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Systems Management Server Services

This section describes the services provided by SMS to make it easier to manage computers on the network.

Hardware and software inventory.

SMS automatically retrieves detailed information about both the hardware and software for every computer within your enterprise, and stores the information in a standard SQL Server database. The inventory properties of the computer can include the microprocessor, the various drives, the network adapter, the memory, the interrupt request (IRQ) table, and a number of other hardware-related components.

Two types of software inventory information are available. The detailed identification inventory looks for a particular set of files (for example, EXE and DLL files) to verify that all of the required files are present and are valid versions. The comprehensive audit inventory checks the files on the computer’s disk against a predefined list of applications. SMS can also collect copies of the computer’s configuration files and add them to an archive. These inventory features are useful for tracking maintenance and planning upgrades.

Software distribution and installation.

SMS makes it easy to automatically distribute commercial or internally developed applications, upgrades or fixes, or virus-checking software to selected personal computers on the local network and at remote sites. SMS distributes and installs software in package form. Packages can be used to install software on client computers. Packages can also install and share software on a network server, or identify existing software on target computers and collect specified files.

Management of shared applications.

SMS can control access to shared applications to balance loads and provide fault tolerance and metering. When sharing applications, you can also automatically view a program group tailored to a specific user, no matter which computer the user uses to log on to the network. You determine which network users (or user groups) need access to specific server applications. The server applications database is replicated on all of the logon servers at a site.

Remote control and troubleshooting.

SMS provides two remote management features: Help Desk and Diagnostics. Help Desk provides direct access to a client (including the ability to carry out commands, transfer files, and restart the computer), allowing you to troubleshoot and support individual remote computers. The Diagnostics utilities allow you to view the current hardware and software configuration of a workstation.

Network protocol analysis.

The Network Monitor component of SMS is a diagnostic tool that allows you to look at the details of network packets, perform remote captures of packets anywhere on the network, and gather network statistics about a group of personal computers. It enables you to capture and analyze network traffic and detect connection problems or potential network bottlenecks.

The following publications may also provide more information about Systems Management Server: