Ensuring Application Compatibility

SMS can help in various ways with your Windows 2000 deployment. One important function of SMS is to enforce the use of Windows 2000 compatible applications.

You can use SMS to target the appropriate computers for software upgrades and deliver the software to the computers. The upgrades can be done automatically or with user input. The timing of the upgrades can be scheduled by the SMS administrator, and the users can adjust the schedule so that the upgrade is done while the users are at meetings or another time that is convenient.

The upgrade can also be done with special security rights that are given to SMS, so that the users do not have to have advanced rights, even temporarily, on the computers they are using. One of the most important benefits of using SMS software distribution is that the upgrades return status messages. Therefore, you can readily report on the progress of the upgrades.

SMS can help to ensure application compatibility with Windows 2000 by disallowing users to run incompatible applications. Users might want to use applications, or versions of those applications, that they are familiar with, despite the benefits of corporate standards or new features available in upgraded applications. Therefore, it might be necessary to enforce compliance with application standards. The techniques presented in "Testing Applications for Compatibility with Windows 2000" in this book are required to determine which applications are incompatible with Windows 2000.

Once compatibility is determined, the applications can be defined for SMS software metering, and the number of licenses available can be set to 0. This disallows users from using the old versions of the software. Of course, such an approach is preferably accompanied with an effective communication and training plan, so that users understand the need to use approved applications, and so that they can easily make the transition.

Note

SMS software metering can operate in two modes: online or offline. In online mode, the clients check with the servers every time a program is invoked. This mode is required for license sharing. In offline mode, the clients record all program invocations, but they upload the data at infrequent intervals. This dramatically reduces the workload on the network, clients, and servers. In offline mode, license sharing cannot be enforced, but programs can be disallowed by setting the number of licenses available to 0, and the unavailable schedule to 24 hours a day. The license enforcement must not be based on Windows NT user group membership.

For more information about software distribution, including the processes for producing, distributing, advertising, and monitoring an SMS software distribution package, see "Using Systems Management Server to Deploy Windows 2000" in this book. Refer to the Systems Management Server Administrator ' s Guide for a general discussion of SMS software distribution and SMS software metering.