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RIS client computer properties

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

RIS client computer properties

Remote Installation Services (RIS) uses property pages to contain information about RIS client computers. For information about viewing a list of client computers, see Find RIS client computers. To view or change information about RIS client computers, you can right-click a client listing, and then click Properties.

The computer’s unique identifier (GUID)

One important property that appears on the property pages is the computer’s globally unique identifier (GUID), also known as the universally unique identifier (UUID). The RIS server uses this identifier to locate a client computer. The following list provides more details about the GUID:

  • The GUID is supplied by the client computer manufacturer. For information about how to find the GUID on a computer, see Locate the GUID for client computers.

  • When you enter a GUID, you usually enter it in the display format, {dddddddd-dddd-dddd-dddd-dddddddddddd}, where d is a hexadecimal text digit. There are 8 digits before the first hyphen, 4 digits in each of the next three groups of digits, and 12 digits after the last hyphen. This is illustrated in the following example:

    {67452301-AB89-EFCD-0123-456789ABCDEF}

  • The GUID uses only hexadecimal text digits and hyphens; that is, the characters in the following list (not case sensitive):

    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
a b c d e f - A B C D E F

  • Do not type spaces in a GUID.

  • The GUID can also be entered in wire format. In a GUID in wire format, the initial 16 digits are transposed as compared to a GUID in display format. The following example compares wire format to display format:

    GUID in wire format: 0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF

    Same GUID in display format: {67452301-AB89-EFCD-0123-456789ABCDEF}

Finding client computers

Each client computer is identified by its GUID. In Active Directory, you can use the Show Clients feature to display a list of client computers sorted by their GUIDs. The list includes client computers that have been prestaged. The search can be conducted over the entire Active Directory structure or limited to a specific domain. (For more information on GUIDs, see Locate the GUID for client computers and Prestage client computers.)

The Show Clients search process appends a wildcard search attribute to the current RIS server computer name. For example, if the RIS server is named RISsvr1, the Show Clients feature will use RISsvr1* for the server name.

When you use the Show Clients feature in multiple RIS server environments, the search results might include client computers from multiple servers. For example, if you have multiple RIS servers with computer names such as RISsvr1, RISsvr10, and RISsvr100, and you search for RISsvr1, the list will display the client computers that install from all three servers.

For more information about searching Active Directory for RIS client computer accounts, see Find RIS client computers.

Note

  • This topic does not apply to Windows Server 2003, Web Edition.