Question
What has changed in Deployment Solution 6.8?

Answer

New Features
Installation & Upgrade Instructions
Fixed Issues 
Known Issues
Document History 

What's New in This Release

64-bit Computers

Deployment Solution 6.8 provides native production agents on x64 and Itanium platforms for several Windows and Linux operating systems. Itanium hardware support includes imaging and scripted operating sytem installations. Job conditions, filters, and inventory reporting have been updated to support these platforms.

64-bit WinPE and Linux automation environments are supported for preboot computer management, and several other enhancements have been made to support 64-bit computers.

Deployment Agent Enhancements

Enhancements include reduced-bandwidth inventory collection and new functionality to load balance the automatic update of your existing agents. Live events are now logged (events launched by right-clicking) and server-side scripts no longer require the client be connected to execute. Job status reporting has also been enhanced to let you monitor jobs more closely.

Enhanced Sysprep Support

Deployment Solution 6.8 has tighter sysprep integration. When deploying images prepared using sysprep, you can now add mass storage drivers, select operating system type, and provide the product key directly from the task interface.

Sysprep features are also supported on 64-bit operating systems.

Automation

Deployment Solution 6.8 Automation includes an updated Linux automation operating system with new enhancements and drivers. WinPE support has been enhanced with the ability to select the preferred boot model and include components to provide support for Windows scripting, HTML applications, and ADO objects for SQL server connectivity.

Boot Disk Creator provides additional security options to lock the keyboard in all automation environments and functionality to automatically detect when you are missing executables for multiple architectures.

PXE

PXE Server has received several enhancements to support auto-detection and booting of 64-bit and Itanium computers. The PXE Config Utility has a new status window providing real time status of the PXE servers in your environment.

When you install a new version of Deployment Solution, the new PXE Server software is detected, downloaded, and installed automatically eliminating the need to manually upgrade.

Additional enhancements include better detection of updated boot images and bandwidth-throttled downloads of boot images across PXE servers in your network. New modes of operation enable PXE servers to work across more diverse networks, and PXE Server can now service multiple NICs. See article 27249, "PXE Modes of Operation," and article 27250, "Enabling PXE Server Multi-NIC Support." The PXE Mode of Operation can easily be set by using the PXE Mode Utility; see article 28035 for more information.

When you upgrade automation operating systems, you now have the option of regenerating PXE boot images with the updated files to avoid manual re-creation.

Linux Logical Volume Manager (LVM) Imaging

Native support is provided to image computers using Linux LVM.

Software Virtualization Solution (SVS)

Native support is included for managing SVS layers, and several SVS sample jobs are included. A trial version of SVS is included with Deployment Solution 6.8.

Installing Deployment Solution 6.8

Deployment Solution 6.8 can be obtained at http://www.altiris.com/Download.aspx. Deployment Solution 6.8 is a full product installation, and supports upgrading from version 6.1 or later. 

To install, see:

27304: Deployment Solution 6.8 Installation Guide.

To upgrade, see one of the following:

27289: Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.5 SP1
27294: Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.5
27296: Upgrading from Deployment Solution 6.1

Supported Platforms

27070: Deployment Solution 6.8 Supported Platforms

Silent Installation

Deployment Solution allows you to walk through the Deployment Solution installation wizard to create an answer file (install.ini) that automatically sets options when running a silent install. For more details on this process, see article 22602.

Customers Using the HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP):

Use the following link to download and install the HP ProLiant Essentials Rapid Deployment Pack instead of Deployment Solution 6.5: http://h18013.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/rdp/rdp-agreement.html.

Fixes in this Release

The following table contains a list of customer issues that were addressed in Deployment Solution 6.8:

Description	Component	Article ID
Static IP addresses don't work in WinPE Automation Images	Automation	17366
Force all new Windows Agents to take default settings not saving proxy options	AClient	20457
Selecting the “Secure modification of service properties (with password)" comes back with incorrect password	AClient	19065
Duplicate computer names and network settings when imaging with Windows 98	AClient	17861
Deployment of Win98 image halts on Duplicate name error	AClient	17861
Right-clicking on computer and then clickin on Wake up doesn't wake up clients	AClient	24295
Computer hangs in post configuration when it is trying to join the Domain	AClient	22948
Distribute software jobs with the option "Copy directly from file source then execute" fail to install the package	AClient	23887
Win2000 client with Netware client software will not shut down. WinXP works fine with NW Client	AClient	3451
Access denied during Veritas backup	AClient	21038
Post image configuration fails to join domain with error 122 line 2212	AClient	26440
(bios 1.15) causing Copy File event to fail with error 112	AClient	24338
Unable to open Notification Server client UI Window	AClient	26524
Active Directory OU information does not get reported in Basic Inventory	AClient	19568
AClient property Refresh Connection can cause Deployment Server to crash if misconfigured	AClient	19196
Cannot lock keyboard in Linux and WinPE environment	Automation	25192
Registry Capture in non-DOS pre-boot operating systems fail but report success	Automation	20076
Automation partitions with a static IP Address do not synchronize their IP with the production operating system	Automation	20765
Add the directive "quiet" to the append line in pxeconfig.0/default.	Automation	24348
"This program caused a divide overflow"	Automation	24338
Token Replacement for WINPE is being Overwritten by Aclient running in automation	Automation	26409
Error 1455 is recorded in the Aclient.log file when attempting to launch rdeploy through WinPE.	Automation	26446
Undefined exit code 2 with RIP distribution	Axengine	22800
When using serial number as the primary lookup key, two entries are created in the console instead of one	Axengine	20570
RDeploy Does Not Start Multicasting Session if Client Computers Have Multiple NIC and First NIC is Unplugged	Axengine	26378
Boot Disk Creator gives error when adding DOS drivers to network card list	Boot Disk Creator	19554
There is a limit of 15 characters on the password in the Boot Disk Creator	Boot Disk Creator	18439
"Install/Remove Automation Partition" should be "Create Automation Partition Installer/Uninstaller"	Boot Disk Creator	24321
Receiving error "create file winpeoem.sif" when trying to create a WinPE Automation partition	BootDisk Creator	24832
Using BootWorks ISO to boot failing as it tries to write to the A Drive	Bootworks	21752
BootWorks reports Chassis Manufacturer rather than System Manufacturer	Bootworks	24387
BootWorks hangs on Sending Status after imaging a server using a French operating system	Bootworks	24389
Deployment Server 6.1 and 6.5 are adding static routes to the wrong NIC during post configuration after imaging	Configuration	24403
Job Wizard gives null permissions error about Modify Configuration	Console	20398
Computer name range adds extra zeros	Console	20159
New Job Wizard displays "Unable to complete Modify Configuration altiris\n task on (null) Permission is not granted" when creating a distribute image task	Console	20037
When selecting a group jobs, then deselecting some of them all the jobs still run	Console	19632
Cannot see .EXE file under the Resource view.	Console	20992
After turning on DS Security and importing AD users, 32 bit DS console freezes	Console	22145
Wake up Power Control task prompts users that computer needs to be rebooted.	Console	24261
The database has a limit of 128 characters for “Additional Command Line” options	Console	26220
Highlighted computers don't get the assigned job unless reselected in the Select Computers Dialog	Console	1096
Unable to successfully copy a job within the DS console that contains user defined tokens within the job's conditions	Console	24341
Initial Deployment job is creating two computers with the same MAC address in the database.	Console	24349
Deployment Solution 6.5 Win32 console does not scroll smoothly when dragging a computer to a job	Console	26380
AD Users that are members of both AD and DS groups are removed from DS Groups and security roles	Console	26387
When placing IP addresses into the DNS list of a computer, the computers will have a reversed order of TCP/IP	Console	1234
Why are Security Permissions for FSC, IBM, and Dell Computer objects are not listed in the SecurityPermission table?	Database	20131
Connectivity issues trying to connect to the Deployment Server database	Database	22609
Renaming computer groups does not update them in all relevant database tables	Database	24334
Locking Public on Deployment Solution database can cause issues with rights in Deployment Server	Database	22512
Dsdbsecurity.exe only works on databases named "express"	Database	26426
Recursive Triggers is not set on DS database if the name is not "express"	Database	20521
Web Console does not allow actions or login even though the user's security is set correctly	Datamanager	23694
Collection query needs to be updated "Machines without Current Deployment Agent"	Deployment Agent	19164
Deployment Solution DBScrape does not gather information from all required tables in Deployment Solution 6.5 build 299	Deployment Agent	25880
Deployment Solution Agent configuration passwords should be persistent	DS Scrape	20217
When installing Deployment Solution (NS DSVIEW), the installation is looking for *pt.config files but cannot locate them.	DS View	19572
When viewing a DS collection inside of Notification Server with more than 3000 computers the process times out	DS View	24318
Deployment Solution database errors if the service account doesn't have full SQL System Administrator rights	Installation	22864
Security issues with the Deployment Server database	Installation	22609
The SQL Server name field is too short in Deployment Solution setup in DS setup	Installation	18069
AxInstall fields are too small to display standard 15 characters computer name	Installation	20757
Default pre-boot operating system selection does not remain if you click Back	Installation	26223
Installing DS with multiple NICs will not show an error even if it should	Installation	24336
Port could be confusing	Installation	26386
Error 170 when running silent install of Deployment Solution 6.5 or 6.8 with remote Named instance of SQL server	Installation	26434
PCIDetect is not loading the correct driver for the Intel Pro 100 NIC	PCIDetect	24300
Custom PXE boot images with more than two layers fail to load additional layers	PXE	26054
Deployment Solution 6.5 SP1 PXE Boot image deployment lack of throttling during initial PXE install	PXE	26441
User is prompted for user ID and password when starting PXE Configuration from Deployment Solution	PXE Config	18300
Problem with quotes in the command line entry for WinPE Rdeploy	Rdeploy	23565
User must tab out of the location text entry box to have the Next button available when running RDeploy manually	Rdeploy	17904
Error 41 after an image is downloaded to the machine through PXE with Linux preboot environment	Rdeploy	24401
Rdeploy errors with memory allocation failure when imaging a Japanese operating system on customer's computer	Rdeploy	26228
Rdeploy is limited to imaging nine hard disks	Rdeploy	18761
When running Rdeploy manually and creating the lastrun.cfg file for post image configuration the Password is not encrypted	Rdeploy	26437
Linux multicast doesn't recover after disconnect	Rdeploy	23984
DS DBScrape does not gather information from all required tables in Deployment Solution 6.5 build 299	Scrape	25880
When creating answer file for scripted install via wizard, time zone for Japan (Tokyo) is misspelled as Tokio	Scripted OS Install	21023
REM BOOTWORKS UNLOAD no longer works in scripts	Scripts	20430
If you change the account password in the Control Panel Applet, it will return an error of "The account name xxxxx is invalid or does not exist, or the password is invalid for the account name specified"	Services	21554
Cannot use tokens inside the Sysprep settings window in a distribute	Sysprep	22247
When distributing a software package folder thru the Aclient whose executable references another file in the working directory the message "File not found" will be displayed.	Task/Job	22124
Additional command-line switches limited to 100 characters	Task/Job	22050
Copy File to tasks will not copy a file larger than 2 GB in size	Task/Job	21927
Building Blade servers using Initial Deployment	Task/Job	21169
Cannot create or modify a "Create Disk Image" or "Distribute Disk Image" job that includes using the "Prepare using Sysprep" option	Task/Job	20848
SQL errors when importing jobs into Deployment Solution 6.5	Task/Job	20621
After importing a Disk Image task that is configured for Sysprep the task cannot be modified	Task/Job	24326
Character Limit for the Additional command-line switches prevents the ability to install Altiris agent using all the proper parameters	Task/Job	22050
Scripted operating-system partition size does not stick if using percentage size	Task/Job	21217
Repeating scheduled jobs stop their schedule if the job returns a non zero return code	Task/Job	3802
Task Return Handler associations removed on import of job	Task/Job	17755
Jobs with return codes other then 0 will not repeat	Task/Job	24335
OS scripted install process for ESX server sample job fails to install correctly	Task/Job	26443
Cannot enter Linux file paths in imaging jobs when automation type is set to "Default Automation"	Task/Job	26447
When clicking outside of data grid in Scripted OS Install wizard after entering value causes value not to be saved.	Task/Job	26541
Scripted operating system install returns an error of "Unable to find xxxxxxx.bat"	Task/Job	21821
Axsched is setting the Repeat job to run every 0 minutes and this causes some jobs to repeat	Utilities	24303
Command line utilities are not properly documented to refer to new options for SQL instances	Utilities	24333
Web Console Login for username is case sensitive	Web Console	19572
Exception is thrown if a duplicate server name with a trailing space is entered via the Web console	Web Console	21716
DS Web Console does not support user names with spaces	Web Console	24397
Incorrect number of fields in the import computer file when importing computers through the DS Web console	Web Console	26381
Web Console errors out when searching within large groups with approx 4600 members	Web Console	26382
Web console very slow when assigning a job folder with multiple jobs in that folder to computers	WebConsole	18335
An extra zero is added to the end of a computer name if zero is the last digit when creating a virtual machine in the Web Console	WebConsole	26429
Inconsistent UI behaviors between Web and 32-bit console	Windows Console	20063
After turning on DS Security and importing AD users, 32 bit DS console freezes	Windows Console	16854
VMware virtual center will not sync with Deployment Solution if Deployment Solution security is enabled	Windows Console	23627
When trying to change the bay names in the console, they do not return in order	Windows Console	23570
Users are getting permissions they are not granted when they drag jobs	Windows Console	22983
Configuration Job: When using minus (-) sign to set domain suffix, Deployment Solution says "Domain suffix is not a valid suffix"	Windows Console	22294
Deployment Solution will only schedule the jobs at a fraction of the number set in the batch	Windows Console	1150
Cannot see .EXE files under Images from Resource view	Windows Console	20992
German language error- Button size is too small to fit the description	Windows Console	20569
A second child domain at the same level as other child domains not allow for user authentication from second domain if AD group is used	Windows Console	26724

Known Issues

The following table contains Known Issues in Deployment Solution 6.8.

Note: Many of these issues have viable workarounds that are noted in the article.

Description	Component	Article ID
LVM images are captured in RAW mode if using non-Linux automation environment.	Rdeploy	27261
Executing wlogevent in 64-bit WinPE automation gives error 128	Automation	27258
Power control functions do not work on older HP Integrity Systems	Console	27257
Rdeploy may fail when creating an image using HTTP and the “Make an Image Index” (.imx) option	Rdeploy	27256
Error: DBInstaller.exe can’t create eXpress database on SQL Server 2005	Installation	27262
Client computers running the 6.8 version of the Deployment Agent do not automatically downgrade if connected to a 6.5 server	Agent	27255
64-bit client computers running 32-bit operating systems are reported as 32-bit computers	Agent	27248
Computers using nVidia nForce NICs cannot connect to the network in WinPE	Automation	27246
CEClients do not shut down properly when logging is enabled	Agent	27245
Assigning SVS Agent Install job to a 64-bit computer fails	Task/Job	27244
Automation partitions are not supported on systems using LVM	Automation	27243
Blank information fields are displayed when changing Linux Production Agent settings in the Deployment Console	Agent	27242
Clients are looping and not running the next task	Automation	28332

Additional Known Issues may be found here.

Document History

nbsp;Date	Changes
09/14/2006	Initial release.

Deployment Solution 6.8 contains the plink.exe utility from PuTTY.
PuTTY is copyright 1997-2006 Simon Tatham.

Portions copyright Robert de Bath, Joris van Rantwijk, Delian Delchev, Andreas Schultz, Jeroen Massar, Wez Furlong, Nicolas Barry, Justin Bradford, Ben Harris, Malcolm Smith, Ahmad Khalifa, Markus Kuhn, and CORE SDI S.A.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SIMON TATHAM BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.