What's new in Symantec Installation Manager (SIM) in ITMS 7.5 SP1 or later

Objective

This article discusses the feature summary, background and reason for the new features, and any requirements and pre-requisites for Symantec Installation Manager (SIM) that is released along with IT Management Suite (ITMS) 7.5 SP1.

List of new changes or modifications in SIM:

• Modifications that are made based on Early Adoptors Program (EAP) feedback
• Handling installation of SQL Server Express edition
• Availability of SIM Getting Started Guide
• New IRCs for Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system
  • Check host name of computer
  • Support Window Server 2012 R2 operating system
• Support for upgrading to 7.5 SP1
  • Supported upgrade path
  • Supported database version
  • Partial upgrade
  • Support to select all latest hot fixes for installation
• Additional configuration settings for troubleshooting issues
  • Automatic backup of registry before installation or upgrade
  • Ability to create new registry settings

Modifications that are made based on Early Adoptors Program (EAP) feedback

New reboot check message

• In a few cases, you are required to create an offline installation package, support package, or update licenses.
• SIM that is released with ITMS 7.5 SP1 executes this check only when the user performs installation or upgrade tasks. 
• Rebooting the computer is now an optional task, and the following message is displayed after SIM is launched:

Allow import of wildcard SSL certificates

• You can now import a wildcard certificate during NS installation.
• When you import a wildcard certificate (*.ABC.com), SIM tries to verify that the FQDN of the box matches the FQDN listed on the certificate.  In the case of a wildcard certificate, SIM now validates the domain name. 
• Wildcard certificates are common in large companies and should be handled in SIM. Therefore, we have modified certificate validation to allow wildcard certificate (*.ABC.com) import or setting for SMP web location SSL configuration.

Check x86 Java version only

Handling installation of SQL Server Express edition

If SQL Server is not installed on the computer:

• SIM 7.5 gave the option of installing SQL Server Express edition. On confirmation, SIM triggered SQL Server Express download and installation.
• SIM 7.5 SP1 displays a message and provides the URL to download and install SQL separately. SIM no longer drives SQL Server Express installation.

Following is the new message displayed on Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system:

Following is the new message displayed on Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system:

Availability of SIM Getting Started Guide

• SIM Getting Started Guide is a new deliverable for 7.5 SP1 release. The document was created because the product web help (from SMC) is not available until SMP and ITMS solutions installation is completed.
• The URL to SIM Getting Started Guide is available from all pages of SIM, such that users can access the documentation  regardless of the task they execute.
• On clicking the URL, user is navigated to the SIM getting Started Guide KB article (http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6717)

Following is the SIM Getting Started Guide URL on all SIM pages:

New IRCs for Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system

• Install Readiness Checks (IRCs) that are available from SIM execute additional environmental checks to ensure that your computer is ready for an installation or upgrade. 
• Following are the newly-created IRCs for Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system:
  1. Check host name of computer
  2. Support Window Server 2012 R2 operating system

IRC to check hostname of computer

• This IRC detects whether the hostname of Windows Server 2012 R2 computer contains underscore characters. If yes, then the IRC restricts the installation of SMP on the computer. 
• This is because as per IE security, Internet Explorer blocks cookies from servers whose host name contains underscore (“_”). (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316112) 

Following is the IRC that is displayed of the computer hostname contains underscore character:

IRC to support Window Server 2012 R2 operating system

This IRC detects the following:

• Detect Windows Server 2012 R2 OS
• Updated IIS IRC for Windows Server 2012 R2
• Updated ASPNET_SP3.cs IRC to support the Windows Server 2012 R2
• Updated WCF_7.1 IRC to enable WCF on Windows Server 2012 R2
• Internet Explorer 11

Support for upgrading to 7.5 SP1

Following are the new compliance checks and support  introduced for upgrading to 7.5 SP1:

1. Supported upgrade path
2. Supported database version
3. Partial upgrade
4. Support to select all latest hot fixes for installation

Supported upgrade path

• Following are the supported upgrade paths:
  • ITMS 7.1 SP2 MP1.1 (includes the SMP build version 7.1.8401)
  • ITMS 7.5 HF6 (includes the SMP build version 7.5.1676)
• IRC will block the upgrade process if non-supported upgrade path is selected to upgrade to 7.5 SP1.

Supported database version

• Validation to check supported database version placed on database configuration page of SIM.
  • If 7.1 SP2 MP1.1 database is selected in the Use existing database option in the Database Configuration page of SIM, then the validation will pass.
  • If 7.1 SP1 or 7.1SP2 MP1 database is specified by user, then the validation check will fail and the following error message would be displayed:

• Validation to check supported database version placed on database configuration page of SIM.
  • If 7.5 HF6 database is selected in the Use existing database option in the Database Configuration page of SIM, then the validation will pass.
  • If 7.1 SP1 or 7.1SP2 MP1 database is selected in the Use existing database option then the validation check will fail and the following error message would be displayed:

Partial upgrade

Support to select all latest hot fixes for installation

Additional configuration settings for troubleshooting issues

• Automatic backup of registry before installation or upgrade
• Ability to create new registry settings 

Automatic backup of registry before installation or upgrade

• SIM automatically creates a registry backup in the support folder before starting the installation, upgrade, or hotfix installation of SMP and ITMS solutions.

The registry backup is available at the following location:

• If you encounter any error because of missing registry entries or corrupted registry file, then the backed up registry keys would be useful. You can execute either of the following workarounds:
  • Restore the previous registry entries and then execute the installation or upgrade process. To restore the previous registry entries, navigate to the registry backup and then double-click the latest AIMRoot.reg file.
  • Create new registry keys.

Ability to create new registry settings

• For ‘existing database validation’ for upgrade to 7.5 SP1  (Key is not created by default)

Create a key called IgnorAltaDBUpgradeValidation, with DWORD value as Enable

• Enable = 1   Ignores existing database validation
• Enable = 0   Performs validation

• For ‘partial upgrade validation’ on install new product page (Key is not created by default)

 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Aim\UpgradePopupRequired

  Create a key called UpgradePopupRequired, with DWORD value as Display

• Display = 1   Partial upgrade pop-up would be skipped
• Display = 0   Partial upgrade pop-up would appear

• For pending reboot check (Key is not created by default)

• Enable = 1   Ignores pending reboot
• Enable = 0   Checks for reboot

Reference material and links:

• ITMS 7.5 SP1 Installation & Upgrade Guide at:

www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6847

• IT Management Suite 7.5 SP1 Cloud SymHelp at:

• SIM Getting Started Guide at:

www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6717