How to inventory and monitor Windows XP SP2 workstations with Windows Firewall enabled

The following article outlines the required procedures for inventorying and monitoring Windows XP SP2 based workstations with Windows Firewall enabled.

In order to Inventory and monitor a server Recon  will utilize the remote machine’s WMI and Performance Monitor Counters. WMI and Windows Performance Monitor utilize RPC/DCOM which use TCP ports 135 and 445 as well as random/dynamically assigned ports above 1024. For more information on the ports being used by PowerRecon please see TID 7920571

Windows Firewall does not support dynamic TCP/UDP ports exceptions and in order to inventory and monitor servers which use Windows Firewall Microsoft recommends performing one of the following:

Option 1 - Using NETSH:

1. On the remote Server, click Start Run and type: cmd to open command prompt
2. In command prompt type netsh firewall set service RemoteAdmin enable and click Enter

Option 2 - Using Group Policy Editor:

1. On the remote Server, click Start Run and type: gpedit.msc to open Group Policy Editor
2. Under the Local Computer Policy heading, open the Computer Configuration folder
3. Open the Administrative Templates folder
4. Open the Network folder
5. Open the Network Connections folder
6. Open the Windows Firewall folder
7. If the computer is in the domain, then open the Domain Profile folder; otherwise, open the Standard Profile folder
8. Click Windows Firewall: Allow remote administration exception
9. On the Action menu, select Properties
10. Click Enable, and then click OK

For more details and for alternative method (using Scripts), please refer to the following MSDN article:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/connecting_through_windows_firewall.asp

** Please be advised that the above has not been certified by PlateSpin and the information is provided as it.