A guide to the Grc.dat file in Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.x and 9.x

Question/Issue:
This document discusses the Grc.dat file and how it is used in Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.x and 9.x.

Solution:

Before you begin: If you are using Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 10.0, read the document A guide to the Grc.dat file in Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition version 10.x.

Role and function of the Grc.dat file
The Grc.dat file is a text file containing configuration information for the clients of a Symantec AntiVirus server. When you change client options with the Symantec System Center, the parent server writes the changes to the Windows registry, under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\ClientConfig

The server recreates the Grc.dat file with the contents of the ClientConfig key whenever you make client configuration changes in the Symantec System Center, and also whenever the Symantec AntiVirus Server Service starts. This means that it is not useful to edit a parent server's Grc.dat file manually by using a text editor such as Notepad, because any changes to the file will be lost the next time the server recreates it.

After recreating the Grc.dat file, the parent server copies the updated file to its client computers. It is also possible to copy this file to the client manually at any time. The client will process the Grc.dat file by adding the contents of the file to the Windows registry, under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusProtect6\CurrentVersion\

After copying the Grc.dat to the client, it may take up to seven minutes for the client to process the file. You can force a Windows NT/2000/XP or Windows 2003 32-bit edition client to process the Grc.dat by stopping and then restarting the Symantec AntiVirus client service, or by shutting down and restarting Windows 98/Me clients. After the client processes the Grc.dat file, it deletes the local copy of the file, so it is normal to be unable to locate this file on a client.

Default location of Grc.dat
The default location of the Grc.dat depends on the operating system, and on whether or not the installation of Symantec AntiVirus was upgraded from a previous version. Drive letters and paths may also differ, depending on the configuration of the operating system.

If Symantec AntiVirus was upgraded from Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition 7.x, read the document A guide to the Grc.dat file and its uses in Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition 7 for the default locations.

Servers

Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
The location is \Program Files\SAV or \Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus
NetWare
The location is SYS:\SAV

In addition, Symantec AntiVirus servers always share the file as:
\\<servername>\VPHOME\Grc.dat

Client Groups
If you are using Client Groups, there is a separate Grc.dat file for each client group, since different client groups can have different configurations. These are kept on the primary server of the server group, in the following locations:

Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
The location is \Program Files\SAV\Groups\<group name>\ or \Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus\Groups\<group name>\
NetWare
The location is SYS:\SAV\Groups\<group name>\

This appears in the VPHOME share as:
\\<servername>\VPHOME\Grc.dat\Groups\<group name>\

Clients

Notes:

The Application Data folder may be hidden. To show hidden and system folders, read the document How to make Windows show all files.
If Windows is configured with a non-default location for user profiles, the %AllUsersProfile% environment variable has the correct drive and path to the directory that contains user profiles.

The following are the locations of Grc.dat for Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.x

Windows 2000/XP/2003
The location is \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition\7.5
Windows NT 4.0 clients
The location is \WinNT\Profiles\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition\7.5
Windows 98/Me clients
The location is \Program Files\Symantec_Client_Security\Symantec AntiVirus

The following are the locations of Grc.dat for Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 9.x

Windows 2000/XP/2003
The location is \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition\7.5
Windows NT 4.0 clients
The location is \WinNT\Profiles\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition\7.5
Windows 98/Me clients
The location is \Program Files\Symantec AntiVirus

Unsupported Grc.dat tools included on the Symantec AntiVirus CD
The Symantec AntiVirus CD contains tools that are useful for managing Grc.dat files. They are in the \TOOLS\NOSUPRT\ folder.

Note that these tools are provided as a convenience only, and Symantec Technical Support will not assist in the use or troubleshooting of these tools.

SAVCorp Configuration Editor
This tool, Configed.exe, allows you to create or modify a Grc.dat file without using Symantec System Center. This is useful for configuring unmanaged clients and managed clients that are not attached to the network. Note that for managed clients that are attached to the network, settings created using Configed.exe will be replaced by client settings made in Symantec System Center. Configed.exe is located in the \TOOLS\NOSUPRT\CONFIGED folder, and additional information is in the Configed.pdf file in that folder.

GRCDrop.exe
When you run GRCDrop.exe on a client, the tool looks for a Grc.dat file in the same folder as GRCDrop.exe, and copies it to the appropriate folder on that client for processing. GRCDrop.exe is located in the TOOLS\NOSUPRT\GRCDROP folder, and additional information is available in the GRCDrop.pdf file.

GRCDefSpy
Run GRCDSpy.exe on the parent server to determine whether attached clients have received the latest virus definitions and Grc.dat file from their parent. This tool is located in the TOOLS\NOSUPRT\GRCDSPY folder, and additional information is available in the Grcdspy.pdf file.

Available Translations:

Document ID: 2002090911484748
Last Modified: 05/01/2006
Date Created: 09/09/2002
Operating System(s): Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 SP6a, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional Edition, NetWare 5.0, NetWare 6.0, Windows Server 2003 32-bit Edition
Product(s): Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.0, Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 9.0
Release(s): SAV 8.0 [All Releases], SAV 9.0 [All Releases]