Using the Local System Account to run the Altiris Services on the SMP Server instead of the AppID

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

Is it necessary to run the Altiris services (Altiris Client Message Dispatcher, Altiris NS Receiver, and Altiris Service) with the installation install account (the ApplicationID (AppID) used by your SMP Server) or can it be changed to run with the Local System Account?

Environment

ITMS 8.x

Resolution

By default the Altiris Services will run using the AppID account defined during the initial installation. This is the recommended mode of operation.

However, it was found that sometimes, when the SMP Server is rebooted or during upgrades of Altiris Solutions, the Altiris Services are stopped and require the administrator to reenter the password in the Service Manager (services.msc). Changing the Altiris services to use the Local System Account can help resolve this problem.

It is possible to use the Local System Account to run the Altiris Services but there are some risks related to GPOs that can limit that account in some ways.