Error: "Unable to generate policy XML for item: 'Deployment Solution Settings Policy"

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

After a recent upgrade and installation of cumulative point fix, the log is full of the following error messages:

Unable to generate policy XML for item: 'Deployment Solution Settings Policy' (1062f69b-495b-4bfa-8559-4b7ac77576a8), resource: a962bc96-aa89-4327-8183-a20a11237cca

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   [System.NullReferenceException @ Symantec.Deployment]
   at Altiris.Deployment.PrebootEnvironment.PrebootEnvironmentConfigurationManager.GetUsedProfile(PrebootEnvironmentConfigurationItem config)
   at Altiris.Deployment.PrebootEnvironment.PrebootEnvironmentConfigurationManager.AddConnectionProfile(XmlTextWriter itemXmlWriter)
   at Altiris.Deployment.Policies.DeploymentSettingsPolicy.OnBuildClientConfigXml(Guid workstationGuid, XmlTextWriter xmlBuilder)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.Policies.ClientConfigPolicy.OnBuildClientConfigXml2(Guid workstationGuid, XmlNode requestDocumentElement, XmlTextWriter xmlBuilder)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.Policies.ClientConfigPolicy.<>c__DisplayClass44_0.<GetConfigXml>b__0(XmlTextWriter xwr)
   at Altiris.Profiling.Support.XmlFormatOps.ToXml(Action`1 fu, String root, Boolean indented)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.Policies.ClientConfigPolicy.GetConfigXml(Guid resourceGuid, String requestXml)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.BuildPolicyXml(LoadIdentData data, IItem item)
   at Altiris.Database.DatabaseContext`1.RetryActionRequest.Perform(Boolean throwIfRetriedOut)
   at Altiris.Database.DatabaseContext`1.PerformWithDeadlockRetryHelper(Int32 retries, Int32 retryDelay, Boolean outerTransaction, Getter`1 getContext, Action`1 action, Action`1 retry, Boolean selfTransaction, String deadlockMessage, String category)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.BuildPolicyXml(LoadIdentData data, IPolicyCacheEntryBuilder builder, ISet`1& requiredPermissions)
Exception logged from: 
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.BuildPolicyXml(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyCache+IPolicyCacheEntryBuilder, Altiris.Common.Collections.Generic.ISet`1[System.Guid]&)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.BuildPolicy(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyCache+IPolicyCacheEntryBuilder)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.GetPolicyByBuilder(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyCache+IPolicyCacheEntry, Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyCache+EPolicyBuildState&)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.GetPolicy(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, Altiris.Profiling.CodeProfiling.CodeProfiler)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.LoadIdentPolicy(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, Altiris.Common.Collections.Generic.NullableDictionary<System.Guid,Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+PolicyPriority>, System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[System.Guid]&)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.LoadItemPolicy(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+ParseRequestResult, Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+LoadIdentData, System.Guid, Altiris.Common.Collections.Generic.NullableDictionary<System.Guid,Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+PolicyPriority>, System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1[System.Guid]&)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.LoadItemPolicies(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest+ParseRequestResult, Boolean)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.PolicyRequest.GetPolicies(String, Boolean, String&)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.AgentManagement.Communication.Handlers.AgentActionPolicyHandler+<HandleInContext>d__4.MoveNext()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncTaskMethodBuilder.Start<TStateMachine>(TStateMachine&)
   at Altiris.NS.StandardItems.AgentManagement.Communication.Handlers.AgentActionPolicyHandler.HandleInContext(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.Communication.Connections.INSAgentConnection, Symantec.AgentActions.Actions.IAgentAction<Symantec.WebSockets.AgentSocketStream>)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.Communication.Handlers.NSAgentActionHandler<T>.Handle(Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.Communication.Connections.INSAgentConnection, Symantec.AgentActions.Actions.IAgentAction<T>)
   at Symantec.AgentActions.Handlers.<Handle>d__5<T,TC>.MoveNext()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncTaskMethodBuilder.Start<TStateMachine>(TStateMachine&)
   at Symantec.AgentActions.Handlers.AgentActionHandler<T,TC>.Handle(Symantec.AgentActions.Connections.IAgentConnection, Symantec.AgentActions.Actions.IAgentAction)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.Communication.Connections.NSAgentConnection+<HandleAction>d__33.MoveNext()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncTaskMethodBuilder.Start<TStateMachine>(TStateMachine&)
   at Altiris.NS.AgentManagement.Communication.Connections.NSAgentConnection.HandleAction(Symantec.AgentActions.Actions.IAgentAction)
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task<TResult>.InnerInvoke()
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Execute()
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.ExecuteWithThreadLocal(System.Threading.Tasks.Task&)
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.ExecuteEntry(Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ThreadPoolWorkQueue.Dispatch()

Environment

ITMS 8.6 RU2

Cause

In this case, we traced the issue to the Preboot Configurations policy (Settings > All Settings > Deployment > Preboot Configurations). The profile and Server URL were undefined. 

Resolution

We edited the Profile to be used for Server Connection to a valid profile and then recreated the preboot configuration.