Article ID: 886017
Article Last Modified on 2/7/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003
SYMPTOMS
A Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Advanced Client cannot report software or hardware inventory to an SMS 2003 site, and entries that are similar to the following are logged in the Inventoryagent.Log file:
Note The Inventoryagent.Log file is located in the SystemRoot\System32\CCM\Logs folder on the computer that is running SMS 2003 Advanced Client.
CAUSE
This problem may occur if all the following conditions are true:
- The SMS 2003 Advanced Client is a new installation.
- At least one management point for the site is a host in a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster.
- Internet Protocol security (IPSec) policy for at least one management point node of the NLB cluster requires that messages must be encrypted.
- The NLB cluster has only one unicast network adaptor.
WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, you must add a unicast network adaptor to each node of the NLB cluster that is a management point. To do this, follow these steps:
- Physically install a second network adaptor into each node of the NLB cluster that is a management point.
Note If the management point node already has a network adaptor that is not currently being used or is disabled, use that network adaptor instead of installing a new network adaptor. If you must install a new network adaptor, you may have to restart the management point computer.
- After you have added a new network adaptor, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- Right-click Network Connections, and then click Explore.
- Right-click the network adaptor that you installed, and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, click to clear the Network Load Balancing check box, if it is selected.
- Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), click Properties, configure TCP/IP settings for the network adaptor, and then click OK two times.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
MORE INFORMATION
If a management point requires that messages must be encrypted, the SMS 2003 Advanced Client contacts that management point and requests a certificate. If the management point is not available, the request for a certificate from the management point does not succeed. When the request does not succeed, the client saves a certificate that contains null values for that management point.
When the client is ready to report inventory information, the client encrypts the message that contains the inventory information, and then sends that inventory message to the management point. However, if the request did not succeed, the client encrypts the message by using the certificate that contains null values. Therefore, the management point rejects the message.
In Network Load Balancing unicast mode, the cluster's media access control (MAC) address is assigned to the network adaptor that is functioning as the cluster adaptor, and the cluster adaptor's built-in MAC address is not used. Therefore, except for NLB heartbeat-related traffic, host-to-host communication and client-to-host communication cannot occur on the cluster adaptor. A client can communicate with the NLB cluster. However, the client cannot communicate to a specific NLB host computer.
When you add a second unicast network adaptor, and you do not enable NLB on that new network adaptor, the network adaptor's IP address resolves to the network adaptor's built-in MAC address. This network adaptor handles network traffic that is specific to the computer, including traffic from both inside and outside the subnet where the computer is located.
For additional information about multiple network adaptors in an NLB cluster, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/F2EB28F9-80C6-43FD-B9A3-629FC264939E1033.mspx
For additional information about related issues, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
323431 How to set up TCP/IP for Network Load Balancing in Windows Server 2003
197999 Single network interface card limitations with WLBS
For additional information about Windows Server 2003 Clustering Services, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Additional query words: NIC
Keywords: kbtshoot kbsms2003bug kbwinservperf kbmgmtservices kbprb KB886017
