Package Servers and clients unable to download packages. Failure in GetPackageInfo.aspx

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

Package Servers and clients are unable to download package snapshots and or files because a failure occurs when posting to /Altiris/NS/Agent/GetPackageInfo.aspx

The agent logs on the package server/client contain a series of errors similar to the following:

Description:
  Operation 'Direct: Get' failed.
Protocol: HTTP
Host: smp8-1-parent.mydomain.local:80
Path: /altiris/NS/Agent/GetPackageInfo.aspx
Connection Id: 8618.1508
Communication profile Id: {4629FDF7-AD11-43A5-BCAC-8DB91F4588BC}
Throttling: 0 0 0
Error type: HTTP error
Error code: HTTP status 404: The requested URL does not exist on the server or the server is down (0x8FA10194)
Error note: Empty response content received

Description:
  Download package sources failed: HTTP error occured (0x80042D21)

 

 

The SMP logs contained a corresponding error(s) similar to the following:

Description: Unable to get the package codebases for the specified packages from the NS, request: agent SS-Parent (d10ed572-20ec-489e-a05a-30eacbeec883~) , type=PackageServer

Invalid URI: The hostname could not be parsed.
   [System.UriFormatException @ System]
   at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind)
   at System.UriBuilder..ctor(String uri)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.SoftwareDelivery.SWDSupport.GetPackageWebUrls(String virtualPath, UriBuilder& httpUrl, UriBuilder& httpsUrl)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.SiteServer.PackageServer.PackageInfoProvider.GetNsSnapshotUrl(String& sHttpSnapshot)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.SiteServer.PackageServer.PackageInfoProvider.GetNsPackageCodebases(ParsedPackageInfoDetailsRequest req)

...
 

Environment

SMP 8.5 RU1 and later

Cause

The Default Web Site http or https bindings in IIS contained an asterisk (*) in the "Host Name" box which is causing name resolution problems. This is not a default setting, but, for some reason it affects only the GetPackageInfo page.

Resolution

Do the following:

1. Open IIS Manager
2. Select the Default Web Site
3. In the far right pane click on "Bindings"
4. Depending on what method the agents communicate with the SMP server, select http and, or https.
5. Click Edit
6. If an asterisk is in the "Host Name" box remove it and save.