NSE queue fills up with orphaned power on jobs.

Fix orphaned RTCI tasks using the following SQL: insert into ItemToDelete select distinct i.Guid, GETDATE () from Item i join ItemClass ic on ic.Guid = i.Guid join Class c on c.Guid = ic.ClassGuid left join ItemReference ir on ir.ChildItemGuid = i.Guid and ir.Hint = 'taskschedulehint' where ic.ClassGuid = 'A03EFF6B-B41B-4BD5-8D48-3980B23AE8D7E' and Attributes & 1 = 1 and ir.ParentItemGuid is null group by i.Name, ir.Hint order by i.Name Ref : http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212717

Cloud-enabled Management Whitepaper

CAn be found here

Altiris 7.5 KNOWN ISSUE: Running aexagentutil.exe /clean on client machine uninstalls agent AND Windows system32 files

Ref :

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212946

 

Issue

The customer reported that during an upgrade from ITMS 7.1 to ITMS 7.5, when trying to uninstall the Symantec Managenent Agent he noted that most files under Windows\System32 directory were missing.

In this case the customer was using AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean to uninstall the Symantec Management Agent.

Steps:
1. Install SMA and receive configuration
2. Open registry and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile
3. Set Windows folder as SMA logs location folder
4. Uninstall SMA (AexNSAgent.exe /uninstall or AexAgentUtil.exe /clean

Actual result: Uninstall process would attempt to erase the complete file tree including windows system files. in my case more than 2000 files were erased from c:\windows tree

Expected result: Only log folder should be erased or/and Agent*.log files.

Environment

ITMS 7.5

Cause

Please note that this is NOT a regresssion in ITMS 7.5 - the problem was also applicable to earlier releases and happens only with custom changes for log file path location.

In this particular instance, the customer had the incorrect SMA agent log file path in the registry (check “FilePath”under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile). Removal process uses the entries "FileName" and "FilePath" from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Event Logging\LogFile"

Another option when this could happen is when there is no logging folder specified in the registry, in this case uninstall will try removing files from the process's current folder, which can be anything in the general case.

Solution

Symantec has acknowledged that the above-mentioned issue is present in the current version of the product mentioned earlier on this article. Symantec is committed to product quality and satisfied customers.

Symantec currently plans to address this issue by including a fix in the next ITMS 7.5 Hotfix: Hotfix 2. Please be sure to refer back to this document periodically as any changes to the status of the issue will be reflected here. A link to the Release Notes will be added to this document when it becomes available. Please note that Symantec reserves the right to remove any fix from the targeted release if it does not pass quality assurance tests. Symantec’s plans are subject to change and any action taken by you based on the above information or your reliance upon the above information is made at your own risk.

Development changed the Agent behavior where it should not remove all the files from this folder, only agent*.log files, then it should remove the folder only if it’s empty. Currently agent tries removing the complete file tree.

ITMS Admin iPad app 1.0

Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC5614

 

Description

ITMS Admin app is a mobile extension of the Symantec Management Console. It lets you monitor client computers, check Patch, Inventory and Software data. It also lets you start the tasks on client computers, check status of policies and tasks, and more. The app supports Symantec IT Management Suite 7.5 or higher.

The ITMS Admin is a two-part solution that includes:

- An app that you download and install on your iPad.
- The server part, which is installed directly on your Notification Server.

Installation

If you have upgraded to or installed ITMS 7.5 after the 2nd of December 2013, you do not have to install anything manually, the server part of the app is included with your original installation. To start using ITMS Admin iPad app, on your iPad, go to AppStore and install the ITMS Admin iPad app.

However, if you have upgraded to or installed ITMS 7.5 before the 2nd of December 2013, in order to obtain the server part of the ITMS Admin iPad app, you need to upgrade the Enhanced Console Views component to version ECV 7.5 MP1. This upgrade lets the app connect to the Notification Server.

To install, do the following:

1. In the Symantec Management (SIM), click Upgrade installed products.
2. In the installation wizard, on the Upgrade Installed Products page, click Enhanced Console Views 7.5. MP1, and then click Next.
3. On the End User License Agreement, read the agreement, and then, at the bottom of the page check I accept the terms in the license agreements, then click Next.
4. On the Contact Information page, type the required information, and click Next.
5. On the Install Readiness Check page, wait for the results of the check, make sure that all recommended components are up to date, and then click Next.
6. On the Review Installation Details page, review the information, and then click Begin install.
7. After the upgrade is completed, on the Installation Complete page, click Finish.

 After you install the server part of the app, on your iPad, go to AppStore and install the ITMS Admin iPad app.

 

Signing in

 

• On the iPad, on the sign-in page of the app, type the user name and the password.
  You can use either a domain or a local user login name. To be able to sign into the ITMS Admin app you have to use an account that has Symantec Administrator security role privileges and permissions.
• You can type a server name or an IP address of the Notification Server that you installed the server end of the app on. The names of the previously used servers are saved. Tap Server Name or IP address text box, to view a scrollable list of saved server names.
• The app supports different protocols and custom ports. You can specify both manually, using the following format: protocol://server:PORT, where protocol can be either HTTPS or HTTP, and server address can be either a server name or an IP.
  By default, the app uses HTTPS protocol.  HTTP is used as an alternative, if the HTTPS connection failed. 

 

Navigation and Search

• Org.View / Group list of computers is generated and refreshed as you scroll down. Computers are listed in alphabetic order. You can type letters or full names of computers in the Search text box to locate computers faster.
• The Saved Searches folders must be previously created on the Notification Server. All of the Saved Searches folders that you create in the Symantec Management Console are visible from the app and can be used to find specific client computers.
  For more information on how to create Saved Searches folders, please see: http://www.symantec.com/connect/videos/creating-saved-searches-enhanced-console-views-video
  Before you start to use the list of computers in a Saved Searches folder you must wait for the list to generate fully.
• To refresh current list swipe the left pane down. 
• To sign out, at the bottom of the screen, slide the Org.View / Group to the right, and tap Log out. 
• To go back directly to one of the previous steps of your current path, use the breadcrumb view at the bottom of the page.
• To update the view, tap the Refresh icon in the top right corner.
• To navigate between the pages swipe left or right. The dots in the top right corner of the information view, display how many pages the current tab contains.

Main features

For each individual computer (server or client) the following tabs are available.

Tab	Available Features
Summary	Software page Lets you view information provided by the Patch Management solution. It also lets you monitor managed software delivery status via the Software Management solution. Device Details page Lets you view OS, hardware, Location and Warranty information for the client computer.
Actions	For any client computer under the Notification Server that you are currently viewing, it: Lets you refresh the current configuration data. Lets you request basic inventory. Lets you run any preexisting Job or Task on a client computer. Lets you connect to the client computer directly using Remote Desktop. The Remote Control feature automatically populates the host name and IP of the device that you are viewing. Note:This feature requires third-party remote control apps. Currently 3 applications are supported: - iTap - RealVNC - PocketCLoud Lets you restart the computer. Lets you shutdown the computer.
Jobs/Tasks	Lets you view the history data of the Jobs or Tasks for the last 14 days.
Policies	Let you view the list of targeted policies and their activation status.
Software	Lets you see the following lists: Software Updates and statuses (provided by Patch Management). Installed Software Products (provided by Inventory solution).

Devices and operation systems that are currently supported by the ITMS Admin app

	iPad1	iPad2	iPad3	iPad4	iPad Mini	iPhone	iPod Touch
iOS5	Yes	Yes				No	No
iOS6		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
iOS7			Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No

Limitations

• The current version of the ITMS Admin app only supports horizontal view.
• When using this app within a hierarchy, you can either connect to a parent or to a child Notification Server. The app lists the client computers under the Notification Server that you are currently connected to (either a parent or a child NS).
• Currently, ITMS Admin iPad app is only available in English. However, since the app is an extension of your Console, if you have computer names, tasks, policies and etc. in a language other than English, your custom names are displayed. You can also use languages other than English to search for computers in the Org.View / Group.
• The app does not let you create new Saved Searches folders, tasks, policies, etc. since there is no text input option. All of the information available in the app is a mirror image of your original Symantec Management Console.

Bandwidth throttling and speed tests, how does it work?

An updated KB Article can be found here

7.5 Summit November 2013 - Slides and Videos

A lot of usefull information can be found here

About Workflow and the Symantec Management Platform

Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO61836

About Workflow and the Symantec Management Platform

The Symantec Management Platform architecture consists of several key parts. These parts include the CMDB, Item Object Model, Resource Model, Solution Layer, UI Framework, and ASDK (Altiris Software Development Kit). Workflow interacts with the platform through a web service layer and the custom web services that are installed directly onto the Symantec Management Platform computer.

However, not all workflow processes directly integrate with the Symantec Management Platform. A workflow process may only depend on the platform for a license for the instance of Workflow Server where it is running.

A workflow process can integrate more fully with the Symantec Management Platform or another solution by using web service calls. A workflow process can work with any standard web service in the Symantec Management Platform or solutions. For example, a process that escalates a ServiceDesk incident can make a web service call to ServiceDesk to change the priority, affect, or urgency.

spItemClassUserCreatableDelete causing installations or upgrades to take too long to finish

Issue

SQL Stored Procedure spItemClassUserCreatableDelete is used heavily during installations/upgrades and can cause installations to take days when using the existing SQL.

Ref : http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH203750

Symantec™ IT Management Suite 7.5 HF1 powered by Altiris™ technology Release Notes

The Release Notes can be found here

Trending Patch Compliance useful tools

This was written by one of our engineers Ludovice Ferre I have written a few utilities to help my customer understand how well our Patch Management tool works for them and with the help of colleagues here in EMEA I’ve integrated them into a single package and I have written a guide to quickly and simply implement the tool. Here are the main link for this project: http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/adding-patch-trending-your-symantec-management-platform-step-step-guide • Step-by-step installation guide • Main download page • Sample site for hands on test Adding Patch Trending to Your Symantec Management Platform Step by... symantec.com Symantec helps consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or...

Task 0000 GUID Issue

TECH146046 – This is commonly known as the task 00000’s guid issue. This is an error that is a symptom from various solutions that assign tasks to run on a resource that has the default guid of all 00000’s. Some solutions have fixed this issue in … ITMS 7.1

ITMS 7.5 HF1 is targeted for release - Nov 18th

More will follow….

Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Early Support statement

The Reference Doc can be found here

App Center v4.2 Migration guide

Migration to Symantec App Center 4.2 involves adding new servers that support RHEL/CentOS 6.4 and adding an MDM Core database to the existing App Center database. The migration will involve some down time to current production servers. A first version of a migration guide has now been published to Symwise. This document describes what you'll need to know about migrating to Symantec App Center v4.2. The document can be found here: http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6841.

Physical \ Virtual Computer issue

More info on this issue can be found here

ITMS 7.1 SP2 MP1 Rollup Version 7 Release Notes

A nice recap of all fixes in all rollup Version can be found here

Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4 is now available

On November 5, 2013, Symantec released Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4. You can download this version from Symantec FileConnect or the Business Critical Services Web site.   
   
This version contains a number of new features, including support for Windows 8.1 and Mac OS X 10.9, a suite of new features for managing Mac clients, and an improved mechanism for reporting priority events as they happen, as well as fixes for customer-reported issues.  Symantec recommends this upgrade for all customers, especially those who manage Mac clients, use Windows 8.1, or require one of the fixes that are included in this release.   
   
For more information about this release, read the updated product documentation in the Related Articles section.

Related Articles

• DOC6838   Symantec™ Endpoint Protection, Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition, and Symantec Network Access Control 12.1.4 Release Notes

• TECH212063   System Requirements for Symantec Endpoint Protection, Enterprise and Small Business Editions, and Network Access Control 12.1.4

• TECH211972   New fixes and features in Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4

• TECH211821   Upgrading or migrating to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4 (RU4)

• HOWTO92146   Overview for Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1.4 for Mac

Supportability Statement for Microsoft Windows Embedded

A PDF can be found here

SQL Maintenance script for the Symantec Management Platform database

There is a script available to create a Maintenance task on SQL Server here

ServiceDesk 7.5 SP1 Release Notes

Can be found here

Workflow Template - Zero Day Patch Video

Can be found here

What is new in SQL2012

A lot....even to much to mention in a blog so here you can find out more

SQL Version builds

	RTM (Gold, no SP)	SP1	SP2	SP3	SP4
SQL Server 2014      codename Hekaton
SQL Server 2012      codename Denali	11.00.2100.60	11.00.3000
SQL Server 2008 R2      codename Kilimanjaro	10.50.1600.1	10.50.2500	10.50.4000
SQL Server 2008      codename Katmai	10.00.1600.22	10.00.2531	10.00.4000	10.00.5500
SQL Server 2005      codename Yukon	9.00.1399.06	9.00.2047	9.00.3042	9.00.4035	9.00.5000
SQL Server 2000      codename Shiloh	8.00.194	8.00.384	8.00.532	8.00.760	8.00.2039
SQL Server 7.0      codename Sphinx	7.00.623	7.00.699	7.00.842	7.00.961	7.00.1063

Altiris Licensing - Technical FAQ

How does Altiris licensing work for Notification Server based products?

• How a license is consumed.
• What happens when the license count is exceeded.
• What happens when a time limited (demo/install) license expires.
• What happens when the Automatic Upgrade Protection (AUP) expires.
• How to recover a solution license (retirement vs. deletion).
• Anomalies in expected functionality.

More info about this topic can be found here

How to prepare a workstation for imaging that includes the SMP/NS Agent (Updated October 2013)

Problem

How can I image a computer with the Altiris Agent on it? What is needed to prepare the NS Agent when distributed as part of an image?

 

The Altiris Agent has a unique GUID for each workstation. If done incorrectly, when a new workstation is started with the same GUID as another, Notification Server will begin to manage it as if it is the same system as the other. Inventory from the multiple computers keeps over-writing each other, so systems "seem" to disappear from the NS/SMP console.  MANY solutions are impacted by this.

 

Additionally, Microsoft OS's include a SID or Security Identifier which is unique, and is how Microsoft keeps systems separate in Active Directory.  Like the GUID, if this is duplicated on the network, it causes significant problems in AD and we frequently have to refer customers to Microsoft for multiple days of cleaning up AD.

 

Resolution

Depending on the version or product you're using, there are several potential options.
Using GSS

Ghost Solution Suite has no built-in mechanism for removing the GUID's from NS.  That said, if you have NS7, you most likely have DS7 and should follow the steps for imaging using DS7.

 

However, if you do not have DS7 (or do not intend on using it) then you can either remove the Altiris Agent prior to capturing the image (recommended) or manually remove the GUID from the Agent.  The GUID is in 3 locations in the registry:

 

1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGUID
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\MachineGUID
3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\MachineGUID

It should be noted however that the agent must be stopped for this to work.  As soon as the agent re-starts, those registry keys will be repopulated!  So, to do this, you should stop the agent service (leave it set to automatic), remove these registry keys, and immediately follow standard procedures in GSS to capture the image without restarting the system in production OR restarting the service.

Using DS 6.5/6.8/6.9
Any of the supported versions of DS 6.x will remove the GUID from the NS/SMP agent if capturing using the supported methods.  The capture image task takes care of this for you by first removing the GUID from the agent and then running Microsoft's Sysprep tool, and then rebooting and capturing the image while in this state.

Using DS 7.x
DS 7.x takes care of this when you run the Prepare for Image Capture task (which is run prior to capturing the image itself).  This is the only supported method of capturing a disk image (as apposed to a backup image). The Prepare for Image Capture task takes care of this for you by first removing the GUID from the agent and then running Microsoft's Sysprep tool  Unlike DS 6.9, you then need to run the Capture Image task separately (before a reboot to production), but the net effect is the same.

Doing things manually (Unsupported)
There are those who insist on running Sysprep manually and only using our engine/tools (Ghost and RDeploy) to capture and deploy the images.
At least one reason for this is that there is a Microsoft Technet article that indicates that the "appropriate" way to modify the default profile is to run Sysprep in Audit mode and then modify the default profile prior to image capture.  Our built-in processes do not support this.  The default profile can be modified in several other ways that are supported by our processes, but we acknowledge that those methods are not "as complete" as the one indicated by Microsoft.  99% of our customers have been satisfied with the other methods of modifying the default profile and we highly recommend trying our method first.  If you are then still not satisfied and insist on doing things this way, you should consider a few things:

• IF the agent is included then the 3 registry keys indicated under the GSS method must be removed.
• The Unattend.xml MUST be correctly managed by yourself.  We continually see problems with this method in the XML files where there are issues with architecture and custom commands.  Custom Unattend.XML files are not supported by Symantec, though support offers a best-effort level to help you find / identify problems with it.

NOTE:  If you are using DS 7.x and attempting this method, the Agent should be included and the keys removed manually.  This is a very awkward and again unsupported way of doing things, but in order to synchronize with post-imaging processes, we recognize the need to have the agent installed.  You could actually install the agent post imaging, or follow the KB on including the installer into the Unattend file, both of which would work, but both of which will delay any post-image processes / tasks you may have included in the job.  We recognize this as a viable process, but do not recommend it or support it, other than in a best-effort mode.

Not using Sysprep (Very Bad & Unsupported)
This is both not supported by us and not supported by Microsoft.  Some have found a single article published once-upon-a-time by a Microsoft employee who claims that Sysprep is not needed.  This is incorrect!  Every customer we have found who has done this has required several DAYS of support from Microsoft to clean up their directory.  We will send you to Microsoft when you run into problems and we will not be able to help you with your Active Directory (we can help with duplicate GUIDS, but be warned, it can be messy).  For imaging to work in ANY of our environments, Sysprep MUST be run in some method or manner.
The only exception to this is if you are taking a backup image of a single system and restoring ONLY to that system.  As soon as an image is deployed to more than one system without Sysprep having been run first, it is in an unsupported state.

ITMS 7.5 (Orion) Release of Workflow and Existing Servicedesk Installations

With the release of ITMS 7.5 (Orion), a new version of Workflow is now available. Can I install this version on my existing Servicedesk server?  

Answer: 

No! This is a standalone version of Workflow that is NOT compatible with any version of Servicedesk that is
currently in production. You will break your Servicedesk installation by installing the Orion version of Workflow on your Servicedesk 7.5 server. You should wait until the upcoming 7.5 Sp1 version of Servicedesk releases (scheduled for the first part of November 2013), and update your Servicedesk installation with the revised Workflow and Servicedesk versions that are included as a part of that release.

Quick reference to the HOWTO doc for ITMS 75

These can be found Here

Support Matrix ITMS (6, 7, 71, 7.5)

Can be found here

KNOWN ISSUE: Upgrade to ITMS 7.5: Some tables in DB have different definition form tables in case of clean setup - missing indexes

This issue has been reported to the Symantec Development team. A fix will be available in a later release (Post ITMS 7.5 release). The following is provided as a workaround. Basically run the following queries on your SQL Database to recreate the missing indexes: --Index for ResourceTargetContainerChanges IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo]. [ResourceTargetContainerChanges]') AND name = N'IX_ResourceTargetContainerChanges') CREATE INDEX [IX_ResourceTargetContainerChanges] ON [dbo]. [ResourceTargetContainerChanges] ( ResourceGuid ) --Index for ItemPresentation IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID (N'[IDX_ItemPresentation]') AND name = N'IDX_ItemPresentation') CREATE INDEX [IDX_ItemPresentation] ON [dbo].[ItemPresentation] ( BaseGuid ) -- Index for Evt_NS_Item_Management IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.indexes WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID(N'[dbo]. [Evt_NS_Item_Management]') AND name = N'IDX_DC_457b321d-26eb-449d-996c- 5aff16a391ec_ItemGuid') CREATE INDEX [IDX_DC_457b321d-26eb-449d-996c-5aff16a391ec_ItemGuid] ON [dbo].[Evt_NS_Item_Management] ( ItemGuid )

How to increase Queue processing performance in SMP 7.5

Can be found here

How to use the 'upgradeif' setting for CoreSettings.config

Can be found here

ITMS 7.5 installation, upgrade, and migration prerequisites

Can be found here

pcAnywhere solution filters are not properly populated in the SMP 7.5

Solution an fix can be found here

EPM 7.5 (Altiris 7.5) Landing Page

Documentation landing page can be found here

VMware Workstation 8 new features detailed

More detail can be found here

IT Management Suite 7.1 SP2 (Valencia)Documentation

All documentation can be found here

How the Retired status for a computer works

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO52993

When a computer's status is changed to Retired (which is a Notification Server core status type), several functions occur to this computer:

• The Retired status does not uninstall agents from the computer.
• If the Inventory Solution agent is installed on the computer, it will release one license for Inventory Solution.
• When the Clean Inventory task runs, software licenses are then cleaned up.
• If this is for Symantec Management Platform 7.x, if an agent is still installed on the computer, when basic inventory checks in, the status of the computer will automatically change to Active. Note: In SQL, the computer's IsManaged field is set to 1 when its status is Active (managed). If the  status is changed to Retired (no longer managed), IsManaged is set then to 0. This will revert back to 1 once the agent checks back in with inventory, however

Improving IIS and Notification Server response times by disabling debug mode

 

How can I disable debug mode compiling of ASP.NET code on my Notification Server 6.x and Symantec Management Platform 7.0 & 7.1?

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO6940

About how application metering summary is sent

The metering summary data is sent to the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) in batches. You can also specify to send event data in batches when you create an application monitor policy.

An application metering usage summary is sent for all application metering policies for which the applications are marked as allowed. The summary is sent daily by default.

See About application summary data.

See Configuring application metering data.

To prevent an overload to the system when this data is sent, the data is not all sent at the same time. The data is randomly sent over an interval of time. A value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Application Metering registry key on each client computer determines the length of the interval. The name of the value is Fuzzy Factor and its default value is 10.

This value specifies the time interval when the data can be sent as a percentage of the total batch creation time. For example, the data is sent to the CMDB every seven days (168 hours) and the Fuzzy Factor value is 10. Then the length of the interval is 10% of seven days or about 17 hours. Half of this interval precedes the specified send time and half of it follows. Thus the time interval in which the data is sent would start after about 159 hours and end after 177 hours.

To change the length of this time interval, you must change the value of this registry key on each client computer. Any registry changes should be done with caution.

Removing Dell branding

Removing Dell branding  after DMC install on NS 7.0 was done by this query:

UPDATE Item SET ModifiedDate = ( select getdate() )
WHERE Guid = (    SELECT Item.Guid
                        FROM Item
                        Join ItemClass ON Item.Guid = ItemClass.Guid
                        WHERE ItemClass.ClassGuid = '1f768417-511a-4c22-afbc-4a66720f793a'
                        and Item.Name like 'Default%' )

Dell Solutions and the Symantec Management Console

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO59488

How do I configure Patch Management 7.1 SP1 to operate without internet connection.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO59024

How to Turn Off/On a Policy on the SMP database

If for some reason you can't turn off/on a policy (the Symantec Management Agent Installation policy) or you can't access the SMP Console or load the actual policy page, how can you turn on/off a policy directly on the database?

To disable (turn off) a policy, run the following query:

update i
set State = REPLACE(cast(State as nvarchar(max)), '<enabled>True</enabled>', '<enabled>False</enabled>')
from Item i
where Guid = '124D0571-4725-466C-8F43-998160D3CFF2'  --Place the Policy GUID in this area. As an example we are using the GUID for the Symantec Management Agent Installation policy

To turn On (enable) a policy, change the entry [ '<enabled>False</enabled>', '<enabled>True</enabled>' ] on the query above.

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO59606

DS 6.9 - What is different between using the AClient and the DAgent when doing remote control?

Ref : http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO59807

There are some differences between using DAgent and AClient when using Deployment Solution 6.9's Remote Control feature.

WIth the AClient, you are allowed to connect to a client computer when no-one is logged in. With the DAgent, someone must be logged in at the client computer before DS can control that computer. This means that if a user logs out of a Remote Control session using DAgent, the connection will drop. This difference is designed to improve security of Remote Control. You can try a different Remote Control tool Refer to the document: How to setup VNC to remote clients in Deployment Solution available at http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO8690

Backup Exec Guide about Agents and Optoins

A nice microsite on BE2010 and his agents and options can be found here

Altiris Agent for Mac 7.1 SP1 HF1 - Adding Support for OS X 10.7 (Lion)

The article can be found here

Activity Center 7.1 SP1 HF2 Rollup

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO58413

Symantec Management Platform and Altiris Solutions Support Matrix

• Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO9965

Enterprise Vault Server Settings Migration wizard

A migration Wizard can be found here

Symantec System Recovery 2011 Service Pack 1 (ex BESR)

I am pleased to announce you that the following eCRT releases have achieved GA milestone on Thursday 8/September/2011.

1) SSR 2011 Service Pack 1 (10.0.1)

Build Number: 10.0.1.41704

WinLogo certification

New Device Support: SATA RDX based drives

Support of Subscription Based license for SSR Server Edition

GEARWorks security fix

2) SSR-MS 2011 Service Pack 1 (10.0.1)

Build Number: 10.0.1.41708

SMP 7.1 SP1 integration

SSRMS scalability fixes - support for 10000 clients

Windows 2008 R2 SP1 & Windows 7 SP1 support

3) SSR-L 2011 Service Pack 1 (2.0.1)

Build Number: 2.0.1.41572

RHEL 5.7, SUSE 10 SP4 platform support

EXT4 File system support

Uploads to FileConnect has been completed. The uploads to LU server is expected to get completed by Friday 9^th September 2011.

SSR-MS 10.0.1 is available on SIM listing.