Welcome to the online version of the Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 Administrator's Guide. Use this Guide, in conjuction with SMS Help, to learn how to use Systems Management Server 2.0 (SMS) to reduce your total cost of ownership, streamline asset management, create management reports, and ensure Year 2000 (Y2K) certification, compliance, and reporting.

Before You Begin

Welcome to Microsoft® Systems Management Server (SMS) version 2.0, a Microsoft® Windows NT®-based product specifically designed to make it easier for you to centrally manage, support, and maintain a distributed network of computers.

The following sections provide a quick orientation to SMS 2.0 and the resources that support it. Please read through this section before you begin—it contains information designed to ensure your success and ease of use.

Documentation

To help you deploy and use SMS 2.0, Microsoft provides online resources and the Systems Management Server 2.0 Administrator's Guide. This book provides information you will need to evaluate, understand, and use SMS. This book is organized into four parts:

• Part 1, Introduction, provides an overview of the main features of SMS and how they work, explains basic SMS-related concepts, gives planning techniques that describe how to design and plan a successful SMS implementation, and describes security strategies.

• Part 2, Installing and Configuring SMS Sites, guides you through installing SMS in your organization, configuring your sites, and upgrading from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0.

• Part 3, Using SMS for Change and Configuration Management, maps the seven basic features of SMS to specific methods for accomplishing them as follows:

  Feature	Chapter
  Hardware Inventory	Chapter 10, "Collecting Hardware and Software Inventory" Chapter 11, "Managing Collections and Queries"
  Software Inventory	Chapter 10, "Collecting Hardware and Software Inventory" Chapter 11, "Managing Collections and Queries"
  Software Distribution	Chapter 11, "Managing Collections and Queries" Chapter 12, "Distributing Software" Chapter 13, "Creating Self-Extracting Files with SMS Installer"
  Software Metering	Chapter 14, "Metering Software"
  Remote Control	Chapter 15, "Supporting Remote Users and Remote Clients"
  Network Diagnostics	Chapter 16, "Using SMS for Network Maintenance"
  Product Compliance	Chapter 17, "Determining Product Compliance"

• Part 4, Maintaining SMS in Your Organization, explains strategies and tools for maintaining your SMS site hierarchy.

The appendices contain important reference information such as system requirements, component definitions, system flow diagrams, WBEM class names, command-line arguments for customized status programs, accessibility for people with disabilities, and a quick guide to changes from SMS 1.2 to SMS 2.0.

Online Resources

SMS 2.0 provides the following online resources that can help you deploy and use the product:

• An extensive, task-based, Help system. SMS Help provides information on how to use the SMS Administrator console to manage your network. You can learn how each SMS feature and tool works and obtain detailed information about the elements of each dialog box. SMS Help is context sensitive and can display the topic associated with specific tasks or components. Within the Help system are links to SMS-related Web sites where you can find more information. You can access Help from the SMS Help menu. When you open the SMS Administrator console, Help is available by pressing F1 or by right-clicking on any item and selecting Help from the pop-up menu.

• Online Release Notes, which provide specific information about SMS 2.0. You can access the release notes from the Systems Management Server2.0 compact disc by selecting the Release Notes link or through the online Help table of contents.

• This online Administrator's Guide, which is the electronic version of the printed material that accompanies SMS 2.0.

• Systems Management Server Web site. Microsoft maintains this site at http://www.microsoft.com/SMSMGMT/ . At this site, you can find general SMS-related information, such as where to find technical support and where to find additional resources and services. The SMS Web site also provides specific information about how to use SMS 2.0 with other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Exchange 4.0, Microsoft® Windows® 95, and Microsoft® Office® 95.

• You can access SMS-related Web resources from inside the SMS Administrator console by clicking Help, Microsoft on the Web. You can connect to Web pages dealing with Microsoft Management Console snap-ins, SMS product news, or frequently asked questions. From this menu, you can also access the Microsoft home page or send product feedback to Microsoft.

Conventions

The instructions, dialog boxes, and windows displayed in this book reflect the Microsoft® Windows NT® Server 4.0 user interface and the SQL Server 6.5 user interface. If you are using a different version of Windows NT Server or SQL Server, the instructions, dialog boxes, and windows that you see on your screen may differ from those illustrated in this guide.

The following conventional terms, text formats, and symbols are used throughout this document.

Convention	Meaning
Bold	Indicates the actual commands, words, or characters that you type in a dialog box or at the command prompt. Also indicates named user interface elements (Program Properties dialog box, for example.)
Italic	Indicates a placeholder for information or parameters that you must provide. For example, if the procedure asks you to type filename, you must type the actual name of a file. An italic typeface also indicates new terms and the titles of other resources in the System Management Server documentation set.
ALL UPPERCASE	Indicates an acronym, key, or macro name. You can use lowercase letters when you type directory names or filenames in a dialog box or at the command prompt indicated.
Monospace	Represents examples of screen text or entries that you might type at the command line or in initialization files.
·	Indicates an unordered list of related information (not a procedure).
Windows NT	Refers to operating system and networking functionality that is available in both Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation.

Getting Help from Microsoft Technical Support

If you have a simple question and need an answer fast

Quickly find answers yourself online

Use Support Online to easily search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers. You can also customize the site to control your search. To begin your search, go to http://www.microsoft.com/support .

If your question is urgent and more complex

Telephone Microsoft Technical Support

Work with a support engineer to solve your issue.

Pay-Per-Incident Support

Telephone support for this product is available on a Pay-Per-Incident basis. Support fees for the (800)# calls will be billed to your VISA, MasterCard, or American Express card. In the United States and Canada, for a fee of $195 US per incident, call (800) 936-5900, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Versions of Internet Explorer that may have been included with this product have separate support telephone numbers, pricing, and hours of operation. Please see the technical support topic in Help in your Internet Explorer product for support information.

Note Technical support for Crystal Reports is not provided by Microsoft. Please contact Seagate for support information.

If your question isn't urgent

Send e-mail to a Microsoft Technical Support Engineer 

Ideal for questions requiring attached files. Submit a question any time and receive a response within one business day. Submit a question with Pay-Per-Incident Web Response at http://www.microsoft.com/support for a fee of $195 US.

For additional support needs

If you need text telephone (TTY/TDD) 

Available Monday–Friday, excluding holidays. In the United States, call (425) 635-4948, 6:00 AM–6:00 PM Pacific time. In Canada, call (905) 568-9641, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM eastern time.

If you don't have access to the Internet 

FastTips is a fax-back service providing Knowledge Base articles and answers to common questions. Call (800) 936-4400 for FastTips.

If you need support services for a business 

Priority Annual, Priority Plus, and Premier provide a selection of support packages geared for businesses. To learn which account meets your needs, go to http://www.microsoft.com/support . Or call (800) 936-3500 for information on accounts for small- to medium-sized businesses and (800) 936-3200 for large, enterprise businesses.

If you need on-site, multivendor, or proprietary product support 

Microsoft Certified Solution Providers (MCSPs) and Authorized Support Centers (ASCs) specialize in providing support packages for hardware, network, and software products from both Microsoft and other vendors. For more information about MCSPs, call (800) 765-7768 or visit http://www.microsoft.com/mcsp . For more information about ASCs, contact your Microsoft account representative.

If you need support outside the United States and Canada 

For information on support available in other countries, contact the Microsoft subsidiary nearest you, using the Worldwide Subsidiary list in the product Help file.

The services and prices listed here are available in the United States and Canada only. Support outside the United Sates and Canada may vary. Microsoft's support services are subject to Microsoft's then-current prices, terms, and conditions, which are subject to change without notice.