Mac Clients use the hostname for FQDN and name.domain making them easily merged with windows computers if hostname is not explicitly set

Products

• Notification Server Agent for Macintosh (Altiris)

Issue/Introduction

When a windows computer comes online and gets an IP it registers to the DNS, then releases it's IP after the DHCP scavenging that IP is then picked up by the MAC computer. Because of how mac networking and naming works even though the computer name is yourmac, if the hostname is not set it will get the IP and ask the DNS for the name.domain and FQDN. It will then record these as it's name. Once the agent is installed, the mac will then send in as part of the basic inventory its FQDN and name.domain. This is a problem because if the IP is the same as an existing computer the NS will then merge the 2 computers together. This creates a duplicate GUID situation between 2 different OS's. Once the merge occurs the windows policies are sent to the mac causing the system to lock up because if incorrect policy or incompatible operating system errors. 

 

 

Resolution

Mac hostname must be explicitly set using the 

scutil --set ComputerName yourcomputer

scutil --set HostName yourcomputer

 

In addition to setting the hostname you will need to run the additional script to protect the environment and stop auto mac merging 

 

Please use the following script 

sudo aex-helper agent -s MachineID ignore_resource_keys "fqdn, macaddress, uniqueid, name.domain, adnamedomain"

 

This is outlined in the KB below 

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO60919

 

A third addition that can be made to help with this issue is outlined in the following KB about DNS/DHCP records

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO100988

 

 

Note that the IT Management Suite 7.6 HF7 release introduces an option to configure which resource keys the ULM agent can send.
You can do that in the Symantec Management Console, at the following locations:

• On the Targeted Agent Settings page, on the UNIX/Linux/Mac tab
• In the Agent Installation Settings dialog box, on the Agent Settings tab

 

 

Applies To

Testing Protocols:

1. Install ITMS.
2. Push agent to 1 windows computer that is on the domain.
3. Push the agent to 1 MAC computer that has the computer name value set only.
4. After resource create has been down on both and configuration received turn off the windows and mac computers and delete the IP address assignment from the DHCP but NOT DNS.
5. Verify the DNS record still exists with the Windows name.
6. Start up the MAC and allow it to grab the IP previously assigned to the windows computer.
7. Send in basic inventory on the mac and verify the hostname using the hostname command on the mac.
8. Start up the windows computer and allow the basic inventory to be sent.
9. Verify through the resource key table the mac and the windows GUID's are still 2 separate computers, and that the windows computer was not merged with the MAC.