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

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 an .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. This problem has been corrected in the latest U.S. service pack for Systems Management Server version 1.2. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, contact Microsoft Technical Support to obtain the following fix, or wait for the next Systems Management Server 1.2 s service pack.

This fix should have the following time stamp:


   6/22/98  5:34pm               249KB SMSINST.DLL (Intel)
   6/22/98  5:36pm               470KB SMSINST.DLL (Alpha)

To install the hotfix, perform the following steps on the Systems Management Server site server:

Stop the SMS_EXECUTIVE Service.

In the <SMS_root_directory>\Site.srv\<platform>.bin directory on the site server, replace the Smsinst.dll file with the version obtained from the hotfix.

Restart the SMS_EXECUTIVE Service.

The Smsinst.dll file can be replaced automatically (after stopping the Executive) by running Hotfix.exe with the appropriate Hotfix.ini file for your platform.

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 : kbenv smsdespooler kbfix1.20.sp4 kbbug1.20
Version : winnt:1.2
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug