Symantec Management Platform (Notification Server)

Hi,

We renamed a computer in DS 6.9 from 'COMPUTER_A' to 'COMPUTER_B' using a standard reconfigure job. Active Directory (based on SID) and DS (Based on MAC address) only list the computer once under it's new machine name.

However NS has the machine listed twice; both MACHINE_A and MACHINE_B.

After speaking to Symantec support we were told that NS is unaware when a machine has been renamed. Therefore the end result being we have a machine in collections that don't exist anymore (MACHINE_A) and this machine also consumes another license for the various products.

Please someone tell me this isn't true?! Please tell me that Notification server is aware when a machine is renamed!?

Thanks,

Hello rl1,
The important part you are missing here is that the NS doesn't use MAC or SID to create a computer record. It uses a GUID, assigned to a computer the first time it checks in with NS. So if a computer is renamed, it will check back in to NS and be assigned a new record with the same GUID, hence the duplicate records.
You can get around this by installing the NS Agent AFTER all your naming is done.

HTH,

Jim

But if the GUID is in the registry on the client, then you rename the machine, the GUID in the registry doesn't change right? Inventory should update the name for that GUID. From my experience, only if you re-image a machine (which will generate the new GUID) with a new name will you have a duplicate entry. Those are easily identified because the serial number's will be the same.

Maybe my understanding isn't correct.

I would suspect this is a case of the NS agent built into the image. If the NS is in the image, did you do this before capturing it?

Forgive me if this isn't accurate, but I just don't see why changing the name from the DS would generate a new NS GUID, or dupe record. If it was a dupe GUID then sometimes you would refresh the machine and it would be Computer_A and refresh it again later and it might be Computer_B. I believe this is the behavior you may be seeing because Computer Name isn't a PK anywhere I've ever seen.

Schieb.

Yes that's what I understand too.. Inventory should update the record for that GUID to reflect the new machine name.

We don't include the Altiris Agent in the image.

Symantec tech supp will be looking into this in the morning for me and I will update this post with the results.

Thanks,

I'm happy to be wrong, but that was one of the main reasons for the merge of duplicate computers tasks, I thought.

If a computer is renamed the GUID should stay the same, after all this is the Unique Identifer that Altiris NS uses.

The GUID has not been changed and the NS should handle the change of machine name without creating another entry.

Jonathan

Merge duplicates will reconcile machines in the Altiris db with machines found via a network discovery or AD Import. Could that be what is happening, one record is from a resource discovery? See https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=22745&p=1

Brandon is correct. I didn't mean to indicate (and looking at my post, didn't think I did) that a duplicate GUID was created. Do both computers show up in standard collections (like All Windows Computers)?

No worries.

Yes, both machines show up in the built-in 'All Computers' collection.

There are quite a few machines like this I've noticed.

Obviously would be nice to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully Symantec Tech Support can shed some light on it tomorrow morning.

There are no machines listed in the Merge Computers tool.

If you double click each machine in the 'All Computers' collection do they have different GUIDS (Computer ID: )? I am guessing so otherwise you would have an integirty problem, or you would only see one or the other in that collection, but not both.