SMS 2003 Client push install method
Hi everyone,
I use SMS 2003 in an AD environment with XP clients. Through a combination of RIS and SMS I'm trying to completely automate OS installations (at least in a reformat situation). RIS works without a hitch and for the most part, on new machines, the SMS client is being installed after being discovered by the SMS server, so the Client Push install method is configured. However, in the case where I am reformatting a machine, since a DDR already exists for that machine, the SMS client never gets installed. Or... maybe it would if I let the machine sit there long enough... but the idea is that I want to be able to reformat a machine and have it back up and running within an hour or so, without having to do any work (the ultimate goal of a sys admin).
So it seems like what I have to do now is delete the DDR for that computer manually from the SMS admin console, rediscover the computer using a discovery method (AD System Discovery for instance), manually push the client, then go to the client and initiate a machine policy renewal (sometimes a couple of times), and then maybe, just maybe, the software (Office for instance) will start to install.
I'm tired now just from thinking about all of this... is anyone else administering their computers this way? Do I need to be looking at installing the SMS client via batch file at the end of the RIS install? A login script doesn't work because I want the computer to be up and running before anyone ever sits down at it... also I used to use GPO to install the client, which didn't always work and it was difficult to track and keep updated, so I've stopped doing that...
In theory I think the way I'm doing this process should work....... right?
Anyway, any input would be gravy at this point...
Thanks,
Josh
I use SMS 2003 in an AD environment with XP clients. Through a combination of RIS and SMS I'm trying to completely automate OS installations (at least in a reformat situation). RIS works without a hitch and for the most part, on new machines, the SMS client is being installed after being discovered by the SMS server, so the Client Push install method is configured. However, in the case where I am reformatting a machine, since a DDR already exists for that machine, the SMS client never gets installed. Or... maybe it would if I let the machine sit there long enough... but the idea is that I want to be able to reformat a machine and have it back up and running within an hour or so, without having to do any work (the ultimate goal of a sys admin).
So it seems like what I have to do now is delete the DDR for that computer manually from the SMS admin console, rediscover the computer using a discovery method (AD System Discovery for instance), manually push the client, then go to the client and initiate a machine policy renewal (sometimes a couple of times), and then maybe, just maybe, the software (Office for instance) will start to install.
I'm tired now just from thinking about all of this... is anyone else administering their computers this way? Do I need to be looking at installing the SMS client via batch file at the end of the RIS install? A login script doesn't work because I want the computer to be up and running before anyone ever sits down at it... also I used to use GPO to install the client, which didn't always work and it was difficult to track and keep updated, so I've stopped doing that...
In theory I think the way I'm doing this process should work....... right?
Anyway, any input would be gravy at this point...
Thanks,
Josh
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Posted by:
uwjosh
18 years ago
Okay well I looked into using GuiRunOnce and a batch file as part of the RIS install but it turns out that isn't going to work because since the computer is joined to the domain during install the computer doesn't automatically log in when it's finished.
However, using GuiRunOnce to install the client worked out nicely in the sense that SMS figured out that the machine was reformatted and added a new DDR for it. Too bad it doesn't run until you log in manually...
Back to the drawing board...
However, using GuiRunOnce to install the client worked out nicely in the sense that SMS figured out that the machine was reformatted and added a new DDR for it. Too bad it doesn't run until you log in manually...
Back to the drawing board...
Posted by:
uwjosh
18 years ago
Ok I may as well put what I found out up here just in case someone else is wondering the same thing down the road...
Using cmdlines.txt in RIS seems to be working out best so far. It installs the SMS client using ccmsetup.exe at the point where the OS setup is "Saving settings"--right before the final restart. I was worried that because I wanted to install the client from the SMS network share that the system wouldn't have network access yet at that point, but it did and it worked flawlessly.
So, I guess I answered my own question. Hope this helps someone else...
Using cmdlines.txt in RIS seems to be working out best so far. It installs the SMS client using ccmsetup.exe at the point where the OS setup is "Saving settings"--right before the final restart. I was worried that because I wanted to install the client from the SMS network share that the system wouldn't have network access yet at that point, but it did and it worked flawlessly.
So, I guess I answered my own question. Hope this helps someone else...
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