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Configuration Manager 2007 console does not recognize installed clients
I am trying to install the Config Manager client on 500+ workstations. So I did a client push to all PCs in the domain from the Config Manager console. According to the console, about half of the PCs now have the client installed on them, the other half does not. However, on every PC I have ever logged into (whether the console tells me it has a client installed or not), it appears that the Config Manager client is installed just fine.
I am installing Configuration Manager 2007 R2 on top of Server 2008 Standard with a SQL 2008 database in a Windows 2000 domain (2000, I know, we're upgrading the domain this month). This is a side-by-side installation within a domain that previously had SMS 2003 installed in it. I have not kept any of the old SMS infrastructure, I have even deleted the old SMS site information out of Active Directory. So when I check workstations one-by-one, I know that my client push seemed to work, since on every machine I now have a "Configuration Manager" icon in the control panel instead of the old Systems Management icon. In addition, the Configuration Manager control panel applet all point to the correct ConfigMgr site and Management Point.
So, if I sit behind one of the workstations, I would have no idea anything was wrong. Everything looks fine. I can even open a remote desktop session from the console to workstations that are listed as not having a client installed. The only reason I know something is wrong is because the Config Manager console says they don't have a client installed. I found another EE article that said to delete the SMSCFG.ini file on the workstation and try pushing the client install again, but that didn't work for me. Can anyone help me troubleshoot this issue?
I am installing Configuration Manager 2007 R2 on top of Server 2008 Standard with a SQL 2008 database in a Windows 2000 domain (2000, I know, we're upgrading the domain this month). This is a side-by-side installation within a domain that previously had SMS 2003 installed in it. I have not kept any of the old SMS infrastructure, I have even deleted the old SMS site information out of Active Directory. So when I check workstations one-by-one, I know that my client push seemed to work, since on every machine I now have a "Configuration Manager" icon in the control panel instead of the old Systems Management icon. In addition, the Configuration Manager control panel applet all point to the correct ConfigMgr site and Management Point.
So, if I sit behind one of the workstations, I would have no idea anything was wrong. Everything looks fine. I can even open a remote desktop session from the console to workstations that are listed as not having a client installed. The only reason I know something is wrong is because the Config Manager console says they don't have a client installed. I found another EE article that said to delete the SMSCFG.ini file on the workstation and try pushing the client install again, but that didn't work for me. Can anyone help me troubleshoot this issue?
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I don't know of a mass deploy way of fixing this.
You can use NEWSID (http://technet.microsoft.c
However, this seems to contradict what I just said: http://forum.sysinternals.
In any case, I would test, test and re-test the results of a few PCs if you want to leave them joined to the domain and run NEWSID. This is something you want to fix though, because you'll also run into WSUS not working correctly if the PCs can't be uniquely identified.
You can use NEWSID (http://technet.microsoft.c
However, this seems to contradict what I just said: http://forum.sysinternals.
In any case, I would test, test and re-test the results of a few PCs if you want to leave them joined to the domain and run NEWSID. This is something you want to fix though, because you'll also run into WSUS not working correctly if the PCs can't be uniquely identified.
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Thank you. I'm not quite sure what it means to be registered as an expert here, but I'll look into it.
psexec -c...wow, that would have simplified the second script quite a bit. Thanks! I just found the PsTools while researching this problem so I've never used them before. I'll keep that in mind next time.
As for logging which machines fail...I really don't need to. I only exported a list of machines that do not show up in the Config Mgr console properly. When the script works, they pop up as correctly installed in the console. If it didn't work, then nothing changes and they are still listed as workstations that do not have the client installed.
We do use WSUS, and as far as I know we haven't had any problems with it. But who knows, not sysprepping those machines will probably explain a lot of the weird problems we've been seeing on our network for some time....and maybe even some issues we haven't seen!
I'm sure there are plenty of other issues I am sidestepping by not sysprepping or newsiding the machines. But since the only reason I really need the ConfigMgr clients installed at all is to deploy a new operating system, then this is all I really need. This solution definitely isn't for everyone, but if there is anyone else out there who only needs to get the Config Mgr client installed so they can deploy a new operating system, then this should help.
Thanks for pointing me down the right track aleinss!
psexec -c...wow, that would have simplified the second script quite a bit. Thanks! I just found the PsTools while researching this problem so I've never used them before. I'll keep that in mind next time.
As for logging which machines fail...I really don't need to. I only exported a list of machines that do not show up in the Config Mgr console properly. When the script works, they pop up as correctly installed in the console. If it didn't work, then nothing changes and they are still listed as workstations that do not have the client installed.
We do use WSUS, and as far as I know we haven't had any problems with it. But who knows, not sysprepping those machines will probably explain a lot of the weird problems we've been seeing on our network for some time....and maybe even some issues we haven't seen!
I'm sure there are plenty of other issues I am sidestepping by not sysprepping or newsiding the machines. But since the only reason I really need the ConfigMgr clients installed at all is to deploy a new operating system, then this is all I really need. This solution definitely isn't for everyone, but if there is anyone else out there who only needs to get the Config Mgr client installed so they can deploy a new operating system, then this should help.
Thanks for pointing me down the right track aleinss!
Anytime. Registration is free and anyone can be expert...but I think you need to maintain at least 2,000 points per month to get the free membership.
Hi,
I am having the same issue here.
So based on your testing the tranguid.exe has to be copied and executed locally computer that is having the issue? It wasn't clear reading your post but does the user executing tranguid.exe needs to have admin rights?
thks.
I am having the same issue here.
So based on your testing the tranguid.exe has to be copied and executed locally computer that is having the issue? It wasn't clear reading your post but does the user executing tranguid.exe needs to have admin rights?
thks.
ASKER
Simply re-installing the SMS client won't fix the issue. I found out that I can fix the ConfigMgr client if I uninstall the ConfigMgr client manually (using ccmsetup.exe /uninstall), delete the SMSCFG.ini file, then re-run the client install. However, when the SMSCFG.ini file is recreated, it uses the same SMS GUID as all the other machines that are having the same issue. So fixing one computer breaks another. I'm not sure where that GUID is coming from, but somehow it is being generated by all machines affected.
Wow, so I didn't think it was possible to deploy a Ghost image that hasn't been syspreped. I'm a little confused as to how these machines were joined to the domain at all. I assume that running sysprep on these machines now would forcefully disjoin it from the domain. But would that fix our ConfigMgr issue?Is there a way to force it to generate a new SMS GUID without running a full sysprep?