We are a long time Altiris/SMP shop. As I have mentioned here before, through donwsizing we have brain-drained all knowledge relating to the product. We don't really use it to its full potential and I have been keeping it limping along for the last 3 years, but I have now gotten to a point where I am ready to do an overhaul and get our money's worth out of it.
Current Production environment:
Version: 7.1 SP2 MP1
1 Notifcation Server, with on-box SQL
1 Site Server, in separate geographic locale
It was my intention to set up a 7.5 SP1 validation environment: A separate install (though with off-box SQL), with site server, on the production network, but only using a few machines in each site. The goal being to learn our solutions, write procedures for our needs, and see if the Mac Management goes as we like. Then, due to years of people fiddling with our production environement who had no idea what they were doing, I might decide to make this our produciton environment and phase out our 7.1 install; there is always the chance that while learning in validation I may find out that our production is just fine and will procede with the upgrade.
I have also already started this procedure, using 7.5 SP1's latest supported OSes (All 2012 R2 servers). I used the SIM download from Symantec's site, so currently have all short time licenses. They are a bit too short time for my needs.
I am also using this method to begin ServiceDesk deployment testing. We are still using our unsupported HelpDesk 6.9. We had started migrating to 7.0 when our previous Admin was downsized. He didn't get very far, so I figured I might as well move us to the latest/greatest and keeping our old tickets is not a requirement. These would go on 2008 R2 once I get that far.
Question 1: Does my current ideas make sense? Is it OK, to migrate to a new install and just let the CMDB repopulate on it's own, with all current machines? While we do have the Asset Management piece, we really don't use it, so it's OK for old machine to go away as needed.
Question 2: Is it OK to use our current licenses to try this out? If so, how do I migrate them to the validation environment? I do know where they are stored in Production.