Deployment Solution

We have force new agents to default settings configured but for some reason the configuration settings are not being applied to our new DAgent installs.  We're running Altiris 6.9 SP 5 and the agents are installed on Windows 7 boxes.  This is a break from what were were traditionally doing with having the agent included in the image.  Now it's installed in a script after windows installs.  We were having the issue where the Agent will prevent the execution of setupcomplete.cmd after sysprep finishes.

Is anyone having, or experienced this same issue?

Thanks

Windows 7 is fully supported in DS 6.9 starting with SP3.  The setup will get it's settings from an INP file.  Can you verify that the file is being copied and/or is in the same directory as the install exe?

Brian, so the server will use an INP file after the agent is already installed and connects to reconfigure it to the global settings?  Or are you saying it should be present with the msi when it is initially installed?

I was thinking of doing the former, but figured if the server is set to auto-update the clients anyway, might as well leave it at that.

Thanks for your response.

It needs to be with the MSI file prior to the setup.  The INP file will also include the server it needs to connect to.

Rather than create and edit up a new INP, is there a copy the server uses for all the agent pushes that I could just download?  I poked around a bit on the server and couldn't find an INP file that seems to be configured as we have it in the console.

I was kinda hoping the server would just configure the clients automatically the way we have it setup in the options under "Agent Settings".  Has that functionality ever worked?

I believe this file is in the express share and called aclient.inp.

The server will configure the clients via the server if they are connected at the time you make a change to their settings.  It won't keep pushing the settings down as there may be time where you need to configure a "one-off" type machine where you don't want the same agent settings.

I've noticed the same exact problem just recently.  I know bhawver mentioned the aclient.inp, but he misunderstands what you are asking.

I also install the agent post sysprep with the same script I use to install it for the first time on a machine:  c:\dagent\dagent_x64.msi /quiet server_tcp_addr=172.17.1.40 server_tcp_port=402  scripted_install=1  LAUNCHUI=FALSE

This has worked totally fine in the past, before my SP3 to SP5 upgrade.  The DAgent would install, contact the server, and then take the "Windows Agent Settings" (most importantly the "Allow Remote Control").

This is no longer working.  I do have the "Force new agents to take these default settings" option enabled, but it has no effect.  The DAgent communicates with the server fine, but it's not updating with the Default Settings. 

I could use an .inp file if I have to, but that's not the way it's designed to work - it specifically says, "You can force all new agents to take default settings the first time they connect to the server, even if they were installed with custom settings using an input file."

I'm wondering if Windows 7 is somehow blocking the update?

Well after some testing I've discovered that the DAgent does not work the same as the Aclient.

If you uninstall the DAgent on a PC, but leave the computer object in the Console, it will not be treated as a "new" agent the next time the DAgent is installed on that PC and the global settings will not be pushed to the computer.  I tried all sorts of things and the only way I got the DAgent to be updated with the global settings was if it was installed on a computer that did NOT have the DAgent installed previously. 

Others may be able to explain why (possibly related to the DAgent GUID?) but I'm not sure why the DAgent isn't treated as a "new" agent if it's uninstalled and reinstalled on the same PC without deleting the PC from the console.

I suppose the best pratice is to delete a computer from the console if the DAgent is removed from it.  Otherwise it will be necessary to manually update the DAgent settings should you reinstall it on that PC later.

Can we please get a response from Symantec on this. I can confirm what cosborne is saying with our 6.9 SP5 install. If I delete the machine from the DS and it comes back new this works.

The problem I have with this is if I do an install for w2008 R2 sp1 x64 and I try to use a preconfigured inp, my settings are correct for the DAgent. However, I go to schedule any job and they just sit there with blue hour glasses waiting. I thought this was a windows thing blocking it. Further testing showed anytime I install DAgent preconfigured it behaves this way. Now if I uninstall the DAgent then run DAgent_x64.msi generically (next next next wizard) then jobs start working.

So what this means is I have to do a generic install of the DAgent in my unattend.xml. I basically provide the port and IP on the command line during install. This would be fine if the force new settigs worked. Because I named and prepopulated all the servers in the DS, they are not considered new and so they never get this forced agent setting. This has to be a bug or else forcing agent settings would only ever work for initial deployments. Deleting all my servers in the console and re-categorizing them is a bad workaround.

I would like to hear what Symantec has to say too.  It does appear that DAgent acts qutie a bit differently than AClient (for whatever reason they say)  I heard you can run both agents side by side on a system, but we don't like that idea. So we worked on scripting an unistall AClient and new DAgent install.  That method could work for new/re-new DAgent installs, but it should work easier in the console, agreed.

Hi, I guess DS 6.9 doesnt support Win 7. You have to get on DS 7 and NS 7. Still not sure if it is possible to manage Win 7 machines through DS 6.9.

Reviving an older thread....So has there been any word from Symantec on this issue?

I've got a couple thousand DAgents to update and went ahead and tried the "settings:aclient.inp" job but that failed. 

Is there a method to update all DAgents with new settings?

I have the same issue, and have done for a VERY long time. Bascially, DAgent is a very different animal and needs to be treated specially. I too install DAgent after the deployment process, but found that; sometimes the DAgent installation would break the ability to execute the "setupcomplete.cmd" process; would not take the correct DS settings even if specified via the command-line (i.e. server name, etc); And would also not take the default settings for a new computer - even if deployed as a NEW computer. It appears that as SOON as a DS account exists (as in, has a serial, MAC address, or similar primary key data) it won't take settings. This is bad as the "deployment" process appears to be enough to stop the computer from actually being "new".

My solution? Was to copy a VBScript and the MSI down to the computer during automation. I then execute the VBScript from the "setupcomplete.cmd" file. The VBScript injects the contents of the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Client Service" key into the system, and THEN executes the DAgent MSI instalaltion with the required command-lines. This works a treat and has been the way I have done it since 2009 (when Windows 7 came out and we started to deploy it).

This way, I can also use the VBScript (minus the DAgent instalaltion part) as a "Run Script" task. This coupled with a service restart (or a wait until the next reboot) will take allt he settings. I recently did this to change all my clients to a new DS Server, as the old "Change Agent Settings > Production Agent" option in DS Console stopped working reliably as well.