Client Management Suite

Can anyone point me to a document that describes best practice in installing/configuring Altiris deployment solution or CMS to a new greenfield site, from requirements gathering to implementation?

Thanks

Eugene

This 70+ page document is guided in explaining the issues an architect should consider when planning, designing, and implementing Altiris based on number, size, type of site with consideration for network speed, business requirements, and so forth.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO9811

After you've read through this, do you still have questions about this new site?

Hi there ,

thanks for the doc, I read it and its useful,

I suppose what I really need at this stage is to gather/discover inventory from different sites to see what is out there and active.

We do not have any inventory gathering tools/agents installed. What would be recommended to accomplish this? preferably agenthless?

how would an Altiris Architect accomplish this task?

Im looking at Lansweeper, looks like a good tool.-  but would prefer to hear from the experts before proceeding.

thanks

Eugene

Try Spiceworks.  I'd never keep it around long-term, but as an assessment tool it is free and agentless.  Just provide a network range for the sweep and a username/password for the audit, and you'll have hardware and OS (plus plenty of other basic information) in no time.

right after the battle of Verdun in 1918, we used the agentless Altiris inventory to gather a ton of data. This was the 5.0 platform and we sent the .exe out over email. It worked surprisingly well for us, at least a good enough return rate to justify deploying agents.

Hi - any other ways to do this appart from sending out via email - as exe will be blocked and im not too sure how many of our users will run this...

You could use psexec from Sysinternals/Microsoft.  There's no third party tool at all, I take it?

We setup a webpage where people could click the link to execute. Made it mandatory that people answer, or "else". We got a pretty good response rate.

If you have a domain I think you can put credentials into the scan and it will use WMI to get info.

Eugann, in our company we have been using Lansweeper for the last 2 years, and it does its job pretty well, we are a company with more then 2000 workstations, 100 servers and it helps us keeping track of all software and hardware out there. because our SAP team doesnt allow any clients to be installed on their servers, its also handy for them, because lansweeper works clientless. they have a freeware version available to start with, or you can check the online demo, heres the link to the demo: Lansweeper Network Inventory Software Demo