.dat files accumulating in the Inbox folder on SEPM

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

Why are there are many .dat files building up in one or more of the subfolders in \Program Files\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager\data\Inbox?

Symptoms
Reports that contain client data have empty fields.

• One or more of the following folder are full of .dat files:
  \inbox\agentinfo
  \inbox\log\client
  \inbox\log\security
  \inbox\log\tex\AVMan
  \inbox\log\traffic

Beyond these symptoms, clients heartbeat into SEPM, have current definitions and otherwise appear to be communicating successfully.

NOTE: If there is an accumulation of dat.err or dat.tmp files in these same folders, please contact technical support for further investigation.

Cause

These are known causes for this issue:

Cause 1: SQL Server Native Client is not fully installed, e.g. the 90\Tools\binn folder was copied over from another system.

Cause 2: The 32-bit version of the SQL Server Native Client was installed on 64-bit version of Windows.

Cause 3: SQL Server Native Client version does not match the version of remote SQL Server, both should be at same service pack or patch level.

Cause 4: SQL Server Native Client is not configured to use same port as the remote SQL Server. These scenarios cause BCP.exe to not be able to function correctly when called upon by the JDBC. This results in an inability to transport the information in the Inbox to the SQL database.

Resolution

The SQL Server Native Client will need to be removed (Add/Remove Programs) and reinstalled from the SQL 2005 CD. In the case where the 32-bit version was installed on 64-bit Windows, then the appropriate SQL 2005 64-bit CD needs to be located and used to get the SQL Server Native Client installed correctly.

Remove the SQL Client:
1. Open Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs
2. Remove the all SQL components that are listed (unless this is an SQL server, in which case do not remove SQL Server 2005!)

Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Native Client:
1. Start the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 installation CD and begin the installation process.
2. In the Start window, click Server components, tools, Books Online, and samples.
3. Continue the installation until you are prompted to select the components to install.
4. In the Components to Install dialog box, click Advanced.
5. In the left pane, click and expand Client Components.
6. Click Client Components, and then select Will be installed on local hard drive.
7. Click Client Component features Connectivity Components and Management Tools, and then select Will be installed on local hard drive.
8. Complete the installation.

Configure Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Client Components on SEPM:
1. Click Start > Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 > Configuration Tools > SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Under SQL Native Client Configuration, click Client Protocols, right-click TCP/IP, and then click Properties.
3. In the Default Port box, type the port number that matches the port that is used by the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 instance.

Note: The default port is typically 1433. You specify this port number when you create the database.

4. Click Apply > OK.