Client Management Suite

I haven't called Support yet but I think that I should report this one.

We're in the process of building out ~20 new Site (Task and Package) servers.  Up until now we have one giant site service.  I'm building sites as I build a site's new server but the new server starts servicing requests from clients outside of the new site. What's happening is that even after I move the new site server to the new site I have clients that are not part of the new site still using the new site server for their own.  And they won't let go

I have the Reset Task Agent task running twice a day as part of an MSD policy (with the checkbox checked) but you can watch the task agent do a reset and still connect to the undesired server.  Even running the Task directly has the same effect.  Rebooting the client or restarting the Symantec Management Agent both result in the task agent still hanging on to the undesired server.

It's not until I either click Reset Agent from the agent GUI or from the RAAD tool does the task agent actually register with its proper server.

Has anyone else encountered this?  I'm assuming the the clients are using the same site server for task and package requests but I can't be certain.

FWIW I'm running 7.1 SP2 MP1.1 with Rollup 2.

Compare the Agent logs for the two different reset tasks, I think you can see the logic being worked through, or at least some of it. You might get more details if you turn on verbose logging.

I do see things like this when using the task to reset the task agent that don't appear when I use the GUI to reset the agent:

<event date='Mar 26 17:45:25' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='5944' tickCount='1003956969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::PostStatus::result [0x80004005]]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:25' severity='1' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='5944' tickCount='1003956969' >
  <![CDATA[Unable to post file to server, error 80004005]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:25' severity='4' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='5944' tickCount='1003956969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskStatusEngineBase::OnPostStatus(): Cancelling post status loop due to communication error [0x80004005].]]>

And

<event date='Mar 26 17:45:32' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='2620' tickCount='1003963969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::Post(): Post response: <response result="success"><servers><server name="WRONGSERVER.domain" resource="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" guid="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" shares="1" /></servers></response>]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:32' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='2620' tickCount='1003963969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::GetServerListXml() GetServerList: <response result="success"><servers><server name="WRONGSERVER.domain" resource="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" guid="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" shares="1" /></servers></response>]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:32' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='2620' tickCount='1003963969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::ParseServerListDocument():
<response result="success"><servers><server name="WRONGSERVER.domain" resource="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" guid="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" shares="1" /></servers></response>
]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:32' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='2620' tickCount='1003963969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::ReadServerListDocument():  Found server WRONGSERVER.domain]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:45:32' severity='4' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='2620' tickCount='1003963969' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::RegisterWithServerList(): Register order: WRONGSERVER.domain]]>  <-------NOTE:  Only one server listed

Changing nothing else other than using the GUI to reset the task agent I get the following (correct):


<event date='Mar 26 17:43:14' severity='4' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='496' thread='2796' tickCount='-33399343' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::RegisterWithServerList(): Ordering servers by task server load shares]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:43:14' severity='4' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='496' thread='2796' tickCount='-33399343' >
  <![CDATA[CTaskServerNetCommsConnection::RegisterWithServerList(): Register order: SITESERVER1, SITESERVER2, SITESERVER3, SITESERVER4, SITESERVER5, SITESERVER6, SITESERVER7, SITESERVER8, SITESERVER9, SITESERVER10, SITESERVER11]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 26 17:43:14' severity='4' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='496' thread='2796' tickCount='-33399343' >
  <![CDATA[Attempting to register using "http://SITESERVER1/Altiris/ClientTaskServer/Register.aspx?resourceGuid=10fb5c73-e51f-4751-88ad-b243527cf18f"]]>

When you use the Reset Task Agent Task, are you using the option to check for an updated site server list? perhaps that feature isn't working so all the task can do is re use the same (wrong) one. Whereas the GUI will always get a new list.

What happens if you run the Task again after the GUI? Does it revert to the wrong server?

The option for getting the updated server list from the NS is checked on.  I tried both ways and it doesn't seem to make a difference.  I do see that confirmed in the logs:

<event date='Mar 27 13:00:01' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='3996' tickCount='1073233344' >
  <![CDATA[CClientTaskInstanceBase::GetTaskHandlerXml(): get the xml: <agentXml><resetAgent forceUpdateServerList="True" /></agentXml>]]>
</event>
<event date='Mar 27 13:00:01' severity='8' hostName='COMPUTERNAME' source='Client Task Agent' module='client task agent.dll' process='AeXNSAgent.exe' pid='756' thread='3996' tickCount='1073233344' >
  <![CDATA[CClientTaskInstanceBase::ExecuteTaskHandler(): m_taskHandlerXml: <agentXml><resetAgent forceUpdateServerList="True" /></agentXml>]]>

After a successful reset subsequent reset attempts via the task appear to work properly.

Edited for clarity.

But do the subsequent attempts via the task get a server list like the GUI or just go to whatever the last Task Server was? It may the new task server list option is not working properly, either just in your environemnt or as a result of a bug.

Well, good point.  Looking through the logs I see that this computer bounced between 2 of 3 eligible task servers.  So it appears that it's working as intended.  At least I'm not getting the 80050004 post errors I was seeing before I manually triggered the reset through the GUI.

I'm delivering 3 more site servers tomorrow that currently exist in the main, undefined site.  I guess I'll find out if this problem continues.