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Lesson 2: Communication Between Primary Sites

A site hierarchy is formed by connecting a primary site to another primary site or by creating a secondary site that connects to a primary site. An address from one site to another and a method of communication between the sites must be provided before communication is established between sites.


After this lesson, you will be able to Estimated Completion Time: 120 minutes

Senders

If there is more than one site in a hierarchy, there needs to be a means for the additional sites to communicate up and down the hierarchy. Senders are SMS components that use an existing connectivity system to communicate with other sites. A sender provides a robust, reliable, fault-tolerant transfer mechanism to send data between connected sites. SMS provides senders for dedicated connections (Standard Sender), dial-up connections (RAS Senders), and offline package communications using removable media (Courier Sender). For two sites to communicate, the following criteria must be met:

Senders can communicate across the following connectivity systems:

Sending Data

The Scheduler starts all data transfers by passing data to the appropriate sender. A sender transfers the data to the destination site, where the Despooler acts on the data. Figure 11-3 shows an overview of the site-to-site communication process.

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Figure 11-3. Overview of site-to-site communications.

The Scheduler, a sender, and the Despooler are involved in site-to-site communications. Once the Scheduler has prepared the data for sending, a sender monitors its directory on the sending site for files to send.

The process for sending data to another site is as follows:

Regardless of the sender type, each sender performs three key tasks: monitoring send requests, moving data to the destination site, and updating send status for the Scheduler. These tasks are described next.

Monitoring Send Requests

For each installed sender, except the Courier Sender, a sender dispatcher thread within the SMS_EXECUTIVE process monitors its outbox for send requests. The Scheduler places instructions and package files in \smsdir\INBOXES\SCHEDULE.BOX\TOSEND for the senders to process.

Monitoring send requests consists of waiting for any file changes in the \smsdir\INBOXES\SCHEDULE.BOX\OUTBOXES\sender directory. If the sender is installed on a computer other than the site server, the computer may not be alerted by a Windows NT Changed Directory Event, so the sender will poll its directory for send requests.

When an .SRQ file is found in the sender's directory, another sender thread within the SMS_EXECUTIVE process is created to service the send request.

Moving Data to the Destination Site

Senders move data, such as a package and instruction files, from one site to another. The data is moved from the sending site server's smsdir\INBOXES\SCHEDULE.BOX\TOSEND directory to the destination site server's smsdir\INBOXES\DESPOOLR.BOX\RECEIVE directory. The Standard Sender and RAS Senders use standard file I/O requests to move data to the destination site. No SMS components are required at the destination site to receive the data, because the operating system's Server service receives the data and places it in the remote receive box.

Data transferred by the senders is sent in blocks. The size of these blocks depends on the sender type. The Standard Sender, for example, transfers 256 KB blocks at a time. After each block is sent successfully, the send status file is updated. If a send fails, the sender retransmits the block starting after the last successfully sent block.

Files are given different extensions (.PKG becomes .PCK and .INS becomes .TMP) as they are moved. The instruction file is renamed to .INS after both files have been transferred. The .TMP extension prevents the receiving Despooler from starting to process the data before it is fully received.

Updating Send Status for the Scheduler

As a sender begins processing an .SRQ file, this file is renamed to an .SRS status file. This file is updated as the sender successfully sends each block of information to the destination site. If the sender experiences an error moving the data, it will place an error status in the .SRS file. When the file is completely sent, the status file is updated with a complete status and then deleted by the Scheduler.

Adding a Sender

When a primary site server is installed, the Standard Sender and Courier Sender are automatically installed. Additional senders are created from the SMS Administrator console as shown in Figure 11-4.

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Figure 11-4. Adding a sender from the Senders node.

Notice in Figure 11-4 that the Courier Sender does not appear in the list labeled 3. The Courier Sender is automatically created and configured and cannot be modified. There is a separate application, the Courier Sender Manager, which is used to create data to be sent from one site to another using this sender.

The 'Server' field appearing under the General tab (shown in Figure 11-4), specifies which component server is running the sender. By default, the site server runs the sender threads. However, you can install a sender on a computer other than the site server. When specifying a computer other than the site server, SMS automatically installs the SMS Executive running the sender threads. As a result, the selected Windows NT/2000 Server becomes a component server. A component server is an example of a site system, as discussed in Chapter 10.

The following settings configured from the Advanced tab (Figure 11-5) of each sender allow you to control the behavior of the sender. These settings are not available or applicable to the Courier Sender.

Figure 11-5. The Advanced tab of a sender's properties.

Controlling the Number of Concurrent Sends

The 'Maximum concurrent sendings' group is used to control the number of sender threads created in order to send data to all sites and to each site. Specify how many concurrent transmissions can be sent from the sending site at one time from the 'All sites' option, and specify how many concurrent transmissions can be sent from the originating site to each destination site from the 'Per site' option. The 'Per site' option is only available if the sender services more than one destination site.

If the component server running the sender or the network is over-utilized, decrease the number of sender threads that are created by the SMS Executive to service send requests. Conversely, if the component server or the network is not over-utilized, increase the number of sender threads created by the SMS Executive to service send requests. Where component server and network utilization is not an issue, increasing the number of threads will increase the speed at which data is processed from one site to another.

Increasing the Fault-tolerance of the Sender

It is useful, particularly for unreliable sender connections, to increase the values contained in the 'Retry settings' group. From this group, specify the Number of retries setting in case of transmission errors. Specify also the Delay before retrying. If a connection is frequently unavailable for extended periods of time, increase the Delay before retrying setting. This will keep the sender from exhausting the number of retries assigned before aborting the data transmission.

Addresses

An important step in establishing a relationship between primary sites is configuring one or more site addresses. Figure 11-6 shows how a Standard Sender site address is configured.

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Figure 11-6. Configuring a Standard Sender address.

A site address defines a path for sites to communicate with each other. To successfully create a site address, characteristics of the connection being established must be entered when the address is created. There are three types of site addresses:

A site address always defines the type of sender and the site code. Depending on the sender address type, the sender address may also specify access account information, the sending schedule, network bandwidth available for the destination site, and RAS access phone book entry information.

Sender Address Properties

The following items are configured under the General tab for all sender addresses except the Courier Sender address type. Also, RAS Sender addresses contain an additional 'RAS access' section, which is described later in this lesson.

Destination Site Code

This is the site code for the destination site. You can have multiple addresses designated for the same destination site. You can also define a site address for a site before the site is installed. This site code must be configured for all sender address types.

Relative Address Priority

It is possible to assign multiple addresses to the same site. The relative address priority determines which address is used first. If communication fails with the first address, then the next highest priority address is used. For example, you may have both a Standard Sender and a RAS Sender available to connect to another site, with the Standard Sender having the highest priority. If the Standard Sender fails after completing the retry cycle, then the RAS Sender is used.

It is not possible to set the address priority at the time the address is created. After the address is created, the address is selected from the details pane of the SMS Administrator console. Then either Increment Priority or Decrement Priority is chosen, as shown in Figure 11-7.

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Figure 11-7. Configuring address priority.

Destination Access Account Information

The 'Destination access' group, shown in Figure 11-6, specifies what entries are used by the sending site's sender to access the receiving site server. This access account information is necessary for all sender types with the exception of the Courier Sender address type.

RAS Access Information

A RAS Sender address takes advantage of an existing RAS phone book entry to establish a remote site connection. Therefore, RAS Sender address types include a 'RAS access' section, which contains a 'Phone Book Entry' field and an 'Account' field. The 'Account' field is a RAS-specific account that connects to the destination site system that has RAS configured for dial-in access.

Sender Address Account Access Rights

A properly configured site address includes a user account with Full Control permission to the smsdir\INBOXES\DESPOPLR.BOX\RECEIVE (SMS_SITE share) directory on the destination site server. It is recommended that an account different from the destination site's SMS Service account be used, because the SMS Service account has rights throughout the site and domain. Depending on your security needs, there are a few different methods you can use to enter the destination access account:

The password for the destination access account should not be changed, or site addressing will fail. Therefore, check the 'Password never expires' checkbox in User Manager for Domains. In addition, grant this user account the 'Log on as a service' advanced user right.

Controlling Network Usage

You can set bandwidth limitations in the properties of the site address. Bandwidth limitations control how much and for what SMS priority transmission, connections between sites will be used. The address scheduling and rate limit features provide flexibility in controlling the use of the LAN or WAN connection by SMS. Rate limits and schedules apply to all sender address types except for the Courier Sender.

Configuring an Address Schedule

There are several different types of transmissions that take place between sites. These include site control files, collection properties, inventory data, discovery data, status messages, and packages. Each of these transmissions is assigned a priority by SMS components. Administrators can set priorities for data transmission from the Schedule tab of the Address Properties dialog box (Figure 11-8).

Figure 11-8. Configuring the Schedule of the sender address.

The following transmission priorities are combined with time periods to deter-mine whether a transmission can be sent using this address at a particular time:

In addition, the 'Unavailable to substitute for inoperative addresses' checkbox allows you to make this address unavailable to act as a backup for other inoperative sender addresses. Therefore, the next highest priority sender address (Figure 11-7) will not be used if the 'Unavailable to substitute for inoperative addresses' checkbox is enabled.

For example, if a Standard Sender address and a RAS Sender address is defined for a site, the RAS address can be configured to allow transmissions for high priority jobs during a certain time, but at the same time, will not act as a backup sender address if the Standard Sender is failing.

Rate Limits

For each hour of the day, you can specify how much of the sender network connection can be used by SMS. During times of heavy network traffic, SMS functions can be throttled back so that the network connection is not over-utilized. For example, from the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., SMS can be configured to use only 50 percent of the available bandwidth, as shown in Figure 11-9.

Figure 11-9. Configuring the Rate Limit of the senders address.

Site-to-Site Communications Using a LAN or WAN

The Standard Sender is installed on the site server by default for use across LAN and WAN network connections. This sender can be compared to an enhanced file copy application. It uses the Windows NT network components to communicate with other site servers. It is better designed to work in a WAN than a standard operating system copy command because it sends one block of data at a time. Through this block-by-block sending process, it knows where to restart the transmission if the link should fail. Sending data between two sites connected by a LAN or WAN requires the setup procedure shown in Figure 11-10.

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Figure 11-10. The three steps required to establish site-to-site communication using a LAN or WAN connection.

The three steps to establishing site-to-site communications over a LAN or WAN, illustrated in Figure 11-10, are:

  1. Configure the physical connection between sites.
  2. If TCP/IP or IPX is used as the LAN protocol, either a router or bridge can be used. If NetBEUI is used in a WAN environment, a bridge, not a router, is typically used for site-to-site communications. NetBEUI is not recommended for WAN connections, since it was originally designed for small- to medium-sized LANs.

  3. Install the site servers.
  4. The Standard Sender is the default sender for both primary and secondary site servers and must be available locally, since it is used within the site.

  5. Configure the addresses between the sites.
NOTE
A secondary site server's sender address is automatically configured when the secondary site is installed from the primary site.

There is no need to install the Standard Sender, since it is automatically installed on the site server when SMS is installed. The Standard Sender can be installed on a non-site server component server instead. In this case, installing the Standard Sender is an additional step in establishing site-to-site communications. Multiple senders can be configured in a site but only one of each sender type is configured in a site. Therefore, if the Standard Sender is moved to a non-site server component server, it is removed from the site server.

Standard Sender Architecture

The Standard Sender does not complete the actual transfer of data between sites. This sender operates at the application layer and makes requests to the lower Windows NT/2000 networking layers to transfer the data. Specifically, this is the Windows NT/2000 redirector (Workstation service) using the installed protocols to establish a session and send the data. On the receiving side, Windows NT/2000 networking services are involved in making the data available to the Despooler thread. This communications process is shown in Figure 11-11.

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Figure 11-11. Sending packages and instructions through a Standard Sender connection.

Site-to-Site Communications Using a RAS Sender

RAS Senders can be installed to allow connections using RAS over an asynchronous, ISDN, or X.25 connection, or using an SNA network.

Before you add a RAS Sender to the site server or a non-site server component server, install RAS (both dial-out and dial-in) on the computer that will serve as the RAS Sender at each site, and establish the RAS communications link between the two sites. Establishing the communications link includes selecting the appropriate dial-up connection (asynchronous, ISDN, or X.25) or SNA network connection, configuring the transport protocol, and adding the appropriate RAS phone book entries. Verify that your RAS communication link is operational before installing a RAS Sender.

After the RAS Sender is installed on both sites, configure a RAS Sender address to and from the destination site.

SNA RAS Sender Implementation Details

The SNA RAS Sender uses Windows NT SNA Server, Windows NT RAS (RASSNA), and an SNA network to communicate with other site servers. Typically, an existing SNA network designed for IBM host systems communication is used for data communications between site servers. There are five steps that must be completed to establish communications between two primary site servers over an SNA RAS connection. These steps are illustrated in Figure 11-12 and described next.

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Figure 11-12. Site-to-site communications using the SNA RAS Sender.

  1. Configure the link service between the sites.
  2. Link services include SDLC, X.25, 802.2, and DFT. Link services control hardware-to-software communications in an SNA environment.

  3. Install Microsoft SNA Server on a computer at each site.
  4. It does not have to be installed on the site server.

  5. Configure the RAS (RASSNA) on the SNA Server.
  6. Add and configure the SNA RAS Sender on a component server or the site server.
  7. In Figure 11-12, the SNA RAS Sender is installed on the Windows NT Server running SNA Server.

  8. Create an address at each site to use the SNA RAS Sender over the SNA communications link.
NOTE
Windows NT SNA Server can be installed on the site server. However, it is recommended that SNA network communications and SMS functions be separated to improve fault tolerance and performance.

SNA RAS Sender Transport Architecture

Communication between two SNA servers is achieved by SNA Application Program to Program Communications (APPC) applications. These applications are also referred to as transaction programs (TPs). The TPs require an LU 6.2 node to run. Computers running the SNA Server software act as LU 6.2 nodes, which pass the data from the sending SNA TP to the receiving SNA TP.

SNA Server version 2.11 and beyond allows for the creation of virtual LAN connections between Windows NT systems across an existing SNA network. This is achieved by integrating SNA Server's LU 6.2 transport with the RAS architecture, allowing RAS to dial-up remote network connections across the SNA network. As a result, the SNA RAS Sender benefits from the data compression, administration, and security features built into RAS.

The communications process from destination site to destination site via the SNA RAS Sender is shown in Figure 11-13.

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Figure 11-13. Transmitting site data through an SNA RAS Sender connection.

Communications between the sending site and the destination site are established when the SNA RAS Sender initiates a "phone call" using the SNA RAS phone book entry (dial-out). Once the connection is established with the RASSNA dial-in, the SNA RAS Sender sends data through the SNA Server Gateway. The SNA Server Gateway is connected to the local area network and the SNA network.

SNA Communication Mode

There are two modes of communication supported for site-to-site connections over the SNA network: batch mode and interactive mode. The mode of the connection configured in Windows NT SNA Server for site-to-site communications must also be configured for the RASSNA phone book entry. The two RASSNA modes are:

NOTE
Interactive mode consumes the entire bandwidth of the SNA link when connected. Use this mode only when the SNA link is not being used by other applications. You can use Interactive mode as long as you set sender address rate limits on the connection (Figure 11-9).

SNA networks can be configured to use the following data link control mechanisms:

Asynchronous, ISDN, and X.25 RAS Sender Implementation Details

The asynchronous, ISDN, and X.25 RAS Senders use Windows NT/2000 RAS to communicate with other site servers using a dial-up connection. The installed RAS Sender must correspond with the type of RAS connection configured between the sites. Configuring site-to-site communications using a RAS Sender is shown in Figure 11-14. The steps for configuration are described next.

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Figure 11-14. Configuring site-to-site communications through a RAS Sender.

NOTE
The configuration in Figure 11-14 is similar to that shown for the SNA RAS Sender. The primary difference between these RAS sender types is that the asynchronous, ISDN, and X.25 RAS senders use standard Windows NT/2000 RAS, while the SNA RAS Sender also depends on the configuration of an SNA Gateway to establish site-to-site communications.
  1. Install and configure Windows NT/2000 Server and RAS. Configure RAS for dial-in and dial-out at each site.
  2. RAS must be installed on a site server or a computer running Windows NT/2000. It should be configured for dial-in and dial-out functions on all sites that will communicate with one another via the RAS connection. A RAS phone book entry is created at each site. The RAS connection should be tested by performing a RAS dial-out to the destination site.

    In site-to-site communications, the sending site uses its local dial-out facility to send data to the destination site. The destination site receives the data through its local RAS dial-in facility.

  3. Install a RAS Sender at each site.
  4. If the RAS Sender is installed on a computer other than the site server, then that server becomes a component server. The RAS Sender will use the configured RAS service to establish site-to-site communications. The RAS Sender is the application layer service that is used to send and receive data.

  5. Configure a RAS Sender address using the RAS phone book entry to the destination site.
  6. The address will use the RAS Sender mechanism to send any data to the destination site as specified in the 'Destination site code' field.

RAS Sender Transport Architecture

Figure 11-15 shows the RAS Sender dial-out client at the sending site. At the destination site, the RAS dial-in server receives data and passes it either through the NetBIOS gateway or through the TCP/IP or IPX router software to standard Windows NT network components. The destination site receives the data on a RAS Server and then sends the data to the destination site server via a LAN connection.

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Figure 11-15. Sending packages and instructions through a RAS Sender connection.

NOTE
The NetBIOS gateway was provided with RAS for backward compatibility with earlier RAS client computers. PPP connections using the TCP/IP or IPX router functions are more commonly used for site-to-site communications.

The RAS Senders use both Windows NT LAN and RAS network components to move data. The RAS Sender resides at the application layer and makes requests of the lower layers to transmit packages and instructions between sites.

Establishing a Child-to-Parent Primary Site Server Relationship

Installing a sender and entering an address that uses a sender to communicate with a destination site will not alone establish a relationship between two sites. After the required addressing information has been entered, the hierarchy can be built from the child site to the parent site. This process of connection completes the creation of a hierarchical relationship. The final step in forming a primary site hierarchical relationship is completed from the SMS Administrator console's Set Parent Site dialog box, which is accessed from the properties of the child site (Figure 11-16).

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Figure 11-16. Establishing a relationship between child and parent primary site servers.

The following events occur after a child site attaches to a parent site:

NOTE
If the child site has a large inventory and the tempdb database at the parent site is too small, the inventory process could fail. Make sure tempdb is large enough to handle the temporary tables. If the hierarchy is designed in advance, you can simply attach the child site before you collect any inventory at the child site in order to speed up the process.

When the configuration has been completed at the parent site, an administrator at the parent site sees the new child site displayed in the SMS console tree of the SMS Administrator console. After the child site's discovery data has been reported to the parent site, an administrator at the parent site is able to view the resources in the child site, as well as administer the child site server.

The collection rules created on the parent are also sent to the child site, and can be viewed in the SMS Administrator console for the child site. When refreshed, they show local site members that meet the collection rules.

Package information as well as advertisements are delivered to the child site. This allows the child site administrator to distribute packages to appropriate distribution points.

Exercise 50: Preparing Computer 2 to Become a Primary Site Server

In this exercise, you will prepare Computer 2 running Windows NT Server (SERVER2) as a member server to become a primary site server. To begin this process, you must first remove Computer 2 from all site system roles. After the removal is complete, you will install SMS 2.0 so that Computer 2 is a primary site server.

NOTE
Fewer steps are provided here than in previous exercises since the procedures outlined here should be familiar to you from exercises in previous chapters.
  1. From Computer 1, start the SMS Administrator console.
  2. Expand the Packages node from the SMS console tree.
  3. Remove Server2 from any Distribution Point nodes.
  4. Select the Site Systems node from the SMS console tree and then choose Server2 from the details pane.
  5. From the Action menu, select Properties.
  6. The \\SERVER2 Site System Properties dialog box appears.

  7. Select the Client Access Point tab and clear the 'Use this site system as a client access point' checkbox.
  8. Select the Distribution Point tab and clear the 'Use this site system as a distribution point' checkbox.
  9. Click the fourth button on the 'Group membership' toolbar so that SERVER2 is no longer part of the 'distribution point' group created in a previous exercise.
  10. Click OK to close the \\SERVER2 Site System Properties dialog box.
  11. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the site server to remove SERVER2 from the CAP and distribution point roles and allow several hours, if necessary, for SERVER2 to be removed from the component server role.

  12. Check Computer 2 to verify that the \CAP_S01 and \SMSPKGD$ directories have been removed.
  13. From the SMS Administrator console on Computer 1, verify that \\SERVER2 appears with no roles in the details pane of the Site Systems node.
  14. Once there are no roles assigned to \\SERVER2, select the Action menu and then choose Delete.
  15. Computer 2 is now prepared to become a primary site server.

Exercise 51: Installing SMS 2.0 on Computer 2

In this exercise, you will install SMS on Computer 2. You will use the Custom setup method after creating the database for SMS on Computer 1. You will not install the software metering database. Computer 2 should already be running Windows NT Server version 4.0 and Service Pack 4a.

NOTE
Computer 2 will use the database configured on Computer 1. Therefore, it is not necessary to install SQL Server on Computer 2.
  1. From Computer 1, start the Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Manager application from the 'Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 start menu' group.
  2. The Enterprise Manager console appears.

  3. Expand the SQL Server console tree in order to find and select the Databases folder.
  4. From the Action menu, select New Database.
  5. The Database Properties dialog box appears.

  6. In the 'Name' field, enter SMS_S02.
  7. Select the Options tab and then check the 'Truncate log on checkpoint' checkbox.
  8. The database file and transaction log files are set for automatic file growth. This setting is acceptable to complete the exercises in this self-study kit.

  9. Click OK to close the Database Properties dialog box.
  10. The remainder of this exercise is to be completed from Computer 2.

  11. Insert the SMS 2.0 installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive on Computer 2.
NOTE
If Autorun is enabled, the installation splash screen will start automatically. If the splash screen appears, skip the next step.
  1. Locate the directory titled SMSSETUP and double-click to open it. Within the SMSSETUP directory locate the AUTORUN.EXE file and double-click it.
  2. The Systems Management Server 2.0 Setup splash screen appears.

  3. Click the 'Set Up SMS 2.0' option.
  4. The Systems Management Server Setup Wizard window appears.

  5. Click Next.
  6. The installation routine inspects your computer and does not locate a previously installed copy of SMS. If it does locate a previously installed copy of SMS, stop the installation and remove the CD-ROM from the computer now and do not continue this exercise. Verify that the installed copy of SMS is removed before continuing.

  7. Click Next.
  8. The Setup Options window appears.

  9. Verify that the 'Install an SMS primary site' radio button is selected and click Next.
  10. The Installation Options window appears.

  11. Select Custom Setup and click Next.
  12. The Systems Management Server License Agreement window appears.

  13. Read the licensing information and then select the 'I Agree' radio button.
  14. The Product Registration window appears.

  15. Type your name in the 'Name' field, type Education in the 'Organization' field, and type 111-1111111 in the 'Product ID' field. Click Next.
  16. The SMS Site Information window appears.

  17. In the 'Site code' field, type S02. In the 'Site name' field, type Primary Site. In the 'Site domain field' type DOMAIN1. Click Next.
  18. The SMS Service Account Information window appears.

  19. The 'Account Name' field should contain DOMAIN1\SMSService. Accept this name and type PASSWORD in the 'Password' and 'Confirm password' fields. Passwords are case-sensitive, so make sure the password is entered exactly as it appears above. Click Next.
  20. The SMS Primary Site Client Load window appears.

  21. In the 'Number of SMS client computers' field, type 5. There is no need to set the number of client computers higher than this number for the purpose of self study. Click Next.
  22. The SMS Server Platform window appears.

  23. Notice that the 'Intel X86 or compatible' checkbox is gray and that the 'ALPHA' checkbox is not selected. The 'Intel X86 or compatible' checkbox is selected because the installation routine has determined that SMS is being installed on an x86 platform. Do not select the 'ALPHA' checkbox, since this guide is designed for learning SMS using the x86 platform. Click Next.
  24. The Setup Installation Options window appears. The 'Systems Management Server' and 'SMS Administrator console' options are automatically selected.

  25. Do not select any additional checkboxes. Notice that SMS selects an NTFS partition on your computer for its installation files. If your computer is configured as explained in "About This Book" SMS Setup will install files on the D: drive in the \SMS directory. Click Next.
  26. The Dedicated Copy of SQL Server window appears.

  27. Select the 'No, do not install a dedicated local copy of SQL Server for SMS' checkbox and click Next.
  28. The SQL Server Information for SMS Site Database windows appears.

  29. Change the 'Computer running SQL Server' field to SERVER1, and select the 'Version 7.0' radio button. Select the 'Yes' radio button in response to the question, "Do you want SMS to use integrated security when accessing SQL Server?" and then click Next.
  30. The SMS Site Database Name window appears showing SMS_S02 as the database name.

  31. Since you created a database named SMS_S02 in SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Manager on Computer 1, do not change the value appearing in the 'Database name' field and click Next.
  32. The Concurrent SMS Administrator Consoles window appears.

  33. Change the number of SMS Administrator consoles to 2 and notice that when you adjust this number, the 'Minimum number of SQL Server connections' field changes from 75 to 60. Click Next.
  34. The SMS Provider Information window appears.

  35. Verify that the 'SMS site server' radio button is selected and click Next.
  36. The Completing the Systems Management Server Setup Wizard window appears.

  37. Review the setup summary information in the Completing the Systems Management Server Setup Wizard window and then click Finish.
  38. Installation can take 30 minutes or longer, depending on the hardware and other processes running on the computer used for the SMS installation. The installation is complete when the Systems Management Server Setup Wizard message box appears, stating that SMS has been successfully installed.

  39. Click OK to close the Systems Management Server Setup Wizard message box.
  40. The Systems Management Server program group containing icons appears.

NOTE
You will observe heightened disk activity on Computer 2 as SMS services continue to configure the databases.

In the next steps, you will enable logging so that SMS components log their activity. You will review these logs after the next exercise to verify the creation of an SMS parent-child relationship.

  1. Open the SMS Administrator console on Computer 2.
  2. Locate and expand the Tools node.
  3. Select the SMS Service Manager, and from the Action menu, select All Tasks and then Start SMS Service Manager.
  4. The SMS Service Manager application appears.

  5. Expand S02 in the left pane and then expand Components.
  6. Select SMS_HIERARCHY_MANAGER from the left pane.
  7. The SMS_HIERARCHY_MANAGER appears in the right pane.

  8. Select the SMS_HIERARCHY_MANAGER from the right pane.
  9. From the Components menu, select Logging.
  10. The SMS Component Logging Control Dialog _ Single component dialog box appears.

  11. Select the 'Logging enabled' checkbox and then click OK.
  12. By repeating the last four steps, enable logging for the following components on SERVER2:
  13. SMS_SCHEDULER

    SMS_LAN_SENDER

    SMS_DISTRIBUTION_MANAGER

    By running the SMS Service Manager on Computer 1, enable logging for the following components on SERVER1:

    SMS_HIERARCHY_MANAGER

    SMS_DESPOOLER

    SMS_DISCOVERY_DATA_MANAGER

    SMS_DISTRIBUTION_MANAGER

Exercise 52: Establishing a Parent-Child Relationship

In this exercise, you will configure a parent-child relationship between two primary site servers. Computer 2 (Site S02) will be a child to Computer 1 (Site S01).

NOTE
Complete these steps from the SMS Administrator console on Computer 2 (SERVER2).

The following steps will add the parent site address (S01) to the child site (S02).

  1. In the SMS console tree, locate and then select the Addresses node.
  2. From the Action menu, select New and then choose Standard Sender Address.
  3. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box displays general settings for the new address.

  4. In the 'Destination site code' field, type S01.
  5. In the 'Site server name' field, type SERVER1, and then click Set.
NOTE
Do not insert double backslashes before to the computer name in the 'Site server name' field.
  1. The Windows NT Account dialog box appears.

  2. In the 'User name' field, type DOMAIN1\SMSSERVICE.
NOTE
It is not necessary to use the SMS Service account, SMSSERVICE. At minimum, the user account for site-to-site communications must be granted full access permission to the DESPOOLR.BOX\RECEIVE directory on S01 and be assigned the 'Log on as a service' advanced user right.
  1. In the 'Password' and 'Confirm password' fields, type PASSWORD and then click OK.
  2. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box displays general settings for the new address.

  3. Click the Schedule tab.
  4. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box displays scheduling information for the new address. Notice the address is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for all priority transmissions to the remote site.

  5. Click the Rate Limits tab.
  6. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box displays rate limit settings for the new address.

    Notice unlimited bandwidth utilization is available when sending to this address by default.

  7. Click OK.
  8. The SMS Administrator console appears with the new address in the details pane.

In the next steps, you will add an address for the child site (S02) to the parent site (S01).

NOTE
Complete these steps from the SMS Administrator console on Computer 1 (SERVER1).
  1. In the SMS console tree, locate and then select the Addresses node.
  2. From the Action menu, select New and then choose Standard Sender Address.
  3. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box displays general settings for the new address.

  4. In the 'Destination site code' field, type S02.
  5. In the 'Site server name' field, type SERVER2, and then click Set.
NOTE
Do not insert double backslashes before the computer name in the 'Site server name' field.
  1. The Windows NT Account dialog box appears.

  2. In the 'User name' field, type DOMAIN1\SMSSERVICE.
NOTE
It is not necessary to use the SMS Service account, SMSSERVICE. At minimum, the user account for site-to-site communications must be granted full access permission to the DESPOOLR.BOX\RECEIVE directory on S01.
  1. In the 'Password' and 'Confirm password' fields, type PASSWORD and then click OK.
  2. The Standard Sender Address Properties dialog box appears.

  3. Click OK.
  4. The SMS Administrator console appears with the new address in the details pane.

In the following steps, you will attach S02 as a child site to S01. S01 becomes the parent site, thus creating a site hierarchy.

NOTE
Complete these steps from the SMS Administrator console on Computer 2 (SERVER2).
  1. In the SMS console tree, select S02 — Primary Site. Then from the Action menu, choose Properties.
  2. The S02 — Primary Site Site Properties dialog box appears.

  3. Click Set Parent Site.
  4. The Set Parent Site dialog box appears.

  5. Select the 'Report to parent site' radio button, and from the drop-down list box, select S01, and then click OK.
  6. The S02 — Primary Site Site Properties dialog box appears.

  7. Click OK.
  8. The SMS Administrator console appears.

In the next steps, you will verify that the process of the child site (S02) attaching to the parent (S01) has completed.

NOTE
Complete this procedure in the SMS Administrator console on Computer 2 (SERVER2).
  1. Locate and expand the System Status node in the SMS console tree.
  2. Expand the Site Status node below the System Status node.
  3. Select the Component Status folder below the Site Status node.
  4. The details pane shows all running components on the S02 Primary Site.

  5. Select the SMS_Discovery_Data_Manager from the details pane.
  6. From the Action menu, select Show Messages, and then choose All.
  7. The SMS Status Message Viewer for <S02> <Primary Site> dialog box appears.

  8. Notice messages with Message IDs of 2603 and 2607. By placing your mouse cursor over each item under the Description column, you will see the status message description.
  9. These messages describe the processing of discovery data to be transferred to the parent site, and the successful completion of the discovery data transfer.

  10. Repeating the same three steps just outlined, select the status messages for SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER.
  11. Notice messages with IDs of 2708, 2709, 2711, and 2713. These messages describe the processing of inventory data to be transferred to the parent site, the outbox that is used to store that data locally, and the successful completion of the inventory transfer.

  12. Display the status messages for SMS_REPLICATION_MANAGER.
  13. Notice the messages with an ID of 4000. The description for these messages is "Replication manager successfully created jobs to send replication objects to site S01."

In the next steps, you will review the log files showing the configuration process undertaken at the child site when it attached to the parent site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from S02. You can use the SMS Trace utility installed on Computer 1 to access the log files on Computer 2. The path to the log files from Computer 1 to Computer 2 is \\SERVER2\D$\SMS\LOGS. You may also use a text editor or install SMS Trace on Computer 2.
  1. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\HMAN.LOG.
  2. The Hierarchy Manager log file is displayed.

  3. Search for S01.
  4. The first occurrence of the parent site's site code is displayed. Notice the next line indicates that the attaching to the parent site process is beginning. Another line below indicates the transfer of the site control file to the parent site.

  5. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\SCHED.LOG.
  6. The Scheduler log file is displayed.

  7. Search for S01.
  8. The first occurrence of the parent site's site code is displayed. This is in the process of transmitting data from the child site to the parent site. A couple of lines below this line, there are references to instruction and package files. These are the instructions and data that are to be transferred to the parent site.

  9. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\SENDER.LOG.
  10. The Standard Sender log file is displayed.

  11. Search for S01.
  12. The first occurrence of the parent site's site code is displayed. Notice that the line indicates a send request was found to the parent site. Another line below indicates the transfer of the site control file to the parent site.

  13. Search for tmp.
  14. The first occurrence of tmp is displayed. A *.tmp file is created at the parent site as the data is transferred to the parent. Notice the lines above this indicate .pck and .ins files to be transferred.

  15. Search for wrote.
  16. The first occurrence of wrote is displayed. Notice the line indicates a number of bytes that were written to the parent site.

In the next steps, you will review the SMS components at the parent site showing the configuration process undertaken when the child site attached to the parent site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure in the SMS Administrator console on Computer 1.
  1. Display the status messages for the S01- Central Site's SMS_HIERARCHY_MANAGER.
  2. Notice messages with IDs of 3306 and 3307. These messages describe the processing of site control files. There are many in the status system. Look for ones that occur around the time of the child attaching to the parent.

  3. Display the status messages for SMS_DISCOVERY_DATA_MANAGER.
  4. Notice messages with IDs of 2611 and 2634. These messages describe the process of updating assignment rules, and the resumption of normal (DDR) processing. This occurred as the child site discovery data was sent to the parent site for processing.

In the next steps, you will review the log files showing the configuration process undertaken at the parent site when the child site attaches to it.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from S01. You can use the SMS Trace utility installed on Computer 1 to access its log files. You may also use a text editor to view the log files.
  1. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\DESPOOL\LOG.
  2. The Despooler log file is displayed.

  3. Search for S02.
  4. The first occurrence of the child site's site code is displayed. Notice the line indicates an instruction file was found. This was transferred from the child site as it attached to the parent site.

  5. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\HMAN.LOG.
  6. The Hierarchy Manager's log file is displayed.

  7. Search for S02.
  8. The first occurrence of the child site's site code is displayed. Notice the line indicates the processing of a site control file from the child. This was transferred from the child site as it attached to the parent site.

  9. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\DDM.LOG.
  10. The Discovery Data Manager's log file is displayed.

  11. Search for S02.
  12. The first occurrence of the child site's site code is displayed. Notice the line that indicates it found an .sca file for the child. This was created by Hierarchy Manager as the child site attached to the parent site.

    The next few lines show processing of child site data.

In the following steps, you will verify that the parent-child relationship has been established by viewing the site hierarchy and site properties from the SMS Administrator console on Computer 1.

  1. In the SMS console tree, select the S01 — Central Site node. Then from the Action menu, choose Refresh.
  2. From the SMS Administrator console running at site S01, how can you tell whether the parent-child relationship has been established?
  3. Answer

  4. In the SMS console tree, select S02 — Primary Site. Then from the Action menu, choose Properties.
  5. The S02 — Primary Site Site Properties dialog box appears.

  6. What is the child site's parent code?
  7. Answer

  8. What are the site boundaries for the child site?
  9. Answer

  10. Click Cancel to return the SMS Administrator Console.
  11. In the SMS console tree, expand S02 — Primary Site and from the Site Settings node, select Addresses.
  12. Access the properties for the address to the child site.
  13. What address and account is the child site using when communicating with the parent site?
  14. Answer

  15. In the SMS console tree, expand Collections, and then select All Systems.
  16. The list of discovered systems from both sites appears in the details pane. Notice the site server SERVER2 is listed.

NOTE
If the child site server does not appear, update the collection membership and then refresh the list.

Package Transfer Using the Courier Sender

The Courier Sender allows for package delivery using transportable media, rather than the network. This sender type is not used to establish or maintain data communications in a site hierarchy.

Like the Standard Sender, the Courier Sender is installed by default during site server installation. The Courier Sender cannot be configured or deleted. Therefore, the Courier Sender does not appear under the Senders node in the SMS Administrator console. During the installation of SMS, the Courier Sender Manager application is added to the Systems Management Server start menu group as SMS Courier Sender. This application allows for the creation of parcels, which are packages created specifically for a destination site. The steps shown in Figure 11-17 and listed after the figure, must be completed before a parcel can be created in the Courier Sender Manager for a destination site.

Click to view at full size

Figure 11-17. Configuring a package for the Courier Sender.

  1. A sending site must have a Courier Sender Address defined to the receiving site.
  2. Like all other sender addresses, the Courier Sender Address is created in the SMS Administrator from the Addresses node.

  3. A package is created whose distribution point is the child site.
  4. The package is configured to use the Courier Sender.
  5. This setting is configured from the Distribution Settings tab contained in the properties of the package.

The SMS Distribution Manager compresses the package into a single file and places it in the root directory of the drive containing smsdir. A send request file is then placed in the Courier Sender outbox. The administrator uses the Courier Sender Manager to create a parcel using the send request file, as shown in the first part of Figure 11-18.

Click to view at full size

Figure 11-18. Creating, receiving, and confirming the receipt of a parcel in the Courier Sender Manager.

The Courier Sender does not begin processing the data like the other senders, which is why the Courier Sender Manager application is required to create a parcel. The parcel is moved to the target site using a physical medium. When the parcel arrives at the destination site, an administrator at that site runs the Courier Sender Manager, as shown in Figure 11-18, to receive the parcel. Once the parcel is received, other SMS components process the files. The administrator at the sending site then uses Courier Sender Manager to update the parcel's status to Confirmed.

When the parcel's status has changed to Confirmed, the Courier Sender Confirmation component removes the send request file from the Courier Sender's outbox.

Exercise 53: Configuring a Courier Sender Address Type

In this exercise, you will configure an address to S02 that uses the Courier Sender.

  1. In the SMS console tree, locate and expand the Site Settings node.
  2. Select the Addresses node.
  3. From the Action menu, select New, and then choose Courier Sender Address.
  4. The Courier Sender Address Properties dialog box displays general settings for the new address.

  5. In the 'Destination site code' field, select or type S02, and then click OK.
  6. The SMS Administrator console appears with the new address in the details pane. Notice that there are now two addresses for the child site.

Exercise 54: Transferring Data Using the Courier Sender

In this exercise, you will use the Courier Sender to transfer a package from parent site (S01) to child site (S02).

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the parent site (S01).
  1. Create a D:\SOLITAIRE folder, and then copy C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\SOL.* to D:\SOLITAIRE.
  2. Switch to the SMS Administrator console.
  3. In the SMS console tree, select the Packages node.
  4. From the Action menu, select New and then Package.
  5. The Package Properties dialog box displays General settings for the new package.

  6. In the 'Name' field, type Solitaire and then select the Data Source tab.
  7. The Package Properties dialog box displays Data Source settings for the new package. Notice the default is that the package does not contain any files. Even though Solitaire is already installed on both computers, you will transfer the files anyway to create a package to be distributed to the child site.

  8. Select This package contains source files, and then click Set.
  9. The Set Source Directory dialog box appears.

  10. Under Source directory location, select the 'Local drive on site server' radio button, and then click Browse.
  11. The Browse for Folder dialog box appears.

  12. Select D:\SOLITAIRE, and then click OK.
  13. The Set Source Directory dialog box displays the source file path.

  14. Click OK.
  15. Select the Distribution Settings tab.
  16. The Package Properties dialog box displays Distribution Settings for the new package. Notice the default for the 'Preferred sender' drop-down list box is <No Preference>.

  17. In the 'Preferred sender' drop-down list box, select Courier Sender, and then click OK.
  18. The new package appears in the SMS console tree.

  19. Under the Packages node, expand Solitaire.
  20. The package expands to display objects for programs, distribution points, and access accounts. To get the package data transferred to the child site, you must assign at least one child site distribution point for the package.

  21. Select the Distribution Points node.
  22. From the Action menu, select New, and then choose Distribution Points.
  23. The New Distribution Points Wizard dialog box appears.

  24. Click Next.
  25. The New Distribution Points Wizard Copy Package dialog box appears displaying all available distribution points in the hierarchy. This should include both the parent and child site servers.

  26. Choose Select All, and then click Finish.
  27. The list of distribution points for the package appears in the details pane. This should include both site servers.

In the following steps, you will view the log file activity related to sending the package description to the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the parent site only (S01). You may use either the SMS Trace application or a text editor.
  1. Open d:\SMS\LOGS\DISTMGR.LOG.
  2. Search for S02.
  3. The first occurrence of S02 appears. Notice this line indicates that the package changes were sent to the child site.

    Additional lines indicate the need to send the compressed package to the child site and the resulting compression of the package files. Another line indicates a mini-job was created to send the compressed package to the child site.

In the following steps, you will verify the transfer of the package description by viewing SMS status messages at the parent site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the parent site server (S01).
  1. Using the Status Message Viewer in the SMS Administrator console, display the status messages for the SMS_DISTRIBUTION_MANAGER.
  2. Notice messages with IDs of 2339 and 2335. These messages describe the creation of mini-jobs to transfer the package definition and the package data to the child site.

  3. Display the status messages for the SMS_REPLICATION_MANAGER.
  4. Notice the messages with an ID of 4000. The description for these messages is "SMS Replication manager successfully instructed SMS Scheduler to send files to site S02."

In the following steps, you will view the package information at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the child site only (S02). For log file viewing, you may use the SMS Tracer application or a text editor.
  1. In the SMS console tree, select Packages.
  2. From the Action menu, select Refresh.
  3. The package definition for Solitaire appears. Notice the locked icon. This indicates that the package came from another site and cannot be modified at the local site. The package definition was transferred to the child site, but the package files have not arrived, as they are using the Courier Sender.

  4. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\DISTMGR.LOG.
  5. Search for PKG.
  6. The first occurrence of PKG appears. Notice this line indicates that the package was successfully processed.

    A few lines later, a line indicates that this package is not created at the site and will be sent from the parent site if needed. Another line indicates that the package requires a newer version of the source files, which have not yet arrived. These files are to be sent using the Courier Sender.

In the following steps, you will create the parcel containing the package data to be sent to S02 using the Courier Sender.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the parent site only (S01). If you are not familiar with creating a query in SMS 2.0, review Chapter 8 or skip the next three steps.
  1. To determine the package ID of the Solitaire package prepared for the Courier Sender, create a query with the following information:
  2. Object Type: Package

    Query Statement:

    Field Value
    Query statement criterion type Prompted value
    Where Package — Name
    Operator is like
    Prompt <prompted value>

    Results Format:

    Attributes


    Package ID

    Stored Package Path


  3. Run the Query.
  4. The query result will display the Package ID and the Stored Package Path: \\SERVER1\SMS_CPSD$\filename.PCK. SMS_CPSD$ is the shared directory D:\SMSPKG. The filename value will vary.

  5. View the contents of d:\SMSPKG to locate filename.PCK.
  6. This is the package data prepared for the Courier Sender to transfer.

  7. From the Start menu, select Programs — Systems Management Server, and then choose SMS Courier Sender.
  8. The Courier Sender Manager application appears.

  9. From the File menu, select Create Outgoing Parcel.
  10. The Courier Sender Wizard — Create Outgoing Parcel Select Send Requests dialog box displays all available send request files.

  11. Under Item, select Solitaire, and then click Next.
  12. The Courier Sender Wizard — Create Outgoing Parcel Specify Parcel Properties dialog box appears, allowing you to provide parcel tracking information.

  13. Complete the parcel properties information using the following data.
  14. In this field or box You supply
    Name Solitaire package
    Tracking Package1
    How Sent Usually sent by removable media. For the purpose of this exercise, sent over the network.
    Comment Solitaire program for distribution.
  15. Click Next.
  16. The Courier Sender Wizard — Create Outgoing Parcel Save Parcel dialog box appears prompting for a location to save the parcel. Notice that the default path is d:\SMS\IMBOXES\COURSEND.BOX\OUT.

  17. Click Finish.
  18. The Courier Sender Manager application appears displaying the available parcels.

In the following step, you will send the parcel to the child site.

NOTE
Complete this step from the parent site only (S01).
  1. Copy D:\SMS\INBOXES\COURSEND.BOX\OUT\SOLITAIRE PACKAGE.PCL to \\SERVER2\SMS_S02\INBOXES\COURSEND.BOX\IN.
  2. Normally, sending a parcel is accomplished using removable media, such as a compact disc. However, for this exercise, you will use the network.

In the following steps, you will receive the parcel at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the child site only (S02).
  1. View the contents of D:\SMS\INBOXES\COURSEND.BOX\IN to verify that SOLITAIRE PACKAGE.PCL exists with a size of 24 KB.
  2. From the Start menu, select Programs — Systems Management Server, and then choose SMS Courier Sender.
  3. The Courier Sender Manager application appears.

  4. From the File menu, click Receive Incoming Parcel.
  5. The Courier Sender Wizard — Receive an Incoming Parcel Select a Parcel dialog box appears. Notice that the default path is D:\SMS\INBOXES\COURSEND.BOX\IN.

  6. Click Browse.
  7. The Open dialog box appears.

  8. Select Solitaire package.pcl, and then click Open.
  9. Click Next.
  10. The Courier Sender Wizard — Receive an Incoming Parcel Summary dialog box displays information about the parcel. Notice the information that was created at the parent site.

  11. Click Finish.
  12. A Courier Sender Manager message box appears indicating the parcel was successfully received.

  13. Click OK.
  14. The Courier Sender Manager application appears.

  15. From the File menu, click Exit.

In the following steps, you will view the package data at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the child site only (S02).
  1. View the contents of D:\SMSPKG.
  2. A file should appear here with the parent's site code as the first three letters of the file name. This is the package data.

  3. View the contents of D:\SMSPKGD$.
  4. This is the shared location for the distributed package. Notice the Solitaire application and Help file appear in a folder with the parent site code and package number.

NOTE
It may take a few moments for the SMSPKGD$ share to appear, as the files need to be decompressed at the site server and then distributed to the distribution point.
  1. Switch to the SMS Administrator console.
  2. In the SMS console tree, expand Solitaire, and then select the Distribution Points node.
  3. The list of distribution points for the package appears in the details pane. Notice that this list only includes the distribution point at the child site and not the distribution point at the parent site.

In the following steps, you will view the log file activity related to receiving the package at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the child site only (S02). For log file viewing, you may use the SMS Tracer application or a text editor.
  1. Open D:\SMS\LOGS\DISTMGR.LOG.
  2. Search for ntfs.
  3. The first occurrence of ntfs appears. Distribution Manager is attempting to distribute the compressed package to SERVER2, the local distribution point for S02. The text in the log file indicates that the package does not require NTFS permissions.

    The next set of lines indicate the processing of the compressed package, including the selection of the disk to which to decompress the files, and the creation of the SMSPKGD$ share. If SERVER2 is configured as specified in "About This Book" the D: drive will be the location of the package share.

In the following step, you will verify the transfer of package description by viewing SMS status messages at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this step from the child site server (S02).
  1. Display the status messages for SMS_DISTRIBUTION_MANAGER.
  2. Notice messages with IDs of 2300, 2311, 2301, 2322, 2329, 2342, and 2330. These messages describe the processing of the package.

In the following steps, you will update the parcel data to specify that it was received at the child site.

NOTE
Complete this procedure from the parent site only (S01).
  1. Switch to Courier Sender Manager.
  2. Under the 'Name' column, select Solitaire package. Then from the File menu, select Parcel Status.
  3. The Parcel Properties dialog box appears displaying parcel data.

  4. Click Change status.
  5. The Change Parcel Status dialog box appears displaying the current parcel status of created.

  6. Select the 'Sent' and 'Confirmed' checkboxes, and then click OK.
  7. The Parcel Properties dialog box appears displaying parcel data.

  8. Click OK.
  9. The Courier Sender Manager application displays parcel data. Notice the status has changed to confirmed.

  10. Close the Courier Sender Manager application.

How Sites Communicate

Once data is ready to send from one site to another, the Scheduler, the senders, and the Despooler are responsible for transferring it reliably from one site to another.

Package Routing

As you saw from the previous exercise, a child site must contain a sender address to its direct parent and a parent site must contain sender addresses to all of the child sites directly below the parent. Through package routing, a parent site is able to distribute a package to sites more than one level below it in the hierarchy without having to connect directly to every site in the hierarchy. Package routing provides a method for distributing packages when the parent site either does not have a child site address or the site sender address the parent does have to the subsite is unavailable.

In Figure 11-19, sites S05 and S06 are more than one level deep with respect to site S01. The parent site has an operational address for site S03, but does not have an operational addresses for sites S05 and S06. Package routing then takes over and the package is delivered by the intermediate site S03 in order to be routed to S05 and S06.

Click to view at full size

Figure 11-19. Package routing.

This method of routing packages is called fan-out distribution. It is used automatically when the originating site either does not have an address to a site more than one level below it in the hierarchy or the sender schedule is closed to the subsite.

TIP
If rapid package distribution is desired, create sender addresses to all subsites in the site hierarchy.

Sender Status Files

The Scheduler starts all data transfers by passing data to the appropriate sender. The sender transfers the data to the receiving site, where the Despooler acts on the data.

The sender is responsible for reliably transferring data from one site to another. The Scheduler places a send request file (*.SRQ) in the outbox of the appropriate sender. Once the SRQ and data from other SMS components, such as the Replication Manager, are prepared by the Scheduler, the sender takes over. Each of the senders perform three key tasks: monitoring the outbox, moving data to the destination site, and updating send status for the Scheduler. These tasks are shown in Figure 11-20 and described next.

Click to view at full size

Figure 11-20. The three essential steps of the sender.

Monitoring the Outbox

For each installed sender, a sender dispatcher thread within the SMS_EXECUTIVE monitors its outbox for send requests. The Scheduler places send instructions in the outboxes for the senders to process. These instructions are placed in a send request file (*.SRQ).

The outbox directory path for the *.SRQ file is smsdir\INBOXES\ SCHEDULE.BOX\OUTBOXES\sender, where sender is the specific sender's outbox directory name. For example, LAN is the outbox for the Standard Sender, while COURIER is the outbox for the Courier Sender. This directory is selected based on the type of sender being used to send the job to the destination site. For example, if data is to be sent to the target site using the Courier Sender, the *.SRQ file is placed in the COURIER directory.

Monitoring an outbox consists of waiting for any file changes in the \smsdir\INBOXES\SENDER.BOX\REQUESTS directory. The Scheduler places a send request file in an outbox and the sender reads the request to send data to all destination sites.

Moving Data to the Destination Site

Senders move data to the destination site from the smsdir\INBOXES\SCHEDULE.BOX\TOSEND directory to the destination's \smsdir\INBOXES\DESPOOLR.BOX\RECEIVE directory.

NOTE
The *.SRQ file is not sent to the destination site. Just the data, such as a package, is sent.

The Standard and RAS Senders use standard file I/O requests to move data to the destination site. No SMS processes are required at the destination site to receive the data, because the Window NT/2000 Server service receives the data and places it in the remote receive box.

Data transferred by the senders is sent in blocks. After each block is sent successfully, the send status file is updated. If a send fails, the sender retransmits the block starting after the last successfully sent block.

Update Send Status for the Scheduler

This file is updated as the sender successfully sends each block of information to the destination site. If the sender experiences an error moving the data, it places an error in the status file (*.SRS). When the file is completely sent, the status file is updated with a complete status and then deleted by the Scheduler at the sending site.

A pending send request (*.SRQ) or a working send request (*.SRS) is composed of sections of information describing various details of the send request. The following list of the common sections in a send request can be displayed with a utility such as DUMPSEND.EXE, which can be found on the Systems Management Server CD-ROM in the SUPPORT\RESKIT\BIN\ platform\DIAGNOSE directory. The syntax for the DUMPSEND.EXE command is

DUMPSEND.EXE filename
NOTE
To pause the screen, include the |more command at the end of the DUMPSEND command line. To write the contents of the DUMPSEND screen display to a text file, include the following pipe command at the end of the DUMPSEND command line:
> filename.txt

Here is the result of the DUMPSEND command from a status file:

Microsoft Systems Management Server v2.0 (Build 1239)
  Copyright (C) 1994-1998 Microsoft Corp.

  SEND REQUEST DATA RECORD
	 Length:			336
	 Priority:		 1
	 Dest Site:		S02
	 Job:			00000028
	 Job request:	_014S01
	 Outbox:		 D:\SMS\inboxes\schedule.box\requests
	 Preferred Address MS_COURIER
	 Ignore Schedule:  1

  Sender/scheduler RECORD
	Length:	 80
==============================================
	 Sender status:			SREQ_STATUS_ERROR
	 First sender started at:  (not set)
	 Sender started at:		(not set)
	 Sender ended at:		(not set)
	 Sender gate heartbeat at: Thu, Feb 04 1999 23:56
	 Scheduler to restart at:  Thu, Feb 04 1999 23:56
	 Total bytes to send:	0
	 Bytes left to send:	 0
	 Sync Point is:			0
	 File type is:			 0 (No file)
	 Number of connects:	 0
	 Sender ID:			
============= End of Dump ==============
  CANCEL RECORD
	 Length:	 4
	 Mode:		 Not cancelled

  ACTION CODE RECORD
	 Length:	 4
	 Code:		 0

  PACKAGE FILE RECORD
	 Length:	 33
	 File:		 \\SERVER1\SMS_CPSD$\S010000D.PCK

  INSTRUCTION FILE RECORD
	 Length: 59
	 File:		 \\SERVER1\SMS_S01\inboxes\schedule.box\tosend\00000028.I2R

  ROUTING RECORD
	 Length: 540
	 Routing Master Request ID:	 
	 Job Originating Site:	
	 Job Final Destination Site:

  CONFIRMATION RECORD
	 Length: 4
	 Confirmation Needed: 1
	

Details of the Send Request Data Record

Sender/Scheduler

This section is updated by the sender and used by the Scheduler to determine the status of the send request.

Cancel Record

Action Code Record

Address Record

Package File Record

Instruction File Record

Routing Record