Client Management Suite

Hi All,

Coming from an older 7.0 CMS environment.  Going through an upgrade...deliberately and slowly.  Have 7.1 SP2 installed to a new server. I have a separate SQL 2008 server,  My SQL database is a restored 7.0 database that is now upgraded to 7.1 after running the 7.1 install from my new front end server and pointing it at this restored 7.0 SQL database. All went smoothly. I am at the point of redirecting a test PC agent from the 7.0 server to the new 7.1 server, which worked. Now, when I go to to upgrade my PC agent to the latest SMP 7.1 agent and sub-agents, my own 7.0 agent on my PC says "Checking Package" and then "Retrying download". And it repeats this behavior continuously.  The Source Location on the Package and Task Properties for all Agent/Sub-agents is empty. Anyone ever see this when upgrading your agents from 7.0 to 7.1 on your managed PCs?  Did I miss a step?

Thanks,

Kevin

I think it's because your 7.0 database has entries for the plug-in packages pointing to the 7.0 server locations, which are different in 7.1. As some of these are hidden you may be storing up problems.

The only 7.0 to 7.1 upgrade I've done we started with a new DB and used the "Software Resource Replicator" to migrate the packages only:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH166711

Is your method in the 7.0 to 7.1 Migration Guide:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC4743

Hve you set up your package servers in 7.1 the same as 7.0?

In following the migration documentation, I wanted to upgrade a few pc agents first, as the ability to manage PCs is what we use the product for. I wanted to make sure I could deploy software packages, patches, and use remote control. If that worked, then I was going to upgrade site and package servers, then the rest of my PCs in my organization. I didn't want to upgrade all sites servers first, then PCs, and find out I have a problem at that time. Was this not the way to go? I thought the migration documentation indicated I should do it the way I did it.

BTW, I am following the Migration document in the link you provided.

Regards, Kevin

Try using the Remote Altiris Agent Diagnostics (RAAD) tool:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO21449

To see if there's more useful messages in the logs. But it might be to do with your new NS thinks it has site servers that you haven't yet migrated.

Thanks.  I installed RAAD, and sure enough the logs show errors in reference to downloading the packages needed to upgrade agents.  Do you think it would be a good idea to remove all site servers from my new NS 7.1 server?  All site servers that exist belong to the 7.0 environment, and I have not upgraded any of them yet.

Regards,

Kevin

<event date="Dec 16 21:56:34" severity="2" hostName="KZNYCISLTKMILLE" source="PackageDelivery" module="AeXPackageDelivery.dll" process="aexnsagent.exe" pid="7580" thread="14596" tickCount="412540463"><![CDATA[Error while downloading package: Server is busy. Package sources request is backing off (-2147467259)]]></event>

Yes, unless there's hundreds or you've got lots of package server assignments it's easy to re-add them.

It appears that the option to remove a 7.0 Site/Task server is grayed out in my 7.1 Console.  I am looking under Settings, Notification Server, Site Servers.  Am I looking in the wrongs spot?

Is the option to remove a 7.1 site server active?

The option to Delete a Site Server is Grayed out.  It looks as though I have the option to install/Remove Services in the Right Hand window pane for a particular 7.0 Task/Package server, but I don't want to do that, as they are all still in my 7.0 Production environment.  

I also built a new Windows 2008 R2 server, added IIS 7.0, and configured it with ASP.Net, Windows Authentication, and IIS 6.0 Management Tools.  I then ran the following commands:

%systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd set app "Default Web Site/" /applicationPool:"Classic .NET AppPool"

 %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\appcmd migrate config "Default Web Site/"

Then, installed the Altiris Agent. I then added this server as a 7.1 Task Server.  But, I get the same issue on this server.  Under Download History, the Source Location is blank.

You will get blank sources because the Agent on the new 7.1 Task Server has the same problem as all your other agents, it's trying to find Package Servers that don't exist in 7.1.

You can safely delete them from 7.1; because they are still communicating with your 7.0 Production environment they will not get any policy to uninstall task or Package Services. Just remember to add them back in when you migrate the Agent on them to 7.1.

The 7.0 Site/Task Servers that were present on my 7.1 server was definitely the issue.  I temporarily have test PCs pointing solely at my NS 7.1 servers by making a setting s change in my COresettings.config file on my 7.1 server.  Now my test 64-bit PCs see where they can pull the Agent packages from and install.  I can send existing software packages to these PCs, as well as Remote Control via PC Anywhere Plug-in.  One issue I am having now though.  I was able to redirect a couple 32-bit Windows XP Professional PCs to the new 7.1 server.  I then enabled  the X86 Symantec Management Agent Upgrade Policy and pointed it at my Test Filter, which contains these 32-bit Windows XP Professional PCs.  The upgrade appears to start to run, but now I cannot open the Altiris Agent on either PC.  When I attempt to, I get the message:

Error Activating Agent session 0: Class not registered (-2147221164). 

I don't see the Symantec Management Agent inside of Add/Remove Programs on the PC. 

Anyone ever see this?

Kevin