Nomad client requirements
Information that will help you design and plan the implementation of Nomad in your organization. This includes all the prerequisites and dependencies, which are necessary to install 1E Client with Nomad client enabled.
Tip
Nomad client features are not required if the 1E Client is being installed only to support Tachyon, Shopping, or WakeUp. However, Nomad can be used to help Tachyon clients download content from the Background Channel and other sources. For more detail, please refer to Tachyon client requirements: Tachyon integration with Nomad.
Nomad infrastructure dependencies
For a full understanding of Nomad features and their configuration, please refer to Nomad 8.1 documentation.
In addition to deploying 1E Client (with Nomad client module enabled) on all computers and on Configuration Manager Distribution Points, the following are also required:
Nomad tools installed on Configuration Manager sites and SMS Providers
Nomad Configuration Manager Console extensions on Configuration Manager site servers, any other computer that has the Configuration Manager Console installed
Nomad can be used for downloading content for Tachyon clients, as well as Configuration Manager clients.
For 1E Client 5.2 and Nomad 7.1 onwards, you must enable the Tachyon client if you want Nomad to use any of the following Nomad features.
Although not a requirement for generally using Nomad, Tachyon Platform must be installed and available before you can use certain Nomad features.
The following Nomad features use Content Distribution and require Tachyon Platform and Tachyon features of 1E Client to be enabled:
Nomad app provides visibility of content distribution activity
Single Site Download (SSD)
Single Site Peer Backup Assistant (SSPBA)
High Availability Peer Backup Assistant (HAPBA)
Get Migration Settings task sequence action used to manage computer associations
Nomad Pre-caching
Nomad Download Pause.
Note
Nomad versions prior to Nomad 7.1 used ActiveEfficiency to support similar features. Tachyon Platform previously included ActiveEfficiency.
The following features were provided in versions of Nomad older than Nomad 7.1:
1E Client Health - now provided by the Guaranteed State feature of the Tachyon Platform
Nomad Dashboard - now provided by Nomad app feature of the Tachyon Platform.
Downloading client content and Nomad integration
1E Client downloads content from the Tachyon Background Channel. Content is mainly scripts and other files required by instructions. It also includes client resources such as extensible modules, providers, and other dependencies to maintain the 1E Client. In most cases, client resources are version controlled to prevent repeated downloads. Tachyon instructions always request a download even if they have run an instruction before, unless the content for that instruction has been cached in memory.
You may need to consider the impact on the network if there is a large amount of content included in an instruction. This is more of an operational consideration instead of a design consideration.
Nomad is an optionally licensed component of the 1E Client. It makes software deployment, patching and downloading content more efficient and reduces the impact on the network. It removes the need for remote Distribution Point servers in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager systems. When Nomad is installed on computers, it automatically elects a peer to download content from a server over the WAN and then peer-shares the content with other PCs at the same location. The downloaded content is cached locally on each PC in case it is needed again.
Tachyon can optionally use Nomad to download content from servers irrespective of whether Nomad is integrated with Configuration Manager or not, and also uses advanced Nomad features.
Tachyon client integration with Nomad disabled
If Nomad integration is not used, the following apply:
Tachyon client waits a randomized stagger period defined by its DefaultStaggerRangeSeconds setting, and then downloads content from the specified Background Channel.
Tachyon client retains modules and extensibles that it has downloaded, but does not retain instruction scripts after they have been run. Any instruction that requires a script or other file will download the latest version each time the instruction is run.
Tachyon client integration with Nomad enabled
Nomad integration is available on Windows PC devices and is enabled by default, but can be disabled during installation of the 1E Client.
With the Nomad integration feature enabled, Tachyon client will detect if a supported version of Nomad is running on the device.
Tachyon client immediately requests Nomad to download content from the specified HTTP source, such as the Background Channel. Nomad behaves in the same way as it does with Configuration Manager by ensuring the latest version of content is obtained and electing a master to perform the actual download.
Nomad maintains its own cache of downloaded content which avoids the need for repeat downloads over the WAN, and provides content to peers that require the same resources which avoids peer devices having to download over the WAN.
If the Nomad integration feature is enabled, and requested content is not provided within the timeout period, the Tachyon client will fall back to downloading directly from the HTTP source. The most likely reason for a timeout is if Nomad is busy downloading other content.
To use Nomad, there is no special configuration of Tachyon Servers unless you want to use server-based features provided by the Nomad App and Content Distribution, which requires the reverse proxy feature to be configured on Tachyon Background Channels.
The Background Channel is a web application on the Tachyon Server which uses HTTPS and default port is 443. The URL for the Background Channel is defined in the 1E Client configuration file and is specified during installation of the 1E Client if Tachyon features are enabled. The Tachyon client passes this URL to Nomad when it requests content to be downloaded. Instructions can also specify other HTTP sources.
Nomad does not need to be configured to use certificates in order to communicate with the Background Channel (the Nomad CertIssuer and CertSubject settings are used only with Configuration Manager Distribution Points that are configured to validate device certificates).
The Nomad Single-Site Download (SSD) feature, which uses Content Distribution, further reduces the impact of downloading content over the WAN.
Firewall ports
Please refer to Nomad communication ports.