How to configure SysLookup for your network

SysLookup, created by Luke Millanta, is a .Net application that allows the user to simultaneously query and display information from Active Directory and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Released in April 2014, SysLookup supports both SCCM 2007 and 2012.

While SysLookup will enable you to efficiently execute user queries, configuring the application to work on your network can be a little confusing. This confusion mainly stems from the fact there is no help file included with the SysLookup package. That’s where this step-by-step guide to SysLookup comes in.

How to configure SysLookup for your network, step 1: Preparation

Your first step is to ensure you download a legitimate copy of SysLookup. While there are many places to find the software online, we can’t vouch for their authenticity unless you download it from Mediafire.

Decompress the file to a location of your choosing. Once you have done this, open the folder and familiarise yourself with the contents.

You should see three items:

Config.ini is the file that contains all of our configuration information.

IniFile.dll. Ignore this file; it’s irrelevant to this article but is required for SysLookup to work.

SysLookup.exe is the executable that you will use to launch SysLookup. Before we can do this, we need to edit config.ini (our next step).

How to configure SysLookup for your network, step 2: Editing Config.ini

Open config.ini and check out the contents of the file (INI files can be opened with any text editor).

For those that have had to edit INI files in the past, you will see that this is just another boring configuration file that requires you to enter a number of different values.

In this particular configuration file, we need to input six pieces of data as follows:

1. LDAP The LDAP connection path for your domain (eg LDAP://dc=test,dc=lan)

2. SCCMServer The name of your SCCM server (eg TESTSERVER1)

3. SCCMSQL The name of your SCCM database server (eg TESTSERVER2)

4. SCCMDB The name of your SCCM database (eg SMS_P01). In SCCM 2012 this database is named “CM_PRI”; in SCCM 2007 it’s named “SMS_P01”.

Once properly configured, your config.ini file should look something like this:

How to configure SysLookup for your network, step 3: Testing

Now that your configuration file has been appropriately edited, it’s time to test SysLookup and ensure the application works correctly.

To do this, launch SysLookup, enter a name into the available textbox, and press Enter to start your search.

If SysLookup has been configured correctly, the user’s contact and system information should be displayed on the form.

If you encounter any issues while testing SysLookup, review your config.ini file and ensure that all settings are correct.

If you still encounter issues, a Google search should return a number of instructive videos and forum threads covering SysLookup configuration.

How to configure SysLookup for your network, step 4: Distribution

Distributing SysLookup to your colleagues is extremely easy. Simply move your working copy of SysLookup onto a thumb drive and distribute it amongst your colleagues!
 

LDAP information

See below for a table that shows what Active Directory fields are being utilised by SysLookup:

How to configure SysLookup for your network: Conclusion

I hope this article breaks the confusion that surrounds SysLookup and demonstrates just how easy it actually is to configure this application.

I have used SysLookup when conducting a number of small-scale audits throughout my company and I have never been disappointed.

Whether you work in a desktop support, service desk or system engineering role, SysLookup will prove itself to be a beneficial addition to your environment.

James Turner works at Odecee as a smartphone application developer. He works on Odecee’s iPad and mobile cash management systems and is mainly focused on notification development and application security.