Microsoft KB Archive/924148

= A Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 client computer stops responding when you try to perform a software update scan of the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) on a computer that is running SMS 2003 =

Article ID: 924148

Article Last Modified on 11/30/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003

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SYMPTOMS
When you try to perform a software update scan of the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) tool on a computer that is running Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) 2003, the computer stops responding. Additionally, CPU usage is 100 percent when you try to perform the software update scan of the ITMU tool.



CAUSE
This problem occurs because some relationships among updates are affecting the Windows Update Agent performance when you perform the software update scan of the ITMU tool. These relationships among updates are authored into the Wsusscan.cab file.

Note The software update scan of the ITMU tool is a CPU-intensive operation. However, the 100 percent CPU usage is not a problem until the SMS 2003 client computer stops responding.



RESOLUTION
The following resolution should resolve the computer unresponsiveness problem. Additionally, the resolution will reduce the time that you experience high CPU usage. However, this resolution does not completely eliminate high CPU usage. The computer should run in a typical manner after you apply the updates that are mentioned in the following steps.

To reduce the SMS 2003 client computer CPU usage symptoms when you use the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) to scan for updates, follow these steps:  Install the most recent version of the SMS Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU). The most recent version includes optimizations to reduce the CPU usage. The optimizations include a new version of the Windows Updates Catalog file (Wsuscn2.cab). For more information about this version of ITMU, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sms/bb676783.aspx

Note The updates to the tool make it incompatible with earlier versions of ITMU. Maintenance of the earlier version of the Windows Updates Catalog (Wsusscan.cab) stopped in March 2007. Updates that were created after this date will be published only in the new Wsuscn2.cab file. Therefore, the most recent version of ITMU is required to use the tool with updates that are released after March 2007. Install the most recent version of the Windows Update Agent. This version of the Windows Update Agent also reduces CPU usage. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

932494 When you use Automatic Updates to scan for updates or to apply updates to applications that use Windows Installer, you experience issues that involve the Svchost.exe process

Note You must install hotfix 927891 before you install the updated Windows Update Agent. For more information about hotfix 927891, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

927891 You receive an access violation error when you try to install an update from Windows Update or from Microsoft Update after you apply hotfix package KB916089

 If the high CPU usage remains problematic after you implement steps 1 and step 2, you have to configure the antivirus software on client computers so that it does not scan the Windows Updates Catalog, Wsusscn2.cab. The method for controlling scanning of Wsusscn2.cab will vary depending on the antivirus software that you use.

For more information about this topic, see the ITMU_SP2.chm file that is included with the ITMUv3 download package.



MORE INFORMATION
Any future performance improvements will be referenced by this Microsoft Knowledge Base article.

Additional best practices include the following:
 * Whenever possible, schedule updates on managed client computers outside business hours.
 * When you try to deploy updates, we recommend that you send out an advertisement that is configured to let the end-users know that updates are currently being applied.
 * Schedule updates on managed servers when the server usage is low.

The ITMU tool was released in 2005 and is designed to help customers update managed systems. The ITMU tool replaces many legacy scan tools with a single scan tool. The ITMU tool shares the same security update, update rollup, and service pack data as offered by Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). This ITMU tool can be used only in an SMS 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) site hierarchy or in an SMS 2003 site hierarchy that has certain hotfixes applied.

Keywords: kbtshoot kbprb KB924148

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