How to reinstall System Center Essentials 2007

Remove all SCE 2007 remnants from your environment. Here are few things to check:

First check if Managed Computers Group in Active Directory is removed, if not remove it using these steps:

• Open Active Directory Users & Computers, Start –> Run -> dsa.msc
• Right-click on your.domain and click Find…
• Type SCE Managed Computers into the Name box and click Find Now
• Right-click SCE Managed Computers in the results pane and click Delete
• Click Yes when prompted
• Close Active Directory Users & Computers

Second, check if you have any related group policies, if you do delete them.

Bare in mind that if you performed the default installation there were 2 group policy objects automatically created for you. To remove them follow these steps.

• Open Group Policy Management Console, Start -> Run -> gpmc.msc
• Expand your.domain -> Group Policy Objects in the left pane
• Right-click SCE Managed Computers Group Policy (…) and click Delete
• Right-click System Center Essentials All Computers Policy and click Delete
• Close Group Policy Management Console

Third, check service connection points (SCE & SDKServiceSCP). If you do, then here’s how you can remove them:

To remove SCE connection point:

• Open ADSI edit, Start –> Run -> adsiedit.msc
• Right-click ADSI edit in the left pane and click Connect…
• Select Default naming context in the Select a well known Naming Context box and click OK
• Right-click Default naming context in the left pane and select New -> Query…
• Type SCESCP in the Name box
• Click the Browse… button, select your.domain, and click OK
• Paste(&(objectCategory=serviceConnectionPoint)(cn=SCESCP)) into the Query String box and click OK
• Highlight and then expand Default naming context in the left pane
• Select SCESCP in the left pane
• Right-click CN=SCESCP in the middle pane and click Delete
• Click Yes when prompted
• Leave ADSI edit open for the next step

To remove SDKServiceSCP connection point:

• Right-click Default naming context in the left pane and select New -> Query…
• Type SDKSCP in the Name box
• Click the Browse… button, select your.domain, and click OK
• Paste(&(objectCategory=serviceConnectionPoint)(cn=SDKServiceSCP))into the Query String box and click OK
• Highlight and then expand Default naming context in the left pane
• Select SDKSCP in the left pane
• Right-click the appropriate CN=SDKServiceSCP entry in the middle pane and click Delete
• Click Yes when prompted

Now its possible to install and setup a fresh SCE environment.

 

-Eric

Using System Center Essentials 2007 Console on Windows XP/Vista machine

I found quite annoying to log in to SCE server every time I needed to do something, I decided to install SCE console on my Vista machine. So I got it installed and run it. Typed in the management server address, the admin username and password but got the error message. I started digging around and found nice solution. In order for the remote Essentials console to connect to the Essentials server I needed to import 2 certificates and sort out the user. Here are the steps I took:

1. You need to import the SSL and WSUS Code Signing certificates from the Essentials server to the remote management machine (in my case my Vista computer). So on the Essentials 2007 server browse to the System Center Essentials 2007\Certificate directory and copy the two certificates (WSUSCodeSigningCert.cer and WSUSSSLCert.cer) to your remote management computer.

2. Open the Certificates MMC for the Computer account on the remote management computer.

3. Import both certificates into the Trusted Root Certification Authority Store. Then import only WSUSCodeSigningCert.cerinto the Third Party Publishers and Trusted Publishers stores.

Now I thought its all done and I’m good to go. So I started the System Center Essentials console typed in the management server name, the admin username and password and the application crashed. It seems that SCE remote console somehow crashes if you try to run it like this. So the solution to this problem was the following. I needed to add my ordinary account to SCE management server local administrators group. So next step (number four) is this:

4. On the Essentials 2007 server, open the Local Users and Groups MMC and add the user, you are using to run your remote console on your computer, to administrators group.

-Eric

How to remove System Center Essentials 2007 remnants from Active Directory

So I had to reinstall System Center Essentials 2007 today. I prepared a clean machine. Since I haven’t tested Windows Server 2008 and System Center Essentials 2007 with SP1 together, I decided go with Windows Server 2003 R2 with SP2. I installed the operating system, joined with the domain and installed the IIS 6. Also installed all the needed updates, service packs and .net frameworks needed by System Center Essentials 2007 SP1. Then came the SQL Server 2005 with Reporting Services. Now I was finally ready for the SCE 2007 SP1 again. But when I started the setup I got this error:

An error Essentials is already installed in this domain.

I started to search around the Internet and found some information what i thought might help me. I used the following steps to clear my domain from SCE 2007:

1. On the Domain Controller run the ADSI Edit (Start -> Run -> Adsiedit.msc. If you don’t have it installed check this post.

2. Right click on the “Domain” tree and select New – Query.

3. In the New Query window, enter the following:

Name: SCESCP Query

Root of Search:

Query String: (&(objectCategory=serviceConnectionPoint)(cn=SCESCP))

4. Click on OK.

5. Expand the Domain node in ADSI Edit and select the “SCESCP Query” node.

6. A “CN=SCESCP” object should be listed in the right-hand pane, with a distinguished name of “CN=SCESCP,CN=,CN=,DC=,DC=com”. This tells us which computer account has the SCESCP.

7. Delete both “CN=SCESCP” and “CN=SDKServiceSCP“, then close ADSI Edit.

Now it was possible to install SCE 2007 with SP1 as there was no obstacles in Active Directory.

-Eric