SMS CAPs and DPs

• Controlling which drive the CAP is created on [updated 6/12/02]
• DPs in Resource domain fail to update [updated 26/1/01]
• Folders Missing in a New CAP Installation [19/8/02]
• How can I verify Prefserv.exe is working after I've run it? [10/12/00]
• How do I use a specific NT Share as a DP? [11/12/00]
• Information Relating to Old DPs Still Appearing [10/09/02]
• Moving a CAP [updated 11/11/00]
• 'Preferred' setting in registry disappears after a reboot using Prefserv [21/10/01]
• Problem Using LOCALSVR from the Resource Kit [21/10/01]
• Re-permissioning a CAP in a Master Domain Model [21/10/00]
• What spec of server should I use for my DPs? [26/1/01]

Controlling which drive the CAP is created on

Is there anyway of controlling which the drive the CAP is created on?

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
By default, a CAP is created on the drive with the most available free space which may be inconvenient.  To get a CAP/DP to use a specific drive letter, use a Windows NT *SHARE* as the site system. This will even allow you to target the CAP/DP down to a specific directory.

You can also use the following procedure to control which drive the CAP is created on:

1. Using Server Manager, select the server you want to create the CAP on and stop sharing the hidden administrative share for all drives you do not want the CAP installed on.
    

2. Within the MMC, navigate to the site you want to create the CAP for.
    

3. From 'Site Settings | Site Systems' double-click the server you want to create the CAP on.
    

4. From the 'Client Access Point tab', check the 'Use this site system as a client access point' checkbox.
    

5. Once the CAP has been created, reverse step 1.

The same procedure can be used to control the creation of the 'SMS_PKG' and 'SMSLOGON' share points.
 

DPs in Resource domain fail to update

Anyone have this occur? My Site Server in an Accounts Domain and my DPs in a Resource domain. The SMS Service account has all the rights under the sun. I couldn't access via normal DP server under site systems - created a share that's wide open. I am now getting rights errors and now I am getting a 'no NTFS Partition or drive space error' on my 40 GB NTFS drive with at least 5 GB available. Nothing is updated under the share.

Now you would think that the Server Connection accounts are for the Site Servers (LPs and CAPs), to talk up to the Site Server upstream - well think again.

Apparently the Server Connection accounts ('SMSServer_XYZ' and any Custom Ones), are used by the Distribution Manager to update Distribution Points. PSS have seen this themselves. Watch out for this one when your DPs don't update.

To get round this problem some people have added their SMS Service account as an additional Server Network Connection account 
 

Folders Missing in a New CAP Installation

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
So you've created a new site but the CAP doesn't contain all of the files/ directories a "normal" CAP does. Here's how to solve this problem ...  [Go to article]
 

How can I verify Prefserv.exe is working after I've run it?

Look in the registry under 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\NAL\CLIENT' Under 'Abexprtdb' key - CAP List for site (sitecode) which should list your CAPs and marked one of them as preferred.

An extra key is also created - 'Preferred ABexprtdb'. Under this will list your preferred CAP and preferred DP if set.

Also bear in mind that the DWORD value for 'Use Preferred Servers' must be set at '1' for it to work correctly.
 

How do I use a specific NT Share as a DP?

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
To use a specific NT share as a DP, it must exist on the server before it can be created in SMS. SMS itself cannot create a user-defined share when you make a new DP in the MMC. It will automatically create the 'smspkg<driveletter>$' share on the drive with the most free space on the target server.

To get a DP to use a specific drive letter, use a Windows NT *SHARE* as the site system. This will even allow you to target the DP down to a specific directory.
 

Information Relating Old DPs Still Appearing

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
Here's a way to clear out information relating to the DPs in an old site if you ever re-install a site with a new name...  [Go to article]
 

Moving a CAP

How do I move a CAP that has been created on the wrong drive?

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
If you find a CAP has been created on the wrong drive:

1. Stop the SMS Executive and NT Logon Discovery Agent services (if present).
    

2. Unshare the CAP (through Server Manager or from the server itself).
    

3. Delete the CAP directory and it's contents.
    

4. Using Server Manager (or on the server itself) , stop sharing the hidden administrative share for all drives you do not want the CAP installed on.
    

5. Restart the SMS Executive and NT Logon Discovery Agent settings. SMS sees the CAP has gone and creates it on the drive with the most free space.
    

6. Once the CAP has been created, reverse step 4.
    

7. Re-permission the CAP (if appropriate to your domain model).
    

'Preferred' setting in registry disappears after a reboot using Prefserv

There is one missing registry entry for setting the preferred CAP: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NAL\CLIENT\Use Preferred Servers=1 (Double_Word)

prefserv.exe /CAP ZUR /ADD ["Display=\\SERVER1\"]MSWNET:["SMS_SITE=ZUR"]\\SERVER1\

Using these two commands your clients will connect with the desired CAPs.

There are also a number of Microsoft Knowledge Base articles on using PrefServ such as 235873 'SMS: Specifying Preferred Servers in Systems Management Server 2.0'.
 

Problem Using LOCALSVR from the Resource Kit

Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP SMS]
Here's some information courtesy of Ed Aldrich on how he got to grips with the LOCALSVR utility from the Resource Kit ...  [Go to article]
 

Re-permissioning a CAP in a Master Domain Model

As explained in the SMS Servers in the Resource or Accounts Domain article on the Design and Planning Issues page, in a Master Domain Model if the CAP is in a Resource domain and the user accounts are in the Master Accounts domain, you need to grant NTFS permissions for the Domain Users group from the Master Accounts domain to the CAP - if you don't the installation may fail.

For SP1 you can use the following batch file to help you with this (you'll need to modify it for SP2 onwards). Put all your CAP servers in a file called 'LIST.TXT' in the same directory as the batch file.

@echo OFF
@if not "%ECHO%"=="" echo %ECHO%
@if not "%OS%"=="Windows_NT" goto DOSEXIT
rem $Workfile: skeleton.bat $ $Revision: 2 $ $Date: 12/04/97 9:51a $
rem $Archive: skeleton.bat $

rem Set local scope and call MAIN procedure
setlocal & pushd & set RET=
set SCRIPTNAME=%~n0
set SCRIPTPATH=%~f0
if "%DEBUG%"=="1" (set TRACE=echo) else (set TRACE=rem)
rem call _mtplib :INIT %SCRIPTPATH%
if /i {%1}=={/help} (call :HELP %2) & (goto :HELPEXIT)
if /i {%1}=={/?} (call :HELP %2) & (goto :HELPEXIT)
call :MAIN %*
:HELPEXIT
popd & endlocal & set RET=%RET%
goto :EOF

rem
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
rem HELP procedure
rem Display brief on-line help message
rem
:HELP
if defined TRACE %TRACE% [proc %0 %*]
rem Put help message here...

goto :EOF

rem
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
rem MAIN procedure
 rem
:MAIN
if defined TRACE %TRACE% [proc %0 %*]

for /f %%I in (list.txt) do call :LOOP %%I

goto :EOF

rem
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
rem Additional procedures go here...
rem
:LOOP
pushd & set RET=
@echo ON

rem ****************************
net use h: /delete
 @REM Try to map to D and E drive on CAP server. All my caps were either on D or E.
net use h: \\%1\D$
net use h: \\%1\e$
H:
cacls cap_* /E /G "DOMAIN\domain users":R
cd cap_*
cacls * /T /E /G "DOMAIN\domain users":R
c:

net use h: /delete

rem ****************************
@echo OFF
popd & set RET=%RET%
goto :EOF

rem These must be the FINAL LINES in the script...
:DOSEXIT
echo This script requires Windows NT

rem
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 

What spec of server should I use for my DPs?

Does anyone have any suggestions on distribution point minimum hardware? I have some old Pentium Pro 200's that have enough hard drive space to be DPs, I'm just wondering if they would slow things down instead of speeding things up. These will be dedicated DPs, so I don't have to worry about sharing resources with anything else. Logically, it would seem that it shouldn't take too much processor power, but I wanted to get some opinions first.

No actual SMS services have to run on a Distribution Point, so performance shouldn't depend on anything other than disk access time and raw network throughput.
 

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