Sacramento Endpoint Management User Group RSS

Welcome to the Sacramento Endpoint Management User Group website!

If you live in the Sacramento area and use any Altiris products, we invite you to join our User Group!  To become an official member, click the "Request Membership" button (you must log into Connect first).

Why join our User Group and attend our meetings?

  • Share, learn and adopt best practices
  • Strengthen career opportunities by increasing skills, knowledge and building relationships with peers
  • Find answers and solutions to challenges
  • Receive product roadmaps and latest information on Symantec products
  • Earn Connect Points and redeem for prizes!
  • Enjoy free food!

If you have questions about our User Group, contact any of these officers:

Subscribers to this online group get e-mail notifications of upcoming events, group meetings, and more.

Group Activity
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1 week 4 days ago WiseUser commented on the Create a Custom Inventory for DSN's (ODBC) article good article
dmhc_rrodriguez started a discussion: BARCODE SCANNER 13 weeks 4 days ago
I’m trying to point a Barcode Scanner to our production NS that was previously sync’ed with our Test NS.  I understand that if I sync the Barcode Scanner with our production NS it will overwrite the Test NS data.  I’m getting an error message when trying to use the “Synchronize&r
lskelle's picture

Minutes - Symantec Sacramento User Group Meeting on 12/11/09

Sacramento Symantec User Group Meeting minutes from 12/11/09

Attendees: 16 – it was Furlough Friday for most State Workers

 

Points:

200      Patrick Calvert – split with Linda on setup

200      Linda Skellenger – split with Patrick on setup

150      Linda Skellenger - drawing

200      Ralph Rodriguez – drawing

250      Dewayne Cudney – drawing

300      Michael Jay – drawing

350      John Troller – drawing

 

Introductions

Discussion/Presentation by Jeremy Carter, Tech Prod Mgr, on Troubleshooting Notification Server 6.x, highlights are as follows (PPT is posted on user group site):

  • Agenda
    • NS Architecture
    • Help Tools
    • Common Issues
    • Top Issues List
  • Flow Diagram on:
    • Altiris Agent (Post Event) and
    • Altiris Agent (Package download)
  • Helpful Tools
    • Log viewer
    • UI Options
    • Profiler used for analysis of SQL queries and code blocks
      • Screen displayed (SQL trace vs Code trace)
      • Server load if left up running
    • Item browser
    • Zero Impact Mode
      • Low impact to server resources
      • Scheduled to run
    • SQL Filters
    • Code Filters
    • Altiris Profiler Tips
    • Server Reports
    • Server Summary Report
    • Other:  Perfmon, NSConfigurator, MS Sysinternals, WireShark
  • Common Issues
  • Tuning the NS
    • Use NSConfigurator
    • Max threads for EvtQFast
    • Max threads for EvtQueue
  • Tuning IIS
    • Idle timeout
    • Request queue limit
    • Web garden (not good idea) crashes server
  • Tuning SQL
    • Purging Maintenance
    • Use KB2414 report
    • SQL Backup Options
  • Bad NSE’s
  • ItemNotFound errors 80% reason – a package was deleted instead of disabled before removing it from the servers
    • Wait for clients machines to remove these packages too
    • KB3861 provides removal program to resolve issue
  • Upgrades
    • Use test environment first
    • Pilot group
    • Good backup
    • Don’t use MS terminal services to install, upgrade, or repair products
    • Remove all bad subfolders in the folder
      • Slows install process down if exists
    • Run purge maintenance
    • Monitor log files
    • Apply rollups
  • Top 10 KB issues:
    • 28811              * 26114
    • 27084              * 29219
    • 31977              * 19750
    • 3848                * 23871
    • 22082              * 17079
  • Vision Event in Las Vegas April 12 – 15th
  • Drawings
  • Raffles
  • Next meeting may be moved to a Wednesday to promote attendance – survey will be posted on preference
  • Discussion for next meeting:
    • Most wanted on Asset & CMDB
    • Second runner up was HelpDesk solution or  – see another companies use of the current product
    • Greg Giles to present next years first quarter meeting
  • Meeting location: SMUD CSC Bldg, 6201 S Street, Rubicon Room, date and time tbd
pcalver submitted an idea: FSR in Recovery Solution using WinPE 2.1 15 weeks 2 days ago
I am performing an FSR in Recovery Solution and was thinking it sure takes a long time to restore the "Mini OS".  Has anyone ever thought about somehow loading the needed Agents (NS, RS, DAgent)  into a WinPE 2.1 image then doing a restore from WinPE?
AndyN created an event: Altiris Sacramento User Group Meeting - December 11 17 weeks 3 days ago
Join us for our next Altiris Sacramento User Group meeting on Friday, December 11 at SMUD. We are excited to announce Jeremy Carter from the Symantec Product Management team will be our special guest. Jeremy will give a presentation on Notification Server troubleshooting. Breakfast will be provided! See you there!
pcalver's picture

November 6th Meeting

We are not going to have the UG meeting on Nov. 6th a previously planned.  We are trying to line up a presenter to discuss NS troubleshooting.  Will most likely be in December.  Please stay tuned for further info.

Thanks,
Patrick

lskelle's picture

Minutes - Symantec Sacramento User Group Meeting on 8/7/09

Sacramento Symantec User Group Meeting minutes from 08/07/09
Attendees: 16 – it was Furlough Friday for most State Workers
 
Points:
200      Patrick Calvert – split with Linda on setup
200      Linda Skellenger – split with Patrick on setup
100      Cesar Romero - drawing
200      Linda Skellenger – drawing
300      John Henriksen – drawing
500      Patrick Calvert – presenter
 
Rob Reyes from Bay Dynamics presented “Contract Management Solution” via 6.5 console
  • Track contracts for IT Hardware/Software
    • Purchase Orders pertaining to HW/SW purchases
    • Lease Agreements
    • Warranties
  • Associate Inventory and Application Metering Data
    • Leases/Purchases
    • Software Asset Management
  • Reporting
    • Software Compliance checking
    • Computer off leasing in x days
    • Computer older than x days
  • Contract Management Solution links to Asset Management Solution to the Assets
  • Software Compliance
    • Win32 License
    • Application Metering solution (tracks how many times that application has been used)
  • Inventory Solution – holds all the versions of SW purchased, quantity, product id, version number (use wild card “%”to locate all versions
  • Implementation
    • Define gaps
    • Determine ROI based on those gaps
    • Need to be measurable objectives on HW/SW purchase decisions
    • Look at current resources
      • How are things done now
      • How would you like them to be done
      • Support
      • What are the pain points?
    • Are the defined business goals realistic?
    • Best practices
    • Wish list: compare good wishes with the not so good wishes (been there – why it didn’t work)
    • Use of other solutions (non-Symantec) to achieve goal in coordination with Symantec products
    • Review success metrics – must be measurable and actionable
  • Client Management Suite includes: Inventory Solution/Contract Management Solution, Asset Management Solution, etc.
 
Patrick Calvert from SMUD displayed and discussed his experience with Altrinsic Solutions - HIIS product in conjunction with Symantec’s Deployment Solution
  • Reviewed scripts for specific jobs
  • Went into HIIS (Hardware Independent Imaging Solution)
    • Rather intuitive – hasn’t had to read much of the manual or training
    • Installed on test system – tried it out, then setup in production
  • Altrinsic Solutions owns HIIS and DS Alert (two products SMUD is using)
  • HIIS
    • Uses WinPE for PXE boot and install drivers
    • HIIS is integrated
    • Created job under imagining section of DS
      • Can modify
      • Script ready for deployment
      • Scheduled
      • Reboot system can be controlled
      • NS agent installed
    • Maintain
      • Automated for various models and class
  • AHI – Advanced Hardware Inventory – helps reduce the number of classes
  • Several tabs
    • Analyze – current setup
    • Collect – one more level
    • Integrate – creates jobs
    • Maintain – automated
 
  • Next meeting discussions:
    • State furlough Friday – should meeting be changed to Thursday, those from the State said “No” since it is difficult to get another day off, would rather come on the Friday. Most attend based on topic discussion. Based on this information meeting to stay on Friday.
    • Most wanted discussion on HelpDesk solution – see another companies use of the current product – Brent will discuss with co-workers and let us know a good time to present
    • Decided to discuss Professional Services for next agenda:
      • Trouble shooting Inventory issues
      • Health Check
      • No user presentation
      • Asset/Inventory Trouble shooting
      • Setup room in ‘horse shoe’ fashion for discussion
 
Next meeting scheduled for November 6th, 8:30 to noon at the SMUD CSC location (6301 S St, Sacramento)
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