ZENworks® ESM 3.5 Administrator’s Manual 14
Policy Distribution Service
The Policy Distribution Service is a web service
application that, when requested, distributes security
policies and other necessary data to ZENworks
Security Clients. ESM security policies are created
and edited with the Management Service's
Management Console, then published to the Policy
Distribution Service where they are downloaded by
the client at check-in.
The Policy Distribution Service authenticates
ZENworks Security Clients based on the user ID credentials obtained from the Management
Service, and supplies each client with the designated security policy.
Reporting data is collected by ZENworks Security Clients and passed up to the Policy
Distribution Service. This data is periodically collected by the Management Service and then
deleted from the Policy Distribution Service.
The Policy Distribution Service does not initiate any communications with the other ESM
components, and only responds to others. It does not hold sensitive data in the clear, nor does it
hold the keys needed to decrypt the sensitive data. It does not hold user credentials, or any other
user-specific data.
Server Selection and Installation
Please refer to the Installation and Quick Start guide for selection and installation instructions.
Server Maintenance
It is recommended that regular Disk Cleanup tasks be configured to run on this server to remove
temporary files out of the Windows\temp folder. Under extreme load conditions windows can
generate an inordinate amount of temporary files that needlessly take up disk space.
Upgrading the Software
The ESM Policy Distribution Service software can be upgraded by running the new installation
software.
Uninstall
To uninstall the Policy Distribution Service, use the Add/Remove Programs function in the
Windows Control Panel, or run the installation again from the ESM installation CD.
