Infrastructure on Client Side for Linux

Platforms the DSM Unix Client Supports

You can install the DSM Unix Client on the following operating systems. The following versions have been verified by Ivanti:

  • Ubuntu 20.04
  • Debian 11
  • RedHat 9.0: You may need to install sudo yum install glibc.i686. You may also need a RHEL account to check the logging via /var/log/messages.
  • Suse - OpenSuse Leap 15.4: You may need to install sudo zypper install glibc-32bit.
  • Fedora 36: Same as RedHat 9.0, but logs viewed with journcalctl | grep microRT.

To install and run the DSM Unix Client on x64 systems, the x32 libraries and the libc6-i386 package must be installed. Also, depending on the Linux release, you may need to install the following to get the client to work: sudo apt-get install cifs-utils and sudo apt-get install unzip.

Installation of the DSM Unix Client

The DSM share on the depot contains the UnixClients child directory. This is where the clients for the different platforms reside that DSM supports. The usual deployment methods for the DSM Client on Windows computers are not available for the DSM Unix Client. The DSM Unix Client is installed manually.

Make sure that the Linux client can access the Management Point with the DSM Client Proxy via the network and that the name resolution works. Enter the Management Point in the ICDB with its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). You can find the settings in the Infrastructure view in the Management Point Server section Management Point Server Name.

If the name resolution does not work via DHCP, you can copy the ICDB (NICfgSrv.ncp) alternatively manually from the Management Point to the Linux client (or replace an existing one there). Afterwards restart the DSM Unix Client Daemon.

After the installation, the system automatically starts the Linux client. The polling interval of the ServiceInstaller applies here.

The DSM Unix Client is always started with administrator rights. Therefore it is irrelevant whether a (specific) user is or is not logged on to the Linux computer.

How to install the DSM Unix Client on a computer with Linux operating system:

  1. Start a terminal.
  2. Run the following commands as superuser root.
  3. Create a temporary directory as mountpoint, e.g. mkdir /tmp/mnt
  4. Mount the DSM share. The command you will run depends on the Linux distribution you are using.
    Example 1:
    mount.cifs, if your DSM share is shared as SMB drive (default setting).
    mount.cifs //<network path to the DSM share> /tmp/mnt -o user=<user with access rights to the share>
    Example 2:
    mount_smbfs, if your distribution does not support mount.cifs.
    mount_smbfs //<Username>@<Servername>/<DSM-Share> /tmp/mnt>
  5. Go to the mountpoint.
    cd /tmp/mnt
  6. Go to the subdirectory UnixClients.
    cd UnixClients
  7. Install the DSM Unix Client by calling the shell script install.sh.
    ./install.sh

    The DSM Unix Client responds after successful installation with the following message:

    detected OS: Linux

    FrontRange Solutions Deutschland GmbH microclient daemon client

    Copyright 2005-2012 FrontRange Solutions Deutschland GmbH, Phone +49 (711) 340 190 0

    Current PID: 2234

    Starting the microclient server

    dsmclient installation done

Configuration of the DSM Unix Clients

Use the dsmclientdc command to start, stop and restart the DSM Client Daemon. Find the command in the Linux Client's /bin directory.

You can call the command with ./dsmclientdc --help, for example.

Please always call the application as superuser root.

FrontRange Solutions Deutschland GmbH microclient daemon client

Copyright © 2005-2012 FrontRange Solutions Deutschland GmbH, Phone: +49 (711) 340 190 0

Current PID: 26960

usage: dsmclientdc {option}

--start-server The server will be started.

--stop-server The server will be shutdown.

--restart-server The server will be restarted.

--boot Brings the server up and running after boot of the system

--help | -? | -h Shows this screen

The actual DSM Unix Client dsmclientd is installed in the /sbin directory.

The configuration files of the DSM Unix Clients reside in /etc/frs:

  • basicinventdata
    Contains the last basic inventory the client sent the Client Proxy.
  • bi_checksum. txt
    Contains the check sum of the basic inventory sent last.
  • clientcfg.ini
    Contains the URL of the Client Proxy Webservice, with which the ICDB (nicfgsrv.ncp) can be downloaded initially to the client. Is required for the OS installation.
  • id.txt
    --
  • NICfgSrv.ncp
    -- Local copy of the ICDB on the client.
  • pci_data.dat
    --
  • pci.ids
    Contains the list of the IDs of the devices that are sent with the basic inventory.

Log Files

How to log the activities of the DSM Unix Client in the terminal:

  1. Open a command line as superuser root.
  2. Enter the command cat /var/log/system.log | grep microRT or (in order to see the logging "live") tail -f /var/log/system.log | grep microRT. If necessary, customize the path to the system log of the Linux distribution you are using. All entries of the DSM Unix Client are displayed in the command line and are updated continuously.
  3. Exit the command with CTRL+C.

System Behavior

The site determination of Linux computers works with their IP address and their computer name. The registry keys that are available on Windows computers for the site determination do not work on Linux computers because of the missing registry. According to the determined site, Linux computers use the DSM Client Proxy to connect to the assigned Management Point.

The DSMC shows the Linux client in the same way as any Windows computer in the New Users & Computers domain with its MAC address. For this, ensure that an AutoInsert rule is active, which also includes OSD computers (default). After its installation, the DSM Unix Client sends a basic inventory of the Linux computer.

The basic inventory is not as detailed as the inventory of the DSM Windows client. The following Linux client data is transferred to the DSMDB during a Client synchronization:

  • Manufacturer

  • Product

  • Model

  • RAM (MB) available

  • Number of CPUs

  • Installed Operating System

  • Installed Operating System Flavor

  • CPU Architecture

Known Limitations of the DSM Unix Client

Concerning the supported features, the DSM Unix Client is not identical with the DSM Windows Client.

In general, none of the functionality the AutoInstaller provides for the DSM Windows Client apply to the DSM Unix Client.

Limitations are, for example:

  • Condition checks (IsPreinstalled, IsCompliant)
  • Compliance enforcement
  • Postponing the installation of a software package
  • User-related assignments
  • Computer-related assignments with users in the include or exclude list of a policy
  • Differentiating between user and computer portions in software packages