Software Policies

Software titles such as TESTNAV and DRC Insight Client must be available on all devices used for testing. Other software titles may be targeted to entire schools based on the school's needs, such as Minecraft for the Code to the Future program. Rather than deploying these titles individually to every computer, the most efficient way to deliver software automatically is by using LDMS software distribution policies.

Below is a brief explanation of how this process works.

Before creating the software distribution policy, Software Engineering creates a database query to target devices which need the software. The query may be written in a number of ways, but typically the query will look for:

• Devices with a specific operating system AND
• Devices with a specific name AND
• Devices which do not have the needed software installed

Software distribution policies will typically be "silent" (no user interaction required) and will be set to not reboot the device after installation. Additionally, after a software title is installed by policy the LDMS agent will rescan the installed software within 30 minutes and report the updates back to the Core server database.

Once the software distribution policy has been created and tested, the query is then "attached" to the policy. Once the policy is started (set active), the Core server runs the query, identifies the targets that the query reports back, and adds those target devices to the policy. As devices check in during normal policy sync activity (see Agent Configurations), they detect if any policies are required and immediately download and install the software.

To run an "on-demand" policy sync against a device:

• Click the "Refresh" button in the LANDESK Portal
• Schedule a "Policy Sync" Managed Script against the device (see Manage Scripts)
• Click the "Synchronize Policies" button in the Diagnostics area of the Full Console

One important reason to use software distribution policies is to re-install software automatically after devices are re-imaged/provisioned (see OS Provisioning). However, it is important to understand how these policies work and when they are applied. Below is a brief description of how policies work following provisioning:

• Depending on the software title, Software Engineering writes queries that look for devices that are missing software or need an upgraded version of existing software
• During provisioning, the hard drive is wiped and a fresh operating system is installed.
• During provisioning, the LDMS agent is installed (see Agent Configurations)
• The agent does a full software scan during installation and updates the device record in the database
• Every hour, the Core server runs all queries that are attached to required software distribution policies (like CttF software)
• If a device is in the query results for one of the policies (meaning it is missing software or needs an upgrade), the device is added to the policy
• The next time the device does a Policy Sync, the software will download and install. This happens once per day on all devices, and more often on Teacher and Staff devices. See above for options to kick off an "on-demand" Policy Sync
• Once the software is installed, it is reported to the Core database and will show up in the inventory record for the device
• When the Core server runs the query for the policy again (every hour), the device will no longer need the software and will be removed from the policy
• If the device is re-imaged again, the process above is repeated

Of course, as with any system sometimes there are issues that have to be corrected. There are times when policies must be restarted, typically after an issue with the Core server or database (like a power outage for example). Should you experience any issues with required policies, and have verified the proper time has passed and a policy sync does not install the software, please contact DDI-SoftwareEngineerTeam@lcps.org.