The SMS Provider is a WMI provider that allows both read and write access to the Configuration Manager 2007 site database. The SMS Provider is used by the Configuration Manager console, Resource Explorer, tools, and custom scripts used by Configuration Manager 2007 administrators to access site information stored in the site database. The SMS Provider also helps ensure that Configuration Manager 2007 object security is enforced by only returning site information that the user account running the Configuration Manager console is authorized to view.
The SMS Provider can be installed on the site database server computer, site server computer or another server class third computer during Configuration Manager 2007 Setup. After setup has completed, the current installed location of the SMS Provider is displayed on the site properties general tab.
 Important |
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| If the SMS Provider computer is offline, all Configuration Manager 2007 consoles for the site will not function. |
In multi-language Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchies, the SMS Provider determines the installed operating system language of the requesting computer and formats data returned from the site database to the requesting computer in a matching language format. The SMS Provider is not capable of translating information from one language to another, but it is capable of providing data stored in different languages in the site database to requesting computers. For example, if you are requesting site data from the site database on a computer with a Japanese language operating system installed, and the stored information in the site database is formatted in the same language codepage, the SMS Provider would return information formatted for the Japanese language code page instead of English. If you requested the same Japanese language code page information from the site database from an English based operating system Configuration Manager console installation, the resulting information returned would not be readable.
Windows Automated Installation Kit Requirements
The Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) is installed as a component of SMS Provider installation to enable Configuration Manager console operating system deployment task functionality.
Specifically, WAIK allows the SMS Provider to complete operating system deployment database access tasks including:
- View WIM file details
- Add driver files to existing boot images
- Create boot .ISO files
 Note |
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| WAIK installation may require up to 650MB of additional free space on the computer specified for SMS Provider installation. Windows PE boot images are installed as part of WAIK installation and account for the large size of the WAIK installation |
The SMS Provider Namespaces
A WMI schema exists to describe the structure of the SMS Provider. Schema namespaces describe the location of Configuration Manager 2007 data within the SMS Provider schema. The following table contains the common namespaces used by the SMS Provider.
| Namespace | Description |
|---|---|
|
Root\SMS\site_<site code> |
The SMS Provider, which is extensively used by the Configuration Manager 2007 console, Resource Explorer, Configuration Manager 2007 tools, and scripts. |
|
Root\SMS\SMS_ProviderLocation |
Provides the location of the SMS provider server for a site. |
|
Root\CIMv2 |
Location inventoried for WMI namespace information during hardware and software inventory. |
|
Root\CCM |
Configuration Manager 2007 client configuration policies and client data. |
|
root\CIMv2\SMS |
Location of inventory reporting classes that are collected by the inventory client agent. These settings compiled by clients during computer policy evaluation and are based on the contents of the SMS_def.mof file. |