A common question we hear is how to use Out of Band Management Solution with the Intel SCS Component for Provisioning in a multiple Notification Server Environment. This document provides a method to accomplish this. As there is no automated process this document covers the steps necessary to achieve this, but also offers some cautions on environmental situations that may introduce a problem into this setup.

Introduction

This process requires manual steps on all but the first or primary Intel SCS installation. The testing to achieve this has not been extensive and has not gone through the Symantec QA process, so at the publication of this article it's provided 'as is' with no formal guarantees. This has been tested and has worked in a test environment. As such, this document strives to provide enough information to set this up correctly in different environments.

Correct Infrastructure

Due to the nature of the NS and Intel SCS infrastructure, it's important to know the limitations and design considerations before setting up a multiple NS/Intel SCS environment. See the following discussion items and the recommendations:

• One NS should be designated the Primary Provision Server (ProS).
• An Altiris Agent environment is highly recommended for this type of deployment. This allows the local Notification Servers to already have Resources created for the systems.
• The following diagram shows the database structure for the environment:
  

  Click to view.

• Switching a system from one NS to another does not require anything in the IntelAMT database unless the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) changes. If the name changes, a partial unprovision and reprovision should be done as part of the move process.
• Subnets make a large impact on how deployments should be made. If two NS servers do not have interconnectivity based on subnet routing, this should be a strong consideration on how this should be setup.
• Central provisioning and management -- One alternative method is to use a top tiered NS to do all Provisioning. This method is not covered in this document.

Initial Install ProS

The first step is to install Out of Band Management and the primary Intel SCS Component on the Notification Server (ProS). This will setup the IntelAMT database that will be used with every install of Notification Server with Out of Band Management and Intel SCS. Note that the Primary Provision Server (NS with Intel SCS) does not necessarily need to be an upper-tiered NS in a multiple NS environment. This will basically be where the IntelAMT database is managed and stored.

1. In the Altiris Console, browse View > Configuration > Install/Upgrade additional solutions.
2. Under available solutions, click the 'Segments' button.
3. Expand the Partner Solutions section and locate the Altiris Manageability Toolkit for Intel vPro Technology.
4. Click the link to launch the install.
5. Note: This will install the following primary components, all of which tie into aspects of Out of Band Management and Real-Time System Manager:
   • Task Server and supporting installs
   • Real-Time System Manager
   • Real-Time Console Infrastructure
   • Out of Band Management Solution
   • Out of Band Setup and Configuration (AKA the Intel SCS Component)
   • Network Discovery
6. The install will commence. Note that if the Intel SCS Component is unable to be successfully installed you will receive a message indicating it needs to be installed manually. If this is the case, see the next section entitled 'Complex NS Environment'.
7. If no errors are shown, the Intel SCS Component with the IntelAMT database should have been installed and created successfully. If not, continue on.
8. Browse to the following path on the NS: install_path\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\OOB\IntelSCS\
9. Launch the EXE AMTConfServer.exe.
10. Click 'Next' on the Welcome screen and accept the license agreement and click 'Next'.
11. Choose 'Complete' as the type of setup and click 'Next'.
12. In the User name and Password fields put in the Application Identity for the NS.
13. Check the Web details.
14. Leave 'Force Secure Connections (HTTPS)' checked if you will use TLS to encrypt AMT traffic, or uncheck it if you will not be using TLS. Click 'Next'.
15. Under 'Database Server' select the database name and instance (if applicable) to use. It is recommended to use Windows Authentication, but if the SQL setup requires a SQL account, choose that option. Click 'Next'.
16. The next details should be left as is. Click 'Next'.
17. Click the 'Install' button to proceed with the install using the parameters set.
18. At the Complete screen, leave the 'Start Intel® AMT Config Service' checked and click 'Finish'.

Subordinate Installs

Run through the following steps to install Intel SCS on secondary Notification Servers.

1. Log onto the NS as the Application Identity user.
2. Run the install for the Altiris Manageability Toolkit for Intel vPro Technology (as detailed under the initial install section, steps 1-5.
3. If the install fails on the Intel SCS Component, that actually allows us to skip some steps. If the SCS install was successful, continue. If unsuccessful, move forward to step 6.
4. In Add/Remove Programs, find the entry for 'Intel® Active Management Technology Setup and Configuration Service'.
5. Choose to remove this application, but note the following. Normally since this is a satellite installation, the automatic database IntelAMT will have been created on the database where this specific NS is located. In this instance we want to choose to remove the database when prompted during the uninstall.
6. Browse on the Notification Server to install_path\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\OOB\IntelSCS\.
7. Launch the EXE AMTConfServer.exe.
8. Click 'Next' on the Welcome screen and accept the license agreement and click 'Next'.
9. Choose 'Complete' as the type of setup and click 'Next'.
10. In the User name and Password fields put in the Application Identity for the NS. Note that this specific NS Application ID needs access to the IntelAMT database on the primary NS/Intel SCS installation. This will also be the user set on the Service AMTConfig.
11. Check the Web details.
12. Leave 'Force Secure Connections (HTTPS)' checked if you will use TLS to encrypt AMT traffic, or uncheck it if you will not be using TLS. Click 'Next'.
13. Under 'Database Server' select the database name and instance (if applicable) to use. This should be the SQL Server used to install the IntelAMT database on the primary NS and Intel SCS server. Click 'Next'.
14. Click the 'Install' button to proceed with the install using the parameters set.
15. You'll receive a notice saying that the database IntelAMT already exists. Make sure to click 'Yes' so it uses the existing one.
16. At the Complete screen, leave the 'Start Intel® AMT Config Service' checked and click 'Finish'
17. Note! The following path and file must exist identically on both Notification Servers: install_path\Program Files\Altiris\OOBSC\oobprov.exe.
18. Copy to the above folder the attached file Interop.AeXClient.dll. Overwrite the existing one.
    

    Click to view.

19. Normally the script (oobprov.exe) is properly registered to the correct path, but if it is not, we must manually change it.
20. Open SQL Query Analyzer or SQL Enterprise Manager. Run the following query:

    USE IntelAMT
    SELECT Props_script_path, use_props_script
    FROM csti_Configuration
    
    

21. Check the path and make sure it matches the remote and local Intel SCS install. Also verify that the use_props_script is set to 1, which means 'True' (0 means 'False'). Now run the following query if they need to be updated, but take note to change the path to match your environment:

    UPDATE csti_configuration
    SET props_script_path = 'C:\Program Files\Altiris\OOBSC\oobprov.exe'
    SET use_props_script = 1
    WHERE configuration_id = 1
    
    

22. Everything should now be in place for both the primary and secondary Intel SCS install to work with systems being Provisioned, including subsequent maintenance or reconfiguration functions, sharing the load.

Confirm Registration

The next step is to confirm that the install has successfully registered in the IntelAMT database and is running. Use the following steps to make the checks:

1. First, let's check that the Secondary SCS Server has properly registered in the IntelAMT database. On the SQL Server where the IntelAMT database is housed, open SQL Query Analyzer or SQL Enterprise Manager. Run the following query:

   USE IntelAMT
   SELECT * FROM csto_servers
   
   

2. You should have one entry for every Intel SCS install you've completed.
3. On the secondary Intel SCS Server, go to Start > Administrative Tools > and click on 'Services'.
4. Locate the Service 'AMTConfig'. Ensure the following settings:
   • Status = Started
   • Startup Type = Automatic
   • Log On As = NS Application ID

Settings Adjustments

The last part is to adjust the general settings to account for the added resources and to configure the Resource Synchronization for each Subordinate NS/Intel SCS.

1. In the Altiris Console browse to View > Solutions > Out of Band Management > Configuration > Provisioning > and click on 'General'.
2. Look under the 'Service Maintenance' section. See the screenshot, followed by the recommended settings:
   

   Click to view.

   • Max queue size: 2000 for one instance, add 1000 per secondary server
   • Worker threads: 10 for one instance, add 5 per secondary server. Same for the Slow worker threads
3. The above values are recommendations. Since thorough testing has not been performed, it is recommended to change these in small increments if performance is a problem.
4. Make sure to 'Apply' the changes once they've been made. This should allow the SCS infrastructure to handle larger loads of incoming requests.
5. Now browse to View > Solutions > Out of Band Management > Configuration > Provisioning > Intel AMT Settings > and click on Resource Synchronization.
6. Since we don't want to synchronize all resources within the IntelSCS database to each Subordinate Server we need to stop the Resource Synchronization from populating the Altiris database. We do NOT want to disable the policy itself as that will stop Provisioning from occurring, thus follow these steps to effectively disable the synch only:
   1. Under the 'Enable Schedule:' section, from the dropdown select 'Custom Schedule'.
   2. Click the 'Define Custom Schedule...' link directly below the dropdown.
   3. Change the radial to 'Once'.
   4. Change the 'Run on:' date to far in the future (ie: 2015-01-01).
   5. Click OK.

Conclusion

This is one part of two covering the deployment of Out of Band Management with the Intel SCS Component in a multiple NS infrastructure. The second part provides management details on how to use Out of Band after the install has been completed successfully across the environment. There are caveats to this setup, so please consult the second part on the usage.

Using Out of Band Management with Intel SCS in a Multiple Notification Server Environment - Index of Articles

Using Out of Band Management with Intel SCS in a Multiple Notification Server Environment – Part 2: Management