SMS: Pcmwin32.exe Prevents PCM Service from Running Package

• Microsoft Systems Management Server, version 1.2

SYMPTOMS

The Package Command Manager (PCM) service (Pcmsvc32.exe) fails to run a mandatory or background package if the PCM Client (Pcmwin32.exe) is also running.

CAUSE

When you first run Pcmwin32.exe, it loads itself into memory. Closing the PCM Client does not stop it running or unload it from memory. Removing Pcmwin32.exe from memory requires a modification to the Smsrun32.ini and a subsequent log off and log on.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do either of the following:

• Configure the site properties so that the PCM Client does not automatically run when a user logs in. Doing this ensures that the PCM service runs the package when the job's mandatory time has been reached.

  -or-

• On the individual client, remark out the load line for Pcmwin32.exe in the Smsrun32.ini file, to ensure that this application does not run when a user logs in. This file is located in the Ms\Sms\Data directory. Make the following change:

        [startup]
        ;load=C:\MS\SMS\BIN\pcmwin32.exe
  

  Note that this manual modification of the Smsrun32.ini file will be overwritten if the Systems Management Server client is upgraded (for example, by applying a Systems Management Server service pack).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.2. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

With the original released versions of Pcmsvc32.exe and Pcmwin32.exe, this functionality was by product design. However, the updated PCM service (dated 12/20/96) and PCM Client (dated 11/15/96) that are available on the Internet (at http://www.microsoft.com/) are not supposed to exhibit this behavior. When this problem is resolved, the new versions of these files will be posted to the Internet web site.