Package Servers Attempting to Download to a Drive that does not exist

Products

• Client Management Suite
• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

Package Servers may fail to download or replicate specific packages, showing a status of "Retrying" or "Failed." Upon investigation, the agent logs or package XML files indicate that the Package Server is attempting to store data on a drive letter (e.g., **F:**) that no longer exists or is not currently mapped to the system.

Environment

ITMS 8.7.x, 8.8.x

Cause

Unknown, but it's likely an F: drive existed at some point. Based on what has been seen in the past it is likely that this issue is is a result of the "drive rotation" feature.

This issue occurs when a Package Server retains legacy registry or configuration references to a storage drive that has been removed. While newer packages download correctly to the primary storage, older packages may still reference the "ghost" drive in their local snapdata.xml or snapshot.xml files. This is often triggered by the "Drive Rotation" feature or legacy "Primary file storage" overrides in the Site Server settings.

 

• Site Server Configuration Overrides: A custom storage path pointing to an invalid drive was manually set in the Console.
• Legacy Registry Shares/Keys: Residual entries in LanmanServer or the Altiris Agent registry keys pointing to an obsolete drive letter.
• Snapshot Corruption: Local snapdata.xml files for specific packages contain hardcoded paths to the invalid drive.
• Drive Rotation Policy: The "Allow usage of all fixed drives" setting allowed the agent to utilize a secondary drive that is no longer present.

 

Resolution

Phase 1: Pre-Troubleshooting & Validation

Before performing deletions, verify where the agent "thinks" the files should go:

1. Check Agent UI: On the Package Server, open the Symantec Management Agent UI. Under the Package Server tab, select an affected package. Look at the Primary File Storage path at the bottom. If it shows the invalid *F:* drive, proceed with the fixes below.

2. Check Package Storage Registry:

   • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Server\Package Storage

   • Ensure the entries here reflect the C: drive (or the correct installed drive) and do not contain legacy F: strings.

Phase 2: Site Server Settings Review

Ensure the SMP Console is not forcing the Package Server to use the wrong path:

1. In the SMP Console, go to Settings > All Settings > Notification Server > Site Server Settings.

2. Navigate to Site Servers > [Affected Server Name].

3. Expand Package Service. Under Custom Settings, click "Override them by custom settings".

4. Primary Storage Location: If "Custom location path" is selected and points to the invalid drive, change it to Default.
   
   

5. Drive Rotation: Uncheck "Allow usage of all the fixed drives when the primary file storage location runs out of disk space."

   • Note: This prevents the agent from hopping to other drives if the primary appears full.

6. Save changes. 
   
   

Phase 3: Registry Cleanup

1. Open regedit.exe and navigate to:

   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Shares

2. Search for any share names pointing to the invalid F: drive.

3. Back up the registry keys, then delete the entries referencing the non-existent drive.

Phase 4: Bulk Removal of Invalid XML Snapshots

If many packages are stuck in "Retrying," clear the local cache metadata to force a path recalculation:

1. Stop the Symantec Management Agent service and IIS service (iisreset /stop).

2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt and run:

   del /s /f /q "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Delivery\snapshot.xml"
   del /s /f /q "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Delivery\snapdata.xml"
   

   (Note: To preview first, use dir /s /b instead of del /s /f /q):
   

   dir /s /b "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Package Delivery\snapshot.xml"

   Note: If you can't delete these files:
   i) open File Explorer
   ii) navigate to the desired package folder, in this example {5E9233CB-032A-47A8-821C-B1A81D5DDD47}
   iii) Right-click > Properties > Security
   iv) and grant "Full Control" to the Administrators group (instead of just Read & execute and Read) on this package folder
   
   

3. Start the Symantec Management Agent service and IIS service (iisreset /start).

4. In the Agent UI Package Server tab, click Refresh All Packages.

5. The packages then will re-download all snapshots from NS and should download faulty packages to default location.

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Troubleshooting Summary	Action
Verify Path	Check Agent UI "Primary File Storage"
Console Config	Set Storage to "Default" and disable "Drive Rotation"
Registry	Remove F: references in LanmanServer and Package Storage keys
Agent Refresh	Delete snapshot.xml and snapdata.xml, then Restart Agent

 

Additional Information

Some Package Servers are partially downloading a few packages