3.4.3 Automatically changing the agent connection destination

(a) Creating an information file for higher connection destinations

An information file for higher connection destinations is used to determine the higher system to which an agent connects. This file defines connection-target higher systems corresponding to ranges of IP addresses of computers. For example, a file might define a PC at the New York branch as the connection destination of computers with IP addresses in the range from 172.16.22.1 to 172.16.22.255. The same file might define a PC in Chicago as the connection destination of computers with IP addresses in the range from 172.17.22.1 to 172.17.22.255. For details about how to create an information file for higher connection destinations, see 3.4.3(2) Creating an information file for higher connection destinations (dmhost.txt).

By placing the file you created in the data folder of JP1/IT Desktop Management 2 - Manager, you can incorporate it when creating the installation set.

(b) Distributing the information file for higher connection destinations to managed computers

When you install JP1/IT Desktop Management 2 - Agent using an installation set that incorporates an information file for higher connection destinations, the information file for higher connection destinations is placed in the following directory on the managed computer:

JP1/IT Desktop Management 2 - Agent-installation-directory\MASTER\DB

You can also distribute the file to target computers by registering the file as a package and creating a job that distributes the package. In this case, use the following settings when creating the package:

Installation target directory settings on System Conditions page:

Drive: None

Directory: %ITDM2AGT%\MASTER\DB

If the computer is not yet configured as a managed computer, you can place the file manually.

Note

If both the information file for higher connection destinations (dmhost.txt) and the file for connection destinations (itdmhost.conf) exist, dmhost.txt is ignored.

(c) Timing with which the connection destination changes

After placing the information file for higher connection destinations on the managed computer, either wait until polling takes place or restart the operating system of the managed computer. The contents of the file determine the higher system to which the agent connects.

There are two types of polling that can result in the connection destination of the agent changing:

• Perform polling based on the system startup

  The Perform polling based on the system startup check box is selected on the Basic settings page in the agent configuration

• Perform polling at the specified time

  The Perform polling at the specified time check box is selected on the Basic settings page in the agent configuration

After you enable these settings, the connection target will be set again if you wait for polling or restart the OS after the following operations:

• The IP address of the managed computer changes

• The information file for higher connection destinations is edited or overwritten

  The connection destination changes when you restart the computer after redistributing the information file for higher connection destinations to the agent. It also changes when you restart the computer after directly editing and overwriting the file in the installation-directory\MASTER\DB directory of the agent.

If you relocate a managed computer and change its IP address, its connection destination changes to the appropriate higher system when polling takes place or you restart the operating system. This process is transparent to the end user.

When the connection destination of an agent is automatically set or changed based on the information file for higher connection destinations, the change is logged to the installation-folder\LOG\USER.LOG file on that computer.

(d) Relationship of other functions to automatic updating of connection destinations

The automatic updating of connection destinations based on the information file for higher connection destinations might be incompatible with some other JP1/IT Desktop Management 2 functions. Take note of the following.

If there is an information file for higher connection destinations in the installation-folder\MASTER\DB\ folder of the agent on a managed computer, the information in the file determines the higher system (managing server or relay system) of the agent. In this case, the connection destination of the agent will not be the higher system specified in the agent configurations.

You can stop an agent from using the contents of the information file for higher connection destinations by using the methods below. Either method results in the agent connecting to the connection destination specified in the agent configurations.

• Distribute a blank information file for higher connection destinations to the agent

• Delete the information file for higher connection destinations from installation-directory\MASTER\DB\ on the agent

• Rename the information file for higher connection destinations in installation-directory\MASTER\DB\ on the agent to a file name other than dmhost.txt

(a) Format of information file for higher connection destinations

Each line of the information file for higher connection destinations defines a connection destination and the range of IP addresses of managed computers to which it corresponds. Each line can contain up to 1,023 bytes of characters (including single-byte and/or double-byte characters). Use a comma (,) as the delimiter between items. You can comment out a line by placing a semicolon at the beginning of the line. Do not enter a linefeed character at the end of the last line of the file.

The file format is as follows:

Format:

lowest-IP-address,highest-IP-address,connection-destination,connection-type[,connection-destination,connection-type] ... [,multicast-distribution-address]

Description:

lowest-IP-address (required)

Specify the lowest IP address in the range of managed computer IP addresses. Specify the address in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx using single-byte numerals.

highest-IP-address (required)

Specify the highest IP address in the range of managed computer IP addresses. Specify the address in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx using single-byte numerals.

connection-destination^# (required)

Specify the host name or IP address of the connection destination. Specify a host name if host names are the ID key for connection destinations, or an IP address if IP addresses are the key. A host name must not exceed 64 bytes of single-byte alphanumeric characters. Specify IP addresses in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx using single-byte numerals.

connection-type^# (required)

Specify netmdm if the connection destination is a management server, and netmdmw if the connection destination is a relay system.

multicast-distribution-address (optional)

If you want to distribute jobs to managed computers using multicast distribution, specify the multicast address set at the connection destination. Specify the address in the format xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx using single-byte numerals. The range of addresses you can use as multicast addresses is 224.0.1.0 to 239.255.255.255.

#

You can specify a maximum of eight pairs of connection destinations and connection types on one line. If you specify multiple connection destinations and connection types, pairs defined earlier have higher priority.

Notes:

• If the IP address of a managed computer is not within a defined range, the connection destination will not be changed.

• If the IP address of a managed computer is the loopback address 127.0.0.1, the connection destination will not be changed.

• If you specify a range of IP addresses that overlaps another specified range, the range that is defined earlier in the file takes effect.

• A line is invalid in the following cases:

  - Any of the first four items is omitted

  - An invalid IP address is specified

  - When connection-destination is 65 single-byte characters or longer

  - A value other than netmdm or netmdmw is specified as the connection type

• If you do not specify a multicast-distribution-address value or you specify an invalid value, the multicast address cannot be set. However, the IP address ranges and corresponding connection destinations in the first four parameters remain valid.

• If you specify more parameters than the five described above, the additional parameters are ignored.

• If a line is longer than 1,023 characters, the 1,024th and subsequent characters are ignored.

(b) Example of creating an information file for higher connection destinations

An example of creating an information file for higher connection destinations is shown below.

;Information about higher connection destinations
172.17.12.1,172.17.12.250,dmsub01,netmdmw,dmsub02,netmdmw,dmman01,netmdm
172.17.13.1,172.17.13.250,dmman01,netmdm,dmman02,netmdm
172.17.11.1,172.17.11.60,dmsub02,netmdmw
0.0.0.0,255.255.255.254,dmman02,netmdm

Suppose that the IP address of the managed computer is 172.17.11.6. In this example, because this IP address is in the range from 172.17.11.1 to 172.17.11.60 on the fourth line, the higher system that serves as the connection destination is the relay system with the host name dmsub02.

If you define a range that includes all IP addresses (0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.254) as the last line of the information file for higher connection destinations, managed computers with no corresponding IP address range defined will connect to the host dmman02. In this example, this means managed computers whose IP address is outside the ranges from 172.17.12.1 to 172.17.12.250, 172.17.13.1 to 172.17.13.250, and 172.17.11.1 to 172.17.11.60. If you specify multiple connection destinations as on the second and third lines, the connection destination specified earlier has the higher priority (dmsub01 on the second line and dmman01 on the third line).

(c) Notes on system behavior after distribution of an information file for higher connection destinations

If you intend to change the IP address of a connection destination host after an information file for higher connection destinations has been distributed to the managed computers, you must delete the file from the managed computers first. If you do not delete the file before changing the IP address, the change to the IP address will trigger automatic changing of the connection destination. This might result in a managed computer connecting to the wrong higher system.