Discovery, Assignment, and Client Installation

Discovery

     The discovery activity in SMS 2.0 is designed to locate resources in the site, including both client computers and other potentially manageable resources. Discovery is configured at the site level. Multiple sites can initiate discovery of the same resources without a conflict. The discovery agents operate on a regular schedule to locate new or changed resources.

Assignment

     A resource is assigned to a site based on its IP subnet or IPX network. An administrator defines site boundaries by specifying subnets (or networks) in the Site Properties dialog box. Any client computer with a matching subnet address that is discovered by an SMS discovery method is automatically assigned to the site. A resource is not installed as an SMS client until it is assigned to a site, even though its discovery data is stored in the site database. On the other hand, a resource can be installed without being discovered, but still must have been assigned to the site.

Client Installation

     When discovery is completed, if the client is within the site boundaries and installation is enabled, then the SMS client components are installed. A client can also be installed without being discovered as long as it is assigned; that is, connected to a subnet that has been added to the site boundaries. There are a variety of installation methods for installing clients.