Automated Installation by Using the SMS Administrator Console
To deploy the SMS Advanced Client software by using the SMS Administrator console, you enable and configure Client Push Installation. Client Push Installation is started when computers that require installation with Client Push Installation are discovered, as configured in the Client Push Installation properties. Client Push Installation can also be started from a collection or resource by using the Client Push Installation Wizard.
Important:
- Client Push Installation configuration is automatically used by the Client Push Installation Wizard even if Client Push Installation is not enabled.
To prepare the SMS Site for Client Push Installation
In the SMS Administrator console, navigate to Client Installation Methods.
Where?
Systems Management Server > Site Database (site code - site name) >Site Hierarchysite code - site name >Site Settings>Client Installation Methods
In the Client Push Installation Properties dialog box, click the Accounts tab, and then specify a valid remote installation account. This account must have administrative credentials on client computers. Ensure that the security accounts used for Client Push Installation are specified on the Accounts tab.
Because a single account might not work for all computers (for example, because the computers might be in multiple domains), you can specify multiple accounts. Each account is tried in the order specified until one succeeds. If the SMS site is in standard security mode, Client Push Installation tries the SMS Service account after the other accounts have been tried. In advanced security mode, only the accounts listed on the tab are tried. Alternatively, you can specify %ComputerName%\AccountName on the Accounts tab. This substitutes the name of the computer the client is deployed to on for %ComputerName% so that installation can proceed using a local administrator account on the computer.
Navigate to Component Configuration, and then specify an Advanced Client network access account on the General tab in the Software Distribution Properties dialog box.
Where?Systems Management Server > Site Database (site code - site name) >Site Hierarchy > site code - site name>Site Settings>Component Configuration
Navigate to Site Systems, and then configure an SMS site system as a management point. Ensure that there is at least one default management point in the site.
Where?Systems Management Server > Site Database (site code - site name) >Site Hierarchy > site code - site name > Site Settings>Site Systems
You can troubleshoot Advanced Client Push Installation problems, by reviewing the Ccm.log file on the SMS site server, located in the SMS\Logs folder. On the client computer, review the Ccmsetup.log and Client.msi.log file, located in %Windir%\System32\ccmsetup folder.
Important:
- Client Push Installation does not deploy Advanced Clients if the SMS site does not have a management point configured.
Enabling Client Push Installation
After you have prepared the SMS site, you are ready to enable the Client Push Installation method.
To enable the Client Push Installation method
Navigate to Client Push Installation in the SMS Administrator console.
Where?Systems Management Server > Site Database (site code - site name) >Site Hierarchy > site code - site name > Site Settings>Client Installation Methods>Client Push Installation
In the details pane, click Client Push Installation, select Properties on the Action menu, (or right-click Client Push Installation and select Properties), and then click Enable Client Push Installation. To include SMS site systems in the Client Push Installation, you must also select the Enable Client Push Installation to site systems option on the General tab.
Configuring Client Push Installation
Using the same dialog box that you used to enable Client Push Installation, you can configure it to install to any combination of the following:
Servers (other than domain controllers)
Workstations
Domain controllers
If you want to use Client Push Installation to install the SMS client on domain controllers, you must enable Client Push Installation to both domain controllers and servers. If you do not want to enable Client Push Installation for servers, you can create a collection or query for the domain controllers and use the Client Push Installation Wizard.
Note:
- Network Discovery triggers Client Push Installation only on computers for which the SMS site server does not have DDRs, even if the SMS client has been removed from the computers. If you remove an SMS client and want to install it again with Client Push Installation, run the Clear Install Flag maintenance task. For more information about this task, see Chapter 13, "Maintaining and Monitoring SMS Systems," in the Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Operations Guide.
You can configure Client Push Installation to install only Advanced Clients by using the Client types options. If you want to use the Advanced Client on all computers that support it, select Platform dependent.
On the Advanced Client tab, specify the installation properties that were used when you installed the Advanced Client. For more information about Advanced Client installation properties, see the "Installation Properties" section earlier in this chapter.
If you must exclude any computers from Client Push Installation, you can specify them by using the following REG_MULTI_SZ registry value on the SMS site server. Enter the name of each client you want to exclude on a separate line:
HKLM\Software\SMS\Components\SMS_DATA_DISCOVERY_DATA_MANAGER\ExcludeServers
Important:
- This exclusion registry entry does not apply to the Client Push Installation Wizard.
Using the Client Push Installation Wizard
You can use the Client Push Installation Wizard by right-clicking a collection or query in the SMS Administrator console. On the All Tasks menu, select Install Client. Or, you can right-click an individual computer in a collection or query results list, and then select Install Client from the All Tasks menu. Follow the instructions that are provided in the wizard.
To install clients at a child site of the site the SMS Administrator console is connected to, you can elect in the Client Push Installation Wizard to install Advanced Clients, and clear the Include only clients assigned to this site check box. If you do not do this, you can install SMS client software only on resources that are assigned to the site that the SMS Administrator console is connected to. This ensures that active clients are not replaced with an SMS client that is not assigned to any site.
You must configure Client Push Installation for the Client Push Installation Wizard to work. Enabling Client Push Installation is not necessary.
When you use the Client Push Installation Wizard to initiate Advanced Client installation, the Advanced Client software components are downloaded and installed if the version of the Advanced Client software on the management point is newer than the version already installed on the client computer. The Advanced Client software components are not downloaded or installed if the version of the Advanced Client software on the management point is older than the version already installed on the client. If the version of the Advanced Client software on the management point is the same as the version already installed on the client, then the Advanced Client software is downloaded but not installed. In this case, no change is made to the client unless the SMS site code has changed.
Note:
- Unlike the Client Push Installation Wizard, the Client Push Installation method is a site-wide setting. When you use the Client Push Installation method, if the Advanced Client is already installed on the client computer, it is not installed again.
For More Information
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