KNOWN ISSUE: 64-bit computers are frequently merging. NSEs are being generated with different guids.

Products

• Management Platform (Formerly known as Notification Server)

Issue/Introduction

Windows 7 64-bit clients are sending up NSEs that contain different guids from the same computers. These are causing the computers to be frequently merged.

 

 

Cause

If a 64-bit client, updated from the SMP 7.0 agent, is redirected from one 7.1 Notification Server to another or the aexnsutil.exe /Resetguid command is used, the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGUID” registry key does not get updated to the new guid.

 

Inventory Solution is a 32-bit application running in 32-bit emulation mode. It looks specifically for the guid at “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGUID” and uses it when generating inventory NSEs.

 

Basic Inventory and other core functions use the guid located at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent.

 

The client sends up NSEs containing different guids. These guids, when processed into the data base, cause a merge to occur as the guid varies from what currently exists for the record in the data base.

 

Resolution

This issue has been addressed with the ITMS 7.1 SP2 MP1 Rollup v2 Release. See HOWTO81832

For customers with enviroments prior to 7.1 SP2 MP1, PointFix 2949737 is intended to solve issue with the synchronization of the MachineGuid key in WOW6432node eXpress key on x64 clients.

 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT

 

Installed ITMS 7.1 SP2 with rollup v4

 

HOW TO INSTALL THIS POINTFIX

 

1. Extract the files from the archive file to the NS hard drive. Make sure the PointFix is NOT extracted to the Altiris installation directory (or any subfolder to it)
2. Install Software Management Solution plug-in on client computers where the pointfix will be installed to if it is not already installed.    
3. Import a new software resource:

·         Open Manage- Software in NS console.

·         Right click on “Installed Software” pane, select ‘Import Software’.

·         In the “Import Software: Specify Software” window select 'Access package from a directory on the Notification Server' as a source.

·         Set the folder containing the pointfix files as the location.

·         Press the 'Display Location' button.

·         Select 'Install.cmd' in list and set it as the installation file.

·         Click Next.

·         Select “Create a new software resource”.

·         Enter in a name such as PF2949737.

·         Enter “Symantec” as the Company.

·         Enter a version such as “1.0”.

 

4. Create a Quick Delivery task

       ·         Open Manage- Jobs and Tasks - System Jobs and Tasks – Software - Quick Delivery.

·         Create a new task by right-clicking New –Task.

·         Select ‘Quick Delivery’ from the list (located under Software).

·         Enter a description for the task such as “PF2949737 Install”.

·         Select the software resource created in a previous step (PF2949737) as the Software to be delivered

·         Set ‘Execute Install.cmd’ as the Command line. (This should populate with the selection of the software resource)

·         Click on the ‘Advanced…’ button and select the ‘Run Options’ tab

·         Under ‘User run conditions’ set ‘Display window’ to ‘Hidden’. Click ‘OK’. This will set PointFix to run installation process in a silent mode.

·         Click “Save changes” to save new Quick Delivery task

·         Create a New Schedule and select the individual clients or configure the desired target to run this task on.

·         This will run the script and update the SMA agent files on the targeted computers.

 

This version creates a [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Pointfixes\2949737 7.1  Agent Sp2 v4]
"Etrack"="2949737" registry entry.

If you create a policy to deliver this pointfix, create a detection rule to look for this registry entry. The check will be made to verify that the computer is compliant prior to launching the install.cmd. If this detection rule isn't created, the policy will loop when it runs.

 

 

 

 

Applies To

ITMS 7.1 SP2 v4