I wanted to share out why my top 3 tool picks are for starting up with vPro, usually I am using these tools when I'm working on connectivity, packets or errors in the logs in the mgmt console. I also often find that I'm using these tools late at night when i'm deep in troubleshooting mode & trying to do a root cause on why something is not working as planned i.e. hello packets are not starting on a given hardware platform, etc.. (I'll save the showcase for a youtube video soon)..

here they are.................

#1. MEinfowin.exe - Brian C posted a good link of where & how to get this from Lenovo's BIOS update. I highly recommend this tool for troubleshooting version of the ME, SOL, etc.. it also has good information on setup & configuration, link status, etc..

http://communities.intel.com/message/3649#3649

#2. Wireshark - Joel Smith (altiris) wrote about this in his blog, which is where I initially found the link. http://juice.altiris.com/article/3636/troubleshooting-altiris-manageability-toolkit-vpro-technology-part-1-provisioning-clien

Wireshark

While the two above tools are distinctly for Out of Band Provisioning, Wireshark tells the whole story of what is coming and going across the wire. It's important to know what the AMT clients are sending, especially in the 'Hello' packet, and what the server is responding with.

Wireshark can be obtained from: http://www.wireshark.org/. While this is the recommended tool, any network trace capture program can be used to examine the network traffic between the AMT client and the Provisioning Server.

#3. Intel® vPro™ Technology Test Utility - this is the old faithful tool to ensure your vPro system has the right ingredients.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=2575

These are my top 3, however if I were to go, in SMB mode I utilize the vPro Packet decoder and the AMT reflector, however I use those at very specific times when i've passed the top 3 and I am digging in even deeper.

I hope you enjoy the list and if you have a TOP tool favorite write a comment at the end of the blog and let me know as I am always looking for new tools that help troubleshooting.

Josh H

One topic of curiousity at MMS 08 was around the new benefits of Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology. In the video below, D.C. Tardy, System Architect at EDS, and Kiron Lahiri, Lead Systems Engineer for Client Systems at Sisters of Mercy Health System, talk about the benefits that they are looking forward to with the upcoming Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology.

]]>

So today we had Jason Davidson and Mike Ferron-Jones on the show. We covered the spectrum of emerging compute models and recommendations for when to consider each model. See this ppt for additional info: Slide Deck and click play below to hear our radio show from this afternoon!

Sometimes within Intel Marketing, we're told that our description of Intel Centrino with vPro technology or Intel Core 2 with vPro technology is a bit lengthy. Therefore, while at MMS 08, we asked Intel customers as well as technical experts from Intel and Microsoft to give us their best, most concise acronym that best describes Intel vPro Technology. Listen to their responses below.

]]>

To see more videos from MMS 08, go to http://www.intel.com/go/mms/

When Intel released Intel vPro technology into the marketplace in 2006, the press asked us what the "v" in Intel vPro technology meant. Now that the technology has been in the marketplace for almost two years, we thought that the best answer to the question, "What does the "v" in Intel vPro technology mean to you?" would come from Intel customers, as well as from some of the technical experts from Intel and our partners who deal with our customers on an almost daily basis. See their answers below.

]]>

To see more videos from MMS 2008, go here: http://www.intel.com/go/mms/

On the quest to find tools that showcase saving energy, $$'s & overall how to optimize your energy bill I ran across this cNET Article titled: Verdiem: Nyquil for energy-hog PCs

Full Details: http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9942968-54.html?tag=blog.promos.

I pulled this quote out as it applies to the vPro community.

"Verdiem Surveyor 5.0 has a console to centrally configure different devices and additional reporting tools. It also has better integration with Windows Vista and integrates with Intel's vPro PC management technology so that it can access machines that aren't turned on"

I think this may be a good tool to showcase the quest on "saving energy" that I have been discussing in my last few energy posts. I dug in deeper and found this site - http://www.greenmypcs.com/ in which they have a free download kit of information it looks like - I have to download & check it out.

If you are on this same quest.. let's check it out together & let me know your input on this blog.

Josh

As many of you may know, there are two ways of contacting Intel AMT: The remote network interface and the local LMS/HECI interface. These interfaces are very different; the remote interface that is available thru the wired and sometimes wireless Ethernet and is rich with features while the local Intel AMT interface is very limited. Intel AMT was designed this way from the start for security. Intel AMT acting as an IT agent on desktops and laptops could not be allowed to be meddled with by the local user or local applications that could try to use or deactivate Intel AMT. That at least was the original design intent.

Times have changed it seems and many users of Intel AMT don’t see local users and applications as being always hostile. There are many reasons why it would be very interesting to access all of the features of Intel AMT locally. For example

• If the user changes the name of the computer is the OS, it would be nice to have a local agent sync up the Intel AMT network with the OS name automatically. This way, when the computer goes to sleep next, Intel AMT will report the correct new name.

• Circuit breaker policies could be used as a local firewall implemented in hardware. Set it once and the gigabit network chip does all the filtering and counters at gigabit speeds.

• On a mobile platform, wireless profiles could also be synched up automatically. The user adds a new wireless profile with a WPA key and this profile is automatically added to Intel AMT.

• Enterprise provisioning of Intel AMT could be done entirely locally using local software removing the need for complicated centralized servers.

Instead of seeing the local user as hostile, the local application now cooperate to setup Intel AMT so that if something goes wrong, it’s ready to be used to recover the computer. All this and more would be possible if Intel AMT allows the local applications full access to all the remote interface features.

A local application can’t simply connect to TCP port 16992 or 16993 and access all of the Intel AMT features since the traffic has to flow thru the gigabit network interface. Connecting to 127.0.0.1 will not work, that will access the more limited local interface.

A solution is to use a reflection application like Intel DTK Network Reflector found in the Intel AMT DTK. This tool runs on a central always on server and simply reflects back all TCP connections back to the source on ports 16992 to 16995. Using this tool an Intel AMT console or even a web browser can connect to "http://reflector:16992" and log into its own Intel AMT remote services. However, there are issues with this solution: You need this reflector tool running and know where on the network it is running. Also, a rogue application could log into the remote interface and put an annoying circuit breaker policy to drop all packets, etc.

In the future, Intel AMT itself could be modified to allow all services on the local interface removing the need for the reflector. There are security considerations of course, but feedback from users of Intel AMT on this idea would be appreciated.

Ylian (Intel AMT Blog)

The Task Server contains AMT function tasks that give you the ability to integrate AMT functionality into Task Server Jobs. This allows you to use AMT in conjunction with Software Delivery, Scripting, and any other Task Server supported function. Understanding how to troubleshoot the AMT side of a Task Server job will help resolve issues so that AMT can be utilized. This includes the following technologies:

• System Defense - Network Filtering

• Reliable Power Management

• IDE redirect for boot redirection

Introduction

This is the concluding article for the series: Troubleshooting the Altiris Manageability Toolkit for vPro Technology. The first four articles covered the setup and configuration of AMT systems, while parts 5 and 6 covered RTCI and RTSM respectively. This final article discusses troubleshooting the AMT integration into Task Server when issues arise.

As an introduction, the actual SOAP or API calls made to the AMT system is invoked through Real-Time Console Infrastructure, the same as when they are invoked through the Real-Time tab for RTSM. Though the calls are from the same place, how those calls are made differ. The following subjects will be covered:

• Determining Cause of Failure

• AMT Detection Issues

• Authentication Issues

Determining Cause of Failure

Often you'll known the general symptom that tells you a job or task in Task Server didn't execute as expected. For example a power management task may have shown as run but the AMT system never woke up. A failure is not shown except deep within a series of status windows.

To determine the returned error, use the following steps. Task Server's actual failure code is buried deep in a series of status windows, as shown in the screenshot after the steps.

1. Under the Task or Job that failed, double-click on the general status row for the specific execution attempt.

2. If within a job, double-click on the line that represents the task or AMT function that failed.

3. Note the numbers of successes versus failures. Click the ‘View Report' link.

4. Now you'll get a grid with the status of the Task, including the status and return code, if present.

AMT Detection Issues

When Task Server reaches a Task that involves AMT, it makes direct calls to AMT in those systems targeted in the task or job. Detecting AMT and subsequently executing the scheduled function requires success at both junctures. The following sections discuss potential issues and solutions in this process.

Power State Unknown

One common problem we see is when a power management task fails due to the failure message: Generic error, FromState detected as unknown:14. This will cause the power action to fail. The causes vary, but the following list contains the most common:

• System unreachable - The target system is not available on the network

• AMT failed to be detected - See the subsequent section ‘AMT not detected'

• Authentication failed - See the subsequent section ‘Authentication Troubleshooting'

• AMT is unavailable - If a system is not provisioned, or AMT is not functioning on that system

Use the following process to determine what the issue is:

1. If RTSM is available, try connecting to the target system using RTSM, specifying the same credential profile.

2. If that fails, try manually putting in credentials until you find one that works.

3. If Step 1 succeeds, try creating a different connection profile with only AMT functions provided.

4. If no RTSM is available, still try the profile with only AMT functions to see if it works.

5. Try other AMT functions, such as Collect Intel AMT Inventory to see if they succeed.

6. If other functions succeed, try using another method to reboot the system to reset the power state stored in the Intel ME. One way to accomplish this is using the Task Server Power Management Agent to send down a standard reboot command to the PC.

7. If no other AMT functions are successful, AMT might not be properly setup on this system. Ask the question: Has this system gone through the provisioning process?

8. If unknown, use the Out of Band Discovery Task to see if AMT is available and to identify what state it is in. See the steps provided under the ‘AMT Not Detected' section following.

9. If all else fails (generally this is on a system-by-system basis, rarely do a collection of systems encounter this level of this issue) try reprovisioning the system by fully unprovisioning and going through the provisioning process again.

AMT Not Detected

Normally a non-vPro system will receive the return code that AMT was not detected. This is accurate, but when it happens to valid managed vPro systems, the issue must be troubleshot to determine why the applying Task Server cannot detect AMT on the system. Out of Band Discovery is a great way to determine what state the system is in. Use the following steps to take stock of the systems:

1. In the Altiris Console, browse to View > Solutions > Out of Band Management > Configuration > Out of Band Discovery > and select the ‘Out of Band Discovery' policy.

2. Enable the policy if it is not yet enabled. If it is enabled, set a schedule to run the discovery again so you have updated information on your systems.

3. On the AMT system in question, go to the Altiris Agent and bring up the Agent UI by double-clicking on the system tray icon or by launching C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXAgentActivate.exe.

4. Highlight the ‘Out of Band Discovery Package.

5. Click the ‘Out of Band Discovery' link under Application Tasks.
   !OOBDiscoveryRun.jpg!

6. Once completed, now check back at the server and double-click the system within a collection to bring up Resource Manager.

7. Click on the Inventory tab and browse to Out of Band Management, and select the data class OOB Capability. This will give you the details of AMT.

If AMT is disabled, it needs to be enabled in the BIOS. A BIOS update from the vendor may provide you a remote way to enable AMT, by using Software Delivery for example. If it is all enabled, next check the provisioning status. Provision as necessary.

Authentication Issues

As with RTSM, Task Server uses the same basic authentication method when executing against a computer. Task Server also includes another option to add additional credentials to the execution to be used when contacting the protocol, which is AMT in this case.

Authentication Methods

Since RTCI controls the authentication, much of the same method is used whether the execution of an AMT command is issues from the Real-Time console or from Task Server, however there are some differences.

Runtime Profile - The Runtime profile contains he following information:

• All known good credentials used to connect via RTSM to a system

• The Intel SCS AMT password sent to systems when provisioning occurs

• Previously successfully used credentials from past RTSM sessions

• Previously successfully used credentials from a Task that succeeded

User-defined Profiles - Profiles can be created that specifically provide credentials for the four types of technologies:

• WMI digest or Domain account

• AMT digest or Kerberos-authenticated user

• ASF digest or Domain account

• SNMP community strings

Task-specified Credentials - When a user setups up a job or task, the user can specify specific credentials to be used when executing AMT-related functions through the profile interface. This option is per job or task, and applies to all AMT functions invoked during the job or task. The Interface allows this as shown in the following screenshot:

Authentication Troubleshooting

The following method will help identify issues and offer ways to work-around and solutions. These have been compiled through experience when troubleshooting issues with failed authentication with Task Server.

1. First, how do you determine if your task or job is failing due to authentication? Use the previous section under Introduction labeled ‘Determining Cause of Failure'.

2. In the Altiris Console browse to View > Solutions > Real-Time Console Infrastructure > Configuration > select Manage Credentials Profiles, or in the Task click the ‘Run Now', and on the subsequent page click on the pencil icon next to the credential profile being used.

3. Where does the green checkmark fall? This is the default profile that will be used when connecting via a Task Server task.

4. Create a new profile by clicking the blue + on the icon bar in the right-hand pane.

5. Under the Intel® AMT tab check the box ‘Enable this technology in the profile'.

6. Supply the admin user credentials set when the managed vPro systems were provisioned.

7. Under the WMI tab also check the box as above and provide a user that has admin privileges to the target system.

8. Give the profile a name and then save it.

9. Back at the main screen check the box under the ‘Default' column until the green check-mark uses your new Profile, or if you are in a job interface select the profile to be used for the run. Note that this does not require you to make it the default profile, allowing another profile to remain the default credentials.

10. Run the task or job to see if the authentication failure has been resolved.

11. If it is not, try rerunning with the Runtime Profile. This contains all known good authentication attempts to the system from either Task Server or RTSM.

12. In one case we supplied only AMT credentials in the Profile which allowed it to authenticate to AMT while a multiple protocol authentication profile failed. If your Task or Job does not contain any of the other protocols, this is recommended.

Conclusion

This concludes the Troubleshooting article series for the Altiris Manageability Toolkit for Intel vPro Technology, version 6. While this doesn't cover all issues, it should resolve most of the common issues we've seen.

Formerly known as Web Admin for Windows, Real-Time System Manager provides a powerful set of functions for IT specialists. In part 5 of this article series we covered the main points for Real-Time Console Infrastructure troubleshooting. As a natural extension of RTCI, Real-Time System Manager troubleshooting is covered in this article as part 6. With an emphasis on credentials and connection methods, this article provides information to overcome the most common issues seen when using the Real-Time tab for direct, one-to-one computer interaction.

Introduction

Real-Time System Manager provides a powerful tool for directly connecting to a system agentlessly with functionality available through WMI and Intel AMT. This article covers the issues associated with general functions seen with both technologies but with emphasis on the AMT functions. The following sections cover areas of troubleshooting:

• Connection Issues

• Authentication Issues

• IDE Redirect (IDER)

• Network Filtering

Connection Issues

Under the current architecture the FQDN is the primary method for connecting and authenticating to AMT on remote systems. If the FQDN the Real-Time tab is using does not resolve in DNS, then AMT connectivity and thus functionality will not be available. FQDN connectivity issues are the number one issues we see with RTSM connections to AMT.

Invalid FQDN

To view what FQDN the Real-Time is using, use the ‘Hardware Management' node in the RTSM tree. The following screenshot shows what AMT is using:

In this example my system is in a workgroup and reported only the hostname as the FQDN, which DNS had no trouble resolving. If this fqdn is not reachable via DNS, we won't be able to connect to the AMT functionality.

NOTE: We use several methods, including IP address, for WMI. WMI functionality may show correctly when AMT is absent in this situation

Use these steps to see the FQDN is the issue:

1. Open the Real-Time tab for the AMT system you are managing.

2. Once the tree loads, open the Real-Time System manager folder, open Administrative Tasks, and click on ‘Hardware Management'.

3. Once the page loads, if AMT is missing as an available technology, take note of the name displayed as in the screenshot above.

4. Go to Start, Run, type in cmd, and click OK.

5. Type in nslookup <name displayed>. In the above example it would read:

1. Nslookup dellvpro

6. Can DNS resolve this address? If no, we'll need to fix the issue in one of the following ways.

7. FIX DNS and/or the Altiris record: If DNS can be fixed, this is the preferred method. The difficulty is finding out why the Altiris Agent reported the incorrect record. Once DNS is fixed, have the Altiris Agent run Basic Inventory. The table location we pull this out of for management in RTSM is Inv_AeX_AC_Location, column: Fully Qualified Domain Name.

8. Use the ‘Manage' node available in RTSM (see the below screenshot): By putting in the IP address of the system, we'll use the IP to lookup the FQDN and not make any assumptions.
   !Manageshortcut.JPG!

9. Update the Servers HOSTS or LMHOSTS files to contain the mapping to the invalid name. For example find the LMHOSTS file, edit it and add a line <IP ADDRESS> <FQDN>, as in this example:

1. 10.10.10.1 Dellvpro

Real-Time unable to connect

If WMI and AMT functions are unavailable, you'll get a message when you click on the Real-Time tab indicating that the functionality isn't available. See the following screenshot:

Note: If you use another product such as Dell or HP's plug-ins to this tab, you'll simply not have the ‘Real-Time System Manager' node underneath Real-Time Consoles.

The number one reason this occurs is due to a firewall being engaged. Firewalls need to allow AMT traffic through. If a firewall is enabled, use the following details to resolve the AMT issue:

1. Create an inclusion in the firewall properties.

2. Allow the following ports, based off your environment:

1. 16992 - For non-TLS encrypted traffic - if you are not using TLS this is the port that will be used for communication

2. 16993 - For TLS-enabled, encrypted AMT traffic - If https is required for communication with AMT, this port will be used

3. 16994 - For a note, AMT provisioning uses this port for sending out the ‘hello' packet during the configuration process - this will be used if you initiate a reprovision from RTSM

3. Another options is to disable the firewall when you need to manage the system via RTSM.

4. Unfortunately WMI has a known issue with the Windows firewall where the dynamic ports WMI uses after initiation will be blocked. It's a bug in WMI that has been addressed in Vista. Previous Operating Systems do not have a resolution at this time.

The other issue we've seen is where the system is simply unavailable for one reason or another. AMT is available if the system is off but still connected to the network, but WMI or if the system is unplugged from power or off the network RTSM obviously cannot function. Verify that the system is available if nothing resolves this issue.

Authentication Issues

Another common issue concerns authentication to the system via the Real-Time tab. First, let me discuss the methods RTSM uses to authenticate to a target system.

Authentication Methods

Runtime Profile - The Runtime profile contains he following information:

• All known good credentials used to connect via RTSM to a system

• The Intel SCS AMT password sent to systems when provisioning occurs

• Previously successfully used credentials from past RTSM sessions

User-defined Profiles - Profiles can be created that specifically provide credentials for the four types of technologies:

• WMI digest or Domain account

• AMT digest or Kerberos-authenticated user

• ASF digest or Domain account

• SNMP community strings

Manually entered credentials - When RTSM tries to connect, if the default profile set in the RTCI configuration fails to authenticate, the left-hand tree will still load but each node will prompt the user for credentials. A user can put in an AMT account, Domain user, or digest user that has rights on the target system. When authentication succeeds, these credentials are then stored in the Runtime Profile for the target system.

Troubleshooting Authentication

The following method will help identify issues and offer ways to work-around and solutions. These have been compiled through experience when troubleshooting issues with failed authentication with RTSM.

1. In the Altiris Console browse to View > Solutions > Real-Time Console Infrastructure > Configuration > select Manage Credentials Profiles.

2. Where does the green checkmark fall? This is the default profile that will be used when connecting via the Real-Time tab.

3. Create a new profile by clicking the blue + on the icon bar in the right-hand pane.

4. Under the Intel® AMT tab check the box ‘Enable this technology in the profile'.

5. Supply the admin user credentials set when the managed vPro systems were provisioned.

6. Under the WMI tab also check the box as above and provide a user that has admin privileges to the target system.

7. Give the profile a name and then save it.

8. Back at the main screen check the box under the ‘Default' column until the green check-mark uses your new Profile.

9. Test to see if this new profile is successful. Note that you'll need to launch IE fresh to use the new settings.

10. If it is not, try entering credentials in manually when you hit the system under the Real-Time tab. See the screenshot below for the connection icon to switch between WMI and AMT authentication. If two show in this area, both technologies are available but not authenticated.
    !RTSMconnectiontype.jpg!

11. In one case we supplied only AMT credentials in the Profile which allowed it to authenticate to AMT while a multiple protocol authentication profile failed.

12. Check the collection you are launching Resource Explorer from. Sometimes the identity of the system is incorrect. For AMT you can launch RTSM from the Provisioned collections populated with the Resource Synchronization.

IDE Redirect (IDER)

IDE Redirect allows a system to be remotely booted to a file, drive, or virtual disc. There are a number of potential issues to be aware of when working with IDER in a vPro environment. The below items include well-known issues and their resolutions.

Redirection Invalid Parameter

When initiating an IDER (IDE Redirect) session to an external source such as an .iso file, the following error appears in the console:

Power management operation failed.

Redirection session start has failed. See logs for more details.

The Notification Server log shows the following error:

Log File Name: C:\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Logs\a.log

Priority: 2

Date: 3/9/2007 2:51:05 PM

Tick Count: 10617218

Host Name: <>

Process: w3wp.exe (2436)

Thread ID: 5412

Module: AltirisNativeHelper.dll

Source: RTCI.Trace

Description: RedirectionProvider::StartIDER - RedirectionProvider::StartIDER - IMR_IDEROpenTCPSession: IMR_RES_INVALID_PARAMETER

This is caused by Intel's redirection library requiring a correct floppy device to initiate an IDER session (either floppy image or real removable device). Real-Time System Manager 6.2 can work around this. If you put floppy.img file into Program Files\Altiris\RTSM\UIData folder, then the issue will not occur.

IDER or SOL Disabled

In some instances Intel vPro systems are arriving from the OEM with IDER and SOL disabled in the BIOS. When disabled, neither of these functions work from any management engine, including RTSM. Correcting this oversight is not easy, especially if the OEMs do not offer a solution by a firmware or BIOS update. Use the following method to resolve the issue:

1. Go to the Support site for the OEM for the systems.

2. Browse to the drivers and downloads section for the exact model (note that sometimes the model will differ based on possessing or not possessing vPro technology).

3. Check the firmware updates for a new BIOS.

4. Check the documentation for any new BIOS versions that include vPro to see if they've corrected this.

5. Contact your OEM if they have not and request a status!

6. The only other recourse is to develop an update yourself or manually update the settings by visiting the system.

Conclusion

This should account for the most common issues we've seen, and allow you to successfully use RTSM with AMT technology, avoiding those issues.

I have recently posted a resorce pertaining to SCCM SP1 and Out of Band Management.

1. SCCM SP1 Help file- This is the help file that ships with SCCM SP1 RC1. It is a great resource to used to get all of the details specific to SCCM as well as a section devoted to Out of Band Management

I've been getting quite a few questions recenly regarding provisioning. Many folks are confused when it comes to what type of provisioning works with which versions of AMT and I'm hoping that this post will help to clear up some of that confusion.

Currently, there are two types of provisioning, PKI (Protected Key Infrastructure) and PSK (Pre Shared Key). For those who are not familiar with what is involved with these two types of provisioning, PKI involves using a formatted provisioning certificate in order to establish a trust relationship between the AMT client and provisioning server where PSK uses a PID/PPS key pair to establish the trust for provisioning. There is quite a bit of documentation regarding how to setup PKI and PSK provisioning in the deployment documents for AMT, so I won't go into that detail here. What I'd like to cover here is what are the differences between these types of provisioning and which versions of AMT use which types of provisioning.

First, lets cover the different types of provisioning and a brief overview how each of them work.

PSK provisioning uses a Pre Shared Key to encrypt the provisioning process. In order for an AMT client to use a Pre Shared Key, however, the MEBx must first be programed with the correct key. This can be done in either one of two ways, manual entry or via a setup.bin file located on a USB thumb drive.

Manual entry is just that, a user must access the MEBx and manually type in the characters for the PID and PPS and any other settings that are required in order to get provisioning to work (system name, password change, etc). Once the user saves the changes to the MEBx, AMT starts sending out 'hello' packets to the provisioning server to start the provisioning process. This method is the most straight forward but is also the most time consuming, especially when attempting to deploy many systems at the same time.

USB thumb drive provisioning shortens the PSK entry process by using a formatted setup.bin file located on a USB thumb drive that can hold many PID/PPS pairs as well as password change information for MEBx. This key is then used on each system as it boots up to load the PSK information into MEBx. When the system boots, ME detects that a setup.bin file is located on the USB key and, if AMT isn't provisioned already, will prompt the user if they would like to load the provisioning information from the USB key. If the user confirms the request, then ME loads the first available PID/PPS entry into the PSK settings as well as changes the password for MEBx to the password set in the file. ME then marks that entry in the setup.bin file as used and reboots the system. Once rebooted, AMT starts sending out 'hello' packets using the PID/PPS pair. This method is better than manual entry, but only barely. This still requires a user to be at the system and to interact with the process.

PKI provisioning is split into two different types of provisioning as well, Bare Metal and Agent Based/Delayed provisioning.

Bare metal provisioning is where the factory settings in AMT are set at the OEM/System Integrator so that as soon as power and a network connection are applied to the system, then AMT will send out 'hello' packets and provisioning starts. If provisioning doesn't happen right away the provisioning period will continue for 24 hours, sending out 'hello' packets at a decreasing rate, after which AMT goes into delayed provisioning mode. This method of provisioning greatly improves the time savings from a deployment aspect by enabling many systems to be provisioned with minimal interaction from deployment personnel. This method works well when using a 3rd party trusted certificate that is natively supported in AMT (Verisign, GoDaddy, etc).

Agent based/delayed provisoining is where either the 24 hour provisioning period has expired without a successful provisioning transaction or, due to the AMT version, AMT requires an in-band agent or tool to start the PKI provisioning process. In order to start agent based/delayed provisioning the agent or tool sends a command down through the HECI driver in the host OS and tells AMT to start sending out 'hello' packets to the provisioning server. In addition, some basic configuration settings can also be sent to AMT in order to get it ready for provisioning (enable AMT, set PKI provisoining, etc). This method of provisioning tends to be the most reliable. Again this works best when using a 3rd party trusted certificate that is natively supported in AMT but in addition you gain the benefits of having an in-band agent that is able to assist the provisioning process by providing the provision server in-band information that helps keep the out of band aspects of AMT synced with the in-band host OS. Configured correctly, provisioning AMT with the assistance of an in-band agent can make the entire provisioning process hands free for deployment personnel.

Lastly, I want to touch on how each of these provisioning processes relates to the different AMT versions. Different versions of AMT support different types of provisioning. AMT 2.0, 2.1, 2.5 only support PSK provisioning. AMT 2.2 and 2.6 support PKI provisioning (as well as PSK) but only agent based PKI provisioning. AMT 3.0 and higher versions of AMT support bare metal PKI provisioning (as well as agent based/delayed PKI and PSK provisioning). A common utility used to accomplish agent based provisioning is the RCT (Remote Configuration Tool).

Provisioning is a very complex topic and what I've touched on here is really just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to understanding the intricacies involved. I hope I've provided more answers than questions, but if there is something you still don't understand, feel free to comment and I'll try to clear it up!

Thanks,

Matt Primrose

Last week while I was out at MMS (Microsoft Management Summit) in Las Vegas, I was stumped twice by two folks that asked me questions I didn’t have top of mind. I completed my research & here are the answers to those two questions. Great job guys for stumping me, hopefully you will leave me a comment so I can send you a free vPro shirt.

Is WMI service used for AMT?

WMI is not used for AMT. WS-MAN and SOAP call from SCCM out of band service point can check to see if it AMT capable. Example with SCCM: Using the APIs of the heci drive, the SCCM Agent to can determine whether it is provision-able.

Does Intel vPro Technology support IPV6?

vPro systems in 2008 will have the ability to communicate with IPv6 addressing in 2008 in-band and out of band IPv6 support is planned for a future platform release.

More details can be read on the current state at http://softwareblogs.intel.com/2007/07/18/intel-amt-and-the-scoop-on-ipv6-vs-ipv4/ by Gael Holmes

Here’s an Excerpt:

• The ME cannot be assigned an IPV6 address but the host OS can be assigned an IPV6 address (either static or via DHCP).

• The ME does support System Defense filters on the host traffic, whether or not the host communicates IPV4 or IPV6. This means that the System Defense filters must be configured on the ME network (via IPV4) but the filters are able to filter IPV6 traffic that if that is what the host OS is communicating with.

• If the host OS is assigned an IPV6 address, the ME must be statically assigned an IPV4 address. The assumption is that if the ME is configured in DHCP mode, it shares its configuration with the host OS. If the host OS is deployed in an IPV6 environment, it cannot share its configuration with the ME.

• Intel® AMT does not support static IP addresses at all when operating in a Wireless mode, therefore, IPV6 would not be an option at all for Wireless operations.

I'm looking for the next opportunity to get stumped..

For general questions about Remote Configuration, please review the following article - http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-1490

Earlier in 2007, I wrote two brief articles about Remote Configuration.

The embedded video below is a summary of how Remote Configuration works in an Altiris environment. The target environment has a VeriSign Intel(R) Client Setup Certificate loaded. Intel AMT 2.2 and 2.6 systems are provisioned using Agent Initiated approach. The Intel AMT 3.0 system is provisioned using the baremetal approach (could have done this via agent initiated... yet wanted to show both methods)

More content\details on acquiring external certificates, or creating a custom internal certificate and adding the associated certificate hash to the clients... can be provided if needed.