How do I hide the Altiris Agent Tray Icon?

Products

• Management Platform (Formerly known as Notification Server)
• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

 Users are changing settings on the Altiris Agent, and there should be a way to hide it.

Cause

N/A

Environment

6.0 and 8.5x

Resolution

ITMS 6.0

Question
Is there a way to hide the Altiris Agent tray icon from users so they can not see it or make changes to the agent?

Answer

If a computer already has the Altiris Agent installed, and you wish to hide the icon from the system tray, modify the Altiris Agent Configuration Policy in the Notification Server console to indicate no icon should be visible. The Altiris Agent configuration policies can be found under the Configuration tab at Configuration > Altiris Agent > Altiris Agent Configuration. Simply open the configuration policy for the target group of computers (for example, All Desktop Computers excluding Package Servers), navigate to the Interaction tab, and uncheck the option to Display a system tray icon on the Altiris Agent computers. Don't forget to apply the changes. The next time an Altiris Agent (pertaining to the All Desktop Computers excluding Package Servers group) updates its configuration policy, the icon will be hidden.

When installing the Altiris Agent for the first time on a computer (for example performing a push or a pull installation of the agent), the Notification Console provides various options - one of which to show the Altiris Agent icon in the system tray. 

See page 14 of the Reference for NS 6.0 SP3 for more information regarding available switches when installing the Altiris Agent. The NOTRAYICON switch will hide the icon during the install of the Altiris Agent.

For example:

aexnsc.exe -s -a -ns="lab1.altiris.com" NOSTARTMENU NOTRAYICON OKTOREBOOT /s

Although the Altiris Agent can be installed with the tray icon hidden, the icon will become visible if its agent configuration policy indicates to display the icon.

 

ITMS 8.5x

Question
Is there a way to hide the Altiris Agent tray icon from users so they can not see it or make changes to the agent?

Answer

1. 1. If the end-user didn't choose to see the icon in the System Tray
      1. Follow the ITMS 6.0 solution (above)
   2. If the end-user choose to see the icon, but you now want to hide the icon from everybody.
      1. Go to "Console > Settings > All Settings > Agents/Plug-ins > Symantec Management Agent > Settings > Targeted Agent Settings"
      2. Choose the targeted setting where the machines that you want to hide the icon are located at.
      3. Selected the "User Control" tab.
      4. Uncheck the "Show client tray icon" and the "Show User Options on the Symantec Management Agent"
      5. Save the changes
      6. Wait until the agents request a new configuration.

Beginning in the ITMS 8.5, the end-user has the opportunity to configure if they can see the agent or not. That option suppresses the option that the Admin could have made in the ITMS console (to not show the icon on the System Tray)

Important keys:

• • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\EnableTrayIcon
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Sessions\NS_SERVER_NAME\USER_NAME\EnableTrayIcon