A catalog is a collection of bundles; bundles included in a catalog are usually considered optional. You can use catalogs to deploy and install optional or dependent packages to assigned devices. If you deploy optional packages to devices using a catalog, users can choose whether to deploy and install the software packages included in the bundles inside the catalog. Users use the ZENworks Linux Management Installer, Updater, or Remover programs to manage the software on managed devices. For more information, see Section 6.3, Using the Software Updater, Installer, and Remover from Users’ Managed Devices.
You can also use bundles in a catalog to provide dependent packages for a primary package contained in a bundle or in another catalog. For example, suppose you want to include Java Runtime in a catalog and, optionally, hide the catalog from the user interface. If a package contained in a bundle or in another catalog needs Java Runtime (it is listed as a dependency for the primary package), the package containing Java Runtime becomes mandatory and is deployed and installed on all devices that the primary package is deployed and installed on.