Error: A software update policy already exists with this name. Please enter another name

Products

• Patch Management Solution
• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

When you try to modify an existing Patch Management policy (under Software>Patch Management>Software Update Policies>Windows) and change the target, it will not let you save the change(s).  The following error message in the banner on the top of the policy is displayed:

A software update policy already exists with the same name

Then when you try to create a new policy it still will not let you modify certain fields.  The only way to modify the assigned targets is to right-click the policy in the folder/tree and then click Actions>Retarget and re-add all existing targets plus any new ones you want.

When the policy is created or an existing one is present and you try to edit it, enable it, save it, etc. you see the following error 'A software update policy already exists with this name. Please enter another name' even though there isn't another policy.  You can only Enable it if you right-click the policy and say Enable, but it does not let you modify and save anything without getting the error.  Even renaming it and making changes returns the same error.

Steps:

1. Have a Patch Management policy enabled (located in the default location of Software>Patch Management>Software Update Policies>Windows). 
2. Change the Target that is in the “Apply to Computers” section. 
3. Delete the existing target and then "Apply To" and you can either use a recent target or go into the full list and find a target. 
4. Once added, hit Save.
5. The error on the console says at the top of the policy “A software update policy already exists with this name. Please enter another name.”
6. Then just have to click Cancel and it tells that changes are abandoned. 
7. If you just right-click the policy and click Actions>Retarget then you can change the target without issue since I am not having to hit the save button.
   
    
8. What does work within the policy when you want to make a change is to change the schedule, for example, clicking the Run box for As soon as possible or unchecking it, etc.  That all works just fine.  It seems to only be an issue when you want to change the target.

No errors are seen in the NS logs related to the error:  'A software update policy already exists with this name. Please enter another name.'

Environment

ITMS 8.x

Cause

There is a policy with a blank name in the SMP Console under the Software>Patch Management>Software Update Policies>Windows folder.

Resolution

In order to validate if you have a patch policy with a blank name, do the following:

1. Execute the following query, where "Policy Name" below need to change to the policy for which the error occurs. For example: MS20-08-MRNET-4569748:

SELECT count ( * )
FROM vItem i inner join ItemFolder itf
on itf.ItemGuid = i.Guid
WHERE i.Name like N'Policy Name'
AND (itf.ParentFolderGuid = '21C32410-ED2C-4BF4-80FB-B1A72A0E5ABA')
AND ('49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856' = 0x0 OR
ClassGuid IN (
select ClassGuid from ClassBaseClass where BaseClassGuid = '49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856')
) 

This should return a value of "1", which means that only one policy with that name exists.

2.  Next execute the following query:

SELECT count ( * )
FROM vItem i inner join ItemFolder itf
on itf.ItemGuid = i.Guid
WHERE i.Name like N''
AND (itf.ParentFolderGuid = '21C32410-ED2C-4BF4-80FB-B1A72A0E5ABA')
AND ('49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856' = 0x0 OR
ClassGuid IN (
select ClassGuid from ClassBaseClass where BaseClassGuid = '49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856')
) 

This should return a value of "0". If you get a result of "1" or a higher number, it means that you have a patch policy with a blank name.

3. The query below returns all policies without a name:

SELECT ItemGuid, ClassGuid, Name, Description, Attributes
FROM vItem i inner join ItemFolder itf
on itf.ItemGuid = i.Guid
WHERE i.Name like N''
AND ('49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856' = 0x0 OR
ClassGuid IN (select ClassGuid from ClassBaseClass where BaseClassGuid = '49FE4304-E09D-4382-9026-715868FFB856'))

4. If you have any policies with a blank name (like on the screen below), you should add a policy name to it: