SMS: Failed Status MIF Does Not Update Job Status

• Microsoft Systems Management Server, version 1.2

SYMPTOMS

The Package Command Manager (PCM) status MIF contains an InstallStatus Group that has two attributes: Status and Description. If the Status attribute is set to "Failed", the status in the job detail does not reflect a job failure, but rather a "retrying" status.

CAUSE

If a program writes a .mif file to the Windows directory, Package Command Manager collects the file and places it in the Despoolr.box directory specified by the ResultsSharePoint entry in the client's Sms.ini file. The date and time of the .mif file must be later than the date and time specified for the job start time, or Package Command Manager will not collect the file.

The Status attribute set in the status .mif file determines the status reported back to the originating site. If a job has a status of Failed, Systems Management Server should perform the following steps:

1. Change the site job status to "Failed".

2. Write an event in the site server's Event Log. The Event ID is 374, and the Description is:

         The workstation install job has failed on workstation <machine name>
         in Domain <domain name>, the description generated by the setup
         script is <text entered in the Description attribute of the Status
         MIF>.
   

         MachineName = <Machine Name>
         SiteCode = <Site Code>
         Component = SMS_DESPOOLER
         JobID = <Job ID>
         JobDestination = <Site Code>"
   

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 1.2. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The following is an example of a Status MIF:

   START COMPONENT
     NAME = "WORKSTATION"
     START GROUP
       NAME = "ComponentID"
       ID = 1
       CLASS = "DMTF|ComponentID|1.0"
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Jamalz"
         ID = 1
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "Manufacturer"
       END ATTRIBUTE
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Product"
         ID = 2
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "JamalTest"
       END ATTRIBUTE
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Version"
         ID = 3
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "3.15"
       END ATTRIBUTE
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Serial Number"
         ID = 4
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "01122121r"
       END ATTRIBUTE
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Installation"
         ID = 5
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "12/12/95"
       END ATTRIBUTE
     END GROUP
     START GROUP
      NAME = "InstallStatus"
       ID = 2
       CLASS = "MICROSOFT|JOBSTATUS|1.0"
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Status"
         ID = 1
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "Success"
       END ATTRIBUTE
       START ATTRIBUTE
         NAME = "Description"
         ID = 2
         ACCESS = READ-ONLY
         STORAGE = SPECIFIC
         TYPE = STRING(45)
         VALUE = "ErrorJamalz"
       END ATTRIBUTE
     END GROUP
   END COMPONENT