Troubleshooting Tips

If an advertisement does not appear at the client computer:

• Make sure the Advertised Programs Manager Agent is enabled. Wait for the amount of time equal to the interval between checks for the client agent. If the client agent was installed within the last 24 hours, Client Component Installation Manager (CCIM) might not have become active to install the agent.

  To force a CCIM cycle, which will install the Advertised Program Manager Agent if it is enabled but not yet installed, double-click the Systems Management icon in Control Panel. Click the Sites tab and then click Update Configuration.

  To repair an installation, double-click the Systems Management icon in Control Panel. Click the Components tab, select Advertised Program Manager, and then click Repair Installation.

• Verify that software distribution is installed on the client. Look for Advertised Programs Monitor in Control Panel.
• Make sure the client has sufficient disk space for the package.
• If the program is being advertised to a certain group or collection, make sure the client is a member of that group.
• If supported platform checking is enabled in the program, make sure the client’s platform is selected. Programs with supported platform checking enabled are rejected at clients whose platforms are not in the supported list.
• Examine the SMSapm32.log file on the client to determine whether Advertised Programs Manager (the SMSapm32 process) can connect to the specified distribution point, read the package files, and initiate program execution at the client.
• Verify that the package has been set up correctly by running the program from the client manually. At the client, map a drive to the distribution point and attempt to run the program directly.
• Make sure there are no time-synchronization issues between the clients and servers (for example, incorrect time zone settings). Clients can receive advertised programs, but the programs will only be displayed and run between the Advertise After and Expires After times on the client. Programs received after any specified Expires After time will be rejected.
• Make sure the program is not disabled in the SMS Administrator console. Disabled programs are not displayed or run.
• Check the Odpxx.log on the client to make sure that it is polling the CAP. If this log shows that there is an advertisement available, check the SMSapmxx.log file to determine why the package was not run.
• At the client, examine the appropriate ODP component log file to verify that the ODP component for the advertisement’s target type is active and can connect to the CAP to read and load the advertisement listed in the *.ins file. In the same log file, determine when the polling cycle started and finished.

  The ODP components for different target types are listed in Table 25.10, along with the log file for each of these components.

Table 25.10 ODP Components for Collection Target Types: Windows NT Client