Latest topics from “netPlantation.com”

Issue 2 - Updated MPPing 0.2.2.1000

Bernie — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:48:29 +1000

This updated MPPing (version 0.2.2.1000) fixes the issue reported by tubularusa as described in bugtracker/viewbug.php?b=2.

This issue will be fixed in the next release of SMS Server Tools.

MPPing.zip

One Minor Issue With SiteSvc.exe

Tom_Watson — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:43:00 +1000

This is something more of a request that an actual issue.

Anyway, I gave this a try :-

C:\Program Files\Netplantation\SMS Server Tools> SiteSvc.exe -start L******1 SMS_AD_SYSTEM_DISCOVERY_AGENT

However, when I watched the AdSysDis.log file, I got:-

SMS_EXECUTIVE started SMS_AD_SYSTEM_DISCOVERY_AGENT as thread ID 5388 (0x150C).
** Service Thread is starting **
Component setting of ACTIVE was specified in the site control file.
Removing redundant containers and validating them...
The Run Count value in the site control file is 9.
The Schedule token value in the site control file is 0001170000500008.
!!!!Valid AD container 0: LDAP://OU=L*********N,OU=R**********E,D ... J*L,DC=ORG
Current time is 06/08/2009 10:21:11 GMT Daylight Time
Last Run time is 06/08/2009 00:20:08 GMT Daylight Time
Next Run time is 07/08/2009 00:00:00 GMT Daylight Time
The agent does not need to run now, therefore exit.
*** Shutting Down ************************

So it looks like this tool almost gets you there, but not quite. It starts the thread, but because its next schedule is later, it just closes.

Now if it could actually do the equivalent of "Run discovery as soon as possible" for discovery threads, that would be ideal.

Anyway, keep up the good work. These tools are great.

Regards,
Tom Watson

Need help in CMember.exe

magesh_20583 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:39:27 +1100

Hi

Im trying add a system from the text file to existing collection. I found this tool, that we can use CMember.exe for this request.

I installed the tool on my sms server. I selected the default installation path "C:\Program Files\Netplantation\SMS Server Tools"

After the installation, Im trying add a system from the text file.

On the Command prompt, C:\Program Files\Netplantation\SMS Server Tools\>CMember.exe -add sys CollectionID -list system.txt -sdk mySMSservername

It says "File not found"

How To: Retrieve site information with SiteInfo.exe

Bernie — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:00:27 +1100

Introduction:
The Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe) is a command-line tool available for download as part of the SMS Server Tools suite.

SiteInfo is an easy, no fuss way to get basic information about your Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS 2003) sites that can be used for documentation or base lining. I also find this tool useful to detect configuration issues. In a large enterprise environment, it can be hard to get a configuration baseline from so many configuration screens in the Administration Console of SMS 2003. SiteInfo makes this easier by outputting configuration information to the screen, log file or XML.

Information collected by SiteInfo:

Site address connectivity.
Site boundaries.
Backup location, and last successful backup time.
Contents of inboxes, number of items.

Using the Site Information Tool:
For this example, we will be getting the site information for the site Central which has the site code 001.

Code: Select all: SiteInfo.exe -site 001

If you want to retrieve site information from multiple sites at a time, just comma separate each site code. Eg. 001,002,003

Code: Select all: SiteInfo.exe –site 001,002,003

By using the -s i switch, SMS inbox item numbers are retrieved in addition to general site information.

Code: Select all: SiteInfo.exe -site 001,002 -s i

There is sample output from SiteInfo using the -s i switch:

Code: Select all: SMS Site Info Tool v0.2.2 -- (C) 2005-2008 Bernard White ======================================================== [0] Site Information for 001... - Site Name....: Site1 - First Site (Primary) - Site Type....: Primary - Site Server..: SERVER1 - Version......: 2.50.4253.3000 (4253) - Security Mode: Advanced - Status.......: Active - Installation.: D:\SMS - Parent Site..: No Parent Site Control: - Serial: 2780 - Pending Type2: 0 Site Backup: - Enabled > E:\SMSBackups Client Push Install: - Advanced Client Command Line: SMSSITECODE=AUTO SMSCACHESIZE=1024 - Accounts: - TESTDOM\SMSInstall Inboxes: INBOX COUNT ----------------------------------- AUTH\DATALDR.BOX\BADMIFS 17 AUTH\DATALDR.BOX\ORPHANS 1 AUTH\DDM.BOX 1677 COLL_OUT.BOX 20 DDM.BOX\DATA.COL 90 DISTMGR.BOX 1 OFFERINF.BOX 537 OFFERMGR.BOX 24 PKGINFO.BOX 630 REPLMGR.BOX\OUTBOUND\NORMAL 2 REPLMGR.BOX\PROCESS 37 REPLMGR.BOX\READY 792 SCHEDULE.BOX 4916 SCHEDULE.BOX\OUTBOXES\LAN 16 SCHEDULE.BOX\REQUESTS 7 SCHEDULE.BOX\TOSEND 42 SITECTRL.BOX\OUTGOING 6 SINV.BOX\BADSINV 73 STATMGR.BOX\TEMP 6 SWMPROC.BOX\CORRUPT 5 [1] Site Information for 001... - Site Name....: Site2 - Second Site (Secondary). - Site Type....: Secondary - Site Server..: SERVER2 - Version......: 2.50.4253.3000 (4253) - Security Mode: Advanced - Status.......: Active - Installation.: D:\SMS - Parent Site..: JAG Site Control: - Serial: 77 - Pending Type2: 0 Site Backup: - Enabled > E:\Backups\SMS Client Push Install: - Advanced Client Command Line: SMSSITECODE=AUTO SMSCACHESIZE=1024 - Accounts: - TESTDOM\SMSInstall Inboxes: INBOX COUNT ----------------------------------- COLLEVAL.BOX 781 DDM.BOX\DATA.COL 232 DISTMGR.BOX 210 OFFERINF.BOX 571 OFFERMGR.BOX 308 PKGINFO.BOX 630 REPLMGR.BOX\OUTBOUND\NORMAL 2 REPLMGR.BOX\PROCESS 3 REPLMGR.BOX\READY 3 SCHEDULE.BOX 2 SCHEDULE.BOX\OUTBOXES\LAN 3 SCHEDULE.BOX\TOSEND 2 STATMGR.BOX\FUTUREQ 15 SWMPROC.BOX\TEMP 1

Next Steps:

Read the FAQ here.
Get the latest release (0.2.2), available here. The release notes are also available here.

How To: Management Point health check with MPPing.exe

Bernie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:51:59 +1100

Introduction:
So you want to check the health of you Management Points? There are a number of really good resources around the web and in various resource kits that can be used to check Management Points. In this particular case however, I am going to focus on a command-line tool I have written that is freely available to the community as part of my SMS Server Tools suite; that is Management Point Ping.

As you can probably guess from the name, it is going to effectively *PING* your Management Points. Now I'm not just talking about ICMP, but also connecting to the Management Point and doing a basic MPLIST and MPCERT tests. The good thing about this tool is that it does not need to be run on your SMS server, but can be run on a Windows XP, Windows 200 / 2003 platform as long as you have permissions to connect and query the SMS SDK service.

Using Management Point Ping:
In this example, we are testing a single Management Pint by name (server1.abc.com) using either DNS or NetBIOS name (I generally prefer the DNS host name).

Code: Select all: Mpping.exe server1.abc.com

In the next example, I want to demonstrate testing all the Management Points in a single SMS site by site code (eg. ABC). It is likely that you will only have a single Management Point in each site, however if you have more then one, all be tested.

Code: Select all: Mpping.exe -site ABC

Lastly, by specifying an * as the site code, all the Management Points in your hierarchy will be tested.

Code: Select all: Mpping.exe -site *

Next Steps:

Read the FAQ here.
Get the latest release (0.2.2), available here. The release notes are also available here.

SMS Server Tools 0.2.2

Bernie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:34:17 +1000

This is my fourth public release of SMS Server Tools. I have been working to impove all the tools from my previous release 0.2.1, and have added a new tool to the suite.

Never heard of SMS Server Tools before, not sure how it works? Well checkout the FAQ and get up to speed.

Downloadable Readme available here.

Readme 0.2.2.doc

CONTENTS:

New Features
Important Changes
Tool Feedback
System Requirements
Package Contents
Version History
Package Distribution Notes
Known Issues
Download Locations
License Terms

NEW FEATURES:

Distribution Point Mod Tool has new built-in scheduling functionality that allows an action to be to run at a latter date / time.
Site Information Tool now shows site components roles and which servers they are installed on for each site. Also the COLL_OUT.BOX has been added to the list of reported inboxes.
Package Information Tool now shows details on Distributions In-Transit when the "-s d" switch is used.
Site Services Tool now has a new "-restart" switch added, allowing a component to be stopped and then started again in a single command.
Collection Membership Tool added to SMS Server Tools suite. This tool allows system, user or group resources to be added to a collection's membership. It also features regular expression matching.

IMPORTANT CHANGES:

For the people that downloaded and used release 0.2-0.2.1, there is a major syntax change that has been made to the Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe):

The actions previously "-comp-list", "-comp-start" and "-comp-stop" have been simplified to just "-list", "-start" and "-stop". The old versions of these switches still works, however they will be phased out.

TOOL FEEDBACK:

I would appreciate any feedback you have on these tools including reporting any bugs and feature requests. I hope you find these tools useful in your environment.

Please report bugs here.
Feature requests can be posted here.
If you want to discus, comment SMS Server Tools please post here

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

It is recommended that your SMS 2003 environment is service packed and patched to the lasted available version from Microsoft. At this time that is Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 which is available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sms/bb676774.aspx. You should also consider installing KB941395 or KB941214 available here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941395 and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941214 if upgrading to SMS 2003 SP3.

If running these tools on Windows XP, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP2 for Windows XP.
If running these tools on Windows 2003, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP1 for Windows 2003.

Although other configurations outside the recommendations in the above paragraphs may work, they have not been tested and may produce unpredictable results.

PACKAGE CONTENTS:

This release includes 7 command-line tools:

1. Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)
This tool provides basic diagnostics of Management Point status. Targets Management Points are tested by initiating a MPLIST and MPCERT. Although this can be done manually, this MPPing makes it very easy.

2. Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)
Displays site information for a specified site; including site boundaries, site addresses, inbox item counts, type 2 site control serial numbers, client push installation accounts.

3. Package Information Tool (PkgInfo.exe)
Displays package information for a specified package; including package size, distribution point status, programs including dependencies and advertisements linked to each package program.

4. Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)
DPMod allows addition and removal of packages to distribution points. Also allows you to mirror a distribution point from an existing distribution point (useful for new distribution points).

5. Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)
Displays Site Control File serials for each site in the hierarchy. This tool can be used to quickly identify type 2 flagged Site Control Files for all sites in the hierarchy.

6. Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)
Controls SMS services and threads remotely using the command-line. Allowing you to stop, start and restart threads that are inaccessible through the Services MMC.

7. Collection Membership Tool (CMember.exe)
Add direct membership to a collection for system, user and group resources. Names of resources can be specified, imported from a list or a regular expression.

VERSION HISTORY:

Changes Since 0.2.1

[No Change] Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)

[Updated] Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)

[Feature] Added COLL_OUT.BOX to the list of inboxes reported with the show inboxes switch parameter.
[Feature] Site components and the servers the roles are install on are now shown when the "--show c" or “-s c” option is used.
[Change] Site boundaries are now not shown by default. To view site boundaries, use "--show b" or “-s b”.
[Fix] Fixed issue where inbox checks to REPLMGR.BOX\PROCESS and REPLMGR.BOX\READY did not correctly report files counts, but instead folder counts.
[Fix] Corrected typo in syntax help, that inferred "-show" is a valid switch when in fact it is "--show".
[Fix] Sites that are "Pending" still show partial site information if available, instead of none and no errors.

[Updated] Package Information (PkgInfo.exe)

[Feature] Added additional details to Distributions In-Transit summary when the "-s d" switch is used.

[Updated] Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)

[Feature] Added new scheduling functionality. By using the "--schedule" switch, the DPMod tool can be scheduled to run at a latter date / time.
[Fix] Previously, when using -dplist on a DP with no packages, the message "Package already exists on DP." Would be returned. This message has been changed to properly reflect the DP status.

[No Change] Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)

[Updated] Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)

[Feature] New "-restart" switch added, allowing a component to be stopped and then started again in a single command.
[Change] Commands "-comp-list", "-comp-start" and "-comp-stop" have been simplified to just "-list", "-start" and "-stop".
[Change] Added reporting for additional component states.

[New Tool] Collection Membership Tool (CMember.exe)

Changes Since 0.2

[Updated] Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)

[Feature] Added list of Management Point ping errors to Summary section.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)

[Feature] Retrieve site information from multiple sites by specifying site codes separated by a ",".
[Feature] Output results to screen as a sms-site-definition XML document using "-xml". In addition, when used in conjunction with the included sms-site-definition.report.en.0.1.xsl file, the XML can be displayed as an easy-to-read report.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Package Information (PkgInfo.exe)

[Feature] Added package programs display, showing not only direct programs but also their dependencies.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.
[Change] Display package source date and distribution point last state time in local date time format instead of always mm/dd/yyyy.
[Fix] Corrected typo in syntax help, that inferred "-dp" is a valid switch ("-dp" has been replace with "-s d").
[Fix] Package name does not contain multiple spaces when fields such as manufacturer are blank.

[Updated] Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)

[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)

[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[No Change] Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)

Changes Since 0.1

[Updated] Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)

[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.

[Updated] Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)

[Fix] Fixed a bug where Security Mode was not being displaying correctly.
[Feature] Added Site Addresses. For each address defined in the specified site the destination site is checked for a matching return address (--show a).
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.
[Change] Removed old /inbox switch and replaced with "--show i".
[Feature] Expanded inbox checking to cover most inboxes, instead of only a few.
[Feature] By default only inboxes with contents are show. "-show I" will show all inboxes, regardless of contents.

[Updated] Package Information (PkgInfo.exe)

[Feature] Hierarchy Package Summary. This is the default option when PkgInfo is run without parameters.
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.
[Change] Removed old /dp switch and replaced with "--show d".

[Updated] Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)

[Feature] Added action called DPDIFF, which allows two distribution points to be compared for differences (simular to MIRRORDP, except no changes are made).
[Feature] Added action called DPLIST, which display packages, source version and state on a specific distribution point.
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.

[New Tool] Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)
[New Tool] Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)

PACKAGE DISTRIBUTION NOTES:

If you would like to distribute these tools to your peers, please refer them to this site.

KNOWN ISSUES:

The following know issues are fixed by an updated binary (CMember.exe) available here http://forums.netplantation.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=37.

CMember.exe - "File not found" when loading list file.
CMember.exe - Case sensitivity in list file.

Please refer to this document for updates on known issues.

DOWNLOAD LOCATIONS:

Here - MD5: 9a8c3a09be5aa881c64539aa3f915ff7, SHA-1: e55a49075c7ef64fcba390c3eb5167f8277f5f43

LICENSE TERMS:

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY.

COVERED SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED UNDER THIS LICENSE ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES THAT THE COVERED SOFTWARE IS FREE OF DEFECTS, MERCHANTABLE, FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGING. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE COVERED SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU. SHOULD ANY COVERED SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE IN ANY RESPECT, YOU (NOT THE INITIAL DEVELOPER OR ANY OTHER CONTRIBUTOR) ASSUME THE COST OF ANY NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE AS PERMITTED BY THE ABOVE LICENCE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE SOFTWARE TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS LICENSE. NO USE OF ANY COVERED SOFTWARE IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER EXCEPT UNDER THIS DISCLAIMER.

Solution: Mirror packages between distributions points

Bernie — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:26:43 +1000

Scenario:
You have recently configured a new distribution point in your SMS site hierarchy. This new distribution point should have the same packages as another distribution point you have previously configured with approx 100 packages.

Problem:
You could use your SMS Administrator Console go to each package and add the new distribution point, but this could be time consuming given you have to do this for 100 packages.

Answer:
You use your DPMod tool to mirror the packages from the previously configured distribution to the new distribution point.

In this case, the source distribution point containing the packages is server1, and the distribution point that will receive the packages is server2.

Code: Select all: Dpmod.exe –mirrordp \\server1 \\server2

In addition, you could also schedule the mirror to occur when your site link is least utilised by using the -sc switch. The example below would schedule the mirror to occur at 7PM on 22nd of August 2008, using the user account bob in the domain testdom.

Code: Select all: Dpmod.exe –mirrordp \\server1 \\server2 -sc "22 Aug 2008 7:00 PM" testdom\bob

The result would be; a new scheduled task in Scheduled Tasks on the local computer would be created for 7PM, using the testdom\bob account, running the –mirrordp \\server1 \\server2 command.

NB: Built-in scheduling functionality using the -sc switch is new to release 0.2.2. Older releases require manual creation of a scheduled task.

Next Steps:

Read the FAQ here.
Get the latest release (0.2.2), available here. The release notes are also available here.

Preloading packages on an SMS site

spinspin31 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:10:01 +1000

I have been looking at SMS Server Tools today and it’s very impressive. I've been playing with dpmod and its works really well when both SMS sites are up and running, but doesn’t work in the scenario we use below:

Build the server in our home office and robocopy all the .pkg files to the smspkg directory on this server that we shipping to another location. SMS is not installed on the server yet.

Ship the machine to the location it will be servicing

Install SMS on the box

Run PreloadPkgOnSite.exe on the server (all the .pkg files are already on the SMS Box from step 1)

Decompress the files

Would it be possible for your tool to mimic this? I was thinking we could still use robocopy to get all the .pkg files to the server and you're tool as the preloadpkgonsite and decompression replacement. We would run the -mirrordp switch, it would see that the correct .pkg file is already on the server and then just have SMS decompress the file. Our main goal is not to have to send the packages we have across the slow WAN link, that is why we robocopy them when the server is in the home office.

Thank you.

SMS Server Tools 0.2.1

Bernie — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:07:12 +1100

A newer release (0.2.2) is now available here.

This is my third public release of SMS Server Tools. I have been working to improve all the tools from my previous release 0.2, in particular tool output.

Never heard of SMS Server Tools before, not sure how it works? Well checkout the FAQ and get up to speed.

CONTENTS:

New Features
Tool Feedback
System Requirements
Package Contents
Version History
Package Distribution Notes
Known Issues
Download Locations
License Terms

NEW FEATURES:

Management Point Ping Tool lists Management Points with errors on the Summary section.
A new parameter "--set sdk" for each tool, allows the default SDK server to be set.
Site Information Tool now retrieve site information from multiple sites by specifying site codes separated by a ",".
Results can be outputed from the Site Information Tool to screen as a sms-site-definition XML document using "-xml". In addition, when used in conjunction with the included sms-site-definition.report.en.0.1.xsl file, the XML can be displayed as an easy-to-read report.
Package Information Tool now displays package programs, showing not only direct programs, but also their dependencies and advertisements linked to them.

TOOL FEEDBACK:

I would appreciate any feedback you have on these tools including reporting any bugs and feature requests. I hope you find these tools useful in your environment.

Please report bugs here.
Feature requests can be posted here.
If you want to discus, comment SMS Server Tools please post here

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

It is recommended that your SMS 2003 environment is service packed and patched to the lasted available version from Microsoft. At this time that is Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 which is available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sms/bb676774.aspx. You should also consider installing KB941395 available here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941395 if upgrading to SMS 2003 SP3.

If running these tools on Windows XP, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP2 for Windows XP.
If running these tools on Windows 2003, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP1 for Windows 2003.

Although other configurations outside the recommendations in the above paragraphs may work, they have not been tested and may produce unpredictable results.

PACKAGE CONTENTS:

This release includes 6 command-line tools:

1. Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)
This tool provides basic diagnostics of Management Point status. Targets Management Points are tested by initiating a MPLIST and MPCERT. Although this can be done manually, this MPPing makes it very easy.

2. Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)
Displays site information for a specified site; including site boundaries, site addresses, inbox item counts, type 2 site control serial numbers, client push installation accounts.

3. Package Information Tool (PkgInfo.exe)
Displays package information for a specified package; including package size, distribution point status, programs including dependencies and advertisements linked to each package program.

4. Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)
DPMod allows addition and removal of packages to distribution points. Also allows you to mirror a distribution point from an existing distribution point (useful for new distribution points).

5. Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)
Displays Site Control File serials for each site in the hierarchy. This tool can be used to quickly identify type 2 flagged Site Control Files for all sites in the hierarchy.

6. Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)
Controls SMS services and threads remotely using the command-line. Allowing you to stop and start threads that are inaccessible through the Services MMC.

VERSION HISTORY:

Changes Since 0.2

[Updated] Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)

[Feature] Added list of Management Point ping errors to Summary section.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)

[Feature] Retrieve site information from multiple sites by specifying site codes separated by a ",".
[Feature] Output results to screen as a sms-site-definition XML document using "-xml". In addition, when used in conjunction with the included sms-site-definition.report.en.0.1.xsl file, the XML can be displayed as an easy-to-read report.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Package Information (PkgInfo.exe)

[Feature] Added package programs display, showing not only direct programs but also their dependencies.
[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.
[Change] Display package source date and distribution point last state time in local date time format instead of always mm/dd/yyyy.
[Fix] Corrected typo in syntax help, that inferred "-dp" is a valid switch ("-dp" has been replace with "-s d").
[Fix] Package name does not contain multiple spaces when fields such as manufacturer are blank.

[Updated] Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)

[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[Updated] Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)

[Feature] Added "--set sdk" parameter to allow the default SDK server to be set.

[No Change] Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)

Changes Since 0.1

[Updated] Management Point Ping Tool (MPPing.exe)

[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.

[Updated] Site Information Tool (SiteInfo.exe)

[Fix] Fixed a bug where Security Mode was not being displaying correctly.
[Feature] Added Site Addresses. For each address defined in the specified site the destination site is checked for a matching return address (-show a).
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.
[Change] Removed old /inbox switch and replaced with "-show i".
[Feature] Expanded inbox checking to cover most inboxes, instead of only a few.
[Feature] By default only inboxes with contents are show. "-show I" will show all inboxes, regardless of contents.

[Updated] Package Information (PkgInfo.exe)

[Feature] Hierarchy Package Summary. This is the default option when PkgInfo is run without parameters.
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.
[Change] Removed old /dp switch and replaced with "-show d".

[Updated] Distribution Point Mod Tool (DPMod.exe)

[Feature] Added action called DPDIFF, which allows two distribution points to be compared for differences (simular to MIRRINGDP, except no changes are made).
[Feature] Added action called DPLIST, which display packages, source version and state on a specific distribution point.
[Change] Integrated syntax help changed to prefer “–“ instead of “/”.
[Change] Command-line parameter formatting changes to remove “:”.

[New Tool] Site Control File Check Tool (SCFCheck.exe)
[New Tool] Site Services Tool (SiteSvc.exe)

PACKAGE DISTRIBUTION NOTES:

If you would like to distribute these tools to your peers, please refer them to this site.

KNOWN ISSUES:

None, at this time. Please refer to this document for updates on known issues.

DOWNLOAD LOCATIONS:

Here - MD5: 6aeb777eae7167e9468c0d33b976263f, SHA-1: b2f110b174184643e9d8005de2002af9e3bd49fc

LICENSE TERMS:

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY.

COVERED SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED UNDER THIS LICENSE ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES THAT THE COVERED SOFTWARE IS FREE OF DEFECTS, MERCHANTABLE, FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGING. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE COVERED SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU. SHOULD ANY COVERED SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE IN ANY RESPECT, YOU (NOT THE INITIAL DEVELOPER OR ANY OTHER CONTRIBUTOR) ASSUME THE COST OF ANY NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE AS PERMITTED BY THE ABOVE LICENCE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE SOFTWARE TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS LICENSE. NO USE OF ANY COVERED SOFTWARE IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER EXCEPT UNDER THIS DISCLAIMER.

SMS Server Tools FAQ

Bernie — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:08:52 +1100

What is SMS Server Tools?
SMS Server Tools is a group of tools that I have developed (Bernard White) to help manage Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS 2003) environments. Initially they were for my use only, however after a bit of prompting from several of my peers if have been working to clean up these tools and make them usable for the community.

Currently all the tools included are command-line based, which offers the flexability of being easily integrated in to scripts or batch files and run as scheduled tasks. Each tool has been designed to be light weight and independant of components such as .Net Framework for portability.

What is the lastest version of these tools and how do I get them?
The lastest release is 0.2.2 and it is available here. The release notes are also available here.

Do I need to be logged on to my Primary SMS Server to run these tools?
No, you don't. This is one of the primary reasons and issues that I was tring to solve when developing these tools. Some tools or scripts require direct access to the Primary SMS Server so that they can read from the Site Database via a SQL connection. These tools don't, any access to the Site Database is done through the SMS WMI Provider. So they can be used from any workstation or user account that has access to the SMS WMI Provider. If unsure on what an SDK server is, see below.

What is the recommended configuration for these tools?
It is recommended that your SMS 2003 environment is service packed and patched to the lasted available version from Microsoft. At this time that is Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 which is available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sms/bb676774.aspx. You should also consider installing KB941395 or KB941214 available here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941395 and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941214 if upgrading to SMS 2003 SP3.

If running these tools on Windows XP, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP2 for Windows XP.
If running these tools on Windows 2003, the minimum recommended Service Pack is SP1 for Windows 2003.

Is Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Supported?
No. At this time these tool are only for use with Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003. In reality, they may or may not work when connected to a SCCM 2007 SDK server, however no testing has been done with SCCM 2007, so use at your own risk.

Do I need .Net Framework installed to run these tools?
No, you do not. These tools use Windows Management Interface (WMI) to manipulate SMS objects.

What's this about a SDK server?
An SDK server is any SMS Server with the SMS WMI Providers installed. This is normally installed on your first Primary Site Server / Central Site Server but can be installed on any Primary Site Server. An SDK server can not be a Secondary Site Server.

I have multiple SDK servers, which one do I connect to?
For the purpose of these tools, it is recommended that you connect to the first Primary Site Server / Central Site Server. If connecting to a Primary Site Server reporting to a parent Primary Site Server then access to configuration items that are inherited from the parent may be limited or inaccessable.

Is there a way to permanently set the SDK server for SMS Server Tools?
Yes there is. Added to release 0.2.1+, the default SDK server can be set by using the "--set sdk " parameter on any of the package tools.

For releases older than 0.2.1, the SDK server is automatically configured via a wizard by the SMS Administrator Console MMC the first time it is opened. It can however be manually changed by setting a value in the Windows Registry.

As always, take care when editing the Windows Reigstry. Use the information provided in this article as a guide only. I accept no liability for damage caused directly or indirectly by changes that you make.

By setting the REG_SZ value "Server" under the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\AdminUI\Connection" to the server name of the SDK Server. eg. \\server01\ will set the SDK server to server01. If you do not have the SMS Administrator Console installed on your workstation then this key will not exist, and will need to be manually created.