The push is a pretty in depth process. There are several checks taken before the file is actually scheduled to execute on the target machine. Here is what happens when you click the “Begin Push” button in the main window:
- Name Resolution – The target hostname is resolved to its IP Address. If this is not successful, the target is removed from the pool.
- ICMP Ping test – An ICMP Ping is performed to the client, to ensure the client is online and responding on the IP Network. If the target does not respond, it is removed from the pool.
- Drive Access – A check is made to see if Pusher is able to access the default admin share (c$) on the target machine. If Pusher cannot access the default share, either because the account running pusher does not have rights there, or because the share does not exist, the target will be removed from the pool.
- Path Existence – Files to be executed will be copied to a directory called “C:\SPDISTRO” on the target machines. If this path does not exist, it will be created. If Pusher cannot create the path, then the target will be removed from the pool.
- File Copy – Pusher will now attempt to copy the software package file to the target machine. Any file that exists with the same filename of the package being deployed will be overwritten. If the file cannot be copied, maybe if the disk is too full, or if the account running Pusher does not have rights there, the target will be removed from the pool.
- Scheduling – Finally, Pusher will communicate directly with the Task Scheduler on the target machine, scheduling the execution of the just-delivered package. If the package cannot be scheduled, the target will be removed from the pool.
After a push cycle is complete, an optional report will appear, explaining attempted pushes, successes, failures, and reasons for failures. This automatic report popup can be controlled in the options dialog, by checking or clearing the the checkbox labelled “Show Report After Push”.