Problems Ahoy!

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 10:54 AM

Greetings Experts, We just recently purchased an Altiris solution, and I am slowly trying to wrap my head around its capabilities. I thought I had most of it down, but now I just can't seem to get anything working. Here a few examples of this going awry.

1st: Image Creation Problems The first problem we are having is that I can't seem to image a PC. I've tried "New Computer" (NC) systems to no avail. The NC will load up the WinPE, and then go straight to "Session Terminated" and will reboot itself. The deployment server will still list it as "Restarting computer to prepare for imaging..." but will never let it go any farther in the PE. Whern it does reboot and goes to the PXE menu, it wants to boot the next BIOS device, and if I don't tell it otherwise, will boot into whatever OS is isntalled. Any system with a full AClient installed on it will work, I just need to be at the terminal to send it to the PE.

2nd: Scripts and Jobs I've been trying to update my systems so that they can be remotely controlled (that's issue nuber 3). During initial deployment of the Altiris Client, I never thought to have the line set to check "Allow this computer to be remotely controlled". I know, kinda silly, but whatever. So I changed the INP file to include this, and just figured I would rerun my batch file (aclient.exe aclient.inp -install) and I'd be fine, but oh wait, theres a fancy "run script" thing in DS, cool, lets do that. So the script will just run, and run, and run and run. You will see the Aclient in the system tray opening, connecting, and closing. If you open it up, you see it connecting to the server, then it runs some script, and then it exits. Is this just not cool to do it this way and I'm confusing the hell out of it? Is there an easier way to mass-ly get this setting checked?

3rd: Remote Control I tried remote control yesterday. It worked, it worked great in fact, that is what pushed me to get the script going today. So, I was going to show someone it, and of course, it just wouldn't work. I can't figure out what is different, the system I am remote connecting to is the same (except now its a different user, but same rights to the local pc). It will just sit at "Waiting for clients to accept connection", and then it errors out. I think that's everything so far.

Needless to say I'm getting frustrated. Any ideas gents?

Brandon · 06-13-2007, 11:33 AM

2nd problem. Why not just right click the 'All Computers' group and choose 'Change agent settings>Windows' then make the change that way. No need for a script on this type of a change. Here is how to update the .inp file though:
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=1198&p=1 (Note Step 2)
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=17607&p=1

3rd problem. You are referring to the remote control feature from in the DS or are you referring to carbon copy? You don't have any restrictions on the ports needed do you?
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=1176&p=1

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon

2nd problem. Why not just right click the 'All Computers' group and choose 'Change agent settings>Windows' then make the change that way. No need for a script on this type of a change. Here is how to update the .inp file though:
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=1198&p=1 (Note Step 2)
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=17607&p=1

That worked perfectly! Thank you so much, I didn't know where that setting was, and I was actually pretty worried about changing the password for the client side settings as well. I could do it all from there... FANTASTIC! Question though, when I add new clients, will I need to redo that setting? Or will it automatically take that setting? Should I just update the inp file that I install with and be done with it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon

3rd problem. You are referring to the remote control feature from in the DS or are you referring to carbon copy? You don't have any restrictions on the ports needed do you?
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=1176&p=1

It doesn't appear to be a problem with reguards to restrictions to ports, as I did it yesterday no problem with 2 seperate computers, now it just appears that it is timing out. It is indeed the remote control feature from the DS.

jenifer.arnold · 06-13-2007, 01:35 PM

In the DS Console, click Tools -> Options. Select the Agent Settings tab and click the Change Default Settings button. Any changes here will apply to all new AClient installs.

As for the remote control waiting for client to accept connection problem, ensure that you don't have Prompt the user before performing actions Remote Control checked in the agent settings (on the Access tab).

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

In the DS Console, click Tools -> Options. Select the Agent Settings tab and click the Change Default Settings button. Any changes here will apply to all new AClient installs.

That did it, thanks Jennifer. I assume I can simply continue to install the agent as normal now? And when they connect, they will simpyl take those settings?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

As for the remote control waiting for client to accept connection problem, ensure that you don't have Prompt the user before performing actions Remote Control checked in the agent settings (on the Access tab).

That didn't seem to be the case, as those settings are set fine, and the PC isn't getting any sort of prompt, it just sits there.

jenifer.arnold · 06-13-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrunet

I assume I can simply continue to install the agent as normal now? And when they connect, they will simpyl take those settings?

Yes. Any new client installs will take those settings. Clients already installed will not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrunet

That didn't seem to be the case, as those settings are set fine, and the PC isn't getting any sort of prompt, it just sits there.

Oh, I know the screen you are getting. When I get that one, I cycle the services on the target machine. That seems to help.

Back to the imaging thing. You are using PXE to boot to a WinPE bootdisk? Are you trying to create an image or distribute an image?

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

Oh, I know the screen you are getting. When I get that one, I cycle the services on the target machine. That seems to help.

Well, I tried that on my target machine, but it still didn't seem to work. I seem to be getting some strange events in the EV, so it might be something else entirely. I've tried it on a seperate system and it does the same thing though, so I dont know what is quite going on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

Back to the imaging thing. You are using PXE to boot to a WinPE bootdisk? Are you trying to create an image or distribute an image?

Yes, we use PXE to boot to a shared environment. From there, we want to send jobs to the system to either distribute it an image, or pull said image from it. Pulling images from AClient machines doesn't seem to be a problem, but pulling it from "New Computers" seems to work poorly. Is there something I'm doing something fundamentally wrong here? This whole Altiris thing is still very new, and we are coming from a gost background, so maybe we are just thinking about it in the wrong sense. Is there a good article somewhere on setting up images and dsitributing them to new or existing PC's?

jenifer.arnold · 06-13-2007, 03:17 PM

Download the Deployment Solution 6.8 SP1 Deployment and Migration Guide (http://www.altiris.com/upload/deployment_adv_001.pdf). Chapter 13 addresses imaging.

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 03:29 PM

Thanks for the link, I will give it a better read.

So I have no problem interacting in any way with the client system except for the remote control. I can have a conversation through Chat, I can send it power on/off instructions, I can even give it different jobs, it just will not be remotely controlled, and the client does nothing. There is also no event on either system.

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

Download the Deployment Solution 6.8 SP1 Deployment and Migration Guide (http://www.altiris.com/upload/deployment_adv_001.pdf). Chapter 13 addresses imaging.

My screens don't appear to match what that is asking me to do. Is it possible I don't have SP1 installed? In the about, it simply says "Deployment Console | Version 6.8 (Build 206)"

jenifer.arnold · 06-13-2007, 03:51 PM

You are correct in that you do not have SP1 installed. You can download it from Altiris. http://www.altiris.com/Support/Upgrades.aspx

Brandon · 06-13-2007, 03:56 PM

If you have a test machine be sure to run

Code:

netsh firewall set opmode disable

You don't want the MS firewall interfering. As a best practice I would recommend updating your inp you use to install the clients. The take default sections is nice but I wouldn't use that entirely. For example if you reinstall the DS or something you may lose your changes from that and not remember what they were. If you are using the .inp file it is at least "documented".

The default settings is more for when you have multiple inp's out there (maybe clients from a different business group) and you want to make sure they are complying with the settings you choose.

cbrunet · 06-13-2007, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon

If you have a test machine be sure to run

Code:

netsh firewall set opmode disable

You don't want the MS firewall interfering. As a best practice I would recommend updating your inp you use to install the clients. The take default sections is nice but I wouldn't use that entirely. For example if you reinstall the DS or something you may lose your changes from that and not remember what they were. If you are using the .inp file it is at least "documented".

The default settings is more for when you have multiple inp's out there (maybe clients from a different business group) and you want to make sure they are complying with the settings you choose.

Still no go, but I do understand what you mean about the inp file.

cbrunet · 06-14-2007, 11:24 AM

The other thing with remote console, is that it does appear to connect, or at the very least a good attempt is made. When I send the request for remote connection to a laptop sitting right beside me (doing nothing else but having the AClient dialog box open (Sits at: "Status: Client record updated.") and having task manager watching my sweet 2% CPU usage go steadily), the system lights up like a christmas tree. The AClient in the taskbar changes to "they eye" that denotes a remote connection, and that will flash back and forth. I'll have network conenctivity and my cpu usage spikes. But in the end, nothing else happens on the client side after a few seconds, and my console spouts out the error (after a timeout of a minute or so):

"Unable to make an image thread connection to the remote machine. A client screen image will nto be available."

and

"Unable to conenct to client. Please make sure the client has the altiris agent running."

Brandon · 06-14-2007, 11:29 AM

Verify this in your inp

Code:


;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; UseRCDrivers - Specifies whether or not keyboard and mouse filter 
; drivers are installed for remote control. If the
; drivers are not installed, you will not be able to
; use the Remote Control feature to log in to Windows
; NT and 2000 machines.
; optional ( Yes / No ) - Default - No
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
UseRCDrivers=No
 
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; AllowRemoteControl - Specifies whether or not this computer can be
; remote controlled
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
AllowRemoteControl=Yes

;BlockedDaysSun=FALSE
;BlockedDaysMon=FALSE
;BlockedDaysTue=FALSE
;BlockedDaysWed=FALSE
;BlockedDaysThu=FALSE
;BlockedDaysFri=FALSE
;BlockedDaysSat=FALSE
;ScheduledBlockStart=8:00
;ScheduledBlockEnd=18:00

I am assuming the client is XP not 2k

cbrunet · 06-14-2007, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon

Verify this in your inp

Code:


;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; UseRCDrivers - Specifies whether or not keyboard and mouse filter 
; drivers are installed for remote control. If the
; drivers are not installed, you will not be able to
; use the Remote Control feature to log in to Windows
; NT and 2000 machines.
; optional ( Yes / No ) - Default - No
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
UseRCDrivers=No
 
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
; AllowRemoteControl - Specifies whether or not this computer can be
; remote controlled
;---------------------------------------------------------------------
AllowRemoteControl=Yes

;BlockedDaysSun=FALSE
;BlockedDaysMon=FALSE
;BlockedDaysTue=FALSE
;BlockedDaysWed=FALSE
;BlockedDaysThu=FALSE
;BlockedDaysFri=FALSE
;BlockedDaysSat=FALSE
;ScheduledBlockStart=8:00
;ScheduledBlockEnd=18:00

I am assuming the client is XP not 2k

Yes, the UseRCDrivers fixed the problem (I already changed the AllowRemoteControl). But now I get back to my original question, how to do I update all my clients with this setting? I dont seem to see it in the Aclients properties.

Brandon · 06-14-2007, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon

https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=1198&p=1 (Note Step 2)

Back to original answer

cbrunet · 06-14-2007, 02:37 PM

Thanks works great

But again, still struggling on "New Computer" deployments. So if anyone has any insight, it would be great to see.

How would we know if we are using SP1? The isntall should have been for SP1, I'm not sure how it couldn't have been (as that what is available), but I can't see the words SP1 anywhere (including Add/Remove).

This may be why we are struggling with the images... well, at least I'm hoping thats why we are struggling with the images, :P

jenifer.arnold · 06-14-2007, 02:42 PM

Help -> About will tell you what you are running. Here is a screen shot of my SP1 Deployment Console:

cbrunet · 06-14-2007, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenifer.arnold

Help -> About will tell you what you are running. Here is a screen shot of my SP1 Deployment Console:

Well now things make a lot more sense. We clearly downloaded, off the site, what they said was SP1, but something must have been missed or done wrong or something then, cause ours does not match that at all. Oh well, I guess first thing first is to get up to date.

Thank Jen & Brandon, you guys rock!

jenifer.arnold · 06-14-2007, 02:54 PM

I don't have any experience with WinPE boot disks... But if you need help with DOS using UNDI drivers or some basic Linux bootdisks, I can help with that!

NKX · 07-09-2007, 01:16 AM

Okay, I may either be missing something in this conversation... or I have a possible solution/idea for you. In your DS job for capture/deploy disk image, what does the bottom option "Automation pre-boot environment" say? By default DS 6.8 sets these to "Default Automation". In my experience, I had to manually choose the "Managed PC (Auto)" option.

DS will see that a job is due, and will reboot the computer to attempt getting into automation, but will then use the "default automation" option... which seems to be set to "Next Boot Device", and will boot back into Windows... then will repeat. By forcing your disk image jobs to use a pre-configured boot disk, you can force them into automation.

Any help?