Microsoft Systems Management Server Version 2.0 Service Pack 1 Release Notes

These release notes contain late-breaking information about Microsoft® Systems Management Server (SMS) version 2.0 with Service Pack 1 functionality that is not available in the product documentation. Please read these release notes thoroughly before installing the SMS software.

If you have comments or suggestions about SMS 2.0, please send them to smswish@microsoft.com. We value your feedback.

Upgrading to SMS 2.0 Service Pack 1

The release notes are included with both the SMS 2.0 shipping product and the SMS 2.0 SP1 update:

• If this compact disc is the SP1 update, you can run Setup.exe to upgrade your SMS 2.0 sites.
• If this compact disc is the full SMS 2.0 SP1 release, you can run Setup.exe to upgrade a previously-installed SMS 2.0 site, or to install a new SMS site.

Before upgrading your SMS 2.0 site to SP1, it is recommended that you back up your current site.

Additional Online Resources for SMS

For more information about SMS, see the following online resources:

• Visit the Systems Management Server Web site to locate white papers and information about related products.
• Visit the Microsoft Support Online Web site to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers to SMS questions.

All bug fixes contained in SMS 2.0 SP1 are documented as Knowledge Base articles. You can query the Knowledge Base to find an article about a specific bug by using the Qxxxxxx number that is assigned to the bug.

For a list of all bug fixes in SMS 2.0 SP1, see KB Article number Q235991.

• Access the microsoft.public.sms newsgroup on the msnews.microsoft.com news server to participate in unmonitored discussions about SMS.

Warning: If you plan to upgrade from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0 and also upgrade from SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0, read DO NOT Upgrade to SQL Server 7.0 Before Upgrading to SMS 2.0: Printed Documentation Error.

Table of Contents

New Terminology

* * *
Additional Information about SMS 2.0 SP1
Alpha Platform
Collections
Courier Sender
Crystal Info Version 6 (Reports)
Database Backup
Documentation (Printed and Online)
Hardware Inventory
HealthMon
Installation, Server
Installation, SMS Client
Internationalization
Interoperability with SMS 1.2
Network Monitor
Novell NetWare
Product Compliance
Queries
Remote Tools
Security
Site Configuration and Maintenance
SMS Administrator Console
SMS Installer Version 2.0
Software Distribution
Software Metering
SQL Server
Status
System Requirements
Upgrading, Client
Upgrading, General
Upgrading, Secondary Site
Virtual Memory Errors
Windows 2000
Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups (16-Bit) Clients
Windows Zero Administration Kit (ZAK)
Release Notes Copyright Information

New Terminology

SMS 2.0 SP1 introduces a number of new terms, and it slightly changes the meanings of others. New and changed terminology is documented in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, in Chapter 2, "Understanding Changes to SMS Features and Functionality" and Appendix B, "SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0 Changes." For a complete list of SMS terms, see the glossaries in the SMS documentation. The SMS 2.0 Help, Network Monitor Help, and Software Metering Help each include a glossary, as does the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

The following new terms are not in the printed SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide glossary:

display name

In software inventory, a company or product name that you want to use instead of the actual names read from the header information of files on clients. If you define a display name (in the SMS Administrator console), it replaces the inventoried names in the SMS site database. Then, when you view software inventory information in Resource Explorer or run queries, you see the display name rather than the inventoried names.

refresh

Using the Refresh command in software distribution replaces corrupt package source files on distribution points or copies package source files to newly installed distribution points. When a refresh occurs, the current package source files are recopied or newly copied from the site server to one or more distribution points.

update

Using the Update command in software distribution recopies package source files when a file is changed. When an update occurs, the package source version is incremented and the package source files are recopied from the site server to all distribution points currently specified for the package.

The following terminology changes are not in the glossaries:

WBEM and Windows Management Instrumentation

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is the Microsoft implementation of the Web Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) standard developed by the Desktop Management Task Force for identifying and manipulating managed objects. In the SMS 2.0 documentation, certain components that actually use WMI might be documented as using WBEM (an earlier name for WMI). In these cases, however, the process flow and functionality are essentially unchanged.

Windows 2000

All references in the documentation to Windows NT version 5.0 refer to the Windows 2000 family of products, built on Windows NT technology.

Additional Information about SMS 2.0 SP1

Knowledge Base Articles

The Knowledge Base articles listed in the following table address known issues with SMS 2.0 SP1.

Alpha Platform

Help Is Not Customized for Alpha Computers

The SMS online Help is not customized for Alpha computers. On Alpha computers, you have access to all the Help topics, including Help for features that are not supported on the Alpha platform.

WORKAROUND: For information about the specific SMS features that are supported on Alpha computers, see Appendix A, "System Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Alpha Versions of Products Are Not in the Microsoft Product Compliance Database

The product compliance database provided by Microsoft does not contain compliance data for Alpha versions of products.

WORKAROUND: If your site includes Alpha computers, manually add the products you are concerned about to your copy of the product compliance database. You can get this information from the Microsoft Year 2000 Web page.

Related Topics

SMS Setup Fails on the Alpha Version of Windows 2000 Beta 3

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Collections

Fixed Minimum Update Interval for Collections

Collections are re-evaluated regularly, and the minimum update interval is every 15 minutes. In this release of SMS, if you specify a membership update interval of less than 15 minutes, the update frequency will not be less than 15 minutes. Also, after you change the membership update schedule the first evaluation is subject to a delay of up to 15 minutes.

WORKAROUND: None.

Collection Members Can Be Deleted From a Locked Collection at a Child Site

By using the Delete Special command, you can delete members of a locked collection that has been propagated down the hierarchy from a parent site to a child site.

WORKAROUND: None.

Note   If they are still present at the parent site, collection members will reappear when the collection is refreshed.

Manage Default Collections from the Central Site

The default collections supplied with SMS 2.0 are controlled from the central site—you cannot modify them from child sites. When a site is attached to a parent site, the parent site is given control of the default collections at the child site. New collections created at the child site are controlled at the child site.

WORKAROUND: Manage default collections from the central site.

Crystal Info Version 6 (Reports)

Do Not Install Crystal Info Version 6 on the Primary Site Server for Sites with 500 or More Clients

Crystal Info version 6 (also called Crystal Reports) is a sample SMS 2.0 snap-in provided by Seagate Corporation. This sample reporting tool is fully integrated with SMS and allows you to run reports against data stored in the SMS site database. Microsoft provides this tool as an example of the type of SMS snap-ins you can create by using the SMS 2.0 Toolkit, which is included in the Microsoft BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit.

If you use the Express Setup option to install SMS, Crystal Info version 6 is installed automatically on your site server. If your SMS site hierarchy will have more than 500 SMS clients, however, you should not use Express Setup to install SMS.

WORKAROUND: To use Crystal Info version 6 at a site with more than 500 clients, configure your site hierarchy so that your central site has SMS with only Crystal Info installed. That is, the only component you select in the Setup Installation Options page is Crystal Reports; all other check boxes are cleared.

Important: When adding any additional site servers to your SMS hierarchy you must take care to analyze the effects that this will have on your existing hierarchy. Using this workaround is no exception. By adding another site at the top of your site hierarchy you will increase the workload on your previous top level site and this will negatively impact its performance. You should be sure that this is acceptable before implementing this workaround. It should also be noted that the computer that you install Crystal Reports on for this workaround should be comparable in hardware and performance specifications to your previous top-level SMS site.

This reporting site will be your central site, but no administrative actions will be performed from this computer. Instead, install an SMS site immediately beneath the central reporting site. You will administer your site from this site and from remote SMS Administrator consoles on various computers on your network. The procedure for this workaround is as follows:

1. Install SMS by using the Custom Setup option on a stand-alone server that is not a domain controller. This site will be the central site, and it will be used only for reporting; it is referred to in the remainder of this procedure as the reporting site.

When installing the reporting site, select Crystal Info as the only optional SMS component (note that Crystal Info is listed as Crystal Reports in the SMS Setup Wizard). Do not install any other optional SMS components on this server.

2. On a computer other than the site server, install the SMS Administrator console. At the Information page, specify the reporting site, and in the SMS Administrator Console Installation Options page select only Crystal Reports Console.
3. Restrict access to the Crystal Reports feature to remote administrators who are domain users or domain administrators only in the reporting domain, without granting such users any SMS security permissions in the target site. Users with such limited rights can view, but cannot access or manipulate, other SMS component settings at the target site (for example, they can see, but not access, the contents of Queries).
4. Configure this reporting site as the central site in your SMS hierarchy.
5. Install remote SMS Administrator consoles on other computers that are running Windows NT 4.0 or later in your site, and use them to connect to the site to run reports.
6. Install a first-tier child site that you can use to perform all administrative tasks for your site hierarchy. This site will serve as your functional central site. When you install additional child sites, have them report to the central reporting site through this site.

For information about installing remote SMS Administrator consoles, see Chapter 4, "Setting Up Remote Administrator Consoles," in the Microsoft BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit, and Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide. Administrators who need to administer site configuration, software distribution, and so on, should set up remote SMS Administrator consoles that connect to the first-tier child site (the site directly below the reporting site).

Crystal Info for SMS Setup Error

You might get the following error while installing SMS with the Crystal Info for SMS option: "Unable to load odbctl32.dll".

WORKAROUND: To correct this error, use the following steps:

1. After SMS Setup finishes, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel to remove Seagate Crystal Info for SMS.
2. Download the latest Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) and install them on the server:
• Intel: http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/uda/mdac21/mdac_typ21.asp
• Alpha: http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/uda/mdac21/mdac_typa21.asp

(The download file is a self-extracting installation executable file.)

3. Run SMS Setup and select Upgrade an Existing SMS Installation.
4. Select the Seagate Crystal Info for SMS option (if it is not already checked and greyed out).

Do Not Remove Crystal Info Using Add/Remove Programs

If you use the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel to remove Crystal Info, you will not be able to reinstall it even if you update the site.

WORKAROUND: Crystal Info is removed when you remove SMS 2.0. It cannot be removed any other way (except in the situation noted in Crystal Info for SMS Setup Error).

Technical Support for Crystal Info Version 6 and Crystal Reports

For technical information about using Crystal Info version 6, visit the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.com/support/ and the Seagate Software Technical Support Web site at http://www.seagatesoftware.com/seagateinfo/techsupp/.

Before contacting Seagate Technical Support, make sure that you have registered your copy of Crystal Info and that you have the following information available:

• The version of Crystal Info you are using. Version 6 is supplied with SMS 2.0.
• The type of data you are using.
• The number of versions of the Crpe32.dll file on the computer, and their locations, file sizes, and dates.
• A list of files in the following directories: CRW, %windir%\System32, Report, and Database.

  TIP: You can create a file that lists all files sorted by extension by typing: dir /oe > filename.dir from each of these directories.

Crystal Services provides online (modem), fax, CompuServe, and telephone support. These support options are described in more detail as follows:

• Online    [dial (604) 662-8298]: If you have a modem, online support is the most convenient and effective way to solve your problems. To use it, on the Help menu, click Technical Support. Provide the appropriate information about your problem and attach any relevant files. To transmit your data, click Connect. Your request is electronically sent to the Crystal Reports Technical Support server and is immediately given an identification number. Telephone charges are minimal because the connection time to the server is brief.

After your information is received, a technical support representative will review your request and send a response. To check for a response, on the Help menu, click Technical Support, and then click Connect. Updated information about all outstanding requests is immediately transmitted back to you. If your problem is still being reviewed by technical support, a reply such as "requires liaison with the Crystal R&D team in progress" will be sent.

Note   You do not need any communications software to use online support. Because the software is built into the product, all you need is a modem.

• Fax   [dial (604) 681-7163]: To prepare your fax request, on the Help menu, click Technical Support, and provide the appropriate information about your problem. After you provide the necessary information, print the completed form and fax it to Crystal Services.
• CompuServe   (CompuServe address 72223,2632): Please leave the word "CRYSTAL" in the title of CompuServe messages on the MSBASIC forum in the Third Party area, to make it easy for other users to benefit from the discussion.
• Telephone    [dial (604) 669-8379]    When you are on the phone with a technical support representative, make sure that Crystal Reports and the problem report are both open.

Reports Provided with SMS: Documentation Update

The reports provided with SMS 2.0 SP1 differ from the reports listed in Chapter 19, "Creating Administrative Reports" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

WORKAROUND: None.

Related Topics

Courier Sender

Courier Sender Is Supplementary Only: Documentation Error

Chapter 1, "Introducing Systems Management Server Version 2.0" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide states that the Courier Sender provides communication between sites that have unreliable or non-existent network connections. It is not true that you can use Courier Sender in place of other network connections.

WORKAROUND: Use one of the other sender types for most intersite communications. If you have a slow or unreliable link between a site and its parent, you can use Courier Sender to send packages between the sites. This error has been corrected in the online version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Database Backup

The Backup SMS Site Server Task

The Backup SMS Site Server Database Maintenance Task runs a complete site backup that includes the SQL Server databases. You do not need to run any of the other tasks to back up the site server.

The backup control file is based on options set up with the Express setup option, and is designed to manage backup with those components installed.

However, if the Custom setup option was used instead of the Express setup option, backup will automatically find the Site Provider and the SQL Server databases (the SMS site database and the software metering database) on the computer or computers where they are installed.

Updated information about customizing the backup control file is included as comments in the backup control file, which is located in the \Inboxes\SMSbkup.box\SMSbkup.ctl file on the site server.

SMS Backup Schedule: Changes Take a Day

The schedule for the Backup SMS Site Server task can be changed anytime, but the process that reads the schedule and makes any changes reads the schedule only once each day. Therefore, when you make changes to the task schedule, up to 24 hours can elapse before the changes take effect.

WORKAROUND: To run a site backup immediately, first define an export location in the console in properties for the Database Maintenance Task named Backup SMS Site Server. Then use Windows NT Service Manager to start the SMS_SITE_BACKUP service. This will trigger a complete site backup immediately.

SMS Backup Destination Names Cannot Contain Extended Characters

An error results if the SMS_SITE_BACKUP service tries to write the SMS Backup data to a location whose computer name or path contains extended characters (ASCII values greater than 127).

WORKAROUND: Ensure that the path specified for storing backup data does not contain extended ASCII characters.

Upgrade from SMS 2.0 to SMS 2.0 SP1

Multiple sites can now share a backup export location without risk of overwriting each other's files. For each site, Backup creates a subdirectory, using the site code as a directory name, in the root of the export location. Because each site code is unique, many sites can use the same export location share, and a single backup process can copy all these subdirectories to tape.

SMS 2.0 SP1 will not overwrite the old backup files. Remove backup files that were created before SMS 2.0 SP1 was installed from the export location, to avoid having two copies of these files in the export location.

Backup Logging

SMS logging is off by default. You should enable backup logging so that you will have a record of what you ran for the site backup. This log, if enabled, will be included with the backup. When you restore a site, you can use this log to verify that you are restoring from a valid backup.

After backup logging is enabled, it might take a few site backup cycles for the SMSbkup.log file to reach its maximum size and for the first SMSbkup.lo_ file to be created. Back up both of these files. Then you will have backup copies of all the archived data in the SMSbkup.lo_ file as well the current data the SMSbkup.log file. If you back up only the SMSbkup.log file, and it has recently been renamed SMSbkup.lo_ and a new SMSbkup.log file has been created, then most of the current backup logging is in the SMSbkup.lo_ file.

Site Backup Space Requirements

The export location for site backup should have at least 2 GB of free disk space. To estimate the space required, add:

• 10 MB for miscellaneous files
• space used by the SMS_<SiteCode> share (available from Windows NT Explorer)
• Amount of data in these SQL Server databases (available from SQL Enterprise Manager):
• Master
• MSDB
• Model
• <SiteServer>
• <Software Metering>

If the Software Metering database is on a different server from the site database, then the following databases will be needed from both the SQL Server installation containing the Software Metering database, and the SQL Server installation containing the site database:

• Master
• MSDB
• Model

If the site database and the Software Metering database are on different computers, update the backup control file as described in the comments in the that file.

Troubleshooting Backup Task Commands

One of the most common errors is a syntax mistake that occurs when the backup control file is customized. To speed up troubleshooting, use a test site, manually stop the SMS services, and comment out the sections that take most of the processing time:

• Service stops
• Site server directory backup
• Database backups (the model backup should be very quick if a database backup is being tested)
• Service starts

The basic troubleshooting cycle would then be:

1. Start backup from the command line: net start SMS_SITE_BACKUP
2. Wait several minutes until backup is complete, and then check the backup log for error or failure messages.
3. Make changes to the backup control file.
4. Rerun backup.

Token Errors

Another possible error in customizing backup control scripts is a user defined token does not contain the value you expected.

WORKAROUND: To verify the contents of a token named "MyToken", add this line to the backup control file, and run backup: Cmd `echo %MyToken% >%BACKUP_DEST_DIR%\MyToken.txt`

Then open the file MyToken.txt with any text editor (such as Notepad) and verify that the file contents match the contents you expected for the token.

SMS Site Backup Task Subdirectory Creation Error

The SMS Site Backup task cannot create a destination subdirectory on the same line that it also runs a command.

WORKAROUND: Always create a destination subdirectory required by the SMS Site Backup task before that task will run.

Errors Generated By Backup When Not All Setup Options Were Selected

If the site being backed up was not installed with the Express setup option, some of the services might not be installed.

WORKAROUND: To avoid superfluous errors, edit the backup control file to comment out any lines that stop or start a service that is not installed on the site.

Some Backup Tasks Fail To Run

Certain applications partially lock file system objects (files and directories) while they are in use. In this state, the file system object (and all components of its path) can be updated, but cannot be moved, renamed or deleted. For example, if Windows NT Explorer is displaying C:\SMS_Backups\42, C:\SMS_Backups and C:\SMS_Backups\42 is partially locked.

If a partially locked file system object (or one of its parent directories) is deleted in the course of a backup, any subsequent backup task whose destination is in a subdirectory of the deleted item will fail.

For example, suppose Windows NT Explorer is displaying C:\SMS_Backups\42 when backup is running. Backup deletes C:\SMS_Backups\42 and then tries to dump the site database to C:\SMS_Backups\42\SiteServer\SiteDB.dat. The database dump will fail because no files or directories can be created under the object C:\SMS_Backups\42 until Windows NT Explorer releases that object.

WORKAROUND: To prevent problems related to partially locked file objects, make sure that no files or directories at or below the site's BACKUP_DEST_DIR are in use when backup runs. (For more information on BACKUP_DEST_DIR, see the SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help on the backup control file's built-in tokens.)

"SMS Site Server Task Properties: General Tab" Help Topic Corrections

The SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help topic titled "SMS Site Server Task Properties: General Tab" refers to the SMS_BACKUP service. The service name is actually is SMS_SITE_BACKUP.

This note is incorrect: "Note: All SMS server components are stopped while SMS is running." The site server services related to the site server role are stopped. Server services related to other SMS server roles are not stopped.

Action Type Named "exec"

The SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help for the stop and start sections mentions an action type named "exec". This is equivalent to the KILL command, and could corrupt data files that are open when the process is killed.

Sample Backup Control File

The SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help contains an "Example SMS Backup Control File". However, it is better to use the actual SMSBKUP.CTL file included with SMS 2.0 SP1 as the sample file.

Comment Stop/Start Commands

Do not nest comment start comment stop and commands (#start and #stop) in the backup control file. The first #start after a #stop will enable the lines following that #start.

Backup comment commands #stop and #start are case sensitive, and must be entered in lowercase only.

Specify Multiple Client Connection Accounts to Prevent Client Lockouts

If you use only the default client connection account and your site fails, even after you restore the site the SMS clients will be "locked out" (unable to contact a CAP and download updated account information). SMS clients get updated account information using the client connection account, and the password for the default account will be changed in the process of restoring the site. When this happens, you are unable to use Windows NT User Manager to change the password back to the original password because you would not know what that automatically-generated password was.

WORKAROUND: To avoid the risk of locking out clients if the site needs to be restored, ensure that at least one manually-specified client connection account is specified for the site (in addition to the default client connection account that is created when you install the site), before you back up the site.

SMS Client-Related Backup Issues

Do not shut down or back up SMS clients; it is not necessary.

To avoid interference between SMS Backup and software distribution, schedule software distribution advertisements and SMS Backups to run at different times.

Shared SQL Server Computers

Stagger the backup schedules for sites sharing an installation of SQL Server. This will reduce the load on the server, and reduce the elapsed time for each site's backup.

Default Configuration Information Files

Generally the backup task cmd always generates a "Success" status message. This means that a command window session was opened, and the command launched. Backup cannot trap cmd task errors such as "file not found" or "access violation." You should manually verify that the data produced by cmd tasks is being backed up successfully.

These are the default configuration information files produced by the Site Backup Task:

Configuration files in backup export location\<sitecode>\SiteServer\:

• SMSbkSiteConfigNTData.txt
• SMSbkSiteConfigNTWinMSD.txt

Configuration files in backup export location\<sitecode>\SiteDBServer\:

• SMSbkSQLConfigNTData.txt
• SMSbkSQLConfigNTWinMSD.txt
• SMSbkSQLConfigSQLdata.txt
• SMSbkSQLConfigSQLdboption.txt
• SMSbkSQLConfigSQLhelpdb.txt
• SMSbkSQLConfigSQLrevdatabase.txt (this data is not needed on SQL 7.0 servers)

Documentation (Printed and Online)

Information About SMS Accounts: Documentation Updates

The following updates have been made to the online version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide for the SMS 2.0 SP1 release:

• Five new tables (Tables 4.1 through 4.5) have been added to the "Using Windows NT File and Directory Security" topic. These tables provide more detailed information about the default permissions set on SMS shares and directories on client access points (CAPs), logon points,
distribution points, software metering servers, and SMS site servers.
• A new table (Table 4.6) has been added to the "Understanding SMS System Accounts" topic to summarize the accounts used by SMS. This table provides the following information about each account:


• the functions performed by the account
• whether the account is created automatically
• whether the account is required
• The existing information in the "Understanding SMS System Accounts" topic has been updated and expanded. Each account is now described more fully in individual sections.

The SMS accounts information in the SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help has also been updated. The updates to online Help include a new topic ("About Managing SMS Accounts and Passwords") that provides guidelines to enhance security and effectively manage SMS accounts.

Note   Other more minor changes were made to the online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide. Where it differs from the printed book, the online version created for SP1 is correct.

WORKAROUND: For the most up-to-date information about SMS accounts, see the SMS 2.0 SP1 release of the online version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide (SMSAdmin.chm) and the SMS online Help (SMS20hlp.chm).

SMS Client Remote Installation Account: Documentation Correction

The note in the "About the SMS Client Remote Installation Account" topic in the SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help (SMS20hlp.chm) is incorrect. This note states that the SMS Client Remote Installation account is required to install the SMS client software on Windows NT-based computers in NetWare environments, because NetWare resources will not use the SMS Service account. This is not correct.

To install the SMS client software on Windows NT-based computers, whose logged on users do not have local administrative rights, you can use either the SMS Service account or the SMS Client Remote Installation account. Either account can be used in Windows NT and NetWare environments. At least one of these accounts must have local administrative rights on the computers where the SMS client software will be installed, or the installation will not succeed.

By default, if you do not specify the SMS Client Remote Installation account for SMS client software installation (or if this account does not have local administrative rights on the client), the SMS Service account will be attempted. To enhance security, specify that the SMS Client Remote Installation account be used for SMS client software installation.

During site setup, the SMS Service account is made a member of the domain Administrators group for the site server's domain and, as such, it has administrative rights on all Windows NT systems in that domain. The SMS Client Remote Installation account does not need to be a member of the domain Administrators group, but it does need local administrative rights on the computers where the SMS client software will be installed. Therefore, make all clients running Windows NT in NetWare environments members of the Windows NT domain in which the SMS Service account exists. Even though such clients might not log on to that domain, those clients need to have machine accounts so that the SMS Client Remote Installation account or SMS Service account can be used.

Updated Flowcharts in Online Help

The flowcharts in the SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help differ from those that appear in the printed version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide. Where there are differences, the flowcharts in the online Help are more detailed and accurate.

WORKAROUND: When referring to flowcharts, use the online Help versions.

SMS Express Setup Information: Documentation Update

The online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide contains more accurate information about SMS Express Setup than the printed documentation.

WORKAROUND: For the most up-to-date information about SMS Express Setup, see the SMS 2.0 SP1 release of the online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, Chapter 6, Chapter 9, and Chapter 22.

Online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide Contains Updates to Chapter 17, "Determining Product Compliance"

The online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide contains more accurate information about product compliance than the printed documentation.

WORKAROUND: When you need information about product compliance, see the online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, Chapter 17.

Error in Online Help: Dependent Programs Not Supported on 16-Bit Clients

As indicated on page 389 of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, 16-bit clients cannot run a dependent program before the program that is advertised.

WORKAROUND: Reference page 389, "Software Distribution on 16-Bit Clients," in the printed SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Printing SMS Help Topics

When you click Print on the Options menu in the SMS Help Viewer, you can select the Print the selected heading and all subtopics option. If you do so, the topics print without their style sheet and look very different than the online display.

WORKAROUND: To preserve the appearance of the online display in the printed topics, print the topics individually by selecting the Print the selected topic option.

Related Topics

Help Is Not Customized for Alpha Computers
Reports Provided with SMS: Documentation Update
Documentation Update for Running an Unattended Setup
DO NOT Upgrade to SQL Server 7.0 Before Upgrading to SMS 2.0: Documentation Error
Courier Sender Is Supplementary Only: Documentation Error

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Hardware Inventory

Unsuccessful Hardware Inventory on Clients Running Windows NT Workstation Version 3.51

On clients running Windows NT Workstation version 3.51, hardware inventory sometimes fails and logs the "Agent initialization was unsuccessful!" error to the Hinv32.log file. This failure can occur if the WMI component deletes or corrupts the CIM Object Manager repository for inventory values on those clients.

WORKAROUND: To regain hardware inventory functionality in these cases, do either of the following:

• In Control Panel on the client computer, double-click the Systems Management icon, click the Sites tab, and then click Update Configuration.

-or-

• Restart the client computer and have the user log on again.

Extent of BIOS Data Reported

Hardware inventory on 32-bit clients includes any Systems Management Basic Input and Output (SMBIOS) of the computer System data that the hardware manufacturer places on the BIOS chip. Manufacturers vary in the amount and type of information they supply. In addition, some manufacturers might supply a unique identifier for each unit, whereas others choose to identify only unique models or configurations. Keep these restrictions in mind if you intend to use this data for Year 2000 compliance analysis or other resource tracking.

WORKAROUND: None.

Related Topics

Minimum Conventional Memory Required to Run Hardware Inventory

HealthMon

HealthMon Agent Needs Windows NT QFE Fixes

For the HealthMon Agent to run properly, the following Windows NT QFE fixes must be applied. See the KB articles for further information.

Windows NT 4.0 SP4:

• Q196270:Click here for FTP site.
• Q234351:Click here for FTP site.

Windows NT 4.0 SP5:

• Q234351:Click here for FTP site.

HealthMon Support for Terminal Server

The HealthMon Agent can be installed on a Terminal Server system (Windows 2000). You can monitor the terminal server but not the clients of the terminal server.

WORKAROUND: None.

Using Disk Administrator While Monitoring Performance Counters

Monitoring certain performance counters prevents Disk Administrator from adding or deleting partitions or from processing the addition of a hot-swappable drive to the computer being monitored.

WORKAROUND: To allow Disk Administrator to add or delete a partition, or to process the addition of a hot-swappable drive, temporarily stop the Windows Management service while making changes to a partition or a hot-swappable drive. (You can stop, start, and configure services by double-clicking the Services icon in Control Panel.)

HealthMon Agent Installation: Do Not Enable Disk Performance Counters on SMS Site Servers

If disk performance counters are enabled, during the HealthMon Agent installation on an SMS site server, WMI will freeze when the computer is restarted.

WORKAROUND: Do not enable the disk performance counters before or while installing the HealthMon Agent. If you encounter this problem, remove HealthMon, disable the disk performance drivers, then reinstall HealthMon. The disk performance counters can be enabled later if you want to use them.

Sites Using a Remote SQL Server Are Reported by HealthMon as "Critical"

HealthMon monitors the state of the SMS_SQL_MONITOR service, among others. This service is installed on the SQL Server computer, whether remote or local. If the SQL Server computer is remote, which is typical of secondary sites, HealthMon will not detect the service and will display the site status as "Critical".

WORKAROUND: For more information, see Knowledge Base article Q220944, available from the Microsoft Support Online Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/support/.

Avoiding "Unable to Detect" Messages

HealthMon generates "Unable to detect" messages on computers running Windows NT 4.0 when the performance counter or service that a component is monitoring is not available.

WORKAROUND: To avoid receiving these messages, install the required service or counter by using any of the following procedures:

• Services (Exchange Server, IIS, SQL, SNA, or SMS)
  To install services for Exchange Server, IIS, SQL Server, SNA, or SMS, follow the instructions in the product documentation.

  Note   SQL Server does not start the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) until it is needed. To start the MSDTC automatically at system startup, you must change the Startup settings for this service (double-click the Services icon in Control Panel, and then change the Startup setting to Automatic).

  For Windows 2000
  Click Start, point to Programs > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. Expand System Tools and then click Services.




• Physical Disk or Logical Disk
  

  For Windows NT 4.0
  For information about configuring physical disk and logical disk counters, at the command prompt, type diskperf.exe.

  For Windows 2000
  This feature is enabled by default.

• Network Interface
  

  For Windows NT 4.0
  

  Install the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit network counters component or install the SNMP service, and then reinstall SP4 or later for Windows NT 4.0.

  For Windows 2000
  

  HealthMon generates "Unable to detect" messages when Network Interface is enabled on Windows 2000 Beta 3 because of performance counter changes. There is no workaround.

Messages Display Executable Filenames of Services, Rather Than the User-Friendly Display Names

On Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, when a service has not been detected by the HealthMon Agent, the resulting error message displays the executable filename (short name), not the user-friendly display name of that service.

WORKAROUND: To view the friendly name associated with the executable file name reported by the HealthMon Agent, do the following:

1. Run the Sc.exe tool (available in the Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Resource Kit) as follows:

sc query | more

2. Scan the list of services for the name of the service (Service Name) given by the HealthMon Agent. The user-friendly name (Display Name) appears just below the service name.

Related Topics

Enabling SQL Server Performance Monitor Counters

Installation, Server

Blank Passwords Not Recommended for SMS Accounts

In some cases, SMS 2.0 allows empty or blank passwords (that is, passwords that do not have any characters) for the SMS accounts. You should never use blank passwords in your production environment.

WORKAROUND: For reasonable security, a password of at least six characters should be used, with at least one character from each of at least three of these groups: lower case, upper case, numbers, and symbols.

Express Setup

Express Setup installs no NetWare or NDS support.

Express Setup on a domain controller enables and all installation methods and all discovery methods except network discovery.

Express Setup on a server that is not a domain controller enables all installation methods (logon installation is not configured with any domains) and all discovery methods (logon dicovery is not configured to enumerate any domains) except network discovery.

Express Setup on a server that is not a domain controller enables and configures only the user account and user group installation and discovery methods.

WORKAROUND: If you need NetWare bindery, NetWare bindery emulation, or NetWare NDS Support, use the Custom setup option.

Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 and MDAC 2.0 SP1 Required Before Installing a SMS 2.0 SP1 Primary or Secondary Site Server on Computers Running Windows NT 4.0

Before installing an SMS primary or secondary site server on a computer running Windows NT 4.0, you must install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 and MDAC 2.0 SP1. This software can be installed from the Windows NT 4.0 SP4 compact disc, or from the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc.

WORKAROUND: To install the software on a computer running Windows NT 4.0 SP4 or Windows NT 4.0 SP5 from the Windows NT 4.0 SP4 compact disc, do the following:

1. Insert the Windows NT 4.0 SP4 compact disc.
2. Run Y2ksetup.exe from the <platform>\Update\ directory.
3. Install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 and MDAC 2.0 SP1 or higher. You might be given Custom or Complete Setup options during the MDAC installation. If you select Custom MDAC Installation, be sure to choose both ODBC Driver for Microsoft SQL Server and ODBC Driver for Microsoft Access.

If you do not have a Windows NT 4.0 SP4 compact disc, you can install the software from the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc. To install the software, do the following:

1. Insert the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc.
2. Run NT4SP4.exe from the NTQFE\NT4SP4 directory.
3. Run Y2ksetup.exe from the <platform>\Update\ directory on the Windows NT-based computer.
4. Install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 and MDAC 2.0 SP1 or higher. You might be given Custom or Complete Setup options during the MDAC installation. If you select Custom MDAC Installation, be sure to choose both ODBC Driver for Microsoft SQL Server and ODBC Driver for Microsoft Access.

Modifying the SMS Administrator Console on a Secondary Site Server

If you run site modification from a local version of the SMS Setup.exe to change the SMS Administrator console on a secondary site server, the modification will fail.

WORKAROUND: To modify the SMS Administrator console on a secondary site server, run Setup.exe from your SMS 2.0 compact disc.

SMS Setup Fails on the Alpha Version of Windows 2000 Beta 3

If you install SMS 2.0 on an Alpha version of Windows 2000 Beta 3, setup fails while installing the Windows Management providers.

WORKAROUND: Before you run SMS Setup, use Registry Editor to remove %windir%\System32\WBEM\dsprov.mof from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WBEM\CIMOM\Autorecover MOFs registry key.

Documentation Update for Running an Unattended Setup

Chapter 6 of the online version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide has been updated to include information about creating an initialization file to perform an unattended installation of SMS 2.0. The new topic, "Running an Unattended Setup," includes detailed descriptions of each of the setup keys in an SMS Setup initialization file and their corresponding values. Each key description also specifies the type of installation that requires that key.

The printed version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide does not include this information.

WORKAROUND: For detailed information about running an unattended setup of SMS 2.0, see the online version of the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Installing SMS 2.0 Support Tools

To conserve space on the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc, SMS 2.0 SP1 support tools are bundled into an executable file. To install the support tools, run the following setup program (from the compact disc): \Support\Support.exe. The setup program prompts you to specify a location to install tools.

For information about using these tools, see the Tools.htm file, which is installed as part of the Support.exe setup package.

Updates to SMS 2.0 Support Tools

The SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc includes the following updates for SMS tools:

Client Component MOF File Tool (SMSClient.mof)

This tool has been added to report version and status information for each client component. To be operational, this tool file (SMSClient.mof) must be added to the SMS_def.mof file. After it is added, use the updated MOF Manager tool to edit the new SMS_def.mof file. Previous versions of MOF Manager cannot be used to edit the updated SMS_def.mof file.

MOF Manager (MOFMan.exe)

This tool has been updated so that it can be used to edit the SMS_def.mof file that results from using the Client Component MOF File tool (SMSClient.mof). Previous versions of MOF Manager cannot be used to edit the updated SMS_def.mof file.

PGC Migration Wizard (SMS_MPGC.exe)

This tool has been updated to correctly display international character fonts. For more information about using this tool, see the Microsoft BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit.

For more information about using SMS 2.0 Support tools, see the Tools.htm file, which is installed as part of the Support.exe setup package.

Upgrading Shared SMS Providers

If the SMS Provider on the computer running SQL Server is used by more than one site, then you will be given the option (a dialog box appears) of upgrading the SMS Provider to SMS 2.0 SP1 when you upgrade the site server to SMS 2.0 SP1. You should upgrade the SMS Provider unless one of the sharing sites has already upgraded it. Note that upgrading the SMS Provider breaks all current SMS Administrator console sessions on all sites that use that SMS Provider.

Do Not Use Extended Characters in Server Names on TCP/IP Networks

Extended characters are not supported on a TCP/IP network. Server names are only allowed to contain the following characters: numeric digits (0-9), 'a-z' and '-'.

WORKAROUND: When specifying the site server during SMS Setup, ensure that the server name does not use extended characters.

Setting the Correct SMS Site Database and Log Size When Using SQL Server 6.5

The SMS site database space that is used is dynamic and based on many factors, including the number of clients, size of MIF files, size of collected software inventory, frequency of inventory collection, length of operation, number of collections, and the number of child and lower-level sites. SMS parent sites store hardware inventory, software inventory, and status message information from child sites, in addition to their own site information. The database and log sizes required to store this information must reflect the number of total clients in your site, as well as the number of child sites supported below the current site.

The formulas specified in the "Preparing SQL Server," "Configuring SQL Server for SMS," and "Creating Database Devices and Transaction Log Devices" topics in Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide apply only to stand-alone sites or child sites at the lowest level of the SMS site hierarchy. If the site will have child sites, you might want to set a larger database size, as described in Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

WORKAROUND: If you are running SQL Server version 6.5, use the following information to calculate the size of the SMS site database and logs at your current site, and set the database size as described in Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide:

Initial database size	20 MB
Single client data discovery record	0.35 KB
Single client hardware inventory	15 KB
Single client software inventory	22 KB (with information about files)
Each delta MIF	4.5 KB
Each delta software inventory	7.5 KB
Each status message	0.8 KB
Each lower-level site	0.5 MB
Each record in each default collection	131 bytes

The size of your site log device should equal 20 percent of the site database (20 MB minimum). You can specify larger sizes for your site database device and log devices if you plan to increase the activity in your site at a later time. You can also expand your SMS site database and log when you need more space.

Note    If you create the devices manually before running SMS Setup, then Setup will not create the SMS site database and log to equal the full size of their devices. After your SMS site is installed, you must expand the SMS site database and log to the full size of their devices by using SQL Enterprise Manager. For more information about expanding databases and logs, see the SQL  Enterprise Manager Help or SQL Server Books Online.

Setting the Tempdb Device Size When Using SQL Server 6.5

If the tempdb size is too small, some queries might fail to run and some reports (viewed in the Crystal Info Viewer) show only titles and no data. If SMS Setup installs SQL Server for you, it will create a large enough tempdb for reports to run successfully. However, if you use an existing installation of SQL Server, the device might be too small.

WORKAROUND: To avoid problems arising from a tempdb that is too small, if you use an existing installation of SQL Server for a site, make sure that the tempdb device is the same size as the LOGDB device. For more information on tempdb, see the SQL Server documentation.

Windows NT Domain Controllers Synchronized During SMS Setup

SMS Setup triggers a synchronization between the primary domain controller (PDC) and any backup domain controllers (BDCs) in the Windows NT domain where the site server resides. This can take a significant amount of time if the PDC and one or more BDCs are separated by routers or slow links, or if there is a large amount of data to be transferred (for example, if the user accounts database for the domain is very large).

WORKAROUND: To allow sufficient time for the completion of SMS Setup, take into account the amount of time your domain requires to synchronize the domain controllers.

PGC Packages Cause Incorrect Data to Remain After Site Upgrade on NetWare Site Servers

If you have PGC packages on your NetWare SMS 1.2 distribution points, you will find incorrect NetWare data in your SMS site database after you upgrade the site server to SMS 2.0.

WORKAROUND: If you have not yet upgraded your site server, do the following:

1. Delete the program group that contains the PGC package. Wait for the deletion to propagate down to the secondary site server.
2. Before upgrading either site, create a machine group containing the NetWare server.
3. Create a Remove package from server job. In the Job Details dialog box, choose the PGC package, click Remove from selected distribution servers, and then select the machine group you just created from the listbox.
4. Wait until the job shows "Status=Complete" and the files are removed from the NetWare server.
5. Upgrade the site server to SMS 2.0.
6. Run Setup a second time on the site server to add the Bindery component.
7. In the SMS Administrator console, add NetWare accounts to the site server.
8. In the SMS Administrator console, add the NetWare server as a logon point, distribution point, and CAP.
9. Distribute software normally, specifying the NetWare server as the distribution point when you create new packages or modify existing ones.

If you have already upgraded your site servers to SMS 2.0, do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Site Systems and delete the NetWare server.
2. Remove the NetWare server from the distribution points list for all packages that contain the NetWare server.
3. In the SMS Administrator console, add NetWare accounts to the site server.
4. In the SMS Administrator console, add the NetWare server as a logon point, distribution point, and CAP.
5. Distribute software normally, specifying the NetWare server as the distribution point when you create new packages or modify existing ones.

Error When Installing the Network Monitor Control Service

If you installed beta releases of Network Monitor 2.0, when you removed those releases, the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Monitor Control Service registry key might not have been removed correctly. As a result, when you install the released version of Network Monitor, the "Cannot create service..." error message appears because the name "Monitor Control Service" is already in use. Windows NT fails to create the new service (McSvc).

WORKAROUND: To ensure that the Monitor Control service is installed correctly, install SMS 2.0 SP1 and then remove and reinstall Network Monitor as follows:

1. Remove Network Monitor by using the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel.
2. In Registry Editor, delete the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Monitor Control Service registry key, if the key exists.
3. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.
4. Install the released version of Network Monitor 2.0.

For more information about Network Monitor 2.0, see the Network Monitor Readme.htm file in either the SMSsetup\Netmon\<Platform> directory (where <Platform> is i386 or Alpha) or the Nmext directory on the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc. When installed, the Network Monitor release notes are in the SMS\Netmon\<Platform> directory.

Interrupted Setup and Crystal Info Version 6

If you interrupt SMS Setup during the installation of Crystal Info, a partial installation of Crystal Info might prevent the successful completion of the SMS re-installation.

WORKAROUND: To complete a successful SMS installation that includes Crystal Info after you have interrupted SMS Setup, remove Crystal Info (by using the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel) before you reinstall SMS.

Internet Explorer Version 4.01 and the Active Desktop

When the SMS Administrator console is first installed on computers that use the Active Desktop feature of Internet Explorer version 4.01, no SMS entries appear in the Start menu.

WORKAROUND: To make the SMS entries appear in the Start menu, log off and then log back on, or restart the computer.

Installation, SMS Client

Do Not Interrupt SMS Client Installation

If an SMS client installation is interrupted by a restart or user log off, the client might not complete the full installation.

WORKAROUND: To avoid interrupting SMS client installation, wait five minutes after you run SMSls.bat or SMSman.exe before logging off or restarting the client computer.

If you believe that the client installation was not completed, run Cliunins.exe in the %windir%\MS\SMS\Core\Bin directory, and then repeat the client installation process.

Installing SMS Client Software over RAS on Computers Running Windows 2000

Logon discovery and installation methods that use logon scripts over a RAS connection are not supported for computers that are running Windows 2000. However, after the SMS client software is installed, these client computers can function over RAS.

WORKAROUND: Use SMSman.exe over RAS to install SMS client software on Windows 2000 computers.

General Protection Fault on Windows 95 Clients Running Hardware Inventory

When you enable hardware inventory for a site, a general protection fault can occur on clients that run Windows 95 and Windows 95 OSR2 and that do not have Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) installed. The Windows Management service causes the problem, which usually occurs on clients that have low disk space and low memory conditions. The problem appears 48 hours after hardware inventory is enabled.

WORKAROUND: On clients running Windows 95, do the following:

1. Install DCOM for Windows 95, version 1.2, from the Microsoft Web site, at http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom/dcom1_2/dcom1_2.asp.
2. Reinstall Windows Management so that the DLLs will be correctly registered.

SLOWNET Line Speed Detection Is Lower Than Dial-Up Status Indicator

Logon discovery and installation over a RAS connection will not work if the detected connection speed is lower than 40 kbps, and the logon scripts have not been modified to accept a lower threshold.

Slownet.exe consistently detects line speeds that are slower than those reported by the dial-up adapter on the client. For example:

WORKAROUND: To modify the logon scripts to accept a connection speed threshold that is lower than 40 kbps, make the following changes in the scripts:

1. Back up SMSls.bat in the SMS\Data\Nt_logon directory to SMSls.org.
2. Modify the following lines in the SMS\Data\Nt_logon directory\SMSls.bat file:

OK_TO_PROCEED

Replace:   %SMS_LOCAL_DIR%\MS\SMS\CORE\BIN\SLOWNET.EXE %0
With:        %SMS_LOCAL_DIR%\MS\SMS\CORE\BIN\SLOWNET.EXE %0 1000

SLOWNETUSER

Replace:   %SMS_LOCAL_DIR_USER%\MS\SMS\CORE\BIN\SLOWNET.EXE %0
With:        %SMS_LOCAL_DIR_USER%\MS\SMS\CORE\BIN\SLOWNET.EXE %0 1000

SLOWNETTEMP

Replace:   %TEMP%\SLOWNET.EXE %0
With:        %TEMP%\SLOWNET.EXE %0 1000

SLOWNETSERVER

Replace:   %0\..\SNBOOT.EXE
With:        %0\..\SNBOOT.EXE 1000

Note   This example presumes a minimal connection speed of 1000 bps, but this value can be any value less than 40,000.

3. If the SMSls.bat file is changed after the creation of the logon point, copy the updated SMSls.bat file to the \SMS\Data\NT_Logon directory on the site server.

Installing Clients on Computers Running Windows NT 3.51 over RAS

Logon discovery and installation methods that use logon scripts over a RAS connection are not supported for computers running Windows NT 3.51. However, after the SMS client software is installed, these client computers can function over RAS.

WORKAROUND: Use SMSman.exe to install SMS client software on computers running Windows NT 3.51 over RAS.

Related Topics

16-Bit Clients Are Not Supported on Novell NetWare NDS

Internationalization

Upgrading SMS 2.0 International Client Pack Installation to SMS 2.0 SP1

If you use SMS 2.0 SP1 to upgrade an SMS 2.0 installation that has an International Client Pack (ICP) installed, the ICP client bundle files to be overwritten. After these files are overwritten, only English is supported on the clients in that site. For example, if you have an English SMS site server and you have installed ICP3, and then upgrade to SMS 2.0 SP1, only English clients will be supported.

WORKAROUND: After upgrading the site server to SMS 2.0 SP1, install the SP1 version of the ICP you require. For example, install the SP1 version of ICP3 on your upgraded SMS 2.0 SP1 site server to get SMS client local language support for the ICP3 languages. The general guideline is that the release level of the ICP must match the release level of the English site server installation.

Globalization Issues

Typically, any collection, package, or advertisement that is passed down a hierarchy assumes the name it was assigned where it was created. It appears with that same name throughout the hierarchy. However, the default collections are a special case. Default collections are defined at each local site, but when a child site is attached to a parent site, the parent site's collection names overwrite the child site's names for the default collections.

When languages between sites are mixed, one of the following scenarios applies to all objects (default or user-defined) that are passed down a site hierarchy:

• The parent/defining site and the SMS Administrator console at the child site that views the data are using the same code page. In this case, the strings are in a different language, but they are not corrupted.
• The parent/defining site and the SMS Administrator console at the child site that views the data are using different code pages. In this case, the strings are corrupted when they are viewed in the SMS Administrator console.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that the text strings are not corrupted at child sites that are using a different language than the originating site, do one or more of the following:

• If the parent and child site use different code pages, run the SMS Administrator console on a remote computer that is using the same code page that is used at the site where the collection, package, or advertisement was created and named. The default query names remain unreadable in the main SMS Administrator console, but they will be readable on the computer using the same code page as the source computer.
• Consider renaming your default collections in only ASCII, or in a combination of ASCII and the original language so that, at a minimum, they can be identified in child sites.
• Use ASCII only in the Comment field of collections, advertisements, packages, and programs if you are concerned about the readability of these objects in child sites that use different code pages.

Remote Control on Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Turkish Clients Running Windows NT

Windows NT-based client computers using Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Turkish cannot be controlled remotely until a modification is made at the SMS site server because the Administrators group will not be in the Permitted Viewers list.

WORKAROUND: At the SMS site server, install the English version of the SMS Administrator console on the target-language operating system. Add the translated word for "Administrators" to the Permitted Viewers list. Future remote control sessions will be able to access the client computers.

Remote Control Credentials Cannot Contain Extended Characters

When the credentials dialog box appears, requesting user name, password, and domain prior to starting a remote control session, you cannot enter extended ASCII characters.

WORKAROUND: None.

English Viewer Cannot Enable Input Method Editor on Some Clients During Remote Control Sessions

The ALT and tilde (~) keys do not enable the client's Input Method Editor (IME) during a remote control session in which "system key pass-through" is enabled from an English viewer to a client that uses the IME. This prevents the English viewer from entering double-byte character set characters.

WORKAROUND: Install a localized version of the SMS Administrator console on a computer that has a localized operating system. Remote control sessions will be able to access the IME.

Setting the AutomaticAnsiToOEM Option for SQL Server

The default installations of SQL Server version 6.5 and SQL Server version 7.0 enable the AutomaticAnsiToOEM option. However, if your SQL Server computer will process data from non-US code pages, you should disable the AutomaticAnsiToOEM option.

WORKAROUND: To disable the AutomaticAnsiToOEM option, use the following procedures:

For SQL Server version 6.5, do the following:

1. In the SQL Server Client Configuration Utility, click the DBLibrary tab.
2. Clear the Automatic ANSI to OEM check box.
3. Click Done.

For SQL Server version 7.0, do the following:

1. In the SQL Server Client Configuration tool, click the DB Library Options tab.
2. Clear the Automatic ANSI to OEM conversion check box.
3. Click OK.

Extended (non-ASCII) and Double-Byte Characters in Domain and SMS Site Server Names Are Not Supported

Extended (non-ASCII) and double-byte character set (DBCS) characters in Domain and SMS site server names are not supported in this release of SMS.

WORKAROUND: To name site servers and domains in a DBCS or an international hierarchy, use ASCII characters.

Crystal Info Report Designer Does Not Run When SMS Directory Contains DBCS Characters

If the SMS directory on the site server contains DBCS characters, Crystal Info Report Designer will not run.

WORKAROUND: Do not use DBCS characters when you specify the SMS directory during SMS Setup.

Stop Remote Control Client Agent Before You Upgrade Japanese Clients Running Windows NT 3.51

When you upgrade Japanese clients running Windows NT 3.51 to Windows NT 4.0 SP3 or SP4, you must first stop the Remote Control Client Agent on those clients.

Note:   This workaround applies to the English site server with ICP5 with Japanese client configuration and Japanese site server configuration.

WORKAROUND: To stop the Remote Control Client Agent on Windows NT 3.51 Japanese and Windows NT 4.0 Japanese clients, do the following:

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Services icon.
2. Select the SMS Remote Control Agent, and then click Stop.
3. Click Startup.
4. In the Service dialog box, change the Startup Type to Manual.
5. Start the process to upgrade the client to Windows NT 4.0 Japanese.

After the upgrade to Windows NT 4.0 Japanese, install SP3 or SP4. Then do the following on the upgraded computers:

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Services icon.
2. Select the SMS Remote Control Agent, and then click Start.
3. Click Startup.
4. In the Service dialog box, change the Startup Type to Automatic.

Unsupported Remote Control Features on Japanese Windows NT Version 4.0, Service Pack 3

On an SMS Administrator console computer that is running Japanese Windows NT Server version 4.0 SP3, the Remote Execute, File Transfer, and Chat buttons are disabled in the Remote Tools window.

Note:   This workaround applies to the English site server with ICP5 with Japanese client configuration and Japanese site server configuration.

WORKAROUND: To enable these buttons, install SP4 for Japanese Windows NT Server version 4.0.

Advertising 16-Bit Programs with Long File Names to Windows NT 3.51 Japanese Clients

You cannot run 16-bit applications that have DBCS file names on the Japanese version of Windows NT 3.51 if the file name is longer than 8.3 characters. Advertised programs that have command lines with files of this type will fail on Japanese Windows NT 3.51 clients.

Note:   This workaround applies to the English site server with ICP5 with Japanese client configuration and Japanese site server configuration.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that advertised programs with DBCS file names in the command line will work on clients running the Japanese version of Windows NT 3.51, shorten the file names to 8.3 characters, or change the file names to non-DBCS characters.

Localized Versions of WBEM Tools Are Not Provided on U.S. SMS 2.0 SP1 Compact Disc

Localized versions of WBEMperm.exe, WBEMtest.exe, and WBEMcntl.exe are not provided on the U.S. SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc. Instead, English versions of these files are installed wherever WBEM is installed.

The localized versions are German, French, and Japanese.

WORKAROUND: To obtain a local language version of these WBEM files, copy the local language versions of these files (located in the Support directory of localized SMS releases) over the English versions.

Related Topics

Restrictions on Use of Nordic Sort Order

Interoperability with SMS 1.2

Do Not Share SMS Site Databases Between SMS Versions

Although SMS Setup enables you to install an SMS 2.0 site with an existing SMS 1.2 site database, the new site will not work because SMS 2.0 cannot share a SQL Server database with an SMS 1.2 site. SMS 2.0 can use the same SQL Server installation as SMS 1.2 if they use separate databases.

WORKAROUND: During SMS 2.0 Setup, specify a database that is not being used by an SMS 1.2 site.

Distributing Software to Clients in SMS 1.2 Child Sites

If at least one SMS 1.2 site will report to an SMS 2.0 site in your site hierarchy, you can distribute software from SMS 2.0 sites to SMS 1.2 clients. However, no information on this process is available in the SMS 2.0 product documentation.

WORKAROUND: For information about distributing software from SMS 2.0 sites to clients at SMS 1.2 child sites, read the white paper on the Systems Management Server Web site.

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Network Monitor

Network Monitor Has Separate Release Notes

The following information about Network Monitor version 2.0 SP1 is also available in the Readme.htm file in the \Netmon\<Platform> directory (where <SMSsetupPlatform> is i386 or Alpha) and the Nmext directory on the SMS 2.0 compact disc.

If you have comments or suggestions about Network Monitor 2.0, send them to smswish@microsoft.com.

Remove Beta Versions Before You Run Setup

You cannot upgrade beta releases of Network Monitor 2.0.

WORKAROUND: To install Network Monitor 2.0, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel to first remove any previous beta versions of Network Monitor 2.0. Then, run Network Monitor Setup (as part of the SMS Setup or from the SMSsetup\Netmon\<Platform> directory on the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc).

Network Monitor 2.0 SP1 External Setup Program Uninstalls Any Previous External Network Monitor 2.0 Installation

The Network Monitor 2.0 SP1 external setup program (located in the \NMext directory on the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc) will uninstall any previous external Network Monitor 2.0 installation it detects. Previously customized Network Monitor files and captures are not removed.

Network Monitor 2.0 SP1 is installed to the %windir%\system32\netmonfull directory.

Note   The SMS setup of Network Monitor is unchanged.

WORKAROUND: None.

Network Monitor is Not Installed Over Previous Versions

Network Monitor Setup does not automatically install the new version over the current version.

WORKAROUND: Specify that the new version be installed in the same directory as the current (old) version. This action causes the new version to overwrite the current version, leaving the computer with just the latest version instead of two versions in different locations.

Installing Network Monitor on Computers That Have Windows 2000 Server-Side Terminal Server Software Installed

You must use "install mode" when installing Network Monitor on Windows 2000 computers that have Terminal Server software installed so that Network Monitor files can be written to the \System32 directory.

WORKAROUND: Before installing Network Monitor, type change user /install at a command prompt. You can then continue to install Network Monitor.

Close Local Area Connection Properties Dialog Box Before Installing Network Monitor

During Network Monitor Setup, if the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box is open, the Network Monitor drivers will not be installed and an error message appears stating that no network card was found.

WORKAROUND: To install the required drivers, do the following:

1. Open the Local Area Connections window, and then right-click Properties.
2. Click Add, and then click Protocol.
3. Select Network Monitor Driver, and then click Install.

Displaying Online Help in the Select a Network Dialog Box on Computers Running Windows 2000

The Help button does not open online Help in the Select a Network dialog box on computers running Windows 2000.

WORKAROUND: To display the Help topic for the Select a Network dialog box, do the following:

1. On the Network Monitor Help menu, click Help Topics.
2. Click the Index tab.
3. Scroll to the Select a Network dialog box entry, and then select it.
4. Click Display.

Token-Ring Network Adapter Cards Might Not Work with Network Monitor

There are some problems with some models of token-ring network adapter cards.

WORKAROUND: Fully test any token ring network adapter cards in your environment before relying on them to capture network data.

Enable Traffic Statistics Gathering for Madge Smart Network Adapter Cards

If you are using a Madge Smart 16/14 PCI Ringnode [BM] token-ring network adapter card, you must enable Traffic Statistics Gathering for that card.

WORKAROUND: To enable Traffic Statistics Gathering for a Madge Smart network adapter card that is already installed on a computer running Windows NT 4.0, do the following:

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Network icon, and then click the Adapters tab.
2. In the Network Adapters list, select the Madge Smart network adapter card.
3. Click Properties.
4. In the configuration dialog box, select the Enable option for Traffic Statistics Gathering.

If the Madge Smart network adapter card is already installed on a Windows 2000-based computer, do the following:

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
3. Double-click Network Adapters, right-click on the Madge Smart network adapter card, and then click Properties.
4. Click Advanced.
5. In the Property list, click Statistics Gathering Mode.
6. In the Value dialog box, click Yes, and then click OK.
7. Close Device Manager.

Do Not Use Manufacturer Driver for Madge Token-Ring Network Adapter Cards

Do not use the driver supplied by the manufacturer for the Madge token-ring network adapter cards.

WORKAROUND: Use the driver that is made available through Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 for your Madge token-ring network adapter card.

Displaying Large Capture Files Might Cause Virtual Memory Problems

The maximum size for a capture buffer is 1024 MB. If you are creating large capture files (such as a 1024 MB capture), Windows is likely to run out of virtual memory. When Windows runs low on memory, Network Monitor will continue to capture (although frames might be dropped because of slow system performance). After the capture is completed, Windows might not have enough free memory to display the large capture file.

WORKAROUND: You can resolve part of the out of virtual memory problem by increasing the Windows paging-file swap size; however, this will not resolve the problem completely. To display a large capture file, do the following:

1. Save the captured data before you attempt to view the capture file contents.
2. Exit Network Monitor.
3. Restart Network Monitor.
4. Open the large capture file.

Incompatible Driver Versions Error Message When Remotely Accessing SMS Network Monitor 2.0

Remote captures between SMS Network Monitor 2.0 and SMS Network Monitor 2.0 SP1 are not supported, due to changes in the context in which the remote client and the Network Monitor Driver communicate.

WORKAROUND: Upgrade all installations of SMS Network Monitor 2.0 to SMS Network Monitor 2.0 SP1.

Print Capture Function Always Uses Default Column Order

On Windows NT 4.0, the print capture function will always print the Summary pane in the default column order.

WORKAROUND: None.

Network Monitor Protocol Coalesce Expert Does Not Completely Coalesce NetWare Core Protocol Burst Frames

NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) burst frames are left as fragments and are not coalesced into single frame transactions as they should be.

WORKAROUND: None.

Average Server Response Time Expert Sometimes Returns Incorrect Averages

Under some conditions the Average Server Response Time expert returns incorrect averages for server time. (Instead of sorting the list of requests and discarding duplicates, all requests are saved. This situation can result in averages that are significantly inflated from the actual averages.) This problem occurs if your capture contains a large amount of Server Message Block (SMB) traffic; if most of the traffic is non-SMB, the server averages are accurate. Also, the larger the capture file, the greater the inaccuracy of averages for server response time.

WORKAROUND: None.

Different Code Pages on Computers Can Cause Captured Data to Be Unreadable

If you capture network data sent between two computers that use a different code page than the one on your local computer, some frame data fields might not be readable in Network Monitor.

WORKAROUND: Use Network Monitor on a computer that has the same code page as the remote computers that you are targeting in your capture.

IntelliMouse Wheel Does Not Work in the Capture Window Graph Pane

The Microsoft IntelliMouse(R) wheel does not work when you attempt to scroll in the y-axis in the Graph pane of the Capture window.

WORKAROUND: To scroll, use IntelliMouse to move the scroll box in the scroll bar.

Network Monitor Shortcuts on Windows 2000 Professional

On Windows 2000 Professional, the Administrative Tools are not displayed by default. Unless Administrative tools are displayed, the Network Monitor shortcuts will not be available.

WORKAROUND: To display the shortcuts, do the following:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Start Menu Options task.
3. Select Display Administrative Tools. This will enable the shortcuts for the logged-on user.

Using Token-Ring Network Adapter Cards to Run Monitors Might Not Pass Along Functionals

Some token-ring network adapter cards report that they support local-only mode, but they will not pass along functionals (a token-ring named multicast).

WORKAROUND: If you notice that Security Monitor is not stopping unauthorized users from capturing, edit the registry to force the card into promiscuous mode, as follows:

1. Review the tab of the Monitor Control Tool to determine the permanent MAC address.
2. In Registry Editor (RegEdt32.exe), navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Nm\Parameters new registry key.
3. On the Edit menu, click Add Key.
4. In the Key Name box, type ForcePmode, and then click OK.
5. Select the ForcePmode folder in the left pane.
6. On the Edit menu, click Add Value.
7. In the Value Name box, type the MAC address (from step 1), and then click OK.
8. In the String Editor dialog box, type 1.
9. On the Registry menu, click Exit.
10. Restart the Monitor Control Tool and reconfigure Security Monitor.

The next time Network Monitor or the Monitor Control service runs, the token-ring network adapter card will run in promiscuous mode.

To stop forcing promiscuous mode, do the following:

1. Use Registry Editor to navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Nm\Parameters\ForcePmode registry key.
2. Select the string in the right pane.
3. On the Edit menu, click String.
4. In the String Editor dialog box, remove all text (so the value is null).
5. On the Registry menu, click Exit.

Do Not Change Monitor Control Service Settings

If you alter the Log On As behavior of the Monitor Control service, it will not function correctly.

WORKAROUND: Do not change the Monitor Control service settings.

Monitor Control Service Fails When Domain Controller is Unavailable

If you start the computer that runs the Monitor Control Tool, and it cannot reach a domain controller, when you start the Monitor Control service after logging on, your computer will not receive any monitor events. The following message appears:

"Windows Management denied us access to the database - unable to register for events."

WORKAROUND: Wait until you can reach a domain controller before you run the Monitor Control Tool.

Problems Viewing the Security Monitor Log File in Microsoft Notepad

The log file generated by Security Monitor (%netmon%\Secmon.log) is difficult to read using Microsoft Notepad.

WORKAROUND: To best view the Secmon.log file, do the following:

1. Open %netmon%\Secmon.log in Microsoft Excel.
2. Select Fixed Width as the data type if you are prompted to do so by Excel when it opens the file.

Resolving the "No Network Drivers " Error Message

If the "No Network Drivers..." error message appears after you start Network Monitor, you will not be able to capture network traffic, although you can still open capture files that were created during earlier sessions of Network Monitor. The usual cause of this error message is that the Network Monitor driver (Nmnt.sys) could not be located in the %windir%\System32\Drivers directory.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that the Network Monitor Driver is installed correctly, do the following:

1. Verify that the driver is installed as a network service (on Windows NT 4.0) or as a network protocol (on Windows 2000).
2. If the driver is installed, remove it and then reinstall it.
3. If reinstalling the driver does not resolve the problem, remove Network Monitor Tools, and then reinstall them.
4. If reinstalling Network Monitor Tools does not resolve the problem, on the Network Monitor Options menu, click Change Temporary Capture Directory, and ensure that the temporary capture directory is a valid directory on a drive that you have read and write access to, and that it has enough free disk space (at least 1 MB free, plus the buffer size).
   

   Note   If you change the Temporary Capture directory, you must exit and restart Network Monitor for the changes to take effect.

Cannot Capture When the Remote Computer Is Not on the Network

If you receive the "An unknown error 102 has occurred" error message in Network Monitor when you start a capture on a disconnected remote computer, the remote computer is no longer available on the network.

WORKAROUND: None.

Network Monitor Times Out Slowly

If you attempt to connect to a remote computer that exists but that is disconnected from the network, Network Monitor might take a long time to time out.

WORKAROUND: None.

Do Not Use Double Backslashes in Front of Computer Names

When connecting to remote computers, enter only the computer name. Preceding the computer name with double backslashes (\\) is unnecessary and can cause remote connection problems.

WORKAROUND: Type computer names without preceding them with double backslashes.

Related Topics

New Terminology
Error When Installing the Network Monitor Control Service

Novell NetWare

For the most current information about using SMS 2.0 in a NetWare environment, visit the Systems Management Server Web site.

NetWare Components Performance Issue

When NetWare components are installed performance degrades in some cases because handles are being opened and not closed. This situation occurs when a native NetWare call to determine whether a server is a NetWare server or an NDS tree fails or when a connection is released.

WORKAROUND: To avoid degrading performance on an SMS site server with NetWare components installed or on NetWare clients, if possible, use Windows NT Gateway Services for NetWare (GSNW) as the site server redirector and CSNW as the client redirector. GSNW can be used as a site server redirector when only bindery servers are being configured. Deploying SMS in an NDS environment requires use of Novell's IntranetWare client version 4.6 on the site server. If you must use the Novell Client for Windows NT, contact NetWare technical support to request a fix.

Note:    When using the 4.5 redirector there is no workaround. When using the 4.6 redirector, which is the most recent and suggested redirector for SP1, the handle leak can be remedied by unbinding TCP/IP from the Novell Client for Windows NT under Network properties. Use of IPX only is acceptable.

Configuring NetWare Bindery Logon Points from Windows 2000 SMS 2.0 SP1 Site Servers

Before installing SMS 2.0 SP1 on your SMS site server, enable the Microsoft Gateway (and Client) Services for NetWare (GSNW) redirector. If you do not enable GSNW on the site server before installing SMS with Bindery support then any Bindery Logon Points specified will not be configured until GSNW is enabled. Status messages will report the failure to configure the Bindery Logon Point until GSNW is enabled.

WORKAROUND: To successfully configure NetWare Bindery logon points from a Windows 2000 site server, do the following:

1. Enable the GSNW redirector on the site server.
2. Restart the site server computer.
3. Run SMS Setup from the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc with NetWare Bindery support enabled.

16-Bit Clients Are Not Supported on Novell NetWare NDS

NetWare NDS does not support 16-bit clients (Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, and Windows for Workgroups 3.11) for NetWare NDS.

WORKAROUND: None.

Problem with Novell NetWare Clients and Remote Procedure Calls

On occasion, the Novell redirector can cause remote procedure calls (RPCs) to stop functioning on the computer on which it was installed, which causes SMS to stop functioning. This is caused by the Novell Login Box (Nwgina.dll). This is a known issue with Novell and more information can be obtained from their Web site: http://support.novell.com. If SMS Setup detects that you are using the Novell redirector, and using the Novell Login box, a warning message appears.

WORKAROUND: To prevent this problem, replace the Nwgina.dll file with the Msgina.dll file, as follows:

1. In Registry Editor, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon registry key.
2. Change the data under the GinaDLL value from NWGINA.DLL to MSGINA.DLL.
3. Restart the computer.

Supported NetWare Redirectors

Supported NetWare redirectors are not listed in the SMS 2.0 documentation, but they are listed in the following tables. You can also view up-to-date information about redirectors supported by SMS in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.com/support/.

SMS supports the following Novell and Microsoft redirectors for NetWare site systems:

SMS supports the following redirectors for client operating systems connecting to NetWareNDS site systems:

SMS supports the following redirectors for client operating systems connecting to NetWare bindery emulation site systems:

Note   16-bit clients that log onto a bindery emulation server from DOS are not supported. Users must be logged onto Windows and be using NetWare VLM 2.71 to connect to bindery emulation systems.

SMS supports the following redirectors for client operating systems connecting to NetWare bindery site systems:

Note   16-bit clients that log onto a bindery server using Windows and NetWare VLM 2.71 to connect are supported. 16-bit clients using Windows 3.1 and LAN Manager 2.2c that log onto Windows NT before or after launching Windows are also supported.

WORKAROUND: None.

SMS Client Installation Fails on Windows 95 and Windows 98 Computers Accessing a Bindery Emulation CAP

When Windows 95 and Windows 98 computers using the Novell IntranetWare Client version 2.5 redirector try to reach a NetWare bindery emulation client access point (CAP) during SMS client installation, the installation will fail while the "Are you sure you want to log out of the tree?" message box appears. This message box appears when SMS creates the connection to the CAP and then tries to remove the connection.

WORKAROUND: Ensure that computers running Windows 95 and Windows 98 have an existing connection to the server that is performing the CAP role before you enable the NetWare Bindery Logon Client Installation method.

Related Topics

Supported Site System Platforms
Logon Discovery and Client Installation of Windows 3.1 Computers Using NetWare

Product Compliance

New Compliance Database Not Automatically Imported During Upgrade

When you upgrade SMS 2.0 to SMS 2.0 SP1, the new Microsoft Year 2000 Product Compliance Analyzer database is not automatically imported if your current site already has one.

WORKAROUND: Manually import it:

1. Navigate to Product Compliance:
    Systems Management Server
      Site Database (site code - site name)
        Product Compliance
2. Right-click Product Compliance, click Tasks, and then click Import Product Compliance Data.
3. In the Import Product Compliance Data dialog box, enter \SMS\Y2K\Loaded\y2kprod.txt, and then click OK.

Editing Year 2000 Product Compliance Database Records

It is possible to add entries to your Year 2000 product compliance database when you did not intend to. You can edit existing records in the product compliance database, but if you edit any of the primary keys, a new record is created when the database file is imported (as opposed to the existing record being modified, which is what you might have been expecting, and which is what happens when non-primary keys are edited). Thus, you will have two records where before there was only one.

The following are the primary keys; editing any of these causes an additional entry to be created in the product compliance database:

• Compliance type
• File name
• File size
• Information source
• Resource product language
• Resource product name
• Resource product version

Queries

Class Name Aliases Are Not Supported in Queries

In this release of SMS, running a query with prompted-value criteria that uses an alias for a class name is not supported.

WORKAROUND: None.

Queries with Array Properties Fail

Queries that include array properties (such as multiple IPX addresses, multiple IP addresses, or multiple subnets), require a large amount of tempdb and might fail because of tempdb limitations. You can reduce the amount of tempdb required to run a query by modifying the queries to include fewer attributes.

WORKAROUND: To reduce the amount of tempdb required to run a query, reduce the number of attribute classes in the query. You might also want to temporarily limit the tempdb size while you test the query.

Remote Tools

Using Third-Party Remote Tools Software with SMS

If you have previously installed Intel's LAN Desk or Novell's ZEN Works, SMS will not install the Remote Tools Client Agent on clients, even if you have enabled the Remote Tools Client Agent (under Site Settings in the SMS Administrator console).

WORKAROUND: To install the SMS Remote Tools client agent, remove the third-party remote control application from clients before you re-enable the Remote Tools Client Agent for a site.

If you have already enabled the Remote Tools Client Agent and then removed the third-party remote control application, perform one of the following workarounds to re-enable the Remote Control Client Agent:

• Create a package with the file \\Server\SMS\inboxes\clicomp.src\remctrl\i386\Remctrl.exe and advertise it to the affected clients. This will cause Remote Control for SMS to be reinstalled on SMS clients from which the third-party remote control application has been removed. If SMS clients that are still running the third-party remote control application attempt to run the advertisement, Remctrl.exe will detect the third-party remote control application, and it will not overwrite the third-party application.

-or-

• Wait for routine re-verification of client components, which takes place every 30 days.

Remote Control Does Not Pass Visual Signals When Accessibility Options Are Enabled on the Client

If you initiate a Remote Control session with a user who has accessibility options enabled (in Accessibility Options in Control Panel), you will not be able to view the visual signals from the client. In this configuration, the client does not pass the visual signals to the Remote Control Client Viewer window.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that you can view visual signals from the client, have the user at the client disable the accessibility options for the duration of the Remote Control session.

Remote Control Displays Incorrect Cursor

If the Remote Control Client Viewer window is open, the Remote Tools window is open in the background, and you resize the Remote Control Client Viewer window, the wrong cursor appears when you move the cursor to switch the focus to the Remote Tools window.

WORKAROUND: To view the correct cursor, place the cursor in the Remote Control Client Viewer window, or click on the Remote Tools window.

Remote Control of SMS 1.2 Clients That Are Running Windows 98 or Windows 95 with the Upgraded TCP/IP Stack (Winsock2) Is Not Supported

Remote Control of an SMS 1.2 client that is running Windows 98 or Windows 95 with the upgraded TCP/IP stack (Winsock2) is not yet supported. However, all other Remote Tools are supported for these two configurations.

WORKAROUND: Assign the client to an SMS 2.0 site.

Pinging Windows 98 Clients on IPX Reports Incorrect Value

If both the Windows 98 client and the SMS Administrator console computer are using only the IPX protocol, the Ping tool graph bar remains at zero for the duration of the test when it is run against the client.

WORKAROUND: To ping clients when both the Windows 98 client and the SMS Administrator console computer are using only the IPX protocol, do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Client Agents (Systems Management Server, Site Database, Site Hierarchy, site name, Site Settings, Client Agents).
2. Right-click Remote Tools, and then click Properties.
3. In the Remote Tools Client Agent Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
4. Change the Default remote access protocol setting from TCP/IP to IPX.

Remote Control of SMS 1.2 Clients Running Windows 98 Is Not Reliable

When you initiate a Remote Tools session with a Windows 98-based client that belongs to an SMS 1.2 site, Remote Control works unreliably if the protocol is set to IP.

WORKAROUND: To ensure proper functioning during a Remote Tools session with an SMS 1.2 client running Windows 98, set the client protocol to NetBIOS or assign the client to an SMS 2.0 site. For information on how to set the client protocol to NetBIOS, see the SMS 1.2 Administrator's Guide.

Remote Control Fails on Clients Running Windows 95 with STB Nitro 3D Video Adapter Card when Hardware Acceleration is enabled

Remote Control fails on Windows 95 clients that have an STB Nitro 3D video adapter card.

WORKAROUND: To initiate Remote Control sessions on Windows 95-based clients that use the STB Nitro 3D video card, do the following:

1. In Control Panel on the client, double-click the Display icon.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Click Advanced Properties.
4. Click the Performance tab.
5. Set Hardware acceleration to None.

Remote Control Client Agent Might Take a Long Time to Completely Initialize

In a complex domain environment with hundreds of trust relationships across many LAN/WAN-based domains, the Remote Control Client Agent might take up to a full minute for each entry in the Permitted Viewers list before it can fully initialize. If the client computer is shut down when the Remote Control Client Agent is initializing, a "Process unable to shut down" warning message might appear. This warning requires the user at the client computer to either kill the process or wait to shut down.

WORKAROUND: To remove unnecessary entries in the Permitted Viewers list do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Client Agents (Systems Management Server, Site Database, Site Hierarchy, site name, Site Settings, Client Agents).
2. Right-click Remote Control Client Agent, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab, and then select a permitted viewer in the Permitted Viewers list. To remove the selected name, click Delete.

Do Not Use More Than 512 Characters in the Remote Control Permitted Viewers List

If the total number of characters in the Permitted Viewers list exceeds 512, you will not be authorized to carry out any remote control functions on clients running Windows NT or Windows 2000.

Note   In addition to the characters in the names contained in the Permitted Viewers list, there is a null character at the beginning and end of the Permitted Viewers list and a null character between each entry on the list. Include these characters when determining your total character count for the Permitted Viewers list.

WORKAROUND: Remove unnecessary entries in the Permitted Viewers list so that the total number of characters in the list is less than 512 characters, using the following steps:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Client Agents (Systems Management Server, Site Database, Site Hierarchy, site name, Site Settings, Client Agents).
2. Right-click Remote Control Client Agent, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Security tab, and then select a permitted viewer in the Permitted Viewers list. To remove the selected name, click Delete.

Screen Accelerators Not Yet Available for Computers Running Windows 2000 Professional and Enterprise

Regardless of the video driver in use on computers running Windows 2000 Professional and Enterprise, the screen acceleration will always report Low in the Remote Control Show Status option on SMS 2.0 clients.

WORKAROUND: None.

ATI Mach64 Video Drivers on Windows 98 Not Compatible with SMS Remote Control

Certain ATI video cards with chipsets such as Mach8, Mach32, and Mach64 GX or CT, have drivers that are not compatible with SMS Remote Control.

WORKAROUND: To ensure video card compatibility with Remote Control, install the latest ATI drivers from the ATI Technical support Web site.

ATI Rage II+ Video Driver Version 5.21 on Windows 95 Can Cause Failures

When the Remote Control Client Agent is loaded on a Windows 95 computer using ATI Rage II+ and the latest driver, version 5.21, the computer crashes and requires a reboot.

WORKAROUND: To use remote control on a computer running Windows 95 with this configuration, use one of the two procedures:

1. In Control Panel, double-click the Display icon, and then click the Settings tab.
2. Click Advanced Properties.
3. Click the Performance tab.
4. Change Hardware Acceleration to "None".
5. Restart the computer.

- or -

• Use a different display driver.

Remote Control Properties Dialog Box Delay

After you click OK or Apply in the Remote Control Properties dialog box, a long delay can make it appear that SMS has failed on the client.

WORKAROUND: Wait 30 to 40 seconds for the dialog box to close.

Related Topics

Windows 2000 Professional IPX/SPX Clients
Windows 2000 SMS Clients Must Be Restarted After Remote Control Sessions Remote Control and DOS Mode on Clients Running Windows for Workgroups 3.11

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Security

Granting Security Rights for Site Hierarchies

Administrators who are granted full security rights for a site can view and configure properties for that site and its child sites, even if those sites exist in domains to which the administrator does not have access. The parent site can make changes to child sites regardless of the Windows NT and SMS security implemented at those individual sites. The security rights granted at the site to which the user is connected are those that determine his or her ability to change child site settings at that site.

WORKAROUND: To limit security rights to individual sites, restrict class rights and add site instance rights to individual servers as follows:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Security Rights (Systems Management Server, Site Database, Security Rights).
2. Click New, and then click Class Security Right.
   

   -or-

   Right-click the security right you want to modify in the details pane, and then click Properties.

3. Configure the class security right.

Site Reset Cannot Be Used to Restore a Deleted SMS Server Connection Account: Documentation Correction

The last bulleted list item in the "About Managing SMS Accounts and Passwords" topic in the SMS 2.0 SP1 online Help (SMS20hlp.chm) is incorrect. This item states "If you inadvertently delete the SMS Server Connection account or change its password, you can restore this account by resetting your site." This is not correct. You can use site reset to restore the SMS Server Connection account only if the password has changed. However, if you delete the SMS Server Connection account, you cannot restore it by resetting your site. For this reason, you should not delete the SMS Server Connection account.

User Groups Created by SMS

The following information supplements the information about SMS security provided in the SMS 2.0 documentation.

SMS automatically creates the following two user groups:

SMS Admins

A local group that provides its members with access to the SMS Provider, through WMI. Access to the SMS Provider is required for viewing and modifying SMS security objects and data in the SMS Administrator console. By default, members of the SMS Admins group on the local computer or members of the local Administrators group have WMI access.

SMSInternalCliGrp

A global group created on domain controllers to contain the Client User Token account (SMSCliToknAcct&) and the Client Services DC (SMS&_) account. Under Windows NT security, domain accounts must be made members of a user group. The SMSInternalCliGrp user group enables the Client User Token account and the Client Services DC account to run, but does not grant these accounts rights that they do not require. For the most up-to-date information about the Client User Token account and the Client Services DC account, see the SP1 release of the online SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide (SMSAdmin.chm) or the SMS 2.0 Help (SMS20hlp.chm).

Avoiding Client Lockouts When Working with SMS Client Connection Accounts

This information supplements information about the SMS Client Connection account that is included in the SMS 2.0 documentation.

In Windows NT User Manager for Domains, if account lockout is enabled, any one client with an invalid password will cause all SMS Client Connection accounts the client is aware of to become locked out, if the password on those accounts have changed. For example, an SMS client that has been offline for a long period of time can cause a lockout because all of its Client Connection accounts passwords might have expired. When it attempts to return online with an old, invalid account password, it causes that Client Connection account to become locked out.

Because Windows NT account information typically propagates down the domain more quickly than SMS account information in an SMS site hierarchy, as soon as an SMS Client Connection account password is changed in Windows NT, the SMS client with the old password will fail. If the SMS client software was installed on the client through Windows NT Remote Client Installation, it will be difficult for that client to recover from the account lockout because the client would receive updated account information from the CAP using the account that just failed. However, if Logon Discovery were enabled, the client would receive the updated account and password information during the next logon (if logon scripts are used). If logon points have not been created, the only way for such a client to recover from account lockout is for you to either enable Discovery or Logon Installation (with scripts enabled,) or use SMSMAN to reinstall. You could also to remove and then reinstall the client using Windows NT Remote Client Installation.

WORKAROUND: To avoid locking out clients, do not change the password of an SMS Client Connection account. Instead, create new SMS Client Connection accounts with new passwords. After the new account information is propagated to all domain controllers, CAPs, and clients, you can change or delete the old accounts.

You can use the following procedure to ensure that two valid SMS Client Connection accounts are maintained at all times. You should implement this procedure in every domain that has a SMS Client Connection account used by clients in the site. The procedure describes how to create three new SMS Client Connection accounts, and then cycle the creation of additional new accounts and the deletion of old accounts. By creating three new accounts, adding a new account and then deleting an old account, you ensure that two accounts remain untouched during account maintenance-the newer account and the older account. The older account helps ensure that clients who have been offline for a longer period of time and return online will have a valid account and password.

Note   The time between a cycle of adding and deleting accounts should be one-third of the maximum password age set in Windows NT. In this procedure, the time between cycles of adding and deleting accounts is two weeks (one-third of the default 42-day maximum password age in Windows NT User Manager for Domains).

To cycle SMS Client Connection accounts, do the following:

1. Start User Manager for Domains, and then create the following three accounts:
• SMSClient_00001
• SMSClient_00002
• SMSClient_00003

(When naming your accounts, using the format SMSClient_XXXXX will ensure sufficient account capacity.)

• In the SMS Administrator console, create the same three accounts.

For information about creating SMS Client Connection accounts in the SMS Administrator console, see the SMS 2.0 Help.

• Two weeks after you create the first three accounts, create a fourth account (SMSClient_00004) in User Manager for Domains and in the SMS Administrator console.
• Delete the oldest account (SMSClient_00001) from User Manager for Domains and from the SMS Administrator console.
• Two weeks after you delete the oldest account, add a new account (SMSClient_00005) to User Manager for Domains and the SMS Administrator console.
• Delete the oldest account (SMSClient_00002) from User Manager for Domains and from the SMS Administrator console.
• Continue this cycle every 2 weeks by adding a new account with an incremented number in the account name (SMSClient_XXXXX), and by deleting the oldest account in the series. Remember to add and delete the account in both User Manager for Domains and the SMS Administrator console.

Default Permissions for CAPs Not Automatically Updated During Upgrade from SMS 2.0 to SMS 2.0 SP1

To enhance security for the SMS 2.0 SP1, there are new default permissions set on CAPs. However, these settings are not applied automatically when you upgrade from SMS 2.0 to the SMS 2.0 SP1 release.

WORKAROUND: To use the new default permissions, after you upgrade to the SP1 release of SMS 2.0, set permissions on the CAP share and subdirectories manually, according to the following table.

Note   Directories that used to have Change permission but now have Write permission no longer have Delete access.

For your convenience, the following table lists the default permissions set on CAPs for the RTM release of SMS 2.0.

Site Configuration and Maintenance

If DNS is Configured Incorrectly, You Might Experience Errors Connecting to WMI

Computers running Windows NT 4.0 Server and Windows 2000 Server require that DNS be configured with a fully qualified domain name for the server, for example: computername.domain.ext.

WORKAROUND: First set up DNS in a single domain:

1. During installation, select Install DNS.
2. Make sure to create a fully qualified domain name for the server: computername.domain.ext.

Next, follow the procedure appropriate for your server's operating system to configure your server as a DNS client:

Windows 2000 Server

1. Open the Network and Dial-up Connections dialog box.
2. Right-click Local area connection, and then click Properties.
3. Right-click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
5. In the Preferred DNS Server field, type the IP address of the DNS server.
6. Click Advanced.
7. Click the DNS tab.
8. Enter the domain name in the format domain.ext, and then click OK.
9. Select Register this connection's address in DNS if it is not already selected.
10. Click OK.
11. At a command prompt, run IPCONFIG /ALL to make sure that the DNS server and domain name are correct.

Windows NT 4.0 Server

1. Right-click Network Neighborhood, then click Properties.
2. Click the Protocols tab, right-click TCP/IP, and then click Properties.
3. Click the DNS tab.
4. Verify that the Hostname is the server computer's name.
5. Enter the domain in the format domain.ext, and then click OK.
6. Add the IP address of the DNS server.
7. Click the WINS tab.
8. Select Enable DNS for Windows resolution if it is not already selected.
9. Click OK.
10. Restart the computer.
11. At the command prompt, run IPCONFIG /ALL to make sure that the DNS server and domain name are correct.

At this point, the computers should register with the DNS server. If you are using Windows 2000, you can immediately solve the connectivity problem by manually entering addresses on the Windows 2000 DNS server.

1. On the Start menu, click Administrative Tools, then click DNS Management.
2. Open the domain node under Forward Lookup Zones.

Registered hosts will appear in the details pane.

3. To add a new computer name (host not registered yet) in the details pane, right-click, select New, and then click Host.
4. Enter the computer name without a double backslash (\\) or domain prefix.
5. Enter the IP address of the computer.
6. Select Create associated PTR record.
7. Click Add Host.
8. Repeat this procedure for all computers you want to add to the Windows 2000 DNS server.
9. Test by pinging a remote computer using the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) in the format computername.domain.ext.

Logon Points Are Not Supported on FAT Partitions

SMS 2.0 does not support the creation of SMS logon points on FAT partitions. If you have a domain controller on a FAT partition, user accounts that are validated on that domain controller will not receive the SMS client software.

WORKAROUND: To successfully install clients, make sure that your domain controllers have NTFS partitions with more than 50 MB of free disk space, or choose a client installation method for the site other than the Windows Networking Logon Client Installation method.

Related Topics

Blank Passwords Not Recommended for SMS Accounts

SMS Administrator Console

Determining the SMS Administrator Console Software Version on SMS Administrator Console-Only Computers

On computers other than the site server, the SMS Administrator console displays the software version that is installed on the site server, not on the local computer. This will not help you determine if this computer requires updated SMS Administrator console software.

WORKAROUND: To determine which software version is installed on the local computer, do the following:

1. In Registry Editor, check the software version in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Setup\UI Version registry key.
2. If the version in this registry key is 1239 or earlier, the SMS Administrator console software needs to be updated.

SMS Administrator Console Hangs If Running Different Operating System Versions

If a site has a remote site database server, do not upgrade the site server's operating system from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 beta 3.

MMC New Window Commands

The New Window and New Window from Here commands in MMC can produce unexpected results. The use of these commands is therefore not recommended.

WORKAROUND: None.

Deleted Secondary Sites Persist

Deleted secondary sites might persist in the SMS Administrator console.

WORKAROUND: Manually refresh Site Hierarchy in the SMS Administrator console by pressing F5.

SMS Installer Version 2.0

System Requirements for SMS Installer Reference Computers

The following information supplements the information provided in the SMS Installer 2.0 documentation.

An SMS Installer reference computer must have one of the following operating systems installed:

• Windows 3.1 (x86)
• Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (x86)
• Windows 95 (x86)
• Windows 98 (x86)
• Windows NT version 3.51 (x86 or Alpha)
• Windows NT version 4.0 (x86 or Alpha)
• Windows NT version 4.0, SP3 or later (x86 or Alpha)
• Windows NT version 4.0, Enterprise Edition without Microsoft Cluster Server support (x86)

The reference computer must also have at least 8 MB of RAM and at least 6 MB of free disk space.

WORKAROUND: None.

New Features for SMS Installer in SMS 2.0 SP1

The following features are new for this release of SMS Installer. For more information about these features, see the SMS Installer online Help.

• Debugging
  Use the debugging features to test your installation script in a debugging environment. You can run the debugger on the entire script, run it using break points, or run it one line at a time.
• Support for complex expressions and operators
  Using complex expressions and operators, you can create variables for your installation script that you could not previously create. SMS Installer provides support for complex expressions and operators when they are used with the following script items in Script Editor: Set Variable, Wizard Block, and IF While Statement.
• Version support for Setup programs
  Specify version information for the Setup program (not the application itself). You can use this information to keep track of multiple versions of a Setup program. You can modify this information only for 32-bit Setup programs that are compiled on computers running Windows NT.
• Color-coded installation script options
  You can assign different colors to different types of installation script items, making it easier to browse your installation script. To change the color for a particular type of script item, in Installation Expert, select Advanced Configuration, and then click the Options tab.
• Sleep script item
  Use the sleep script item to temporarily halt the installation script for a specified length of time.
• Changes to the Call DLL Function script item
  You can now use the Call DLL Function script item to call a function that is written specifically for SMS Installer or to call a function that has variable parameters and that is not known to SMS Installer. If you choose the second option, you are prompted to define the new variable parameter.
• New predefined variable
  The variable SYSWIN is new. This predefined variable contains the Windows directory. On a multiuser system, such as Windows 2000 with Terminal Services enabled, SYSWIN returns a listing of the root system directory (not the user-defined Windows directory). The SYSWIN predefined variable also contains the path of the Windows directory (usually C:\Windows). However, on a multiuser system, this path might be the user-specific Windows directory on a computer with multiple user directories.

SMS Installer-Generated Uninstall Programs Uninstall Duplicate Program Groups on Windows NT 3.51

If an SMS Installer-generated setup package installs an application to a common program group on a computer running Windows NT 3.51 and there is a personal program group of the same name on the computer, then, when the application and associated common program group is uninstalled, the uninstall program removes both program groups.

DLL functions in SMS Installer

All DLL functions must be declared as CALLBACK functions, otherwise, the Setup program may hang or crash. Previous versions of SMS Installer tolerated DLL functions that were not called as CALLBACK functions. So it is possible that DLL functions that worked correctly with previous versions of SMS Installer might not work correctly in this version of SMS Installer.

WORKAROUND: Declare all DLL calls as CALLBACK functions in the DLL code. For example, use the following code: BOOL CALLBACK MyFunction(lpDllParams DLL32CALLPARAMS);

Changes to Multiple-String Registry Values

The Repackage Installation Wizard detects changes that an installation program makes to the registry. However, if Installer detects a change to a multiple-string registry value (REG_MULTI_SZ) on the reference computer, then, rather than detecting only the string that changed, the Repackage Installation Wizard records the entire registry key value. Consequently, when the resulting SMS Installer-generated setup package is run on a target computer, the setup package will replace the entire multiple-string registry value, not just the string that changed. If the target computer is identical to the reference computer, this will not cause a problem. However, if the target computer is not identical to the reference computer, then multiple-string registry values unrelated to the application might be changed.

WORKAROUND: Use the Repackage Installation Wizard on a reference computer that is identical in configuration to the target computers.

Opening a Script Using a Previous Version of SMS Installer Can Cause Functionality Loss

If you open an SMS Installer installation script using a previous version of SMS Installer, you might lose functionality, especially if the functionality is not supported in the previous version (such as support for a specific language). For example, if you work on a script using the SMS 2.0 SP1 version of SMS Installer, do not open the script using the SMS 2.0 (without SP1) version of Installer.

WORKAROUND: When editing installation scripts, use the same (or newer) version of SMS Installer that you used when creating the installation script.

16-Bit SMS Installer Setup Fails If Temp Directory Is Invalid

When you are installing the 16-bit version of SMS Installer, if the %Temp% environment variable points to an invalid directory, SMS Installer Setup fails and generates the following message: "Could not write to temporary directory."

WORKAROUND: To ensure that the Temp directory is valid, create the Temp directory and restart the installation. Or, edit the environment variable to point to a valid directory, and then restart the installation.

All Languages Are Installed by Default

Earlier versions of SMS Installer prompted you to specify additional languages during installation. By default, SMS Installer 2.0 installs all languages.

WORKAROUND: None.

Run Application Command in SMS Installer Watch Does Not Execute Any Application on Alpha Windows NT 4 Computers

SMS Installer Watch does not function on Alpha Windows NT 4 computers.

WORKAROUND: None.

Automatic Computer Restart While Using the Repackage Installation Wizard Fails

If a setup program that you are repackaging restarts the system, SMS Installer does not automatically restart the Repackage Installation Wizard.

WORKAROUND: After the setup program that you are repackaging restarts the computer, start SMS Installer and then start the Repackage Installation Wizard. The wizard enables you to choose whether to continue repackaging.

Do Not Use SMS Installer to Repackage Microsoft Windows Installer Service Bundled Applications

Do not use SMS Installer to repackage applications that are installed with the Microsoft Windows Installer Service, such as Microsoft Office 2000. Rather, use the setup options that are built into the application. For example, Microsoft Office 2000 offers its own robust setup options. Setup programs that use the Microsoft Windows Installer Service are easily identified by the *.msi file extension (as opposed to the *.exe file extension).

WORKAROUND: None.

Do Not Repackage Device Drivers or Service Packs

Do not repackage device drivers. They might not be uniform across all client computers. You should not repackage service packs, either, because they might contain device drivers.

WORKAROUND: None.

SMS Installer Newsgroup

To participate in unmonitored discussions about SMS Installer, you can access the microsoft.public.sms.installer newsgroup. This newsgroup is available on the following news server: msnews.microsoft.com.

Software Distribution

A Program that Fails Can Never Be Advertised to Run ASAP

A program that fails and is then fixed cannot be advertised to run ASAP, either by adding ASAP to the existing advertisement or by creating a completely new advertisement with ASAP specified.

WORKAROUND: Do one of the following after correcting the reason for the program's failure:

• Do not specify ASAP.
• Make a completely new program and advertise that to run at the current time, which will have the same effect as running ASAP.

Using Software Distribution to Upgrade Clients Running Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0

If you use the Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 package definition file to create and advertise the Automated upgrade from Windows 95 program that upgrades Windows 95-based clients to Windows NT Workstation 4.0, the status that is reported is based only on the ability to start the Winnt.exe program on the client. That is, if Windows NT Setup is successfully started, a successful MIF file is generated and reported to SMS, even if Windows NT Setup encounters errors while running.

WORKAROUND: Windows 95-based clients that succeed in upgrading to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 will reject the advertisement because, by default, the advertisement is configured to apply only to clients running Windows 95. To determine which computers reported success in running the advertisement and later rejected it based on the supported platform, use advertisement status (navigate to Systems Management Server > Site Database > System Status > Advertisement Status > advertisement status).

Unattended Installation of Windows 98

You must add the following lines to the Win16to98.inf file to prevent a warning dialog box from appearing, which stops the unattended installation until the dialog box is dismissed:

;  Setup normally warns you to close other apps, including screen savers, before upgrading.
;  0 = warn as usual, 1 = do not warn for Windows apps, 2 = do not warn for DOS apps, 3 = do not warn for anything
;  NOTE:  Selecting 3 may cause loss data if unsaved documents are open.  Choosing anything but 3 
;  may stop and prompt for user input at the beginning of Windows 98 setup.  If left commented, 0 will be used as
;  the default.
;NoAppsWarn=3

Note that the last line should be un-commented to be set the flag that suppresses the dialog box.

Using Package Definition Files for Unattended Upgrades from Windows 95 to Windows 98

By default, during the upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98, Windows 98 Setup prompts the user to shut down any open programs, and waits for a response from the user before continuing. The package definition file for the Windows 98 upgrade does not change this default behavior because of the risk of data loss, should an application be shut down by the Setup program.

WORKAROUND: To enable an unattended upgrade from Windows 95 to Windows 98, edit the W95to98.inf file to remove the ";" comment symbol from start of the following line:

;NoAppsWarn=3

Warning   This workaround will cause Windows 98 Setup to close all programs on the target computer, which might result in data loss. If you use this option, tell your users to close all programs before the scheduled upgrade, even if the upgrade is scheduled for hours when the target computers are not normally in use.

Advertisement Changes Based on Windows NT User Group Membership

Changes to Windows NT user group memberships take effect upon the user's next logon. Changes in advertisements that are based on existing user group memberships are detected at the normal polling interval (the user does not need to log off and then log back on). Advertisements that become valid for a user because of the user group membership changes, and that have occurred since that user last logged on, do not take effect until the user's next logon.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that users who are assigned to a new user group receive the programs that are advertised to that user group, instruct them to log off and then log back on to their computer.

Re-sending Assigned Advertised Programs

To re-run an assigned program which has already been executed by the clients, you can simply add one or more new assignments to the existing advertisement of the program. To add new assignments to an existing advertisement do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Advertisements (Systems Management Server, Site Database, Advertisements).
2. Right-click the advertisement you want to resend, and then click Properties.
3. In the Advertisement Properties dialog box, click the Schedule tab.
4. On the Schedule tab, click New to create a new assignment. (If you click OK in the Assignment Schedule dialog box, an assignment with the current time will be added.)
5. Click OK.

Restriction on Windows NT Domain Names for Clients Running Windows 95 and Windows 98

Clients running Windows 95 and Windows 98 cannot correctly identify the user groups they belong to if the name of the Windows NT domain that the SMS site server resides in uses any characters other than the hash mark (#), the dash (-), and alphanumeric characters. In such cases, programs that are advertised to user groups to which the user at such a client belongs might not be run at that client.

WORKAROUND: If a site will include Windows 95 or Windows 98 clients, give the site server's domain a name that uses only alphanumeric characters, and optionally the hash mark (#) and the dash (-). Or, if you must use additional characters in the site server's domain name, use an alternate method to advertise programs to the members of a user group. For example, create a collection based on some other characteristic of the members of the user group, or to a collection listing the users who are to receive the advertisement, and then advertise to that collection.

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 Distribution: Some Required Files Not on SMS 2.0 Compact Disc

The package definition file for Windows NT 4.0 SP4 that is included on the SMS 2.0 compact disc contains command lines that reference the Sp4i386.exe and Sp4alpha.exe files. These files are not provided on the SMS 2.0 compact disc.

Also, do not use the Y2ksetup.exe setup method for Windows NT 4.0 SP4 in SMS 2.0 software distributions.

WORKAROUND: To use the package definition file that is included with SMS 2.0 to distribute Windows NT 4.0, SP4, copy the Sp4i386.exe and the Sp4Alpha.exe files from the Windows NT 4.0 SP4 compact disc into your package source directory. No additional wrapper files are required.

To use SMS 2.0 to distribute Windows NT 4.0 SP4 with the Y2K components, visit the Systems Management Server Web site. Information about distributing Windows NT 4.0 SP4 with the Y2K components will be made available on this Web site after the release of SMS 2.0 SP1.

Using Package Automation Scripts for Installation Programs That Require a Wrapper Program

Many organizations want to create packages for software installation programs that require a wrapper program. For example, to install Windows NT 4.0, or to apply SP3 to Windows NT 4.0. SMS 2.0 includes package definition files to perform many of these tasks. The operating system upgrade package definition files that use wrapper programs to provide additional automation require the package source directory to be set up in a specific way.

WORKAROUND: The following table describes how to set up package source directories and add the wrapper files to use these package definition files.

Note   When upgrading computers from Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT;nbsp;4.0 to Windows 2000 Beta 3, use the wrapper (W2kwrap.sms and W2kwrap.exe) in the \Support directory on the SMS 2.0 SP1 compact disc.

For updates to the package definition files and for wrappers to upgrade 32-bit Windows operating systems, visit the Systems Management Server Web site.

Mandatory Programs Will Not Run on Windows NT 3.51 Clients over a RAS Connection

Advertised programs that have the Assignments are not mandatory over slow links check box selected (in the Schedule tab of the Advertisement Properties dialog box) will not run on Windows NT 3.51 clients over a RAS connection.

WORKAROUND: If you have Windows NT 3.51 clients that work over a RAS connection, then for any advertisements that are targeted to those clients, do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Advertisements (Systems Management Server > Site Database > Advertisements).
2. Right-click the advertisement you want to modify, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Schedule tab.
4. Clear the Assignments are not mandatory over slow links check box.

Forcing an Assigned Advertisement to Rerun

Because any client can receive multiple advertisements for the same program, SMS merges duplicate advertisements and combines their schedules. If a client receives several advertisements that all have assignment times, SMS attempts to run the program at the earliest assignment time. If the program is completed successfully, it is not scheduled to run again at any of the other assignment times. Creating additional advertisements will not force the program to re-run.

For example, if a program has run on a client through an assignment for advertisement A, receiving advertisement B for that same program, but with a later assignment time, will have no effect on the client.

WORKAROUND: To force assigned programs to re-run, do one of the following:

• If all the clients in the target collection should re-run the program whether or not they have ever run it successfully, add an additional assignment to the existing advertisement.
• If only those clients that have never run the program successfully should re-run it, create an additional advertisement for the program to the same collection with a new assignment time that is after the original assignment time.

Some Advertised Programs Report Failure upon Successful Completion

SMS interprets an error code of zero as success when advertised programs are completed, whereas other applications, such as Internet Explorer version 3.02, report a non-zero error code upon successful completion. Advertisements that distribute these applications will report an incorrect advertisement status.

WORKAROUND: If you encounter program failure messages, carefully review the reported exit code in the advertisement status.

Software Metering

Changing the Software Metering Account Password

Do not change the Software Metering service account (SWMAccount) password outside of the SMS Administrator console.

WORKAROUND: To change the SWMAccount password, do the following in the SMS Administrator console:

1. Navigate to Site Systems (Systems Management Server > Site Database > Site Hierarchy > site code - site name > Site Settings > Site Systems).
2. Right-click the site system whose Software Metering Service account you want to change, and then click Properties.
3. In the Site System Properties dialog box, click the Software Metering Server tab, and then click Set.
4. In the Windows NT Account dialog box, specify (and confirm) the new password for the Software Metering Service account.

Running Restricted Products on Clients That Have Permission

If you restrict a metered product to a group, clients who are not domain administrators will not be able to run the product because they are unable to determine the groups the user belongs to, and therefore are unable to enforce security by group. However, user and computer permissions continue to work correctly.

WORKAROUND: None.

Software Metering Tool Can Take Excessive Amounts Of Memory

The Software Metering Tool will use large amounts of memory when displaying the Summary Tab. The amount of memory it uses is directly proportional to the number of records in the ABCGrant and NONLIC tables.

WORKAROUND: Summarize the data in both Licensed and Non-Licensed tables.

Data Summarization Will Add Time To Summarized Records

When software metering data is summarized the time value for the record is changed to the full summarization period. For example: if you have five applications that were run for 10 minutes at the same time on a particular day, you will show 50 minutes of usage. Once those records are summarized for the day you will show five records that ran for 1440 minutes. This will make the time value in the reports invalid for summarized data.

WORKAROUND: None.

Checking Out Programs to Users with Low Rights Might Fail

The Check Out program (Check32.exe) on the client requires that the logged on user have administrative rights on the client. If a user without local administrative rights tries to check out a program, the checkout might fail, producing the following error message on the client: "Cannot get the groups."

WORKAROUND: To ensure that users can check out the programs they need, verify that users who will need to check out programs have administrative rights on the computer where the programs will be checked out.

Software Metering Enforcement Begins Seven Days After Service Starts

Software metering is designed to run in non-enforcement mode for seven days when it is first installed, so that software usage trends can be calculated throughout your organization. During this non-enforcement period, license balancing delivers the required licenses to each of the software metering servers according to the available licenses and the usage metrics of each server. This is so that when the licenses begin to be enforced the supporting number of licenses will already be at the Software Metering servers.

Note    For review purposes, you might want to generate denials and callbacks in order to see how they work. To do so, you must bypass the seven-day trend calculation process. However, license balancing will not occur until a software usage trend has been calculated.

WORKAROUND: To force license balancing to occur by ignoring the seven-day non-enforcement period, do the following:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Tools (Systems Management Server > Site Database > Tools).
2. Right-click Software Metering, point to All Tasks, and then click Start Software Metering.
3. In the Software Metering tool, click Metered Software.
4. Select the product you want from the list, and then open the Properties dialog box for the product.
5. Click the License Balancing tab.
6. Clear the Do not enforce the license limits for this product until a trend has been calculated check box.
   

   To ignore the seven-day trend calculation requirement on an ongoing basis, make sure that this check box is cleared each time you define a new product.

After the programs are run on the client, license balancing will function and licenses will begin to move down the site hierarchy to the software metering servers. This process might take some time to complete.

Configuring Software Metering Clients Requires Configured Software Metering Server

Clients cannot be correctly configured to use software metering until at least one software metering server has been completely configured for the site.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that clients can be configured to use software metering, ensure that at least one software metering server has been configured and the following status message appears: "Software Metering Server Manager successfully installed the server <servername>."

Software Metering Service Account Remains When Software Metering Role Is Removed

If you remove the software metering server role from a computer, SMS does not delete the Software Metering Service account (SWMAccount).

WORKAROUND: To manually delete the Software Metering Service account, run User Manager for Domains on the computer that performed the software metering server role.

No Secondary Site Database Maintenance

Background maintenance of the software metering database cache on a secondary site is not supported in this release of SMS. Although the lack of background maintenance impedes the performance of the secondary site server, it does not impair overall SMS functionality.

WORKAROUND: None.

SQL Server

SQL Server Version 6.5 Needs Updated File

To prevent general protection faults from occurring with Windows Management and the SMS Administrator console, if you are running any SQL Server release prior to SQL Server 6.5 SP5, you must manually copy an updated file from the SMS 2.0 compact disc.

WORKAROUND: After installing SQL Server 6.5 SP 4, copy the Sqlcrt60.dll file from the Sqlsetup\Sqlhotfix directory on the SMS 2.0 compact disc to the Mssql\Binn directory on the SQL Server computer.

WARNING: This file should not be copied if you are using SQL Server 6.5 SP5 or SQL Server 7.0, any service pack.

Upgrading to SQL Server 7.0

When you upgrade SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0, you will see a SQL Server Setup dialog box that says "ODBC components on your system need to be updated but one or more files are in use or are marked as read-only. Please close all applications and press retry. Note that a reboot may be required to free the files." However, rebooting will not free the files.

WORKAROUND: Stop all three Crystal "Info *" services before you upgrade SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0.

SQL Server Enterprise Editions Work Only on Certain Operating Systems

SQL Server Enterprise Editions can only be installed on the following operating systems:

• Windows 2000 Advanced Server
• Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
• Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition

Remote Site Database Error After Upgrading Site Server's Operating System

If a site runs its site database on a site system other than the site server, and the site server's operating system is upgraded from Windows NT 4.0 SP4 to Windows 2000 beta 3, then SQL Server Database Monitor will report the following error when trying to connect to the site server: "Could not connect to registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SMS".

WORKAROUND: On the site server, run SMS Setup from the compact disc and choose to upgrade the site, making no changes. SQL Server Database Monitor will restart automatically as part of the reinstallation and it will now work. Note that performing a site reset from the SMS 2.0 compact disc does not fix it; you must reinstall.

SQL Server 6.5 Is Not Supported for SMS Express Setup on Windows NT Enterprise Edition

SMS Express Setup works for Windows NT Enterprise Edition, or with SQL Server 6.5, but not for both together.

Enabling SQL Server Performance Monitor Counters

In this release, SMS Setup disables Performance Monitor counters for SQL Server when the SMS Provider is located on the same computer as SQL Server. When you run Perfmon.exe, you will not see any SQL Server counters, and other applications will not be able to access SQL Server counters.

WORKAROUND: To enable SQL Server counters for Performance Monitor, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSSQLServer\Performance\Library registry key to SQLCTR60.DLL. You might receive occasional Winmgmt.exe application errors and subsequent errors from the SMS Administrator console. If you do, close and then restart the SMS Administrator console.

When you no longer require the SQL Server counters, set the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSSQLServer\Performance\Library registry key to "" to disable the counters.

SMS Update Statistics Task Is Automatic on SQL Server Version 7.0

The Update Statistics database maintenance task runs only if the SMS site database runs on SQL Server 6.5. If the SMS site database runs on SQL Server 7.0, the task does not run because statistics are updated automatically.

WORKAROUND: If your SMS site database runs on SQL Server 7.0, then to ensure that statistics are updated automatically, open the SQL Enterprise Manager and confirm that the auto-create and auto-update statistics are enabled in the SMS site database.

Use of Tempdb for Queries and Reports

Creating a report or query makes heavy use of tempdb. By default, tempdb is 2 MB on SQL Server 6.5 (SQL Server 7.0 automatically expands tempdb as needed). When the report or query is completed, the tempdb space is released, but the disk space remains allocated.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that tempdb is large enough to meet your needs, if you are using SQL Server 6.5, expand tempdb before you create a report, or run queries that will make heavy use of tempdb, or do both. If you have enough drive space, make tempdb large (80 percent of the SMS site database per report, and larger if you plan to run multiple reports simultaneously).

Estimating the Size of the SMS Site Database

To estimate the required SMS site database size for a single site, use the following formula:

7.4MB + x * 70KB (where x = number of clients).

This formula is based on the following Express Setup default settings:

• Weekly hardware inventory
• Weekly software inventory
• Delete aged discovery records after 90 days
• Delete aged inventory history after 90 days
• Delete aged status messages after 7 days

The formula also allows for 20 status messages per client, per week.

The algorithm used by SMS 2.0 Setup allows 100 KB per client with a minimum database size of 50 MB.

For more information, see System Requirements.

WORKAROUND: None.

Restrictions on Use of Nordic Sort Order

Microsoft SQL Server is configured to use character set 850 Multilingual and either of the following configurations:

• Sort order Scandinavian dictionary order, case-insensitive, uppercase preference (ID 58)

-or-

• Sort order Scandinavian dictionary order, case-insensitive (ID 60)

By definition, these configurations do not differentiate between the characters "V" and "W".

Because the unique identifier for Systems Management Server clients (that is, the SMSID) takes advantage of each of the alphanumeric characters, a conflict arises whenever a site has two clients that are differentiated only by the single character V or W (for example, "SIT0100V" and "SIT0100W").

In this example, assuming that SIT0100V is written to the SMS site database first, when Inventory Data Loader attempts to add SIT0100W, the current record for SIT0100V will be added as a history record of SIT0100W. Therefore, the existing inventory record appears to have disappeared from the SMS site database, until an inventory delta MIF file for SIT0100V is produced.

WORKAROUND: Before you upgrade an SMS 1.2 site to SMS 2.0, see Knowledge Base article Q194146: "SMS: Scandinavian SQL Server Sort Order Causes Inventory Probs." in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://www.microsoft.com/support/ for information about restrictions on the use of Nordic sort order.

Related Topics

DO NOT Upgrade to SQL Server 7.0 Before Upgrading to SMS 2.0: Printed Documentation Error

Status

New Status Filter Rule Sometimes Cannot Be Created

Sometimes, you will not be able to create a new status filter rule from "Status Filter Rules" in the results pane.

WORKAROUND: Follow these steps to create a new status filter rule:

1. In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Site Settings.
    Systems Management Server
      Site Database
        Site Hierarchy
          site name
            Site Settings
   
2. Right-click Status Filter Rules, then click New, and then click Status Filter Rule.
3. Repeat the previous step with Status Filter Rules in the details pane.

Status Message Viewer Sometimes Leaks Virtual Memory

The Status Message Viewer might leak virtual memory if it is left open for long periods of time, even if no filtering or sorting is taking place.

WORKAROUND: Close the Status Message Viewer when you are not using it.

Site Status for SMS 1.2 Secondary Sites

SMS 2.0 does not report status for SMS 1.2 secondary sites. In the SMS Administrator console, SMS 1.2 secondary sites do not appear under Site Status. No site system or component status is displayed for these sites.

WORKAROUND: To view status for SMS 1.2 secondary sites, maintain an instance of the SMS 1.2 Administrator program on a computer that does not have the SMS 2.0 Administrator console installed, and then view the SMS 1.2 secondary site status there.

System Requirements

The following sections summarize the hardware and software requirements for installing SMS 2.0 on a site server, and they list the supported platforms for site systems and clients. This information supplements Appendix A, "Systems Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, with late-breaking updates and details.

Hardware Requirements: Documentation Update

The following hardware requirements for installing SMS 2.0 on a site server are updated from those listed in Appendix A, "System Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide:

• Intel, Alpha, or a compatible system that is included in the Windows NT 4.0 hardware compatibility list
• Pentium 133 (or compatible) or faster microprocessor (Pentium 200 recommended)
• 64 MB to 96 MB of RAM, 16 MB of which are dedicated to SQL Server (128 MB recommended)
• 1 GB of available hard disk space (6 GB recommended)
• Video resolution of at least 800 x 600 pixels, 256 colors
• CD-ROM drive

Software Requirements for Site Servers and Other Computers Running SQL Server: Documentation Update

The information in this section updates the information in Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites," and Appendix A, "System Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

The following software is required to install and run SMS 2.0 SP1:

• Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 4 or Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition. For your convenience, SP 4 for Windows NT Server 4.0 is provided on the SMS 2.0 compact disc. You can install this service pack from either of the following locations (note that you must install the service pack before you install SMS 2.0):
• The Install NT4.0 SP4 option on the initial SMS 2.0 Setup screen.
• The \NTQFE\Nt4sp4\I386 or \NTQFE\Nt4sp4\Alpha directories on the SMS 2.0 compact disc (run the Nt4sp4.exe file).

Note:   Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 5 can be used with SMS 2.0, but specific installation steps must be followed.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01, SP1 (or later), is required to run SMS Help and some Network Monitor components. Install Internet Explorer 4.01, SP1 from the initial SMS 2.0 Setup page, be selecting the Install NT4.0 SP4 option. (Note that you must install the service pack before you install SMS 2.0.)
• Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, SP 4 (or later) is required on the computer that will maintain the SMS site database.
  

  SMS 2.0 Setup can install SQL Server 6.5 or 7.0, from a SQL Server installation compact disc that you supply. If SMS 2.0 Setup installs SQL Server 6.5, it automatically applies SP 4.
  

  If you use an existing installation of SQL Server 6.5, you must install SQL Server SP 4 before you install SMS 2.0. For your convenience, SP 4 for SQL Server 6.5 is provided on the SMS 2.0 compact disc. You can install this service pack from the Sqlsetup\Sp4\<platform> directory.

Installing SMS 2.0 on Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 5

SMS 2.0 requires Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.0 or later. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP 5 does not contain these components, so you must install them prior to installing the service pack.

1. Install Windows NT Server 4.0 SP 4 from the SMS 2.0 compact disc.
2. Install MDAC version 2.1, which can be found on the MDAC Typical Install for x86 Web page: http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/uda/mdac21/mdac_typ21.asp.
3. Install Windows NT Server 4.0 SP5.
4. Proceed with SMS 2.0 installation.

Supported Site System Platforms

The following table lists the operating systems that support site system roles and the site system roles for which they can be used. This information duplicates the information in Appendix A, "System Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, and it is included here for your convenience.

Supported Client Platforms

The following client operating systems are supported as SMS client platforms in this release. This list duplicates the information in Appendix A, "System Requirements and Supported Platforms," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide, and it is included here for your convenience.

• Windows NT 5.0
• Windows NT 4.0 (Workstation, Server, or Enterprise Edition)
• Windows NT 3.51 (Workstation or Server, Service Pack 5a or later)
• Windows 98
• Windows 95
• Windows for Workgroups 3.11, using the Microsoft Windows Network Client for MS-DOS
• Windows 3.1, using the Microsoft Windows Network Client for MS-DOS or LAN Manager Enhanced version 2.2c
• Windows 3.1, using the NetWare VLM redirector version 1.21
• Windows for Workgroups, using the NetWare VLM redirector version 1.21

Client Platform Restrictions

Computers running MS-DOS 6.22 can be discovered as resources, but they are not supported as SMS 2.0 clients. Also, Macintosh computers are not directly supported in SMS 2.0.

WORKAROUND: To support clients running MS-DOS 6.22, Macintosh, or OS/2, you must maintain an SMS 1.2 site within your site hierarchy. You can upgrade the clients running MS-DOS 6.22 in the SMS 1.2 site to an operating system supported by SMS 2.0, and then upgrade the entire site.

For more information, see Chapter 5, "Upgrading from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Support for Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

The information in this section is new information that is not included in the SMS 2.0 documentation.

SMS 2.0 supports Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition in both client and server roles, but it has several usage restrictions. For the release version of SMS 2.0, support for client functionality is limited. More functionality will be added in future releases. The following tables list the specific features that are supported for SMS 2.0.

Clients Using Windows Networking Software

* Requires the change user /install command to be run on the computer prior to the SMS-specific functionality in question.

Supported Platforms for Site System Roles

Communication Link Requirements

Only relatively fast, high-quality links are supported within an SMS site. Site-to-site communications use senders that are designed to be stable. This stability is required to process data over communications links of intermittent quality, which are commonly used between widely separated geographic locations. Communications between site systems within a site rely on the existing network (LAN or WAN), so they are more likely to have data-quality problems if the communication link is not stable.

In an SMS site hierarchy, most communication occurs within a site, not between sites. Ensuring that a site is interconnected with a 10 MB Ethernet LAN will not guarantee that the site will function correctly if the LAN is at 100 percent capacity.

The following tasks especially require relatively fast, high-quality communication links between site systems. These tasks are most at risk if your intrasite communication links are poor:

• Package distribution (to distribution points). Poor communication links can cause a file to be dropped or corrupted.
• Queries between SMSexec.exe thread components or the SMS Provider installed on the site server, and SQL Server on the computer where the SMS site database resides.
• License transaction reports sent from software metering servers to the site server. Poor communication links can cause license transactions to be dropped or corrupted.

WORKAROUND: For an SMS site to function correctly, make sure that high-quality links are available between site systems within a site. The required bandwidth depends on the load signature created within the site. For example, notice how large the logon surge is in the morning. The larger the surge, the more bandwidth is required. A large volume of inventory updates during logon can further increase the logon surge.

Software distribution also creates surges of bandwidth usage. Within a few seconds or minutes, you can have a network surge defined by the number of clients downloading software per distribution point, the number of distribution points, and the number of bytes per download.

For these reasons and others, you should test the SMS load signature within your organization. During your pilot project, you can track and evaluate the response, throughput, and failure rate against the requirements of your organizational operating model. For more information about load signatures and pilot projects, see Chapter 3, "Planning for SMS in Your Organization," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Related Topics

Problem with Novell NetWare Clients and Remote Procedure Calls
Supported NetWare Redirectors
Estimating the Size of the SMS Site Database

Upgrading, Client

Some Client Components on a Client Running Windows NT are Not Restarted When Client is Upgraded to SMS 2.0 SP1

When the client is upgraded from SMS 2.0 to SMS 2.0 SP1, all client components will be stopped. If a user is logged on, those components run in the user context cannot be restarted until the user-context application launcher (Launch32.exe), which is responsible for starting and monitoring SMS client components on computers running Windows NT, is restarted. This behavior affects Software Metering and advertisements that are scheduled to run in the user context.

WORKAROUND: To restart Launch32.exe, do one of the following:

• Have the user log off and then log back on the client computer.
• Restart the client computer.
• Have the user run the Advertised Programs Wizard or the Advertised Programs Monitor (from Control Panel).

SMS Client Upgrade Process

You can use this information, which is not included in the SMS 2.0 documentation, to troubleshoot client upgrades.

SMS 1.2 clients are upgraded as follows:

1. The SMSID is saved.
2. The MS\SMS\Idmifs and MS\SMS\Noidmifs directories are moved under the %windir% directory.
3. All remaining SMS 1.2 client programs and the SMS.ini file are removed.
4. The MS\SMS\Bin directory and its contents are removed.
5. The NoidBIOS.mif file is deleted from the local Noidmifs directory.
6. The typical SMS 2.0 client installation begins, reusing the saved SMSID.

WORKAROUND: None.

After Client Upgrade, Client Properties Might Show the Wrong Version

The client properties that are displayed rely on the information stored in the SMS site database. This information is gathered from the discovery data records (DDRs) that the client sends. The client does not send a new DDR upon upgrade, but waits until the heartbeat DDR time has expired.

WORKAROUND: In the SMS Administrator console, change the heartbeat interval to one hour before upgrading the site. At the next Client Component Installation Manager (CCIM) cycle, the heartbeat interval will expire and a new DDR with the proper version will be sent to the site. After all clients have been upgraded, change the heartbeat interval back to the desired length.

- or -

Look at the status messages for each client. Each client will send a status message to the site for every component that is upgraded.

Windows NT Clients Might Fail to Upgrade

Symptoms of a failed upgrade will include a status of Installation Pending or Failed on the core components in Systems Management, in Control Panel. You might also notice that missing client files are missing.

WORKAROUND: Run SMS client software installation again, by using SMSMan.exe or by rebooting the client (if using logon scripts and if client logon installation methods are enabled in the SMS Administrator console).

Pre-Release Clients Might Fail to Upgrade or Might Generate Errors After Upgrade

Clients that have the SMS 2.0 Beta software installed might not upgrade successfully, depending on the previously installed build and the optional client components that were enabled.

WORKAROUND: To remove the SMS 2.0 Beta client software from a computer, run the 20Clicln.bat utility provided in the Support\Reskit\Bin\<Platform>\Cleancli directory on the SMS 2.0 compact disc.

PGC Icons and Groups Are Not Removed from Clients During Upgrade

When you upgrade an SMS 1.2 site to SMS 2.0, Program Group Control (PGC) icons and groups should be removed from clients, because PGC is not supported in SMS 2.0. However, if the logon server has already been upgraded to SMS 2.0 (the SMS_SHR directory has been removed), the PGC groups and icons will not be removed from clients.

WORKAROUND: To remove the PGC groups and icons from clients, do any of the following:

• Disable all the PGC groups and icons in the SMS 1.2 site before you upgrade it to SMS 2.0. This ensures that the PGC programs will not be in use when you upgrade the site.
• Use SMS Installer or another scripting tool to create a script to remove the PGC groups and icons.
• Install a new SMS 2.0 site and maintain the existing SMS 1.2 site until clients have migrated from PGC-based applications.

Related Topics

Using Package Automation Scripts for Installation Programs That Require a Wrapper Program
Using Software Distribution to Upgrade Clients Running Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0

Upgrading, Secondary Site

Apply SMS 1.2 SP 4 to SMS 1.2 Sites

When you upgrade a site hierarchy from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0, clients at SMS 1.2 sites that have not yet been upgraded to SMS 2.0 might report errors.

WORKAROUND: If you plan to maintain one or more SMS 1.2 site servers in your hierarchy, update them to SMS 1.2 SP 4 before you proceed with the SMS 2.0 installation. This service pack helps the clients remain silent during the upgrade. For more information, see Chapter 5, "Upgrading from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0," in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide.

Secondary Site Disk Space Requirements for 1.2 to 2.0 Upgrade

If you upgrade over the network, the secondary site needs at least 330 MB free disk space to allow for file decompression and SMS 2.0 installation.

If you upgrade from the SMS Setup CD, the secondary site needs at least 100 MB free disk space for SMS 2.0 installation.

In each case, the figures do not include any space for the operation of SMS on the site server; 100 MB additional should be considered minimum, but this can easily be exceeded by a large package being sent from the primary site.

If the secondary site server runs out of disk space during the upgrade, you need not cancel Setup; create free space, then click Retry.

Upgrading, General

DO NOT Upgrade to SQL Server 7.0 Before You Upgrade to SMS 2.0: Printed Documentation Error

Chapter 5, "Upgrading from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0" and Chapter 6, "Installing SMS 2.0 Sites" in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide both advise you to upgrade to SQL Server 7.0 before you upgrade to SMS 2.0. This is incorrect.

WORKAROUND: To successfully upgrade both SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0 and SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0, do the following in the order shown:

1. See the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q196824 at http://www.microsoft.com/support/ for the most recent information about upgrading SMS.
2. Back up your SMS site database.
3. Apply SP 4 to SMS 1.2 if you have not done so already.
4. Apply SP 4 (or later) to SQL Server version 6.5 if you have not done so already.
5. Upgrade SMS 1.2 SP 4 to SMS 2.0.
6. Install SQL Server 7.0.
7. Finally, run the SQL Server Upgrade Wizard included with SQL Server 7.0 Setup to upgrade your site database to SQL Server 7.0 format.

You can now use SMS 2.0 with your converted database.

Do Not Share Logon Points Among Sites Running Different Versions of SMS

Sharing logon points among sites that are running different version of SMS will prevent new clients from being added on the site running the older version.

Upgrading from Beta Versions of SMS 2.0

Upgrading from Beta Versions of SMS 2.0 to SMS 2.0 SP1 is not supported. If you are currently running a beta copy of SMS 2.0, first upgrade to the released copy of SMS 2.0 and then upgrade to SMS 2.0 SP1.

Note   If you upgrade to SMS 2.0 from a beta version earlier than RC0, a message may appear from time to time stating that some components of the SMS Executive have unexpectedly stopped, when in fact there is no problem. To prevent this message from appearing inappropriately, remove the beta version of SMS and install the released version.

SMS Site Database Upgrade and Unique SMS ID

In environments where it is possible or likely that the site to be upgraded has SMS clients with duplicate SMS IDs, ensure that the duplicate clients have the SMS 1.2 client software removed before upgrade. For information about how to determine whether your site has duplicate IDs and how to automate the clean-up procedure, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base (http://www.microsoft.com/support/).

When you upgrade an SMS 1.2 site to SMS 2.0, remember that it takes some time to complete the SMS site database upgrade. The more history and aged machine records that exist in the database, the longer the upgrade process will take.

Note   The SMS 2.0 conversion program (Conv20.exe) automatically deletes history records older than 180 days.

WORKAROUND: To reduce the amount of data to be converted during an SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0 site upgrade and to reduce the conversion time, do the following:

1. Verify that there are no duplicate SMS client IDs. (If there are, remove the SMS client software from the affected clients.)
2. Delete machine history records that are older than 60 days.
3. Delete machine history records with last activity older than 30 days.
4. Use the SMS Database Manager (DBClean) to remove orphaned inventory data that was left when machine history records were deleted. This program appears in the program group for SMS 1.2 administrative tools.
5. Use Datdupck.exe (bundled in \Support\Support.exe on the SMS 2.0 compact disc) to check for duplicate data keys in the SMS 1.2 site database. If Datdupck.exe reports that one or more SMS tables have duplicate data keys, do the following:

   a. Back up the SMS site database before you continue.

   b. Run Datdupcl.exe (bundled in \Support\Support.exe on the SMS 2.0 compact disc) to clear the duplicate data keys.

   c. Run SQL Server DBCC consistency checks, such as DBCC CheckDB and DBCC NewAlloc, against the SMS site database.

   d. Back up the SMS site database before you upgrade to SMS 2.0.

You might want to perform a test upgrade by restoring your existing SMS site database on a SQL Server computer running in a test lab (no SMS site needs to exist on the test computer); installing the SMS 1.2 Administrator and related tools; and running the interface with the test database. In a test environment, you can manually run the database upgrade process (by running Conv20.exe in the SMSsetup\Bin\<Platform> directory on the SMS 2.0 compact disc). A test upgrade that uses the methods described in this section will help you determine whether the SMS site database upgrade will be successful and how long it will take.

Non-SMS Files and Folders Are Deleted When SMS Is Removed

If any non-SMS files or directories reside in the SMS directory structure, those files and directories will be deleted when SMS is removed.

WORKAROUND: To avoid the removal of non-SMS data when SMS is removed, install SMS in a directory that does not contain other application or data files. In addition, do not install other applications into SMS directories.

Related Topics

Restrictions on Use of Nordic Sort Order
Product Compliance

"Out of Virtual Memory" Error Messages

SMS generates an "Out of Virtual Memory" message when a process tries to allocate more memory when existing allocations fully use the combined space of RAM and the paging file.

WORKAROUND: To avoid "Out of Virtual Memory" error messages, do any of the following:

• Run fewer applications.
• Install more RAM (recommended if the system is running with less RAM than suggested in the guidelines in Appendix A in the SMS 2.0 Administrator's Guide).
• Configure the system with a larger paging file.

If you add RAM, make sure to increase the paging file limits to the correct size. When Windows NT creates a paging file during setup, it uses the following formula:

For example, a computer with 64 MB RAM has a paging file that falls within the following size limits:

SMS 2.0 has many processes that run once a day or once a week. After such processes are completed, most of the memory allocated for them can be paged out without affecting the performance of other SMS activities. Doing so, however, can use more paging file space than is typical for most software. If a system encounters many "Out of Virtual Memory" error messages, consider configuring the paging file to a larger size before you add more RAM.

If the system experiences a higher level of disk activity after you increase the paging file size, this change might be due to the increased paging activity. If the paging activity is very high, consider adding more RAM to the system.

Windows 2000

Note   Windows 2000 was formerly known as Windows NT 5.0.

Site Servers on Windows 2000 Cannot Configure Site Systems on NetWare NDS

Site systems (logon points, client access points and distribution points) installed on NetWare NDS servers cannot be configured by SMS 2.0 site servers that are running the Windows 2000 operating system.

WORKAROUND: None.

Installing SMS Client Software on Windows 2000 Member Servers

If the user logged on to the Windows 2000 member server has low rights, the SMS client software might not be installed on the computer because the server's directories have higher default security restrictions than directories on a Windows NT 4.0 server.

WORKAROUND: Enable the Windows NT Remote Client Installation method in the SMS Administrator console.

Windows 2000 Professional IPX/SPX Clients

The SMS Remote Control tool will display an empty white screen on a Windows 2000 Professional IPX/SPX client when the following sequence of events occurs:

1. The administrator initiates a Remote Control session with the Windows 2000 client.
2. The current user logs off the client.
3. The user closes the Remote Control session (through the high security indicator).
4. The administrator tries to initiate another Remote Control session.

Although administrators can move the mouse on the client screen, they will not be able to see where they are moving the mouse to. If they try to refresh the client's display, the "Refreshing screen" message appears, but the display will not be refreshed.

WORKAROUND: To refresh the client display, restart the client computer.

Windows Networking Logon Discovery Does Not Detect Multiple IP Addresses Bound to One Network Interface Card on Computers Running Windows 2000

If a potential client computer is running Windows 2000 and has more than one IP address bound to a single network adapter card, only one IP address will be detected by Windows Networking Logon Discovery. As long as both or all of the IP addresses bound to the network adapter card are in the same subnet, and that subnet is within the site boundaries, the client software will be installed and the client will operate normally.

WORKAROUND: None.

Windows 2000 SMS Clients Must Be Restarted After Remote Control Sessions

After remotely controlling a client running Windows 2000, that computer must be restarted. If it is not restarted, some desktop functionality may be temporarily lost (until the client is restarted).

WORKAROUND: Restart the client computer.

Related Topics

Supported Site System Platforms
Supported Client Platforms

Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups (16-Bit) Clients

Logon Discovery and Client Installation of Windows 3.1 Computers Using NetWare

Sometimes, when Windows 3.1 computers that use Novell VLMs (either bindery or bindery emulation) attempt to run the SMSls.scr logon scripts, the scripts complete only part of the discovery and installation process. The logon scripts fail due because they use universal naming convention (UNC) paths. As a result, these computers are left in a partially installed state, and rerunning the scripts or restarting Windows has no effect on the installation process.

WORKAROUND: To ensure proper completion of the logon discovery and installation process, if you have Windows 3.1 computers that use NetWare VLMs, edit your SMSls.scr scripts so that Windows 3.1 computers that log on to a bindery emulation server will use a mapped drive instead of a UNC path. Or, you can use SMSman16.exe to manually discover these computers and install the SMS client software on them.

Minimum Conventional Memory Required to Run Hardware Inventory

To run hardware inventory, 16-bit SMS clients need at least 350 KB of conventional memory.

WORKAROUND: To ensure that clients have enough memory, free some conventional memory by removing unnecessary items in the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files on the client.

Do Not Log onto a Network from MS-DOS on a Client Running Windows for Workgroups

Logging onto a network from MS-DOS on a client running Windows for Workgroups is not supported by SMS client services. When a user logs on to the network from MS-DOS, the basic redirector is used and full network functionality is not available. This can cause error messages from the client agents; in particular, from the Remote Tools Client Agent.

WORKAROUND: Ensure that users log on to the network from Windows.

DOS VLM Clients Are Not Discovered When Logging onto a Bindery Emulation Server

Logging onto a bindery emulation server through DOS is not supported by SMS client services. This also applies to Windows for Workgroups clients and Windows 3.1 clients that are logging onto the bindery emulation network from a DOS prompt.

WORKAROUND: Ensure that users log onto the bindery emulation network from the Windows log on dialog box.

Remote Control and DOS Mode on Clients Running Windows for Workgroups 3.11

If you establish a Remote Control session with a client running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and set the DOS Viewing font (in the Control Parameters dialog box) to 16 X 12, and then switch to DOS mode on the client, the Remote Control Client Viewer window appears empty. The window remains open and active until you press a key—then the DOS mode window appears. When you type EXIT to quit DOS mode, the Remote Control Client Viewer window is unreadable.

WORKAROUND: To refresh the Remote Control Client Viewer window, press CTRL+ALT+R.

16-Bit Clients Not Supported over RAS

Because 16-bit clients use the NetBEUI protocol (which is not supported in SMS 2.0 for 16-bit clients) to connect to a network using Remote Access Service (RAS) or third-party dial-up applications, SMS 2.0 cannot support 16-bit clients over RAS.

WORKAROUND: None.

Connection Speed Not Detected for 16-Bit Clients

When run on 16-bit clients, the slow network checking mechanism (Slownet.exe) in the SMSls.bat file will always return a positive response, indicating that the network speed is above the threshold, regardless of the actual network speed. If the client's network connection is slow, the client installation will continue.

WORKAROUND: None.

Hardware and Software Inventory Not Customizable for 16-Bit Clients

You cannot customize 16-bit hardware inventory. (You can customize 32-bit hardware inventory by modifying SMS_def.mof.) Classes marked FALSE in SMS_def.mof are still inventoried. A full inventory is taken every time the 16-bit Hardware Inventory Agent runs.

Also, you cannot customize 16-bit software inventory. (You can customize 32-bit software inventory by modifying the Software Inventory Agent in the SMS Administrator console.) A full inventory is taken for all 16-bit clients, including Manufacturer, Products, and Unknown Products.

WORKAROUND: None.

Removing 16-Bit Client Software from a Single Client

In some cases you might want to remove the SMS client software from a single 16-bit client.

WORKAROUND: To remove SMS client software from a 16-bit client, at the client, at the command prompt, type run SMSman16.exe /u.

Related Topics

16-Bit Clients Are Not Supported on Novell NetWare NDS
Supported Client Platforms

Windows Zero Administration Kit

Certain client computer configurations that are created with the Windows Zero Administration Kit (ZAK) do not permit the full use of SMS client functionality. For more information, see the Systems Management Server Web site.

WORKAROUND: None.

Release Notes Copyright Information

Information in this document, including URL and other Internet web site references, is subject to change without notice and is provided for informational purposes only. The entire risk of the use or results of the use of this document remains with the user, and Microsoft Corporation makes no warranties, either express or implied. The example companies, organizations, products, people and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

© 1994-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, MS, Windows, Windows NT, Windows CE, Win32, Visual Basic, and Visual FoxPro are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Date: 07/06/99