SMS: Despooler Instruction (.SNI) Files Are Not Processed

 Last reviewed: September 30, 1997
Article ID: Q172899
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Systems Management Server, version 1.2

SYMPTOMS

After sending a Run Command on Workstation job to Systems Management Server clients, the Package Command Manager (PCM) creates a .sni file to report that the package has been successfully sent.

If the time is set incorrectly on the client workstation, the .sni file that PCM creates may not be processed.

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

For those .sni files that were created by a workstation whose time is set to a future date and time, the Despooler service that processes the .sni files will record something similar to the following in the Despool.log file: 

   Instruction D:\SMS\site.srv\despoolr.box\receive\sni00001.sni won't be
   processed till 05/13/01 18:04:37 SMS_DESPOOLER  07/27/97
As a result, the Job Status details of this job will not show that this client has run this package, even though it actually has done so.

To determine which client computer has its time set incorrectly, open the .sni file in a text editor such as Notepad. The SMSID of the client computer that created the .sni file is the second sitecode + identifier listed.

In the following example, the JOBID is VAQ0000F and the SMSID is VAQ00005: 

   MICROSOFT|SMS|DOMAIN_COMMISSAR_WIREMOVE VAQ VAQ0000F   FV  FVx   x
   FV  FVx   x   VAQ00005
You can use the Systems Management Server Administrator program to cross- reference the client's SMSID to its computer name.

In some cases, the Despooler service will create duplicates of the .sni file(s) that it cannot process. This may result in the accumulation of a very large number of .sni files in the SMS\Site.Srv\Despoolr.box\Receive directory.

You can move these duplicate files to a "temp" directory and delete them. It is important that you only move or delete those .sni files that have a future date.

To avoid this problem, ensure that each client workstation has the time set correctly. Adding a simple NET TIME statement such as the following to the user's logon script can accomplish this quickly: 

   NET TIME /Domain:<login domain> /SET /Y
If a NET TIME statement is used, it should be run after the Systems Management Server logon script.

Additional query words: prodsms machine utility login
Keywords : kbbug1.20 smsdespooler kbenv
Version : 1.2
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug
Solution Type : kbpending

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Last reviewed: September 30, 1997
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