Macintosh Clients Generate Event ID 180 and MIF Files

• Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

At a Systems Management Server Site which contains Macintosh clients, Event ID 180 may be frequently written to the system log and several .MIF files may be created, along with corresponding events in the Windows NT and Systems Management Server Event Viewers. The Windows NT Event Viewer application Log and SMS Event Viewer messages have the following syntax:

   Information from module: SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER.

   Operation:   Validation
   Object:      MIF
   Object name: SMS

   A new machine is being entered into the database. Some of the
   identification attributes for the machine being added overlap with
   another machine in the database.

   Current Machine:
   <SMSID = LAM00002, SMSLocation = LAM|LAMWORLD|, NetCardID =
   08:00:07:B4:AD:65>

   Overlapping Machine:
   <SMSID = LAM0000L, SMSLocation = LAM|LAMWORLD|, NetCardID =
   08:00:07:B4:AD:90>

   MachineName = LAMJAM
   SiteCode = LAM
   Component = SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER

CAUSE

Microsoft Systems Management Server checks the inventory .MIF files from each Macintosh client for a unique SMSLocation attribute (no other client in the Systems Management Server Database has the same SMSLocation). The SMSLocation attribute is a concatenation of the client's Systems Management Server Site code, Domain, and Name attributes. If Systems Management Server determines that an inventory .MIF file contains an SMSLocation attribute that is not unique, Systems Management Server generates a Windows NT Event and a Systems Management Server Event .MIF file for each machine in the Systems Management Server database that has the same SMSLocation.

When the Systems Management Server Macintosh Inventory Agent determines that a Macintosh client does not have a Macintosh Name defined in the Macintosh Sharing Setup, the inventory leaves the Systems Management Server Name attribute blank. Therefore, when multiple Macintosh machines reside in the same site/domain combination have no Macintosh names, their SMSLocation is not unique. This generates Event Viewer messages and Event MIF files.

RESOLUTION

To workaround this problem, define a unique Macintosh name for each Macintosh client. The Macintosh computer name is created by running the Sharing Setup application in the Macintosh System Folder's Control Panel.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.0. This problem was corrected in Systems Management Server version 1.1.