SMS: Logon Servers Are Flooded with .sni Files

ID: Q188042

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Systems Management Server version 1.2

SYMPTOMS

When the Package Command Manager (Pcmwin16.exe, Pcmwin32.exe, and Pcmsvc32.exe) detects an expired job in its instruction file (.ins), it generates a despooler instruction file (.sni) to have the expired job removed. The resulting .sni file is created in the \SMS\Logon.srv\Despooler.Box directory on a Systems Management Server logon server.

If there are sufficient numbers of expired jobs and/or clients, the logon servers can be overwhelmed by this behavior. It's possible that the Server service on the logon servers will reach 100 percent processor utilization. If it does, network bandwidth can be affected.

Normally the Systems Management Server Maintenance Manager service successfully collects the .sni files from the logon servers and allows the Systems Management Server Despooler service to update the Package Command Manager (PCM) instruction files. If the Maintenance Manager service is stopped or stops responding (hangs), it will be unable to relieve the pressure caused by the creation of .sni files on the logon servers.

WORKAROUND

When creating a Run Command on Workstation package, do not define an expiration date. Instead, cancel the job when you no longer want the package offered to the clients. When a job is cancelled, the corresponding instruction in the PCM instruction file is removed.

To cancel a job, perform the following steps:

Highlight the job to be cancelled in the Systems Management Server Administrator utility.

Click Edit, and then click Cancel Job.

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

MORE INFORMATION

To stop the creation of .sni files, you must stop the PCM service and remove the existing PCM instruction files from their current location.

NOTE: If the Server service is consuming 100 percent of the processor utilization, it might be necessary to temporarily stop this service to be able to remove the PCM instruction files. Do this only if you have physical access to the affected servers.

Stop the Creation of SNI Files

If the .sni files are being generated by the PCM service on a computer running Windows NT Workstation, the service can be stopped using the Rservice.exe utility. For example, use the command


   RSERVICE /STOP PCMSVC.INI

where the Pcmsvc.ini file is the RSERVICE initialization file that was used to install the PCM service on the workstation.

Remove PCM Instruction Files

After either stopping the PCM service and/or stopping the Server service on the logon servers, the PCM instruction files can be removed. Delete or move the client's PCM instruction file from the following locations:

On the Systems Management Server site server:

\SMS\Site.Srv\Maincfg.box\PCMDom.Box\<domain>.xxx

On each Systems Management Server logon server:

\SMS\Logon.srv\PCMIns.box

The .sni files located in the \SMS\Logon.srv\Despooler.box directory can be removed as well. Because these files were created to modify the .ins files that were just moved, they no longer serve a purpose.

After removing the .sni files, any existing package instructions will be lost. The client will essentially start from scratch and packages you want the client to execute, must be sent with new jobs.

Restart Services

Restart any services that you stopped so that you could clean up the files involved with the problem. This should include the Server service on the Systems Management Server logon servers and the PCM service on the computers running Windows NT Workstation.

Additional query words: prodsms storm network hang hangs hung

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