How to properly image a computer with Notification Server Client (Altiris Agent) installed

Products

• Deployment Solution
• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

After imaging a computer with Altiris Agent on it, all the computers now have duplicate GUIDs. How can this be corrected?

Note:
With recent versions of Ghost Solution Suite and Deployment Solution, the need of manually cleaning up the Symantec Management Agent when it is installed is no longer needed. Please refer to the following KBs:

KB 161011 "Preparing Windows 10 to run a 'Prepare for Image Capture' (sysprep) task using Deployment Solution 7.x/8.x" 
KB 171149 "Preparing Windows 10 to run Sysprep through Ghost Solution Suite Capture Image Task"

Environment

ITMS 7.x, 8.x

Resolution

The Deployment Solution 'Prepare for image capture' task is designed to automatically prepare generalization of the Symantec Management Agent. This task also includes Microsoft Sysprep to generalize the machine/OS.

 

In recent versions Prepare for image capture will remove the following:

• c:\windows\AeXNSAgent.ini
• registry value "DSUniqueID" under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent

Early versions of Deployment Solution required the following manual changes before capturing a generalized image:

1. Stop the Altiris Agent service. It needs to still be set to autostart.
2. Open the Altiris Agent computer’s Registry Editor.
3. Delete the data located at the following three locations:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Machineguid
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\MachineGuid
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\eXpress\NS Client\MachineGuid
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Client Service\LastUpdateComputerInfo (Note: This will exist when the AClient is installed.)
4. In the file system under install path\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Client Policies, delete the .XML file (there should only be one).
5. In the file system under install path\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\SoftwareManagement\Software Delivery, delete all GUID folder files in this directory and the AeXSWDPolicy.xml file.
6. Shut down the computer and image it. Create the image before the Altiris Agent posts any event to the Notification Server. When the Altiris Agent requests a client config policy, a new unique Altiris Agent GUID will be created by the Notification Server and sent to the Altiris Agent. A new policy config XML will be sent to the client. The same Altiris Agent GUID is placed in three locations for backward compatibility reasons.