Chapter 4 - Getting Started

Applies to: Microsoft Antigen

After installing the Antigen Enterprise Manager, administrators should configure the following settings in the order listed:

1. Global settings
2. User accounts
3. Servers
4. Engine signature updates

Once these settings have been configured, the AEM is ready to perform other configuration and management tasks.

Configuring the Global Settings

The AEM Global Configuration Settings include SMTP Server settings that are used for administrator notifications and the Statistics Polling settings that determine how often reporting data is collected from the managed servers.

SMTP Server Settings

To configure the SMTP server settings that the AEM will use to send notifications about events, alerts, and so on, click Global Configuration in the Administration section of the navigation area. The Global Configuration work pane will open. Enter the following information:

After you have configured all of the settings, click Save to retain your settings.

Configuring AEM User Accounts

When the AEM is installed, the User Account used to install the AEM (Named “Installation Administrator”) is automatically granted access to the AEM. Additional users who wish to use the AEM must have their NT/2000/2003 user accounts granted access to the AEM to perform management tasks. To add user accounts, follow these steps:

1. Click Users in the Administration section of the Navigation area. The Manage Users work pane will open.
   
2. Click Add Users. The Add User work pane appears.
3. Add local user accounts or domain accounts manually, or use Browse to select users. For domain accounts, use the format “domain\username”. For local user accounts, simply enter the user name. Multiple user names are separated by semicolons (“;”).
4. Click Insert Users to add all the entered or selected users. The new users will be displayed in the main Manage Users screen.

Deleting Users

You can delete a user by selecting the check box next to the user’s name on the Manage Users work pane and clicking Remove Selected Users. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

Configuring Managed Servers

Each server that will be managed must be configured using the AEM console. To add a server, follow these steps:

1. Click Servers in the Administration section of the Navigation area. The Manage Servers work pane will open.
   
2. Click Add Machines. The Add Machines work pane appears.
3. Enter the servers to add to the AEM database in the Select Machines field (or use Browse to find them). After each server has been added, click Verify to ensure that the server path was entered correctly.
4. Add the selected servers to a Server Group, if desired, with the Apply Groups field. This allows you to manage similar machines as a single unit. All new servers will be added to the Default group, unless you change the assignment here (although they can be reassigned later). For more information on Server Groups, see Configuring Server Groups.
5. When you have selected all of the servers to be added, click Insert Machines. The new machines will be displayed in the main Manage Servers work pane.

Deploying Agents

After a server has been added to the AEM database, you will need to install an Agent on it. The Agent serves as the interface between the AEM and the managed server. Follow these steps to deploy an Agent:

1. Select one or more servers on the Manage Servers work pane.
2. Click Deploy Agent. You will be asked to supply a User Name and Password to access the selected machine(s). The username and password provided must have administrative rights either as a local administrator to the machine(s) or a domain administrator. The AEM will install the Agent on each selected server.

Once the Agent has been installed, the AEM will provide a status update, in a pop-up window to report if the installation was completed successfully. (To see this window, pop-up blocking software must be disabled.) If you are deploying Agents to several hundred machines, you can close the Console and check the deployment status after the jobs have finished, by once again selecting each machine, and then clicking Deployment Status.

Removing Servers

The Manage Servers screen may be used to remove servers. Simply select all the servers to be deleted and click Remove Machines. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

When a server is removed, it is no longer managed by the AEM. You can then use Add/Remove Programs, on that server, to remove the Agent.

Configuring Server Groups

Server Groups provide a way for Administrators to group servers for the purpose of deployment, engine updates, or configuration through template deployment. By default, any servers added to the AEM will be added to the “Default” folder unless the administrator specifies otherwise.

To manage Server Groups, click on Server Groups in the Administration section of the navigation area. The Manage Server Groups work pane will open as shown in the image below:

The work pane provides a way for Administrators to Add, Rename, Delete, or Move Groups and Assign or Remove machines from groups. The various processes are described below.

Adding Groups

To add a new Server Group, follow these steps:

1. Click Server Groups in the Administration section of the Navigation area. The Manage Server Groups work pane appears, displaying the existing Server Groups structure in “tree” format.
2. Highlight the existing group under which you want to add the new group (Server Groups can be nested), and then click Add Grp. The Add Group work pane appears.
3. Enter a name for the new group, and then click Insert. The new group will be added to the AEM and displayed on the Manage Server Groups work pane.

Once a new Server Group has been added, existing servers may be moved into the group using the Assign Machine button or new servers may be assigned to the group when they are added to the AEM. For more information, see Assigning and Removing Machines.

Renaming Groups

To rename a group, highlight the group’s name in the Manage Server Groups work pane, and then click Rename Group. The Rename Group work pane appears; type in the new name, and then click Rename to save it.

Deleting Groups

To delete a group, highlight the group’s name in the Manage Server Groups work pane, and then click Delete Group. You will be asked to confirm your request.

Moving Groups

You can reorganize your groups in order to create a hierarchical group structure with top-level groups and sub-groups. The Move Group function allows you to move groups into or out of sub-groups or move groups that may not have been categorized correctly when created.

To move a group, highlight its name on the Manage Server Groups work pane, and then click Move Group. The Move Group work pane is displayed. Select the “target” folder under which you would like the group moved, and then click Insert.

Assigning and Removing Machines

To assign a machine to a group, highlight the group’s name on the Manage Server Groups work pane, and then click on Assign Servers. The Assign Servers work pane is displayed. Every server that you have added is listed on it, with a check box next to its name. Select the servers to be assigned to the group, and then click Assign.

To remove a machine from a group, highlight the machine’s name in the group on the Manage Server Groups work pane, and then click Remove Servers. You will be asked to confirm your request.