SMS: Hardware Inventory Agent Verification Cycle Causes SMS Client Components to Hang (289552)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 SP2
  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 SP3
This article was previously published under Q289552
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When the Hardware Inventory Agent is verified on the 30-day Systems Management Server (SMS) verification cycle, some of the client components may be adversely affected:
  • One or more SMS client components may go into a "Repair Pending" state.
  • Components may log time-out error messages or other error messages in the components' respective logs.
  • Software distribution advertisements may not run on the client.
  • The Hardware Inventory Agent service stops responding (hangs) when it starts.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if you run the Hardware Inventory Agent installation program (InHinv32.exe) on a system by using the /verify switch; InHinv32.exe with the /verify switch does not correctly set some of the registry settings that the Hardware Inventory Agent uses.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Systems Management Server version 2.0. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

288239 SMS: How to Obtain the Latest Systems Management Server 2.0 Service Pack


WORKAROUND

You can use the following methods to work around this problem.

Disable the Hardware Inventory Client Agent

To disable the Hardware Inventory Client Agent:
  1. Start the SMS Administrator console, expand Site Settings, expand Client Agents, and then open the Hardware Inventory Client Agent properties.
  2. Click to clear the Enable hardware inventory on clients check box.
  3. Click OK.
When the SMS clients next perform a client maintenance cycle (which occurs every 23 hours), the Hardware Inventory Agent is uninstalled.

Disable the Client Verification Process

To disable the client verification process:
  1. Obtain the Cliverify utility that is described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

    246040 SMS: How to Configure the Client Verify Cycle for Systems Management Server 2.0 Clients

  2. Follow the directions in that Knowledge Base article to disable the client verify cycle.
Both of these methods stop the Client Component Installation Manager (CCIM) from running InHinv32.exe with the /verify switch on the client.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Systems Management Server 2.0 Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem occurs on computers that run Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. However, not all such computers are affected the same way.

Client Error Conditions

When this problem occurs, the Hardware Inventory installation script incorrectly sets the Init registry value under the following registry key in the system in which the SMS client is installed:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Client\Configuration\Client Application Launchers\Hardware Inventory Agent

When this registry value is equal to 0x79726f74, this client begins to experience the symptoms that are described in this article. Generally, this value is set to 0x14 (20 decimal).

As a result of the abnormally large value, the SMS client service logs the following error message in the Clisvc.log file:
Hardware Inventory Agent - Waiting 2037542772 seconds for application initialisation
This causes the SMS client service to maintain ownership of the application launch data mutex. This mutex is used to allow several client components to coordinate access to parts of the registry. When the mutex is not released in a timely manner, additional error messages may be logged in the SMS client logs.

The following error messages may be logged in the Hinv32.log file:
UnRegister Hardware Inventory Agent - Event Driven
ERROR 1018 - Cannot UnRegister Inventory Agent On Event
UnRegister Hardware Inventory Agent - Restart Driven
ERROR 1018 - Cannot UnRegister Inventory Agent On Restart
The following error messages may be logged in the Smsapm32.log file:
SERVICE : Waiting for application launch data mutex (max wait = 180 seconds).
SERVICE : ** Mutex timeout.
SERVICE : Unable to signal Client Service to restart this application.
The following error messages may be logged in the Smsclreg.log file:
AppRegisterI returned error 1058 for component Hardware Inventory Agent
AppStopAndUnRegisterI returned error 1053 for component SMS Available Programs Manager
AppRegisterI returned error 1010 for component Program Execution Agent
The following error messages may be logged in the Launch32.log file:
Waiting for application launch data mutex...
***** MUTEX TIMEOUT
Waiting for application launch data mutex...
***** MUTEX TIMEOUT
**** Couldn't get mutex (1460)
The following error messages may be logged in the Clisvc.log file:
Launch Hardware Inventory Agent as separate service.
SMS Hardware Inventory Agent Service is not running.
ERROR - Unable to start SMS Hardware Inventory Agent Service service. (1058)
Hardware Inventory Agent - Error launching (#0x3EB)
!!!WARNING: Problem starting App (1003). Doing App Verify.

Recovering Client Systems

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

When this problem occurs on a client, you can return the client to normal operation by using the following procedure on the system where the SMS client is installed:
  1. Stop the SMS client service. If the Hardware Inventory Agent service is running, you need to either wait 20 minutes for the Hardware Inventory Agent service to stop or use the Kill.exe utility to stop the Hinv32.exe process.
  2. Delete the following registry keys:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Client\Configuration\Client Application Launchers\Hardware Inventory Agent

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Client\Client Components\Hardware Inventory Agent

  3. Start the SMS client service.
After you complete these steps, the SMS client reinstalls the Hardware Inventory Agent on this client. In rare cases, you may need to remove and re-install the entire SMS client to return the client to normal operation.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/14/2006
Keywords:kbQFE kbHotfixServer kbAdvertisement kbBug kbClient kbfix kbInventory kbsms200preSP4fix KB289552
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