Agents not able to register with task servers due to Internet Explorer proxy settings

Products

• IT Management Suite
• Task Server

Issue/Introduction

When agents attempt to register with remote task servers, it fails with the following errors in the agent log files. The errors were displaying every 5 minutes.

Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (520)
Thread ID: 3372
Module: Client Task Agent.dll
Source: Client Task Agent
Description: CTaskAgentBase::CheckRegister(): Not registered, attempting to register now.

Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (520)
Thread ID: 3372
Module: Client Task Agent.dll
Source: Client Task Agent
Description: CTaskAgentBase::CheckRegister(): Unable to register, error 8000ffff

Module: Client Task Agent.dll
Source: Client Task Agent
Description: CAtrsException exception, error = "Unable to register", OS error = 2147549183, at line 463    re-throw at CTaskAgentBase::CheckRegister

When the agent atttempts to register with the task server, it should first go to the Notification Server to get the Task Server information and then register with the correct task server for the agent as per the task server configuration policy.

In this case, there was no request for the Notification Server in the log files even though the agent registry keys properly referenced the name of the Notification Server, and there was no task server name mentioned in the attempt to register. The errors simply stated that it was attempting to register and there was no reference to any Notification Server or task server in the register request.

Cause

A proxy server was listed in the Internet Explorer* settings on the client computer, and this proxy information was being populated into the following Altiris Agent-specific registry keys:

HKLM>SOFTWARE>Altiris>Communications\Proxy Port = 1
HKLM>SOFTWARE>Altiris>Communications\Proxy Server value = "proxy name"

Resolution

You will need to disable the use of Proxy Servers for the Altiris Agent.

Modify these registry keys within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Communications:

Proxy Auto Detect DWORD 0
Proxy Last Resort DWORD 1
Proxy Server REG_SZ <null>
Proxy Port DWORD 0

After disabling the proxy server settings Task Server Agent should register with the Task Server.   Restarting the Altiris Agent service on the client computer will force these new settings to be used.

Notes:

This has been addressed with the release of SP2 for task server. (version 1505)

Applies To
Notification Server 6.0 SP3 R7
Task Server 6.0.1404