Troubleshooting Information

If you cannot initiate Remote Control with a client:

• The Remote Tools buttons will be inoperable if the level of Remote Access on the client is set to None.
• When you make configuration changes to client agents, the configuration changes can take up to 24 hours to move down to a client. The best method for immediately updating the configuration settings is to double-click the Systems Management icon in Control Panel. Then, select the Sites tab and click Update Configuration.
• You can also force changes immediately by restarting the client, stopping and restarting SMS Client Service on the client (if you have administrator privileges on the client), or by clicking Repair Installation on the Components tab in the Systems Management Properties dialog box in the client’s Control Panel.
• If you get the error “Security rights to run Remote Tools on this client have been denied,” check whether the SMS site database is available:
  • Verify that the primary site server can reach the SMS site database server (the computer running SQL Server).
  • Verify that SMS site database server services are running.
  • Verify that SMS can access the SMS site database.
  • Verify that the SMS site database, transaction log, and tempdb are not full.
  • Verify that SQL Server is configured for at least 50 SQL Server user connections, plus five for each SMS Administrator console.
  • If the problem persists, check the SMS site database server error log files.
• Verify that the Remote Tools Agent is enabled, configured, and installed on the client. Also verify that Remote Control is installed on the client. You can do this by double-clicking the Systems Management icon in Control Panel, clicking the Components tab, and verifying that the status of Remote Control shows Installed.
• Verify that the SMS Remote Control agent is present and running on the client. You can do this by double-clicking the Remote Control icon in Control Panel and then selecting Show Status.
• Verify that the Windows NT user account in use by the person attempting to remotely control the client computer is a member of the Remote Tools Permitted Viewer list. To do so, navigate to Client Agents in the SMS Administrator console:

  Systems Management Server   Site Database (site code - site name)      Site Hierarchy         site code - site name            Site Settings               Client Agents

  Then, right-click Remote Tools Client Agent in the details pane and click Properties. Click the Security tab. The account used by the person attempting to Remote Control the client must either be listed on this tab or must be a member of a user group that is listed.

• Verify that the Windows NT user account in use by the SMS administrator has the Collection class security right and is permitted to use remote tools. To do so, navigate to Security Rights in the SMS Administrator console.

  Systems Management Server   Site Database (site code - site name)      Security Rights

  Select the logged on user’s account name with the Collection class in the details pane. Right click and then select Properties. Verify that Use Remote Tools is selected under Permissions.

• Ensure that the client can be reached though the network from the computer running the SMS Administrator console. Remote Tools attempts to connect to the client using one of the following:
  • Name resolution through WINS, DNS, or LMHOSTS
  • Connection points (IP, IPX, and NetBIOS names and addresses gathered by client discovery) provided by the SMS site database

  If the client is connected to the network through TCP/IP, use the ping command to determine if the client is accessible through the network. If WINS is used, specify a NetBIOS name when you use ping.

• If the Remote Control Client Viewer on the SMS Administrator console shows only a black screen after you have established a Remote Control session, verify that the Remote Control Client Agent on the client has the option Allow this service to interact with the desktop selected. This option is enabled by default.
• If the Gold Key in the Remote Control Client Viewer on the SMS Administrator console does not work, verify that the client has been restarted since the Remote Control components were installed.