox.

43. Select the Reboot the machine after installing the application checkbox.

44. Click on Create.

45. Select the “instructional.templates.fiu -<USERNAME>” and “guest.templates.fiu -<USERNAME>” checkboxes.

46. Click on Run Now.

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Note: To save time and for your convenience, the 7-Zip install file has been pre-uploaded for you. Normally, uploading the file to the KServer is needed before or during the creation of a deploy application agent pro-cedure. Note that in the above instructions, we skipped the part that you could upload the file in the first step of this process. In addition, you can simply click on Manage Files link located at the header part of the Agent Procedures > Manage Procedures > Schedule / Create page to pre-upload the installation file.

Note: The installation process may fail if the file name has some space characters. To address this issue, you can simply rename the installation file before uploading it to the KServer. You must make sure that there is no space character included in the name of the installation file.

Now that all the three agent templates contain all the agent procedure settings, it is now time to push the set-tings captured in the templates to all the currently deployed agents with the similar roles.

-Copy the settings from the templates to the specified computers on the network. Server template will be used for the MR building. Instructional template will be used for the SCIS and CEC buildings. Guest template will be used for the GL building.

47. Open the Agent module. Go to Configure Agents > Copy Settings.

48. Click on select machine ID link and a new window will open up.

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49. Select “fiu-<USERNAME>.templates” from the Group ID dropdown list.

50. Click on “server.templates.fiu-<USERNAME>” from the list of templates shown.

51. Click on Select All link on top of the Do Not Copy column, click on Replace radio button for Agent Procedure Schedules, and click on Done.

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52. Select all the computers in the MR building and click on the Copy button.

53. Repeat steps 47-52 for the Instructional and Guest templates.

You would like to install Spybot Search and Destroy, however, you cannot use Application Deploy since you want the program updated as soon as it is installed on all XP machines and thus it has been decided to use the Kaseya Packager. The Packager is a wizard tool used to create an installation package when the existing install packages may need user interaction and may not include some pre- and/or post-installation steps. Packager evaluates the state of the target machine before and after the installation process. In Windows, the state of the target machine is simply the state of the Windows registry and its file system. The Packager compiles the differences in the before and after states into a single executable file—the pack-age—that can be distributed via agent procedures to any managed machine.

Note: The installation package created by the Packager should only be used on almost identical machines. For example, an installation package created on a Windows XP may not work properly on a Windows Server 2003.

-Create a package on ws1 to install and update Spybot then execute the package using agent procedure on laptop1.

54. Download Spybot Search and Destroy onto the ws1 machine.

55. Open the Kaseya VSA on ws1.

56. Open the Agent Procedures module. Go to Custom Install > Packager.

57. Download the Packager onto the ws1 machine.

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58. Open the KPacker.exe.

59. Follow the on-screen directions.

Note: Verify no other programs are opened before the Packager is running. Making changes to other pro-grams while you are creating a package may interfere with the installation on the destination machine(s). Also, as the Kaseya agent is running on ws1, make sure that there is nothing scheduled for execution dur-ing the period of this process. For example, the Kaseya agent on ws1 may create, delete, or modify some files in the Kaseya working directory on ws1, and these changes may unintentionally find their way in the installation package too.

60. Open the Spybot Search and Destroy install.

61. Follow the on-screen directions.

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Note: When installing Spybot Search and Destroy, uncheck the option to install TeaTimer.

62. Open Spybot Search and Destroy and update the program.

63. Close Spybot.

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64. Open the KPacker.exe again.

65. Follow the on-screen directions and name your package “<USERNAME>-spybot-package”.

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66. Open the Kaseya VSA on ws1.

67. Open the Agent Procedures module. Go to Installer Wizards > Application Deploy.

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68. Upload the package onto the KServer.

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Note: You should note that the time between clicking “upload” and the file being uploaded/appearing in the list can be quite long; about 5-10 minutes.

69. Click on Next.

70. Select <USERNAME>-spybot-package in the Select the install package to send to the remote ma-chine dropdown box.

71. Select Other in the What kind of installer is this? dropdown box.

72. Click on Next.

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73. Type in “Install Spybot - <USERNAME>” in the name the agent procedure to deploy this application textbox.

74. Select the Reboot the machine after installing the application checkbox.

75. Click on Create.

76. Select the newly created agent procedure.

77. Select the “laptop1.cec.fiu-<USERNAME>” checkbox.

78. Click on Run Now.

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The user on ws1 would like to show you a screenshot he has uploaded through Live Connect Portal Ac-cess. Using Get File, view the screenshot. The Get File page accesses files previously uploaded from a managed machine. The user has also request to send him a Google Chrome install file. File has been pre-uploaded on the server, use Distribute File to send the executable to his C: drive. The Distribute File function sends files stored on your VSA server to managed machines.

Note: For the purpose of this exercise, you should act as the end user of ws1 too. Before starting the Get File section, please use Kaseya’s Live Connect Brief Overview Pop-up Window to create the screenshot. For more information on Live Connect, please read Chapter 9.

-Obtain the screenshot uploaded onto ws1 via Get File.

79. Open the Agent Procedure module. Go to File Transfer > Get File.

80. Click on the “ws1.scis.fiu-<USERNAME>” link.

81. Click on the Screenshots folder.

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82. Click on the screenshot to download the file.

-Distribute the Google Chrome install file to the ws1 machine. The file has been pre-uploaded to the KServ-er.

83. Open the Agent Procedure module. Go to File Transfer > Distribute File.

84. Select the “ws1.scis.fiu-<USERNAME>” checkbox.

85. Select ChromeSetup.exe from the Select server file dropdown.

86. Type in “C:\ChromeInstallFile.exe” in the Specify full path and filename to store file on remote ma-chine textbox.

87. Click on Distribute.

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It would be best to check if the procedure ran successfully. To do so, you will rely on Info Center to produce a report on your newly created agent procedure.

88. Open the Info Center module. Go to Reporting > Reports.

89. Click on your Private folder, “myReports-<USERNAME>”, choose New Report and a new window will open up.

90. Choose Logs in the left column.

91. Choose Agent Procedure Log report template.

92. Click Next.

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93. Leave all the default options and choose Save.

94. Select the newly created report under your folder then choose Run Now.

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95. Choose “FIU-<USERNAME>” next to Organization in the new window.

96. Click on Submit.

Once the scheduled report is done, the report will open automatically.

Note: Use the report to check and see if the procedure ran successfully. The report can be printed out for record keeping; however, this is not necessary for this exercise.

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Documents

Agent Procedures – Hands-On Exercisesusers.cis.fiu.edu/~sadjadi/Teaching/IT Automation/KAS201/Book/PD… · 349 Chapter7 – Agent Procedures Hands-On Exercises Agent Procedures–