SMS Chat

Microsoft Press Series Series Chat Transcript
Thursday, January 15, 1998

Title: Designing and Deploying Large Networks
Host: Charlie Strom
Guest:Ethan Wilanksy author of Microsoft Systems Management Server Training and Network Expert Tom Prisk.

Host Charlie says:

Good evening and welcome to the FreeWire Cafe, on Computing Central (http://computingcentral.com). Tonight our guests are Tom Prisk and author, Ethan Wilanksy. I am your host Charlie Strom. I am an online manager for Computing Central.

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Ethan says:

Hello Charlie pleased to meet you! <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Computing Central would like to thank Microsoft Press for their support in this event. We are giving away 1 free copy of Microsoft Systems Management Server Training. To enter the drawing, send mail anytime during the chat to rightclick@msn.com. To ask questions please log into the #SD_Ask room.

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Host Charlie says:

First I would like to introduce our guests and then give you some background on this book. Tom Prisk and Ethan Wilanksy are network experts and will talk about preparing for the SMS (Systems Management Server) certification exam for MCSE, and SMS-related issues such as software distribution and installation.

Host Charlie says:

Tom will be a little late, but Ethan will man the fort.

Host Charlie says:

Ethan is the author of Microsoft Systems Management Training, published by Microsoft Press and retails for $ 99.99 US. Ethan is co-owner of Atlas Online University, Inc. (http://www.atlasu.com), an online Microsoft Authorized Technical Education Center, where he conducts seminars on SMS planning and deployment.

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Host Charlie says:

The book, Microsoft Systems Management Training, is a self-paced training kit. System engineers get the knowledge--and the hands-on experience--they need to install, configure, and support an enterprise-wide network. Plus, this course is Microsoft Official Curriculum and offers full preparation for the Microsoft Certified Professional exam.

Host Charlie says:

In fact, this kit covers 100 percent of the topics on the certification test. Learn to support the leading system administration tool for Microsoft Windows® desktops in large corporations and do it at your own pace!

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Host Charlie says:

Ethan would you like to say a few words about yourself? <GA>

Ethan says:

Sure!

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Ethan says:

I have been a Microsoft Certified Trainer since the release of Windows NT 3.1....

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Ethan says:

I have watched the BackOffice products mature and the industry grow to appreciate the power of Windows NT...

Ethan says:

I have been involved in writing, network management and now, in a big way, online training....

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Ethan says:

My company, Atlas Online University, was the first Microsoft Online training company...

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Ethan says:

It has been a pleasure conducting online training and working with Microsoft Press on the SMS Training Kit. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

When is the expected release of SMS 2.0?

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Ethan says:

I am not privy to that information. I can only tell you that SMS 2.0 has entered its initial beta testing phase. I expect that it will be quite a while before you see a production version of SMS 2.0. Additionally, the SMS 1.2 self-paced training kit is brand new and you can expect it to be around for a long while! In fact, I am so committed to this product, I wrote an online training course for SMS that includes the self-paced training kit. For more information on this, go to

Ethan says:

http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert and perform a search for SMS. To this point, I believe my company is the only online training organization offering this course. You can also go to http://www.atlasu.com to sign-up for the course.

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Host Charlie says:

Reminder all -- please ask your questions in #SD_Ask.

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Host Charlie says:

Tom, do you want to say a few words as introduction?

tjprisk says:

Hi all. I worked for MSFT for two years as a network systems engineer in NYC, specializing in NT and SMS....

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tjprisk says:

I have been doing training (mostly SMS) and SMS consulting since leaving MSFT in December of 1993...

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tjprisk says:

Now I am working in North Carolina. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Half of my users are remote accessing the network by dial-up and average connect time is about 20 minutes on a daily basis. Is SMS be any help with those users too?

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Ethan says:

Not really, for management you can use a RAS connection to administer SMS clients on the LAN. For dial-in users, you can install the SMS client software and perform minimal SMS functions on them. I would suggest though that the computers that will be remote to the LAN, get the installed SMS client software before connecting over a RAS link. This way, if you want to perform SMS management functions on the remote computers they will already be configured with the SMS client software.

Ethan says:

To configure the behavior of the client upon logon, adjust the inventory settings in the SMS Administrator. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Could you please elaborate about SMS domains vs. Windows NT logon domains? As SMS domains do not necessarily comprise the same computers as Windows NT logon domains, why didn't Microsoft give them some other name?

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Ethan says:

SMS uses existing Windows NT, LAN Manager and LAN Server domains but the NT Servers still remain as domain controllers. You can pick and choose which servers will be logon servers in the domain. Additionally, Microsoft did distinguish the two domain models by calling an SMS based domain, an "SMS domain" while calling all other domains by their NOS name. For example, a Windows NT based domain is a "Windows NT Domain" while a LAN Manager based domain is called a "LAN Manager Domain".

Ethan says:

For NetWare servers, the domain is simply a logical grouping of NetWare based logon servers.

Ethan says:

Truthfully, I am not fond of the name either but I am not part of the SMS development team. Therefore, I cannot take credit for Microsoft terminology! <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

In SMS Administrator, if you accidentally delete an active job without canceling it first is there any way to prevent that job from popping up endlessly on the client side when Package Command Manager runs? Choosing to archive it doesn't seem to help.

Ethan says:

While this isn't a perfect solution, you could delete the SMS.INI file on the client and then run RUNSMS.BAT to create a new SMS.INI file with a unique SMS ID....

Ethan says:

Then, go to the SMS Administrator and delete the client from the Sites Window. The client will be re-inventoried and will not be a target of the improperly deleted job. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

In SMS Administrator, if you accidentally delete an active job without canceling it first is there any way to prevent that job from popping up endlessly on the client side when Package Command Manager runs? Choosing to archive it doesn't seem to help.

Host Charlie says:

Am I better off getting separate software for the paging email function? Does the training kit address these issues?

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Ethan says:

You could use the SMS Alerter to launch a paging application. Still though, a separate paging application would have to be called by the SMS Alerter service...

Ethan says:

Here's the process, by using the SNMP Event to Trap translator, Windows NT events can be captured...

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Ethan says:

Then, using the SNMP Traps Receiver in the SMS Administrator, you can configure which events should be captured by SMS...

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Ethan says:

Finally, the SMS Alerter can be configured to use a paging application to let you know that a particular event, like server down or disk capacity limits are being generated...

Ethan says:

Using SNMP is important to capture these events since you can be alerted in real-time rather than waiting for inventory to be sent to the SMS database. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Tom, do you want to add anything?

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tjprisk says:

Be careful about the following....

tjprisk says:

SMS has the ability to generate SMS alerts that can be used to notify administrators of problems within SMS and on workstations and servers....

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tjprisk says:

These alerts are dependent on SMS inventory being up to date in many cases. SMS alerts are NOT real-time alerts.

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tjprisk says:

Ethan's discussion of SMS's ability to work with SNMP can help augment SMS alerts. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

(Public service announcement: Visit http://computingcentral.com just for computer users. Answers to questions, advice and help, news, and entertainment. Visit soon, visit often.)

Host Charlie says:

Within SMS 1.2 is there a way to create machine groups according to NT Domain groups? If you are creating new Program Groups you can choose who will receive the group but you cannot choose who to send a package to if you are creating something for a specific group of users?

Host Charlie says:

Can this be done other than the manual way of creating the machine group and adding the users?

Ethan says:

If your SMS domain matches your user's domain, then, as you suggested, you can click and drag clients into a machine group...

Ethan says:

A way to automate this process could be to create a custom inventory file using the MIF form generator that collects information such as department membership...

Ethan says:

With this information, you can then build a query for all clients within a department that should receive a sharing package. <GA>

Ethan says:

While this isn't a perfect solution, you could delete the SMS.INI file on the client and then run RUNSMS.BAT to create a new SMS.INI file with a unique SMS ID...

Ethan says:

Then, go to the SMS Administrator and delete the client from the Sites Window...

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Ethan says:

The client will be re-inventoried and will not be a target of the improperly deleted job. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Tom, care to add anything?

tjprisk says:

Just to inform the users when you CANCEL a job (the normal procedure)…

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tjprisk says:

the instructions for the SMS client agent (PCM) are removed from the logon servers when a job is DELETED without being CANCELED first (not the correct thing to do)...

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tjprisk says:

the instructions for the client agent (PCM) are NOT removed from the Logon Servers. This is the root of the problem. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Is SMS 1.2 a good product to choose for certification? When is the expected release of SMS 2.0?

Ethan says:

Yes, particularly because the need for managing networks is growing as their complexity increases...

Ethan says:

While Microsoft is pushing hard to lower network computer total cost of ownership (TCO), the growing sophistication of networks makes lowering TCO a real challenge.

Ethan says:

This is where SMS comes into play...

Ethan says:

SMS provides a platform for consistent management of networked computers...

Ethan says:

By the way, from this point forward, computers managed by SMS will be called "clients"…

Ethan says:

So, is SMS a good product to choose for certification? Absolutely!

Ethan says:

If you are skilled with SMS, you can expect your services to be in high demand...

Ethan says:

To prove your expertise, certification is the best track. Since the SMS 1.2 test was just released, you can expect that it will be around for a while...

Ethan says:

If I may speculate for a moment, I would say that it will be available at least for the next year...

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Ethan says:

Even after SMS 2.0 is released, the SMS 1.2 exam will remain active. <GA>

tjprisk says:

NOTE: "Client" in SMS lingo refers to the machine NOT the user. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Now for a three part question...

Host Charlie says:

A. How do you get a copy of Systems Management Server Training Kit? I've heard that SMS is slowly phasing out of the network industry? However, large networked corporations will use SMS for it's diagnostic and analytic tools.

Host Charlie says:

I guess there isn't such a huge demand for it unless you are using small WANS or hundreds of computers in a network LAN

Host Charlie says:

B. Will there be a 2.0 release any time soon?

Host Charlie says:

C. How do you apply to get the free self-study guide for SMS?

Ethan says:

Number one, this is absolutely not true, SMS is not being phased out...

Ethan says:

In fact, SMS 2.0 is in development and looks very promising...

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Ethan says:

On http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt, this is what Microsoft has to say about SMS 2.0 in a Windows NT 5 network. Much of this also applies to SMS 1.2…

Ethan says:

Remote hardware and software inventory-Systems Management Server can discover hardware and software information on a range of computers across an enterprise...

Ethan says:

Remote diagnostics - Systems Management Server provides a range of tools to analyze and resolve problems on a user's system without ever visiting the desktop, including remote control, event forwarding, and network analysis...

Ethan says:

Advanced software distribution - Systems Management Server provides detailed additional distribution capabilities...

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Ethan says:

I will just provide you with the bulleted items and you can go visit the site to see for yourself...

Ethan says:

Flexible software distribution targeting, richer package push functionality, dry-run facility, Patching...

Ethan says:

The last two items are part of the SMS Installer. If you already own SMS 1.2, you can download the SMS Installer for free from Microsoft's site...

Ethan says:

It is also included in the MSPress SMS self-paced training kit...

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Ethan says:

Heterogeneous client package distribution...

Ethan says:

Feedback - status information in the SMS Administrator Rollback facility. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

Public service announcement: The Next MS Press chat is Thursday Feb. 19 from 6-7. The topic is Office 97 for ambitious beginner to intermediate users.)

Host Charlie says:

Has MS any plans to open SMS in the true enterprise (open it up to going beyond NT into Unix etc. - to something more like CA Unicenter?)

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Ethan says:

Many products have been developed to extend the function of SMS. For example...

Ethan says:

HP and Microsoft are working together to extend the functions and integration of HP OpenView with SMS...

Ethan says:

Novadigm has released "EDM Apapters"...

Ethan says:

These Adapters, developed with Microsoft's support, will provide heterogeneous environments containing...

Ethan says:

MVS, UNIX, Windows®, Windows NT®, OS/2, Novell, and Macintosh clients with an integrated software management environment...

Ethan says:

that automates the enterprise-wide control of distributing "shrink-wrapped" and client/server software according to EDM-based policies. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Tom, feel free to chime in please!

tjprisk says:

I'm under NDA on SMS 2.0 and can't comment on any plans. Sorry. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

He. He.

Host Charlie says:

When is MS going to begin letting us in on Opal? Information is scarce.

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Ethan says:

Watch http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt for the latest information on Opal (SMS 2.0). <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Is there any way to bring remote control performance up to the standards of say PC Anywhere? CPU utilization when remote controlling is averaging 80% right now.

Ethan says:

Not that I know of; Remote control is not particularly easy on client processor or the manager running the SMS Administrator...

Ethan says:

At least the price of fast processors continues to drop!

Ethan says:

While SMS 1.2 now supports Windows NT clients, the performance is just not exceptional...

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Ethan says:

I am hoping that Microsoft will work on remote control performance issues in the next revision or major release of SMS. <GA>

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Host Charlie says:

I am interested in taking your training program. Currently, I am a duplication tech. person looking to expand my field of knowledge. Any information/help will be appreciated?

tjprisk says:

Protocol choice and packet tuning can have some impact. <GA>

Ethan says:

Atlas Online University was the first online training provider for Microsoft and our training offerings are growing fast...

Ethan says:

We now offer the entire MCSE track.

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Ethan says:

Tom and I manage and run the SMS training online course, in fact we wrote it for Atlas Online University...

Ethan says:

We use the Microsoft Press SMS Self-Paced training kit and you interact with other Microsoft Certified Trainers and me during your studies...

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Ethan says:

Our online classroom contains great notes for test preparation, assignment recommendations...

Ethan says:

a syllabus for timing your studies and many interactive services including chat, news groups and email...

Ethan says:

As the lead trainers for this course, you can email us or communicate with us through the news groups after you sign-up for class...

Ethan says:

Please visit http://www.atlasu.com to learn more about our training program...

Ethan says:

Anything to add Tom? <GA>

tjprisk says:

The SMS 1.2 Self-paced training kit from MS Press is the newest and best source of SMS information available at this time.

tjprisk says:

We use it with our online instruction at Atlas U.

tjprisk says:

Many of the other books out there are rehashes of the SMS planning and admin guides.

tjprisk says:

The MS Press SMS book contains info on planning and implementation, many questions, demos, and 120 day versions of SMS, NT Server and SQL Server...

tjprisk says:

... so you can get started really learning SMS.,

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tjprisk says:

Also, the new SMS 1.2 MCSE test became available on 01DEC97. This test is radically different than the old SMS 1.0 test.

tjprisk says:

Through the use of the new SMS 1.2 book from MS Press and the online resources from Atlas U. one can become fully prepared to pass the new test...NOW. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

I work at State Street Bank & Trust Co. and we have recently implemented SMS. My question, however, is on the MSCE.

Host Charlie says:

I plan on taking the Win NT 4.0 track and would like to know when should I take the Networking Essentials exam (70-058) before or after the win95 exam (70-063) and NT server exams (70-067,70-068)?

Ethan says:

You should start with the Networking Essentials. After completing your studies, don't take the exam! Next, complete your Windows 95 training and then complete your Windows NT training. Once you have gotten through all of this, then sit the Networking Essentials exam

Ethan says:

This is important since you will see questions about Windows 95 and Windows NT on the Networking Essentials exam! ...

Ethan says:

My company offers training for all of these courses...

Ethan says:

So, if you attend in-class training you may consider augmenting your training by working with us online and with the MSPress SMS Self-Paced Training Kit. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

(Public service announcement: On Wednesday Jan. 28, take a trip with the CEO of trip.com from 5-6 p.m. PT. http://computingcentral.msn.com/programs/freewireintro.htm)

tjprisk says:

If I had NO prior networking knowledge I would take it last like Ethan suggests. If you know cables and connectors protocols etc. already you can use the self study kit and take it when ever you feel comfortable. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

I'm trying my best to become MCSE Certified but all the schools are asking for more then I can afford since credit is out of the question. (I'm still doing my best with the home study courses). I found a school in the Philippines called MisNet,Inc. The training would be only $3,000. US dollars and that I can afford. But will US Companies still be interested in me if I was MCSE+Internet Certified in the Philippines?

Ethan says:

Yes, MCSE is valued wherever you get it...

Ethan says:

Our company offers the entire MCSE track for less than $3000.00 and it includes all of the MSPress self-paced training kits you need...

Ethan says:

Take a look at our offerings before signing up with MisNet, Inc. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Some of our WFW and NT often hang during the runsms script. The error message often displayed "device not found or unable to read device, Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail". Some of the PCs have IOMEGA Zip drive connected to it and some don't. I would like to know how do I address this problem?

Host Charlie says:

Whether the problem is the drive on that PC is malfunction or a portable drive that is not recognized by the script?

Ethan says:

The copy of Getdisk.exe on SMS SP1 is causing this problem...

Ethan says:

Copy Getdisk.exe to the MS\SITE.SRV\MAINCFG.BOX\CLIENT.SRC\X86.BIN\ directory on the computer running Systems Management Server...

Ethan says:

Getdisk.exe will be replicated to your logon servers from this directory...

Ethan says:

Take a look at Q159952 in http://www.microsoft.com/support or perform a query on "GETDISK.EXE" from the TechNet CD. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

In addition to the study kit from Microsoft what are the study aids that you recommend for Microsoft Systems Management Server? Which exams should one take before attempting on this? What are your recommendations?

Ethan says:

The beauty of online training is that you can get tutored and learn from Microsoft Certified Trainers...

Ethan says:

Additionally, Transcender sells exams to help you prepare for the SMS test...

Ethan says:

You can also download assessment exams for free from http://www.micorosoft.com/train_cert

Ethan says:

The exam covers SMS 1.0 but it will give you a flavor for the types of questions you can expect to see on the SMS 1.2 exam. <GA>

tjprisk says:

As far as prerequisite exams: KNOWLEDGE of Windows NT Server and networking is important but it is not necessary to pass the NT tests before attempting SMS. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Here comes a long one -- I hope I get it right...

Host Charlie says:

A: As a small independent VAR we find the price of formal MSCE classroom training to be prohibitive. After considerable investigation, we can find no government or private means of financing MSCE training. Seems that with the shortage of certified professionals, there should be a means of obtaining educational loan(s) for this extremely desirable rating

Ethan says:

I agree. You may want to seek out training through Universities in this area...

Ethan says:

Oops, I will wait. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

to remain a struggling independent. It is hard enough to just keep the small business financed, $8,000-$10,000 for certification is out of the question. It seem ridiculous that a person can be trained for hundreds of skills, many low paying, through government sponsored programs, but not for any computer professional certifications.

Host Charlie says:

Okay, GA :)

Ethan says:

Okay, here goes, from the top...

Ethan says:

I agree that there should be govt. funding for this training....

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Ethan says:

I suggest that you seek out Microsoft certification training through Universities in your area...

Ethan says:

I know that NC State offers online training so you might want to check with them. <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Ethan and Tom, we are nearing the end of our time. Do you have some closing remarks?

Ethan says:

Tom, go ahead. I will follow you. <GA>

tjprisk says:

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk about SMS. Also, I want to think all the folks that joined the chat and "listened"/saw what we had to say.

tjprisk says:

I think that SMS and "desktop/server" management is only going to get "bigger". <GA>

Host Charlie says:

(Public service announcement: Chat later tonight with Art Knowles about Portable Computing, from 7-8 PT. http://computingcentral.msn.com/forums/default.asp?portable)

Ethan says:

Thank you for joining us for this chat. I enjoyed talking about my favorite computer subject! See you! <GA>

Host Charlie says:

Gentlemen, thanks so much, it was a lot of fun!

Host Charlie says:

This ends our formal session, folks, thanks so much for attending!

Host Charlie says:

This next section begins the offline portion of the transcript. These questions were asked by the audience either during the chat or submitted after the chat.

Host Charlie says:

Is SMS 1.2 a good product to choose for certification?

Ethan says:

Yes, particularly because the need for managing networks is growing as their complexity increases. While Microsoft is pushing hard to lower network computer total cost of ownership (TCO), the growing sophistication of networks makes lowering TCO a real challenge. This is where SMS comes in. SMS provides a platform for consistent management of networked computers.

Ethan says:

If you are skilled with SMS, you can expect your services to be in high demand. To prove your expertise, certification is the best track. Since the SMS 1.2 test was just released, you can expect that it will be around for a while. If I may speculate for a moment, I would say that it will be available at least for the next year. Even after SMS 2.0 is released, the SMS 1.2 exam will remain active.

Ethan says:

Note, for this chat, computers managed by SMS will be called "clients". This is the terminology Microsoft uses to describe computers managed by SMS.

Host Charlie says:

When will SMS 2.0 be released?

Ethan says:

I am not privy to that information. I can only tell you that SMS 2.0 has entered its initial beta-testing phase. I expect that it will be quite a while before you see a production version of SMS 2.0. Additionally, the SMS 1.2 Self-Paced Training kit is brand new and you can expect it to be around for a long while! In fact, I am so committed to this product, I wrote an online training course for SMS that includes the self-paced training kit. For more information on this, go to http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert and perform a search for SMS. To this point, I believe my company is the only online training organization offering this course. You can also go to http://www.atlasu.com to sign-up for the course.

Host Charlie says:

Half of my users are remote accessing the network by dial-up and average connect time is about 20 minutes on a daily basis. Is SMS be any help with those users too?

Ethan says:

To configure the behavior of the client upon logon, adjust the inventory settings in the SMS Administrator.

Host Charlie says:

Could you please elaborate about SMS domains vs. Windows NT logon domains? As SMS domains do not necessarily comprise the same computers as Windows NT logon domains, why didn't Microsoft give them some other name?

Ethan says:

For NetWare servers, the domain is simply a logical grouping of NetWare based logon servers.

Ethan says:

Truthfully, I am not fond of the name either but I am not part of the SMS development team. Therefore, I cannot take credit for Microsoft terminology!

Ethan says:

While this isn’t a perfect solution, you could delete the SMS.INI file on the client and then run RUNSMS.BAT to create a new SMS.INI file with a unique SMS ID. Then, go to the SMS Administrator and delete the client from the Sites Window. The client will be re-inventoried and will not be a target of the improperly deleted job.

Host Charlie says:

I need to monitor some NT app servers. Unfortunately I don't have Domain privileges. Can I use SMS as a monitoring function? I need it to beep, email me if some conditions such as a crash occur, low hard drive, etc. Both I am not a domain admin? Can SMS do this and what rights do I need? Am I better off getting separate software for the paging email function? Does the training kit address these issues?

Ethan says:

You could use the SMS Alerter to launch a paging application. Still though, a separate paging application would have to be called by the SMS Alerter service.

Ethan says:

Here’s the process, by using the SNMP Event to Trap translator, Windows NT events can be captured. Then, using the SNMP Traps Receiver in the SMS Administrator, you can configure which events should be captured by SMS. Finally, the SMS Alerter can be configured to use a paging application to let you know that a particular event, like server down or disk capacity limits are being generated. Using SNMP is important to capture these events since you can be alerted in real-time rather than waiting for inventory to be sent to the SMS database.

Host Charlie says:

Within SMS 1.2 is there a way to create machine groups according to NT Domain groups? If you are creating new Program Groups you can choose who will receive the group but you cannot choose who to send a package to if you are creating something for a specific group of users? Can this be done other than the manual way of creating the machine group and adding the users?

Ethan says:

If your SMS domain matches your user’s domain, then, as you suggested, you can click and drag clients into a machine group. A way to automate this process could be to create a custom inventory file using the MIF form generator that collects information such as department membership. With this information, you can then build a query for all clients within a department that should receive a sharing package.

Host Charlie says:

How do you get a copy of Systems Management Server Training Kit? I've heard that SMS is slowly phasing out of the network industry? However, large networked corporations will use SMS for it's diagnostic and analytic tools. I guess there isn't such a huge demand for it unless you are using small WANS or hundreds of computers in a network LAN.

Ethan says:

This is absolutely not true, SMS is not being phased out. In fact, SMS 2.0 is in development and looks very promising. On http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt, this is what Microsoft has to say about SMS 2.0 in a Windows NT 5 network:

Ethan says:

Remote hardware and software inventory—Systems Management Server can discover hardware and software information on a range of computers across an enterprise.

Ethan says:

Remote diagnostics—Systems Management Server provides a range of tools to analyze and resolve problems on a user’s system without ever visiting the desktop, including remote control, event forwarding, and network analysis.

Ethan says:

Advanced software distribution—Systems Management Server provides detailed additional distribution capabilities.

Ethan says:

Flexible software distribution targeting—Both Windows NT Server and Systems Management Server allow software distribution to be targeted at groups of objects. Systems Management Server, however, provides a richer set of targeting rules, including rules based on hardware and software inventory properties. Richer targeting allows administrators to configure and manage different levels of hardware and software on the same network.

Ethan says:

Richer package push functionality—Systems Management Server can schedule the time of an installation so that client and server upgrades (and combinations of clients and servers) can be synchronized. Because no user logon is required to trigger the installation, upgrades can be deployed during off-hours.

Ethan says:

Dry-run facility—Systems Management Server provides a facility to test the likelihood of an installation being successful. This means that large rollouts can be tested across all target machines, without impacting any of them.

Ethan says:

Patching—Systems Management Server provides the ability to patch a binary, rather than consuming the bandwidth necessary to send a complete file.

Ethan says:

Heterogeneous distribution—Systems Management Server distributes software across a range of different server operating systems (Windows NT Server, Novell, and IBM LanServer) to a range of different client operating systems (MS-DOS®, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, Macintosh, and OS/2).

Ethan says:

Feedback—Systems Management Server provides full details and real-time status of software deployment.

Ethan says:

Rollback facility—Should a large software distribution fail, Systems Management Server can be used to coordinate a synchronized rollback on some or all clients.

Host Charlie says:

Will there be a 2.0 release any time soon? Has MS any plans to open SMS in the true enterprise (open it up to going beyond NT into Unix etc. - to something more like CA Unicenter.)

Ethan says:

Many products have been developed to extend the function of SMS. For example:

Ethan says:

HP and Microsoft are working together to extend the functions and integration of HP OpenView with SMS.

Ethan says:

Novadigm has released "EDM Apapters". These Adapters, developed with Microsoft's support, will provide heterogeneous environments containing MVS, UNIX, Windows®, Windows NT®, OS/2, Novell, and Macintosh clients with an integrated software management environment that automates the enterprise-wide control of distributing "shrink-wrapped" and client/server software according to EDM-based policies.

Host Charlie says:

When is MS going to begin letting us in on Opal? Information is scarce.

Ethan says:

Take a look at http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt for the latest information on Opal (SMS 2.0)

Host Charlie says:

Is there any way to bring remote control performance up to the standards of say PC Anywhere? CPU utilization when remote controlling is averaging 80% right now.

Ethan says:

Remote control is not particularly speedy in SMS. However, SMS Service Pack 3, is supposed to address performance issues with remote control. You can download service pack 3 from http://support.microsoft.com/support/downloads/LNP222.asp?PR=SMS&FR=0&M=F&. This URL worked as of 1/17/97. If it doesn’t work for you, go to http://support.microsoft.com/support/downloads, choose BackOffice and then Systems Management Server to get to this download.

Host Charlie says:

I am interested in taking your training program. Currently, I am a duplication tech. person looking to expand my field of knowledge. Any information/help will be appreciated.

Ethan says:

Atlas Online University was the first online training provider for Microsoft and our training offerings are growing fast. We now offer the entire MCSE track. I manage and run the SMS training online course, in fact I wrote it for Atlas Online University. We use the Microsoft Press SMS Self-Paced Training kit and you interact with me and other Microsoft Certified Trainers during your studies. Our online classroom contains great notes for test preparation, assignment recommendations, a syllabus for timing your studies and many interactive services including chat, news groups and email. As the lead trainer for this course, you can email me or communicate with me through the news groups after you sign-up for class. Please visit http://www.atlasu.com to learn more about our training program.

Host Charlie says:

I work at State Street Bank & Trust Co. and we have recently implemented SMS. My question, however, is on the MSCE. I plan on taking the Win NT 4.0 track and would like to know when should I take the Networking Essentials exam (70-058) before or after the win95 exam (70-063) and NT server exams (70-067,70-068)?

Ethan says:

You should start with the Networking Essentials. After completing your studies, don’t take the exam! Next, complete your Windows 95 training and then complete your Windows NT training. Once you have gotten through all of this, then sit the Networking Essentials exam. This is important since you will see questions about Windows 95 and Windows NT on the Networking Essentials exam! My company offers training for all of these courses. So, if you attend in-class training you may consider augmenting your training by working with us online.

Host Charlie says:

I'm trying my best to become MCSE Certified but all the schools are asking for more them I can afford since credit is out of the question. (I'm still doing my best with the home study courses). I found a school in the Philippines called MisNet,Inc. The training would be only $3,000. US dollars and that I can afford. But will US Companies still be interested in me if I was MCSE+Internet Certified in the Philippines?

Ethan says:

Yes, MCSE is valued wherever you get it. Our company offers the entire MCSE track for less than $3000.00 and it includes all of the MSPress self-paced training kit you need. Take a look at our offerings before signing up with MisNet, Inc.

Host Charlie says:

Some of our WFW and NT often hang during the runsms script. The error message often displayed "device not found or unable to read device, Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail". Some of the PCs have IOMEGA Zip drive connected to it and some don't. I would like to know how do I address this problem? Whether the problem is the drive on that PC is malfunction or a portable drive that is not recognized by the script?

Ethan says:

The copy of Getdisk.exe on SMS SP1 is causing this problem. Copy Getdisk.exe to the ms\Site.srv\Maincfg.box\Client.src\X86.bin\ directory on the computer running Systems Management Server. Getdisk.exe will be replicated to your logon servers from this directory. Take a look at Q159952 in http://www.microsoft.com/support or perform a query on "GETDISK.EXE" from the TechNet CD.

Host Charlie says:

How can I hide the remote control agent from the taskbar?

Ethan says:

In Windows 95 the remote control agent can be hidden using third party tools/shareware like WindowControl. You can download this utility from www.windows95.com or http://members.aol.com/harcohen/Index.html.

Host Charlie says:

How can I prevent user to close the remote control agent?

Ethan says:

In Windows 95 or Windows 3.x, hide it using a tool like WindowControl. In Windows NT it runs as a service. So, restricting the user’s ability to access the service manager will keep them from shutting down Windows NT remote control service. But restricting access to permission setting will be tricky.

Ethan says:

We offer online training. The beauty of this is that you can get tutored and learn from Microsoft Certified Trainers. Additionally, Transcender sells exams to help you prepare for the SMS test. You can also download assessment exams for free from http://www.micorosoft.com/train_cert. The exam covers SMS 1.0 but it will give you a flavor for the types of questions you can expect to see on the SMS 1.2 exam.

Host Charlie says:

As a small independent VAR we find the price of formal MSCE classroom training to be prohibitive. After considerable investigation, we can find no government or private means of financing MSCE training. Seems that with the shortage of certified professionals, there should be a means of obtaining educational loan(s) for this extremely desirable rating.

Ethan says:

I agree. You may want to seek out training through Universities in this area. I know that NC State also offers online training so you might want to check with them.

Host Charlie says:

At over 57 years old, a computer professional for over 35 years and having five related patents, it is very difficult to obtain regular employment, MSCE certification would enhance my credibility and skills. My wife and I were displaced when most of the printed circuit industry went off shore, as result of these factors we have no choice but to remain a struggling independent. It is hard enough to just keep the small business financed, $8,000-$10,000 for certification is out of the question. It seem ridiculous that a person can be trained for hundreds of skills, many low paying, through government sponsored programs, but not for any computer professional certifications.

Ethan says:

We offer the entire MCSE package for under $3000.00. You must be self-motivated since our online courses are based on self-paced training kits. However, we are there to help you understand the concepts covered in the training materials.

Host Charlie says:

What network size is SMS applicable or economical to install?

Ethan says:

This answer is going to be subjective and may be difficult to answer in a chat session. From a client/computer perspective more than 50 clients will be served well with SMS. It also depends on the nature of the network. If the network uses a standard set of applications that are rarely updated and administrative support requirements are minimal, then SMS is not necessary. However, in most networks of 50 or more computers, updates and regular administration are a necessity for proper operation. In these environments, SMS is a wise management solution.

Ethan says:

On the high-end, we work with clients supporting with 10-15 thousand clients spread out over the globe.

Host Charlie says:

What are the positives of SMS over the equivalent competitor product?

Ethan says:

First, let me say that I am not an expert on the equivalent competitors products. Tom, you might be able to do this more justice than I can. Here, though are my few comments on this…

Ethan says:

Using a SQL Server backend means that SMS data can be accessed by any application able to access the SQL database via ODBC.

Ethan says:

Three tier architecture within the site makes SMS able to handle large numbers of clients over LAN/WAN links. The clients never directly access the site server or the database. Key components of SMS are shielded by getting hammered by the clients/end users.

Ethan says:

There are third party extensions for SMS but some products like Tivoli work with others.

Ethan says:

Microsoft supports it and version 2.0 is entering its preliminary beta phase. It is a BackOffice product so it works with products like SNA Server.

Host Charlie says:

What is the positioning of SMS to the next millennium on IT requirements
of customers or customer needs?

Ethan says:

We are under a non-disclosure agreement with Microsoft on SMS 2.0 so we can’t comment on this. The current product of SMS is a "systems management" product, not a network management product. Serving the application layer is the most important quality of SMS. I think that Microsoft’s strategy is to use SMS to reduce TCO (total cost of ownership). Computers aren’t expensive but managing them is.

Host Charlie says:

Is it possible that a client can be related to two different sites (not a
parent-child site)?

Ethan says:

No, SMS is designed to manage clients in a single site. The SMS.INI points to a single site. If a client is added to a new site, it no longer reports to the old site, though its inventory record still exists in the old site. It is possible for a client to "return" to a site to which it previously belonged. It can only report to one site at a time. I don’t think we should spend any time on this question since it is a detail that is explored in the SMS Training kit.

Host Charlie says:

Last day, I did a package and sent this package to 40 users. Perhaps, one of this users had another PC but was not updated in my SMS list. Later, I want to cancel this job to this particular user, but I was not able. I didn't find how to do this. I can cancel the job for all my users but not for one and only one user?

Ethan says:

If you send a job to 40 clients, you must cancel the entire job and then run a new one with the correct target or targets. However, if the job is completed on some clients but not completed on a client that was improperly targeted, you can cancel the job and all active pieces of that job will be canceled. The clients that have already run the job will not lose the installed package.

Host Charlie says:

In MS Explorer, is there anyway of erasing all traces of what a user has searched for and all sites he has visited. I know MS explorer keeps track of sites visited in the register, and I know how to delete them. Are they really deleted? If an investigative agency were to confiscate my computer, would they be able to undelete the deleted sites in the register? Is there any way to visit a site without leaving a trace?

Ethan says:

This is not an SMS question. Please check www.microsoft.com/support or check the TechNet CD.

Host Charlie says:

I'm interesting in SMS as a MCSE and very briefly could you tell me exactly what issues does SMS cover and what would you suggest me to do for passing the SMS certification exam? Attending an instructor led course for SMS 1.2 or would the SMS training kit do the same if also the labs can be implemented at home? My last question is what software is included in the CD disks coming along with the training kit.

Ethan says:

The SMS course covers the installation and configuration of SMS. Then, you learn how to manage a system of network computers using SMS. The last module of the self-paced training kit covers planning and deployment of SMS. To learn more about the topics covered in the kit, visit mspress.microsoft.com and www.microsoft.com/train_cert.

Ethan says:

The SMS training kit includes SMS 1.2, SQL Server and Windows NT Server so you have all of the software you need to learn SMS. Note, this software is for training purposes only and expires after 120 days. I wrote several HTML demonstrations for the kit and Microsoft added some of their own using AVI files.

Ethan says:

Using the self-paced training kit, you will be prepared to sit the SMS certification exam. The labs are written for, in some cases, a single computer. However, to complete the majority of the labs, you will need two computers that are networked together and can run Windows NT. This really isn’t a very steep requirement for such a sophisticated systems management product. Also, the price of computers able to run Windows NT has dropped significantly. To read about the system requirements, go to http://www.atlasu.com, then choose the courses icon from the home page. Select the SMS offering and read the system requirements from this page.

Host Charlie says:

Is it possible to override the constant authorization request from client machines every time I do a remote diagnostic? It should be enough to have the client authorize remote diagnostics, remote control or the help desk utility once and not all the time.

Ethan says:

Yes, set Permission Required = No in the [Sight] section of the client’s SMS.INI. You can use a third party INI editor to automate setting this flag in all clients SMS.INI file. Microsoft does not provide any tool to directly change this setting. However, you can use the SMS software distribution function to send a package using the INI editor to modify this setting on all clients.

Host Charlie says:

When deploying Windows 95 large scale, a tool called NETSETUP is used to alter the Windows 95 images on the server so that settings about networking and extra hardware are preset. When trying to do this on a OSR2 version of Windows 95, problems arise. It seems NETSETUP is closely tied to the Windows 95 OSR1 images, and there's no version of it (that I was able to find) for OSR2. Does it exist and if not, how can you do a large-scale deployment of Windows 95 OSR2?

Ethan says:

This is not an SMS question. Please check www.microsoft.com/support or check the TechNet CD.

Host Charlie says:

What materials would you recommend to become proficient at using the MS Network Monitor that comes with SMS. Are there any specific MSPress publications that you know of that specifically address Network Monitor? Any other publications that would help out from other publishers that you might be able to suggest?

Ethan says:

In the SMS Self-Paced Training kit I spent quite a bit of time on the enhanced MS Network Monitor included with SMS. There are also labs included in the self-paced training kit to help you learn how to use Network Monitor. Additionally, take a look at the following articles on the TechNet CD:

Ethan says:

Network Traffic Analysis and Optimization (Windows NT 3.5x and 4.0 and Windows 95) – from TechEd 1997 and

Ethan says:

From the Windows NT Server, Concepts and Planning Manual, "Chapter 10 - Monitoring Your Network"

Host Charlie says:

I have SMS version 1.0. and I am perusing MSCE certification on the 3.51 track. And I have 3 questions:

1. What are the significant improvements in version 1.2 over 1.0?

Ethan says:

SMS 1.2: Remote Control of Windows NT Clients

Ethan says:

SNMP support for capturing Windows NT events and storing SNMP and Windows NT Events in the SMS database as SNMP traps.

Ethan says:

Improved thread performance of the SMS Executive

Ethan says:

An Extended Software Auditing Database

Ethan says:

The inventory Agent Service for Windows NT Workstation and, via http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt, the package command manager service for Windows NT Workstation and stand-alone servers.

Ethan says:

Program Group Control for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4

Ethan says:

New Network Analysis Tools

Host Charlie says:

2. Will the new exam reflect the additional features?

Ethan says:

Yes, particularly questions about SNMP.

Host Charlie says:

3. What's the future for SMS 2.X and beyond? Microsoft has been very quiet about SMS for some time while facing increasing competition from products like IBM's TIVOLI.

Ethan says:

SMS 2.0 is looking like a very promising product. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgnt to read more about the plans for SMS 2.0. Also, look at the product showcase to see how Tivoli and SMS are working together now.

Host Charlie says:

I have had trouble preparing for the SMS exam. It is my last try for my MCSE. I passed all of the others fairly easily, but have failed the SMS test. I have taken the 5 day course, but have otherwise never dealt with SMS. There is not as much 3rd party info and practice testing. Can you recommend an alternative approach to my studies?

Ethan says:

You might want to give online training a try with the MSPress SMS Training Kit. Go to our site to get more information: http://www.atlasu.com.

Host Charlie says:

How much of SMS will be incorporated in NT v5?

Ethan says:

Go to http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgnt to read more about the plans for SMS 2.0 and Windows NT 5.

Host Charlie says:

I am interested in getting a good solid monitoring functions going on about 20 NT servers, we have about 3-7 now. To learn more since my background is weak, I know a bit about it from glancing at the New Riders Study Guide. But to seriously evaluate it and CA Unicenter (BTW I hear CA is $$$ say dig deep $$$, just how much $$ are we talking about) should I just try both on the NT boxes. We have about 3-7 NT servers.

Ethan says:

I can’t say much about CA Unicenter but if they will let you evaluate the product, I think you should. You can download a trial version of SMS from http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgnt or you can buy the SMS Self-Paced Training Kit and get SMS, SQL Server and Windows NT Server on CD. You really should really work with these products because they are quite sophisticated and a cursory evaluation just won’t do.

Host Charlie says:

Also these servers will be administered remotely. What we are doing sounds like what you are doing with PC Anywhere. So with CA Unicenter and $$, it does not do it all?

Ethan says:

Again, I can’t say much about CA Unicenter, you will have to evaluate it on your own. SMS provides remote control capabilities but its functions are much deeper than that. You should really explore this product to see how it can help you with systems management.

Host Charlie says:

Also our servers are under someone else's domain and they pretty much control it. Sounds like we should take the NT servers and make a resource domain that trusts the master domain. The master domain has the Exchange, DNS, etc. So we should be our own domain then in order to use SMS 1.2. For remote admin, are you recommending PC Anywhere?

Ethan says:

No, SMS contains a remote control function, so you don’t have to buy a third party program for remote control. The SMS server could be placed in it's own domain and your resource domain could be added to it. Or, you could add SMS to your resource domain, either way will work.

Host Charlie says:

Any help would be great. If you could email me your phone, could I call you? We are fairly serious about spending some $$ for this remote monitoring.

Ethan says:

You can also reach me through our web site: http://www.atlasu.com, once there, choose the Contact icon on our home page. I look forward to exploring your issues further! In fact Tom and I both run one to two day seminars and properly planning and deploying SMS. These private seminars are specifically geared to an organization’s network environment. Please contact me for more information on this.

Host Charlie says:

Even if we do CA Unicenter, should I still take a SMS course, to get the background? By remote monitoring, we would like the person(s) responsible for a given application to admin that server. Also we need to know if the NT servers need fairly quick notification if something like a crash is happening?

Ethan says:

You really should evaluate SMS too. Again, careful evaluation is critical to your selection. Remote real-time monitoring can be performed through the integrated SNMP functions in SMS. I discussed this in a previous question.

Host Charlie says:

Is SMS good enough, CA Unicenter, or some other product?

Ethan says:

Personally, I think SMS is an excellent product. The key is to really understand how it functions. Training is a good avenue to learn more and the SMS Self-Paced training kit is a great way to learn about it.

Host Charlie says:

Is there anyway that I can use FAT32 on Windows95 clients with large (over 2gig) partitions? As it stands now the personal computer properties show incorrect hard drive statistics (size, used, and available) and AUDIT16 fails to run.

Ethan says:

I couldn’t find any reference to this problem. Make sure you have upgraded to the latest service pack. Additionally, you may want to call Microsoft support to discuss this problem.

Host Charlie says:

Is there anyway to enable Help Desk options without user intervention (i.e. edit the domain.ini or the source of the domain.ini)? We would prefer not to use inimod32 or Kixtart.

Ethan says:

Unfortunately, an INI modification tool is the only way I have found to do this. Microsoft wanted to avoid the appearance of Big Brother in SMS that’s why they gave users control of this client remote control function.

Host Charlie says:

We have a Master Domain. This domain has a DNS server, WINS resolving is done using DNS. We have added a number of WINS servers to the DNS search order. These WINS Servers are those of our managed domains. We have had some problems with using SMS to manage a remote domain (WINS is not always available, etc ...). Using DNS to resolve via WINS of a remote domain we were able to ping every available machine within the remote domain. However, using SMS to find and manage these machines was not possible. SMS would not find them although normally if we use WINS (using the remote domain's WINS server) we can find the systems with no problem. Any idea why is it not possible to find the machines using NT-DNS only with DNS resolving the names via WINS?

Ethan says:

You may want to try adding a hosts file to the SMS server that includes the remote domains that SMS seems not to be able to reach. Additionally, did you try specifying the WINS servers on the SMS site server directly? This may solve your problem. Let me know what you find after you try these procedures.

Host Charlie says:

WinInstall is marketed as an add-on to SMS. What, if any, are the implications of doing that and will there be an easier interface like WinInstall's in SMS 2.x?

Ethan says:

Actually, you can now download the SMS Installer from http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt as long as you already own SMS 1.2. SMS Installer is similar to WinInstall. Both WinInstall and the SMS Installer are considered add-ons to SMS and there are really no implications except for increased functions for systems management.

Host Charlie says:

I would like to build a hierarchy and I am running into a problem with the 3 alpha-numeric site code allowed. How can I get around this restriction?

Ethan says:

You can’t. The three alpha-numeric site code limit will allow you to configure 46, 656 sites from 000 – ZZZ… that should be enough!

Host Charlie says:

I would like to build a hierarchy 5 levels deep on each Primary Secondary Distribution Sever. How do I build the hiearrchy so that there is no repetition or does it not matter?

Ethan says:

I don’t recommend that you make your hierarchy that deep. A deep hierarchy affects overall performance. Chapter 14 of the SMS Training manual discusses planning in depth. Unfortunately, I can’t really address this issue here.

Host Charlie says:

How much time should be devoted to the training materials? Any estimate on % of hands on versus reading?

Ethan says:

Depending on your previous experience with Windows NT and SMS, your time will vary. Based on the syllabus I developed for our online training course, the average completion time for reading the book and completing all of the labs is 55 days.

Ethan says:

Since it is important to work with SMS to really grasp the product, this kit is filled with lab exercises. Microsoft included all of the software you need to configure a lab environment for SMS so that you can get valuable hands-on training. Typically, labs and readings are split evenly. Of course, depending on your comfort level with Windows NT, your timing may be different.

Host Charlie says:

Which permissions are needed for software distribution?

Ethan says:

Permissions vary depending on what you are asking. If you are asking what permissions are necessary to setup a package for distribution, the SMS Service account must have the following access rights:

Ethan says:

Read privileges to the source directory for the package.

Ethan says:

Read and write privileges to the distribution points on all distribution servers (package distribution.)

Ethan says:

Read and write privileges to all logon servers (instruction distribution.)

Ethan says:

If you are asking what permissions are necessary on the client for running the package installation, the answer depends on the operating system and file system:

Ethan says:

If the client is running DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, OS/2, Macintosh or Windows NT (FAT partitions for package installation), they have full access privileges to their local hard drive so rights are not an issue for local installation. They also must be able to read package instructions from their logon server(s) and be able to connect to a distribution server to run the installation.

Ethan says:

If the client is running Windows NT and the package must be installed on an NTFS partition, you have two choices:

Ethan says:

The client requires local read and write privileges to any directory the package installation needs to access for installation.

Ethan says:

Download the updated PCM Service for Windows NT Workstation and stand-alone servers from http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt and install this on all of your Windows NT clients. Next, assign a Windows NT account that will be able to logon as a service to the local client. This service account should have local read and write access to any directory the package needs to access for installation. Finally, make sure to create a mandatory job for the package. Then, the package will install using the service account assigned to the PCM service. To make this work without the user logged on; the package must not interact with the desktop (dialog-box free). You can configure this type of installation using the SMS Installer.

Ethan says:

If any parts of these instructions aren’t clear, the MSPress Self-Paced SMS Training kit will help. Also, consider working with me online at http://www.atlasu.com.

Host Charlie says:

I would like to know what scripting software most customers use to script their own installs?

Ethan says:

Microsoft has released the SMS Installer to replace their original bundled solution for scripted installations, MSTest. If you own SMS 1.2, you can download the SMS Installer for free from http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt. Additionally, WinInstall has been on the market for years and has enjoyed a lot of success with SMS. While it works independently of SMS, it integrates nicely with the SMS Package distribution functions.

Host Charlie says:

I would like to know if MS is going to give updates to Audit.rul file?

Ethan says:

Right now the AUDIT.RUL file contains over 5000 applications that you can check for. Since the AUDIT.RUL file is a text file, you can add or remove any applications from the list. In practice, I have found it much more useful to create an empty *.RUL file and add the applications that should be audited. If you look at the contents of the AUDIT.RUL file that Microsoft supplies, you will see that there are applications that will be irrelevant to your network environment. To compile and run an audit with every application Microsoft supplies in the AUDIT.RUL file is inefficient and thus not recommended. Unless, of course, all of your users are patient, a rare commodity!

Host Charlie says:

Everything went smooth until Monday morning. For some reason when people tried to launch Eudora 3.0 their systems hung and Eudora was "Not Responding" the only way we found to fix this was to disable the SMS Inventory and Remote Control...what' s the deal is there an incompatibility out there with 1.2 and Eudora?

Ethan says:

I didn’t find any reference to this problem in the technical databases. To troubleshoot this, I would first disable SMS Remote control to see if Eudora functions. It is unlikely to be related to the SMS Inventory agent since this only runs when it is called during the logon process. Enable just the inventory agent w/out remote control to see if Eudora functions. If so, then it is probably related to the SMS remote control function. If you are using TCP/IP to download your mail, then you may want to set a different protocol as the default protocol for remote control to see if that works. If it does, then it may be an incompatibility with your TCP/IP protocol stack and the SMS remote control function.

Host Charlie says:

When setting up a primary software distribution point for SMS to do automated installations of Standard Suites i.e. Office97...

How to do it?

Do we really need to reside a dual copy of the CD (compressed and uncompressed) on the Primary software distribution point?

Can automated install using Setupmgr and Sysdiff install and properly configure SMS Client? You mentioned getting SMS installer from Microsoft web site...what is that?

Ethan says:

For details on installing Office97 w/SMS, refer to the following sources: The MSPress Office 97 Resource Kit and Microsoft TechNet – there is an Office 97 deployment guide on TechNet, The MSPress SMS Self-Paced Training Kit.

Ethan says:

About your second question, after the Office97 source files are compressed by SMS, they are distributed to the distribution server(s). If your site server(s) and distribution server(s) are different computers, then the compressed copy of the package will reside on your site server and the uncompressed copy will reside on your distribution server.

Ethan says:

About your third question, as a computer is logged on to the network, the SMS client files are automatically installed. This process should be followed since the installation routine builds the SMS.INI with a unique SMS ID and settings specific to the client where SMS is installed. While you could use Sysdiff and then replace the SMS.INI, this is not recommended.

Ethan says:

Finally, the SMS Installer is a application installation scripting tool like WinInstall. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt for more details.

Host Charlie says:

I work for a large corporation that has about 400 SMS servers, the problem is that when we add a new primary site to the Central site Hierarchy, the new child site takes too long to get inventoried, almost 48 hours. There are too many other inventory files from other sites that need to be processed by the Central site server. Is there a way to speed up or change the processing order of the inventory mif of a particular site over the others?

Ethan says:

Aside from setting the service response mode to fast or very fast on your primary site servers temporarily to complete the inventory processing. From a design perspective, the flatter your hierarchy, the faster inventory reporting will happen. You may also want to run setup from each primary site and initiate a reset of the site. I am also wondering if your performance issues have to do with an undersized central site server. I say this because you mention that your central site is too busy processing inventory files.

Host Charlie says:

How much is there on SNA Senders in the training materials or in the exam?

Ethan says:

The training materials and the SMS Online help engine provide you with all of the details you would need to know to configure an SNA network for SMS functions. For the test, you just need to understand the basics of configuring the SNA Sender and the limitations of using SNA for SMS functions.

Host Charlie says:

Is the software installation easy? After planning the installation, does the installation take long time?

Ethan says:

The installation is straightforward if you understand how SMS works. There are preliminary system configuration steps that must occur before SMS is installed. The SMS 1.2 Self-Paced Training kit details the steps required to install SMS.

Ethan says:

Planning is critical to a successful production installation of SMS. The size of the network where SMS is installed plays a big role in the speed of installation. A single site implementation of SMS will take only a few hours to install. Again proper planning and the size of the network will play a large role in the success of an installation. I offer a private seminar on planning and deployment. To contact me, visit http://www.atlasu.com and click on the Contact icon on our home page.

Host Charlie says:

Is the focus of the exam more towards the actual system flow of system in troubleshooting or is it more implementation oriented?

Ethan says:

Implementation is the key component of the test. You must also be facile with the product. Without hands-on experience, you will find the test difficult.

Host Charlie says:

How does SMS answer the software-metering piece that Intel's LanDesk can provide?

Ethan says:

Currently, SMS 1.2 "out of the box" does not include a metering component. However, there are a number of add-on products for SMS like PolyCenter AssetWorks. Go to Paul Thomsen’s site to read about this product and others he recommends: http://www3.sympatico.ca/pthomsen/SMS/SMS.html

Host Charlie says:

I have heard rumors that NT 5.0 will include some of SMS's features in it. Does this signal the demise of SMS as a separate product?

Ethan says:

No, SMS 2.0 is in development.

Host Charlie says:

What sections of the exam give the most trouble to the exam takers so far?

Ethan says:

SNMP, Senders and understanding the SMS Hierarchy.

Host Charlie says:

I've got an SMS client issue. I'm trying to install SMS in a single NT domain that spans a wide area network. The remote control works but the customized MIFs never reach the Primary Site Server. I've checked for the files to be transferred to the primary site in the IDF and NOIDF directories on the client and the *.xnf file doesn't appear there. Where should I look for troubleshooting this problem?

Ethan says:

The SMS Resource Guide, Chapter 3 is very helpful in troubleshooting system flow problems. Here’s a little help here: There are two types of custom MIFS, those associated with a client and those that are independent of a client. If you are creating custom MIFs that are independent of the client, it may be a MIF format problem. The SMS Resource Kit and the MSPress SMS Self-Paced Training kit contain a utility called MIFCHECK.EXE. Run MIFCHECK against your custom MIF to debug the format of your MIF file. If it checks out, place your custom MIF files in LOGON.SRV\ISVMIF.BOX on any logon server in your SMS domain. Check to see if your custom MIF file moves to SITE.SRV\DATALOAD.BOX\DELTAMIF.COL, it is processed and placed there by the Inventory Processor. At this point it will be a binary MIF file. Next the Inventory Data Loader determines whether the format of the MIF file is correct. If not, the MIF is copied to the SITE.SRV\DATALOAD.BOX\DELTAMIF.COL\BADMIFS directory on the site server. If your files are there, your MIF files are not formatted properly.

Host Charlie says:

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