Package Servers continually attempt to download a package that does not exist on the Notification Server

Products

Client Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

The Package Servers are repeatedly trying to download a package that no longer exists. The package did exist at one time but it was deleted from the SMP console.

It is not in the server's snapshot directory and cannot be found in a query of the codebases of the CMDB.

The error that continues to show up on the package servers is "Error while downloading package. No package sources returned by server".

Environment

Release: 8.x

Cause

The package is stuck in the Secure Storage folder.

Resolution

First, check the KB 181405 and if this doesn't resolve the issue then follow the steps below:

Navigate to where the package snapshots are stored on the Notification Server, "C:\ProgramData\Symantec\SMP\Snapshots", and delete the snapshot (GUID) for the package.
Next, open the Windows Task Scheduler from Start>Administrative Tools>Task Scheduler, and run "NS.DistributionPointUpdateSchedule" and "NS.PackageRefresh".
- These schedules can take some time to run so either wait for these schedules to start on their predetermined schedule or do this during a time when other processes are not using resources on the Notification Server.
In SMP console access Settings->Agents/Plug-ins->Symantec Management Agent->Settings->Global Agent Settings
Place the checkmark on "Allow remote troubleshooting" then input the password of your choice and click Save
Update agent configuration on the Package Server to receive the "remote troubleshooting" password.
Locate SMATool on the Notification Server (...\Program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Bin\Tools) and copy it to the package server
On the Package Server start CMD with Admin privileges and navigate to the SMATool
Run SMATool. exe /<Password you created above> / storage delete "Package Delivery\{<GUID of the package>}"
Delete the Snapshot on the package Delivery folder of the Package Server found at 'C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Delivery'
Restart the Altiris Agent service on the Package Server

If still the package comes back to the package server and retries downloading, check the UrgentList.xml on the Package Server. It is possible that there will be no policy but still, we have it in the UrgentList. If so, Delete the UrgentList.XML located in 'C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Server Agent\PackageStatus\UrgentList.xml'.

Note:
Some information regarding standard packages and when those packages are considered "Urgent":

The source of a package is the policy. So first thing to check why a package is starting to be downloaded by a Package Server (PS) is to go and see if the package is in the policy. The deletion from secure storage and from the PackageDelivery folder is just a deletion of metadata which will be re-downloaded on the next retry.
Looking to the logs you may see the following entry:

{{ Skip removal of urgent package not in the policy: {ff99ff26-c91f-47cc-bd5d-2415e482180a}}}

This means two things:
1. 1. The package is indeed not in the PS policy.
  2. The package arrived as "urgent" from Time-Critical Management (TCM) console and it resides in the "urgent list".
The "urgent list" is the xml file located in "<PS root folder>\PackageStatus\UrgentList.xml".
It contains all "urgent" packages which came from the TCM console and have not yet appeared in the policy. Eventually, the Notification Server processes those and add them to PS policy. All "urgent" packages always come with "High" priority.
This screen gives a small clue to the package origin.

Unfortunately, there is no way to remove just one package from "UrgentList.xml" since it exists the same way as all the policies and its hash is being verified each time. The only way to remove a package from that file is to remove the file itself.
When you remove UrgentList.xml, and since this package is not in the policy (check that just in case), the package should be removed from Agent UI as well upon PS start.