Migrate to Vista

Here you can find more about migrating to MS Vista http://www.easyvistamigration.com/

DS68SP1: Quick Nice to Knows

Installing the Deployment Agent on Vista
The installation program is contained in the Agents folder on the Deployment Share. To install, launch the installation MSI on the computer using and admininstrator account and complete the prompts.
To perform a silent installation, use a command similar to the following:
DAgent.msi -qn server_tcp_addr= 172.19.17.180 server_tcp_port=402.
To remotely install combine the above instructions for a silent installation with a login script or group policy object.
Vista Remote Control
Deployment Solution uses the Remote Desktop feature of Vista to perform remote control. Remote Desktop must be enabled on the remote computer and you must have the required credentials to use remote control.
Vista Software Distribution
Due to increased security in Vista, software must meet the following criteria before it can be distributed using Deployment Solution:
􀁺 "The software you are distributing must be Vista compliant.
􀁺 "The installation is set to run as completely silent.
􀁺 "No user input is required by the installation prcess.
􀁺 "If the package requires additional files, the "copy all directory files" and/or "copy all subdirectories" options are selected to provide these files.
􀁺 "If you are attempting an installation from a remote location or UNC path, only one setup executable is required to complete the installation.
􀁺 "In the Distribute Software Task, you have left the advanced option on the default selection, "Copy files using Deployment Server then Execute," or you have provided appropriate domain credentials to perform a remote installation. See the release notes for additional information.
Vista Run Script Tasks
Due to increased restrictions placed on services in Vista, scripts executed by
Deployment Solution cannot display anything to the user. Scripts requiring user
interaction, including pause statements, will not execute correctly.
Altiris Deployment Solution 6.8 254
Vista Imaging
RDeploy fully supports imaging Vista computers similar to other Windows operating
systems. Additionally, support is provided for the WIM format using ImageX

How to scale Inventory Solution in very large environments

If you read this article you know hwo to configure Inventory

RDP 3.5

Hp Launched his RDP 3.5
Support for Vista and Integrity Servers included...AND....DS6.8SP1
More news after testing

Microsoft Office updates fail to install

Office updates fail to install on client computers. After further investigation, it is discovered that the update returned one (or more) of the following error codes:
1603
1612
-1073741510
-2147467259
1605
Cause
There could be several reasons why these error codes are returned.
The install program for the Office* update program has the Starting Window set to Normal. This causes a command prompt window to appear on the screen and, if a user is not logged on, the update will fail.
The Office update requires access to the source installation files, but cannot find a valid path to where they are stored. Typically, Office installations come from a network share. If these files are moved, or if the path to them changes, the clients become out of date and hold an invalid location in their registry. When the update cannot find these files, it will try to prompt the user for a valid location. Since the update is set to run hidden, the window is supressed and the update fails.
It is possible for the clients to have a valid network location for source files, but when the updates attempts to retrieve those files, the update again fails. This would be caused by running the Office update with the System Account and storing the files on a share with limited access.
If you are using Notification Server 6.0 SP2, then you could be running into a known issue. The Altiris Agent was known to spawn instances of update.exe to install patches, but then did not kill them once the patch was installed. When the next patch goes to install, it will fail because update.exe is already running.
Resolution
Ensure that the update is set to run hidden, see article 23997, "How do I ensure that an Office update will run silently?"
Verify that all clients have a valid path to source installation files. See article 24002, "How do I verify that clients have a valid Office source installation files location?"
Set this update to run using different credentials. See article 22705, "Can I specify an alternate account with which to install updates?"
Apply Hotfix 20 for NS 6.0 SP2 (or just apply SP3). See article 21167, "Patches fail to install with a 1603 error code."
Hint: If the location of the Office Source Install files in article 24002 is on a Network Share, the Update needs to be run with User Credentials that has Network rights. To make this change see article 22705 for how to set up the Bulletins to be installed with a Domain User account. (Verify that this Domain User has rights to the Network share.)Note: It is recommended that the latest version of Windows Installer be installed on client computers. Older versions are known to be a catalyst for the above issues

Altiris HP Client Manager 6.2 Release Notes

Windows VISTA Support
From HPCM 6.2 and later, in addition to other supported operating systems, the following types of Windows VISTA operating systems are supported in HPCM for client computers:
Vista Business
Vista Business x64 Edition
Vista Enterprise x32 and x64
HP Backup and Recovery -- Configure HP Backup
This feature lets the administrator create a backup policy to initiate a backup task of the HP Backup and Recovery Manager on the client computer. An entire system backup is taken as per the schedule mentioned in the policy. Ths feature is available only if the licensed Altiris® Software Delivery Solution™ software (Altiris - SWD Solution) is installed.
Out of Band Management
HP Client Manager now supports computers using Intel* vPro Technology (Intel* AMT). HP Client Manager 6.2 includes Altiris Out of Band Management Solution that you can use to perform discovery, hardware inventory, power management, alerting, and other configuration tasks on HP computers vPro systems, all independently of system power and OS state. HPCM 6.2 includes full reporting of AMT capabilities for HP systems.
This feature lets the administrator access Altiris® Out of Band Management Solution™ software in the Altiris 6.5 Console. A link is provided in the Additional Link section of HP Client Manager Quick Start. This link is available only if the licensed version of Out of Band Management Solution (OOB) is installed.

A lot of new Beta's available from Altiris Notification Server

There are a lot of new beta's available...most of them to support VISTA and X86...
To the right you find a list of the active Beta's
Beta's can be found here

What is Package Replication Solution?

The Package Replication Solution is just an interim solution for customers who absolutely can't wait for Hierarchy. Unless there are critical issues, there will be no update to this. Hierarchy is the solution going forward. Once Hierarchy is out, this solution will be dropped.
This should be compatible with SP3.
Originally this was planned to be released with SP3, but Altiris has decided to give it out only as requested.

Package Replication has been designed for centralized administration of packages in a network containing two or more Notification servers. It allows packages and programs to be created and configured on one NS and transmitted or "replicated" to other NSs. The NS that packages are replicating from is called the "parent NS" and the NS which packages replicate to is called the "child NS".
Note: A Notification Server can be both a child NS, with packages being replicated to it, and a parent NS replicating packages to another NS.
Package Replication is not designed to perform real-time replications. It runs daily at 2 a.m. by default but can be changed manually in Scheduled Tasks.

Office 2007 install fails with SVS layers active

Problem/Symptoms
When trying to install Office 2007 or any of its components, shortly after clicking the Install Now (or Upgrade) button, the install dialog disappears and the please send the error information to Microsoft dialog comes up.
If you look in the log file to be sent to Mircosoft, neer the end you see a line like the following:
Error: ORegistryKey.GetSubKeyNames failure: Cannot get all sub key names for registry "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" HResult: 0x80070103.

Environment
SVS 2.0 - SVS 2.1 beta 1.6
Any active layers containing registry values under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Microsoft Office 2007

Resolution
Work-around: Deactivate all layers before installing any Office 2007 components.
The cause of the issue has been identified and testing has reported that this issue no longer exists in current development builds of the product. This should perform correctly in the next release of SVS.

Minimum RAM size needed to run WinPE through PXE in DS 6.5?

Since VMWare Workstation 5.51 and DS 6.5SP1 the standard size of 256MB is no longer enough to boot using WIN PE 2005 in a VMWARE.
In this case WINPE boots and get stuck on the black screen with Please Wait... at the bottom.
Increasing to 300MB or higher solves this problem. After the OS is installed you can lower the Memory size if required

The following article descibes the size needed to boot with WINPE : http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=24672&p=3

Can .NET be Tuned to Improve Performance for Notification Server and its solutions

One possible option is the following Microsoft KB.
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=821268

X64 Support Statement (Q4 2007 in NS7.0)

Compatibility Mode
Altiris has tested its products on systems running Windows 2003 Server x64 editions and leveraging AMD 64 and Intel Xeon EM64T/Itanium hardware. These processors that provide native, backward compatible 32-bit processing capabilities are currently supported in 32-bit compatibility modes.

Native Mode
The core Altiris Agent supports x64 platforms as of Notification Server 6.0 SP3.
Roadmap
The following sections contain an outline of Altiris’ plan for supporting 64-bit platforms. This is not a commitment, only an indication of current timeline estimates and strategies.

Currently Altiris Solutions are built on .NET 1.1 which does not support the x64 platform. However, the Notification Server will be moving to .NET 2.0 for the “Bennelong” release so that Altiris Solutions can be run on native x64 server platforms (Q1 2007). All Altiris Solutions will be updated to support this new version of Notification Server and subsequently the x64 platform unless otherwise noted below.

Deployment Solution—In the “Asgard” release, Altiris will facilitate automated imaging and configuration of x64 and Itanium based systems on the Windows and Linux platforms. (Q3 2006)

Additional Altiris Solutions and infrastructure may be updated to natively support 64-bit platforms in this timeframe, based on market need and customer demand.

More info can be found here

Inventory Pack For Servers

The Server Inventory task collects the inventory for the following server components:
􀁺 Microsoft IIS Server
􀁺 Microsoft SQL Server
􀁺 System DSNs
􀁺 VMWare GSX Server
􀁺 Exchange Server and Active Directory
􀁺 SCSI Controller
􀁺 Windows Components
􀁺 Network Configuration
􀁺 DHCP Server
􀁺 DNS Server

SATA drive and Deployment

Hey,
Since SATA is becoming a standard for laptops and PC's we face some problems with how to deploy them since no standard XP CD support those drivers.

HP came up with an article on how to add the(re) drivers to a XP unattend or sysprep or new Installation CD or even WINPE.

That WINPE you need to get an image of latops with a SATA drive

Here you can find the document : Link to HP

This white paper provides instructions on how to successfully incorporate SATA drivers into a Windows XP installation on HP Compaq Notebook PC models. The following guidelines provide procedures for adding SATA drivers to RIS installation points; adding SATA drivers to installation CDs; building an image and switching to SATA AHCI mode; using Sysprep with SATA in AHCI or NATIVE mode; and adding SATA drivers using WinPE.

It goes for:
HP Compaq 6310, 6320 and 6330 Notebook PC models
HP Compaq 9420 and 9440 Notebook PC models
HP Compaq 6400 Notebook PC models
HP Compaq 7400 Notebook PC models
HP Compaq 4400 Notebook PC models
HP Compaq 8400 Notebook PC models

Thx Frank ;-)

Asset Control & Contract Management Solution 6.5 Beta Now Available

Highlights of this release include:
- Receiving Enhancements
- Supports workflows between PR auto-fill selector
- New summary screens
- New Reports & Notification Policies
- Cost Management
- Multi-currency
- Depreciation allocations
- Additional reporting for rollup cost/depreciation

AexMachINV.exe process does not stop on servers

AexMachINV.exe process does not stop on servers; rows and rows of calls to gethostbyaddr() using what appears to be a garbage address

A fix is available in KB : http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=22442&p=3

The official fix will be shipped with the SP2 version of IS 6.1. ETA: Mid-March '07 (date is subject to change at any time)

How to determine when the Altiris agent last requested an update from the Notification server

Question
How to determine when the last time a specific PC requested (or checked for) a policy update from the NS, without checking the agent on the client PC itself.
Answer
You can check a single asset by just right clicking on it in NS and selecting Resource Manager. In the Summaries tab you can then drill down to Resource Manager, Resource Summary, and then in the right pane under "Altiris Agent Details" you will see when the agent was First discovered, Last Configuration Requested, Last Inventory Received and Last Event Received times.
For a fleet wide inventory report, go to the "Reports" tab in NS and under Notification Server Infrastructure, Agent, Altiris Agent Inventory you will see a number of reports, notably "Altiris Agent basic inventory (no update N days)" and "Altiris Agent basic inventory (sorted by last update)".
For a fleet wide "Configuration Request" report, a few items below you will see Configuration Request node. In there you will see a number of other reports, notably "Clients with no configuration in last N days".
Another report that may be useful is the "Configuration request statistics by time" which may be useful in analysing the peak times and traffic due to your current policy configurations

Link : KB Article

Tool to make Unattend Install better

Have you ever wanted to remove Windows components like Media Player, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, Messenger...
How about not even to install them with Windows ?
nLite is a tool for permanent Windows components removal and pre-installation Windows setup. After removal there is an option to make bootable image ready for burning on cd or testing in virtual machines. With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install doesn't include, or even contain on cd, unwanted components.
Check this out...Link

Import/Export Utility

A new utility has been created to aid the import and export of items to the Notification Server.
Previously, users were able to export XML of unlimited size but there was a limit on import which
led to discrepancies. This utility was introduced to overcome import problems which occurred
when large amounts of data were being imported to the Notification Server.
The ImportExportUtil will be stored in the Install path\Diagnostics when the
Notification Server is installed. It is a console application that lets you to import/export, to and
from, the Notification Server database.
To run the application, double-click the ImportExportUtil.exe and follow the instructions in the
Command Window.
Note: The .exe file needs to be located in the same folder as the AeXImportExport.exe.config
and the utility user must be a member of Altiris Administrators.
(This information can be found in the release notes op NS6.0 SP3 except the file location is wrong in the release notes)

Case Intrusion Detected on Dell Computers

There is a known issue when installing and using Dell Client Manager.
In some cases there will be a popup for chasis intrusion.
The following KB explains a solution for this problem
http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=29004&p=3

Altiris Console 6.5 Hotfix (KB25949)

Where to Download Altiris Console 6.5 Hotfix (KB25949)
1. The Console 6.5 hotfix is attached to this article. Download the hotfix Altiris_Console_6_5_KB25949.exe. 2. Run Altiris_Console_6_5_KB25949.exe on the Notification Server.
Fixes:
· Altiris Console 6.5 with Recovery Solution 6.2 integration: Computer Collections and Cluster Settings context menu does not show all options of Recovery Solution Tasks
· Assets are not pointing to the correct pages
· Security Roles view doesn't appear properly
· After Editing a Web Part Report Link with an Extremely Long URL, the Apply Button disappears.
· Web.config debug is set to TRUE· Web Part edit page always disables the report picker
Reference :
http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=25949&p=3

Finally: Some info about the Database structure for NS

Altiris has released some SQL scripts to get more info about the database schema.
You don't get a manual or so, but some SQL Scripts to show and capture the DB structure

Remote performance slow due to java script loading

Problem/Symptoms
When loading most console pages and dialogs client side scripting occurs using java script files. Whenever these files are loading from the server they will throw a 401 (access denied) error before requesting authentication from the browser. This causes a large delay in the loading of these pages.

Cause
IE does not expect authentication on JS files so always tries to run them anonymously, only trying authentication when rejected.

Resolution
Download SP3 KB25133 Update (R3) from: http://www.solutionsam.com/solutions/6_0/Altiris_NS_6_0_SP3_KB25133.exe

How to access the Carbon Copy Web console from a URL

To access the Basic Carbon copy Web console page: http://ns-machine-name/Altiris/CarbonCopy/CarbonCopy.aspx?Name=&Timeout=60

To Access the Advanced Carbon Copy Web console page: http://ns-machine-name/Altiris/CarbonCopy/CarbonCopyFull.aspx?Name=&Timeout=60

To create a link to connect to a Carbon Copy Agent automatically (Basic): http://ns-machine-name/Altiris/CarbonCopy/CarbonCopy.aspx?IpAdd=cc-agent-name

To create a link to connect to a Carbon Copy Agent automatically(Advanced): http://ns-machine-name/Altiris/CarbonCopy/CarbonCopyFull.aspx?IpAdd=cc-agent-name

Note: Make sure to substitute the name of the notification server where the Carbon Copy solution is installed for "ns-machine-name" and the machine name where the Carbon Copy agent is installed for "cc-agent-name" within the links above

Patch Management Upgrade best practice from 6.1 to 6.2

Please read the following document when upgrading to PM6.2
http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=30816&p=3

Language Setting of the browser

In the internet browser you can change the language setting.
Deleting that one give a couple of strange errors like the missing 2 left pane in DSWEB and Itempicker control...
So be sure to have at least one language selected in your browser

Patch Management 6.2

Still a lot of issues with PM6.2.

I'm even under the impression they released it a bit early...

This KB is a summary of all important known issues http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=29104&p=3

WINPE 2.0 (Vista) + Download link

Nice article about WINPE 2.0 and comparing with older version like DOS and WINPE2005... Article
And here you can download it Download

Enjoy

Client Management Security Suite

Its finally released....the Clients Security Suite, containing:

Local Security
EndPoint Security
Audit and Compliance
Application Control

All in one suite, so one price...;-)

Release Notes of R3 for NS6.0SP3

Here you can find the release notes on the latest rollup for SP3 of NS6.0

It combines fixes for the issues addressed here

KB24764 KB24537 KB25767 KB27776 KB26457 KB26458

KB26459 KB26460 KB26463 KB26464 KB27777 KB26466

KB27778 KB27779 KB28017

Release Notes: http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=25133&p=3

How can I find active computers which aren't sending Patch Management Inventory Summary data?

Create a new report, and choose to enter the SQL manually. Copy and paste the following:
________________________________

SELECT vC.[Name], vC.[Domain], vC.[OS Name], vC.[OS Type], a.LastConfig, vC.[Guid]
FROM vComputerEx vC
INNER JOIN Inv_AeX_AC_Client_Agent acca
ON vC.[Guid] = acca.[_ResourceGuid]
INNER JOIN (
SELECT ResourceGuid, LastConfig = datediff(dd,MAX([StartTime]),GETDATE()),
LastConfigDate = MAX([StartTime])
FROM Evt_NS_Client_Config_Request
GROUP BY ResourceGuid
HAVING DATEDIFF(dd,MAX([StartTime]),GETDATE()) <= 30 --change to a lower number if desired
) AS a
ON a.ResourceGuid = vc.Guid
WHERE 1 = 1
AND vC.[Guid] NOT IN (
SELECT DISTINCT _ResourceGuid
FROM Evt_Inventory_Rule_Summary
)
AND acca.[Agent Name] = 'Altiris Software Update Agent'

________________________________

The results of this report will be all machines which have requested configuration from the NS within the last 30 days but have not sent an Inventory Rule summary (or the Inventory was rejected by the NS for some reason due to some problem).

Don't like the PXE menu from DS6.8?

Found a noce article on the juice site....
http://juice.altiris.com/node/759/
And here an example : http://juice.altiris.com/download/837/pxe-menu-happy-thanksgiving

Get log information of server or managed PC

When run on a managed PC this will show the logview page for this PC
http://"servername"/Altiris/NS/logview.asp?server="PCNAME"

When this is run then the log of the NS server is shown
http://"servername"/Altiris/NS/logview.asp

Patch Management 6.2 released

Patch Management 6.2 has being released (Support for Dutch Langues Patches).

See http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=29579&p=3 for the Release Notes

But still a lot of know issues...

Support for Windows 2003 SP1

A list is available in the kb of what version of components are supported in Win 2003 SP1

SWD Plug in Task Server

The SWD Plug in for Task server is released...

But .... You wont see it as an update so you need either to install it directly from the solutionsam, or go to Available Solution, Solutions and then Software Delivery Solution, there you see the Plug In will be installed.

Support for SQL 2005 SP1

Service Pack 1 for SQL 2005 was released on April 18, 2006. The Altiris testing methodology is to ensure that all new versions of Altiris solutions are compatible with current technology. Therefore, any solution that was released or upgraded on or after June 2006 is supported for SQL 2005 SP1

A list of the version that are supported can be found in this KB

Software Delivery Best Practice

All you need to know about SWD.... click here

Application Control Released

Release notes can be found here

With Application Control Solution you can:
􀁺 Implement the principle of least privilege in order to enhance protection of data and functionality from faults and malicious behavior. See Restrict an Application’s
Process Rights
􀁺 Apply security ratings to withstand future attacks by reducing attack surface. You
can reduce the attack surface by reducing the number of applications available to
exploitation. See Security Rating.
􀁺 Isolate an application to protect against file system and registry corruption or
misuse. This is done through integration with Altiris® Software Virtualization
Solution™ software. See Run an Application in an SVS Layer
􀁺 Protect against data theft. You can automate the encryption of documents as
Application Control Solution seamlessly integrates with Windows Encrypted File
System. For information, see http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/
windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/encrypt_overview.mspx?mfr=true. Using
Application Control Solution, you can automatically encrypt documents on a
notebook, thus preventing theft. See Automate Document Encryption.
􀁺 Control an application’s ability to read or write to specific network locations.
􀁺 Prevent potentially malicious applications, such as keyloggers, from installing
Windows API hooks. See Manage Applications.
􀁺 Protect from viruses and spyware. See Quarantine Files.

IE7.0 supported under NS6.0SP R4

See Release Notes of the Rollup

What to know about SWD 6.1SP2

Things to Know for 6.1 SP2
In Software Delivery Solution Task Server Plug-in, the Post Program Run Actions are handled through the Task Server
In Software Delivery Solution Task Server Plug-in, the post program run actions, such as No action required, Restart computer, and Log off user are handled by the Task Server. The After Running drop-down list on the Programs tabview of the Packages page lists all the post program run actions.

On the Task Server a Task Server Power Management task needs to be added to a job. The Task Server Power Management task takes care of post program run actions that are required to be carried out.


Installation, Upgrade, and Uninstallation
Prerequisites
On the Target Computer
Altiris Agent
Client Task Agent 2.3
On the Notification Server
Notification Server 6.0 SP3 or later

For Software Delivery Task Server Plug-in
Altiris Task Management 6.0

Software Delivery Solution 6.1 SP 1 or later

Custom Console 6.5 and Custom Console Data 6.5

Application Metering and Software Delivery Updated

Most bug fixes....for App Metering

SWD 6.1SP2 :
Release Notes
What's New in this Release

What is New in this Release?
Updated User Interface for Data Purging
Software Delivery Solution Task Server Plug-in

Known Issues
The following are unresolved issues and workaround instructions for issues in this release:

Known Issue Article ID
Software Portal functions incorrectly due to the unregistered MSCOMCTL.OCX file 26018
A duplicate copy of software delivery package is created on the client computer 26021
Clicking a New Program tool opens a Software Delivery Program Page 26245
Deliver Software task fails the first time for the packages that have Package Servers option set to manual pre-staging 26244

What are the 'Known Issues' in DS 6.8?

Known Issues

Why do I receive a "Server Error in '/Altiris/NS' Application after instaling KB23784 (R2)?

After installing KB23784 (R2) onto five NS SP3 computers, I found that I could no longer access the Altiris Console on two of them

How to determine which Dell systems may have a battery for recall.

How to determine which Dell systems may have a battery for recall.

---

Question
	How do you determine which systems in your environment may have a battery that needs to be replaced with the Dell laptop battery recall?

---

Answer

You can run the following SQL query. NOTE: This query requires that your Notification Server have the Dell Client Manager installed. Select vc.[name] AS 'Computer Name', bat.[name] AS 'Battery', bat.[SerialNumber] AS 'Serial Number' FROM vComputer vc Inner Join dbo.Inv_OMCA_Battery bat on vc.Guid = bat._ResourceGuid Inner Join (SELECT DISTINCT ResourceGuid FROM CollectionMembership cm Inner Join dbo.Dell_OMCA_SupportedModels sm on cm.Collectionguid = sm.Collection AND sm.ID LIKE '%Latitude%' OR sm.ID LIKE '%Inspiron%' OR sm.ID LIKE '%Precision%' OR sm.ID LIKE '%XPS%') A on vc.Guid = A.ResourceGuid WHERE bat.[Name] LIKE '%C5340%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%D6024%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%JD616%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%U586%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%7X5333%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%3K590%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%C5446%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%D6025%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%JD617%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%U5882%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%X5875%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%59474%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%C6269%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%F2100%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%KD494%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%W5915%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%X5877%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%59474%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%C6270%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%F5132%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%M3006%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%X5308%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%Y1333%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%C2603%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%D2961%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%GD785%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%RD857%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%X5329%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%Y4500%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%C5339%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%D5555%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%H3191%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%TD349%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%X5332%' OR bat.[Name] LIKE '%Y5466%'

 

 

Solution Removal Tool (Removes Solution from Database)

Problem

Sometimes after uninstalling a solution from either the Add/Remove Programs or from the Solution Center you find that this has not removed the solution completely from the Database.  Some symptoms that you will see is referrences to the Solution in the Tree Structure on the Notification Server Admin Console.  You may also see a refference to the Solution when attempting to view the GetLicenseDetails.aspx page which would returns a ASP Dump.

---

Environment

---

Cause
	At this time the root cause is undetermined.  It may be a combination of things including SQL Deadlocks or Security.

---

Resolution

Use the following Solution Removal Tool.  In the sample below this will remove Web Administrator for Windows from the Altiris Database.  Please remeber when running this tool to select the correct database to run the query against.  Please note that you use this Removal Tool at your own risk, Database backup is higly recommended before running. Change the @Guid to the Product Guid of the solution you wish to remove: DECLARE @GUID varchar(40) REM Replace GUID with Product GUID of the Solution you wish to Remove from the Altiris Database SET @GUID = '{B2CF75A5-C442-4945-A979-1EAFDD182A76}'   Delete from Item where Guid = @Guid Delete from Item where ProductGuid = @Guid Delete from Item where SecurityGuid = @Guid Delete from ItemClassUserCreatable where ProductGuid = @Guid Delete from ItemDeleted where ItemGuid = @Guid Delete from ItemNameCache where ItemGuid = @Guid Delete from LicenseStatus where ProductGuid = @Guid Delete from SecurityACE where EntityGuid = @Guid Delete from SecurityACEChanged where EntityGuid = @Guid Delete from SecurityEntity where Guid = @Guid Delete from String where BaseGuid = @Guid Delete from StringCacheRN where BaseGuid = @Guid

Script to install SVS Agent

Question
How do you do a silent install of the Software Virtualization Agent?

Answer

Run the following from a command line or in a script:
msiexec.exe /qb? /i \Software_Virtualization_Agent.msi PRODUCT_KEY=

Replace:

= Path to folder containing Software_Virtualization_Agent.msi
= Your SVS product key in xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx format

Altiris licensing technical FAQ

All the technical questions about license usage can be read here

DS Console slow to load, freezes, or users in AD groups don't have correct rights in the console after console opens

A) OU Structure is usually the biggest cause of this. When a user object exists in a Sub OU that is too deep or the Sub OU has commas in it, the DS Console will display the following symptoms:
Slow load for the console.
Cannot log onto the console.
Console freezes when security is enabled.
When logged on, the user has no rights even though AD group has the correct rights set.

B) DNS Queries can have issues when running in an isolated environment. This is usually displayed by a DS Console taking 2-5 minutes to log into.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resolution


There is a new express.exe that fixes most of these issues. Attached is that .EXE in ZIP format. This express.exe will need to be licensed with a valid eXpress license. DS 6.5 SP1 needs to be installed prior to this fix.

You can download the .EXE from the KB When clicking on this link

How to compress WinPE PXE Images

You can create a compressed WinPE PXE Image in an SDI file. This will reduce the image size by 35 percent. A PXE Image that is normally 145 MB will be reduced to 95 MB

You find more info in this KB of Altiris