Unable to load SMP Console. HTTP Request failed: /Altiris/Console/Default.aspx. Error executing child request for Header.aspx.

Products

IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

After an upgrade or repair, the SMP Console is not able to load due to the following error message displayed in the NS logs:

HTTP Request failed:
/Altiris/Console/Default.aspx

Error executing child request for Header.aspx.

While looking at the Application Event logs, you may see errors like this one:

Event code: 3005
Event message: An unhandled exception has occurred.
Event time: 7/29/2019 10:32:07 AM
Event time (UTC): 7/29/2019 5:32:07 PM
Event ID: 22f4161651fe4669ac2437a16a7fbf95
Event sequence: 6
Event occurrence: 1
Event detail code: 0

Application information:
    Application domain: /LM/W3SVC/1/ROOT/Altiris/Console-5-132088951239353532
    Trust level: Full
    Application Virtual Path: /Altiris/Console
    Application Path: D:\Program Files\Altiris\CustomConsole\Web\

Process information:
    Process ID: 3848
    Process name: w3wp.exe
    Account name: IIS APPPOOL\SMP Server AppPool

Exception information:
    Exception type: HttpUnhandledException
    Exception message: Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown.
....

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
....

NS log entry:

Application Event log entry:

Event code: 3005
Event message: An unhandled exception has occurred.
Event time: 7/29/2019 10:32:07 AM
Event time (UTC): 7/29/2019 5:32:07 PM
Event ID: 22f4161651fe4669ac2437a16a7fbf95
Event sequence: 6
Event occurrence: 1
Event detail code: 0

Application information:
    Application domain: /LM/W3SVC/1/ROOT/Altiris/Console-5-132088951239353532
    Trust level: Full
    Application Virtual Path: /Altiris/Console
    Application Path: D:\Program Files\Altiris\CustomConsole\Web\

Process information:
    Process ID: 3848
    Process name: w3wp.exe
    Account name: IIS APPPOOL\SMP Server AppPool

Exception information:
    Exception type: HttpUnhandledException
    Exception message: Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown.
   at System.Web.UI.Page.HandleError(Exception e)
   at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)
   at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)
   at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest()
   at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
   at Altiris.NS.UI.Controls.PageCachePage.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
   at Altiris.NS.UI.AltirisPage.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)
   at System.Web.HttpServerUtility.ExecuteInternal(IHttpHandler handler, TextWriter writer, Boolean preserveForm, Boolean setPreviousPage, VirtualPath path, VirtualPath filePath, String physPath, Exception error, String queryStringOverride)

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Altiris.CustomConsole.Web.Header.CreateChildControls()
   at System.Web.UI.Control.EnsureChildControls()
   at System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal()
   at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

Environment

ITMS 8.0 or later

Cause

In this case, the customer had either a bad upgrade or repair process. The "CustomConsole" files (under ...\Program Files\Altiris\CustomConsole) were missing important entries in order to allow the SMP Console to load. For example, the "Header.aspx" file under "...\Program Files\Altiris\CustomConsole\Web", it had some entries missing under this section:

Resolution

Try to run a repair on the CustomConsole msi (called for example "altiris_console_8_5_ru2_x64.msi" under "...\Program Files\Altiris\Symantec Installation Manager\Installs\Altiris").
Running a repair in a MSI outside SIM, you will need to do the following:
From an administrator command prompt:

change to the "...\Program Files\Altiris\Symantec Installation Manager\Installs\Altiris" directory
run the following commands:
msiexec /i altiris_console_8_5_ru2_x64.msi skipaim=1

If that doesn't work, grab the whole "CustomConsole" folder from another SMP server with the same version that is working and replace the existing one. Restart IIS and Altiris Services service and try loading the SMP Console again.