Configuring the SMP Agent to ignore specific resource keys on Unix, Linux & Mac clients
Article ID: 180754
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
How to configure the SMP Agent to ignore or disable specific resource keys on Unix, Linux & Macintosh clients
Environment
ITMS 8.x
Resolution
For the Symantec Management Agent for Unix, Linux, and Mac (ULM) version 8.x, it is possible to configure the resource keys to ignore during the generation of NSE events. This allows us to exclude the values that could cause conflict in a given environment.
(An NSE event is anything sent to the Notification Server, including Basic Inventory, event transactions, inventory solution, etc.)
This can apply to any situation where computer resources are merged because they have the same resource key values.
To make this configuration change:
Browse in the Console and go to Targeted Agent Settings (Settings>All Settings > Agent/Plug-ins > Symantec Management Agent > Settings > Targeted Agent Settings) and then All Linux/Mac Workstations > UNIX/Linux/Mac tab. Note the option: Disable resource keys sent by Agent
Note 1: Values listed in "Disable resource keys sent by Agent" will NOT be used as resource keys in events sent to the NS/SMP from the client.
Note 2: Supported values are: namedomain, fqdn, uniqueid, adnameaddomain.
| Field Value | Related Resource Key | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| namedomain | name.domain | The first name.domain key (hostname/computer name on Mac/DNS name) |
| adnameaddomain | name.domain | The second name.domain key (containing information from Active Directory) |
| fqdn | fqdn | The FQDN resource key and the third name.domain key with short FQDN |
| uniqueid | uniqueid | Unique ID value based on UUID of computer, motherboard serial number, and MAC address. |
Note 4: The value of name.domain resource key is based on the targeted settings 'Computer Information' settings in the Symantec Management Console. Options are the local computer name or the DNS name, etc. There may be multiple name.domain resource keys.
Note 6: Even if all resource keys are set to be ignored, the agent will always attempt to create a name.domain resource key based on the 'hostname' of the client computer.
Note 7: IMPORTANT: DO NOT ignore all resource keys without first ensuring that the Hostname is set on Linux and HP-UX, Solaris, AIX computers: "hostname". Also, check that Computer Name is set in MacOs: "scutil --get ComputerName". If this Hostname or Computer Name is not set and all resource keys are ignored, the agent will not be able to create any resource keys, resulting in a complete loss of registration and communication with the Notification Server.
Note 8: If you would like to configure the Agent to ignore specific resource keys at install time, use the .aex-agent-install-config.cml file. The aex-agent-install-config.xml file is obtained on the Notification Server console in the Altiris Agent Installation, install Altiris Macintosh Agent screen, under "Installation settings". By default, the file begins with a dot (.) and is hidden on UNIX/Linux/MacOS systems. Put this file in the same directory as the install file before installing the agent.
Sample:
[MachineID]
ignore_resource_keys=fqdn, macaddress, uniqueid
Sample Command Line for Run Script Task, Shell Script, Etc.
The following command can be used from a command line, in a run script task, a shell script or another appropriate script to automate the configuration of client machines with these settings. If the entry exists, it will be updated. If the entry does not exist, it will be created at the end of the machineid section.
sudo aex-helper agent -s MachineID ignore_resource_keys "fqdn, macaddress, uniqueid"
Note:
With our ITMS 8.6 RU3 release, we had added the "name.domain (fqdn) option. This option should add: "ignore_resource_keys=short" line (if checked in the policy), and Basic Inventory should not have the second "name.domain" key with value of first two parts of fqdn.
Additional Information
How to Capture NSEs and logging on a Mac:
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