System Manager - Software distribution & Package Manager

System Manager supports remote configuration of Yield Monitor and Package Manager settings through dedicated Yield Monitor and Software Distribution tabs under Control Panel. This enables centralized management of WATS Client behavior across stations.

The Yield Monitor and Package Manager are applications included as part of the WATS Client installation package.

Overview

By configuring the Yield Monitor and Package Manager settings remotely, installations become smoother and faster, particularly in environments with large files or limited network bandwidth.

• Package downloads are prefetched in the background and cached locally before installation.

• Once downloaded, installations occur directly from the local client file system, significantly reducing installation time.

• WATS Clients automatically retrieve updated configuration settings once every hour.

If settings are changed in both the WATS Client and System Manager before synchronization, the most recently updated configuration is applied.

Note: Remote configuration is supported on WATS Client version 7.1 or later. 
See also: WATS Client releases

Software Distribution

The Software Distribution tab displays the root folder location where distribution packages are installed.
This provides improved visibility into where software packages are deployed across stations.

Package Manager

The following Package Manager settings can be configured from the System Manager (depending on client version and permissions):

• Active: Defines whether the Package Manager runs in the background and regularly checks for available packages.
• Prefetch packages: If enabled, the application first downloads all packages to a local cache before installing. This reduces installation time during operation.
• Delete revoked packages: Automatically removes packages that have been revoked from the Production Manager.
• Package status: Defines which package status types the application should monitor.
• Check interval: Sets how often the application checks for new or updated packages.
• Package install options: Determines if and when available packages will be installed automatically rather than prompting the operator.
• Package tag filter: Filters which packages the application checks for. Click Test Filter to preview which packages match. 
  (Read more about filters: Package Manager Tag Filter)

Package install options 

The Package install options setting controls how packages are installed on the client:

• None: Packages are never installed automatically.
• Bring to front (default): The Package Manager becomes visible when packages are available for installation.
• At computer startup: Installs available packages automatically when the computer starts.
• When ready: Installs packages automatically as soon as they are ready, based on the Check interval and Prefetch packages settings.

These configurations define how and when software packages are retrieved, cached, and installed on each client station.

Installed packages 

Each package is shown with its current state:

• Prefetched (Ready to install)
  The package has been downloaded to the client (test station) and is ready for installation.
• Installed
  The package is installed on the client (test station).

The list also displays package status indicators, such as:

• A newer version of the installed package is available
• The contents of the installed package have changed

These indicators help monitor package updates and ensure the correct software is installed on each client (test station).

Download history 

The Download History provides an overview of package activity on the client (test station).

It includes the following information:

• Name
• Version
• Description
• Installed date and time
• Priority
• Details

This information helps track when packages were downloaded and installed, and provides insight into deployment history on each station.

Client version and permission 

To configure client settings, the WATS Client version must support remote configuration.
Additionally, the user must have the necessary permissions to update settings.

Permissions for configuring and updating Client Configuration settings are managed under: Control Panel > Roles and permissions. 

On Master servers, the Yield Monitor and Package Manager settings are available in read-only mode. To modify these settings, access the configuration from the corresponding regional or local server.