Tips For Smooth SMS Installation

Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits

May 11, 1998

Tips For Smooth SMS Installation

By Richard Adhikari

ersion 2.0 of Microsoft's Systems Management Server is expected to be much easier to install. "We've redesigned the system so it asks you questions and, based on your answers, SMS will size the system up for you," says Michael Emanuel, product manager for systems management infrastructure and products at Microsoft.

Nevertheless, it's a complex package, so correct installation is a must. Here are some tips for a better start:

Read the manual, says Andrew Drooker, director of technology and infrastructure at Turner Broadcasting Sales in Atla nta. "If you don't," he says, "it's like buying a Mack truck with 18 gears and driving it without taking any lessons."
Plan your installation around your domain structure, Drooker says. If you have a master domain model with a resource domain, make SMS resident in your resource domain.
SMS uses Microsoft SQL Server as its repository, so make sure SQL Server resides on the SMS site server rather than another server.
SMS can modify all logon scripts so that anyone logging into the server is inventoried. Put the SMS code at the end of users' logon scripts, Drooker recommends. "That way, the user can use the control break command to get out of the script if something happens," he says. "Otherwise, users won't get access to their scripts."
If your SMS site data reports back to a central site, you should have fast connections. That will let you get back to users fast, Drooker says. "It's like you're immediately at their desks helping them with their problems."
Install SMS in a lab first so you can test it before putting it into production. Says Drooker, "Experiment with different scenarios on different machines to find out how they work."

Return to story, " Can SMS Upgrade Beat Image Problem? "