HP xw4400 Workstation - Manual (Page 110)

HP Remote Graphics 4.2.0 User's Guide
102
also destroys memory of window placement on the desktop and requires
intervention at restart.
Selective Environment Shutdown
• Issues - Partial shutdown of an environment only terminates certain
applications of interest. It does not implement a full Desktop Session logout.
It selectively protects only the most critical applications requiring oversight
and control.
• Benefits – Preserves the active Desktop Session for connection at a later
time. Selectively terminates the applications of interest. Preserves data not
governed by an automated shutdown policy. Supports session recovery with
an arbitrary connection time. If done in layers (giving some applications more
time to live than others), then a gradual "soft landing" shutdown can occur
that ultimately results in a full logout. Idle resources over a specific amount of
time can be returned to a remote server pool.
• Concerns - Potentially more complicated to implement. Can require
coordination of multiple agents to handle layered shutdown. Can still result in
data loss for specific applications. May require a master semaphore to halt /
terminate multiple agents if user reconnects and wants to stop the shutdown
process.
Wrapping Applications of Interest
• Issues - Agents can be launched and supervise only specific applications in a
given environment. Tying agents to specific applications is a selective safety
net for every user.
• Benefits - Application-specific agents can be implemented as plug-ins or
support utilities for a given application. In the future, certain software
providers may provide custom interfaces for safe shutdown messages from an
agent or the operating system. Custom agents can be independently
maintained and tied to specific application releases for greater support
flexibility. Independent agent design supports unit testing and decouples
environmental dependencies.
• Concerns - Users need specific recourse to disarm an agent if they
reconnect. Applications may not interact well with a dedicated agent (and
only shutdown due to a global shutdown request). Dedicated agents could
possibly be compromised.
Administrator Alerts
• Issues - Instead of shutting down an environment, an agent can be designed
to alert an administrator or operator to determine the status of the user
before taking action. This watchdog approach can further be defined to exploit
redundant network connection support to a remote system to allow user-
directed shutdowns to occur.
• Benefits - System agents are not required to take destructive action - they
serve only as alarms and monitors for alternate human intervention.