How to configure a remote console in Ghost Solution Suite 3.X

*Note - the purpose of this guide is to assist with the remote console setup in support environments. Please see the Ghost Support Matrix for client operating systems that are supported. Initial testing has shown this method also works on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 but as these are unsupported environments... use at your own risk.

1. Access the UNC path for the Ghost Solution Suite (GSS) server eXpress share from the client machine and copy the express.exe file to the desktop.

   
    

2. It is common to see missing .dll extensions, this can be resolved by accessing the \\ghostserver\c$ share and running the DSSETUP\vcredist_86.exe or download the
   Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 from Microsoft here

3. Navigate to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools->  and run ODBC Data Sources (32-bit)
    
4. Navigate to the "System DSN" tab and select "add" then "SQL server" and then select finish

   
    

5. Fill out the connection information. It is important that the connection name be "Altiris eXpress Database" as shown in the below screen shot. Ghost Solution Suite looks for this connection explicitly and any other name will cause connectivity issues.

   Enter the location of the sql server.

   *note - if the sql server location is unknown, opening the odbc connection on the Ghost Solution Suite server and viewing the Altiris connection will show the default SQL server location in use. This can be accomplished by opening the console and navigating to File->Connect To->Modify->ODBC Administrator->System DSN and selecting the Altiris eXpress Database source and then selecting configure.

6. Select next and use either Windows NT authentication or SQL authentication. *note - Default is NT authentication if Ghost Solution Suite was installed using simple install.
    
7. Select next and change the default database to eXpress (or the correct GSS database name if the name differs from default).

   
    

8. Select next, finish and then "Test Data Source", verifying the connection completed successfully.

   
    

9. If successful, select "ok" repeatedly until all windows have been closed from the odbc configuration.
    
10. Run eXpress.exe-shortcut on the client desktop as an administrator and verify functionality.

    *If a warning is received saying "You have exceeded your license count; navigate to help->register->browse in the Ghost Solution Suite Console and then navigate to GSS server\express\licenses and select your license file