Chapter 7 - Troubleshooting

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) provides a number of techniques for monitoring and troubleshooting the system. The primary troubleshooting techniques are:

Using the tools provided in the Microsoft BackOffice Resource Kit to actively troubleshoot SMS services and applications.
Using the tools (such as remote control and Network Monitor) provided with SMS version 1.2 to actively troubleshoot computers on the network.
Checking the status of SMS jobs in the Jobs windows of the SMS Administrator.
Checking the events in the Events window and in the Windows NT event log.
Checking the status of the files that are created, modified, copied, and deleted during normal system operation.
Checking the trace logs for the SMS services and components.

Because jobs are the primary way in which administrators accomplish tasks in SMS, this chapter focuses almost exclusively on troubleshooting jobs. However, all of the information and techniques described in this chapter also apply to troubleshooting other system o`perations, such as client installation or inventory collection.

For more information about	See
Using the tools provided with this resource kit to troubleshoot SMS.	The online documentation (SMSTOOLS.HLP) provided with the Microsoft BackOffice Resource Kit.
Using the tools provided in SMS to troubleshoot the system.	SMS version 1.2 Concepts and Planning, Chapter 7.
Using job status to troubleshoot the system.	"Monitoring Jobs" later in this chapter.
Using events to troubleshoot the system.	"Using Events" later in this chapter.
Using system flow to troubleshoot the system.	"Using System Flow" later in this chapter.
Using the trace logs to troubleshoot the system.	"Using Trace Logs" later in this chapter.