Unable to Apply Policy to SCSP Agent - Policy Application Fails with "Unknown Error"

Products

• Critical System Protection

Issue/Introduction

Unable to apply updated IPS policies to Symantec Critical System Protection (SCSP) agent.

Policy application fails with "Policy Translation Failed: Unknown error"

 After enabling Trace Debugging, one of the following errors will be present in the \Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\scsplog\SISIPSService.log file:

TRAC,80,2013-01-11 13:02:23.625 Z-0500,T,0,,<32bit GUID>,-1,,,,,UpdateThread,,,,,,,,,Error running Translator -1073741502

or 

TRAC,59,2012-12-12 23:59:47.243 Z-0800,T,0,,<32bit GUID>,-1,,,,,UpdateThread,,,,,,,,,Error running Translator 128

 

Cause

Desktop Heap Exhaustion.

In one case, the issue was a script that was running over and over but did not close the handle after it ran. This used up the desktop heap space, causing this issue, along with a Policy Override Tool failure

In another case, the cause was found to be the following:

Original 2006 article applying to Windows NT:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156484

Explanation of the issue as applies to Win XP, Win 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;184802

 

Resolution

Fix homegrown script or other running process to close its handles after it runs.

Or

For some ways to address the issue: 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126962

Applies To

This can be reproduced by running psexec (a Systernals tool) to attempt to open up a command window on the affected machine.  An error will be thrown that when researched will point back to Desktop Heap Exhaustion.