Endpoint Management Community Blog

How to Use Dell Jobs in a Non-PXE Environment.

eorme | 07 Jul 2009 | 6 comments

In environments where security is a major issue, many network administrators have elected to not use PXE on their servers. This doesn't mean, however, that Deployment Solution for Dell Servers 2.0 SP1 cannot be used to perform configurations. Follow these steps to create an automation disc which will allow you boot into automation and configure BIOS/BMC/DRAC/RAID or deploy an operating system all without PXE.

I'm using Linux in this example, but WinPE is done in a similar way.

Prerequisites: Deployment Solution for Dell Servers 2.0 SP1 on DS 6.8 or newer.

Step 1: Go to Tools->Boot Disk Creator and create a new configuration.

Step 2: Name your configuration, select Linux, and change the OEM extensions from "<none>" to "<default>". This will inject all of the Dell drivers that are needed in order to boot the Linux automation properly. If you experience difficulties with that image, you may try the "Dell" as an...

Create a New Dell-Enabled PXE Image

eorme | 07 Jul 2009 | 0 comments

Deployment Solution for Dell Servers v2.0 SP1 when installed on DS 6.8 not only injects Dell specific drivers and services into your default PXE boot images, but also gives you the option of incorporating these tools into any Linux or WinPE PXE boot image you create (DOS doesn't need any modifications).

To begin, open PXE Configuration Utility.

Click "New" and Type in the name for your new environment.
Select your Operating System and Processor Options.
Click "Create Boot Image"
Under the "OEM Extensions" section change the selection from "<none>" to "<default>". If you run into problems with your images not building properly, you may fall back on selecting "Dell".
Continue building the image, and once the image is built and saved you are...

Use Deployment Solution for Dell Servers 2.0 SP1 to add Arbitrary Drivers to Scripted OS Install

eorme | 07 Jul 2009 | 0 comments

Deployment Solution for Dell Servers version 2.0 SP1 has a feature that allows you to integrate any arbitrary driver into a scripted OS install. Using this mechanism is compatible with driver auto detection as well.

Step 1: Download a driver from the Dell Web site for your server. Save it locally to your computer.

Step 2: Go to Tools->Dell Tools->Configuration utility. Go to the OS Deployment Tab, and press "ADD".

You'll notice a section "Add a driver from another source". If the driver you are adding is a mass storage driver, change the "driver type" to "mass storage". Otherwise, leave it as "plug and play".

Click to view.

Note: Only mass storage drivers are "auto-detected"...

Customize BIOS/DRAC/BMC Configuration on a "Per Machine" Basis

eorme | 07 Jul 2009 | 0 comments

Whenever a configuration file is captured using a Deployment Solution for Dell Servers job, the default behavior is to have one configuration file for each model of server. This can be beneficial because it allows you to configure as many servers of that model as you desire. It can also be very restrictive because it doesn't allow you to specify unique settings among machines of the same model. Use the following instructions to disable the default behavior, and allow you to specify as many unique configurations as you like.

In the Job Pane, click on the Configure job that you would like to change the behavior of (either BIOS, DRAC or BMC).
Double-click on the runscript task, and then press modify.
Locate the User Modification Section and find the variable that specifies whether...

Oops! Active Directory Wiped Out My Contact Info

EWANG | 12 Feb 2007 | 2 comments

There are times when it's useful for helpdesk users to be able to update their contact info from the helpdesk console. However, if there is an Active Directory User Sync in the background, the data they update will constantly be cleaned up (read: deleted). This usually happens in a misconfigured AD environment.

There is a workaround for this scenario, though. However, the directory synchronization plays the key in this configuration implementation ;)

In MS SQL there is a MS Publication/Subscription Service that allows you to take a snapshot of the Helpdesk Contact table. You want to store the content of this snapshot in a staging table before a Sync of NS and Altiris Helpdesk.

Find out your NS AD User Update schedule and set up a connector to import the data within the staging table that MS Publication/Subscription provided right after the AD User Update on your NS. (NOTE: make sure you map the data properly into your User class!)

Then make sure that...

Pimp Your Console, Part 3: Customizing Text on Your Console Header

Screenbert | 11 Jun 2007 | 7 comments

Ever seen "Pimp my ride"? This takes it to a whole new level. This is the last of a three-part installment for Pimp my Console.

With this SQL code you can customize your console header. You could use if for something cool like in the screenshot or something functional in case you run multiple NS Servers and need something big to tell you where you are at. IE "Altiris Server A".

To view the current settings

Select * From String
WHERE (BaseGuid='524C9C33-EE22-4A48-8B20-050120021dB6')
AND (Culture='' OR Culture='en') AND StringRef='title'

To modify the current settings

UPDATE STRING
SET String='Put console name here'
WHERE (BaseGuid='524C9C33-EE22-4A48-8B20-050120021dB6')
AND (Culture='' OR Culture='en') AND StringRef='title'

...

Pimp Your Console, Part 2: Customizing the Background on Your Console Header

Screenbert | 09 May 2007 | 2 comments

Ever seen "Pimp my ride"? This takes it to a whole new level. This is the second of a three-part installment for Pimp my Console.

Have you ever wanted to customize your background on your console from blue to something cool?

Well now you can.

Just go to the "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Web\Images" folder on your NS server and modify the bgLine.gif with your favorite editor.

Click to view.

Be sure to backup your image before modifying it and as always, I would doubt this customization is supported by Altiris.

Now go pimp your console!

Pimp Your Console, Part 1: Customizing the Version on Your Console Header

Screenbert | 11 Jun 2007 | 1 comment

Ever seen "Pimp my ride"? This takes it to a whole new level. This is the first of a three-part installment for Pimp my Console.

Have you ever wondered what Rollup you were running on your console but didn't remember what version it was? Now you can modify your page to display this.

Open the folder called "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server" and modify the header.aspx file.

About line number 113 change the text that says:

<asp:label id="lblVersion" runat="server" Font-Name="Verdana" Font-Size="x-small" ForeColor="white" /></b> (SP 3)</td>".

Add (R1) after the part that says (SP 3).

Click to view.

Be sure to back-up your header.aspx before modifying it and,...

Getting Notification Server DataClasses Back!

BRING | 09 May 2007 | 0 comments

Have you ever been working so hard in your CMS environment that you inadvertently highlight and (heaven forbid) delete a dataclass that you need? Then this tip's for you, bud.

Whether you've lost a custom dataclass, or even worse, an NS Core dataclass, life becomes pretty frustrating. How do you recover from that mistake, and is data lost?

The answers are fairly simple.

The first thing to remember is the data is more than likely okay. Some item references may be need to be recreated.

In the case of Custom Data Classes, an NSE file can regenerate that info. See the Altiris Knowledge base Article 28243 found at kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=28243&p=3 for the details.

In the case of NS Core data classes, the...

Does Your Patch Validator Work? DB Permissions are Important!

BRING | 24 Jan 2007 | 0 comments

It can really be tough when you want to get your Patch Management system upgraded to the latest version, Patch 6.2. Especially if, throughout the history of your Altiris database, you have moved it, restored it, etc. without using the Altiris AppID account in those procedures.

Make sure that you remember log in as the Altiris APP ID to do any type of database maintenance, when installing or upgrading Patch or other solutions. This will make the upgrades to those solutions much easier.

For specific details on one particular issue, see

http://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=32047&p=3

Happy Patching!

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To view the current settings

To modify the current settings

The answers are fairly simple.

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