SMS Fails to Upgrade MS-DOS and Windows on NetWare Clients

• Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.0 and 1.1

SYMPTOMS

When you use Systems Management Server to perform MS-DOS or Windows upgrades of Novell NetWare clients with the included package definition files (PDFs), the following error message appears when the client attempts to execute the package:

   Invalid Drive Specification

CAUSE

Your NetWare client has lost its network connection to your Systems Management Server distribution server and, therefore, cannot find the WINSTART.EXE, UPGRD622.EXE and STPUP622.EXE Systems Management Server utilities located in the MSTEST directory of the Systems Management Server logon server.

During the upgrade procedure but before SETUP.EXE starts on the NetWare client the network functionality is lost and thus the connection to the Systems Management Server distribution server is disconnected. When later during the upgrade procedure Setup starts on the NetWare client and attempts to use the previous drive specification to connect to the Systems Management Server, it fails and displays the above error message.

This problem occurs only with NetWare clients using NETX and VLM drivers, because these network drive connections made under Windows are disconnected when Windows is quit during the upgrade procedure.

For more details, please read the MORE INFORMATION section below.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, modify the PDF to use the undocumented /LOCAL switch with the WINSTART.EXE, UPGRD622.EXE, and STPUP622.EXE Systems Management Server utilities.

The /LOCAL switch causes the package distribution to be copied to a temporary directory on the NetWare client, before SETUP.EXE starts on the NetWare client. When Setup starts, it finds the files in the local temporary directory and therefore does not need a network connection to the distribution server.

NOTE: This workaround temporarily requires additional hard disk space on the NetWare client for the files in the temporary directory. This directory is automatically deleted after the upgrade.

Modifying the PDF

You can apply the /LOCAL switch to the PDF directly by editing the PDF in a text editor. This causes future package creations using this PDF to include the /LOCAL switch. You can also apply the /LOCAL switch by using Systems Management Server Administrator as follows:

To modify DOS622.PDF and WFW311.PDF to use the /LOCAL switch:

1. In Systems Management Server Administrator, select your existing package for MS-DOS 6.22 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 from the packages window.

2. Choose Workstations from the Package Properties dialog.

3. Choose Properties for the type of install/upgrade.

4. If the command line begins with UPGRD622, STPUP622, or WINSTART, insert /LOCAL between the command and its parameters. Leave a space between the command and /LOCAL. For a Batch Step-Up Win/WfW Client, the modified command line should appear as follows:

         stpup622 /LOCAL setup.exe /H /G /U
   

5. Choose Close and then OK to save the package definition.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.00 and 1.10. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Systems Management Server version 1.10. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Kn wledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

The MS-DOS based SETUP.EXE programs for both MS-DOS and Windows upgrades attempt to detect Windows when they are started and quit if they detect that Windows is running. Using the UPGRD622.EXE, STPUP622.EXE, and WINSTART.EXE utilities, Windows minimizes its memory usage using the ExitWinExec application programming interface (API) to execute another Systems Management Server utility, OUTSMART.EXE that in turn is passed a parameter naming another program, usually SETUP.EXE. OUTSMART.EXE literally

'outsmarts' SETUP.EXE or the passed program into believing there is no

The WINSTART.EXE, UPGRD622.EXE and STPUP622.EXE utilities all build paths to OUTSMART.EXE located on the logon server using universal naming convention (UNC) names and a drive connection to the distribution server using a drive letter. Therefore, an example of the intended command line passed to the ExitWinExec API is:

   \\LOGONSRVR\MSTEST\OUTSMART X:\SMS\PCM_PKG.SRC\PKGID\SETUP.EXE /H /G /U