Using Logon Discovery and Client Installation Methods

Using logon discovery is a three-step process that involves:

Defining logon points
Modifying logon scripts
Enabling the resource discovery method

After resource discovery methods are initiated for one or more subnets, network resources and clients are discovered on the network. If they are within the site boundaries defined in the SMS Administrator console, they are assigned to the site. Then, if any or all of the client installation methods are initiated, the client upgrade will begin on the associated types of clients.

Most logon discovery methods have a related client installation method, although you can perform discovery without actually installing or upgrading a client. Use Table 12.2, “Summary of Resource Discovery and Client Installation Methods,” to determine which methods will meet the upgrade requirements for your site server.

Tip Before using any of these methods to perform client upgrades, make sure that the SMS Service account has domain Administrator privileges. For more information, see Chapter 4, “Creating Your SMS Security Strategy,” in the SMS 2.0 Administrator’s Guide.

To initiate resource discovery and client installation methods, navigate to Site Settings in the SMS Administrator console.

Systems Management Server   Site Database      Site Hierarchy         site code - site name            Site Settings

Click Client Installation Methods or Discovery Methods. Right-click the method you want to configure, and then click Properties.

Process flowcharts for client installation methods are available in Chapter 24, “Client Installation Flowcharts.”

If SMS 2.0 detects that the client computer has SMS 1.2 client software installed, that software will be removed as part of the upgrade process after the SMS 2.0 client software is installed.

Before you use any of these methods in mixed site hierarchies that contain both SMS 1.2 and SMS 2.0 site servers, make sure that you will not have contention for clients between overlapping sites. You might also consider using the Systems Management Installation Wizard to upgrade the SMS client software on these computers so that you can control which site server they access. For more information about overlapping sites and client contention, see Chapter 5, “Upgrading from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0,” in the SMS 2.0 Administrator’s Guide.

The following section describes the SMS 2.0 resource discovery and client installation methods, to help you determine which methods are most appropriate for upgrading the clients in your site hierarchy.

Windows Networking Logon Discovery and Windows Networking Logon Client Installation: These methods are a good choice if you prefer to administer changes through logon scripts, and they are the preferred method for upgrading clients running the Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows 98 operating systems. These methods automatically upgrade any computers running these operating systems, if they are within the site boundaries you specified in the SMS Administrator console. You can also use these methods on computers whose users already use logon scripts and that are running Windows NT or Windows 2000 operating systems. For information about SMS 2.0 logon scripts, see Appendix D, “SMS 2.0 Client Logon Scripts.”
Windows Networking Logon Discovery or Network Discovery and Windows NT Remote Client Installation: You can use these methods to upgrade or install SMS 2.0 client software on computers running the Windows NT or Windows 2000 operating systems. You can install or upgrade SMS 2.0 client software using this installation method without a user logged on to the computer, if the user logged on to the computer does not run a logon script, or if the computer is physically inaccessible, such as a computer stored in a secure server room.

Warning If you enable Windows NT Remote Client Installation, any discovered Windows NT resource will automatically be installed as an SMS client if its IP subnet is within the site boundaries of the SMS site server. If you do not want these computers to become SMS 2.0 clients, use the Windows Networking Logon Client Installation method instead.

Network Discovery and Windows Networking Logon Client Installation: These two methods will discover any computer running any Windows operating system within your site boundaries. These methods will upgrade or install the SMS 2.0 client software only when a user is logged on to the computer. You configure this installation method to modify users’ logon scripts in the SMS Administrator console. For more information about this discovery method, see Chapter 8, “Using Network Discovery Architecture.”
NetWare Bindery Logon Discovery and NetWare Bindery Logon Client Installation: You must use these methods to discover and install all potential clients on NetWare bindery networks. Use these methods to upgrade or install client software on computers that are running any version of Windows supported by SMS 2.0 and that within your site boundaries. You configure these methods to modify users’ logon scripts from within the SMS Administrator console.
NetWare NDS Logon Discovery and NetWare NDS Logon Client Installation: You must use these methods to discover and install all potential clients on NetWare NDS networks. These methods support 32-bit client computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000. You configure these methods to modify users’ logon scripts from within the SMS Administrator console.
Systems Management Installation Wizard: You can use this wizard to discover potential clients, upgrade existing clients, or to install SMS 2.0 client software on any computer using an SMS 2.0-supported operating system without changing a user’s logon script. This wizard can be used to discover potential clients that are not within your site boundaries, or to complete SMS 2.0 client installation on a computer that has the core client software already installed. For more information, see “Using the Systems Management Installation Wizard to Manually Upgrade SMS 1.2 Clients” and “Preinstalling SMS Client Software” later in this chapter.