The Problem with SMS
I read with interest Marshall Copeland's "Adding Value to SMS" (May 2003, http://www.winnetmag.com, InstantDoc ID 38488) and in particular information about the Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) Administration Feature Pack. We've been using many of these tools since they were in beta release. We use the Manage Site Accounts utility to change our SMS accounts, and we've found a problem. One account that this tool can't manage is the Server
Connection account, which is used to connect SMS services within an SMS site and is used by the SMS Provider service to connect to the database.
The Server Connection account is created automatically during installation, or you can specify an existing account by using the '/ServerAccount' Setup switch or the SMSAccountSetup.INI file. However, after you set this account, you can change it only by running a site reset locally on the site server.
I'm sure many SMS administrators have seen the prompt to reset this account during a site reset, haven't been sure what it refers to, and so have replied No and left it at that. More important, if the account is deleted and you haven't run a site reset to change the SMS Server account to a valid account, the site will very quickly stop working. Primary sites in particular are vulnerable because of their dependency on the SMS Provider service.
This problem might not concern all users of SMS. However, in a large hierarchy such as ours, in which security and account management are a high priority, this problem can cause serious operational difficulties.
—Andrew Read
andyread@arcor.de
Not So Perfect Device
I enjoyed Mark Smith's "(Almost) Perfect Devices" (May 2003, http://www.winnetmag.com, InstantDoc ID 38481). I purchased two Handspring Treo 300 devices--one each for my wife and me. This device seemed to be the perfect solution for consolidating phones and Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry devices and services, as well as being a great deal from Sprint. Everything worked as Mark described, except setting up mail accounts.
First, the Sprint technical support representatives aren't familiar with the 2bAnywhere software, which I had downloaded and synchronized with the Treo 300. I didn't get my email accounts to work. So the Sprint representatives suggested that I download the QUALCOMM Eudora Internet Suite (EIS) 2.1 software because they were familiar with it.
Second, after I uninstalled 2bAnywhere and installed the Eudora email software, Sprint could set up only my Sprint email account. I could receive but not send mail because of a time zone setting that they couldn't find in the software. After some research on the Eudora Web site, I found the setting and selected the automatic selection. It didn't work. When I retrieve my email from my other accounts, the Eudora software does connect to my email server but it returns an I/O error.
I would rather use the 2bAnywhere software instead, if I can get it to work. It seems more capable than Eudora. Where can I find documentation about how to set up 2bAnywhere?
—Joe Hidalgo
joe.hidalgo@positiveoutcomes.net
I use my Treo with 2bAnywhere on my POP3 account, so I can verify that it works. You do need to register with 2bAnywhere, but the software is free. After you register with 2bAnywhere and configure the client, you should be up and working. If you're still having trouble, support is available from an email list that you can subscribe to on the 2bAnywhere Web site.
—Mark Smith
Light in the Forest
Sean Deuby's Multiple-Forest Trusts (April 2003, http://www.winnetmag.com, InstantDoc ID 38280) was a revelation to me. Just as IT administrators insisted on not doing Windows 2000 in the Windows NT 4.0 way, we must now realize that Windows Server 2003's potential goes beyond Win2K's capabilities. More articles like this one are welcome!
—Jean Gerrekens
jean.gerrekens@fortisbank.com
OOPS
We inadvertently omitted Stephen Greenberg's name as coauthor of "Windows and UNIX on the Desktop" (May 2003, http://www.winnetmag.com, InstantDoc ID 38495). Stephen Greenberg is the founder and president of Thin Client Computing in Scottsdale, Arizona. We regret any inconvenience this error might have caused.
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