Script (or manually force) client to stop running an advertisement?

[Steph Jones]

Hi,

We have an SMS 2003 site, which has various collections polling at
regular intervals OU's and Security Groups from our Active Directory.
This creates a nice reasonably automated approach where workstations
will be pushed advertisements for software automatically when
workstations are imaged/re-imaged.

One problem is we have one particular workstation that is constantly
trying to run an advertisement. It never outright succeeds or fails,
and so therefore is constantly 'checking in' and trying to run this
advertisement (it always reports 'the program was able to start but
the system restarted unexpectedly....'. However, the workstation is in
fact, not re-starting at all!!!

When we checked locally, the software that is assigned to the
advertisement has actually installed some time ago and runs fine. So,
it's for some reason it's never properly flagged back as either
'successful', or 'failed'.

We don't really want to remove the workstation from the OU/collection
for this advertisement, as it's all automated (workstation gets
imaged, gets advert for run once, and then flags back to SMS whether
it was 'successful' or 'failed'). However, is there anyway we can
script or manually force that workstation to basically now just report
back to SMS that the software has either been 'successful' or outright
'failed', so it stops trying to repeatedly run this advertisement?

We now need to get new software advertised and assigned to it (amongst
others in other collections), and of course whilst others are all
working, this one can't because it won't run any other advertisements
until this one has properly reported back as either 'successful' or
outright 'failed'.

Any ideas?

Steph

[Sherry Kissinger [MVP]]

Since I don't know what your exact steps are behind that advertisement, it's
hard to say what I would do in this scenario... but maybe one of these:

1-manually setting the regkey in hklm\software\microsoft\sms for
advertisement success/failure for that particular package. But that likely
won't work; because i's probably looking in WMI for real success/failure.
2-Uninstall the application manually, and then trigger a manual reinstall of
that advertisement/package.
3-SMs2003? If so, ccmclean that client off, and reinstall the client.
4-If ccmclean didn't work (sms2003), run ccmclean /all (to get rid of
advertisement history, too), and let adverts re-run.
5-lastly... just bit the bullet and reimage.

Post by Steph Jones
Hi,
We have an SMS 2003 site, which has various collections polling at
regular intervals OU's and Security Groups from our Active Directory.
This creates a nice reasonably automated approach where workstations
will be pushed advertisements for software automatically when
workstations are imaged/re-imaged.
One problem is we have one particular workstation that is constantly
trying to run an advertisement. It never outright succeeds or fails,
and so therefore is constantly 'checking in' and trying to run this
advertisement (it always reports 'the program was able to start but
the system restarted unexpectedly....'. However, the workstation is in
fact, not re-starting at all!!!
When we checked locally, the software that is assigned to the
advertisement has actually installed some time ago and runs fine. So,
it's for some reason it's never properly flagged back as either
'successful', or 'failed'.
We don't really want to remove the workstation from the OU/collection
for this advertisement, as it's all automated (workstation gets
imaged, gets advert for run once, and then flags back to SMS whether
it was 'successful' or 'failed'). However, is there anyway we can
script or manually force that workstation to basically now just report
back to SMS that the software has either been 'successful' or outright
'failed', so it stops trying to repeatedly run this advertisement?
We now need to get new software advertised and assigned to it (amongst
others in other collections), and of course whilst others are all
working, this one can't because it won't run any other advertisements
until this one has properly reported back as either 'successful' or
outright 'failed'.
Any ideas?
Steph

[Steph Jones]

Hi Sherry,

thanks for your help - took a few goes, but I went for option 1 - and
I stumbled upon this article:

"Manipulating Advertisements on SMS 2003 Clients"
http://www.myitforum.com/articles/8/view.asp?id=7869

Which eventually cleared the troublesome advertisement/assignment, and
allowed the other advertisements/assignments to run...

Steph