Symantec ALTIRIS SOFTWARE PORTAL 7.0 SP2 - V1.0, ALTIRIS SOFTWARE PORTAL 7.0 SP2 User Manual

Download

Page 1

Altiris™ Software Portal from Symantec User Guide

Version 7.0 SP2

Page 2

Software Portal User Guide

The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Documentation version 7.0 SP2, revised 08 March 2010

Legal Notice

Symantec, the Symantec Logo, and Altiris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

The product described in this document is distributed under licenses restricting its use, copying, distribution, and decompilation/reverse engineering. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of Symantec Corporation and its licensors, if any.

THE DOCUMENTATION ISPROVIDED"AS IS" AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID. SYMANTEC CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENTATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

The Licensed Software and Documentation are deemed to be commercial computer software as defined in FAR 12.212 and subject to restricted rights as defined in FAR Section 52.227-19 "Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights" and DFARS 227.7202, "Rights in Commercial Computer Software or Commercial Computer Software Documentation", as applicable, and any successor regulations. Any use, modification, reproduction release, performance, display or disclosure of the Licensed Software and Documentation by the U.S. Government shall be solely in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Symantec Corporation 350 Ellis Street Mountain View, CA 94043

http://www.symantec.com

Page 3

Technical Support

Symantec Technical Support maintains support centers globally. Technical Support’s primary role is to respond to specific queries about product features and functionality. The Technical Support group also creates content for our online Knowledge Base. The Technical Support group works collaboratively with the other functional areas within Symantec to answer your questions in a timely fashion. For example, the Technical Support group workswith Product Engineering and Symantec Security Response to provide alerting services and virus definition updates.

Symantec’s maintenance offerings include the following:

■ A range of support options that give you the flexibility to select the right

amount of service for any size organization

■ Telephone and Web-based support that provides rapid response and

up-to-the-minute information

■ Upgrade assurance that delivers automatic software upgrade protection

■ Global support that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

■ Advanced features, including Account Management Services

For information about Symantec’s Maintenance Programs, you can visit our Web site at the following URL:

www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Contacting Technical Support

Customers with a current maintenance agreement may access Technical Support information at the following URL:

www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Before contacting Technical Support, make sure you have satisfied the system requirements that are listed in your product documentation. Also, you should be at the computer on which the problem occurred, incase it is necessaryto replicate the problem.

When you contact Technical Support, please have the following information available:

■ Product release level

■ Hardware information

■ Available memory, disk space, and NIC information

■ Operating system

Page 4

■ Version and patch level

■ Network topology

■ Router, gateway, and IP address information

■ Problem description:

■ Error messages and log files

■ Troubleshooting that was performed before contacting Symantec

■ Recent software configuration changes and network changes

Licensing and registration

If your Symantec product requires registration or a license key, access our technical support Web page at the following URL:

www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Customer service

Customer service information is available at the following URL:

www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Customer Service is available to assist with the following types of issues:

■ Questions regarding product licensing or serialization

■ Product registration updates, such as address or name changes

■ General product information (features, language availability, local dealers)

■ Latest information about product updates and upgrades

■ Information about upgrade assurance and maintenance contracts

■ Information about the Symantec Buying Programs

■ Advice about Symantec's technical support options

■ Nontechnical presales questions

■ Issues that are related to CD-ROMs or manuals

Page 5

Maintenance agreement resources

If you want to contact Symantec regarding an existing maintenance agreement, please contact the maintenance agreement administration team for your region as follows:

customercare_apac@symantec.comAsia-Pacific and Japan

semea@symantec.comEurope, Middle-East, and Africa

supportsolutions@symantec.comNorth America and Latin America

Additional enterprise services

Symantec offers a comprehensive set of services that allow you to maximize your investment in Symantec products and to develop your knowledge, expertise, and global insight, which enable you to manage your business risks proactively.

Enterprise services that are available include the following:

These solutions provide early warning of cyber attacks, comprehensive threat analysis, and countermeasures to prevent attacks before they occur.

Symantec Early Warning Solutions

These services remove the burden of managing and monitoring security devices and events, ensuring rapid response to real threats.

Managed Security Services

Symantec Consulting Services provide on-site technical expertise from Symantec and its trusted partners. Symantec Consulting Services offer a variety of prepackaged and customizable options that include assessment, design, implementation, monitoring, and management capabilities. Each is focused on establishing and maintaining the integrity and availability of your IT resources.

Consulting Services

Educational Services provide a full array of technical training, security education, security certification, and awareness communication programs.

Educational Services

To access more information about Enterprise services, please visit our Web site at the following URL:

www.symantec.com

Select your country or language from the site index.

Page 6

Page 7

Technical Support ........... . . . .............. . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . .............. . 3

Chapter 1 Introducing the Software Portal .............. . . . .............. . . . ...... 9

About the Software Portal .. . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . .......... 9

What you can do with the Software Portal ..... . . . .............. . . . .............. . 10

Chapter 2 Introducing software requests .. ............. . . . .............. . . . ...... 11

About the software in the Software Portal ............. . . . ............. . . . ........ 11

About the approval of software requests . . .............. . . . .............. . . . . ...... 12

Software request workflow .. . . .............. . . . .............. . . .............. . . . ...... 13

Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal .. . . . .............. . . . ..... 16

About request status notifications .. . . . ............. . . . .............. . . . ............. 17

Chapter 3 Setting up your Software Portal ... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . 19

Opening the Software Portal ............ . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .......... 19

Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile ........ . . . .............. . 20

Software Portal: User Profile page . . .............. . . . . ............. . . . .............. . 21

Add User dialog box ...... . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .............. . . ............ 22

Chapter 4 Requesting software ....... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . 23

Requesting software in the Software Portal .. . . .............. . . . .............. . . . . 23

Software Portal: Home page .... . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . ... 24

Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation

dialog box .... . . . ............. . . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . .... 25

Reviewing or adding comments to a software request .............. . . . . ....... 27

Request Details dialog box . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .............. . . ......... 28

Canceling a software request .... . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . .............. . . . . 28

Installing approved software ............. . . . .............. . . .............. . . . ......... 29

Chapter 5 Managing software requests ..... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . ... 31

Finding and filtering software requests on the Manager Portal

page ...... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ........ 31

Processing a software request ... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . . ............. . . . 32

Contents

Page 8

Software Portal: Manager Portal page ....... . . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .. 33

Index ....... . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .............. . . .............. . . . .............. . . . .............. . . ....... 35

Contents8

Page 9

Introducing the Software Portal

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About the Software Portal

■ What you can do with the Software Portal

About the Software Portal

The Software Portal lets users submit requests and install software through a Web-based interface with little or no administrator involvement. This self-service approach to software delivery reduces help desk calls and simplifies the process of requesting and delivering software. Because the Software Portal uses predefined software information and delivery settings, it can automate most of the deliveries that result from the software requests.

The administrator who sets up the Software Catalog decides which software each user or group of users is allowed and specifies which software requires approval. These settings determine the amount of intervention that is required for specific software requests. Requests for pre-approved software require no further action from anyone. Requests for other standard software require approval from a manager or an administrator but upon approval, the softwaredelivery is automatic. Only the requests for non-standard software require the manager or the administrator to take further action to deliver the software.

The Software Portal is installed on the client computers. Therefore, the users can create requests and the managers can approve the requests without requiring access to the Symantec Management Console.

The Software Portal supports requests for Windows and Mac OS software.

See “Software request workflow ” on page 13.

Chapter

Page 10

See “Requesting software in the Software Portal” on page 23.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32.

What you can do with the Software Portal

The actions that you can perform in the Software Portal are as follows:

■ Configure your profile to enter your user information and preferences.

See “Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile” on page 20.

■ Request software. (Windows and Mac OS only)

You can request the software that is standard for your organization, which is known as listed software. You also can request non-standard software, which is known as unlisted software. For example, unlisted software can be a special utility that you need for your work but that no one else in the organization needs.

See “Requesting software in the Software Portal” on page 23.

■ Review and manage your software requests.

See “Reviewing or adding comments to a software request” on page 27. See “Canceling a software request” on page 28.

■ Review the software requests and approve or deny them, if you are a manager.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32. Some requests might also need an administrator’s approval.

Introducing the Software Portal

What you can do with the Software Portal

Page 11

Introducing software requests

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ About the software in the Software Portal

■ About the approval of software requests

■ Software request workflow

■ Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal

■ About request status notifications

About the software in the Software Portal

An administrator adds software to the SoftwarePortal and configures the settings and the permissions that let users request the software. The terms that describe these settings and permissions appear on the Software Portal pages where the software is displayed.

Table 2-1

Terms that describe the software in the Software Portal

DescriptionTerm

The software that is in the Software Catalog and published to the Software Portal for the current user.

Listed software is available for the user to request. If it is not recommended for the current user, it does not appear on the user’s Home page by default.

The term Listed can also apply to a request for listed software.

Listed

Chapter

Page 12

Table 2-1

Terms that describe the software in the Software Portal (continued)

DescriptionTerm

Software that meets any of the following conditions:

■ The software is not in the Software Catalog.

■ The software is in the Software Catalog but is not published to the

Software Portal.

■ The software is published to the Software Portal but not for the

current user.

Unlisted software cannot be delivered automatically on request.

The term Unlisted can also apply to a request for unlisted software.

Unlisted

The listed software that is pre-approved for a specific user. Typically, the software that does not require a license is pre-approved. For example, Adobe Reader and the Google Toolbar do not require a license.

Approved software is delivered or scheduled for delivery as soon as the user submits a request for it. No further action is needed.

The person who publishes the software to the Software Portal can pre-approve it.

Approved

The listed software that is recommended for a specific user. For example, the software that is part of the user’s set of core applications should be recommended.

Recommended software appears on the user’s Home page by default. The user can also display all the software that is published for them.

The person who publishes the software to the Software Portal can designate it as recommended.

Recommended

See “About the Software Portal” on page 9.

About the approval of software requests

Every software request that is created in the Software Portal must be approved before the software is installed. Different user roles can approve the software requests, depending on the type of request and the stage of the software request process.

Introducing software requests

About the approval of software requests

Page 13

Table 2-2

Users who can approve software requests

When their approval is neededApprover

The Software Catalog administrator can pre-approve software for specific users or groups when the software is published to the Software Portal.

Pre-approval streamlines the request process by eliminating the need for additional intervention from the manager, administrator, or help desk. For example, the administrator can pre-approve a group of software tools that users in a specific department require.

Administrator, Software Catalog

A request requires an administrator’s approval in the following situations:

■ When the user is not assigned to a manager

In this case, the request is sent directly to the administrator.

■ When a manager is out of the office or does not respond to a

software request.

■ When the request is for an unlisted software resource and

the manager assigns the request to the administrator An unlisted software resource is not in the Software Catalog

or is not published to the SoftwarePortal for the person who creates the request. A request for an unlisted software resource requires the manager or the administrator to take additional action. A manager who has access to the software can approve the request and provide the software to the user. A manager who does not have access to the software can approve the request and assign it to the administrator, who can provide the software. For example, the administrator can obtain new software or create a software delivery task.

Administrator,

Software Portal

A request requires a manager’s approval when the software is not pre-approved for a user who is assigned to that manager. The software can be listed or unlisted.

When a manager approves a request for listed software, the software is delivered. When a manager approves a request for unlisted software, the manager can choose to assign it to the Software Portal administrator for additional action.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32.

Manager

Software request workflow

Figure 2-1 shows how a software request is processed through the SoftwarePortal.

13Introducing software requests

Software request workflow

Page 14

See “About the Software Portal” on page 9.

This diagram does not illustrate the additional steps that are required to deliver unlisted software. Unlisted software is either not in the Software Catalog or is not published to the Software Portal. Therefore, it cannot be delivered automatically and someone must take additional steps to deliver it.

See “About the approval of software requests” on page 12.

Introducing software requests

Software request workflow

Page 15

Figure 2-1

Software request workflow diagram for listed software

Is a manager assigned?

Yes

Approve

Deny

On Hold

The end user requests the software

The manager reviews the request

Is the software approved?

The request is held until further action is taken

The administrator reviews the request

Manager’s decision

Administrator’s decision

The request is closed

The software is delivered

The request is held until further action is taken

The request goes to the manager and administrator

Is the manager available?

Yes

15Introducing software requests

Software request workflow

Page 16

Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal

The status of a software request indicates its place in the SoftwarePortal approval process. As a software request is processed, the user, manager, and administrator can check its status at any time.

A software request is created when a user uses the Software Portal to request software. A manager or an administrator processes a software request by changing its status.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32.

Users of the Software Portal can check the status of software requests from the following locations:

■ Under the Request Status section on the user’s Home page, the Manager

Portal page, or the Administrator Portal page, depending on your user role.

■ In any of the Request Details dialog boxes that appear when a request is

opened.

■ In the reports that are available in the Symantec Management Console.

Typically, these reports are available to the administrator only.

■ In the Web parts that are associated with the Software Portal.

Some of the statuses are used for reporting purposes only and do not appear on any pages or dialog boxes in the Software Portal.

Table 2-3

Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal

DescriptionStatus

The request is approved and the software is either installed or scheduled for installation.

Approved (Complete)

The request is for unlisted software and a manager approved it and sent it to an administrator for approval.

Approved (Pending)

The user canceled the request.Canceled

A request is closed when it has any of the following statuses:

■ Approved (Complete)

■ Canceled

■ Denied

The Closed status does not appear in the Request Status list or in the Request Details dialog boxes. However, it is included in the messages that appear when someone tries to edit a request that is closed.

Closed

Introducing software requests

Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal

Page 17

Table 2-3

Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal (continued)

DescriptionStatus

The manager or the administrator denied the request.Denied

An attempt to deliver the requested software was made and it failed. This status describes the software delivery rather than the software request. It appears on the Software Portal reports and the Web parts that appear in the Symantec Management Console.

Failure

The manager or the administrator placed the request on hold pending further research.

For example, the manager might place a request on hold and enter comments to ask the user to justify the need for the software. The administrator might need to check the availability of a license or obtain the software.

On Hold

The request is not closed. For example, an On Hold request is considered to be Open.

Open

The request is approved and is scheduled for delivery.Scheduled

The user created the request but no one has taken further action on it.

Submitted

The requested software was delivered successfully. This status describes the software delivery rather than the software request. It appears on the Software Portal reports and the Web parts that appear in the Symantec Management Console.

Success

See “About the software in the Software Portal” on page 11.

About request status notifications

The Software Portal can facilitate communication about software requests by sending email messages automatically as a result of certain actions. An email notice can be triggered when a software request’s status changes and when someone adds a comment to a software request.

When you configure your user profile, you can specify for the receipt of email messages about requests. These preferences become the default for any software requests that you create or review. You can override the default email settings for specific software requests.

See “Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile” on page 20.

17Introducing software requests

About request status notifications

Page 18

The automated email messages ensure that you receive the most current information about the software requests and prevent delays in processing them. For example, the user creates a software request for a new application. The manager denies the request because the user specified an obsolete version. Any change to a software request’s status requires a comment to be entered. Therefore, the manager’s denial can trigger an email to the user to explain why the request is denied. As a result, the user can take immediate action to provide the required information.

Introducing software requests

About request status notifications

Page 19

Setting up your Software Portal

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Opening the Software Portal

■ Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile

■ Software Portal: User Profile page

■ Add User dialog box

Opening the Software Portal

The first time you open the Software Portal, the User Profile page appears.

See “Software Portal: User Profile page” on page 21.

After you have set up your user profile, the Software Portal opens your Home page.

See “Software Portal: Home page” on page 24.

Note: The Software Portal might not open properly on a computer that runs Windows Server 2003 or 2008. This problem occurs when the computer’s browser security settings are set to High, which disables the following Security Settings option: Launching Programs and Files in an IFRAME. Because the Home page in the Software Portal uses the IFRAME element, the page is notrendered properly. To inquire about changing your browser’s security settings, contact your organization’s system administrator.

Chapter

Page 20

To open the Software Portal

◆

Take one of the following actions:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on your computer.

Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile

The administrator installs the Software Portal on individual computers and provides information about how you can access it. Before you can request or approve software in the Software Portal, you must configure your user profile.

Your user profile contains the information that identifies you in the Software Portal. If you are a manager, you also specify the users whose software requests you can process.

You can also specify your preferences for the receipt of email messages about requests.

See “About request status notifications” on page 17.

To configure your user profile in the Software Portal

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on your computer.

Click User Profile.

The first time that you access the Software Portal, the User Profile tab appears automatically.

Setting up your Software Portal

Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile

Page 21

On the User Profile tab, enter or edit your user information and specify your

preferences for the receipt of email messages about requests.

See “Software Portal: User Profile page” on page 21.

Click Save Changes.

Software Portal: User Profile page

This page is available to users and managers.

Your user profile contains the information that identifies you in the Software Portal. If you are a manager, you also specify the users whose software requests you can process.

You can also specify your default preferences for the receipt of email messages about requests.

See “Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile” on page 20.

Table 3-1

Options on the User Profile page

DescriptionOption

Lets you provide information about yourself to facilitate communication between the people who make the requests and the people who review the requests.

User Name

Full Name

Work Phone

Job Title

Department

Displays one or more people who can approve your software requests. This option is read only for users.

Approver

Lets you receive an email message when someone changes the status of one of your software requests. This check box provides the default for the software requests that you create.

See “About request status notifications” on page 17.

Sendan emailwhen the request state changes

Lets you receive an email message when someone adds a comment to one of your software requests. This check box provides the default for the software requests that you create.

See “About request status notifications” on page 17.

Send an email when comments are added

21Setting up your Software Portal

Software Portal: User Profile page

Page 22

Table 3-1

Options on the User Profile page (continued)

DescriptionOption

Lets you specify the users or groups of users whose software requests you can process. This option appears only if you are a manager.

See “Add User dialog box” on page 22.

Add User

Add User dialog box

This dialog box lets administrators define the users or groups of users who can request a particular software resource in the SoftwarePortal. It also lets managers specify the users or groups of users whose software requests they can process.

The administrators and the managers access the Add User dialog box from the following locations:

Administrators can access the AddUser dialog box from the following places in the Symantec Management Console:

■ The SoftwarePublishing tab that appears when the administrator

adds a software resource to the Software Portal.

■ The SoftwarePublishing tab that appears when the administrator

adds a Managed Software Delivery policy to the Software Portal.

Administrators

Managers can access the Add User dialog box from their User Profile page in the Software Portal.

See “Software Portal: User Profile page” on page 21.

Managers

Table 3-2

Options in the Add User dialog box

DescriptionOption

Lets you type the domain in which to search for users.User Domain

Lets you search the specified domain for a specific user or a group of users. You can type part of the user name or group name, or you can leave the search box empty to search all users.

Search for user

Displays the search results, from which you can select a user or group to add. You can select and add multiple users and groups.

Select users

Setting up your Software Portal

Add User dialog box

Page 23

Requesting software

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Requesting software in the Software Portal

■ Software Portal: Home page

■ Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box

■ Reviewing or adding comments to a software request

■ Request Details dialog box

■ Canceling a software request

■ Installing approved software

Requesting software in the Software Portal

(Windows and Mac OS only)

In the Web-based Software Portal, you can request software and install it on your computer with little or no administrator involvement.

By default, only the software that is recommended for you is displayed.

After you create a software request, it is processed as follows:

■ If the software is listed and it is pre-approved, the software delivery is

scheduled to occur on the date and time that you specify.

■ If the software is listed and it requires approval, the request is assigned to an

approver.

■ If the software is unlisted, the request is assigned to an approver.

Chapter

Page 24

The number of requests that you can have open at one time might be limited. When you reach your limit you cannot create a new request until an open request is closed.

Before you can request software, you must configure your user profile.

See “Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile” on page 20.

To request software in the Software Portal

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on your computer.

If the Home page does not appear, click Home.

On the Home page, do one of the following:

■ If the software that you want is in the list, select the software in the list

and click Request Software.

■ If the software that you want is not in the list, click Show All to display

all the software that is available to you. If the software that you want still does not appear in the list, click Request

Unlisted Software.

See “Software Portal: Home page” on page 24.

In the Request Confirmation dialog box or the Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box, enter information about the request.

See “Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog

box” on page 25.

Click OK.

Software Portal: Home page

This page lets you create software requests, check the status of your requests, add comments to your requests, and cancel requests.

See “Requesting software in the Software Portal” on page 23.

Requesting software

Software Portal: Home page

Page 25

See “Reviewing or adding comments to a software request” on page 27.

See “Canceling a software request” on page 28.

Table 4-1

Options in the Request Software section

DescriptionOption

Lets you create a request for the software that you select in the list.

See “Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request

Confirmation dialog box” on page 25.

Request Software

Lets you create a request for the software that does not appear in the list.

Request Unlisted Software

Displays only the software that is recommended for you. This software appears in the list by default.

Show Recommended

Displays all the software that is available for you to download from the Software Portal.

Show All

Table 4-2

Options in the Request Status section

DescriptionOption

Opens the Request Details dialog box, where you can add comments to a request and check the request history. The request history lists all the comments and actions that are associated with the request.

Edit

Lets you cancel a request. You can cancel open requests only.Cancel Request

Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box

These dialog boxes appear when you request software in the Software Portal.

See “Requesting software in the Software Portal” on page 23.

The kind of software that you request determines which dialog box appears as follows:

Appears when you request the software that is in the list on the

Home page

Request Confirmation

25Requesting software

Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box

Page 26

Appears when you request the software that is not in the list on the Home page

Unlisted Request Confirmation

Some of the options differ depending on which dialog box appears.

Table 4-3

Options in the Request Confirmation dialog box and the Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box

DescriptionOption

Lets you specify the software that you want. If this request is for unlisted software, type the name of the software. If this request is for listed software, the name and description of the listed software appear.

Software Name

Lets you type the version of the software that you need.

This option appears only when you request unlisted software.

Version

Lets you type the name of the vendor who distributes the software, if you know it. Provide this information to help the administrator obtain the correct software.

This option appears only when you request unlisted software.

Vendor

Lets you specify the date on which you prefer to have the software delivered after the request is approved.

If the software that you request has a predefined delivery schedule, this option does not appear. The scheduled delivery date and time are displayed instead.

Date Required

Lets you provide additional information about your request.

Some examples of comments are as follows:

■ Describe why you need the software.

■ Specify when you need the software.

■ When you request unlisted software, provide the information

that helps the administrator obtain the correct software.

Comments

Let you receive email messages about this request. Your user profile determines the defaults for these options.

See “About request status notifications” on page 17.

See “Setting up the Software Portal with your user profile” on page 20.

Sendan emailwhen the request state changes

Send an email when comments are added

Displays the email address that is defined in your user profile.Email address

Requesting software

Request Confirmation dialog box, Unlisted Request Confirmation dialog box

Page 27

Reviewing or adding comments to a software request

You can review a software request to check its status or to view the actions that have been taken.

See “Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal” on page 16.

Comments provide a means to communicate information about software requests. Users can add comments to justify their need for software or to provide details about the unlisted software that they request. Managers can add comments to explain the status that they assign to the request or to request additional information from the user.

You cannot add comments to a request that is closed.

To review or add comments to a software request

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on

your computer.

Depending on your role, do either of the following:

■ If you are a user, click Home.

■ If you are a manager and you need to add a comment to a user’s request,

click Manage.

Under Request Status, double-click the request.

(Manager Portal page only) Use the search feature to find the request if

necessary.

In the Request Details dialog box, do either of the following:

■ Enter comments.

■ To review the request’s comments and actions, expand the Request

History section.

Click OK.

27Requesting software

Reviewing or adding comments to a software request

Page 28

Request Details dialog box

This dialog box displays the details about a software request. It lets you add comments to a request and check the request history. The Request History section lists all the comments and actions that are associated with the request.

Users can use this dialog box to review and add comments to their existing requests.

See “Reviewing or adding comments to a software request” on page 27.

Managers can use this dialog box to review, add comments to, and process a software request.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32.

Canceling a software request

You can cancel the requests that you create in case you request the wrong software or you find that you no longer need the software.

You cannot cancel a request that is closed.

See “Requesting software in the Software Portal” on page 23.

See “Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal” on page 16.

To cancel a software request

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on your computer.

Click Home.

Under Request Status, select the request.

Use the search feature to find the request if necessary.

Click Cancel Request and click OK

Requesting software

Request Details dialog box

Page 29

Installing approved software

(Windows and Mac OS only) When your software request is approved, the software is delivered to and installed on your computer. In most cases, the software is installed automatically.

(Windows only) Your administrator might configure the software delivery to require you to initiate the software installation. In that case, you initiate the installation from the Symantec Management Agent that is installed on your computer.

To install approved software

Open the Symantec Management Agent in one of the following ways:

■ On the Start menu, click Programs> Symantec >Symantec Management

Agent.

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Symantec Management Agent.

■ Run the following command:

installation path\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentActivate.exe

In the Symantec Management Agent window, click the Software Delivery

tab.

On the Software Delivery tab, under Deliveriesavailable forthis computer,

click the software to install.

In the left pane, under Application Tasks, click the task to install the selected

software.

For more information, see the topics about the Software Delivery page in the Altiris Agent Help.

You can open the Altiris Agent Help by clicking Help in the upper right of the Symantec Management Agent window.

29Requesting software

Installing approved software

Page 30

Requesting software

Installing approved software

Page 31

Managing software requests

This chapter includes the following topics:

■ Finding and filtering software requests on the Manager Portal page

■ Processing a software request

■ Software Portal: Manager Portal page

Finding and filtering software requests on the Manager Portal page

You can search for specific types of software requests on the Manager Portal page.

To find and filter software requests

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on

your computer.

Click Manage.

Chapter

Page 32

On the Manager Portal page, expand the Filtering options section.

Select the filter criteria from any of the following lists:

Lets you search for the requests with one of the following statuses:

■ Approve

■ Deny

■ Open

■ On Hold

Status

Lets you search for requests for listed or unlisted software.Request type

If necessary, click Show only the requests from users who report directly to me.

The users who report to you are those who are defined on your User Profile page.

Click Search.

Processing a software request

If the software is not pre-approved for theuser who requestsit, the managermust review the request and decide what action to take. To process a software request, the manager changes its status.

The request statuses that you can set are as follows:

■ Approve

■ On Hold

■ Deny

See “Statuses of software requests in the Software Portal” on page 16.

See “About the approval of software requests” on page 12.

The Manager Portal page is available only to the users who have permission to approve and deny software requests.

To process a software request

To open the Software Portal, do one of the following:

■ Double-click the Software Portal shortcut on your Desktop.

■ On the Start menu, click Programs > Altiris > Software Portal

Managing software requests

Processing a software request

Page 33

■ Right-click the Symantec Management Agent icon in the notification

area and on the agent menu, click Software Portal.

Note: The Software Portal might not be available from all these places on

your computer.

Click Manage.

On the Manager Portal page, under RequestedSoftware, select the software

request.

Only the requests that require your attention are displayed. Use the search

feature to find and display other requests if necessary.

Do one of the following:

■ To open the request for review, comments, or a status change, click Edit.

■ To quickly change the status without opening the request, click Change

Status and on the Change Status menu, select the status.

If you opened the software request, on the Request Details dialog box, do

any of the following:

■ Change the status.

■ Check Assign request to the Software Portal Administrator.

This check box is available only when you approve a request for unlisted software. For example, if you cannot provide the softwareyourself, approve the request and pass it to the administrator.

■ Enter comments to explain why you changed the status or to request

additional information. Comments are required whenever you change the status.

■ To review the request’s comments and actions, expand the Request

History section.

To close the Request Details dialog box, click OK.

Software Portal: Manager Portal page

This page lets a manager view and approve the software requests for the users who are listed on the manager’s User Profile page.

The Manager Portal page appears in the SoftwarePortal on the client computer. The page is available only to the users who have permission to approve and deny software requests.

33Managing software requests

Software Portal: Manager Portal page

Page 34

Table 5-1

Sections on the Manager Portal page

DescriptionSection

Lets the manager use filter options to find a specific group of software requests.

See “Finding and filtering software requests on the Manager

Portal page” on page 31.

Filtering options

Lets the manager review the software requests and decide what action to take.

See “Processing a software request” on page 32.

See “About the approval of software requests” on page 12.

Requested Software

Managing software requests

Software Portal: Manager Portal page

Page 35

application

installing from user requests 29 requesting in Software Portal 23

approval, software request

about 12 granting 32 requirements 12

approved software

about 12

comments, software request 27 confirmation, software request 25

email notification, Software Portal

about 17 defaults 21 per request 26

home page

Software Portal 24

listed software

about 11 requesting 25

Manager Portal 33

portal

Software Portal. See Software Portal

recommended software 12 request, software. See software request

software 12

See also approved software See also recommended software

installing from user requests 29 listed. See listed software requesting in Software Portal 23 unlisted. See unlisted software

Software Management Solution 9