Bundles set with launch schedule user login, refresh etc. may delay

  • 7014649
  • 26-Feb-2014
  • 01-Oct-2014

Environment

Novell ZENworks Configuration Management 11.2

Situation

When many bundles are set to run at user login, some may delay launch.  Why is this?

Resolution

Recommendations:

  1. Change default for Discover Applicable Update (DAU) schedule to other than refresh.
  2. Order bundles when required to be launched quickly.
  3. Avoid scheduling install action to run on login or refresh.  For refresh, use the setting for xxx time after refresh.
  4. Unassign any old ZPM remediation bundles or other run once bundles that have already run and will not run again.
  5. Consider adjusting the automatic number of retries for bundles that fail.  By default this is 5, but can be set with HKEY_LOCAL_MACHNE\Software\Novell\ZCM\ScheduleRetries  For more information see https://www.novell.com/documentation/zenworks11/zen11_sys_registry_keys/data/bookinfo.html
  6. Consider consolidating bundles.single bundle with multiple non install actions.
  7. Consider use of system requirements for controlling conditions under which bundles not needing to launch can be restricted from launch.

Cause

There are 6 threads allowed to run in parallel for bundle install/launch actions.  

Ordered bundles take priority over non ordered bundles.  If there are no ordered bundles, all set to launch on the event are ordered alphabetically.

ZPM DAU bundles and any bundles with scheduled install action will only run synchronously, so no parallel threads may run while those are installing/launching.

Additional Information

To enable thread pool logging:  set system environment variable on a device:  ZMD_THREAD_POOL_DEBUG to 1