Troubleshooting Tips

When package distribution to a child site fails during the send phase:

• Verify that SMS components can successfully send information in the form of files and requests to other sites in the hierarchy by using the Scheduler and Sender. Examples include collection updates, inventory MIFs from child site to parent site, discovery records, and package distribution.
• When a package is created and distributed from the parent site to the child site, verify that Distribution Manager successfully created a send request for Scheduler in the SMS\Inboxes\Schedule.box\Requests directory.
• Check to see if Scheduler creates an instruction file for the Sender based on the send request. Also check to see if a despooler instruction file was created for the destination site Despooler and a compressed package file was created with the actual data to be transferred.
• Study the Scheduler status messages to see if Scheduler successfully completed the operation or if it encountered problems. Sched.log also records the same information.
• Verify that Sender received a send request from Scheduler. Sender monitors its outbox for send requests from Scheduler. When Sender finds a send request, it renames it to an in-process send file and connects to the destination site to transfer the data.
• Verify from the SMS\Inboxes\Schedule.Box\Outboxes\Lan (in case of the Standard Sender) that the Sender is working on the send request and that a *.srs file exists. Sender renames the send request file, *.srq, to an in-process send file, *.srs, first, and then it attempts to connect to the destination server.
• Verify whether Sender is able to connect to the \\<ServerName>\SMS_<SiteCode> share of the destination server. When Sender cannot connect, it records an error status message and places the send request in the Retry queue to work on it later. The same information is also recorded in the Sender.log file.
• Verify that Despooler is able to copy the despooler instruction files and the compressed package files from the \\<ServerName>\SMS_<SiteCode> share. When the copying is successful, Despooler records a success status message and closes the sending thread.

If Sender is unable to connect to the destination site:

• Verify that the both the sending site and the receiving site are set to the same time.
• Check the Sender priority settings. If Sender is restricted from connecting to the destination site during the day or only certain priority send requests are allowed to go, then other send requests will be queued up to go during a time when Sender is not restricted from connecting to the destination site.

  You can check these properties in the Sender Address Properties dialog box on the Schedule and Rate Limits tabs.

• Check for network connectivity problems to and from the site server. Connectivity problems may cause the Sender’s request processing to be backed up. When the network connectivity is restored, it might take some time to recover from the resulting backlog. Sender records status messages and log file entries in such a case.

When package distribution to a child site fails at the destination site:

• Verify that Sender from the sending site can connect to the destination site and copy files and instructions to the destination site’s \\<ServerName>\SMS_<SiteCode>\Inboxes\Despoolr.box.
• Verify that Despooler successfully renames any incoming package to a *.pck file and any incoming despooler instruction file to an *.ins file before processing.
  • Verify, from the destination server’s \\<ServerName>\SMS_<SiteCode>\Inboxes\Despoolr.Box\Receive directory that the incoming *.p* file is renamed to a *.pck file indicating that Despooler has received the package and has started processing it.
  • Verify, from the same directory, whether there are any *.tmp files left. If so, then Sender from the sending site has probably either not completed sending the despooler instruction file, or it has failed during the process. Once the Despooler receives the complete file, it renames the *.tmp file to an *.ins file (instruction file).
• Verify whether Despooler processes the package based on the *.ins file and records status messages to indicate progress.
• Verify, from the Despooler status messages that Despooler was successful or that it failed during this operation. The same information is also recorded in the Despool.log file.
• Verify that Replication Manager received the *.pck file from Despooler.
• Verify that Distribution Manager received the package from Replication Manager and successfully processed it.