Dell Optiplex 755 and IBM T61 fails to see the hard drive and connect to Deployment Solution

Environment
Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2Windows PE* 1.5Dell Optiplex 755 with Intel Vpro NIC IBM T61
Intel VPro Certified 82566 DM-2

Cause
SATA controller is not being detected and NIC drivers are not loading.

Resolution
Follow these steps to get the latest drivers from dell for the SATA controller and VPro NIC then modify the WinPE boot:
1. Download the Intel Matrix Storage Manager drivers from here. For Linux download the AHCI drivers through boot disk creator using the internet option when specifying the Nic drivers in the wizard.
2. Follow steps 1–4 from article 19067.
3. Download the Intel 825xx Gigabit Platform LAN Network Device drivers from here. For Linux download the Intel e1000 drivers through boot disk creator using the internet option when specifying the Nic drivers in the wizard.
4. Create or modify a WinPE 32-bit boot (either through boot disk creator or PXE config).
5. Add the NIC driver (e1e5132.inf) and continue through the wizard until the "Boot Options Settings" page and select "factory -winpe" then finish to the end of the wizard.
6. Change the BIOS setting to SATA compatibility from AHCI in the T61 and T61P

VM to fast to switch to boot order?

Edit your .vmx file and add the line:
bios.bootDelay = "5000"
which adds a 5000 millisecond (5 second) delay to the boot,
**or add**
bios.forceSetupOnce = "TRUE"
to make the VM enter the BIOS setup at the next boot.
(Thx Michael)

What is the AexAgentUIHost.exe process?

This process hosts the system tray icon for those computers logged onto the NS via terminal services. In addition, you will see one instance of this process for each user logged on to the system.

There is a registry key setting that can keep AexAgentUIHost.exe from loading for each user:

HKLM\Software\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Run UI in main Session only

Changing the value to 1 will keep the process from loading for every user.

Multiple instances of the same filename, but different file path are not reported by Inventory Solution for Windows

Problem/Symptoms

A Software Inventory scan using AeXAuditPls.exe does not report multiple instances of the same file. The Windows* operating system allows files to be named the same as long as they are in separate folders. As determined by inspecting the auditpls.nsi file on a client computer, files with the same name but different file paths are collected properly by AeXAuditPls.exe and sent to the Notification Server. However, only one of these files is added to the AeX SW Audit Software data class.

Cause

The Notification Server dataloader uses the following properties to determine a unique row to be placed into the AeX SW Audit Software data class (Inv_AeX_SW_Audit_Software_spt and Cmn_SW_Common tables in the database): Manufacturer Product Name Product Version Language File Name File Size InternalName File Description The dataloader will ignore multiple instances of files that match on these properties. Note that "File Path" in not used to determine uniqueness, which is why only one instance of a file that occurs in multiple folders is inserted into the database. Also note that since "File Size" is used to determine uniqueness, data files (and executable files) with the same name, but with different sizes, will be inserted into the database. On the odd chance that data files with the same name contain different data, but have the same exact size, only one file will be inserted into the database.

Resolution

This resolution is provided "as is" and has not been reviewed by the developers of Inventory Solution for Windows. It may not be suitable for every environment. Important: Because this resolution updates the data in the database, back up the Altiris database first. A change to the DataClassAttribute Table will cause the Data Loader to use "File Path" to determine unique rows to insert into the database. The following SQL query will show the attributes the Data Loader uses to determine uniqueness. USE Altiris SELECT * FROM DataClassAttribute WHERE InvClassId = (SELECT id FROM DataClass WHERE Name = 'AeX SW Audit Software') ORDER BY AttrId You can use this SQL statement to change the "File Path" attribute so it is used to determine uniqueness. USE Altiris UPDATE DataClassAttribute SET KeyIndex = AttrId, Nullable = 0 WHERE AttrName = 'File Path' AND InvClassId = (SELECT id FROM DataClass WHERE Name = 'AeX SW Audit Software') Note: This change may be overwritten if a upgrade or repair is made to Inventory Solution for Windows.

WINPE2.1, Deployment Server 6.9 and VMWare

ref : link to juice

As we prepare for a new deployment of Deployment Solution 6.9, IT personnel may encounter difficulties using WinPE 2.x in conjunction with VMWare network drivers. In addition, as more and more users try to virtualize their environments, Microsoft Vista users might find themselves without networking in VMWare Virtual Machines.
There is little known work-around for this issue: make the virtual machine load up the Intel e1000 network driver. Forcing this change will make virtual machines think they have an e1000 network driver and load up the network. This also prepares Virtual Machines to run automation jobs in a pre-boot environment using this driver instead of the VMWare drivers.

Note that the minimum requirement for WinPE 2.0 and 2.1 is 512 megs of ram. If you use less then that you may experience problems that are very similar to driver issues.

Also, in VMware 6.0 if you create a VM and specify it as a Vista machine it will automatically add the e1000 identifier to the nic.

Procedure to free up Patch Management License for Retired PC's

I used this procedure to free up my license on retired resource for Patch Management KB Ref

1. Create a folder in the Resource Tab, Resources
2. Get the GUID of this folder by right clicking on this folder then Properties and copy the GUID for later use
3. Get the Report from the KB link and import it into Reports
4. Run this report for Non Active Resources
5. Select All resource and move them to the newly created folder in step 1
6. Create a folder on the server where the exported files will reside
7. Open a command window and type \diagnostics\ImportExportUtil /export {GUID from step 2} ""
8. When export is complete check if all files are in this directory you created in step 6, if ok then continue.
9. return to your report from step 4, Select all Non Active resoures and delete them by right clicking and select Delete
10. Check the license by clicken refresh buttun in Configuration Tab, Licenses
11. Now reimport the deleted resources by run the following command in the command window on the command prompt \diagnostics\ImportExportUtil /import ""
12. Rerun the report from step 4 to check if all resources are back.

Example
E:\AExNS\Diagnostics\ImportExportUtil /export {21082ac4-26fe-43e9-a304-98632f65afa5} "e:\RetiredPC"
E:\AExNS\Diagnostics\ImportExportUtil /import "e:\RetiredPC"

KNOWN ISSUE: Deployment Server Win32 console security does not properly pass through authenticate users from AD groups

Problem/Symptoms

When the Deployment Server Win32 console security is enabled with imported AD group, and a user attempts to log into the console (using AD pass through authentication), they are prompted for credentials. If they do not enter the credentials it will open the console with no security rights. If they do enter in their proper credentials it opens the console with all security rights that the user should have. It also creates a new security user in the Deployment Solution console security instead of just using the group membership.

There are multiple types of environments that can cause this behavior. The following are 3 different known scenarios that exhibit this behavior:

Scenario 1

1. AD environment is set up as follows: There are two domain controllers, "parent.com", and "child.parent.com" which is a child domain of "parent.com".
2. A security group is added to "child.parent.com" domain called "Console Users".
3. A domain user is created called "Altiris" and is added to the "Console Users" group.
4. Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 build 378 is installed with all default options.
5. Console security is enabled, and the "Console Users" AD group is given full administrative rights to the Deployment Solution console.
6. Log onto a computer that has a Win32 console installed using the account AD "Altiris" from the "child.parent.com" domain.
7. Notice how the console security prompts for the username and password. Enter that information and continue.
8. From the console select Tools > Security and notice how that user ("Altiris@child.parent.com") is now listed as a security user even though it was never added directly, but only through AD group membership.

Scenario 2

1. AD environment is set up as follows: There is one domain controller, "company.com", which was given a NETBIOS name of "MYCOMPANY" (which is different than the UPN domain name).
2. A security group is added to "company.com" domain called "Console Users".
3. A domain user is created called "Altiris" and is added to the "Console Users" group.
4. Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 build 378 is installed with all default options.
5. Console security is enabled, and the "Console Users" AD group is given full administrative rights to the Deployment Solution console.
6. Log onto a computer that has a Win32 console installed using the account AD "Altiris" from the "company.com" domain.
7. Notice how the console security prompts for the username and password. Enter that information and continue.

Scenario 3

1. AD environment is set up as follows: There is one domain controllers, "company.com", which is set up with default settings (where the NETBIOS name is "COMPANY" which is default).
2. A security group is added to "company.com" domain called "Console Users".
3. The domain user "Administrator" is added to the "Console Users" group.
4. The domain user account of "Administrator" does not have the UPN name. Other accounts on the domain controller also might not have a UPN name, but have a SAM name.
5. Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 build 378 is installed with all default options.
6. Console security is enabled, and the "Console Users" AD group is given full administrative rights to the Deployment Solution console.
7. Log onto a computer that has a Win32 console installed using the account AD "Administrator" from the "company.com" domain.
8. Notice how the console security prompts for the username and password. Enter that information and continue.
9. From the console select Tools > Security and notice how that user ("Administrator@") is now listed as a security user even though it was never added directly, but only through AD group membership.

________________________________

Environment

Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 build 378
Using the Win32 console with security enabled with AD groups imported.

________________________________

Cause

The original express.exe from DS SP2 build 378 was incorrectly caching the NETBIOS domain name in the database. Because the users were cached incorrectly they were not being identified by Active Directory.

________________________________

Resolution

Solution:

1) Backup Express database and express.exe: Backup the database - usually named 'express' - before making any changes. Make a copy of express.exe.

2) Remove improperly cached users: Users who have attempted to login to the Deployment Console with security enabled prior to this fix will have users incorrectly cached in the database. These users must be removed from the securityuser table. To remove these users run the following query against the SQL server:

DELETE FROM securityuser WHERE ad_user = 1 AND user_guid = ''

3) Replace Express.exe: Replace the original express.exe included in SP2 with the express.exe attached to this knowledgebase article.

4) Appy License to Express.exe: Open the license tool under your Deployment Server program files directory. (License.exe) Run the tool to license the express.exe with all applicable licenses.

Note 1: This executable has been through the official Symantec Hotfix process and is supported by Symantec Support Services.

Note 2: No services need to be stopped to affect this change. Only verify that console users have closed any remote sessions to the console. For locally installed consoles, this exe will need to be deployed via DS or NS once licensed.

Note 3: Changes made to express.exe in KB 38727 are also included in the express.exe attached to this KB.

Carbon Copy Synchronous and Asynchronous Mode Technical Document

Synchronous mode is enabled after the Carbon Copy application is installed , and upon reboot the Carbon Copy remote-control driver (ccvideo4.dll) and a Carbon Copy device interceptor (ccdevice.sys) are installed and placed in the chain between the system video driver and the miniport driver. This driver and interceptor intercepts and evaluates the calls passed for processing. During an actual remote-control session , any changes that occur on the screen of the Carbon Copy clients are emulated back to the Carbon Copy console user on a synchronous line by line basis. So essentially, any object that changes on the client is painted simultaneously line by line in the console user's remote-control window.

Asynchronous mode does not utilize any remote-control driver's but interfaces with the Windows GDI. In this manner, blocks from the actual client's desktop are transmitted back to the console user's remote-control window.(64 x 32 default). This block transmission does not occur concurrently with the changes on the clients desktop so the appearance is a slight delay if you were to have the console and the client machine side-by-side.

Boot from USB Flash drive

http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_bootfromusbstick.php

best practice to enabling WOL proxies using Deployment Server 6.x?

For each broadcast domain that cannot receive Wake-on-LAN (WOL) packets from the Deployment Server, designate one always-on computer to work as the WOL proxy. The WOL proxies must be configured to use TCP/IP to connect to a Deployment Server.In Deployment Server 6.1, one WOL proxy can exist per broadcast domain.
In Deployment Server 6.5, it is possible to enable multiple WOL proxies per broadcast domain because Deployment Server has the ability to dynamically select one WOL proxy per broadcast domain for use.

PXE-E53 error in Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 with Initial Deploy disabled

In Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2, if Initial Deployment is disabled, the PXE client will display the error "PXE-E53 No boot filename received".

Cause

Prior to Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2, a PXE Client who is not in the Deployment Server's database would get the default PXE boot menu, using the default countdown before booting to the next device. The PXE Server in Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 is not acting this way; instead, it does not respond to PXE Client requests if the computer is not already in the database when Initial Deploy is disabled.

________________________________

Resolution

To obtain the same reaction of a pre-6.8 SP2 PXE Server, enable Initial Deploy, set the Initial Deploy Boot Option to (None), and the timeout to the desired value.

To do this:

1. Open the Deployment Console.
2. From the Deployment Console open the PXE Configuration Utility (Tools > PXE Configuration).
3. In the PXE Configuration Utility, change to the DS tab.
4. On the DS tab, uncheck Disable Initial Deploy.
5. Change the radio button to the desired timeout option.

Online activation workshop for Intel vPro using Altiris Client Management Suite

All you need to know about vPro Activation with Altiris

http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-1261

Difference between Domain Browse List and Domain Membership

Domain Browse List and Domain Membership
You can choose to discover all computers currently sharing files or printers running the Messenger service (Domain Browse List), and/or all computers that have trust accounts in the domain (Domain Membership).
The available discovery methods are Domain Browse List and Domain Membership. These settings are used for asynchronous (click Discover Now) and scheduled discovery. Select at least one method.
Domain Browse List —This option discovers all computers (including Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME computers) that are sharing files or printers or are running the Messenger service.
Domain Membership —This option discovers all computers with trust accounts in the domain. This finds all Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computers in the domain. However, it will not find any Windows 95, 98, 98 SE and ME computers.
Note: This method is substantially slower than the Domain Browse List method and will not identify the computer’s operating system.
Domain Browse List
The Domain Browse List works by enumerating the records in the computer browse list. This computer browse list was designed for a small, peer-to-peer environment, so it does not scale to large environments well.
When the Notification Server performs a Domain Browse List discovery, it requests a copy of the computer browse list, which includes additional information such as the computer’s operating system and version. It then does a reverse lookup of the computer’s name to get its IP address.
You might have problems discovering computers using this method if:
The computer is not in the computer browse list.
The computer is in the computer browse list but not registered as sharing files.
It can take between 15 and 51 minutes for changes to be reflected in the computer browse list.
Note: The Domain Browse List discovery method gets as much of the computer browse list as it can as fast as it can. This can overload a PDC in a large domain or a multi-domain environment. We recommend you run this outside business hours, preferably over a weekend.
Domain Membership
This works by enumerating the computer accounts in the specified domains.
When you add a Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computer to a domain, a computer account is created in that domain. This computer account is used by the computer to authenticate with the domain so the computer can authenticate user logons using a secure connection. Windows 9x computers do not create a computer account, which is why you cannot find Windows 9x computers using this method.
When discovering computers using the Domain Membership method, Notification Server catalogs these accounts. Unlike the Domain Browse List method, these accounts have no additional information beyond the computer’s name. Notification Server still does a reverse lookup on the name to get its IP address.
If problems occur using this discovery method, check that accounts exist for these computers using Server Manager (Windows NT 4.0) or Active Directory Users and Computers (Windows 2000 and later).
Both of these methods write errors to the Notification Server log file. If you ever have a problem regarding Resource Discovery, check these log files for information.

Release Notes for Deployment Server 6.9 (Beta)

Windows Server 2008 Support
Deployment Solution 6.9 provides imaging and management support for Windows
Server 2008.
Agent support is provided using DAgent (first introduced on Windows Vista). DAgent
is fully functional on Windows Server 2008 and supports a full range of agent
functionality. DAgent runs on Win32, Win64 and IA64 Itanium platforms.
RDeploy, ImageX, and Ghost Imaging of Windows Server 2008
Deployment Solution 6.9 provides the ability to capture and deploy Windows Server
2008 images using RDeploy, ImageX, and Ghost using WinPE 2.1. ImageX and Ghost
support Win32 and Win64 platforms in WinPE 2.1.
RDeploy and Image X also provide Windows Server 2008 imaging support on
Itanium platforms, and RDeploy provides support for imaging from Linux automation.
Windows Server 2008 Scripted OS Install Job
Scripted server installations are supported for Windows Server 2008.
WinPE 2.1 Support (see below)
Deployment Solution 6.9 supports WinPE 2.1 for pre-boot and imaging tasks. Older
versions of WinPE are not supported.
Remote Agent install for Deployment Agent
Deployment Solution 6.9 introduces Remote agent install for Vista and Windows
Server 2008.
Support Views based on permission of Group
Deployment Solution 6.9 can restrict viewing of computers from unauthorized users,
based on their rights to manage a given computer. When a user without access
rights to a computer or group of computers logs in, those computers are not visible.
This is option is disabled by default.
VMWare Virtual Center 2.01 support
In the Deployment Console, you can add or import 1.x and 2.x virtual centers. These
virtual centers are displayed in a tree view as Rack and Blade enclosures do with a
visual relationship between the virtual center and the virtual machines that it hosts.
Administrators can visually distinguish a virtual center 1.x from a virtual center 2.x.
Scripted installations of VMWare ESX 3
Deployment Solution 6.9 provides support for scripted installations of VMWare ESX
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5-update 1 support
Deployment Solution 6.9 supports Redhat Enterprise Server 5 update 1.
Windows CE 6.0 Thin Client support
Deployment Solution 6.9 provides an agent for the Thin Client Windows CE 6.0
operating system. This agent can manage the WinCE 6.0 based Thin Client using the
Deployment Console.
Macintosh OS X 10.5 support
Deployment Solution 6.9 supports OS X 10.5.


Remark :WinPE 2.1 is the only supported version
Deployment Solution 6.9 supports only WinPE 2.1. Since WinPE 2.1 is currently in
beta testing, it is available only to Microsoft beta customers and is not available for
general access.
If you have access to WAIK 2.1 we encourage you to use it. However, due to this
access limitation, this beta version of Deployment Solution supports WAIK 2.0 with
the following limitations:
• WAIK 2.0 does not provide support for Itanium systems.
• Non-RAM boot from CD is not supported. You can still create WinPE 2.0 boot
CDs, but you must select the Boot from RAM option in the Boot Disk Creator
when creating a WinPE 2.0 CD.

Upgrade RDP (any version)

Before upgrading RDP make sure to unselect Secuirty in Tools-> Security

After the upgrade please select Enable Security again to reactivate security again

It fazils because the AXImport comment used in the scripts does ot have your security account.

Support for Windows 2008 and Vista SP1

Will Notification Server 7 support Windows 2008?

Will Notification Server 7 support Vista SP1?

Answer

The following information represents current expectations (as of Aug 2007) based upon Microsoft's estimated timelines and Altiris' estimated timelines for NS 7 release.

* NS7 will not initially support Windows 2008 as a host server. Current plan is to add support in a future version of NS7
* NS7 should support management of Windows 2008 (Altiris NS agent)
* NS7 should support management of Vista SP1 (Altiris NS agent)

Note: The last time this article was updated, Microsoft's eta for Windows 2008, and Vista SP1 was Q1 2008

Error, "Could not start the Altiris Agent service on Local Computer. Error 1067: The Process Terminated Unexpectedly"

Error, "Could not start the Altiris Agent service on Local Computer. Error 1067: The Process Terminated Unexpectedly"

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Problem/Symptoms

Altiris Agent is installed on a client computer. Most of the subfolders under C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent are created. The Altiris Agent Service is also installed. However, the Altiris Agent Service starts for few seconds and then stops. If you try to start it manually, the following error appears: Could not start the Altiris Agent service on Local Computer Error 1067: The Process Terminated Unexpectedly Even though I remove and reinstall the Altiris Agent, it doesn't make a difference. Looking under the Agent log, you can see the following: "10/25/2007 12:13:50 PM","Client Thread thread 0xCAC beginning" "10/25/2007 12:13:50 PM","Error reading policy from file C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Client Policies\ServerName.Domain.com.xml: Error loading policy file: The system cannot find the path specified. (-2147024893). This is normal the first time the agent runs after being installed." "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Starting version 6.0.2386 on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 5.2 Service Pack 2 Build 3790..." "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Loading client object: Altiris.AeXClientSessionManager" "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Loading client object: Altiris.AeXNotificationManager" "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Loading client object: Altiris.AeXTaskScheduler" "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Creating CAeXTaskSchedulerThread" "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Loading client object: Altiris.AeXNetwork.Receiver" "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Object Altiris.AeXNetwork.Receiver is not installed: Class not registered (-2147221164). This situation should be resolved once the agent rollout has been completed." "10/25/2007 12:05:50 PM","Loading client object: Altiris.SWD" The Log will stop suddenly after the above line (Altiris.SWD). New entries will be a repeat of the startup process. Looking under AeXNSC.log, the following is noticed: 2007-10-25 12:05:43: ========================== 2007-10-25 12:05:43: AeXInstallPreCheck started 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Current dir: C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\apt0 2007-10-25 12:05:43: AeXInstallPreCheck Finished 2007-10-25 12:05:43: =========================== 2007-10-25 12:05:43: 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Passing control to AeXNSAgent 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Commandline: AeXNSAgent.exe ns="ServerName.Domain.com" nsweb="http://ServerName.Domain.com/ALTIRIS/" 2007-10-25 12:05:43: =============================== 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Core Agent Installation started 2007-10-25 12:05:43: GetInstallPath didnt find installDir in the 6.x key, trying the old key. 2007-10-25 12:05:43: GetInstallPath could not get installDir from the old key, the agent may not be installed. 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Checking minimum requirements. 2007-10-25 12:05:43: Detected NT based Platform. 2007-10-25 12:05:43: RegisterMSXML: MSXML is installed 2007-10-25 12:05:45: Server and web set to ServerName.Domain.com and http://ServerName.Domain.com/ALTIRIS/ 2007-10-25 12:05:45: Product version set to 6.0.0.2386 2007-10-25 12:05:45: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentPages.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentUI.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXBasicInventory.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXSWDAgent.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:48: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXTaskSchedulerLib.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AexPackageDelivery.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AeXNetComms.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AtrsMCast.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:50: StartAgent, starting core agent. 2007-10-25 12:05:55: StartAgent, starting core agent. 2007-10-25 12:05:55: Core Agent Installation Ended 2007-10-25 12:05:55: ===============================

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Environment
	Altiris Agent 6.x

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Cause

The "Common Files" path wrongly points to a network drive. This is a dangerous practice, as locally installed applications may not have access rights and or permanent access to a network drive. The Altiris Agent (running as Local System) does not have access to the user's network drive (T:) and thus failed when trying to load dependent dlls. 2007-10-25 12:05:45: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentPages.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentUI.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXBasicInventory.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:46: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXSWDAgent.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:48: RegisterDLL, C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXTaskSchedulerLib.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AexPackageDelivery.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AeXNetComms.dll has been registered. 2007-10-25 12:05:49: RegisterDLL, T:\Program Files\Common Files\Altiris\AtrsMCast.dll has been registered

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Resolution

Note: For this article, the mapped drive has the drive letter "T". Uninstall the Altiris Agent. You can use the following command from the RUN prompt (see article 1995 "Instructions for the complete manual uninstall of the Altiris agent" for more details): "C:\Program Files\Altiris\ALTIRIS AGENT\AeXAgentUtil.exe" /clean Modify the following registry value: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CommonFilesDir from: T:\Program Files\Common Files to the default: C:\Program Files\Common Files Reinstall the Altiris Agent.

How to install the Altiris Agent using the Notification Server IP address when the server name cannot be resolved

Question
	The Notification Server is installed in a WorkGroup or Domain where computers in other Sites or Domains are only able to resolve the IP address of the Notification Server and not the Server Name. How can the Altiris Agent be pushed using the IP address of the Notification Server only?

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Answer

You need to add some switches for the AexSWDInstSvc (Altiris Agent Installation Service) program. Under Altiris Agent Installation page (under Configuration > Altiris Agent > Altiris Agent Rollout), open the Installation Settings page. Under Specify Different Notification Server, add the IP address of your Notification Server (to look something like this: http://10.103.65.109) Under Additional Parameters add the following switches: -u -s -w (to look like this: -u http://10.103.65.109/Altiris/NS/NSCap/Bin/Win32/X86/NS Client Package/AeXNSC.exe -s 10.103.65.109 -w http://10.103.65.109/Altiris/). Then push the Altiris Agent. For more details about AeXSWDInstSvc commands, see article 38380, "AeXSWDInstSvc (Altiris Agent Installation Service) Command Line Arguments." See article 29334, "How to manage computers from different domains (without trust relationship between domains) from a single Notification Server" for more references about computers in multiple domains.

Configuring Application Metering to use the "Installed vs. Used" report

Question
How do I configure Application Metering to collect the data necessary for the "Installed vs. Used" report?

Answer
The "Installed vs. Used" report is dependant on both Application Metering and Inventory solution to collect the required data. Use the steps below as a guideline when configuring Notification Server for this report:

1. Install Altiris Application Metering Solution 6.1.
2. Install Altiris Inventory Solution 6.1.
3. Configure Inventory Solution Solution:

* Navigate to the Tasks tab > Assets and Inventory > Inventory > Windows > Inventory Tasks.
* Select Software Inventory.
* Enable the task and then click Apply. Software inventory needs to have executed and reported back to the Notification Server.

This step generates the install counts.

4. Configure the Application Metering Solution with the proper settings:

* Navigate to the Configuration tab > Solution Settings > Software Management > Application Metering.
* Select Application Metering Solution Configuration.
* Verify that "Clients Send Summary Data every: XXXX" is enabled and choose an appropriate time interval for your environment. (The lower number clients means shorter amount of time you can set this without negatively impacting the network.)
* Determine which Inventory Solution Integration setting is necessary for your environment. "Client based Inventory Solution" setting is most commonly used.
* Click Apply.

5. Configure and enable a Monitor Policy for each application you need to track:

* Browse to Tasks > Software Management > Application Metering > Application Monitors.
* Right-click Application Monitors and select New > Application Monitor Policy.
* Edit the Name and Description fields.
* Click Add Application Definition to specify the monitored application

* Define the monitor policy based on "Internal Name" alone, if possible. This provides reliable results when monitoring applications.
* Start/Stop/Denial events are not required to be enabled for the "Installed vs. Used" report to work.

Steps 4 and 5 generate the used counts.

6. If the Application Metering Agent is not installed, deploy it to the proper collection of client computers in the environment. Make sure the clients in this collection also overlap with clients from Step 3.
7. Update the client computer's configuration, or allow the scheduled update configuration interval to lapse.

After the above process is complete, the client computers should have both the Application Metering sub-agent and the Inventory Agent Package present in the Altiris Agent Details window.
________________________________

Follow-up information based on the above process:

* The Month Year drop down will populate once client summary data has been processed by the Notification Server.
* The default report will return run counts from user who are logged into a domain. For a modified report that will also return run counts from users logged in locally, see related article 35341 <https://kb.altiris.com/articleRedirect.asp?aid=35341> .

Note: These steps outline how to retrieve Application Usage data using the default settings of both Inventory Solution and Application Metering solution. You may need to configure the tasks above specifically for your environment.

What is AltirisNSCabInstaller.exe?

Question
What is the purpose of the AltirisNSCabInstaller.exe file found in C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\NS CAB Installer Package?

Answer
AltirisNSCabInstaller.exe is installed in C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\NS CAB Installer Package. The .EXE contains all of the ActiveX controls required to run the console, and is designed to be distributed to locked down computers. Best practice would be to create a collection of Administrators computers or anyone who would access the console (especially helpdesk) and push the .EXE to them via SWD. You could also make this available via URL or Software Portal.

Software delivery and Data Purging

For those who uses the status event on Software delivery for reporting purposes be aware that the default purging is set to 7 days. Meaning that is a deployment of software oversapns more than a week your reporting information will NOT be correct due to purging.

So, if you want to use the Software delivery status reports change the default data purging settings on the Software Delivery configuration tab to more the 7 days

Retired computers don't automatically change back to active

Problem/Symptoms
	Retired computers do not become active again after sending Inventory to the Notification Server. This causes problems for scenarios in which the server is automatically retiring computers that have not reported inventory in a specified time period (specified under Purging Maintenance) while some of the computers are still managed computers that have been offline for the specified time period.

Cause

The cause of the problem is that the Notification Server discards almost all event data from retired computers. It was not designed to reactivate retired computers when inventory is received but instead discards the inventory event. On a retired computer, when opening up the client UI, go to About > Altiris Agent Details, and click the Send Basic Inventory button. Notice that the Basic Inventory Last Sent time will never change. This is because the client never received any acknowledgement from the server that the inventory was received (because it was discarded).

Resolution

The only events sent by the Altiris Agent that are received by the server are the AeX Client LogOn events. These are sent to the server whenever a user logs on or off the computer. To aid in identifying these computers download the report that will show retired computers that have sent event data for the specified data class (default to AeX Client LogOn) within the last n time units (for example, 30 days, 45 minutes, 6 hours, etc.). Select multiple computers from the report results, right-click on them and change their status back to Active. This process can be automated by creating a Notification Policy. See article 16909. You can use the query shown below. It reports any retired computer that has sent a client logon event in the past 24 hours. select distinct _resourceguid from evt_aex_client_logon ac join resourceassociation ra on ac._resourceguid = ra.parentresourceguid where ra.resourceassociationtypeguid like '%3028166f%' and ra.childresourceguid like '%492c463b%' and datediff(hh, ac._eventtime, getdate())< 24

NS Agent - nominated Package Server maximum download retry time

Question
	How long will the Altiris Agent continue to try to download from a nominated Package Server before bypassing the site maintenance settings (Package Server) and download directly from the Notification Server?

Answer

This is really a question about Notification Server site maintenance behavior rather than Agent behavior. See KB2397 for more information on site maintenance. The Altiris Agent always downloads from the codebases that are given out by the Notification Server. New in Notification Server 6.0 SP2 is that the NS no longer hands out its own codebases to agents that are members of a site; this change was due to a very common customer request. To compensate for this change in behavior a new CoreSettings.config item was created and is disabled by default (meaning agents will strictly adhere to the site maintenance configuration): MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins The agent now will send a running time value to the server when it makes its calls to GetPackageInfo.aspx on the Notification Server. When this time value exceeds the MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins value the NS will hand out its own codebases in place of the codebases of any Package Server within the given site. Please note that this is a global setting, and cannot be configured for indiviual sites. The preferred method to implement MaxAgentDownloadTryingTimeMins on the Notification Server is to use the NSConfigurator. The NS 6.0 SP3 release notes, section 3.1.25, provides information on how to install and use the NSConfigurator (KB19106).

Manually installing the Altiris Diagnostics Pack

Question
	Where can I manually download the latest public version of the Altiris Diagnostics pack?

---

Answer

As of 1 November 2006, the most recent public version of the Altiris Diagnostics Pack was 6.1.7631. The diagnostic pack includes the following: Altiris Log Viewer This utility can be used remotely from the NS to review NS log files, but won't be able to resolve GUIDs to object names. Altiris Profiler NS Diagnostic tool (NSDiag.exe) Import Export Utility The set application identity utility (setid.exe) NScript runner NS Configurator installation file (NSConfigurator.msi) Some customers may have firewalls that block access to the self-update functionality. It may also be beneficial to install the diagnostics pack on administrators computers and as part of an upgrade readiness health check on pre–Notification Server 6.0 SP3 servers (diagnostics pack was included with SP3). If you are going to install the diagnostic tools, make sure the Microsoft .Net 1.1 is installed on the computer or some of the diagnostics tools, specifically the Logviewer (logviewer.exe) will not work. When the diagnostic tools are installed they are located (by default) at C:\Program Files\Altiris\Diagnostics. You may want to create a shortcut to the logviewere.exe and place it on your desktop for easy access.

Folder with GUID does not exist

Problem/Symptoms
An error similar to the following continues to be logged into the Altiris Notification Server a.log:
Process: aexsvc.exe (1756)
Thread ID: 652
Module: AltirisNativeHelper.dll
Source: Altiris.NS.ItemManagement.Item.MoveToFolder
Description: Folder with guid 5e2a1ce8-0af7-40f8-9b81-1539c61f829e does not exist.


Cause
These messages often occur when the user has done the following:
1. Enabled a Software Delivery Task for a collection.
2. The computers in the collection execute the Software Delivery Task.
3. The administrator deletes the Software Delivery Task.
What the administrator forgot to do was to Disable the Software Delivery Task and then allow all of the computers in the environment to update their polices so that each agent knows not to request this specific package.

Resolution
The long term solution to this problem is to ensure the following steps are followed prior to removing Software Delivery tasks:
1. Enabled a Software Delivery Task for a collection.
2. The computers in the collection execute the Software Delivery Task.
3. When the administartor decides the Task Should no longer be available, Disable the Task.
4. Wait at least 1 week to ensure most (if not all) of the machines in the environment have received updated configuration settings to stop requesting this package.
5. Delete the Software Delivery Task.
The short-term solution is to run the following SQL query by doing the following:
1. Each instance of the error message logged in the a.log will contain a unique GUID. Make a note of this GUID so you can use it later in this process.
2. Open Microsoft SQL Query Analzyer.
3. Create a New Query using the following SQL:

use Altiris
-- Temporary table to hold Table and Column names that are related to GUID
create table #TablesWithGuid
(
Tablename varchar(255),
ColName varchar(255),
Rows int
)

-- Declare the variables
declare @TableName varchar(255),
@ColName varchar(255),
@GUID varchar(40),
@xtype int,
@strSql nvarchar(4000),
@SqlResult int

-- GUID that is being searched for.
set @GUID = rtrim(ltrim('XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX' ))

-- Drop outside characters if longer than 36. (Eg. { and } characters)
if len(@GUID) = 38 and charindex('{',@GUID,1) = 1 and charindex('}',@GUID,1) = 38
begin
set @GUID = substring(@GUID, 2, 36)
end
else if len(@GUID) <> 36
begin
select 'Invalid Guid Specified' as [Error]
return
end

-- Tables with a 'Guid'in the column name or having a Uniqueidentifier column. Full column name as well.
declare GuidTableCol cursor for
select distinct
cast(so.name as varchar(255)) as 'Table Name',
cast(co.name as varchar(255)) as 'Guid Column',
co.xtype
from sysobjects so
inner join (
select name, id, xtype
from syscolumns
where name like '%Guid%'
or xtype = 36
) co on co.id = so.id
where so.xtype = 'U' --Only User Tables

open GuidTableCol
fetch next from GuidTableCol into @TableName, @ColName, @xtype

while @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
begin
--Find which tables and columns have a matching Guid to the one we are searching for.
set @SqlResult = 0

--Set guid string to have brackets if the column is a varchar
if @xtype = 167
begin
set @GUID = '{' + @GUID + '}'
end

-- Build the SQL Query string
set @strSql = '
select @Result = count(CAST([' + @ColName + '] as varchar(40)))
from [' + @TableName + ']
where cast([' + @ColName + '] as varchar(40)) = ''' + @GUID + ''''

-- Execute the SQL Query string
execute sp_executesql @strSql, N'@Result int out', @SqlResult out

--If the result count is > 0 then add table, column, and count to #TablesWithGuid
if @SqlResult > 0
begin
insert into #TablesWithGuid values (@TableName, @ColName, @SqlResult)
end

--Reset guid string
if @xtype = 167
begin
set @GUID = substring(@GUID, 2, 36)
end
fetch next from GuidTableCol into @TableName, @ColName, @xtype
end

-- Close cursor and deallocate
close GuidTableCol
deallocate GuidTableCol

-- Display results
--select * from #TablesWithGuid

-- Delete script
select ' declare @GUID uniqueidentifier'
union
select ' set @GUID = ' + Char(39) + cast(@GUID as nvarchar(36)) + Char(39)
union
select ''
union
select 'delete from ' + [Tablename] + ' where ' + [ColName] + ' like ' + '@GUID'
FROM #TablesWithGuid

-- Drop temp table
drop table #TablesWithGuid
4. Replace the Red Xs in the query above with the GUID from the error message.
5. Run the query in SQL Query Analyzer by pressing F5.
6. If necessary, repeat this procedure for each instance of the error in the log files, remembering to substitute the GUID each time.

MaxConcurrentConfigRequests value changed after Notification Server 6.0 SP3 upgrade

After upgrading to Notification Server 6.0 SP3, the MaxConcurrentConfigRequests settings were reduced from 50 to 10 in the CoreSettings.Config file.

This is by design. The default value of MaxConcurrentConfigRequests was lowered from 50 to 10 in Notification Server 6.0 SP3, and that modification is made during the SP3 upgrade.

________________________________

Resolution

After significant evaluation of this setting both internally at Altiris and at customer sites, it was concluded that the default setting of 50 for the MaxConcurrentConfigRequests value was too high for normal operations of Notification Server and could actually be detrimental to performance in particular circumstances.

Notification Server 6.0 SP3 also added MaxConcurrentPackageInfoRequests as a separate value for limiting GetPackageInfo requests, also with a default value of 10. Prior to SP3, GetClientPolicy requests and GetPackageInfo requests were both limited under the same MaxConcurrentConfigRequests setting which could cause contention for connections between these two separate operations when the MaxConcurrentConfigRequests value was lowered.

These default values for MaxConcurrentConfigRequests and MaxConcurrentPackageInfoRequest should only be increased when specific monitoring shows doing so will provide improved performance. Setting these values too high can be detrimental to performance and lead to database deadlocks and database connection failures.

Altiris Helpdesk Solution 6.0 SP5

Answer

What's New in this Release

Improvements for this release include the following new features:

Service Catalog

Using Helpdesk tasks, you can build a Service Catalog for your organization. Service Catalog tasks appear in a Service Catalog list on the End User Console, the Worker Console, and the Helpdesk Console.

Support for Microsoft Office 2007

Helpdesk supports Microsoft Office 2007. The Customer Satisfaction Survey is functional with Outlook 2007.

Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0

Helpdesk is fully functional when accessed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0. Issues with dialog boxes, flyout menus, printing, and view magnification have been resolved.

Support for IMAP4 E-mail Interface

Helpdesk supports the IMAP4 e-mail interface.

HP Rapid Deployment Pack version 3.70

Changes in this version
Deployment support for new ProLiant hardware platforms - ProLiant BL680c G5, ProLiant DL580 G5
Windows deployment support for HP Integrity BL860c with QLogic HBA for SAN deployments
Deployment support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for Intel Itanium (IA64)
Deployment support for new operating system updates such as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 Service Pack 1 for (x86, AMD and Intel EMT64T (x86-64), and Intel Itanium (IA64)) platforms.
Includes Altiris Deployment Solution 6.8 Service Pack 2

What are the SWDAgent and Task Synch Agent for?

You do not need any of the agents that come with SWD Solution in order to deploy SWD Packages, as this is taken care of by the NSAgent's SWD DLL file.

The SWDAgent is used by the Portal. The Task Synch Agent is used for Sequential SWD Tasks.

SWD Solution also comes with an Application Inventory Agent, but I would not bother using it as you already have Inventory Solution deployed and this agent is more than likely going to b e phased out with the advent of SWD 7.

Notification Server 6.0 SP3 R6

Installation and ConfigurationRollup 6 (R6) for Notification Server 6.0 is a rollup of fixes to the core product since the release of Service Pack 3. It includes R1 (KB22690), R2 (KB23784), R3 (KB25133), R4 (KB27859), and R5 (KB31946).

This update contains some minor changes

For more info please read the Release Notes here

What is disabled when turning off verbose events for Software Delivery Tasks and Packages?

Question

What is disabled when unchecking the checkboxes for verbose logging on tasks and events? The events are found under the Advanced tab of the Package or Task respectively, as shown:
[_] Enable verbose reporting of task status events
[_] Enable verbose reporting of package status events

Answer

Package Status Events - When disabling the verbose events under a Package, it disables all Package delivery events (package downloaded, etc) for that package. In other words no events are sent to the Evt_AeX_SWD_Package data-class table.
Task Status Events - When disabling the verbose events under a Task, it disables all Status events for that task. In other words no events are sent to the Evt_AeX_SWD_Status data-class table.

NOTE: An Execution event will still be sent on the execution status of that task. One NSE will be sent to the NS that will insert a row into the Evt_AeX_SWD_Execution table.

Patch Management licenses exceeded

What queries can I use to determine how many licenses are in use by managed and unmanaged computers in Patch Management?

Answer
This will give a grid listing of different resource states and their count of Patch Licenses:

SELECT (CASE IsManaged WHEN 1 THEN 'Managed' ELSE 'Unmanaged' END) as State, Status, count(*) FROM LicenseInUse liu
LEFT OUTER JOIN vFixedAssetResourceStatus ars ON liu.ResourceGuid = ars.Guid
WHERE ProductGuid = 'B1338338-5575-4A27-9808-23BEC40D79FA'
GROUP BY Status, IsManaged

This will give a count of all Patch licenses consumed by unmanaged resources:

SELECT count(*) as 'Number of stale licenses' FROM LicenseInUse liu
LEFT OUTER JOIN vComputerResource cr on liu.ResourceGuid = cr.Guid
AND IsManaged = 1
WHERE ProductGuid = 'B1338338-5575-4A27-9808-23BEC40D79FA'
AND cr.Guid IS NULL

Find licenses most recently issued:

select i.Name, i2.Name, ir.Guid, ir.IsManaged, ir.Deleted, liu.ModifiedDate, liu.CreatedDate from LicenseInUse liu
left join ItemResource ir on liu.ResourceGuid = ir.Guid
join Item i on ir.Guid = i.Guid
join Item i2 on ir.ResourceTypeGuid = i2.Guid where liu.ProductGuid = 'B1338338-5575-4A27-9808-23BEC40D79FA'
order by liu.ModifiedDate desc

Find Deleted Resources still holding a license:

select count(*) 'Deleted resources with a license'
from LicenseInUse liu
join ItemResource ir on liu.ResourceGuid = ir.Guid where liu.ProductGuid = 'B1338338-5575-4A27-9808-23BEC40D79FA'
and ir.Deleted = 1

Unmanaged (Retired) Resources still holding a license:

select count(*) 'Unmanaged resources with a license'
from LicenseInUse liu
join ItemResource ir on liu.ResourceGuid = ir.Guid where liu.ProductGuid = 'B1338338-5575-4A27-9808-23BEC40D79FA'
and ir.IsManaged = 0

Error "AeXCustInv encountered a problem and needed to close" on Windows 2003 Servers

The following pop-up application error is being sporadically displayed on Windows* 2003 Servers:
AeXCustInv encountered a problem and needed to close.

Resolution
Currently, there is no resolution to the root cause.

Option 1: Completely disable custom inventory in your environment
One workaround is to configure the Inventory Solution tasks so that AeXCustInv.exe will not execute. The only data class that is populated by this custom inventory is AeX OS Quick Fix Engineering. The only reports using the AeX OS Quick Fix Engineering data class are legacy reports.
AeXCustInv.exe can be disabled by editing three files in the \Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\Inventory Solution folder.
AeXInvSolnAdm1.ini
AeXInvSolnAdm2.ini
AeXInvSolnUsr1.ini
In each of these three files, comment out the AeXCustInv.exe line by adding "#" to the beginning of the line. =Example:
#aexcustinv.exe /in .\AeXCustInvStd.cit /out AeXCustInvStd.nsi
If a custom ini file has been created that calls AeXCustInv.exe, ensure that these lines are also commented out.

Option 2: Assist with identifying the cause of this error
Update:We have tentative confirmation that build 6.1.1075.42 resolves this issue. If you have tried or would like to try this build, please inform Symantec Technical Support of the outcome. Your assistance and feedback is much appreciated.
If you are experiencing this error and wish to assist by collecting data, follow the instructions in the "Custom Inventory Runtime Error Logging Instructions.doc" file located at ftp://ftp2.altiris.com/files/dougj/custinv_log_build_6.1.1075.42/

Option 3: Continue running Inventory Solution for Windows as configured and ignore the errors
At this time, we are not aware of any adverse effects of this error on any systems. It appears to be just an annoyance. If you notice any adverse effects, notify Altiris Support Services. We would appreciate being apprised of any adverse effects.

Desktop Virtualization: No Easy Answer

By Charles Babcock InformationWeek September 1, 2007 12:00 AM (From the September 3, 2007 issue)

Smartronix, an IT consultant to the government, has implemented virtualization in its data center, using VMware's ESX Server to achieve a 5-1 reduction in its server population. When it wanted to virtualize its desktops, though, it turned to a 2-year-old venture-capital-funded startup named Kidaro.
Smartronix CTO Robert Groat says his firm does a lot of work with the U.S. Marine Corps, and security was a top priority in virtualizing 50 remote users. "I didn't want to open up our corporate systems to home PCs," he says. "I wanted to reduce the surface area of our exposure."
The way he did it was to implement Kidaro Managed Workspace, which sits on top of the virtual machines generated by VMware's ESX server and applies a set of IT-defined policies and resources to them. The visual displays of the VMs are piped over the network to the users; the data and applications remain on the central server.
Kidaro also offers Smartronix the option of putting a user's workspace on a USB device in the form of Kidaro-To-Go. A mobile memory device might seem the epitome of a loose cannon when it comes to security, but the virtual machine included on it is encrypted and password protected and incorporates a locked-in VPN for accessing the corporate server. That means no user-access information floating around on a mobile worker's laptop. Managed Workspace runs in VMware's Player 2.0 on the user machine.
BRAWNY BIG BROTHERS
Groat's experience is likely to become more common as IT administrators recover from their dizzying gains in server consolidation and lowered power consumption and start applying virtualization to clients. When they do so, they'll come upon mostly unknown startups--the likes of Pano Logic, Thinstall, XDS--that are joining their brawny big brothers, VMware and Citrix Systems(CTXS), in bringing virtual machines to the desktop.
Problem is, there's no one good way to do it.
Kidaro offers end-user management and security advantages but doesn't guarantee overnight scalability to 10,000 users, the way Citrix's user application virtualization product, Presentation Server, does.
Pano Logic invites its customers to leave PC hardware behind altogether and adopt its 3.5-inch square chrome box. The Pano offers the advantage of relaying the user interface from a central server to a desktop display with minimal hardware expense, but you won't necessarily find a shiny Pano box in every hotel room.
XDS offers the hardest-to-explain option, which consists of authenticating end users on a remote server at an XDS data center, then equipping their desktops with virtual machines from a server inside the user's data center. The approach offers advantages in security and provisioning large numbers of users. But the company's explanation has left many scratching their heads on how to adopt it.
A larger potential player is Symantec, which acquired Altiris and its Software Virtualization Solution desktop virtualization system in April. Altiris brings strengths in identifying incompatibilities between applications and Windows Vista or other operating systems. It can package an application into a virtual machine with its dependent dynamic link libraries so that it runs on Vista without revision.
And don't forget Microsoft(MSFT), the 800-pound gorilla that's yet to make a peep. With its acquisition of Softricity last year, Microsoft gained the ability to virtualize applications; it already had the capability to virtualize the operating system with its Virtual Server. It's unlikely to remain silent for long once it sees newcomers stealing users out of its desktop domain. But for now, it has its hands full getting its server-side Viridian virtualization technology ready for Windows Longhorn Server after Longhorn's launch next year.

NEW !!!! AltirisT IT Analytics 6.0

Altiris IT Analytics Solution software complements and expands upon the traditional reporting offered in most Altiris solutions. It brings exciting new features and capabilities to the Altiris platform by incorporating multi-dimensional analysis and robust graphical reporting and distribution features. This allows users to explore data on their own, without advanced knowledge of databases or third-party reporting tools, empowering them to ask and answer their own questions quickly, easily, and effectively.

The release Notes can be found here

Software Virtualization Solution 2.1 Hotfix 36647 Download

If you are experiencing any of the below problems, upgrade to Software Virtualization Solution 2.1 Hotfix 36647 (or above):

Inserting a new USB device causes system crash
When a layer is active and Print Spooler is restarted printers are removed
Installing Software Virtualization Solution on Vista causes IIS to become inoperable
Software Virtualization Solution exposes a registry bug in Windows, causing a blue screen crash
Memory leaks

More can be found found here

Gathering and Interpreting SQL Deadlock Information

The attached whitepaper in this KB provides details on gathering and interpreting SQL deadlock information.

Link : https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=37501&p=1

Altiris Deployment Solution 6.8 SP2 Release Notes

Upgrade Installations
Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.8 SP1
Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.8 (Disable AutoUpgrade due to KB 33129)
Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.5 SP1
Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.5
Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.1

Silent Installation
Deployment Solution allows you to walk through the Deployment Solution installation wizard to create an answer file (install.ini) which automatically sets options when running a silent install. For details on this process see:
Can Deployment Server be installed silently?

What's New in this Release
Improvements for this release include the following new features:

Support for Symantec® Ghost® Imaging
Important: Deployment Solution does not include the Ghost executable or a license to use Symantec Ghost. You must provide a copy of the ghost.exe and/or ghost32.exe imaging executable to enable this support.
Customers currently using the Ghost imaging solution have the option of copying the Ghost executable to the Deployment Server to enable Ghost imaging from the Create Disk Image and Distribute Disk Image tasks.
To add support for Symantec Ghost, on the Deployment Share, create a folder called ghost. Copy ghost.exe (for DOS support) and/or ghost32.exe (for WinPE support) to this folder.
Symantec Ghost is now available for selection in the Create Disk Image and Distribute Disk Image tasks. A configuration file called ImageTools.ini, located in the root of your Deployment Share, contains settings you can change to customize the behavior of Ghost. For example, the default command-line in DOS is:
CreateImageCommandLine=-clone,MODE=create,SRC=1,DST=%IMAGE_FILENAME% -sure
This setting and others can be customized by modifying ImageTools.ini.

Deployment Agent UI on Vista
When installing the Deployment Agent on Vista computers, you now have the option of installing a client-side agent configuration utility. This interface is similar to the configuration interface for the Deployment Agent on other Windows operating systems. To install, select the Control panel applet & UI component option during the DAgent installation.

The configuration utility is launched by selecting Start; Altiris; Deployment Solution; DAgent Configuration.

Wait in Automation Task
To avoid circumstances when a computer might boot into an unmanaged state, a new task, called wait, is provided to cause a computer to remain in automation and wait for instructions.

Thin Client View Enhancements
The Thin Client view has been enhanced with a new get inventory task and a software packages pane.

Remote Desktop Connection for Windows
A new Remote Desktop option has been added to the contextual menu when you right-click a Windows XP* or Vista* computer in the console. This option launches the Windows Remote Desktop utility to enable you to remote control a computer.
Windows XP computers still have the option of using the integrated Remote Control feature of the Deployment Console.

Client Agent Version Report Discrepancy

Problem:
Client Agent Version Report displays different client counts on the Level 0 and Level 1 sections of the report
Cause:
Level 0 SQL query uses vItem view and Level 1 SQL query uses vComputer view. vComputer filters out retired assets.
Resolution:
Change the Level 0 SQL query to query the vComputer view. Replace all instances of vItem in the level 0 query with vComputer.

Categories and Queues Spreadsheet

On the juice site ther is this noce article that will make your live easier when creating categories and queus in Altiris Helpdesk