SMS: Systems Management Server 2.0 SP3 Support of Window XP Professional (321372)

MORE INFORMATION

SMS 2.0 SP3 is the minimum requirement for supporting Windows XP Professional as a client computer. You may also require additional Quick Fix Engineering (QFE) updates or "hotfixes." QFE hotfixes will be integrated into future services packs.

NOTE: You can request SMS 2.0 SP3 QFE updates for 60 days after the release of service pack 4 (SP4). After this date, SP4 is required for additional QFE support for Windows XP (if you require additional support).

Exclusions

Not all versions of Windows XP are supported by SMS, and not all versions of SMS support Windows XP. Note the following exceptions:

• Earlier service pack releases of SMS 2.0, including SP2, do not support Windows XP Professional as a client.
• SMS 1.2 does not support Windows XP as a client.
• No version of SMS supports Windows XP Home Edition as a client.
• 64-bit versions of Windows XP are not currently supported as SMS 2.0 clients in either 32-bit or 64-bit mode.
• Currently, no version of SMS supports Windows XP Embedded as a client.

The following list describes the SMS features that are available to SMS-based clients that are running Windows XP Professional.

• Feature: Client installation
  Level of support: Fully supported
• Feature: Hardware inventory
  Level of support: Qualified supportFor additional information about hardware inventory and Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  310615 Hardware Inventory from Japanese Clients Is Not Added to the SMS Database

• Feature: Software inventory
  Level of support: Fully supported
• Feature: Network Monitor
  Level of support: Fully supported
• Feature: Software distribution
  Level of Support: Qualified support
  Description: When you initially install SMS SP3 software distribution, you cannot target Windows XP-based clients. This is because Windows XP is not known to Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
  
  To add Windows XP to the list of specified platforms that SMS uses to target software distribution, apply the SP3 hotfix that is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  308271 How to Add Windows XP Professional as a Target Platform to SMS 2.0 SP3

• Feature: Remote tools
  Level of support: Qualified support
  Description: This feature is supported on SMS-based clients that are running Windows XP that have a new accelerated video driver. This driver is delivered when you either upgrade the client to SP3 or when you initially install an SP3 client.
  
  Remote tools are supported by using the Run Length Encoding (RLE) compression method instead of the default LZH compression method. An SP3 QFE hotfix that addresses this problem is included in SP4.
• Feature: Software metering
  Level of support: Qualified support
  Description: There is limited support for software metering of Windows XP. SMS cannot perform software metering of 16-bit programs on a Windows XP-based client.

NOTE: The SMS 2.0 SP3 Remote Administrators Console (a server role) is also supported on Windows XP Professional.