Double Quotes in Software Inventory Package Causes Event ID 118

ID: Q153826

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.2

SYMPTOMS

When you create a software inventory package and specify "Microsoft Excel.exe" (including the double quotation marks) as a filename, the following error message appears in the Systems Management Server Administrator User Interface:

Couldn't create a new package.

In addition, the following event is logged in the Application Event log:


   Event ID: 118
   Non-fatal Error in module: SMS_MAINTENANCE_MANAGER
   Operation:   Parse
   Object:      File
   Object name: Package Rule File
   Error code:  1

   Cannot compile the package rule file
   <drive>:\SMS\site.srv\maincfg.box\pkgrule\package.rul for site UUU.
   MachineName = GREEBO
   SiteCode = UUU
   Component = SMS_MAINTENANCE_MANAGER

NOTE: The package does not appear in the Administrator User Interface. The package information is written to the Package.rul file in the \sms\site.srv\maincfg.box\pkgrule subdirectory.

CAUSE

Maintenance Manager cannot compile the PACKAGE.RUL with packages that contain filenames in double quotation marks. Therefore, when Maintenance Manager compiles, the PKG_16.CFG files it creates are 0 bytes in size and an event is written to the Application Event Log.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem:

Manually remove the problem package(s) from the Package.rul file.

Do not use double quotation marks (") in a package filename.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Additional query words: prodsms event viewer log

Keywords : kbnetwork smsinv
Version : winnt:1.0,1.1,1.2
Platform : winnt
Issue type :