Ivanti Console configuration advice

This section contains information about configuration settings that can improve the performance of the Ivanti Console. The most common issues arising when using Service Desk are based around network access between where the console is running and the central site.

Enabling client-side caching

Enabling client-side caching stores local copies of information that is usually retrieved from the server and so can improve performance.

In the console.exe.config on the local machine where console is installed there is the following key:

<add key="ClientMetadataCaching" value="false" />

Change this to:

<add key="ClientMetadataCaching" value="true" />

The default location for console.exe.config is C:\Program Files\LANDesk\Service Desk\Console.

See also the following community article.

Enabling compression

You can improve performance over a slow network or WAN by enabling the compression option in the local console.exe.config file on each computer that is running the Ivanti Console.

This reduces the amount of data passed over the network. However, it may have an adverse effect on a LAN owing to the additional processing required at each end to compress/decompress, so use this only on WAN links.

Compression can also improve data import and increase the amount of data that can be imported during a single import.

To enable compression:

  1. Take a backup copy of C:\Program Files\LANDesk\Service Desk\Console\console.exe.config.
  2. Add the text in bold below to the file:
Copy 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<configuration>
<configSections>
  <section name="microsoft.web.services2" type="Microsoft.Web.Services2.Configuration.WebServicesConfiguration, Microsoft.Web.Services2, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" />
 </configSections>
 <microsoft.web.services2>
  <filters>
   <input>
    <add type="Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions.CompressionInputFilter, Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions" />
   </input>
   <output>
    <add type="Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions.CompressionOutputFilter, Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions" />
   </output>
  </filters>
  <diagnostics>
   <trace enabled="false" input="inputTrace.webinfo" output="outputTrace.webinfo" />
  </diagnostics>
 </microsoft.web.services2>
<appSettings>
 <add key="Culture" value="en" />
 <add key="TPS Host" value="https://localhost/TPS.411 " />
 <add key="Url" value="https://localhost/TPS.411 " />
<add key="IsCompressionEnabled" value="1" />
 <add key="ChangeManagement.Change.AddConfigurationItem" value="Touchpaper.Console.SnapIn.Analyst.AddConfigurationItemHandler" />
 <add key="ChangeManagement.Change.DetachConfigurationItem" value="Touchpaper.Console.SnapIn.Analyst.DetachConfigurationItemHandler" />
 <add key="ChangeManagement.Task.AddConfigurationItem" value="Touchpaper.Console.SnapIn.Analyst.AddConfigurationItemHandler" />
 <add key="ChangeManagement.Task.DetachConfigurationItem" value="Touchpaper.Console.SnapIn.Analyst.DetachConfigurationItemHandler" />
</appSettings>
<system.web>
 <webServices>
  <soapExtensionTypes>
   <add type="Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions.ExceptionHandlerExtension, Touchpaper.Framework.SystemServices.SoapExtensions" priority="1" group="0" />
  </soapExtensionTypes>
 </webServices>
</system.web>
</configuration>

Note that in addition to the <configSections> and <microsoft.web.services2> sections at the top of the example, that <add key="IsCompressionEnabled" value="1" /> has also been added to the <appSettings> section.

  1. Make sure that Microsoft Web Services Enhancements (WSE) v2.SP3 is installed on each client computer where compression is to be enabled.

This can be downloaded from Microsoft downloads.

Local Service Desk Framework

In some cases, running an instance of the Service Desk Framework locally to the remote Service Desk can improve performance. Less data may be transferred at the database level than at the Framework level.

Loading Query definitions from cache

You can cache query definitions locally, which can speed the display of results over a slow network. You need the appropriate privileges to configure this.

To enable query definition caching:

  1. Within the Console, on the Settings menu, click System.
    The System Settings property grid appears.
  2. In the Query Settings group, set the Load Queries From Cache property to True.

With query caching enabled, any changes to query designs are seen only after restarting the Console, because the cache is created at logon. This can increase the time taken to log in to Service Desk.

Automatic knowledge searching

Although you can configure a knowledge search to be automatically invoked as analysts are typing in incident descriptions, you could choose not to configure it in this way in all instances, as it can be fairly resource intensive on the server.

If the searching is required, consider how it is invoked. For example, if you have automatic knowledge searching switched on for a large text attribute on your window it would probably be inappropriate to invoke the search on typing of a “punctuation character” as there may be many typed within the text field – each time that a punctuation character is typed a new search of your knowledgebase will be started. In this instance, it might be more appropriate to set the search to start on “lose focus” so that the search starts only once the text has been completed and the user moves to another field. To check the knowledge settings on an attribute, highlight the field in Window Manager and then look at its properties.

In certain circumstances, knowledge searching can be triggered more frequently than has apparently been configured. If the performance of a specific window (typically the Incident window) is still an issue, check that there are no Knowledge Handlers on the window. See Knowledge searching.

Terminal Services

At some point the network link may be too poor to provide good performance of the Ivanti Console application. In these circumstances, we recommend terminal services solutions (for example, Citrix or Windows TS) or Web Desk access.

If you use a terminal services solution, we recommend that you enable configurable memory handling for the console client used by terminal services. Add the following lines to the console.exe.config file:

<add key="MemoryUsageEnabled" value="true"/>
<add key="MinMemoryUsage" value="2000000"/>
<add key="MaxMemoryUsage" value="75000000"/>

WAN Optimized Combo Boxes

When you use a combo box, a request for data is sent to the database each time you type a letter within it. If you use the Ivanti Console over a WAN, this may slow down performance. However, you can configure the client to request data from the database only when you press F4, ALT+down arrow, or ENTER.

To set WAN Optimized Combo Boxes:

  1. In the Console, on the Settings menu, click Personal.
    The Personal Settings property grid appears.
  2. Alongside WAN Optimized Combo Boxes, select True, then save the changes.