Deployment policies reference

Updated April 05, 2024 14:48

Overview

Configure deployment packages that install CrashPlan apps on your users' devices according to your specifications. Integrate your apps with SSO, for example, and install silently, without user intervention. This article describes each element of the Deployment Policies interface.

Considerations

This article assumes you understand the introduction to deployment provided by the article Deploy CrashPlan apps .

To use these deployment tools, you need to sign in to your CrashPlan console as a user with the Security Administrator role.

Need help?
For assistance, contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to engage the CrashPlan Professional Services team. If you don't know who your CSM is, contact our technical support team.

Deployment policies

To view and manage deployment policies:

Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
Select Administration > Client Management > Deployment.

If your CrashPlan environment does not yet have any deployment policies, you see the option to Create New Deployment Policy. If your environment already has one or more policies, you see the Deployment Policies list.

Item	Description
a	Create deployment policy	Define a new CrashPlan app deployment policy.
b	Name	The name of the policy. Click to see policy details.
c	Created	The date the policy was created and the username of the administrator who created the policy.
d	Registration organization	CrashPlan apps deployed with this policy register with this organization. The organization determines the authentication method and optional proxy address for the policy. If you deactivate an organization, the associated policy will not work.
e	Organization Status	The status of the registration organization.
f	View details	Allows you to view and change details of the policy.

Policy details

In the Deployment Policies list, click a policy name to see details about the policy.

Item	Description
a	Policy name	The name of the policy.
b	Delete	Deletes the policy. Any CrashPlan apps deployed with this policy that have not yet completed installation will fail to install.
c	Edit Policy	Change details of the policy.
d	Details	The details of the deployment policy.
e	Scripts	The user detection scripts for the policy.
f	Registration organization	CrashPlan apps deployed with this policy register with this organization. If your custom script specifies a value for `AGENT_ORG_REG_KEY`, only users not covered by the script register to this organization. The organization determines the authentication method and optional proxy address for the policy.
g	Authentication	The method the registration organization uses to validate the usernames and passwords entered by users in the CrashPlan app. Local: Username and passwords are defined in the CrashPlan console SSO (<provider name>): Usernames and passwords are defined in SSO provider data.
h	Auto Register Users	No: Users must manually sign in to the CrashPlan app to start backup. The administrator should create user accounts and provide the credentials to users. Yes: The username is determined by the deployment policy's detection script. The CrashPlan app authenticates with SSO. Backup begins automatically, provided the destination is set to auto-start.
i	Created and Last modified dates	The dates the policy was created and last saved.
j	Configured operating systems	The operating systems the policy is configured for (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
k	Launch desktop app after install	Yes: After installation on a Windows or Mac device, the CrashPlan app opens for the user to see and use. Not applicable on Linux. No: The CrashPlan app does not show until the user manually opens the app.
l	Use organization's proxy URL	Yes: The Registration Org requires CrashPlan apps to communicate through a proxy server. To see the URL of an organization's proxy auto-config (PAC) file, go to Organizations > [select an organization] > Action menu > Device Backup Defaults > Network > Proxy. No: CrashPlan apps communicate with the CrashPlan cloud directly
m	Installation properties	These strings provide arguments for a command that installs a CrashPlan app. Use them in your device management tool or installation scripts. See Deployment script and command reference for more details.
n	Generate new token	Give the policy a new identifier string. Generate a new token if you suspect unauthorized use of the deployment policy. Any CrashPlan apps previously deployed with the policy, and not yet installed, will fail to install. You will need to install them with the new, active, deployment token.

Create or edit deployment policy

In the Deployment Policy view, select Create New Policy or Edit Policy.

Item	Description
a	Deployment policy name	Enter a name to describe and identify this policy.
b	Registration organization	Determines the user's organization. If your custom script specifies a value for `AGENT_ORG_REG_KEY` (see item d below), only users not covered by the script register to this organization. Users register according to the authentication method and directory services configured for their organization. If an organization already has another deployment policy, it is dimmed in the dropdown and cannot be selected. Choose a different organization, or edit the existing policy for that organization.
c	Do you want to automatically register users?	No: Users must manually sign in to the CrashPlan app to start backup. You have two options: Advise users to self-register by clicking Sign up in the CrashPlan app interface. Create user accounts and provide the credentials to users. Yes: The username is determined by the deployment policy's detection script. The CrashPlan app authenticates with SSO. Backup begins automatically, provided the destination is set to auto-start.
d	User detection scripts	Select all operating systems you want to use in your deployment policy, then enter the custom user detection scripts you want to use for each. Your custom script defines how the username, user home directory, and the user's organization are determined. A summary of script requirements is listed below, but for complete details about customizing scripts, see Deployment script and command reference . All custom scripts must end by writing the `AGENT_USERNAME` and `AGENT_USER_HOME` variables to standard output (see below). `AGENT_ORG_REG_KEY` can also be included to define the organization, but this is optional. If `AGENT_ORG_REG_KEY` is not present, the CrashPlan app uses the default organization selected for this deployment policy. echo AGENT_USERNAME=<value> echo AGENT_USER_HOME=<value> echo AGENT_ORG_REG_KEY=<value> Usernames must be email addresses. To specify an organization, use the registration key. For assistance with custom scripts, contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to engage the CrashPlan Professional Services team. Require users to manually enter their usernames The main purpose of selecting operating systems in this section is to generate the appropriate scripts to automatically detect the username during CrashPlan app installation. To require users to manually enter their usernames, do not select any operating systems. By leaving all operating systems blank, a deployment policy is still created, but there is no user detection script. As a result, users must enter their usernames to complete the installation process on their device. The server address is still automatically populated for users by the deployment policy.
e	Do your clients need a proxy URL to connect to the CrashPlan cloud?	No: CrashPlan apps communicate with the CrashPlan cloud directly. Yes: The Registration Org requires CrashPlan apps to communicate through a proxy server. To see the URL of an organization's proxy auto-config (PAC) file, go to Organizations > [select an organization] > Action menu > Device Backup Defaults > Network > Proxy.
h	Launch desktop app after initial install?	Yes: After installation on a Windows or Mac device, the CrashPlan app opens for the user to see and use. Not applicable on Linux. No: The CrashPlan app does not show until the user manually opens it.

Authentication mismatch

deploy.mismatch.modal.png

Mismatches occur when you:

Define an organization to use SSO authentication.
Assign that organization a deployment policy with auto-registration.
Edit the organization to use local authentication.

The policy becomes invalid because the organization can no longer support auto-registration.

The solution is to reconfigure the organization or edit the policy.