Symantec Network Boot Service Stopping multiple times

Products

• Deployment Solution

Issue/Introduction

You noticed that the Symantec Network Boot service (NBS) is being stopped automatically on a number of their site servers with the service installed. Each time the service is down for around an hour and then starts again automatically.

It's happened every day but not always on the same site servers. 

The only agent log entries that can be found related to the time when the NBS service stops are:

PECTAgent.ini update: 'D:\Program Files\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\PECTAgent.ini' file has been updated with the policy settings, web: https://smp801.example.com:443
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10/13/2022 12:00:49 PM, Tick Count: 48594406 (13:29:54.4060000), Size: 434 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (5980), Thread ID: 6128, Module: DeploymentSolutionAgent.dll
Priority: 4, Source: DeploymentSolutionAgent

 

Add new task [{51b8725a-f0e7-4584-8885-ea9ffcc1a5c3}] from policy [8918c4b8-f6d0-45c3-bcb9-4628d264da20] to schedule
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10/13/2022 12:00:49 PM, Tick Count: 48594437 (13:29:54.4370000), Size: 360 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (5980), Thread ID: 5524, Module: client task agent.dll
Priority: 4, Source: Client Task Agent

 

Preboot Cfg: Configuration 'WinPE10 x64' is marked for update:
GUID: b7cb66b5-173a-457a-9b31-9f8d8d4cc15f,
OS: WinPE10,
Architecture: x64,
OEM extensions: DS,
Lock keyboard: No,
Use iPXE: No,
Path: D:\Program Files\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\SBS\Images\WinPE10 x64,
Policy time stamp: 2022-09-16T15:07:43.9580407Z,
Local time stamp: 2022-09-16T15:07:43.9580407Z

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 10/13/2022 12:00:49 PM, Tick Count: 48594437 (13:29:54.4370000), Size: 617 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (5980), Thread ID: 6128, Module: DeploymentSolutionAgent.dll
Priority: 4, Source: DSTasks

 

Configure SBS Server: Policy Xml: 
<SbsConfiguration>
    <Network>
        <Interfaces all="yes"/>
    </Network>
    <Pxe>
        <Logging enabled="yes" level="1"/>
        <parameters enabled="yes"/>
        <clients>
            <client type="predefined" enabled="yes" image="WinPE10 x64 (iPXE)" arch="x64" timeout="0" prompt="Press[F8] to select a boot option."/>
            <client type="managed" enabled="yes" image="WinPE10 x64 (iPXE)" arch="x64" timeout="0" prompt="Press[F8] to select a boot option."/>
            <client type="unknown" enabled="yes" prompt="" image="WinPE10 x64 (iPXE)" arch="x64" timeout="0"/>
        </clients>
        <clienthandler type="network" protocol="https" servername="SMP801.example.com" port="443"/>
    </Pxe>
    <NetBoot>
        <parameters enabled="no"/>
        <clients>
            <client type="predefined" enabled="no" image=""/>
            <client type="managed" enabled="no" image=""/>
            <client type="unknown" enabled="no" image=""/>
        </clients>
    </NetBoot>
    <Tftp>
        <Logging enabled="yes" level="1"/>
        <Parameters enabled="yes" mtu="1456" maxtransfers=""/>
    </Tftp>
</SbsConfiguration>

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Date: 10/13/2022 12:00:49 PM, Tick Count: 48594515 (13:29:54.5150000), Size: 1.43 KB
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (5980), Thread ID: 6128, Module: DeploymentSolutionAgent.dll
Priority: 4, Source: DSTasks

Environment

Deployment Solution 8.6 RU3

Cause

Known issue. SBS services are restarted when DS policy arrives. 

Resolution

This issue has been reported to our Broadcom Development team. A fix for this issue has been added to our next release, ITMS 8.7

A standalone pointfix is available for those with 8.6 RU3 release. 

Steps to install pointfix:

1. Download the attached file called "SbsInterface.zip". It contains an updated version of the SbsInterface.dll

2. On one of your Site Servers that showed the issue, copy over the file and extract it.

3. Stop PXE services on that Site Server:
Symantec Network Boot Service (PXE and BSDP)
Symantec Network Boot Service (TFTP)

4. Go to ...\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\SBS and make a copy of the original dll.
Replace it with the new one.

5. Then start the PXE services back:
Symantec Network Boot Service (PXE and BSDP)
Symantec Network Boot Service (TFTP)

Watch/monitor for the issue and see if it reoccurs on that Site Server.