SMS: "Error 5 Access Is Denied" When Using Rservice.exe

• Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2

SYMPTOMS

When you use Rservice.exe in a master domain model, you may receive the following error message:

   Error 5 Access is denied

WORKAROUND

Run RSERVICE from a computer that belongs to the master domain or the same resource domain that the target computer is located in.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.2. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Systems Management Server 1.2 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

For example, you have domains R1, R2, and ACCTS in a master domain model where domain R1 and domain R2 trust domain ACCTS (the master domain). An administrator running RSERVICE on a Windows NT Server system belonging to R1, is logged on to the ACCTS domain as ACCTS\MikeT and has specified ACCTS\Smspcmsvc account in the Rservice.ini file.

The test target computer is in R2 and the ACCTS\Smspcmsvc account does not have local administrative privileges to this client computer. As per the documentation, the administrator is relying on RSERVICE to give this ACCTS\Smspcmsvc account "Log on as a Service" rights and add this account to the target computer's local Administrators group.

This fails and the "Error 5 Access is denied" error message is displayed. RSERVICE incorrectly tries to use the ACCTS\Smspcmsvc account to install the service instead of using the ACCTS\MikeT account which has administrator privileges on the client computer. If you give the ACCTS\Smspcmsvc account local administrator privileges to the target computer, it will successfully install the service.