PCM Appears Blank on Startup When "Offer After" Not Expired

• Microsoft Systems Management Server versions 1.0 and 1.1

SYMPTOMS

The Windows Package Command Manager (PCM) may display itself with a blank list of package items when initialized. Everything appears to operate normally, but the user may not understand why PCM displayed itself when there are no packages available to install.

CAUSE

If a package is distributed to a client, regardless of the value of the "offer after" time/date, PCM will consider the package to be in a pending state.

The behavior listed above will occur when there are no other packages pending that have expired "offer after" time/dates. PCM will read the client's instruction (*.ins) file during initialization and during its scheduled polling intervals. If it detects that there are packages pending, it will display its window.

PCM will then enumerate the packages listed in the client's INS file, and if the "offer after" date has expired, it will display the packages in the window. If no packages have expired "offer after" time/dates, the PCM window will appear blank.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server versions 1.0 and 1.1. This problem was corrected in Systems Management Server version 1.2.