SMS client deployment ? 1

[Dalbir]

Are logon scripts the only means of installing the sms client to desktops?

 

[AnonGod]

Not at all - SMS provides many means to get SMS on the client.
-Logon Discovery - Logon Script
-Network Discovery - Many different discovery options not using logon scripts.
-Manual Discovery/Install - \\ClientAccessPointServer\SMSLOGON\platform\00000409\smsman.exe
-Heartbeat Discovery - Don't know much about this one.

I recommend getting an SMS book like Microsoft's Administator's Companion. It will give you a much more in-depth than I could ever explian here.

Just curious - what are you looking to do by eliminating the logon script portion of SMS discovery?

[TAG]
anongod@hotmail.com
"Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing."

 

[Guest_imported]

Heartbeat discovery just checks servers or workstations that don't report back often to see if they still exist on the network. It's not really a install option so much as a safety against unwanted uninstalls. If a system doesn't report back to it's SMS server for a while, it will be automatically deleted from the database. Heartbeat discovery can be set to check all the systems in the database that it hasn't heard from recently to see if they are still there before being deleted. Hope my explaination was OK.
-Jim

 

[Farns]

Actually, I think Anongod's post is a little confusing, isn't the question about installation and not discovery? Also, SMSMAN needs to be ran from the DC for initial installation.

Your options are:

Logon Installation (running SMSLS.BAT via logon script)
Manual Installation (SMSMAN.EXE from the DC)
Remote Client Installation (pushes out to all NT/2K boxes)

Logon Installation is the most popular deployment methodology I've come across. One thing to consider is that with 2K people are rebooting less and so logon scripts are becoming a less timely delivery mechanism. In my opinion, this makes SMS even more valuable.

In the future you'll see a new version of SMSMAN.EXE which will allow installation directly from a CAP.

 

[Schoenberg]

Also, keep in mind that you can turn on Logon Discovery in SMS 2, but if you don't modify the logon scripts (automatically or manually) then the clients won't run SMSLS.BAT, and therefore you aren't specifically impacting the clients yet.

The reason I mention this, is that you can enable Logon Discovery (which will install the neccessary files on the DC), then you can manually run %DC%\NETLOGON\SMSLS.BAT on your PCs via whatever method you choose (logon script, email link, pull...).

This would be sort of like running SMSMAN.EXE in the sense that you are "pulling" any installation, instead of "discovering" your clients. This is good, since SMSMAN has a Wizard interface (which is usually bad for users to see, but can be made silent).

 

[Guest_imported]

There is also a utility that you can use in the SMS resource kit that works with the SMS install to create an executable that loads some of the core components. This method saves you about 7 MB of data that you don't need to push over your wan or lan to each client.