SMS: SMS_EXECUTIVE Service Stops Unexpectedly If You Use an %n Combination in a Program Command Line (320276)

SYMPTOMS

If you use a combination of the percent character (%) followed by the letter "n" (for example, %n) in a program's command line, the SMS_EXECUTIVE service quits unexpectedly on the site server when the service is processing SMS client status messages.

To view a program's command line, use the SMS Administrator console to locate the program under Site Database\Packages\Package name\Programs. Double-click the program, and then view the text in the Command line box on the General tab.

CAUSE

When Offer Status Summarizer (SMS_OFFER_STATUS_SUMMARIZER) processes the 10003 status message from Smsapm32.exe, it logs various properties from the status message to Offersum.log. One of these properties is the command line that Smsapm32.exe runs. The logging routine that is used by SMS_OFFER_STATUS_SUMMARIZER does not always correctly handle a string containing the percent character. This behavior may cause Offersum.dll to either generate an access violation exception or it may corrupt the memory so that the SMS_EXECUTIVE service later quits unexpectedly in one of its components.

NOTE: Currently, this issue is only known to occur if the "%n" combination exists in the command line.

RESOLUTION

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

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

WORKAROUND

To work around the problem, do not use the "%n" combination in the program's command line. If you must use "%n" in the command line, call the original command line from inside a batch file or an SMS Installer script to prevent this problem from occurring.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Systems Management Server version 2.0. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 Service Pack 5.