About Client Group Settings
Client Group Settings provide a method for logically grouping discovered machines and users, and then automating work to be done on them. A member of a group constitutes the combination of a computer and the user logging into that computer.
By assigning machines and users as members of groups, you can then assign specific types of work to be done on members of each group. Work might include key and certificate discovery, certificate installation, or device placement.
Grouping machines and users also lets you more easily delegate administration tasks to other administrators in order to coordinate and complete various types of work.
DID YOU KNOW? Work refers to automated tasks that include configurations and operations. These tasks use SSH connections or Venafi Server Agents that are installed on various systems in your network.
For each group, you define membership criteria. These criteria determine which of these assets (machines and users) become members of which groups. Work can then be configured and assigned to each group.
EXAMPLE Suppose that you have a series of Solaris servers used by your engineering department. The servers host an application that uses certificates that are stored under the /var/app1/certs directory, and possibly additional directories. Your HR department has a different set of Linux servers that host an application that uses certificates stored under /usr. You want to ensure that you have a complete inventory of all certificates but don't want to burden the servers by searching for certificates where they are not likely to be found.
To do this, you could define two groups with a group type of Agent-based Certificate and Key Management and create membership criteria for each group that automatically assign servers from each department to the appropriate group. You can then define work for each group that instructs installed Server Agents to look in specific directories where you know that certificates can be found.