White Paper. Altiris Design and Scalability Guide 10/7/2004

Transcription

1 White Paper Altiris Design and Scalability Guide 10/7/2004 Created by Altiris Product Management, Customer Services, Engineering, Professional Services, System Testing, and others 2004 Altiris, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2 Contents Executive Summary...4 Design Models and Capacity Guidelines...4 General Server Requirements and Configurations...5 System Monitoring and Optimization...9 Testing Reports...9 Introduction to Altiris Servers...12 General Design Considerations...12 Servers per Number of Supported Clients...14 Capacity Charts...16 Capacity Monitoring of Altiris Servers...18 Notification Server Capacity Reports...18 Monitoring Altiris Servers...19 Design Models...22 Large Enterprise Models...23 Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Models...27 Small and Branch Models...30 Design Datasheets...32 Inventory and SWD Solution Design Datasheet...33 Deployment Solution Design Datasheet...35 Recovery Solution Design Datasheet...36 Client Management Suite Design Datasheet...37 Test Reports...38 Package Server Capacity Testing...38 Notification Server 6.0 Upgrade Testing...38

3 Notice The content in this document represents the current view of Altiris as of the date of publication. Because Altiris responds continually to changing market conditions, this document should not be interpreted as a commitment on the part of Altiris. Altiris cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. Copyright 2004, Altiris, Inc. All rights reserved. Brand names are the property of their respective owners. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. For the latest documentation, visit

4 Executive Summary The Altiris Design and Scalability Guide provides capacity recommendations, design models, scenarios, test results, and optimization practices to consider when planning or customizing an Altiris Management Infrastructure for your organization. This guide identifies different facets of capacity planning and provides best practices for designing a scaleable system specific to organizational requirements and management practices. This document is updated continually as products are upgraded, test reports completed, and design practices refined. Important The design strategies and capacity guidelines in this document are provided as general recommendations when planning Altiris systems for your environment. Because of the many variables present when designing a management system, use the provided capacity numbers and recommendations only as baseline examples when customizing an Altiris Management Infrastructure. Your requirements and results will vary depending on resources, configuration, and organizational model. Design Models and Capacity Guidelines The Altiris infrastructure is highly-flexible and customizable, allowing you to implement design strategies for all types and sizes of organizations: Large enterprise models, small to medium models, and low-bandwidth models. See General Design Models for basic design scenarios based on size and organizational model. Server capacity is based on NS 6.0, DS 6.1, RS 6.1, and PS in NS 6.0 SP1 w/ hotfix 011 &12 (6818 release). For large, centralized campuses with high-speed LAN connections, a hierarchical or distributed model can be designed to conform to existing topology. Large sites can offload processing duties from customer-interfacing Notification Servers to backend Reporting Servers. Small to medium (SME) models can include distributed role servers (Deployment and Recovery Servers)

5 positioned locally and managed from a central Altiris Console at a regional level across a WAN. Branch sites and remote users that depend on low-bandwidth connections can benefit from Package Servers placed locally and administrated from a central or regional office. Large Enterprise model. Large, centralized organizations with high-bandwidth connections can install multiple Notification Servers (NS) running multiple Altiris solutions. Each NS is capable of managing multiple subordinate Deployment Servers (DS) and Recovery Servers (RS). Package Servers (PS) are also positioned across the enterprise to distribute package files closer to client locations. In addition, each client-interfacing NS can forward data to a backend NS Reporting Server to offload processing tasks and generate reports. For high-bandwidth duties such as imaging and computer backup, Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers can be positioned locally for a specific site or subnet and managed from the Altiris Console. See Large Enterprise Models. Small to Medium (SME) model. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can manage multiple role servers across the LAN or WAN from a central Altiris Console installed with NS. Like the large enterprise, a hierarchical model can be used for smaller organizations to offload processes to a Reporting Server and manage subordinate Deployment and Recovery servers. From the Altiris console on a central Notification Server, IT personnel can manage multiple DS and RS role servers in remote locations, combining high-bandwidth LAN capabilities with the flexibility of plugin web-based solutions. See Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Models. Low-bandwidth model. Branch sites with few computer nodes without IT personnel can be monitored remotely from a Notification Server at a corporate location. Low-bandwidth users can benefit from onsite Package Servers to distribute software packages during off hours and update locally during the work day. Traveling users can update software and security patches over WAN lines from the closest Package Server designed to store packages distributed from a central Notification Server. See Small and Branch Models. General Server Requirements and Configurations Altiris solutions and suites conform to customer environments using a variety of interconnected Notification Servers, Deployment Servers, Recovery Servers, and Package Servers. Depending on environment and business requirements, different types of production servers can be used for different tasks. A general description of each server type is provided below. General Server Types The following section identifies general computer types for various Altiris solutions and suites. Small server with 1 processor and 512 MB to 1GB RAM Smaller servers are used most often as Package Servers (PS) for distributing software packages to subnets or remote locations. If the PS is a desktop computer with limited traffic, then install at least 512 MB of RAM. If the Package Server is a server-class computer, then install at least 1 GB of RAM. In addition to Package Servers, these smaller servers can also be used as role servers Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers for specific sites or subnets with less than 500 managed client computers. Medium server with 2 processors and 4 GB RAM Role servers, including Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers, can be installed on modest, medium-sized server-class computers to run Deployment Solution and Recovery Solution for local sites or subnets. These servers can be bandwidth-intensive for periodic migration, backup and restoration tasks on a local network.

6 Large server with 4 processors and 4 GB to 8 GB RAM For large enterprises running multiple Altiris solutions with heavy tasking, a large fourprocessor server with 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM is used, often with hyperthreading processors. However, you can also use multiple, smaller Notification Servers for a distributed architecture, allowing the client-interfacing NS to forward inventory and generate reports using a separate Reporting Server. Small and medium size companies or remote sites can utilize smaller, dual-processor servers with 4 GB RAM. Or if required, Notification Server and role servers can be installed together on a medium or large server with one or more processors. Reporting Server for generating off-box reports Reporting Servers are Notification Servers that do not interface with client computers, but are used to offload processing tasks and run reports from data forwarded from one or more client-interfacing Notification Servers. These servers are characterized by large databases configured with RAID and other enhanced I/O features. Reporting Servers are most likely to be 2 -processor or 4-processor server-class computers depending on workload. General Server Requirements The following table identifies the number of servers required for an Altiris solution or suite. These are basic recommendations that will alter based on organizational requirements. Solutions ,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 50,000 Inventory Solution Deployment Solution 2 DS 3 DS 8 DS 16 DS Recovery Solution 2 RS 3 RS 7 RS 20 RS 40 RS Solutions ,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 50,000 AMS (level 1 and 2) 2 NS 2 PS 3 PS 7 PS 20 PS 40 PS AMS (level 3) 2 NS 2 NS 2 PS 3 PS 7 PS 20 PS 40 PS

7 Solutions ,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 50,000 2 NS CMS/SMS (level 1 and 2) 2 DS 3 DS 8 DS 16 DS 2 PS 3 PS 7 PS 20 PS 40 PS 2 NS CMS/SMS (level 3) 2 RS 2 DS 3 DS 8 DS 16 DS 3 RS 7 RS 20 RS 40 RS 2 PS 3 PS 7 PS 20 PS 40 PS Reporting Server (RS) N/A N/A Solutions ,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 50,000 Combined Servers (NS and DS) 2-3 servers N/A N/A Combined Servers (NS, DS, RS) 2-3 servers N/A N/A 3 RS 7 RS

8 General Server Configurations Altiris servers can utilize multiple small computer configurations or employ large network servers to manage additional managed client computers. The following table identifies possible server hardware configurations for each type of Altiris Server. Notification Server Single processor with 1 GB RAM Database: 30 GB with 2 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. RAM: 2GB CPU: 1 x PIII, 700 MHz Dual processor with 4 GB RAM Database: 50 GB with 4 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. SQL on drives 2 & 3. RAM: 4 GB CPU: 2 x PIII, 700 MHz Quad processor with 4-8 GB RAM Database: 70 GB with 4 x SCSI drives on two high-end controllers. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. SQL on drives 2 & 3. RAM: 4 GB CPU: 4 x PIII, 1.6 GHz Reporting Server Single processor with 1 GB RAM Dual processor with 4 GB RAM Quad processor with 4 8 GB RAM Package Server Single processor with 512 MB RAM This can be a 700 MHz or faster server-class or a desktop computer with 30 GB disk space on an IDE drive. Single processor with 1 GB RAM This can be a 700 MHz computer with 70 GB disk space on a SATA or SCSI drive. Dual processor with 2 GB RAM This can be a 1.0 GHz computer with 160 GB disk space on a SATA or SCSI drive. Deployment Server Single processor with 1 GB RAM Database: 30 GB with 2 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. RAM: 2GB CPU: 1 x PIII, 700 MHz Dual processor with 4 GB RAM Database: 50 GB with 4 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. SQL on drives 2 & 3. RAM: 4 GB CPU: 2 x PIII, 700 MHz

9 Recovery Server Single processor with 1 GB RAM Database: 30 GB with 2 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. RAM: 2GB CPU: 1 x PIII, 700 MHz Dual processor with 4 GB RAM Database: 50 GB with 4 x SCSI drives on a single controller drive. OS and applications on Drive 0 and SQL on Drive 1. SQL on drives 2 & 3. RAM: 4 GB CPU: 2 x PIII, 700 MHz Combined Altiris Servers Altiris servers installed on the same server-class computer Dual processor with 4 GB RAM with NS and DS In most cases, combining Altiris servers on the same computer requires increased hardware requirements. However, because of task scheduling options and other variable settings in your process, the increase in servers and resources is not necessarily an additive requirement. Quad processor with 4-8 GB RAM with NS, DS and RS All Altiris servers can be installed on a single server-class computer. See Client Management Suite Design Datasheet for additional information. System Monitoring and Optimization Altiris provides server monitoring features to help ensure that your Altiris servers are running at optimum efficiency. Notification Server (NS) includes basic capacity reports to identify bottlenecks and provides a Monitor Solution plug-in to monitor and report server performance data. Over 80 default reports are furnished for monitoring Notification Server health and over 45 dealing with agent performance. Server performance, however, can be quickly analyzed by running just a few of these reports. The additional reports are useful for pinpointing specific throughput and performance issues. Notification Server Reports On the Reports tab on the Altiris Console on Notification Server, several useful reports are provided to determine NS server health. These reports are customizable and allow you to target specific performance data. Server performance can be quickly analyzed by running these reports. See Notification Server Capacity Reports. Monitor Solution Altiris Monitor Solution allows you to increase the availability and monitor the health of your Altiris servers by checking processor utilization, disk usage, database performance, and generated errors. When potential problems arise, automated recovery actions can be taken to alert you through generating an SNMP trap, sending an , running a command, or creating a Alert Manager incident. See Monitoring Altiris Servers. Testing Reports The following are highlights of the latest testing reports and general performance data from Altiris system test and engineering. See Complete Testing Reports for in-depth information.

10 General Notification Server Hardware Performance Testing The following chart illustrates observations of performance increases for Notification Servers when increasing RAM and number of CPUs. Summary: General testing suggests that the greatest performance gains are realized when upgrading from one to two processors and upgrading to four gigabytes of memory. However, upgrading to four processors allows for additional processor cycles to handle additional configuration requests, remote control, deploy and migrate and to perform other administrative tasks. There is also significant increase using hyperthreaded (HT) processors. Improvements in Notification Server 6.0 The following chart illustrates a 35.5% increase in speed after upgrading from NS 5.5 to NS 6.0. NSE Size NS 5.5 SP3 NS 6.0 B2 % Improvement 18 KB % 27 KB % 91 KB % KB % 352 KB % 463 KB % 560 KB % 1.14 MB % Average 35.5 %

11 Package Server Capacity Testing Recently, the number of package servers that can be managed by a single Notification Server has increased exponentially: In Notification Server 5.5, one NS can manage 40 Package Servers with 400 packages at one hour configuration intervals. In the latest Notification Server 6.0 SP1 w/ hotfix 011&12 (6818 Release), one NS can support 500 Package Servers with 5,000 packages at one hour configuration intervals.* * This data assumes Dual HyperThreaded CPU with 4 GB RAM

12 Introduction to Altiris Servers Altiris solutions and suites conform to customer environments and organizational challenges using a variety of interconnected Notification Servers and role servers, including Deployment Servers, Recovery Servers, and Package Servers. These client-interfacing Altiris servers are used to directly manage, deploy, and back up your computer and company assets utilizing a complementary, interactive architecture. Back-end Reporting Servers are also used in medium and large environments to offload reporting tasks for greater system efficiency. In most design models, Notification Servers are installed on a large server-class computer capable of supporting multiple Altiris snap-in solutions performing daily and weekly management tasks. For multiple solutions supporting many clients with heavy tasking, a Notification Server is installed on a server-class computer with 2 or 4 processors and 4 to 8 GBs of RAM. To offload report processing from the client-interfacing NS, data can be forwarded to a Reporting Server to generate reports from one or more Notification Servers. Role servers include Deployment Servers for local IT management, Recovery Servers for local backup and recovery, and Package Servers that act as local repositories for proximity of packages for quick delivery. Capacity limits to the Deployment Server and Recovery Server are based on bandwidth and database size, but can also be based on location and distribution of tasks. IT departments may prefer to distribute multiple DS and RS servers on mid-sized, one or two processor computers at separate sites or network subnets. These role servers and their managed clients can then be monitored and reports generated from the Altiris Console on Notification Server. Package Servers can be installed to a one-processor computer with modest RAM requirements. As distributed package repositories, these computers require less RAM and processing power than NS, DS, or RS computers. See General Server Requirements and Configurations in the Executive Summary section for server size recommendations and capacity estimates. General Design Considerations The following section discusses basic issues of design optimization and scalability. It includes a description of basic design models for large, small to medium enterprises, and distributed branch locations. Environmental Variables Because each organization includes its own set of environmental variables such as variations in line speed, database configurations, package sizes for software delivery and is defined by its own unique organizational structure and differing business requirements, this guide attempts

13 only to provide general recommendations and furnish basic design models from which to extrapolate specific design features for your system. Efficiency, speed and usability variables can be extrapolated from each configuration type to compensate for variations in design. Every organization is different in its network configuration, requirements, and corporate structure. Before designing a system, answer these basic operational questions and then identify the installation variables for your system. Number of managed devices and sites? Distributed or centralized? Connectivity between sites? Mobile users? Which products are you implementing? Stakeholders in the process? Standard variables (such as package sizes, processor speed, bandwidth, database configuration) are identified for all design scenarios. Other variables, such as placement of Package Servers, are also addressed in appropriate scenarios and reflected in the scalability testing results. Installation Variables The following are some of the variables that must be considered when designing an Altiris system for each type of organization. These values must be established to determine optimization and scalability design strategies and configuration settings. The major design and scalability variables in designing a system are listed in order of importance. For example, when there is enough RAM, then CPU speed and processing power will affect throughput: 1. RAM 2. CPU 3. Network bandwidth 4. Hard Disk Drive I/O speed The following is an incomplete list of other installation and configuration variables present in each environment: Network variables Network Bandwidth Network Speed Number of Network Segments Network topology Number of Network Domains Number of computers per domain Wireless nodes VPN connections Dial-up connections Altiris Servers Processor speed

14 Type and number of processors RAM Type of OS Deployment Packages Average size of package Average number of packages Database location and configuration Frequency of Reports History collection Notification Server placement Database size Nodes in database Number of NSEs reporting to a central Notification Server SQL 2000 (with support packs) Type of connections: Direct LAN, wireless, Dial-up, VPN Transport time to Package Servers Deployment Server placement Database size Nodes in database Number of Deployment Servers reporting to servers Total Number of clients being rolled up to NS Size of packages used Transport time to Package Servers Servers per Number of Supported Clients The following table provides general recommendations for the number of servers required per supported managed client computers. Solutions 500 1,000 2,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 50,000 Notification Servers Package Servers Deployment Servers Recovery Servers Reporting Servers

15 The following are general recommendations for defining computer requirements for specified Altiris servers. Notification Servers: For large enterprises or for running multiple Altiris solutions with heavy tasking, a large four-processor server with 4 GB to 8 GBs of RAM is used, often with hyperthreading processors. However, for you can also use multiple Notification Servers Small and medium size companies (or remote sites) can utilize smaller dual-processors servers with 4 GB RAM. Small companies or branch sites can run Notification Server and role servers on the same server-class computer. Deployment Servers: Deployment Servers work well with two-processor computers with 2 GB to 4 GB of RAM. Capacity for DS is based on the type of high-traffic work being done: the periodic deployment of computer images requires minimal bandwidth, while large-scale jobs such as OS migration and server provisioning require planning to avoid over-tasking the network and system resources. Recovery Servers: Recovery Servers also work well with two-processor computers with 2 GB to 4 GB of RAM. Database size and I/O is an issue for Recovery Servers, which allows you to place the database off-box to reduce network traffic and on-box hard disk requirements. Package Servers: Package Servers are most often third-tier servers with one processor and 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM. However, based on the number of packages distributed per clients, the Package Server can be a server with up to 2 GB RAM and 2 processors. Reporting Servers: Reporting Servers are characterized by large databases with fast I/O functionality. Single or double-processor servers can be used depending on workload, or larger 4- processor servers can be used for large enterprises or to ensure additional processing cycles. General Server Types The following section identifies general computer types for various Altiris solutions and suites. Small server with 1 processor and 512 MB to 1GB RAM Smaller servers are used most often as Package Servers (PS) for distributing software packages to subnets or remote locations. If the PS is a desktop computer with limited traffic, then install at least 512 MB of RAM. If the Package Server is a server-class computer, then install at least 1 GB of RAM. In addition to Package Servers, these smaller servers can also be used as role servers Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers for specific sites or subnets with less than 500 managed client computers. Medium server with 2 processors and 4 GB RAM Role servers, including Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers, can be installed on modest, medium-sized server-class computers to run Deployment Solution and Recovery Solution for local sites or subnets. These servers can be bandwidth-intensive for periodic migration, backup and restoration tasks on a local network. Large server with 4 processors and 4 GB to 8 GB RAM For large enterprises running multiple Altiris solutions with heavy tasking, a large fourprocessor server with 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM is used, often with hyperthreading processors. However, you can also use multiple, smaller Notification Servers for a distributed architecture, allowing the client-interfacing NS to forward inventory and generate reports using a separate Reporting Server. Small and medium size companies or remote sites can utilize smaller, dual-processor servers with 4 GB RAM. Or if required, Notification Server and role servers can be installed together on a medium or large server with one or more processors.

16 Reporting Server for generating off-box reports Reporting Servers are Notification Servers that do not interface with client computers, but rather are used to offload processing tasks and run reports. The data is forwarded from one or more client-interfacing Notification Servers. These servers are characterized by large databases configured with RAID and other enhanced I/O features. Reporting Servers are most likely to be 2 -processor or 4-processor server-class computers depending on workload. Capacity Charts The following charts illustrate the number of servers required for number of supported nodes by Altiris solution or suite. Chart 1: Number of Altiris Servers per Altiris solution or suite

17 Chart 2: Number of Altiris Servers per number of client nodes

18 Capacity Monitoring of Altiris Servers The following are Altiris monitoring reports accessible from the core Notification Server and Altiris Server Monitor Solution. Notification Server Capacity Reports On the Reports tab under the Reports\Notification Server Infrastructure\server Tree there are a variety of reports that are very useful in determining NS server health. Many of these reports are customizable in that you can choose the length of time, specific machines, clients or servers to target. There are over 80 default reports dealing with the NS Server and over 45 dealing with the Agent. Server performance, however, can be quickly analyzed by running just a few of these. The remainder of the reports are all useful for helping to pinpoint specific problems with the NS. Useful Reports for Determining NS Health \Event - Queue Status\Event Queue Statistics This report will show when the NS is the busiest. By default a snapshot is taken every 30 minutes of the number of files in the event queues. By running this report it can easily be determined at what points during the day the NS is flooded by events. \Events Scheduled\Scheduled events requiring > 5 seconds to process This report shows all scheduled events that required more than 5 seconds to process. By determining which events are taking the most time it is possible to then work on optimizing that particular event to try and save as much processing time as possible. \Policy Reports\Policies requiring > N milliseconds to process This report will show which policies are requiring more than N seconds to process. By default the time is one minute. Running this report can help pinpoint problem client machines or rather machines whose configuration is worth checking into. \Server Performance Reports\Server Load by last N Days This shows the load the NS has been under for the specified time period. This report is useful to help identify when the NS is under the most strain. There is usually a strong correlation between this report and the event queue statistics report. Additional Performance Reports \Event - Queue Status\Bad Queue Statistics This report will summarize the events that have been placed into the BAD directories, meaning that there was some problem or reason why the event could not be processed. A large quantity of files in the Bad directories is indicative of a mis-configured NS or corrupted solution Agents. \Events Scheduled\Last N scheduled events This report shows what types of NSE s and schedules that the NS is currently processing. \Events Scheduled\Scheduled events summary statistics This report is a great summary of all the event processing times for a specified time period.

19 \Package Server Status\server load summary This report shows the total packages and the amount of data transferred to the PS over the specified time period. Useful to see how well the PS is able to successfully download data or identify possible network bottle necks between the PS and NS. Monitoring Altiris Servers Altiris Monitor Solution allows you to increase the availability and monitor the health of your Altiris servers by checking processor utilization, disk usage, database performance, and generated errors. When potential problems arise, automated recovery actions can be taken to alert you through generating an SNMP trap, sending an , running a command, or creating a Alert Manager incident. Monitor Solution collects metric providers to monitor Windows performance counters, obtain data from log files, receive SNMP traps, monitor ports, monitor shares, query Microsoft SQL Server databases, obtain WMI information, and receive NT event data. For each server, multiple aspects of the server can be monitored. The data that comes from monitoring a server is used in reports including real-time and historical graphs. The instructions on how a specific aspect of a server is monitored and which metrics to use are defined by defined rules. Rules also specify the actions to take when a monitored value is not a desired value or outside of a desired range. Notification Server includes numerous predefined reports that can help you analyze the performance of your Altiris servers. These reports provide aggregated Notification Server data, such as the amount of time processing events, the number of requests handled, and the number of packages deployed. Monitor Solution extends the information provided by Notification Server reports. Monitor Solution reports provide information on the utilization of the server, such as disk usage, processor utilization, Notification Server queue length, and error counts. Monitor Solution also allows you to determine the utilization of a resource at a particular time, for example, if there are times when your server is maximizing the use of the processor or memory. This feature allows you to more effectively use the resources available. For example, if you discover through using Monitor Solution that processor utilization is maximized during data importing, you can change the import parameters and use Monitor Solution to evaluate the impact of the change to the processor. To simplify the process or monitoring servers, Monitor Solution is made-up of different solutions that provide the metrics and rules needed to monitor Altiris servers. These solutions also include numerous reports for analyzing the data collected. For example, Monitor Solution for Notification Server allows you to monitor Notification Servers and Package Servers. A solution is also available for monitoring Altiris Recovery Servers and a solution is being developed for monitoring Deployment Servers. These solutions are provided at no cost for users of Altiris servers to help in maximizing your investment in Altiris products. Other solutions are available for monitoring the health of other aspects of your computer environment, such as Windows servers, Linux and UNIX servers, and Microsoft SQL Server. Monitoring Notification Server Performance with Monitor Solution Monitor Solution provides three levels of information that can help you monitor and tune the performance of your Altiris servers and increase their availability: Reports, Performance Monitor, Monitor Solution Dashboard. To help you evaluate the performance and tune Notification Servers, Monitor Solution for Notification Server includes numerous reports. The following lists and describes the report groups: Notification Database Reports These reports provide the following information: Current number of connection pools to the SQL database.

20 Total number of failed connections between the SQL client and the SQL database. Logins per second to the SQL database. Total server memory usage by the SQL database. User connections to the SQL database. This information helps you to determine when your Notification Server is being most utilized. Disk Performance Reports These reports provide the following information: Average disk queue length for the computer. Current disk queue length for the computer. Total percent idle time for the server hard drive. This information helps you to determine when your Notification Server is being most utilized. Processes Reports These reports provide the following information: Summary information for the Mail Queue Service (AeXMailQueue), Altiris Receiver Service (AeXNSRcvSvc), and Altiris Service (AeXSvc) processes. The summary information includes memory, threads, handles, and CPU usage data. List of the top processor times, handle counts, thread counts, and virtual bytes recorded. This information helps determine the activity of the Altiris Service. Notification Server Queues Reports These reports provide the count information for the Notification Server EvtFastQ, EvtQLarge, EvtQSlow, and EvtQueue folders. This information helps you to determine when your Notification Server is being most utilized. Web Performance Reports These reports provide the following information: Number of active Altiris Console sessions. Total number of compilations of ASP.NET pages for the Altiris Console. Number of failed Altiris Console requests. Number of successful Altiris Console requests. This information helps you to determine when your Notification Server is being most utilized. Monitoring an Individual Server Using Performance Monitor Besides providing reports for analyzing performance, Monitor Solution also includes Performance Monitor. Performance Monitor is a special console included with Monitor Solution that allows you to monitor data from a metric provider on a particular server in real-time or historically. The realtime view allows you to view metric provider data values in real-time, such as processor utilization, memory utilization, and disk assess time. This information allows you to determine what is currently happening on a server and if the server is functioning properly. The historical view allows you to go back in time and see what was happening on a server during a certain time frame in the past. This data allows you to determine metric provider data values at different times of the day or several days ago to help you identify problems. Performance Monitor also allows you to monitor the processes running on a server and the events that occur, which further helps you understand the status of the server.

21 Monitoring the State of the Network Using the Dashboard For a high-level view of the health of all servers in your network, Monitor Solution includes the Monitor Solution dashboard. The dashboard shows the possible states of a server (normal, warning, and critical) and the number of servers in each state in real-time. When a server is in an undesired state (warning or critical), you can drill-down in the dashboard and identify the server in that state. You can further drill-down and get additional information on why the server is in that state. The dashboard makes it easy see how your entire network is doing and identify problems when they arise. Note: The state of a server is determined by the most critical state of any of the rules active on the server. For example, if all of the rules on a server are at a normal state, and then the free disk space on the server drops to a critical level, the rule used for monitoring the free disk space changes to the critical state, and the state of the computer becomes critical.

22 Design Models To design and optimize an Altiris infrastructure, you will need to understand organizational features and requirements such as SQL server resources, security policies, network infrastructure, and other environmental settings and variables. For most organizations this will require a basic assessment of the environment: Assess your site environment and resources. Evaluate your system infrastructure, including network resources, operational processes, management reporting needs, administration requirements of the IT department, and other pertinent aspects of IT resource management. Identify opportunities and challenges for automating procedures and easing problem areas. Prioritize your needs and integrate Altiris solutions to optimize a comprehensive design for present and future needs. It is a good time to assess and confirm your IT management goals. Implement a system by first setting up in a test environment and then migrating the Altiris system to the production environment. Test capacity, bandwidth usage, and the general health of you management system using Altiris load testing and reporting tools to optimize your configuration and define management priorities specific to your environment. Use this guide to get a basic understanding of solution components and infrastructure requirements for the design models in your organization. Then devise and implement a strategy specifically for your needs based on these suggestions. In general, this design and optimization guide allows you to extrapolate required settings and configurations for your specific needs. It introduces major issues that administrators face based on general design models and suggests management strategies for implementing a solution or combination of solutions for each model. To provide comparable data for optimization and scalability practices, example scenarios of organizational types are used throughout this guide to standardize environmental variables and provide a structure for baseline statistics. Generic organizational models are used to reference standard practices and illustrate common problem areas for each solution or suite. General Design Models To better provide planning and optimization recommendations specific to your environment, this guide uses standard design models to identify and list advantages and problem areas that administrators may encounter in installing and operating an Altiris system. These basic design classifications include: Large Enterprise model. This includes sites with 5,000 or more managed computer devices, generally distributed with numerous mobile users. Small to Medium (SME) model. This includes sites with 10 to 5,000 managed computer devices, moderately centralized with few mobile users. Branch model. This includes small to medium satellite offices that are managed independently or from a remote IT site. Low-bandwidth connection model. This includes mobile connections for itinerant users who log on for patch and software updates across WAN connections. In general, these design and optimization guidelines allow you to extrapolate required settings and configurations for your specific needs. It introduces major issues that administrators face for specific design models, and suggests management strategies for implementing a solution or combination of solutions.

23 To provide comparable data for optimization and scalability practices, example scenarios of organizational types are used throughout this guide to standardize environmental variables and provide a structure for baseline statistics. Generic organizational models are used to reference standard practices and illustrate common problem areas for each solution or suite. Large Enterprise Models The following issues and requirements characterize large enterprises: Shared resources Staff is segmented and specialized Hardware is shared Altiris system must integrate and operate with other vendor solutions IT team requires adoption buy-off from multiple groups Centralized or Decentralized Management? Management of distributed or centralized systems refers to the IT management structure in place. If an organization distributes management to local IT administrators, then they may require more Notification Servers or Deployment Servers than strict capacity guidelines dictate. Scope the range of management functions. What is owned centrally vs. at the site? How many levels Tier 1- N? Connectivity ranges. Tier 1 sites well connected and tier 2 sites may be poorly connected. Traveling users may dial in from different locations. Distributed Model for Large Enterprises The two-tier distributed model (sometimes called the fan out model) consists of dispersed sites or network segments supporting subordinate sites or network segments. This model provides network load balancing for companies with equally distributed locations. The distributed model has direct management through both Notification Server (and the Inventory, SW Delivery, App Management, and other solutions) and Deployment Solution for dayto-day management of local computers from both regional and local branch offices.

24 Notification Servers: An NS will be located at each regional office: Each Notification Server has its own database, although these databases can exist on a common Microsoft SQL Server. Dial-up users will access the Notification Server at designated regional offices. Package Server will reside in each branch office. A Deployment Server at the regional level will manage multiple small branch offices. Software Delivery Solution will be the primary method of package distribution to dial-in users and to Deployment Servers. Deployment Servers: A DS will be located at each of the branch offices. One Deployment Server will reside in each branch office with a package server. Deployment Server shares will be set up on a storage device (file server, network attached storage). Images, RIPs, Personality packages and large Software Delivery packages will be placed on the storage device. Recovery Servers: Like Deployment Servers, a Recovery Server will be located at each branch office. Package Servers: Packages will be automatically distributed to the Package Servers (PS). Clients will access packages from the closest package server. Reporting Model for Large Enterprises The three-tier reporting model provides direct management from regional offices with a central Notification Server that allows reporting at a central office. In many cases it consists of a main campus with thousands of managed computers, large branches with more than 50 managed computers, small branches with less than 50 computers, and remote access (dial-up) users.

25 Multiple design scenarios are possible for large enterprises using a multi-tier reporting model. In most cases, this model includes a main campus, small and large remote locations, and itinerant users that connect across the WAN. The following graphic represents a multi-tiered approach for a large enterprise to manage resources and generate reports, providing regional and corporate management across the WAN and local management across the LAN. Hierarchy of Reporting Model Altiris servers support a hierarchy of Notification Servers, Deployment Servers, Recovery Servers, and Package Servers to integrate and scale for deployment and migration, resource management, and client recovery tasks. Organizations can use the Reporting model (or any applicable segment) to provide management capabilities for locations that require responsive

26 administrative control at the site level. This model also increases overall scalability of the system since the data processing load is distributed across multiple servers. All solutions installed into the system Deployment, Inventory, Application Management, and all other Altiris solutions benefit from this hierarchy. You can install multiple Deployment Servers to keep your images and software packages close to your managed computers. Administrators at remote locations can manage only the objects in their local Deployment Server. From there, each Deployment Server will replicate all information to a parent Notification Server to scale both management and inventory capabilities. From a Regional perspective, an administrator can manage and report on all managed computer resources in the organization. Reporting resource data from each region provides central administration and reporting capabilities to administrators at corporate headquarters. This multi-tiered architecture is a common design for Altiris systems. This and works well because it can all be installed on one server for a medium to small company ( nodes), for large enterprises (100,000+ nodes), or for organizations with a combinations of large sites, branch offices, and dial-in remote users. As new offices or users get added, administrators can add new servers to meet emerging needs. With Altiris solutions, you simply deploy another Deployment Server or Notification Server based on your needs, management design, or network topology. You can also add new solutions to each Notification Server to meet emerging requirements for each network segment or site. Notification Servers can be configured to report any inventory class registered tables to Microsoft SMS. This means that many solutions, such as Application Metering, Inventory, Deployment Solution, Asset Control, TCO, Contract Management, and others collect data that can be forwarded and integrated into Microsoft's SMS database. Inventory data can also be reported to multiple Notification Servers, for environments that require it (backup/redundant servers, reporting servers, etc.). Notification Servers: NS installations will be located at headquarters for central reporting and management of dial-up users, at each large international site, at a regional site to manage small branch sites, and at the main campus. The Notification Server will be located at headquarters Each Notification Server has its own database, although these databases can exist on a common Microsoft SQL Server. One Notification Server will be used to manage all remote branch offices and one will be used to manage the main campus. Dial-up users will access the Notification Server at headquarters. One Package Server will reside in each small branch office. A Deployment Server at the regional level will manage multiple small branch offices. Important Inventory data flows from the lower level NS servers to the Central Reporting Notification Server. In Notification Server 6.0, there is no downward flow of collections, packages, advertisements, or policies from the Central Reporting Notification Server to the lower level NS servers. Deployment Solution: Deployment Servers will be located at the (multiple) and in the International locations. One Deployment Server will reside in each large branch office. There will be multiple Deployment Servers and Package Servers on the Main Campus. Deployment Server shares can be set up on a storage device (file server, network attached storage) in each store. Images, RIPs, Personality packages and large Software Delivery packages will be placed on the storage device by a TBD process.

27 For International locations, Package Servers will be set up on the express share on the Deployment Servers. Images, RIPs and Personality packages will be distributed to the express shares using SW Delivery Solution on Notification Server. Deployment Solution will be used to distribute packages to Retail Sites. Deployment Solution will use jobs to deliver the packages from the storage devices to the individual computers. Deployment Solution will be the primary mechanism for imaging and for migration of images and user data and settings to managed computers. For headquarters and large branch locations (international sites), Deployment Servers will act as the Package Servers. Software Delivery Solution will be used to deliver images, personality packages and RIPs to the Client Access Points on the Deployment Server systems. For small branch sites, images and personality packages will be distributed to the storage devices using an existing system. Deployment Solution can then distribute images and collect and deliver personality packages from and to the managed computers at the small branch sites. Recovery Solution: Like Deployment Servers, a Recovery Server will be located at each branch office. Inventory Solution: Inventory will be reported individual managed computers to the assigned Notification Server. Inventory data will be forwarded to the Central Reporting Notification Server for centralized reporting. Software Delivery Solution: Software Delivery Solution will be the primary method of package distribution to headquarters and international locations. Packages will be automatically distributed to the Package Servers (PS) and users will access packages from the closest package server. Imaging and Migrating Packages: Deployment Solution will be the primary mechanism for imaging and for migration of images and user data and settings to managed computers. For headquarters and large branch locations (international sites), Deployment Servers will act as the Package Servers. SW Delivery Solution will be used to deliver images, personality packages and RIPs to the Client Access Points on the Deployment Servers. For small branch sites, images and personality packages will be distributed to the storage devices using an existing system. Deployment Solution will then deliver images and collect and deliver personality packages from and to the managed computers at the small branch sites. To plan a strategy for your organization, identify a model (Enterprise model, Branch model, Lowbandwidth model, etc.) defined within this comprehensive example and extrapolate differences in specific environmental variables for your organization. Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Models For medium or small-sized organizations, you can set up Altiris servers in a variety of ways depending on the structure of the organization, selected Altiris solutions, and needs of the IT team. You can distribute the installation of role servers to different computers for each network segment or site, or install all Altiris servers on a single server. Even within each solution, different components such as the database, web and Windows consoles, Package Servers, PXE Servers, web servers, and Client Access Points can be installed on either the same or separate computers. For example, all high-bandwidth solutions (Deployment, Recovery, Carbon Copy) designed for day-to-day management can be installed at each independent site, providing IT technicians with real-time applications to remotely handle daily emergencies or large migration tasks. In addition,

28 Deployment Solution provides a custom install to distribute the PXE Server, Deployment Database, and other components. These tools are used for frontline administration of client computers at the local level. The following issues and requirements characterize small and medium enterprises: Fewer resources available. IT departments have a broader scope with fewer dedicated resources Limited hardware. In many cases, the network infrastructure is a lightweight infrastructure with lower bandwidth. Limited funds. Less capital for training and PSO. Centralized administration. IT team may need to manage multiple sites. Variable Connectivity ranges. Like large enterprises, small to medium organizations may need to manage both a single LAN site with multiple WAN sites. From the regional level, web monitoring, inventory, software delivery, reporting and other comprehensive management features can be accomplished from the Altiris console running on Notification Server. Multiple web solutions can be installed as needed to manage, report and set policies from the Altiris Solution Center for management over the WAN. From the Altiris console, web views for Deployment Solution and Recovery Solution provide HTTP connections for regional management, while at the local level administrators can use the Windows user interface. Medium Sites with Distributed Servers For a medium organization with multiple sites or network segments, local role servers can be distributed at individual sites with a database at each site. IT personnel can install high-bandwidth solutions at the local site Deployment Server Console, the Recovery Console, and the Altiris console on Notification Server for day-to-day management needs. From the central Notification Server, IT personnel can then generate reports and set corporate policies and manage corporate solutions such as Helpdesk and the Asset Management Suite. Note: In this configuration, the central Notification Server generates report on a weekly basis, but is also used as the regional platform for installing and running Helpdesk Solution and other integrated corporate management systems. Deployment Solution: DS is required for imaging, configuration and installing core application services. It should be located with the client computers it services. Notification Server: NS is required for a web-based infrastructure and includes a built-in Alert Manager (a scaled-down version of Helpdesk) that runs on Notification Server. Helpdesk integrates with Inventory (for associated computers and contact information), Carbon Copy,

29 Conflict Analysis (quickly diagnose software and configuration problems). It will eventually integrate with Deployment Solution, Software Delivery solution, and other Altiris solutions. For a department-level help desk, it is recommended that Helpdesk Solution be installed on a separate web server, accessing its own database. For large enterprise environments, it is recommended that the self-help web pages in Helpdesk Solution are installed on a separate web server so it does not impact the performance of the Helpdesk Solution worker console. For best performance, Recovery Servers should be on dedicated servers located at the same site as the client computers they are backing up. Notification Server can forward inventory data to (SMS or) another Notification Server, creating a central reporting database server. Multiple Medium Sites with Combined Servers You can place Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers at multiple local sites to perform highbandwidth tasks across the LAN, and set up a central Notification Server to monitor multiple role servers and manage web applications across the WAN. This design provides direct management of resources at the local level and an integrated approach to management from a central Altiris console installed with Notification Server. Smaller groups of 1,500 to 3,000 clients (depending on configuration) can be managed by the Deployment and Recovery role servers, while larger groups of 25,000 to 50,00 (depending on configuration) can be managed at the regional level using a Notification Server. Notification Server will communicate directly to clients in each group for inventory, software delivery, application management and other procedures. Notification Server will also upload data from the subordinate database of the role servers to provide integrated functionality from its Altiris console. From the Notification Server, managed Deployment Servers and Recovery Servers can be installed remotely across the network. In many cases, an additional Deployment Server is installed at the regional level to provide tools and utilities to create images and build software packages to distribute automatically via Package Servers.

30 Small and Branch Models Small organizations can install the Notification Server and all role servers to a single computer, or distribute Altiris servers across multiple computers to deploy and manage clients. With one or more Altiris Servers, you can set up local peer servers on a single computer or distributed across multiple computers to manage a site. Branch and Low-bandwidth Models For organizations with remote sites and personnel, Altiris servers can be configured to manage satellite locations from a regional Notification Server. If the branch site is small and has no resident IT person, Package Servers can be installed to download software and image packages deployed from a local site. Models for Large and Small Branch Environments Placing either a Deployment Servers or a Package Servers at a branch sites depends on the number of client computers managed and if IT personnel is on site. Deployment Servers can be placed at the local site to manage branch locations remotely or Package Servers can be placed to manage remotely but download software from a local server. Both Notification Servers and Deployment Servers can utilize local Package Server at each branch location.

31 Low-bandwidth Model Remote users can update patches and other software packages across the WAN from the closest Package Server for dial-up users or satellite offices. Notification Servers at the corporate and regional level can inventory itinerant users and download software using the closest Package Server. When the user returns to the home office, the portable computer can be updated with large deployment packages or image files from the local Deployment Server across the LAN. Central and regional offices can update remote users through Package Servers. Complete reconfiguration can be done using Deployment Solution at home office.

32 Design Datasheets These datasheets provide basic design information and suggested performance numbers, along with design considerations, suggested hardware requirements, and unique design hints for each Altiris solution or suite. Each datasheet introduces basic design topics and lists performance recommendations when implementing and integrating one or more Altiris solution or managing server. Inventory and SWD Solution Design Datasheet Deployment Solution Design Datasheet Application Metering Design Datasheet Recovery Solution Design Datasheet Client Management Suite Design Datasheet

33 Inventory and SWD Solution Design Datasheet Altiris Inventory Solution and Software Delivery Solution are used in tandem to report and identify client inventory needs and then update required software. Both solutions install from the Altiris Console running on Notification Server (NS). In addition, Package Servers installed from NS are used to speed delivery by moving software packages closer to distribution points. Basic Inventory Solution event traffic is minimal: Default settings Processing packets/ client Clients / time Basic Inventory (12 hrs).5 sec 84,000/12 hrs Client config (1 hr) 200 msec 18,000/hr Inventory delta (daily) 50 KB 172,000/day Software scan (weekly) 200 KB 86,000/week Inventory forwarding 2 sec 43,000/day Implemented as a stand-alone solution using maximum hardware configurations, Inventory Solution can manage up to 50,000 clients from a single NS using the single-tier design or scale to 150,000 clients for large enterprises using a multi-tier design. Basic Software Delivery event traffic is also minimal. Default status messages and policies for a single distribution would include an estimated five messages per enabled policy. Messages are 2-3 KB so you can add 10 KB -15 KB to the size of each package to determine the total bandwidth requirements for a specific software delivery. Placement of Package Servers allows you to scale a system to handle variations in package size, frequency and distance of downloads, and number of supported clients. As a result, a key to scaling a system for Software Delivery is to determine the number of clients to be supported by a Package Server and then determine the number of Package Servers supported by a single Notification Server. This requires that you estimate your package sizes and other software distribution variables. Single-tier design # Clients for IS and SWD # Clients per PS # Clients for IS only 25, ,000 Support for 25,000 is only possible in optimal environments running ONLY Inventory and Software Delivery Solutions. This capacity is a maximum for most server configurations and does not leave room for growth or to add solutions in the future. 50,000 clients running only Inventory Solution is also a maximum. Leaving a variance of percent will allow for future growth. For Package Servers, to add solutions in the future and leave a variance for package size, a good rule-of-thumb is to install a Package Server for each 1,000 clients managed by Inventory and Software Delivery solutions. In many situations, you can have more than 1000 clients per Package Server, but distributions groups should always be kept below Notification Server can make use of up to 600 Package Servers. For large enterprises, see the Inventory Solution Multi-tier design. Hardware Considerations Notification Server running Inventory Solution and Software Delivery Solution requires a low amount of bandwidth and processing power for default daily updates, weekly summary reports, and advertisement policies. For Altiris Inventory and Software Delivery Solutions, it s all about the placement of Package Servers and the timing of your inventory and software delivery events.

34 Suggestions: (NS) Single-processor, 2.1 GHz,1 GB RAM server with local database on a 100 MBPS network. (PS) Single-processor, 1.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM server. Multi-tier design Clients per NS Reporting 150,000 6 NS Servers per NS Reporting Server Multiple Notification Servers running Inventory Solution can forward inventory data to a central reporting Notification Server to scale a system in a large enterprise environment or across multiple remote and branch sites. The NS central reporting server acts as a repository of inventory data from which administrators can generate reports across multiple network segments and sites. In many cases, the central NS will require more processing power and data storage than subordinate NS role servers. To set up NS for larger environments, see the Altiris Notification Server Product Guide. Additional Hardware Considerations The Reporting NS server requires more intensive processing power, storage, and I/O speed for generating reports and storing large amounts of data. You can improve performance using multiple processors, plenty of RAM, a database configuration with higher I/O properties.

35 Deployment Solution Design Datasheet Deployment Solution includes both Windows and web components (as well as a Linux opensource edition) to design and scale a hierarchical system to manage, migrate and deploy computer devices across the LAN or WAN. Defined network segments or sites are managed from a Deployment Solution infrastructure, with multiple sites managed from the Altiris Console on Notification Server. DS from the Altiris Console allows you to scale Deployment Solution by managing multiple sites from the Altiris console on Notification Server and provides additional features such as Package Servers and enterprise-wide reports to distribute image and software packages created from a DS console or the Altiris Console. WAN and LAN management Clients per DS site (LAN) DS per NS (Web management) ,000 Clients per NS (Web management) Individual Deployment Servers have successfully managed 5,000 + clients depending on the workload. However, because of workload variation and with the availability of DS on the Altiris Console (NS)*, the optimum number of clients supported by a single Deployment Server is placed on the low end at 2,500 3,500. This allows for groups of 200 to 300 clients (optimal). *With real-time management using the new Deployment Web Console, it is now more feasible to manage multiple sites using multiple Altiris solutions from the Altiris Console (on NS). Hardware Considerations (DS local) Single-processor, 2.1 GHz,1 GB RAM server with local database on a 100 MBPS network. (DS on the Altiris console) Dual-processor, 2.1 GHz, 2 GB RAM server for both NS and DS needs. The size, speed and configuration of the NS server depend on the number of additional Altiris solutions installed. Additional Design Considerations Package Servers with Deployment Solution. You can install a Package Server at branch locations with no resident IT personnel and fewer than 50 managed computers, allowing IT personnel at the regional office to build and deploy packages and save them to Package Servers at each branch location. A good recommendation is if you are rebuilding (imaging) and reconfiguring more than one computer a month, then you will need a Deployment Server installed on site.

36 Recovery Solution Design Datasheet Recovery Solution (RS) takes daily snapshots to protect the data on individual hard drives from unintentional edits, accidental deletions, and catastrophic loss due to hardware failure and viruses. As a result, RS requires bandwidth and system resources for interval snapshots on a daily basis (the most common backup interval) and for intermittent backup, roll back, and restore features. At this time, a single Recovery Server is installed on the local area networks for a specified site or subnet. RS requires that a Notification Server is also installed on the same computer. Each Recovery Server can have its database installed on the same computer, or (in RS 6.0) can have the database off-box to leverage SQL clusters and expedite database transactions to increase number of supported clients. Placing the database off the RS computer allows for direct transmission to the database without affecting server traffic. Recovery Server can support up to 10 concurrent connections for daily data snapshots, and will spawn additional threads when performing roll back, restore and other maintenance operations. This load balancing allows RS to support a baseline number of computers based on the daily data snapshots without additional capacity restrictions based on maintenance operations. Recovery Solution's file compression achieves compression ratios as high as 15:1 to minimize network loads. At this time Recovery on the Altiris Console (on Notification Server) allows you to push down Recovery agents to client computers from the Altiris Console on Notification Server and correlate additional Recovery actions across multiple sites. Single-tier design Suggested # clients with DB on-box 1,500 3,000 Possible # clients with DB off-box Recovery Server can process daily snapshots of 2-3 computers per minute. This allows for approximately 180 per hour or 2,160 in a 12 hour period (default backup schedule is from 7 AM to 7 PM). 1,500 nodes are recommended because of additional traffic due to periodic restores and roll backs and application overhead such as data compaction and removal. Recovery Server allows for 10 concurrent connections but this number can be increased if the network speed increases. Additional Scheduling Considerations Recovery Solution has a default backup schedule for 12 hours in the day from 7 AM to 7 PM. Daily backups are common because most companies do not require users to keep the computers on during the night and do not use wake up features to remotely start the users computer. Daily snapshots are most common with complete backups accomplished weekly or monthly.

37 Client Management Suite Design Datasheet Altiris Client Management Suite provides software distribution, IT client management, remote control, client backup, and configuration management by combining Altiris solutions and servers together in a comprehensive suite of IT services. CMS setup includes installing a Notification Server with Inventory, Software Delivery, Application Management, Application Metering, Deployment, and Carbon Copy Solutions. Deployment Servers can be set up independently or on the same server as NS. Recovery Server is set up independently in most designs and is included only with Level 3 of the CMS. Single-site management Single server for CMS 1 Single server for CMS 3 Distributed 2,500 1,500 5,000 For small organizations, you can set up a single Windows server with a Notification Server, Deployment Server, and Recovery Server. However, it is recommended in most cases that Recovery Solution be set up on its own individual Windows server. For 2,500 or more clients at a site, it is more effective to set up distributed NS, DS, and RS servers and manage the Deployment and Recovery Solutions from the central NS server*. *A central Notification Server provides remote administration of clients managed by Deployment Server and Recovery Server from the Deployment Solution tab and Recovery Solution tab on the Altiris console (provided by Notification Server). Additional Design Considerations Because of the bandwidth and disk space requirements for Recovery Solution, it is suggested that you install it on its own Windows server. CMS Level 3 (with RS) can be installed on a single server but the supported clients must be small and/ or the server must be outfitted with large amounts of RAM, multiple processors, and a large hard disk for the various instances of SQL Server.