Now consider how software distribution works in the same environment. The Advanced Client polls the management point periodically to see whether it needs to install any software. When the Advanced Client determines that it needs to install software, it obtains a list of distribution points from the management point. (In this scenario, the primary and secondary site servers assume the distribution-point role.) The Advanced Client then contacts the local distribution point in the secondary site to obtain the software. During the software distribution, the Advanced Client reports the status (e.g., receiving the installation instructions, starting the installation) to the management point. The management point then passes the status data to the secondary site server, which forwards the data to the primary site server. Finally, the primary site server writes the status information to its database.
Now that you have a basic understanding of SMS, let's look at the improvements Microsoft made in SMS 2003. Namely, Microsoft improved the installation and upgrade processes, created a new type of client, added a new method for deploying clients, improved hardware and software inventory, enhanced software distribution, added support for native remote tools, redesigned the software-metering feature, increased the number of Web Reports, enhanced a patch management add-on, and designed new feature packs and client packs.
Easy Installation and Upgrade
Making new installations of SMS 2003 easy and making upgrades from SMS 2.0 smooth were key focus areas for Microsoft during the development of SMS 2003. The two most notable installation improvements from SMS 2.0 to SMS 2003 are the removal of SMS logon points and the addition of the Deployment Readiness Wizard (DRW).
During the installation of a site system, SMS creates all roles on the site server. By default, a new primary site server assumes the CAP and distribution-point roles. New client installations and Advanced Clients require the presence of server locator points and management points in the network, both of which require you to first install Microsoft IIS on the site server. This new architecture removes the need for logon points. The SMS logon point role in SMS 2.0 was problematic because, in many situations, the SMS Administrator didn't have full access to logon servers to install logon points.
To facilitate a smooth upgrade path, Microsoft created the DRW. This wizard ensures that the existing environment meets all upgrade prerequisites before you begin an SMS upgrade. Those prerequisites include the removal of SMS 2.0 logon points and verification that all SMS sites have at least SMS SP4 applied.
New Type of Client
Whereas SMS 2.0 supports only one type of client, SMS 2003 supports two client types: the Legacy Client and the Advanced Client. Microsoft recommends the Advanced Client for client PCs running Win2K or later because it's more efficient and reliable than the Legacy Client. The improved efficiency and reliability is especially important in slower or congested networks and in environments supporting mobile client computers.
The Advanced Client uses Microsoft's Background Intelligent Transfer Service. BITS throttles the Advanced Client's use of network bandwidth to avoid significantly affecting client computer performance resulting from SMS client activity. The Advanced Client also uses Checkpoint restart, another key feature of BITS. With Checkpoint restart, the Advanced Client gracefully recovers from an interrupted session with a site system. When communication is restored, it can resume its session with the site server at the point where it left off.
Both the Advanced Client and the Legacy Client support the primary SMS features, but there are major differences in how SMS 2003 implements each client type. SMS 2003 installs all Advanced Client components at the same time on client computers. You can then enable each component from the SMS Management Console. In contrast, SMS 2003 installs the Legacy Client one component at a time. Thus, enabling a new Legacy Client component from the SMS Management Console generates additional network traffic, which makes the Advanced Client installation more efficient than the Legacy Client installation.
New Method for Deploying Clients
SMS 2003 provides an array of client deployment methods. Like its predecessor, SMS 2003 can install clients through the Client Push Installation method. When you use this method, SMS initiates the installation of the SMS client to all client computers in a site. New in SMS 2003 is the Client Push Installation Wizard. As Figure 1 shows, this wizard lets you initiate a client installation.
There are other installation methods that you can use. You can install Legacy Clients from the command line (with smsman.exe) or from a logon script (with capinst.exe). You can install Advanced Clients with the client.msi Windows Installer package. Because client.msi is an .msi file, you can deploy it a number of ways. For example, you can deploy it from the Software Installation node in the Group Policy snap-in, which has been renamed the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in in Windows Server 2003.
Improved Hardware and Software Inventory
Like SMS 2.0, SMS 2003 relies on WMI for hardware inventory. Although it's named hardware inventory, this feature collects both hardware and software information because the Common Information Model (CIM) repository (i.e., the WMI schema) contains both WMI hardware and software classes that the Hardware Inventory Agent uses to collect data.
By default, SMS 2003 collects the most common hardware inventory items, such as a computer's processor speed, hard disk size, physical memory capacity, installed services, and the contents of Add or Remove Programs. However, that default set of inventory data is only a small portion of the data that WMI can provide. You can augment or trim the default set of inventory data by editing the sms_def.mof file on the site server. (For more information about editing this file, see Chapter 2 of the "Systems Management Server 2003 Operations Guide," http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/sms/2003/all/opsguide/en-us/ops_1kc7.mspx.)
The SMS 2003 Software Inventory Agent scans the header information of files to collect data such as the software's vendor, name, and version. By default, the agent scans all hard disks for files with an .exe extension. The Advanced Client lets you fine-tune software inventory scanning by adding other types of files to scan, by specifying which drives and directories to scan, and by excluding compressed and encrypted files.
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