Symantec Management Agent stopped sending Basic Inventory or Requesting Configuration
Article ID: 196389
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
Symantec Management Agent service is running on many machines, but it will not send basic inventory, or update the agent configuration even if the user manually clicks to send or update.
You have a couple of dozens of machines that their last time sending basic inventory or requesting configuration were days ago.
For example this one:
For the purpose of illustrating the process and what you may been seeing, let say that you noticed the issue on May 12th. And the last time the agent was able to request configuration or send basic inventory was April 30th.
The agent logs shows that the agent is trying to communicate and send something on April 30th:
Entry 1:
Calling NS server endpoint 'https://SMPserver.example.com:443/altiris/NS/Agent/GetClientPolicies.aspx', ID: {GUID}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4/30/2020 10:39:48 PM, Tick Count: 416050859 (4.19:34:10.8590000), Size: 375 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (6584), Thread ID: 4320, Module: AeXNSAgent.exe
Priority: 4, Source: Agent
Entry 2:
Next policy request from server SMPserver.example.com will be at 2020-04-30 23:39:48, in 60 minutes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4/30/2020 10:39:48 PM, Tick Count: 416051015 (4.19:34:11.0150000), Size: 337 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (6584), Thread ID: 4320, Module: AeXNSAgent.exe
Priority: 4, Source: ServerSettings
Entry 3:
Calling NS server endpoint 'https://SMPserver.example.com:443/altiris/NS/Agent/PostEvent.asp?encrypted=1&priority=1&source=GUID', ID: {GUID}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4/30/2020 10:49:57 PM, Tick Count: 416660562 (4.19:44:20.5620000), Size: 433 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (6584), Thread ID: 4320, Module: AeXNSAgent.exe
Priority: 4, Source: Agent
Entry 4:
Next basic inventory update will be sent to server SMPserver.example.com at 2020-04-30 23:04:57, in 15 minutes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4/30/2020 10:49:57 PM, Tick Count: 416660625 (4.19:44:20.6250000), Size: 348 B
Process: AeXNSAgent.exe (6584), Thread ID: 4320, Module: AeXNSAgent.exe
Priority: 4, Source: ServerSettings
After April 30th, we don't see much activity coming from "AeXNSAgent.exe" in the agent logs.
If you restart the Altiris Agent (Symantec Management Agent) service, then things go back to normal.
Tasks seem to be running just fine even when the client machines are in "hang" mode.
Agent service is in a started state. It has been for many days.
Agent Service shows as connected.
Agent Configuration request and basic inventory dates do not change. The last date was one week ago.
Environment
ITMS 8.5 RU3
Cause
Known issue. It was found that the affected computers are deployed/imaged and receive an agent installation. Eventually, a task renames the computer to a different hostname, but the same domain. After the computer is renamed is when this problem started to occur.
Dev team found out that there was an issue with the renaming was slowing down the domain name detection, which changes timing in a process and when the next task arrives the deadlock occurs because the previous task results are still being processed.
As well, this issue can be introduced if the client machine has multiple tasks running at the same time or close to each other.
Resolution
This issue has been fixed in our ITMS 8.5 RU4 release.
If you are still in ITMS 8.5 RU3, please install the SMP-SMA 8.5 POST-RU3 fixes. See 151228 "CUMULATIVE POST ITMS 8.5 RU3 POINT FIXES"
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