12 December 2013
NSE queue fills up with orphaned power on jobs.
Fix orphaned RTCI tasks using the following SQL:
insert into ItemToDelete
select distinct i.Guid, GETDATE ()
from Item i
join ItemClass ic on ic.Guid = i.Guid
join Class c on c.Guid = ic.ClassGuid
left join ItemReference ir on ir.ChildItemGuid = i.Guid
and ir.Hint = 'taskschedulehint'
where ic.ClassGuid = 'A03EFF6B-B41B-4BD5-8D48-3980B23AE8D7E'
and Attributes & 1 = 1
and ir.ParentItemGuid is null
group by i.Name, ir.Hint
order by i.Name
Ref : http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212717
09 December 2013
03 December 2013
Altiris 7.5 KNOWN ISSUE: Running aexagentutil.exe /clean on client machine uninstalls agent AND Windows system32 files
Ref :
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212946
The customer reported that during an upgrade from ITMS 7.1 to ITMS 7.5, when trying to uninstall the Symantec Managenent Agent he noted that most files under Windows\System32 directory were missing.
In this case the customer was using AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean to uninstall the Symantec Management Agent.
Steps:
1. Install SMA and receive configuration
2. Open registry and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile
3. Set Windows folder as SMA logs location folder
4. Uninstall SMA (AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean
Actual result: Uninstall process would attempt to erase the complete file tree including windows system files. in my case more than 2000 files were erased from c:\windows tree
Expected result: Only log folder should be erased or/and Agent*.log files.
ITMS 7.5
Please note that this is NOT a regresssion in ITMS 7.5 - the problem was also applicable to earlier releases and happens only with custom changes for log file path location.
In this particular instance, the customer had the incorrect SMA agent log file path in the registry (check “FilePathâ€under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile). Removal process uses the entries "FileName" and "FilePath" from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile"
Another option when this could happen is when there is no logging folder specified in the registry, in this case uninstall will try removing files from the process's current folder, which can be anything in the general case.
Symantec has acknowledged that the above-mentioned issue is present in the current version of the product mentioned earlier on this article. Symantec is committed to product quality and satisfied customers.
Symantec currently plans to address this issue by including a fix in the next ITMS 7.5 Hotfix: Hotfix 2. Please be sure to refer back to this document periodically as any changes to the status of the issue will be reflected here. A link to the Release Notes will be added to this document when it becomes available. Please note that Symantec reserves the right to remove any fix from the targeted release if it does not pass quality assurance tests. Symantec’s plans are subject to change and any action taken by you based on the above information or your reliance upon the above information is made at your own risk.
Development changed the Agent behavior where it should not remove all the files from this folder, only agent*.log files, then it should remove the folder only if it’s empty. Currently agent tries removing the complete file tree.
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212946
Issue
The customer reported that during an upgrade from ITMS 7.1 to ITMS 7.5, when trying to uninstall the Symantec Managenent Agent he noted that most files under Windows\System32 directory were missing.
In this case the customer was using AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean to uninstall the Symantec Management Agent.
Steps:
1. Install SMA and receive configuration
2. Open registry and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile
3. Set Windows folder as SMA logs location folder
4. Uninstall SMA (AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean
Actual result: Uninstall process would attempt to erase the complete file tree including windows system files. in my case more than 2000 files were erased from c:\windows tree
Expected result: Only log folder should be erased or/and Agent*.log files.
Environment
ITMS 7.5
Cause
Please note that this is NOT a regresssion in ITMS 7.5 - the problem was also applicable to earlier releases and happens only with custom changes for log file path location.
In this particular instance, the customer had the incorrect SMA agent log file path in the registry (check “FilePathâ€under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile). Removal process uses the entries "FileName" and "FilePath" from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile"
Another option when this could happen is when there is no logging folder specified in the registry, in this case uninstall will try removing files from the process's current folder, which can be anything in the general case.
Solution
Symantec has acknowledged that the above-mentioned issue is present in the current version of the product mentioned earlier on this article. Symantec is committed to product quality and satisfied customers.
Symantec currently plans to address this issue by including a fix in the next ITMS 7.5 Hotfix: Hotfix 2. Please be sure to refer back to this document periodically as any changes to the status of the issue will be reflected here. A link to the Release Notes will be added to this document when it becomes available. Please note that Symantec reserves the right to remove any fix from the targeted release if it does not pass quality assurance tests. Symantec’s plans are subject to change and any action taken by you based on the above information or your reliance upon the above information is made at your own risk.
Development changed the Agent behavior where it should not remove all the files from this folder, only agent*.log files, then it should remove the folder only if it’s empty. Currently agent tries removing the complete file tree.
02 December 2013
ITMS Admin iPad app 1.0
Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC5614
Description
Description
ITMS Admin app is a mobile extension of the Symantec Management Console. It
lets you monitor client computers, check Patch, Inventory and Software data. It
also lets you start the tasks on client computers, check status of policies and
tasks, and more. The app supports Symantec IT Management Suite 7.5 or
higher.
The ITMS Admin is a two-part solution that includes:
- An app that you download and install on your
iPad.
- The server part, which is installed directly on your Notification Server.
- The server part, which is installed directly on your Notification Server.
Installation
If you have upgraded to or installed ITMS 7.5 after the 2nd of December 2013,
you do not have to install anything manually, the server part of the app is
included with your original installation. To start using ITMS Admin iPad app, on
your iPad, go to AppStore and install the ITMS Admin iPad app.
However, if you have upgraded to or installed ITMS 7.5 before the 2nd of
December 2013, in order to obtain the server part of the ITMS Admin iPad app,
you need to upgrade the Enhanced Console Views component to version ECV 7.5 MP1.
This upgrade lets the app connect to the Notification Server.
To install, do the following:
- In the Symantec Management (SIM), click Upgrade installed products.
- In the installation wizard, on the Upgrade Installed Products page, click Enhanced Console Views 7.5. MP1, and then click Next.
- On the End User License Agreement, read the agreement, and then, at the bottom of the page check I accept the terms in the license agreements, then click Next.
- On the Contact Information page, type the required information, and click Next.
- On the Install Readiness Check page, wait for the results of the check, make sure that all recommended components are up to date, and then click Next.
- On the Review Installation Details page, review the information, and then click Begin install.
- After the upgrade is completed, on the Installation Complete page, click Finish.
After you install the server part of the app, on your iPad, go to AppStore
and install the ITMS Admin iPad app.
Signing in
- On the iPad, on the sign-in page of the app, type the user name and the
password.
You can use either a domain or a local user login name. To be able to sign into the ITMS Admin app you have to use an account that has Symantec Administrator security role privileges and permissions. - You can type a server name or an IP address of the Notification Server that you installed the server end of the app on. The names of the previously used servers are saved. Tap Server Name or IP address text box, to view a scrollable list of saved server names.
- The app supports different protocols and custom ports. You can specify both
manually, using the following format: protocol://server:PORT, where
protocol can be either HTTPS or HTTP, and server address can be either a server
name or an IP.
By default, the app uses HTTPS protocol. HTTP is used as an alternative, if the HTTPS connection failed.
Navigation and Search
- Org.View / Group list of computers is generated and refreshed as you scroll down. Computers are listed in alphabetic order. You can type letters or full names of computers in the Search text box to locate computers faster.
- The Saved Searches folders must be previously created on
the Notification Server. All of the Saved Searches folders that
you create in the Symantec Management Console are visible from the app and can
be used to find specific client computers.
For more information on how to create Saved Searches folders, please see: http://www.symantec.com/connect/videos/creating-saved-searches-enhanced-console-views-video
Before you start to use the list of computers in a Saved Searches folder you must wait for the list to generate fully. - To refresh current list swipe the left pane down.
- To sign out, at the bottom of the screen, slide the Org.View / Group to the right, and tap Log out.
- To go back directly to one of the previous steps of your current path, use the breadcrumb view at the bottom of the page.
- To update the view, tap the Refresh icon in the top right corner.
- To navigate between the pages swipe left or right. The dots in the top right corner of the information view, display how many pages the current tab contains.
Main features
For each individual computer (server or client) the following tabs are available.| Summary |
|
| Actions | For any client computer under the Notification Server that you are currently
viewing, it:
|
| Jobs/Tasks | Lets you view the history data of the Jobs or Tasks for the last 14 days. |
| Policies | Let you view the list of targeted policies and their activation status. |
| Software | Lets you see the following lists:
|
Devices and operation systems that are currently supported by the ITMS Admin app
| iPad1 | iPad2 | iPad3 | iPad4 | iPad Mini | iPhone | iPod Touch | |
| iOS5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | |||
| iOS6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| iOS7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Limitations
- The current version of the ITMS Admin app only supports horizontal view.
- When using this app within a hierarchy, you can either connect to a parent or to a child Notification Server. The app lists the client computers under the Notification Server that you are currently connected to (either a parent or a child NS).
- Currently, ITMS Admin iPad app is only available in English. However, since the app is an extension of your Console, if you have computer names, tasks, policies and etc. in a language other than English, your custom names are displayed. You can also use languages other than English to search for computers in the Org.View / Group.
- The app does not let you create new Saved Searches folders, tasks, policies, etc. since there is no text input option. All of the information available in the app is a mirror image of your original Symantec Management Console.
19 November 2013
About Workflow and the Symantec Management Platform
The Symantec Management Platform architecture consists of
several key parts. These parts include the CMDB, Item Object Model, Resource
Model, Solution Layer, UI Framework, and ASDK (Altiris Software Development
Kit). Workflow interacts with the platform through a web service layer and the
custom web services that are installed directly onto the Symantec Management
Platform computer.
However, not all workflow processes directly integrate with the
Symantec Management Platform. A workflow process may only depend on the platform
for a license for the instance of Workflow Server where it is running.
A workflow process can integrate more fully with the Symantec
Management Platform or another solution by using web service calls. A workflow
process can work with any standard web service in the Symantec Management
Platform or solutions. For example, a process that escalates a ServiceDesk
incident can make a web service call to ServiceDesk to change the priority,
affect, or urgency.
18 November 2013
spItemClassUserCreatableDelete causing installations or upgrades to take too long to finish
Issue
SQL Stored Procedure spItemClassUserCreatableDelete is used heavily during installations/upgrades and can cause installations to take days when using the existing SQL.
Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH203750
SQL Stored Procedure spItemClassUserCreatableDelete is used heavily during installations/upgrades and can cause installations to take days when using the existing SQL.
Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH203750
Symantec™ IT Management Suite 7.5 HF1 powered by Altiris™ technology Release Notes
The Release Notes can be found here
17 November 2013
Trending Patch Compliance useful tools
This was written by one of our engineers Ludovice Ferre
I have written a few utilities to help my customer understand how well our Patch Management tool works for them and with the help of colleagues here in EMEA I’ve integrated them into a single package and I have written a guide to quickly and simply implement the tool.
Here are the main link for this project:
http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/adding-patch-trending-your-symantec-management-platform-step-step-guide
• Step-by-step installation guide
• Main download page
• Sample site for hands on test
Adding Patch Trending to Your Symantec Management Platform Step by... symantec.com
Symantec helps consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or...
Task 0000 GUID Issue
TECH146046 – This is commonly known as the task 00000’s guid issue. This is an error that is a symptom from various solutions that assign tasks to run on a resource that has the default guid of all 00000’s. Some solutions have fixed this issue in …
ITMS 7.1
15 November 2013
12 November 2013
App Center v4.2 Migration guide
Migration to Symantec App Center 4.2 involves adding new servers that support RHEL/CentOS 6.4 and adding an MDM Core database to the existing App Center database. The migration will involve some down time to current production servers. A first version of a migration guide has now been published to Symwise. This document describes what you'll need to know about migrating to Symantec App Center v4.2. The document can be found here: http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6841.
09 November 2013
ITMS 7.1 SP2 MP1 Rollup Version 7 Release Notes
A nice recap of all fixes in all rollup Version can be found here
08 November 2013
Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4 is now available
On November 5, 2013, Symantec released Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4.
You can download this version from Symantec FileConnect or the
Business Critical
Services Web site.
This version contains a number of new features, including support for Windows 8.1 and Mac OS X 10.9, a suite of new features for managing Mac clients, and an improved mechanism for reporting priority events as they happen, as well as fixes for customer-reported issues. Symantec recommends this upgrade for all customers, especially those who manage Mac clients, use Windows 8.1, or require one of the fixes that are included in this release.
For more information about this release, read the updated product documentation in the Related Articles section.
This version contains a number of new features, including support for Windows 8.1 and Mac OS X 10.9, a suite of new features for managing Mac clients, and an improved mechanism for reporting priority events as they happen, as well as fixes for customer-reported issues. Symantec recommends this upgrade for all customers, especially those who manage Mac clients, use Windows 8.1, or require one of the fixes that are included in this release.
For more information about this release, read the updated product documentation in the Related Articles section.
Related Articles
SQL Maintenance script for the Symantec Management Platform database
There is a script available to create a Maintenance task on SQL Server here
04 November 2013
03 November 2013
02 November 2013
SQL Version builds
| RTM (Gold, no SP) | SP1 | SP2 | SP3 | SP4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SQL Server 2014codename Hekaton | |||||
| SQL Server 2012 codename Denali | 11.00.2100.60 | 11.00.3000 | |||
| SQL Server 2008 R2 codename Kilimanjaro | 10.50.1600.1 | 10.50.2500 | 10.50.4000 | ||
| SQL Server 2008 codename Katmai | 10.00.1600.22 | 10.00.2531 | 10.00.4000 | 10.00.5500 | |
| SQL Server 2005 codename Yukon | 9.00.1399.06 | 9.00.2047 | 9.00.3042 | 9.00.4035 | 9.00.5000 |
| SQL Server 2000 codename Shiloh | 8.00.194 | 8.00.384 | 8.00.532 | 8.00.760 | 8.00.2039 |
| SQL Server 7.0 codename Sphinx | 7.00.623 | 7.00.699 | 7.00.842 | 7.00.961 | 7.00.1063 |
01 November 2013
Altiris Licensing - Technical FAQ
How does Altiris licensing work for Notification Server based products?
More info about this topic can be found here
- How a license is consumed.
- What happens when the license count is exceeded.
- What happens when a time limited (demo/install) license expires.
- What happens when the Automatic Upgrade Protection (AUP) expires.
- How to recover a solution license (retirement vs. deletion).
- Anomalies in expected functionality.
More info about this topic can be found here
How to prepare a workstation for imaging that includes the SMP/NS Agent (Updated October 2013)
Problem
How can I image a computer with the Altiris
Agent on it? What is needed to prepare the NS Agent when distributed as
part of an image?
The Altiris Agent has a unique GUID for each
workstation. If done incorrectly, when a new workstation is started with
the same GUID as another, Notification Server will begin to manage it
as if it is the same system as the other. Inventory from the multiple
computers keeps over-writing each other, so systems "seem" to disappear
from the NS/SMP console. MANY solutions are impacted by this.
Additionally, Microsoft OS's include a SID or
Security Identifier which is unique, and is how Microsoft keeps systems
separate in Active Directory. Like the GUID, if this is duplicated on
the network, it causes significant problems in AD and we frequently have
to refer customers to Microsoft for multiple days of cleaning up AD.
Resolution
Depending on the version or product you're using, there are several potential options.Using GSS
Ghost Solution Suite has no built-in
mechanism for removing the GUID's from NS. That said, if you have NS7,
you most likely have DS7 and should follow the steps for imaging using
DS7.
However, if you do not have DS7 (or do not intend on using it) then you can either remove the Altiris Agent prior to capturing the image (recommended) or manually remove the GUID from the Agent. The GUID is in 3 locations in the registry:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGUID
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\MachineGUID
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\MachineGUID
Using DS 6.5/6.8/6.9
Any of the supported versions of DS 6.x will remove the GUID from the NS/SMP agent if capturing using the supported methods. The capture image task takes care of this for you by first removing the GUID from the agent and then running Microsoft's Sysprep tool, and then rebooting and capturing the image while in this state.
Using DS 7.x
DS 7.x takes care of this when you run the Prepare for Image Capture task (which is run prior to capturing the image itself). This is the only supported method of capturing a disk image (as apposed to a backup image). The Prepare for Image Capture task takes care of this for you by first removing the GUID from the agent and then running Microsoft's Sysprep tool Unlike DS 6.9, you then need to run the Capture Image task separately (before a reboot to production), but the net effect is the same.
Doing things manually (Unsupported)
There are those who insist on running Sysprep manually and only using our engine/tools (Ghost and RDeploy) to capture and deploy the images.
At least one reason for this is that there is a Microsoft Technet article that indicates that the "appropriate" way to modify the default profile is to run Sysprep in Audit mode and then modify the default profile prior to image capture. Our built-in processes do not support this. The default profile can be modified in several other ways that are supported by our processes, but we acknowledge that those methods are not "as complete" as the one indicated by Microsoft. 99% of our customers have been satisfied with the other methods of modifying the default profile and we highly recommend trying our method first. If you are then still not satisfied and insist on doing things this way, you should consider a few things:
- IF the agent is included then the 3 registry keys indicated under the GSS method must be removed.
- The Unattend.xml MUST be correctly managed by yourself. We continually see problems with this method in the XML files where there are issues with architecture and custom commands. Custom Unattend.XML files are not supported by Symantec, though support offers a best-effort level to help you find / identify problems with it.
Not using Sysprep (Very Bad & Unsupported)
This is both not supported by us and not supported by Microsoft. Some have found a single article published once-upon-a-time by a Microsoft employee who claims that Sysprep is not needed. This is incorrect! Every customer we have found who has done this has required several DAYS of support from Microsoft to clean up their directory. We will send you to Microsoft when you run into problems and we will not be able to help you with your Active Directory (we can help with duplicate GUIDS, but be warned, it can be messy). For imaging to work in ANY of our environments, Sysprep MUST be run in some method or manner.
The only exception to this is if you are taking a backup image of a single system and restoring ONLY to that system. As soon as an image is deployed to more than one system without Sysprep having been run first, it is in an unsupported state.
ITMS 7.5 (Orion) Release of Workflow and Existing Servicedesk Installations
With the release of ITMS 7.5 (Orion), a new version of Workflow is now available. Can I install this version on my existing Servicedesk server?
Answer:
No! This is a standalone version of Workflow that is NOT compatible with any version of Servicedesk that is
currently in production. You will break your Servicedesk installation by installing the Orion version of Workflow on your Servicedesk 7.5 server. You should wait until the upcoming 7.5 Sp1 version of Servicedesk releases (scheduled for the first part of November 2013), and update your Servicedesk installation with the revised Workflow and Servicedesk versions that are included as a part of that release.
Answer:
No! This is a standalone version of Workflow that is NOT compatible with any version of Servicedesk that is
currently in production. You will break your Servicedesk installation by installing the Orion version of Workflow on your Servicedesk 7.5 server. You should wait until the upcoming 7.5 Sp1 version of Servicedesk releases (scheduled for the first part of November 2013), and update your Servicedesk installation with the revised Workflow and Servicedesk versions that are included as a part of that release.
KNOWN ISSUE: Upgrade to ITMS 7.5: Some tables in DB have different definition form tables in case of clean setup - missing indexes
This issue has been reported to the Symantec Development team. A fix will be available in a later release (Post ITMS 7.5 release).
The following is provided as a workaround. Basically run the following queries on your SQL Database to recreate the missing indexes:
--Index for ResourceTargetContainerChanges
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].
[ResourceTargetContainerChanges]') AND name =
N'IX_ResourceTargetContainerChanges')
CREATE INDEX [IX_ResourceTargetContainerChanges] ON [dbo].
[ResourceTargetContainerChanges] ( ResourceGuid )
--Index for ItemPresentation
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID
(N'[IDX_ItemPresentation]') AND name = N'IDX_ItemPresentation')
CREATE INDEX [IDX_ItemPresentation] ON [dbo].[ItemPresentation] ( BaseGuid )
-- Index for Evt_NS_Item_Management
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo].
[Evt_NS_Item_Management]') AND name = N'IDX_DC_457b321d-26eb-449d-996c-
5aff16a391ec_ItemGuid')
CREATE INDEX [IDX_DC_457b321d-26eb-449d-996c-5aff16a391ec_ItemGuid] ON
[dbo].[Evt_NS_Item_Management] ( ItemGuid )
29 October 2013
pcAnywhere solution filters are not properly populated in the SMP 7.5
Solution an fix can be found here
28 October 2013
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