To Clarify,
You are able to setup a computer in advance of it being built or adding an the Altiris agent to a machine.
This is done using Mac Address and serial number along with other required details like Name.
We have used this previously when we have bought large orders of varying devices and need to allocate them to different business sectors, builds etc.
e.g. predefining the names and build so that when they first boot and go in to PXE they already know what they need to do to be built and added on to the network. you can do all the work ahead of time and allocate the names of required jobs etc. this also helps ensure that the correct models / speced machines get built for the right purpose.
I could preallocate these machine names: WS-SITE1-SALES1, WS-SITE2-SALES13, WS-SITE2-WHS12 and they would just need to be plugged in and would already know what they are going to be without any user intervention. knowing to build 1 sales machine for site 1, 2 machines for site 2 one being sales and one being warehouse based off the serial / mac details you have advised and the name you've specified.