Zen and edirectory

Question

Zen and edirectory

Breezeman (IS/IT--Management)

(OP)

8 Sep 04 12:16

Do all the servers in the tree have to be running edirectory or just the server that Zfd (latest version) is going to be installed on.

Breezeman (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 1 · 2004-09-14 07:36:49

Hello? anybody out there? We are running Zen for desktops 2 starter pack and I want to install the 6 suite. The problem is I have heard that you must have edirectory on the servers in your tree. Is this true? I have a couple of nds 7 servers in the tree and need to know. Thanks

Breezeman (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 2 · 2004-09-14 07:37:39

P.S. I have very little Zen experience so any tips would help. Thanks guys

ITsmyfault (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 3 · 2004-09-14 10:27:46

This would a great thing to call pre-sales engineering on. They should answer this one for free, and you need and deserve a definite answer from thr mfr. IMHO. :)

That said...
As a Zen 4 user/admin, I would be most concerned about the schema extentions that get installed to the directory - I can't help but think that schema sync would be hosed and some part of replica sync with it. Whether that is a show stopper in this case I don't know.
I do know that when we rolled it out here on our (then) 5.1 servers, we upgraded from NDS to eDir to do the install, and I beleive it was a condition of being able to install it at all.

sstoppel (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 4 · 2004-09-14 10:38:41

Zenworks for Desktops 4 requires eDirectory. You can check the versions by looking at the timesync page in dsrepair. If you see a build number (i.e. 10550.13) or 8.85 or later, you are ok.

sstoppel (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 5 · 2004-09-14 10:41:42

A word to the wise, breezeman. The moment you extend the schema to install 6, your old objects probably will stop working - that happened to us. Make a good backup of you r tree before you start.

If you have little experience with ZEN I advise you to build a lab network and do your learning there prior to working on your live system. It is easy for the inexperienced to cause problems with ZEN.

Breezeman (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 6 · 2004-09-14 10:47:11

Thanks guys, I have a test network and have installed 3 on it. It, however, is completely upgraded to eDirectory and production side is not. Since installing the ZfD 3 on it the Zen 6.5 suite has been released. The training I went to was over a year ago and I have forgotten most of what I learned there.... so goes my life, HAH! Anyhow thanks again good input.

HEY, WATCH THIS!

lerdalt (MIS) · Answer 7 · 2004-09-15 10:00:10

I would recommend installing edirectory on all of the servers in the tree, and keep them all at the same level if you can help it.  Get edirectory upgraded, and everything stable with it before upgrading zenworks.

What I remember from our upgrades to Zenworks 4, (we were still at ds version 7.x) and called Novell to make certain it would still work.  The answer we got back is that there were features that may not work like inventory.

If you have policies, they will not upgrade well from zen2 to zen4-6.5, you will want to re-create them.  Application objects should upgrade with little to no issues, and I don't remember about the inventory.

Good luck
TL

ITsmyfault (IS/IT--Management) · Answer 8 · 2004-09-24 08:42:46

don't sweat zen 6.5 It works the same as 4, just has some more features.
I concur with the other folks - upgrading the dir on your tree across the board is a good idea - and it's free (except for the time involved) edir is very solid, our migration from NDS was very smooth. Is there a business reason you need to stay on NDS, and does it compare to the cost savings and efficiencies you'll realize from implimenting Zen? (answer is probably no way)

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