What Is WMI and How Does SMS 2'0 Use It Wally Mead Program Manager SMS Product Group Microsoft Corpo

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What Is WMI and How Does SMS 2.0 Use It?Wally
MeadProgram ManagerSMS Product GroupMicrosoft
Corporation
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Overview

• Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) concepts
• Systems Management Server (SMS) 2.0 integration
  with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
• Accessing SMS data using WMI
• Troubleshooting SMS and WMI issues

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Web-Based Enterprise Management Concepts

• What is the WBEM initiative?
• WBEM terminology
• WMI
• How SMS uses WMI

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What Is the WBEM Initiative?
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WBEM Terminology

• Schema Common Information Model (CIM)
• CIM repository
• Provider
• Management Object Format (MOF) file
• Consumer application

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Windows Management Instrumentation
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SMS and WMI

• Used by SMS for many tasks
• Hardware inventory
• HealthMon
• Network Monitor Control tool
• Network Discovery
• Network Trace
• SMS Service Manager
• SMS site database access
• All SMS Administrator console actions to SMS site
  database go through the provider

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WMI Versions and SMS

• WMI is optional for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
  98
• Available on Windows NT 4.0 SP4 and Windows 98 CD
• SMS 2.0 installs WMI version 1.1 (build 698)
• If later build not already installed
• Will install by default on Windows 95, Windows
  98, and Windows NT
• Windows 2000 installs WMI version 1.5 (build
  1085) by default
• Can manually install WMI 1.5 on earlier platforms
• Q262317 SMS WMI 1.5 Support in SMS 2.0 SP2
• Q269411 SMS Windows 95 Clients May Hang After
  Upgrade to Service Pack 2

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SMS Administrator Console and WMI

• SMS security rights are validated by SMS Provider
  before requested action is completed
• All actions use SMS SDK calls
• SMS Administrator console was written with the
  SMS SDK
• Any process completed in SMS Administrator
  console can be scripted for command line
• Some tasks already scripted in SMS 2.0 Resource
  Guide a sample folder (there are others) is
• Import folder make CAPs, DPs, collections,
  import and export queries, import site boundaries
• The exception is any password creation and
  manipulation cant be scripted with the SDK
• Excel and Access tools to run SMS queries

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Hardware Inventory and WMI

• Hardware inventory on 32-bit clients uses WMI
• WMI providers gather data when requested
• CIM repository stores last instance for deltas
• Gathers much more data than SMS 1.x
• WMI 1.5 retrieves serial number and manufacturer
  from PC BIOS if hardware supports SMBios 2.1
• Can manually install WMI 1.5 on earlier platforms
• Default inventory controlled by Sms_def.mof
• Can be modified by MOF Manager

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Modifying Hardware Inventory through WMI

• MOF Manager from SMS 2.0 Resource Guide can be
  used to tune inventory
• Some classes require network access
• Adding more classes and attributes create larger
  MIF sizes transferred across network
• Additional customization available through WMI
  extensions
• Over 30 providers available now to retrieve
  additional data for inventory
• If you use additional providers instead of MIF
  files, the data is available to not only SMS, but
  any WMI consumer
• See http//www.microsoft.com/Seminar/1033/2000082
  2SMSHWAREPT1/Seminar.htm
• Note that the URL should be entered as one line
  it is
• wrapped here for readability.

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HealthMon and WMI

• HealthMon agent is a WMI provider
• Gathers Performance Monitor counter data and
  sends to HealthMon console
• Use WMI to gather data
• HealthMon console receives and displays data
• Single agent can send to multiple consoles

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Network Monitor Control Tool and WMI

• Monitor Control tool must be started
• Specific monitors must be enabled, configured,
  and started
• When the monitor detects the configured
  condition, an event is created
• Event data written to console through WMI

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Network Discovery and WMI

• Network Discovery stores some temporary
  configuration data in CIM repository
• Configuration of Network Discovery scope
• Retrieves data from site server registry and site
  control file through WMI
• Quick retrieval of current data
• No storage of discovered resources
• Was done prior to RTM

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Network Trace and WMI

• Site system retrieval
• Uses WMI to pull site systems from site control
  file
• Network Trace Component Poller
• Uses provider to access SMS services and threads
  on site systems
• Network Trace Ping
• Uses provider to redirect ICMP ping request from
  SMS Administrator console to site server
• Pings from site server to remote site system, not
  SMS Administrator console to remote site system

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SMS Service Manager and WMI

• Uses WMI from client to server
• SMS Administrator console on client uses WMI to
  find site server computer
• Uses WMI to validate user rights
• Site server component uses WMI to validate the
  user has rights to the server
• SMS Service Manager Component Poller
• Uses provider to access SMS services and threads
  on site systems

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A Visual Look at How SMS Uses WMI
Network Discovery Agent
Network Trace
SMS Administrator Console
Hardware Inventory Agent
CIM Object Manager
Component Poll
SMS Provider
ICMP Provider
Win32 Provider
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SMS Provider Access

• Controls who has access to the SMS site database
• Three ways to gain access to WMI (prior to the
  SMS Provider)
• SMS Administrators local group
• Wbemperm.exe (WMI control in Windows 2000)
• Member of local Administrators group
• Access to SMS Provider is logged in Smsprov.log
  (automatically enabled)

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SMS Provider Location

• SMS Provider can reside
• On site server computer
• On SQL Server computer
• Logged on user requires access to SMS Provider
• Needs Windows NT, RPC, and DCOM security rights
  (Everyone group by default)
• Needs WMI rights (SMS Administrators local group)

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Accessing SMS Data Using WMI

• SMS Administrator console
• Uses WMI and the SMS Provider for security
• SMSQuery.xls on SMS 2.0 CD
• WMI calls through Visual Basic for Applications
  to the SMS Provider
• Crystal Info for SMS (Crystal Reports)
• WBEM ODBC driver
• Microsoft Access can use WBEM ODBC driver
• Custom utilities can use WMI calls or WBEM ODBC
  driver

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Using the WBEM ODBC Driver

• Requires WBEM SDK
• Automatically installed on SMS Administrator
  consoles
• Can be installed using Wbemsdk.exe on SMS 2.0 CD
• For Microsoft Access, there are three data access
  options
• Create links to SMS data
• Create tables from imported SMS data
• Create SQL pass-through queries
• Connect to the WBEM source during data access

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Creating Links to SMS Data

• Advantage is up-to-date data
• Disadvantage is no modifications to data
• In Microsoft Access
• On File menu, point to Get External Data, click
  Link Tables
• Connect to WBEM source of \\siteserver\site_site
• Select table from SMS site database
• Set unique identifier

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Creating Tables from Imported SMS Data

• Advantage is data modifications are possible
• Disadvantage is data is not current (snapshot)
• In Microsoft Access
• On File menu, point to Get External Data, click
  Import
• Connect to WBEM source of \\siteserver\site_site
• Select table from SMS site database

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Creating SQL Pass-Through Queries

• Advantage is speed (bypasses Jet)
• Disadvantage is no modifications to data
• In Microsoft Access
• On Insert menu, click Query, click Design View
• On Query menu, point to SQL Specific, click
  Pass-Through
• Connect to WBEM source of \\siteserver\site_site
• Build query
• Run

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SMS Administrator Failures

• Verify that Windows Management is running
• Verify that SQL Server is running
• Verify that user has SMS Provider permissions
• Test with Wbemtest
• Test from another SMS Administrator console
• Delete repository files
• Stop Windows Management
• Delete Systemroot\system32\Wbem\Repository
• Start Windows Management
• Run upgrade from SMS 2.0 SP2 CD

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WBEMTest Diagnostic Tool
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Troubleshooting SMS Provider Issues

• Connect to the computer the SMS Provider is
  installed on
• \\providercomputer\root\sms
• \\providercomputer\root\sms\site_sc
• Can use the built-in Wbemtest.exe
• Uses SMS Provider
• Can duplicate SMS Administrator console tasks
• Shows what is available in SQL Server
• Alternately can use CIM Studio
• Graphical interface to show relationships and
  associations
• Available from http//msdn.microsoft.com/downloads
  /sdks/wmi/download.asp
• Note that the URL should be entered as one line
  it is
• wrapped here for readability.

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CIM Studio
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Troubleshooting DCOM Issues

• WMI connections occur over DCOM
• By default, permissions are enabled
• However, if no WMI connections work
• Run Dcomcnfg.exe
• On Default Properties page, verify
• Authentication Level set to Connect
• Impersonation Level set to Identify
• On Default Protocol page, verify
• Connection-oriented TCP/IP at top
• Especially with Windows 2000 SMS Administrator
  console connecting to Windows NT 4.0 site server

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Verifying the Provider Site

• Check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  \Software\Microsoft\SMS\AdminUI\Connection for
  site server name
• Connect to \\providercomputer\root\sms
• To verify the site code
• select from SMS_ProviderLocation where
  providerforlocalsite True, then Apply
• This is what the SMS Administrator console
  attempts to connect to
• You may get multiple instances returned if a
  reinstall occurred with a new site code

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Verifying Access to SMS Site Data in SQL Server

• Always go through SMS Provider, and never go
  directly to SQL Server
• Direct SQL access bypasses SMS Security
• Connect to \\providercomputer\root\sms\site_sitec
  ode
• Enum Classes, Recursive, view Instance data
• Query for specific data example select from
  SMS_Collection
• If you can view instance data, you are retrieving
  data from SQL Server
• Problem must be elsewhere

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Fixing a Corrupted SMS Provider MOF

• Verify normal sources
• Windows Management is running
• SQL Server running (MSSQLServer)
• User has permissions to Sms.msc and required
  files
• User is a member of SMS Administrators
• Copy or create Smsprov.mof
• Copy current version from \Sms\Bin\I386
• Create from SMS 2.0 CD \Smssetup\Bin\I386\_smsprov
  .mof
• Drop in systemroot\System32\Wbem\Mofs

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SMS Provider Connection Issues

• Prior to SP2, each SMS Administrator console
  consumed multiple connections
• Usually two per SMS Administrator, but could be
  more
• Not shared or released well
• Caused a lack of available connections
• Work around was to increase available connections
• \Sms\Bin\I386\Smsprov.mof
• MaxSQLConnections defaulted to 60 (about 30
  consoles)
• SP2 fixes the use and release of connections

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Summary

• WBEM is a management initiative for common data
  sources
• WMI is Microsofts implementation of WBEM
• SMS 2.0 uses WMI for many processes
• Hardware inventory, HealthMon, Network Monitor
  Control tool, Network Trace, the SMS
  Administrator console
• SMS data can be accessed outside the SMS
  Administrator console using WMI
• Troubleshooting WMI usually involves using
  Wbemtest
• Verify SQL Server and WMI services are running
  first

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