Q175526: SMS: Modifying the Default ‘User Information’ MIF Entry

Article: Q175526
Product(s): Microsoft Systems Management Server
Version(s): winnt:1.2
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbInventory smsinv
Last Modified: 25-JUL-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

You may find it necessary to modify the default 'User Information' MIF Entry
form that is supplied with Systems Management Server. This form is stored in the
Uinfo.xnf file and can be modified using the Systems Management Server MIF Form
Generator application, which is supplied with Systems Management Server.

Because this file is part of a normal Systems Management Server client
installation, modifying the existing form instead of simply creating a new form
keeps you from continually redistributing a custom form after new Systems
Management Server clients are installed.

Ideally, this procedure should be accomplished prior to deploying Systems
Management Server in a production environment. If this is done after the Systems
Management Server client has been installed on users' workstations, several
additional steps are required to ensure that it is done properly.

MORE INFORMATION
================

NOTE: Applying Systems Management Server service packs will overwrite the
modified files. Save a backup copy of the changes and manually update the files
after applying the latest service pack.

The master copy of the Uinfo.xnf file is stored in the following directory:

  \SMS\Site.Srv\Maincfg.box\Client.src\X86.bin\00000409

Microsoft recommends that you modify a copy of this file, rather than the file in
this location. After you create and save the final version of the form, place it
in this directory.

The following steps show the best procedure for modifying this file and
distributing it to your Systems Management Server clients:

Customizing the Form
--------------------

1. Copy the Uinfo.xnf file from the directory noted in the previous section to a
  working directory.

2. Start the Systems Management Server MIF Form Generator and open the Uinfo.xnf
  file or create a new one.

3. Enter or modify the Form Name.

  NOTE: If the Systems Management Server client has already been deployed in the
  network environment, and users have already filled out the default User
  Information form, then do not use User Information as the Form Name. Use User
  Data or Client Information or something similar instead. Systems Management
  Server uses the form name to define the group class and SQL tables in the
  Systems Management Server database.

4. Configure the rest of the MIF form as needed.

  NOTE: Consulting with others is an excellent idea to help determine what
  information is going to be requested from the users. Planning what is going
  to be contained in the form will prevent users from having to fill out the
  form more than once.

5. Save the MIF form as Uinfo.xnf in the working directory.

For more information on creating custom MIF forms, see Appendix B of the "Systems
Management Server Administrator's Guide" for Systems Management Server version
1.2.

Testing the MIF Form on a Client
--------------------------------

Ideally, the new form should be tested in a test environment with a test
installation of Systems Management Server.

1. Delete the Uinfo.mif and Uinfo.sev files from the \Ms\Sms\Noidmifs directory
  of the Systems Management Server client.

2. Manually copy the new form (Uinfo.xnf) to the \Ms\Sms\Bin directory of the
  Systems Management Server client.

3. Start the MIF Entry application and view the form. If changes are necessary,
  go back to the "Customizing the Form" procedure in this article and modify
  until it is defined the way you want.

4. Repeat Step 1 to delete the files.

NOTE: If Systems Management Server inventory is taken after the MIF form is
filled out, it will be written into the Systems Management Server database.
Therefore, perform Step 1 (in Testing the MIF Form on a Client) to ensure that
the group class matching the form name (that is, User Information) is not
defined in the Systems Management Server database until the final version of the
form is determined.

Distributing the Updated Form
-----------------------------

Copy the updated Uinfo.xnf file to the following directory on each Systems
Management Server site server:

  \SMS\Site.srv\Maincfg.box\Client.src\X86.bin\00000409

If additional sites are added to the Systems Management Server hierarchy, be sure
to copy the custom MIF form to this directory on the new site servers. This will
ensure that client inventory that is passed up the Systems Management Server
hierarchy will not be rejected by the upper-level sites.

After the Systems Management Server Maintenance Manager service has distributed
the file to all the Systems Management Server logon servers managed by the site,
any new Systems Management Server client that is installed will receive the
updated form automatically.

Viewing the New MIF Form Data
-----------------------------

After a Systems Management Server client has filled out the MIF Entry form and
has been subsequently inventoried by running Smsls or Runsms utility, the new
MIF Entry data can be viewed with the Systems Management Server Administrator
utility. The following are some reasons why the new group might not appear under
the Systems Management Server client's Personal Computer Properties.

- To display a new group class for the first time, the Systems Management
  Server Administrator must be exited and restarted.

- It can take several minutes for a client's inventory to be updated in the
  Systems Management Server database.

- The client's inventory was rejected as being corrupted. See the 'Deleting the
  Group Class' section (later in this document) to see if this is the case and
  what needs to be done to correct it.

Additional Steps for Existing Systems Management Server Clients
---------------------------------------------------------------

If the old form has been filled out and inventoried by any users in an existing
Systems Management Server environment, you must remove any existing Uinfo.mif
and Uinfo.sev files prior to distributing the new Uinfo.xnf file. This can be
accomplished by creating a Systems Management Server Workstation package that
calls a batch file which contains these commands:

  REM Look for the Systems Management Server Client directory on the C: drive
  REM If it isn't found, look on the D: drive
  IF NOT EXIST C:\MS\SMS\BIN\UINFO.XNF goto D_DRIVE
    DEL C:\MS\SMS\BIN\UINFO.XNF
    DEL C:\MS\SMS\NOIDMIFS\UINFO.MIF
    DEL C:\MS\SMS\NOIDMIFS\UINFO.SEV
    XCOPY UINFO.XNF C:\MS\SMS\BIN
    goto END

  :D_DRIVE
  IF NOT EXIST D:\MS\SMS\BIN\UINFO.XNF goto NO_CLIENT
    DEL D:\MS\SMS\BIN\UINFO.XNF
    DEL D:\MS\SMS\NOIDMIFS\UINFO.MIF
    DEL D:\MS\SMS\NOIDMIFS\UINFO.SEV
    XCOPY UINFO.XNF D:\MS\SMS\BIN
    goto END

  :NO_CLIENT
  echo SMS Client Directory Not Found

  :END

In the preceding example, the batch file could be extended to look for the
Systems Management Server client on other drive partitions. This same
functionality could also be performed using a Systems Management Server
Installer application.

Deleting the Group Class
------------------------

The preceding steps should not be necessary if the procedures documented earlier
are followed as recommended. However, if a new form name was not used, as
recommended in the previous steps, it might be necessary to delete the group
class created by an earlier version of the MIF form.

Any inventory taken from Systems Management Server clients that have filled out
the new form will be rejected as being corrupted if the form name used is
already defined in the Systems Management Server database and has a different
format.

The MIFs that are rejected by the Dataloader service are placed in the following
directory:

  \SMS\Site.srv\Dataload.box\Deltamif.col\BadMifs

To prevent the client inventory from being rejected, do the following:

WARNING: Deleting a group class from the Systems Management Server database will
result in the complete loss of all inventory stored by the corresponding tables
in the Systems Management Server database. In other words, if the "User
Information" group class is deleted, all Systems Management Server clients that
previously showed the "User Information" group in their Personal Computer
Properties will no longer show this group. In addition, deleting a group class
will probably result in RESYNC jobs being created in order to retrieve full
inventory information from Systems Management Server clients.

1. Start the Systems Management Server Database Manager utility and log on to
  SQL server.

2. On the Tools menu, click Delete Group Classes.

3. Select the Personal Computer architecture and then click OK.

4. In the Defined Group Classes list, see if "User Information" is defined. If
  "User Information" is defined as a group class, then at least one Systems
  Management Server client has filled out the original form and passed it up
  with their Systems Management Server inventory.

5. Select User Information, click OK, and then answer Yes to verify the delete
  action.

6. Quit the Systems Management Server Database Manager utility.

7. Start the Systems Management Server Service Manager utility.

8. Stop and restart the Systems Management Server Executive service running on
  the Systems Management Server site server. This will flush the Systems
  Management Server Dataloader's cache, which contains an image of the
  structure of the Systems Management Server database.

When the next full client inventory is reported, the new User Information group
will be created with the corresponding entries.

After deleting the old group class, the Dataloader may be able to reprocess the
MIFs that it previously found to be corrupted. To do this, move the MIF files
located in the \BadMifs directory into the \Deltamif.col directory. Do not move
MIF files which have a date and/or time stamp earlier than the date changes to
the MIF Entry form were made. These were probably marked as corrupted for a
different reason.

Additional query words: prodsms custom mifs

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbInventory smsinv 
Technology        : kbSMSSearch kbSMS120
Version           : winnt:1.2
Issue type        : kbinfo

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.