While attempting to run a report for local administrator password access from Local Security Solution 6.1 (LSS),  the report, for some of the client machines, rather than referencing a computer/username, displayed "User RID 500" instead. Who is he? :)

Further research showed that Local Security Solution (LSS) uses a "Local User Inventory Policy" which, by default, has a capture interval of every 12 hours. This inventory sends a nse file to the Notification Server (NS) that contains all the needed data to properly create a local user resource. This should get created as "Computer Name/User". LSS also has the password reset policy that sends an event up containing the password change information. Because the password change is on a known RID (Relative Identifier),( in this case, the local Administrator account, which has a pre-defined RID of 500), the current policy applies to new comptuers.

The issue of transposing the...

While recently working a Recovery Solution issue, we encountered some problems.  The clients could not register and SSM jobs were not completing.  Upon reviewing the Event Viewer logs, we saw a consistent sequence of errors

 Altiris Recovery Solution Error Server Space Management 35 N/A SERVER "RemovePhysicalFile RemovePhysical() returned an error.

Altiris Recovery Solution Error Server Space Management 73 N/A SERVER "Error retentioning file 'winlogon.log' of user 'XXXXXXXXX' on volume 'C:'.
FileKey 10448642, file revision 13.

Altiris Recovery Solution Error Server Space Management 2 N/A SERVER "There was an error when a file was being processed for Recovery Solution Server space management.
Problem backing up the file.
File 10448642

Altiris Recovery Solution Error File Repository Engine 12 N/A SERVER "Unable to read file data from the Recovery Solution Server.

Altiris Recovery...

Should you upgrade to Altiris Client Management Suite 7.0?
In short, for me the answer is not yet. We are currently using Deployment Solution 6.9. I had heard that the Deployment Solution would be integrated with the Notification Server in version 7.0 After speaking with technical support, they told me that they have not been integrated yet, but they didn’t know when that might happen (probably this year – summer/fall 2009).
All of the products in the Altiris Total Management Suite (excluding Deployment Solution - right now) installs to the Symantec Management Platform, which part of it used to be called the Notification Server. The Symantec Management Platform now includes the Symantec Management Console, Database, Notification Server and Client Management Suite management components.
Based on some advice from Altiris, I would wait to upgrade my DS 6.9 when DS 7.1 is released to then have it integrated with NS. Your situation may be entirely...

When you are ready to migrate to NS7 there are two options or ways to make sure all of your NS6 agents upgrade correctly to NS7. I'll discuss breifly two options and which one I believe is the cleaner and easier method.
When discussing the update of the client agents I ask one question:  Do you have the DS Agent installed on the client?  In the second way to upgrade the agent I'll discuss why I ask that question.
The recommend way to upgrade your agents from Symantec is to first enable the unistall agent policies for each subagent (not the main Altiris Agent) on the NS6 box and wait for the clients to check in, get the new policies and then remove those subagents. While those agents uninstall, make sure the Upgrade Agent policiy is enabled on the NS7 system.  Once the subagents are uninstalled, Inventory, Software Delivery, Patch, etc, then on the NS6 box change the Altiris Agent policy to point to an alternate NS, being the NS7 system. ...