dagent.exe - Applcation Error in Windows PE

We had basically the same problem using DS 6.9 SP2 and WinPE 2.1 communication with Dagent (version .375). During PXE (WinPE 2.1) booting the DAgent would connect but show us very quickly that the "Dagent could not connect for System Updates" and then display Agent Updated. The computer would then show up under New Computers" awaiting deployment of a task.

When we deployed our Base Image job it would download and get to 100% completed and then display:

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DAgent.exe - Application Error

The exception unknown software exception (0x4000015) occurred in the application at location 0x0045678a

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We discovered theDagent.exe wasn't closing "gracefully" for lack of a better term and needed to slow it down to allow for a smooth completion.

We corrected this problem by performing the following steps: (KB Article 45391)

During the WinPE 2.1 build add a text file to the startup folder named "logfile.bat"

In a text editor paste the following data into the logfile.bat file: (note the text below that is in BOLD)

@echo off
set temp_i=default

for /f "tokens=1,2 delims=:" %%i in ('ipconfig') do call:setname "%%i" "%%j"

echo your IP is %IP_ADDR%
set LogName=f:\\dagentlog_clean_once_in_a_while\\%IP_ADDR%-WinPE_aclient.log

echo Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Client Service] >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "InstallDir"="%_work%\" >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogFile"=dword:00000001 >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogFilename"="%LogName%" >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogInformation"=dword:00000001 >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogErrors"=dword:00000001 >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogDebug"=dword:00000001 >> %_work%\temp.reg
echo "LogSize"=dword:00064000 >> %_work%\temp.reg

if not exist %_work%\aclient.inp copy x:\aclient.inp %_work%\
set _Agent_cfgpath=%_work%\
echo LogFile=%LogName% >> %_work%\aclient.inp
echo LogSize=409600 >> %_work%\aclient.inp
echo LogErrors=Yes >> %_work%\aclient.inp
echo LogInformation=Yes >> %_work%\aclient.inp
echo LogDebug=Yes >> %_work%\aclient.inp

regedit /s %_work%\temp.reg
goto:eof

:setname
if NOT %1=="" set temp_i=%~1
set temp_j=%~2
set temp_j=%temp_j: =%
set temp_i=%temp_i:~3,2%
if "%temp_i%"=="IP" set IP_ADDR=%temp_j%
goto:eof

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You can create a folder in the Root of your express share and call it whatever you want - we chose DAGENTLOG_CLEAN_ONCE_IN_A_WHILE

(If you have package servers spread out in your environment I recommend using G:\DAGENTLOG_CLEAN_ONCE_IN_A_WHILE and let the logs generate
on the local package servers)

This actually slows the Dagent communication process to allow Dagent to close gracefully and complete the task as designed. To further our testing we removed the Logfile.bat file from the startup folder in the WinPE 2.1 configuration and the original error returned (so natrually we put the file back).

I hope this problem will be resolved in the next release but for now it has allowed our operations to continue as designed. I hope this helped.