Overview

[Previous] [Next]

When we talk about the SMS 2.0 database, we are generally referring to the population of client computers in our environment. These clients are probably the most significant resources that we deal with in our SMS sites on a day-to-day basis. In fact, with SMS 1.2 and earlier, you really couldn't do anything at all unless the client computer was not only "discovered" and installed, but also inventoried into the SMS database.

With SMS 2.0, our computer clients are still our most significant resource. However, the processes of discovering, installing, and inventorying these clients are now separate and distinct functions. For example, it is no longer necessary to complete an inventory of a client before an SMS administrator can initiate a Remote Tools session with that client or advertise a program to it. Indeed, a client computer can be discovered without ever being installed.

In addition to discovering client computers, we can also discover other resources and add them to the SMS database. These other resources include user and global groups from the Microsoft Windows NT domain account database, other site systems, routers, hubs, switches, network printers, and any other IP-addressable devices on the network. They could even include mainframe computers or UNIX workstations.

Of course, we won't be able to send a package of TrueType fonts to that network printer that SMS discovers—not yet, anyway. But, we can know that the printer is there and make it part of the database of information about our network. More significantly, unlike earlier versions of SMS, we now have the ability to advertise programs not only to clients, but also to users and groups. As an SMS administrator, having access to those two new resources might become as important to you as your SMS client computers.

When a resource is discovered by an SMS discovery method, a record is created for it and included in the SMS database. This record is called a discovery data record (DDR), and the DDR file generated by the discovery method has a .DDR extension. The information that is "discovered" varies depending on the resource, but it might include such data as the NetBIOS name of a computer, IP address and IP subnet of a computer or device, user name, SMS unique identifier (SMSUID), operating system, MAC address, Windows NT account domain, and so on.

The seven methods that can be used to discover resources are:

• Site system discovery (Windows NT Server Discovery and NetWare Bindery Server Discovery)
• Logon discovery (Windows Networking Logon Discovery, NetWare Bindery Logon Discovery, and NetWare NDS Logon Discovery)
• Windows NT User Account Discovery
• Windows NT User Group Discovery
• Network Discovery
• Heartbeat Discovery
• Manual discovery

Most of these discovery methods are configurable by the SMS administrator. The logon discovery methods have corresponding client installation methods. When a DDR is created, SMS assigns that resource an SMSUID to distinguish it from other resources in the database. Depending on the discovery method chosen, discovery records are periodically regenerated to keep the discovery data up-to-date in the database and to verify that the resource is still a valid resource within the site.

Recall that when you install SMS using the Custom Setup option, none of the discovery methods are enabled except for site system discovery, which is automatic and can't be configured. Therefore, the SMS administrator must determine which methods to use and how to configure them. When SMS is installed using the Express Setup option, however, Windows Networking Logon Discovery, Windows NT User Account Discovery, Windows NT User Group Discovery, and Heartbeat Discovery are all enabled by default.

TIP

---

Table 2-2 in Chapter 2 lists the SMS 2.0 features and components that are installed or enabled during Express and Custom setup and their main default values.