SMS: Windows NT Inventory Agent Detects ATAPI Drives as SCSI
Article ID: 156205
Article Last Modified on 10/27/2006
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Systems Management Server 1.1 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Systems Management Server 1.2 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q156205
SYMPTOMS
When a Windows NT system that contains an Enhanced IDE or ATAPI drive is
inventoried, the Systems Management Server (SMS) inventory report shows
that it has a SCSI drive instead.
CAUSE
Windows NT uses a SCSI "wrapper" to abstract the IDE interface. This was
designed so large IDE drives that exceed the standard BIOS limitations
could be used with Windows NT. This also allows Windows NT to easily handle
other drive interfaces that may be introduced by the industry.
When SMS hardware inventory is done on a Windows NT system, the registry is
read to determine what hardware is available. Because the internal
representation of the IDE interface in the Windows NT registry shows as a
SCSI device for the IDE hard disk drive, SMS reports this drive as a SCSI
drive to the SMS database.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server
version 1.2. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. Service
Pack for Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2. For information
on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
Additional query words: prodsms
Keywords: kbhardware kbinventory KB156205