General

The General panel lets you configure the cache settings and server retry settings for the ZENworks Agent.

NOTE:If you are configuring the ZENworks Agent settings on a device folder or a device, you need to click Override settings before you can modify the settings.

Cache Life

The ZENworks Agent’s cache directory contains content data used by the agent. Each piece of data, referred to as a cache entry, is stored in the cache database.

When a cache entry is added to the cache database, it is assigned a creation time and an expiration time. The creation time is simply the time it was added to the database. The expiration time is the creation time plus the number of hours specified by the Cache Life setting (by default, 336 hours or 14 days). Take, for example, a cache entry that is added on June 10 at 3:00 p.m. Using the default Cache Life setting, the expiration time is set to June 24 at 3:00 p.m.

The agent does not attempt to update a cache entry until after the entry’s expiration time. At that point, the agent updates the cache entry the next time it contacts the ZENworks Server to refresh its information.

NOTE:Updates to expired cache entries occur only for cache entries that are content-related (bundles, policies, configuration settings, registration settings, and so forth). Updates to cache entries that are event-related (remote management, inventory, reporting, and so forth) only occur at the time the event takes place on the device.

A higher Cache Life setting reduces the traffic load on your network because cache entries are refreshed less frequently. A lower setting provides fresher information but increases the traffic load.

It is important to note that this setting affects only how often the agent requests updates to a cache entry. Cache entries can also be updated before their expiration time if information is changed in ZENworks Control Center that causes the information to be pushed from the ZENworks Server to the agent.

Cache Orphaning Threshold

Over a period of time, it is possible for entries to be inserted in the cache database but not removed. This can cause the cache to grow unnecessarily.

An orphan is an entry that is inserted into the cache but not accessed within the number of days specified by the Cache Orphaning Threshold setting. Take, for example, a cache entry that is accessed on July 1 at 10:00 a.m. Using the default Cache Orphaning Threshold setting (90 days), the entry becomes an orphan if it is not accessed again before September 29 at 10:00 a.m.

A higher Cache Orphaning Threshold setting ensures that infrequently accessed information is not removed from the cache database. A lower setting can reduce the cache size.

Times to Retry Requests to a Busy Server

The Times to Retry Requests to a Busy Server setting lets you specify the number of times that the agent retries a request to a busy server before considering the server as bad instead of busy.

Initial Retry Request Wait

The Initial Retry Request Wait setting lets you specify the initial amount of time that the agent waits before retrying a Web service request after receiving a busy response from the server. The wait time increases by one second with every busy response.

Maximum Retry Request Wait

The Maximum Retry Request Wait setting lets you specify the maximum amount of time to wait before retrying a Web service request after receiving a busy response from the server.