Select Host name or IP address as the information type for determining communication destination hosts during host-to-host communication. Select Host name or IP address according to the ID key for operations setting in the destination hosts. The default is Host name. If you select Host name as the node identification key, specify How to resolve IP addresses and When resolution of IP address fails. You can set the ID key for operations only for the relay manager, regardless of the ID key settings on the higher system.

How to resolve IP addresses

For the method to be used to resolve addresses in creating or starting jobs, select Use Network in Windows or Use the system configuration of Software Distribution Manager. The default is Use Network in Windows.

Use Network in Windows

Obtains an IP address from the Windows network when a job is created or started. The hosts file or name server is used for name resolution. If name resolution fails, the IP address is obtained from the system configuration of JP1/Software Distribution.

Use the system configuration of Software Distribution Manager

Obtains an IP address only from the system configuration of JP1/Software Distribution when a job is created or started. In such a case, you must ensure that the IP addresses of the system configuration are always correct. In some environments in which IP addresses are changed dynamically (e.g., DHCP), you can keep system configuration IP addresses correct by using the facility for automatically registering the system configuration.

In an environment in which jobs are created or started when the name server is turned off (such as at night), address resolution may fail and jobs will not be created even if you choose Use Network in Windows. However, choosing Use the system configuration of Software Distribution Manager has the benefit of reducing the time it takes until name resolution fails.

This setting, without resolving addresses, determines the destination of jobs by obtaining the IP address from the system configuration information. This means that jobs may not be executable in the following cases.

• Using Host ID
  For details, see 8.2.4(4) Notes on specifying destinations in the manual Administrator's Guide Volume 1 and 4.26.9 JOB_DESTINATION (specifying a job destination) in the manual Administrator's Guide Volume 2.
  
• Using the NAT function
  Job execution requests for a destination cannot be sent when the NAT function is being used. However, jobs can be executed by polling from the destination. For information on how to poll, see 2.13.1(2)(b) Executing a job at an arbitrary time in the manual Description and Planning Guide.
  

When resolution of IP address fails

Select the processing to be performed when the system cannot resolve a destination address during job execution. The default is The job starts. When The job starts is selected, the execution status of the job becomes Waiting for transmission in the event IP address resolution fails. The execution status of a job addressed to a nonexistent destination becomes Waiting for transmission and does not change.

In environments that use a WINS server, the destination address cannot be resolved if the destination client PC is turned off when a job is executed. Thus, if you select The job ends in error, you will not be able to set up an operation that executes jobs on holidays or at night or that automatically starts the client by polling when the system starts. If you wish to set up this type of operation, select The job starts.

When you select The job starts, operation of the Remote Installation Manager may be delayed if an executed job contains a destination whose address cannot be resolved.

If you wish to change the node identification key during operation, delete the following information items from Remote Installation Manager:

• System configuration information
• Destination information
• Job definitions
• Job execution status information

You do not have to delete package information, because that information can be inherited.

You should save the system configuration information in a file before deleting it. You can set the system configuration information by changing the node identification key, editing the output system configuration information, and then importing the file. When you import the system configuration information file that has been output, check to see if the correct host name or IP address is specified for each host. For example, to change the node identification key from host name to IP address, the correct IP address must be specified in the system configuration information file that was output. If you need to edit the file contents, use a program such as a text editor. For details about the contents and output of the system configuration information file, see 8.1.4 Creating the system configuration information from a file.

Select whether or not the entire JP1/Software Distribution system is to use host IDs as the information for managing hosts uniquely. The default is Yes.

When you are using Asset Information Manager Subset, in order to change the Use host IDs setting, you must change the Working key settings for Asset Information Manager Subset. For details about the working key settings, see 10.2.5 Setting the link with JP1/SD.

The following points should be noted when you change the ID key after the system has been operating:

• If you change from not using host IDs to using host IDs
  Check the following two items if you will be using host IDs:
  

  The database has been backed up

  If you begin operation with the Use host IDs setting set to Yes and then change the setting to No, you will not be able to use any information that was registered in the database, except for package information. Therefore, if the system contains a database that was recorded without using host IDs, be sure to make a backup of that database.

  The Use host IDs setting has been set to Yes in the higher manager

  If the relay manager uses host IDs, the JP1/Software Distribution Manager version installed in the higher manager to which the relay manager connects must support host IDs. JP1/Software Distribution Manager version 05-21 or higher satisfies this condition. In addition, the Use host IDs setting must be set to Yes.

  Do not use host IDs in a relay manager if the JP1/Software Distribution Manager version installed in the connection-destination higher server does not support host IDs or if its Use host IDs setting was set to No in the JP1/Software Distribution Manager setup.

• If you change from using host IDs to not using host IDs
  If you change the Use host IDs setting from Yes to No, you will not be able to use any database information that was recorded while the setting was set to Yes, except for package information. You can avoid this problem by doing one of the following:
  
  • Before changing the setting to No, delete all the database information.
  • If you previously backed up the database that was recorded without using host IDs, restore the database from the backup.