SMS: Refresh of Collection Does Not Always List New Machines

In Systems Management Server (SMS) 2.0, collections are used to group resources in a way that is logical for software distribution, reports, and many other administrative tasks. If you navigate under Site Database|Collections in SMS Administrator, right-click on the desired collection and click refresh or press the F5 key, new machines may not show up. However, if you right-click on the desired collection and select "Update Collection Membership," new machines appear.

The Collection Evaluator thread of the SMS_EXECUTIVE updates collection memberships once an hour by default. Clicking refresh or hitting the F5 key simply reads what the collection evaluator gathered in its last cycle; selecting Update Collection Membership forces SMS to reevaluate the resources in the site.

You can change the interval at which collections are updated by right-clicking on the desired collection, and selecting the Membership Rules Tab of Collection properties. Then click Schedule and specify when and how often you want to update the collection membership.