How to fully refresh the Patch Assessment Scan files

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Article ID: 178297

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Updated On:

Products

Patch Management Solution for Windows

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

To fully refresh the Windows System Assessment Scan files in Patch Management 7.5.x - 8.x, work through the following steps:

  1. RDP to the SMP
    1. Confirm there are no current PMImports running
      1. Console > Manage > Jobs and Tasks > System Jobs and Tasks > Software > Patch Management > Import Patch Data for Windows
    2. If in Hierarchy: Confirm there are no current replication jobs running
      1. Console > Reports > All Reports > Notification Server Management > Server > Replication > Current Replication Activity

 

  1. Stop main Altiris Services in this order
    1. Altiris Support Service
    2. Altiris Client Message Dispatcher
    3. Altiris File Receiver
    4. Altiris Event Receiver
    5. Altiris Service
    6. Altiris Object Host Service
    7. Altiris Service Hoster
    8. Altiris Event Engine

 

  1. Go to default install directory: C:\ProgramData\Symantec\SMP\Snapshots
    1. Delete the snapshot.xml for the Windows System Assessment Scan package
      1. {6D417916-467C-46A7-A870-6D86D9345B61}.xml
    2. Check all snapshot.xml's in this location and ensure none have a GUID of all 0's
    3. Delete any with all 0's

 

  1. Go to default install directory: C:\Program Files\Altiris\Patch Management\Packages\WindowsVulnerabilityScan
    1. Note: Do not delete the RunAssessment.bat file or your Windows System Assessment Scans will fail on endpoints when they redownload these files. Also leave any certificate files if present (see TECH239756)
    2. Delete the following files from the WindowsVulnerabilityScan folder
      1. AeXPatchAssessment.exe
      2. catalog.xml
      3. STPatchAssessmentSrv.exe
      4. WindowsPatchData.zip

 

  1. Restart all services that were stopped as outlined in Step 'c' above

 

  1. Run the PMImport with the following settings disabled (as viewed in the screen shot below)

 

  1. Incremental Import
  2. Delete previously downloaded data for vendors, software and languages that are now excluded
  3. Automatically revise Software Update policies after importing patch data
  4. Enable distribution of newly added Software updates
  5. Disable all superseded Software Updates

 

  1. Verify that the PMImport finishes successfully
    1. If PMImport failed to run successfully; troubleshoot as outlined in TECH166778

 

  1. Re-enable all desired settings. Configurations for best practices are detailed in HOWTO56242 - Step 3
    1. Advisory: Leave the setting 'Delete previously downloaded data for vendors, software and languages that are now excluded' disabled, for if the Vendor Data is not being altered, there is no reason to add this process to the PMImport and it will increase performance to leave it disabled.

 

  1. Ensure the clients are downloading the updated Windows System Assessment Scan folder
    1. If this is failing to download; review troubleshooting steps outlined in TECH159956

 

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