SMS Displays # When Attempting to Create SMS Client

• Microsoft Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2

SYMPTOMS

When you run either Runsms.bat or Smsls.bat for the first time on a client computer, the client computer must take ownership of the UID file in the SMSID directory. If the default permissions of that directory or SMS_SHR have been changed, a row of approximately 30 # signs appear on the screen. If you set the output of Runsms.bat or Smsls.bat in verbose mode, the following error message appears approximately 30 times:

   Unable to rename UID file... trying next UID

CAUSE

By default, Systems Management Server assigns Full Control permissions to SMS_SHR. This share contains the SMSID directory and the *.UID file. During the initial setup of a client computer, the client must take control of the UID file, assign itself the current SMSID, and then increment the file to the next value. If the client computer is unable to do this, then an SMSID is not assigned to the client and inventory fails.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q127052
   TITLE     : SMS Unique ID (SMSID) Allocation