Symantec Management Platform (Notification Server)

Good afternoon,

                        We had a demo box running with SMP 7.1 and Altiris CMS and I had deployed about 60 or so Symantec Management Agents to systems. The trial server is dead in the water and the trial license has expired. I have built a new licensed server that I'd like to use for production but when I discover the clients from the previous test bed, they don't show up as having the Management Agent installed (they do) and I have attempted to re-install (push) the agent to them to get them to update to communicate with the new server (Different name, IP, ect); but they get stuck with the status of "Starting 'Symantec Management Agent install service'". 

Is there a better way to do this without having to get the old trial server back online and forcing the clients over to the new server?

Thanks!

You could uninstall the agent on these computers, by doing an Uninstall Push from your new, functional NS server.  Then rediscover or repush the agent with the correct server name.

If the trial server is at all functional for any purpose, even with an expired license you should be able to change the targeted agent settings policies to use an Alternate URL for the agent, thus redirecting it to the new NS:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127618

You could use RAADv2 to connect to each computer and provide a new agent URL:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO21449
See the 'Redirect agent' button in the RAADv2 screenshot within that KB.

All of these assume you cannot manage the computers using a previous tool, a logonscript, etc -- only using Altiris.

Do any of these methods work for you?

Hi Elen,

Also you could use the DNS Server to create an A record to resolve the old NS server name to the IP Address of your new NS server, and all clients will be able to communicate with the new NS. After you have the computers managed again you could set the Altiris Agent to replace the old name by the new NS server name by command line (via Altiris Task, Login Script or manual) or targeted agent settings policies to use an Alternate URL for the agent, thus redirecting it to the new NS: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127618

If you prefer use a command line:

%ProgramFiles%\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AexAgentUtil.exe /server: newservername. 

*Replace the newservername by your new NS Server name (netbios, FQDN or IP Address).

word of warning to do collections of machine that are smaller so that you dont hit the bandwidth of the network too bad 

Thanks for the info! MClemson's info did the trick.