FAQShop.com : When do I need to uninstall/re-install the SMS Client?

When do I need to uninstall/re-install the SMS Client?

I'm trying to get a handle on the proper procedures to follow when a client has to be uninstalled or reinstalled. I don't mean the actual method used to uninstall or reinstall, but rather what steps should be followed on the both the client and server sides to keep things clean and in sync? For example, if a client workstation gets relocated to another area and receives a new name and IP, should the client be uninstalled, the workstation renamed, and then the client reinstalled? What needs to happen on the server side? Are there manual steps that need to be taken to remove references to the old machine?

The client does not need to be uninstalled and reinstalled in this case. There are three things that can happen:

If the client is moved into a new SMS Site, it should join the new site when it realises where it is (so long as its IP is in the boundaries of the new site).
If the client is moved from one place on the network to another without changing sites or it's IP address is still within the boundaries of the old site, it will stay connected to the old site.
If it is removed from SMS completely (it's new IP is not part of a boundary of SMS) it will eventually orphan itself after 30 days, and will uninstall its client components. It will still retain some legacy client info sitting on the hard drive, but it will no longer attempt to contact a CAP.

So the short answer is, you almost never have to uninstall the SMS client under any circumstances, when it needs to be uninstalled it will do it itself (as in the case of orphaning mentioned above). In most cases, the SMS client will take care of itself and realise whether it needs to join a new SMS site, stay in the current SMS site, or de-install itself.