Multicast service within LANDESK 9.5 Post SP1
Components that use multicast services includes: software distribution, patching, and OSD
NOTE: MULTICAST WITH PROVISIONING CAN ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED IN LDMS 9.6, YOU CAN NOT PROVISION WITH MULTICAST IN 9.5 (SP1 AND/OR SP2)
Understanding Multicast service
• Data is transferred across the network once per subnet
• Allows for efficient download using multicast of applications and OS to managed devices
• Used multicast domain representative (MDR) enable multicasting in any environment
• MDR downloads package from a package server, then multicasts to targeted devices in the same subnet
• Sends out the file or image to all the machines from the MDR
- File sizes can be up to a 30TB file or image
• For bandwidth preservation the file is sent out in blocks separated by sleep or wait states
• Once the file is completely transferred, recast request goes out to the machines
• If more than 10% of the file is missing the MDR refers to the targeted machine to a peer
Multicast domain representative (MDR) will be the first machine within each subnet that gets pinged and will become the multicast domain representative. You can manually drag a device into this queue otherwise, it will automatically be assigned when you run multicast. This can be done when you create a scheduled task and use a delivery method with multicast.
If you have several locations you may want to setup a preferred server.
Content replication tool. This allows you to manage Preferred servers and replicating and copying files from sources to Preferred servers. The Preferred server configuration allows the configuration of IP address ranges, credentials, assigned sources, and the assigned replicator. The various settings and configurations are outlined:
https://community.landesk.com/support/docs/DOC-20782
Validated the Core preferred server has an invalid IP address range of 1.1.1.1 to 1.1.1.2 (this configuration is setup so the Core is not used as an actual preferred server), and setup the user credentials as a service account with domain admin rights. Added the workstation as a preferred server, assigned IP ranges for your location, setup service account, under source, added both paths for images and software (which we setup the same workstation as the replicator), also added same service account as write credentials. The replicator will cache the content on the preferred server from the Core location.
In IIS added virtual directory for both directories Images and Software, in directory browsing enabled, since using http path. Modified request filtering and added extensions in MIME types.
This document helps in configuring http share for preferred server usage: https://community.landesk.com/support/docs/DOC-6986
On the preferred server/replicator created the same directories and installed IIS, then added virtual applications for both and enabled directory browsing.
Here are several resourceful documents for multicast:
Deliver method - http://help.landesk.com/Topic/Index/ENU/LDMS/9.5/Content/Windows/swd_c_delivery_methods.htm
http://help.landesk.com/Topic/Index/ENU/LDMS/9.5/Content/Windows/osd_pm_help.htm
E-Learning videos for Targeted Multicast
https://community.landesk.com/support/docs/DOC-22189
https://community.landesk.com/support/docs/DOC-22289
Multicast domain representative discovery (MDR)