Monthly Archives: September 2014

Deployment failures today – Update

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IT Staff have been experiencing some failures today due to hash value mismatches.

We have identified 4 packages which were having the problem:

  • Remove Outlook 2010
  • EFI Digital Storefront Print Messenger v7.0.0.2039
  • Cyberlink YouCam 4.2.1.4513
  • Synaptics TouchPad 17.0.18.17

We have removed these from SCCM-distro6 in order to resolve the issue.  This appeared to be caused by a combination of the distribution point being extremely busy, being full and therefore not refeshing the packages when we tried to this morning.

Please inform us if you have hash mismatch errors on any other package.

Please also ensure you have removed any unrequired image packages from SCCM.

Kind Regards,

DMS Team

Deployment failures today

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Users have been experiencing some failures today due to hash value mismatches.

Some packages have became corrupt when they were copied to distro6 to spread the load across the system. This only affects a task sequence if the package chooses to download form distro 6 instead of distro 2 so it can appear to be intermittent.

We are currently trying to identify these packages and redistribute them. Unfortunately this may take some time.

Please ensure that your task sequences were successful via the SCCM task sequence reports and let us know so we can fix it for you.

We will keep you up to date via this blog.

Updated KB – MBiL Mac stuck on ‘Performing final installation tasks screen’

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A couple of cases have been reported of Macs stuck on ‘Performing final installation tasks screen’ and unlike the original KB article issue, they have successfully bound to the AD.

In these cases the issue was caused by the Jamf client if the iMacs were imaged before the Casper server was upgraded and then re-imaged after. The solution to this is to locally remove the ‘Performing final installation tasks screen’, delete the computer object from the JSS and the AD and re-image.

The KB article KB0010990  has been updated to include this.

Acrobat Pro XI on MBiL Mac OS acting as trial version

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We have identified an issue that is causing Adobe Acrobat Pro XI on the MBiL Mac OS to believe it is a trial version. A few seconds after launch, users are getting prompted to sign in with an Adobe ID and register/license the product. Not doing this eventually leads to the app being unusable.

We are working on a solution and will replace the Acrobat Pro installation package with the corrected version when ready. The fixed app will also be released to all Macs that have already been imaged using the Casper Suite.

Task Sequence failures due to PCs shutting down – resolved

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Service Now Problem record PRB0040340

(Issue previously defined as ‘Task Sequence failures with “The system cannot find the file specified”)

The following issue affecting W7 Lab deployments has been resolved:

Symptoms

We received several reports of Task Sequences failing abruptly with the following symptoms:

  • INSTALL_FAILED icon on the desktop
  • Some core applications (such as Symantec and browser plugins) not installed.
  • In the smsts.log file, file downloads can be seen to stop for no apparent reason, followed by a “The system cannot find the file specified” message.

Identified cause

The new Verismic Power Manager client are was found to be shutting PCs down whilst the Task Sequence was still in progress. The reasons for this are:

  • Task Sequences and other SCCM activity were not being correctly identified as processes that should prevent shutdown from occurring.
  • Following an upgrade to the Verismic system, the new client detects power policies more efficiently than the previous version.
  • High SCCM server load at peak times can extend file download duration, causing the Verismic client to believe the PC is ‘inactive’.

Resolution

The issue has now been resolved by correcting the Verismic system’s monitoring of SCCM activity on the client PCs. We have also added additional exclusions to prevent the Verismic client taking action whilst a Task Sequence is in progress.

We apologise for any inconvenience this issue has caused.

Task Sequence failures with “The system cannot find the file specified” in the logs – UPDATE

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UPDATE @ 16:30 02/09/2014

We believe the issue is caused by the Verismic Power Manager client shutting down PCs at an earlier than anticipated stage. This is due to the improved efficiency of the new Power Manager client and the occasional prolonged application download times when the servers are experiencing peak traffic.

We have added additional exceptions to the Verismic system so that clients will not shutdown whilst a Task Sequence is executing. This should resolve this issue. Please re-attempt to image any affected PCs.

Once we have confirmation that this has resolved the issue, we will provide an update via e-mail and this blog.

Original post:

We have received numerous reports of the following:

  • Task Sequences seeming to ‘freeze’ indefinitely in the latter stages
  • Task Sequences seeming to complete but the INSTALL_FAILED icon remaining on the desktop, and some core applications, Symantec etc. are missing

In these cases, the smsts.log file shows that during the download of an application the task sequence seems to stop abruptly, with a later message of “The system cannot find the file specified” recorded.

The cause of this problem is currently being investigated, and we will keep you informed of progress.

HP Power Cord Recall

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We will shortly be asking all staff to check their laptop/docking station’s power cord to see if they have one of the cables identified by HP to be recalled.

We are trying to arrange for HP to provide a stock of replacement cables so that if we do find any of the cables that need replacing we can swap them out without leaving the end user without power until the new cable arrives.

We are also keen that this is a swap out rather than sending people a new additional cable to make sure that potentially faulty cables are removed from use.

If you have any questions please contact the IT Service Desk at it.services@lboro.ac.uk

Task Sequence error: Files for CM100AB2 cannot be located

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There have been several reports of Task Sequences failing to start and displaying the following message:

“Failed to Run Task Sequence

This task sequence cannot be run because the program files for CM100AB2 cannot be located on a distribution point.”

This bug was caused by a Mac specific section of the Live Task Sequence referencing an old beta image package which was no longer required and has now been removed.

We believe we have resolved this issue on all affected Task Sequences. If you are continuing to see this error referring to package ID CM100AB2 then please let us know via the IT Service Desk.

Similar errors relating to other package IDs should be treated as separate issues and troubleshot in the usual way.