SMS: Software Inventory May Be Discarded from Clients That Have Been Offline (325585)

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

If a computer that is running the Systems Management Server (SMS) 2.0 client agent with software inventory turned on cannot connect to the network to forward collected software inventory, and if that inability to connect continues for more than a single software inventory cycle, the resulting software inventory that is reported when the computer finally can connect may be inaccurate. Computers may be legitimately off the network or be unable to connect for many reasons, including Client Access Points (CAPs) that are offline for maintenance, temporary network problems, or laptop computers that may be disconnected from the network for days at time.

CAUSE

There is no ordering in the processing of software inventory files. If a computer has two inventory files queued up and both are forwarded at the same time, the most recent inventory file may be processed before the older file. If any inventory changes such as software addition or deletion are recorded in the older file, they are discarded and the software inventory processor records the following message in the Sinvproc.log file:

WARNING - This file is out-of-date and will be skipped.

Because the older inventory is not processed, changes to inventory that are recorded in the older inventory file are not recorded in the database.

RESOLUTION

Service Pack Information

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

Hotfix Information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Systems Management Server service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question. The English version of this fix for SMS 2.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4) sites should have the following file attributes or later:

   
   Date         Time   Version            Size    File name
   --------------------------------------------------------------
   23-Jul-2002  18:40  2.0.4.1           252,602  Q325585.exe      
   01-May-2002  13:15  2.0.1493.4119     129,296  Sinvproc.dll     Alpha
   01-May-2002  13:15  2.0.1493.4119      80,208  Sinvproc.dll     X86

MORE INFORMATION

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. The fix listed in this article does not prevent files from being processed out of order. But with this fix, you can resynchronize software inventory for a client that has this problem. Use the following scenario as an example:

The client runs Software Inventory on a client and finds Program1.exe.
Software Inventory inserts File1.sid into the CopyQueue list.
CopyQueue cannot copy File1.sid to the Client Access Point (CAP) because the CAP is not accessible.
Software Inventory runs again on the client and either finds new files or no additional files.
Software Inventory inserts File2.sid into the CopyQueue list.
CopyQueue cannot copy File1.sid or File2.sid to the CAP because the CAP is inaccessible.
Eventually, the CAP becomes accessible and CopyQueue copies both File1.sid and File2.sid to the CAP.
Inbox Manager Assistant copies the .sid files to the site server.
Software Inventory processor may process File2.sid before File1.sid. This generates the error message described in the "Symptoms" section.

If File2.sid is processed first, the files inventoried in File1.sid are not recorded in the database and the client may never have known that Program1.exe existed on the client. However, after you apply this fix, you can set the following registry key in such a way that when Software Inventory Processor encounters a software inventory file that is out of order, it automatically sends a resync to that client. This causes all the files to be reported. To configure Software Inventory Processor to resync "Out of Date" clients, follow these steps:

Start Registry Editor on all the primary sites.
Locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Components\SMS_SOFTWARE_INVENTORY_PROCESSOR
Add the following value:
Value name: OutOfDate Resyncs
Data type: DWORD
Value: Set the value to 1 to enable, or 0 to disable