Setting Up Hardware Management

When you assign rights to users or groups in MCS, you can also limit their access to specific registered computers.

After you add computers under Hardware Management, users must register their computers before hardware information can be used for authentication purposes. You must also have selected the Gather Hardware option on the Authentication page. For more information, see Authenticating MCS Users.

To add computers to be registered for hardware authentication
In the MCS left pane, point to Services and then click Security. Under Security, click Hardware Management. On the Hardware Management page, click a node in the list of computers, and then click Add. In the Add Computer(s) dialog box, type a computer name. Do not use either the slash (/) or backslash (\) character in the name. Specify a category. You can add multiple computers and multiple categories at the same time. If no category is specified, the computers you add appear under the root node in the Hardware Management page. Do not use backslashes (\) in the category name. To create a hierarchy, use the slash (/) character between levels. Set a timeout period for the registration, and then click OK. If the timeout period expires before the user registers, the computer becomes unavailable for registration; however, it can be re-registered. If you do not set a timeout period, the registration period is unlimited. In the Registration Information dialog box, click Copy to Clipboard to copy the registration information, and then click OK. The URL, computer path, and password information in this dialog box must be sent to users so that they can successfully complete the registration. Send the registration information to users so that they can register their computers with MCS; for example, you could send the information in an email message. To register their computers, users point their browsers to the URL you send them, type their computer path and password in the displayed window, and then close the window when they get a message that the registration has succeeded.

To add computers to be registered for hardware authentication

In the MCS left pane, point to Services and then click Security.
Under Security, click Hardware Management.
On the Hardware Management page, click a node in the list of computers, and then click Add.
In the Add Computer(s) dialog box, type a computer name.
Do not use either the slash (/) or backslash (\) character in the name.
Specify a category.
You can add multiple computers and multiple categories at the same time. If no category is specified, the computers you add appear under the root node in the Hardware Management page.
Do not use backslashes (\) in the category name. To create a hierarchy, use the slash (/) character between levels.
Set a timeout period for the registration, and then click OK.
If the timeout period expires before the user registers, the computer becomes unavailable for registration; however, it can be re-registered. If you do not set a timeout period, the registration period is unlimited.
In the Registration Information dialog box, click Copy to Clipboard to copy the registration information, and then click OK.
The URL, computer path, and password information in this dialog box must be sent to users so that they can successfully complete the registration.
Send the registration information to users so that they can register their computers with MCS; for example, you could send the information in an email message.
To register their computers, users point their browsers to the URL you send them, type their computer path and password in the displayed window, and then close the window when they get a message that the registration has succeeded.

After computers have been added to the Hardware Management page, they are nested in the list under categories, with icons showing their status.

This icon	Indicates
	The computer has been registered.
	The computer is waiting to be registered.
	The timeout period for registering this computer has expired.


	Security, Overview
	Authenticating MCS Users
	Directory Services, Overview