Chapter 5 - Manage Jobs

Applies to: Microsoft Antigen

The Manage Jobs work pane (reached from Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area) includes the following jobs:

• Deployment
• Signature Redistribution
• Schedule Reports
• General Option
• Manual Scan
• Remote Logs Retrieval
• Schedule Reports
• This chapter will discuss how to configure and deploy all of these jobs except the Schedule Reports job, which is discussed in Chapter 7 - Reports.

Deployment Jobs

Deployment Jobs provide a way for Administrators to:

1. Remotely deploy full Antigen Installs or Hotfixes to managed servers.
2. Deploy Antigen configuration templates to managed servers.
3. Deploy Antigen license files to managed servers.

Creating a Deployment Jobs requires two major steps:

1. Creating the Deployment "Package."
2. Creating and running the Deployment Job.

Each Deployment Job is described below.

Installing Antigen on Remote Servers

To deploy Antigen to remote servers, you will need to configure the Deployment Package and then create and run a Deployment Job for the target server(s).

Creating the Deployment Package

The Deployment Package consists of the Antigen Install Image files and the install parameters as configured by the AEM. To create a Deployment Package, follow these steps:

1. Locate the install file that matches your license. The choices include:

   • AntigenExchangeBoxSetup.exe (Includes the Norman, CA InoculateIT, CA Vet, Sophos, and Microsoft AV engines).
   • AntigenExchangeASMSetup.exe (Includes the box set engines + the VBuster, Kaspersky, and Command AV engines + the Antigen Spam Manager [ASM].)
   • AntigenSMTPBoxSetup.exe (Includes the Norman, CA InoculateIT, CA Vet, Sophos, and Microsoft AV engines).
   • AntigenSMTPASMSetup.exe (Includes the box set engines + the VBuster, Kaspersky, and Command AV engines + the Antigen Spam Manager [ASM].)
   • AntigenSMTPASMOnlySetup.exe (ASM only, no AV engines.)
     These files should be available on your CD image or from the self-extracting package available on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Download Center.

2. Click Packages in the Job Management section of the navigation area. The Manage Packages work pane will be displayed.

3. Click on the Add Package button. The Add Package work pane is displayed.

4. Enter a name for the Package. (Microsoft suggests that you use a name that contains the build number as well, such as Antigen for Exchange 8.0.1414.1).

5. Enter the path to the .exe file or browse to the folder on your local machine using the Browse button.

6. Click on the Add Package button. The Install files are uploaded to the AEM database.

   Note

   This may take several minutes since the file has to be uploaded to the AEM database through your local web browser. The upload time will be increased if you are working from a remote machine. Depending on network speed and server usage, the time may vary.

7. Once the Install Package has been uploaded, the Configure Package work pane will open as shown below.
   

8. The AEM recognizes the install image and will ask for information relevant to that package. You will need to complete the following information to complete the Deployment Package.

9. For Antigen for Exchange and SMTP Install Packages, complete the following information:

   1. In the Target Folders section, enter the path to the Install Folder to be used on the Target Server(s) or use the default folder provided. (These paths are only used for clean installs, not upgrades.)
   2. In the Target Folders section, enter the path to the Start Menu Folder to be used on the Target Server(s) or use the default folder provided. (These paths are only used for clean installs, not upgrades.)
   3. In the Target Folders section, indicate whether you would like the Antigen install wizard to Install MDAC and Jet on the Target Server(s).
   4. In the Quarantine Security Settings section, indicate if content and file filters should be applied to messages delivered from Quarantine (Secure mode) or not (Compatibility mode.)
   5. Microsoft’s Hot Upgrade technology allows the AEM and Antigen to perform most product upgrades without the need to stop or recycle the Exchange services. There are two important exceptions:
      Critical File—If one or more critical files need to be updated during the upgrade, services will need to be recycled during the install process. Choose the desired action: Recycle Services or Abort Upgrade.
      Mail Flow—During the upgrade, mail is queued to prevent it from being delivered unscanned. When this is not possible, you will need to select the action the AEM should take. The options are: Recycle Services, Disable Scanning, or Abort Upgrade. It is recommended that you select Recycle Services so that no mail will be delivered unscanned.

10. For Advanced Spam Manager, complete the following information:

    1. Enter the file path to the Web Root Folder on the Target Server(s) or use the default path provided.
    2. Enter the Antigen Junk Mail Folder name where the Antigen Junk Mail application will be installed or use the default provided.

11. For Antigen for SharePoint installations, in order to install into SharePoint, AEM requires a SharePoint Login (username and password) with administrative rights to the server.

12. For Antigen for IM installations, complete the following information:

    1. IM provides notifications via SMTP e-mail to administrators. The SMTP Notification Settings allow you to specify which server to relay messages through, as well as credentials used to log on. You will need to provide the SMTP server name, the User Name and Password, and the Product name (IM).
    2. For the Install Type, select if you are installing Antigen on Microsoft LCS or IM Logic IM Manager.
    3. When configuring Antigen for IM, Antigen requires a user account that sends notifications to clients when items such as viruses are detected during transfers or filters are matched. The credentials specified in LCS Notification Agent Settings allow Antigen to send notifications to the user via IM. You will need to provide a User Name, Password, URI, Homeserver name, and Protocol type.

13. Click Finish to complete the Package Configuration. The new package is added to the Package Names list in the Manage Packages work pane.

14. Create a Deployment Job for the new Package.

Configuring the Install Deployment Job

After the Deployment Package has been created, click on Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane will open. Highlight Deployment Jobs and click on the Create button. The Deployment Job work pane will open as shown below:

Follow the steps below to configure the Deployment Job:

1. Name the Deployment Job. Note that job names must only contain alpha-numeric characters.
2. Select the Package to be deployed. Either select a Package that you have already configured from the drop-down list or upload and configure a new Package.
3. Schedule the Install if desired. If you don’t schedule the install, you will have to manually start the Deployment Job after you have completed the configuration.
4. Enter the e-mail address that should receive the success/failure notification(s) following the deployment of the job.
5. Click Next. The Assign Job work pane will open.
6. Assign the job by selecting the Target Server(s) or deployment group.
7. Click Finish to complete the job configuration.

After you have completed configuring the Deployment Job, it will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane under the Deployment Jobs section. If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking on the Run Now button. You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Uninstalling Antigen with the Rollback Button

The Rollback button, on the Manage Jobs work pane, allows you to completely uninstall Antigen. Highlight the Install Deployment job you would like to roll back and click Rollback.

Deploying Antigen Template Files on Remote Servers

To deploy Antigen Template files to remote servers, you will need to configure the Template Package and then create and run a Deployment Job for the target server(s). Each step is described below.

Creating the Template Package

The Template Package consists of the Antigen Template Files (template.adb) and the associated Template Options. You will need to configure your template.adb file using the Antigen Administrator on a local Antigen server. (For more information about Template files, see the User Guide for your Antigen product.) Then create a Template Package following these steps.

1. Click on the Packages button in the Job Management section of the navigation area. The Manage Packages work pane will open.
2. Click on the Add Package button. The Add Package screen will be displayed.
3. Enter a name for the Package.
4. Enter the path to the template.adb file or use the Browse button to navigate to the file.
5. Click on the Add Package button. The Template file is uploaded to the AEM database.
6. Select the Template Options to indicate which templates to deploy (they are all found in the template.adb file you just uploaded). Choose Select All to deploy all of the Antigen templates, or select as many of the individual templates as needed. The choices are
   • Select All
   • Update Scan Job and Anti-Virus Settings
   • Update File Filter Settings
   • Update Notification Settings
   • Update File Scanner Updates Path and Proxy Server Settings
   • Update Content Filter Settings
   • Update Filter Lists
7. Click Finish. The new package is added to the Package Names list in the Manage Packages work pane.
8. Create a Deployment Job for the new Package.

Configuring the Template Deployment Job

After the Template Package has been created, click on Jobs in the Job Management area of the navigation bar. The Manage Jobs work pane will open. Highlight Deployment Jobs and click on the Create button. The Deployment Job work pane will open as shown below:

Follow the steps below to configure the Template Deployment Job:

1. Name the Deployment Job.
2. Select the Package. Either select a Package that you have already configured from the drop-down list (In this case the Template file that you uploaded previously.) or you can upload it now by clicking on the Add Package button.
3. Schedule the deployment if desired. If you don’t schedule the deployment, you will have to manually start the Template Deployment Job after you have completed the configuration.
4. Enter the e-mail address that should receive the success/failure notification(s) following the deployment of the job.
5. Click Next. The Assign Job work pane will open.
6. Assign the job by selecting the Target Server(s) or deployment group.
7. Click Finish.

After you have completed configuring the Template Deployment Job, it will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane under the Deployment Jobs section. If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking on the Run Now button. You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Deploying Antigen License Files

To deploy the Antigen License file (license.cfg) to remote servers, you will need to configure the License Package and create and then run a Deployment Job for the target server(s).

Creating the License Package

The License Package consists of an Antigen License File (license.cfg). For more information about License files, see the User Guide for your Antigen product.

Click on the Packages button in the Job Management section of the Navigation area to begin. The Manage Packages work pane will open. Follow the steps below to create the License Package:

1. Click Packages in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Packages work pane appears.
2. Click the Add Package button. The Add Package work pane will be displayed.
3. Enter a name for the Package in the Package Name field.
4. Enter the path to the license.cfg file or use the Browse button to navigate to the file.
5. Click the Add Package button. The license file is uploaded to the AEM database.
6. Click Finish. The new package will be added to the Package Names list in the Manage Packages work pane.

Configuring the License Deployment Job

After the License Package has been created, click Jobs in the Job Management section of the navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane will open. Highlight Deployment Jobs and click the Create button. The Deployment Job work pane will open.

Follow the steps below to configure the License Deployment Job:

1. Name the Deployment Job.
2. Select the Package. Either select a Package that you have already configured from the drop-down list (In this case the Template file that you uploaded previously.) or you can upload it now by clicking the Add Package button.
3. Schedule the deployment if desired. If you don’t schedule the deployment, you will have to manually start the License Deployment Job after you have completed the configuration.
4. Enter the e-mail address that should receive the success/failure notification(s) following the deployment of the job.
5. Click Next. The Assign Job work pane will open.
6. Assign the job by selecting the Target Server(s) or deployment group.
7. Click Finish.

After you have completed configuring the License Deployment Job, it will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane under the Deployment Jobs section. If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking the Run Now button. You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Signature Redistribution Jobs

The Signature Redistribution Job is used to provide antivirus and anti-spam signature updates to all of the servers in an environment by downloading the engine updates to a single staging server that is then used as the retrieval point for all the other servers in the environment.

To configure the Signature Redistribution Job, follow these steps:

1. Click Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane is displayed.
   

2. Highlight Signature Redistribution Jobs.

3. Click Create. The Redistribution Job work pane is displayed.
   

4. Enter a name for the job in the Job Name field.

5. Set the update schedule in the Schedule Download section. These settings control when and how often the AEM will poll the Microsoft Web site for new signature file updates.

   Note

   If you do not want new engine updates to be distributed to all managed servers after they are downloaded by the AEM, you must check Don’t Schedule Redistribution.

   1. Specify a Download Interval to indicate how often to check for updates.
   2. Select a Start Time.
   3. Set the Number of Retries, if desired. This enables the AEM to poll the Microsoft site again if it encounters a problem during a download.
   4. Set the Retry Delay. This is the number of minutes the AEM will wait before attempting a download again.

6. Enter the Download Configuration information. This is the site from which the AEM will download signatures. The Microsoft HTTP site is entered by default. You may change this to another site if desired. If you are using a proxy server, enter information about it in this section: the name of the Proxy Server and its Port. Enter a Proxy Username and a Proxy Password, if necessary.

7. Enter an e-mail address where update notifications can be sent by the AEM. These will notify the recipient of the success or failure of an update job. Type in an address and click Add; the address then appears below the entry field. You may enter as many addresses as desired.

8. Click Next to continue. The Engine Selection work pane is displayed.

9. Select the engines for which you want to download signatures. You may update all of your licensed engines using one job, create a different job to update each engine, or create multiple jobs to update various combinations of engines.

10. Click Finish to return to the Manage Jobs work pane. Your new job will appear in the Signature Redistribution Jobs list.

11. Since this is a new job, highlight it, click Run Now, and then click Start Download to immediately obtain the latest signatures (rather than waiting for the Start Time of the schedule you set up). A new window opens to show you the status of the downloads. As soon as the download of an engine’s new signatures is complete, distribution to the various servers begins. Click Close once all the distributions have ended. (The Start Distribution button allows you to distribute already-downloaded updates, usually to newly-added servers, without checking for new updates. While this is faster, it is a better practice to check for new updates.)

You may edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane (see Editing a Job, Copying a Job, and Deleting a Job).

Running a Signature Redistribution Job

Once you have configured a Signature Redistribution Job, you can use the Manage Jobs work pane to run it. If the Signature Redistribution Job is scheduled, it will start automatically at the scheduled time. If it is not scheduled, you must click Run Job to start it.

Viewing the Status of a Signature Redistribution Job

To view the status of a redistribution job, select it in the Signature Redistribution Job section of the Manage Jobs work pane, and then click Status. Each Signature Redistribution Job and its current status is shown in a new window. To return to Manage Jobs, close the window.

Rolling Back Engine Signature Updates

The Rollback button, on the Manage Jobs work pane, allows you to restore the previous versions of all the engine signatures updated by a specific Signature Redistribution Job. If you encounter a problem with a signature update, this is a fast way of restoring the previous good version (although all the other engines that were updated by that job will also have their signatures rolled back).

Highlight the Signature Redistribution Job you would like to roll back and click Rollback.

General Options Jobs

General Options are system-level settings provided by Antigen to eliminate the need for you to directly access the Registry. The General Options Job allows administrators to configure General Options settings on selected managed Antigen servers in the enterprise. The settings are configured in the AEM and then distributed to the desired servers. Follow the steps below to configure the General Options settings and prepare them for distribution:

1. Click Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane will open. Highlight General Option Jobs and click Create. The General Options work pane will open.
2. Name the job and set the Job Parameters:
   1. Product Type: Choose Exchange or SMTP.
   2. Schedule Job: Set the start date and start time.
   3. Configure General Options Settings: Configure the settings. For more information refer to the Administrator chapter of the Antigen for Exchange or Antigen for SMTP Gateways User Guide. Click Save and Next when done.
3. Assign the job to a server, servers, or server group.
4. Click Finish to save the job. The job will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane, under the General Option Jobs section.

If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking the Run Now button. You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Manual Scan Jobs

The Manual Scan Job allows administrators to create and run Manual Scans on managed Antigen for Exchange servers. Follow the steps below to configure the Manual Scan job and prepare it for distribution:

1. Click Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane will open.
2. Highlight Manual Scan Job and click the Create button. The Manual Scan work pane will open.
3. Name the job and set the Job Parameters:
   1. Enter the Antigen Scan Job ID: To do this, select the storage group you would like scanned in the storage group drop down box. (Each storage group will need its own job.
   2. Schedule the Job: Set the start date and time.
4. Assign the job to a server, servers, or server group.
5. Click Finish to save the job.

After you have completed configuring the Manual Scan Job, it will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane under the Manual Scan Jobs section.

If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking on the Run Now button.

You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Retrieve Remote Log Files Jobs

Use the Remote Logs Retrieval Job to retrieve the Program Log, Incidents Database, and/or Quarantine Database from managed Antigen servers and save them as comma-delimited text files. To configure and deploy a Remote Logs Retrieval Job, follow these steps:

1. Click Jobs in the Job Management section of the Navigation area. The Manage Jobs work pane will open. Highlight Remote Logs Retrieval Jobs and click the Create button. The Remote Logs work pane will open as shown in the image below.
   
2. Type a Job Name.
3. Select the logs to retrieve: You can choose the Program Log, Incidents Database, and Quarantine database.
4. Select the output directory: Use the default or enter the path to another directory. The AEM will append the machine name to the path before files are saved.
5. Schedule the job by setting the Start Date and Start Time.
6. Assign the job to a server, servers, or server group.
7. Click Finish to save the job.

After you have completed configuring the Remote Logs Retrieval Job, it will be added to the Manage Jobs work pane under the Remote Logs Retrieval Job section. If you have not scheduled the job, you can run the job by highlighting the job and clicking on the Run Now button.

You may also edit, copy, or delete the job from the Manage Jobs work pane.

Editing a Job

To change the settings of a job, select it in the Manage Jobs work pane, click Edit, and then make your changes on the work pane that appears.

Copying a Job

To create multiple jobs that are similar, you can use the copy function. For example, if you want to create a separate Redistribution Job for each engine, you can configure one and then copy and modify the job for each engine.

To copy a job, follow these steps

1. Select a job on the Manage Jobs work pane.
2. Click Copy. The Copy Job work pane is displayed.
3. Enter a name for the new job.
4. Click Copy to return to the Manage Jobs work pane.
5. Select the new job, and then click Edit to make any needed changes.

Deleting a Job

To delete a job, select it in the Manage Jobs work pane, click Delete, and confirm your decision.