Multi-tenant architecture (Summary Server) for enterprises with more than 25000 endpoints

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Table of Contents:

1. Overview
2. Architecture
3. Components
4. System Requirements

Check this guide to start your Summary Server and Probe Server setup.

Overview

Endpoint Central's Summary Server can manage endpoints with higher degree of visibility and scalability. This web based application helps IT admins to manage endpoints across globe with a user-centric dashboard. Summary Server is coupled with Probe Servers to achieve these factors. Here is a detailed guide on how Summary Server aids in scalable endpoint management for enterprise.

Architecture

This section explains the following

• Architecture
• Components
• Secure communication between agent and server

Components

Endpoint Central Summary Server:
The Summary Server is a real-time data driven dashboard made available for the executives of an enterprise. All the Probe Servers will report to Summary Server reguarly to post the endpoint management reports. This server can be accessed through a web console, which will require authentication. A separate set of users can be created to access this server. Summary Server will communicate only with the Probe Server. It is advisable to have your server turned on without fail to achieve maximum efficiency in monitoring and managing the endpoints.

Endpoint Central Probe Server:
Probe servers are standalone Endpoint Central Servers that manage devices in the business network. IT technicians can create and deploy the policies from this server. In this architecture, multiple Probe Servers can be installed in the enterprise network and maintain a degree of autonomy while managing the endpoints. Every Probe Server will have a set of technicians and admins to manage endpoints under that Probe Server. A Probe Server will communicate with Summary Server and Endpoint Central Agents. The Probe Server contacts Summary Server to post the data on a regular basis and contacts Endpoint Central agents to execute the deployments triggered. Probe Servers can be installed with Secure Gateway Server to manage roaming users securely.

Web Console:
The Web console component is used to access the Server from a remote location using the internet or VPN. A dedicated web console is available for Summary Server as well as Probe Server(s).

Endpoint Central Agent:
Endpoint Central agent is a lightweight software installed on the devices which are to be managed by the Endpoint Central. The agent is used to execute tasks like:

Software distribution and filtering
Applying patches (manual/automatic)
IT Asset Management, and generating reports and more.

For instance, if the admin wants to show a popup message to a specific user/computer, then these settings are configured in the Probe server and the details are replicated to the agent, thereby executing the task successfully.
The agent will contact the respective Probe Server following the agent refresh policy to execute the deployed tasks.

Agent Server communication takes place during:

• User logon
• Device Logon
• 90 minutes refresh policy

For User-specific Configuration:
The agent contacts the Server during

• User logon
• 90 minutes refresh policy

For Computer-Specific Configuration:
The Agent contacts the server during

• System logon
• 90 minutes refresh policy

Active Directory:
Endpoint Central is a domain based approach. Therefore, it can be synced with an Active directory/Workgroup to fetch the resource information.

Patch Database:

Patch database is a repository hosted on ManageEngine website. This database will transfer the patch information for the devices managed under the Endpoint Central scope. Endpoint Central server communicates with the patch database through the internet or VPN.

Securing Agent Server Communication
The communication across this architecture will take place in https mode only.

System Requirements:
Find the below list of system requirements for this architecture:

• Summary Server is capable of managing minimum of 100k endpoints.
• Each Probe Server can manage between 25k and 30k endpoints.
• Ports Used by Summary Server and Probe Server
• Hardware requirements for Summary Server, Probe Server, Distribution Server, Endpoint Central agent, Secure Gateway Server and SQL Server.
• Network requirements such as internet speed.
• Supported Operating systems for Summary Server, Probe Server, Distribution Server, Endpoint Central agent, Secure Gateway Server and SQL Server.
• Supported Browsers, Database, and Web Servers.

Ports Used by Summary Server

Ports Used by Probe Server
To know the ports used by Probe Server, please visit this page.

Hardware requirements:
This section lists the hardware specifications for Summary Server, Probe Server and Distribution Servers:

Summary Server

* May increase dynamically according to the frequency of scanning

** May increase dynamically depending on the operations performed on the client computer

Probe Server

* May increase dynamically according to the frequency of scanning

** May Increase dynamically depending on the operations performed on the client computer

Note:In the installed physical/virtual machine, kindly ensure that the mentioned hardware requirements is available exclusively for the Endpoint Central server instance.

Software Requirements

This section gives you information about the software requirements for Endpoint Central Server, Agent and Distribution Server.