Deployment Solution

Hello, We have about 200 machines that were imaged and setup by an outside vendor. We discovered that these machines were not SysPrepped. People are currently using them and would be a disaster to have to recall them all to do a new image. We are planning push the Altiris agent to all 200 machines. Could this present a problem with duplicate GUIDs and give us a problem managing the machines? We are running SMP 7.1 SP2 Thanks for any guidance.

Since they don't have an agent, they don't have a GUID. Installing the agent creates a new, unique GUID for that computer.

 

We just tested the agent on five of these machines and they appear to have duplicated the GUID....The machines never had the agent before...

Do you know if there is a workaround or might we have to reimage all 200 machines?

Hi 

     If the image is not syspreped, probably duplicate  guid problem will occur. You can check this documents for details. By creating a filter. 

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO49693

 

 

That document doesn't apply in this case. He hasn't installed the agent yet. This is the document that applies:

 

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO93988

 

The text of that document that applies is how an agent receives a GUID when it is installed:

 

When the Agent is installed, it does not have a GUID until the Agent requests and receives a GUID from the Server. When the Agent requests a GUID, the Agent supplies several identifying key values, including the computer’s "name.domain" value. Then the Server checks whether a GUID has been associated with the values supplied by the Agent, if found the Server returns the existing GUID to the Agent, otherwise the Server creates a new GUID, associates the new GUID with the key values supplied by the Agent and returns the new GUID to the Agent.

Do they have the same computer name? If not, then they shouldn't be receiving the same GUID.

Before you install the next agent, make sure the computer's name is different from any of the other computers on the network.

Check the computer's registry to make sure the OEM that sent you the computers didn't install an Altiris agent. If they did, you'll have to remove that information from the computer prior to installing your agent.

This document has a script that will correct shared GUIDs:

 

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH212345

DSmith thanks for your help with this.  Things seem to be working exactly as you stated.  We are NOT seeing symptoms of duplicate GUIDs.