Answer

This article describes the difference between server jobs and client jobs used by Task Servers. It also gives a definition of server, client, and task server tasks. Finally, a list of task types available after the installation of the Symantec Management Platform is provided.

Server Jobs

Server jobs can contain server tasks, client tasks, and task server tasks. However, a server job should never contain only client tasks.

A server job is sequenced on the Notification Server. Each task in the sequence of tasks must complete and roll back up to the Notification Server before the job goes on to the next task. If you put a client or task server task inside of a server job, all the computers assigned to that task must finish or fail before the server job moves on to the next task in the sequence.

If you have conditions on a server job, every computer follows the condition branch together at the same time.

Client or task server tasks that cannot run on all computers assigned to them should never be put in a server job. For example, if you have a client task in a server job, and that task has computers assigned to it that do not have the Altiris Agent installed, the task cannot complete and the server job fails.

Client Jobs

Client jobs can contain both client and task server tasks.

A client job does not have any tasks sequenced on the Notification Server. Each computer that is assigned to the client job runs through the sequence of tasks independently. For example, one computer may be finished with the sequence of tasks before another computer starts with the first task in the sequence.

The tasks in a client job can also branch independently. For example, if one computer fails a task and there is a condition to run a registry fix on a fail and try the task again, each computer can run through that condition independently.

Definition of server, client, and task server tasks

Task Types provided by the Symantec Management Platform