Determining Client Version and Type

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Determining the version and type of the SMS client software that is installed on a computer is often important during troubleshooting and for other purposes such as verifying the success of client deployment. You can check the client version and type from the SMS Administrator console or on the client's computer.

From the SMS Administrator Console

In the SMS Administrator console, you can determine the client version and type by viewing the properties of computers in collections and queries. The ClientType property is 0 if the client is a Legacy Client and 1 if the client is an Advanced Client. These are properties of the SMS_R_System class and the v_SMS_R_System view. You can use this information when creating queries and reports.

From the Client Computer

You can determine the client version by viewing the information on the Components tab of the Systems Management icon in Control Panel on the client itself.

The client's version is stored in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Client\Client Components\ SMS Client Base Components\Installation Properties|Installed Version

This is useful if you need to determine the client version by using a script or any other programmatic method.

On the Advanced Client, this client's version registry key value is set to 99.9.9999.9999. This value ensures that the Advanced Client software is never overwritten by the Legacy Client software. To determine the client's software version, you can check WMI. The client's software version is stored in the ClientVersion property of the SMS_Client class in the root\CCM namespace.

At a client, you can determine the client type by the SMS client installation directory. If a %Windir%\MS\SMS directory exists, then the client is a Legacy Client. If a %Windir%\System32\CCM\Clicomp directory exists, then the client is an Advanced Client. Also, the Systems Management icon in Control Panel on the Advanced Client has an Actions tab, which the Legacy Client does not have.

For More Information

Did you find this information useful? Please send your suggestions and comments about the documentation to smsdocs@microsoft.com.