Computer name changes are not being updated in the Workstation object

Problem:  If the computer name of a machine is used as part of the NDS workstation name in the Workstation Import policy, changes on the machine to the computer name are not automatically updated in the Workstation object's name. This will cause workstation registration to use an incorrect computer name to register the workstation.

However, the Workstation object that did not get its name updated will still be a valid object for ZfD. All ZfD components will still be able to access and use that object.

Possible Cause:  Windows deals with computer names in a way that causes this problem. Consider the following scenario:

• An image is placed on a machine so that the computer name and Workstation object name in the image are not the same as the computer name and Workstation object name stored in the image-safe data.
• The machine is booted and the image-safe data agent runs. This includes a call into Windows to set the computer name to the name stored in the image-safe data, if a computer name was stored there. This also restores the Workstation object information into the registry. If no Workstation object is found in the image-safe data, then the Workstation object information in the registry is deleted.
• The Workstation Registration agent runs. If the Workstation object in the registry is nonexistent, or if the agent cannot find the Workstation object in the tree, then the agent will request a new Workstation object from the Workstation Import server.

This leaves the tree with two Workstation objects for the workstation---one that it recognizes (the newer object) and one that is still valid to ZfD but is now orphaned.

Explanation:  Some background on the two agents will explain why this scenario causes a problem. ZfD imaging delivers the image-safe data agent (ZISWIN.EXE) back to the Windows environment to facilitate the restoration of some vital configuration information following imaging operations. Another purpose of the agent is to pre-configure new machines with IP, workgroup, and computer name information.

Properly installed, ZISWIN.EXE runs during the Windows start-up process, but does not run early enough in the process that it can change the computer name of the machine before Windows reads and caches that name in memory. Therefore, although ZISWIN.EXE has changed the computer name, until the machine is rebooted any request to Windows for the computer name will return the older name.

The Workstation Registration agent is a component of the Workstation Manager Scheduler, which runs as an NT service. The Scheduler is loaded shortly after ZISWIN.EXE has run. In the case where ZISWIN.EXE has changed the computer name, when the registration agent runs and asks Windows for the computer name, Windows gives the agent the older name.

In the scenario where the computer already has a workstation object, or in the case where the computer name is not part of the name specified by the Workstation Import policy, then this should not cause any problems.

However, if this computer does not yet have a Workstation object and the Workstation Import policy specifies that the computer name should be used as part of the Workstation object's name, the import process will create a Workstation object using the older computer name. This could quickly become confusing in ConsoleOne^® when all workstations would have similar names with only the MAC address to distinguish between them.

Action:  There are two possible actions:

• Browse for the Workstation object in ConsoleOne and rename it to its original name. The ZfD workstation registration process guarantees that the workstation will be able to find itself in the tree after it has been renamed.
• After a machine has booted with the new computer name effective:

  1) Run UNREG32.EXE on the workstation to erase the machine's knowledge of its NDS Workstation object.

  2) Determine the current Workstation object for that machine > browse for the object > delete the object.

      Alternatively, you could use the Automatic Workstation Removal policy to automatically remove the orphaned workstation at a scheduled time.

  3) Re-register the workstation using one of the following methods:

  • Run WSREG32.EXE on the workstation
  • Reboot the workstation
  • Allow the Workstation Manager Scheduler to re-register the workstation at its scheduled time

  This will cause the workstation to be associated with only one valid Workstation object and not leave an orphaned Workstation object in the tree.