Symantec Management Platform (Notification Server)

I recently upgraded to MR3 and I've noticed a few issues with Patch Management. I've got a new laptop built and when I open the altiris client and view software updates. They are all listed as trying to download. Looks like they have tried a good few times to download without success. Also - in a machine that used to be fine. when I check the Software updates on it there are no updates at all listed in there ( I got all the show updates ticked). surely it should show me the installed hotfixes as before.

any ideas.!

Joe.

I haven't had a chance to check yet, but did the new version have a new agent version as well? It's possible the idb file (the client side 'database' patch uses) needs to get rebuilt after the upgrade, but I'm just guessing.

Joe,

Can you see the source path in the agent?  

In Patch 7.0, there was a change in the way clients are targeted.  In the Patch 6.x and early 7.0 days, the client would show every patch is was applicable to because the NS targeted based off applicability.  Due to performance reasons, this needed to be changed.  Now, the NS targets based off vulnerability.  Once an update is installed and the machine is no longer vulnerable, then the update will no longer be viewable in the client UI.  The product essentially works the same, but you will just no longer be able to to view "installed" updates in the client UI anymore...

So this screenshot is normal now (i.e. shows no updates.)

What about this one. This is a new build I created. I cant see the source path mentioned by the above poster?

To answer your first question, yes the client side UI will be "blank" now unless there are patches that are scheduled to be installed.  Here is the documentation that explains the change:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH147912

Now, for your second issue (Retrying), I would look at the Altiris Agent logs, which should give you an idea of what is wrong.  Either the patch agent is unable to download the updates due to connectivity issues, or it just simply doesn't know where to download the updates from (i.e. missing source paths).  If the problem doesn't resolve itself over a few hours, then I would delete the config policy from the client and try requesting configuration again (it will recreate the config policy automatically).