Frequently Asked Questions about SMS
What is SMS?
Who uses SMS?
Who controls SMS?
What does SMS do?
When will SMS work?
Is SMS safe?
Will SMS interfere with my work?

What is SMS?
SMS stands for Systems Management Server.  SMS is installed on every Windows NT computer in the Princeton Domain, including PDI computers.  SMS allows automated, unattended installation of new software.  It also allows system auditing.

Who uses SMS?
Every computer in the Princeton NT Domain has SMS installed.  This includes all PDI computers, as well as most Windows NT computers purchased from the University Financial System (Peoplsoft).

Who controls SMS?
SMS is controlled by DeSC authorized Windows NT Domain administrators.  Each activity performed by SMS is thoroughly reviewed by the Desktop Systems Council before approval is granted to the administrator to run an SMS job.

What does SMS do?
SMS audits machines to determine which software versions are installed. It also installs new software, updates and patches existing software, and configures some operating system and applications variables.

When will SMS work?
An SMS job will only be performed after the Desktop Systems Council has approved it. You will always be notified 2 business days before an SMS job is performed.  SMS jobs will always occur outside of business hours, usually starting at 11 PM.

Is SMS safe?
Only the authorized NT administrators can execute SMS jobs.  Extensive, 3 step testing will be conducted before each job is sent to the general campus: First, CIT test machines will receive SMS jobs.  Then, pilot computers across campus will receive the job. Only after those two steps are successful, will the general campus receive the SMS job.

Will SMS interfere with my work?
DeSC Participants always will be notified prior to any SMS job. All jobs will be run outside of business hours, usually beginning at 11 PM.  If one is working after-hours the SMS operation should be transparent, although one may notice extra hard drive activity, an alert that an application is being installed, and response-time may slow negligibly.  If it is necessary as part of the installation to restart the computer, SMS will prompt the user to save open files before proceeding.
Details of each job will be included in the notification bulletins.