SMS: Service Pack Upgrades Not Automatic for RAS Clients (185344)

CAUSE

When a user logs on through RAS, Smsrun16.exe does not connect to a logon server during the logon process. This is because SMSRUN16 typically runs from the load line of the client's Win.ini file, which starts well before a RAS session is established.

When the client uses RAS to dial in and calls the Runsms.bat or Smsls.bat batch files from its logon script, RUNSMS and SMSLS alter the Sms.ini file to put the client in "Upgrade Mode." However, by the time this occurs, SMSRUN16 has finished processing. Therefore, the client will not connect to a logon server to perform the upgrade.

MORE INFORMATION

SMSRUN16 functions in this way to prevent large Systems Management Server client file transfers through the RAS session.

Page 95 of the Systems Management Server BackOffice Resource Guide provides further information on the functionality of SMSRUN16.

If the need exists to upgrade a client that will never log on locally (as opposed to RAS), a convenient workaround is to modify the logon script to perform a check for a RAS connection, and, based upon the check, call SMSRUN16 a second time to perform the upgrade.

For example, you can check for the existence of a dummy file, or use CHECKRAS from the Back Office Resource Kit. For more information on this method, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

185346 SMS: Logon Script Takes a Long Time over RAS or Slow Connection

Example Logon Script Addition 1

call %0\..\smsls.bat
if exist %windir%\ras.txt goto RAS
goto END
:RAS
c:\ms\sms\bin\smsrun16
:END

Example Logon Script Addition 2

echo Checking for existence of Checkras.exe
if exist %windir%\checkras.exe goto yes
copy \\server\netlogon\checkras.exe %windir%
:yes
%windir%\checkras
if errorlevel 1 goto RAS
goto end
:RAS
c:\ms\sms\bin\smsrun16
:END

The modification to the script should only be temporary; in other words, only when the RAS clients need to be updated with a service pack, or specific 'fix' from the logon server.