Databases will be moved. Login accounts will be changed. Applications may get uninstalled, but the database remains intact. A rebuild of a server and restore of the last saved databse may occur. Associations between applications and databases will be altered.
In Symantec\Altiris environment, the configuration of Intel AMT, within the Intel vPro technology platform, utilizes a service called Intel SCS. Intel SCS is embedded within the Altiris Out-of-Band Management module, and is associated to the IntelAMT database. All of the configuration service settings and client configuration details are stored inside the IntelAMT database. The Intel SCS process, which is the AMTconfig windows service, is configured to communicate with IntelAMT. Yet if the location or login credentials of the service account, database, or database association change - then connectivity errors will occur.
This article provides a brief summary on how to remediate such situations.
It is assumed that the database has been moved, that database administrative level rights have been granted to the individual performing the reassociation, and that the correct version of Intel SCS (AMTconfserver.exe) is available. Also - information on the current association is stored in the windows registry under HKLM\Software\Intel\AMTconfserver\DB. The password will be encrypted and in hash form.
Altiris 7 environment with Intel SCS 5.x
In this environment, the reassociation is done by modifying the Intel SCS installation.
One approach is to modify the OOB Site Service settings as shown below. This screen is accessible by select Setting > Notification Server > Site Service Settings
The other approach is to direct modify the Intel SCS installation. The Intel SCS installation can be started, or the modification can be selected via the Add\Remove Programs option with in the Microsoft Windows server. The InstallShield Wizard will prompt to Modify, Repair, or Remove. Select Modify and step through the screens to specify the new database location, AMTconfig service account, and so forth.
If the IntelAMT database already exists, and often the default Altiris 7 installation will name the database "Symantec_CMDB_IntelAMT", an installation of Intel SCS (AMTconfserver.exe) can proceed. During the installation a prompt will occur for "preinstalled database". Select to reuse the existing database and complete the reassociation. All other settings should remain.
In situations where the database may have been transferred between domains, and since the authentication is Mixed mode with Windows accounts involved, look for the database.exe utility to perform the reassociation. More on this later in the article.
Altiris 6 environment with Intel SCS 3.x
The InstallShield Wizard for Intel SCS 3.x environments will not provide the modify option. In addition, if the Intel SCS instance will not be local to the Altiris 6 instance, a modified DLL will be needed. Per the article Using Out of Band Management with Intel SCS in a Multiple Notification Server Environment - Part 1: Intel SCS Installations , the modified version of interop.Aexclient.dll will need to be applied in situations where Intel SCS application (i.e. AMTconfig) is "off box" from the Altiris service.
The database reassociation process requires a few more steps within an Intel SCS 3.x environment, yet the outcome is the same. Again the database authentication must be Windows Authentication or Mixed Mode. Thus the existing migration or reassociation would occur within the same domain context and environment. Otherwise the database.exe utility must be used.
Once the reassociation is complete, and if using Remote Configuration with a provisioning certificate, the loadcert.exe process will need to repeated. This will reassociate the provisioning certificate to the AMTconfig process.
The steps to perform the reassociation include removing the Intel Setup and Configuration Service (SCS) application from windows without dropping the IntelAMT database, and then re-running the installation (AMTconfserver.exe) in custom mode to specify the existing database. The latest validated version of Intel SCS in an Altiris 6.x environment is 3.2.1 as noted in Altiris KB 40076. (https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=40076&p=1). The AMTconfserver.exe can be downloaded from that location.
Thus step one is to remove or uninstall Intel SCS by running AMTconfserver.exe or using the Add\Remove Programs option within the Windows control panel. When prompted to remove the application, select yes.
However - when prompted to drop the IntelAMT database, select No,
The following image confirms that althought AMTconfig (the Intel SCS application) no longer exists due to uninstall, the IntelAMT database is still intact. Since the service configuration settings and any existing client configuration will be in the database, those entries will remain while the application reinstallation and reassociation are done.
Start the Intel SCS installation using AMTconfserver.exe, and select the Custom option as shown below.
In stepping through the customer installation screens, a prompt for the service account will appear. This is the AMTconfig login account. In a default Altiris installation, the Altiris AppID is used. It is recommended that this be a domain account especially if rights will be delegated inside the Active Directory domain for AMT objects, TLS, and so forth.
In the following screenshot, the domain administrator is used.
Continuing through the custom menus, a screen similar to below will provide settings for IIS. The default installation of Intel SCS in an Altiris environment is without HTTPS. Therefore, deselect the "Force Secure Connections" if no changes were intended from the default installation. (noted in the Service Location options of the Altiris OOBM Configuration Service Settings)
Two IIS Configuration setting windows will appear during the custom install. The first is for AMTSCS, the second is for AMTSCS_RCFG. Both should be without HTTPS.
The custom installation will next prompt for the database location. This was perhaps the original intent of all these steps - to simply get the database reassociated to the Intel SCS application instance. Browse to or enter the database location. In the example below, the database is local to the server.
Upon selecting Next, the installation wizard will detect the existing IntelAMT database. A prompt will appear to use the existing database or install a fresh copy. (i.e. erase and recreate).
Select YES to use the existing database.
Complete the installation and validate that connectivity to the IntelAMT database is working correctly. The validation can be done by opening the Altiris OOBM Configuration Service settings interface, and browsing through General, Intel AMT systems, and or other options which pull data from the IntelAMT database.
Using the Database.exe Utility
An additional option is the database.exe utility provided with the AMTconfserver.exe installation. The utility will reside in the installation directory \Program Files\Intel\AMTconfserver\DB. It was first introduced for the creation of IntelAMT prior to the installation of Intel SCS. More information on the utility is available at http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-3026.
As noted in the following screenshot, the utility can be used to create, update, or delete the database.
Concluding Thoughts
When moving, reassociating, or upgrading Intel SCS - ensure to utilize the correct, validated, and latest version as supported by Symantec\Altiris. Newer version of Intel SCS along with utilities and code exist at http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/download-the-latest-version-of-intel-amt-setup-and-configuration-service-scs/, however only certain versions were validated within a Symantec\Altiris environment. At the time this article was posted (Dec 2009), the correct version for Altiris 6.x environments is Intel SCS 3.2.1.2 and the correct\latest version for Altiris 7.x SP1 environments is 5.1.0.50. With each release of Intel SCS, an upgrade installation may alter the database schema, APIs, or other other items - thus it is important to stay within the validated release for the environment.
There have been exceptions that rule due to special circumstances or customer requirements - such as using Intel SCS 5.x in an Altiris 6 environment. This model is not validated, errors will occur, and special configuration modifications will be needed...
Also - if a fresh installation of Intel SCS is performed, ensure that the OOBprov.exe provisioning script is still associated. The following image shows the database table with props_scripts_path and use_props_script set to the correct values for a standard Altiris 7 environment. In an Altiris 6 environment, the use_props_script value should match the file location of oobprov.exe.
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