Using SMS Diagnostic and Troubleshooting Tools

Status Messages Overview

All SMS 2.0 components and services generate status messages as they perform their various functions. These status messages illustrate the movement of processing activity of the SMS site systems and clients. The status messages are automatically summarized for viewing through status summarizers and filtered through status filters.

A status message can have one of the following severity levels:

Informational status messages: These messages merely inform on events such as a component starting, and a task completing.
Warning status messages: These messages point out potential problems that can occur. This includes reporting on issues such as a file being corrupted, or a component failing to start.
Error status messages: These messages report on issues that must be dealt with because they can result in problems with your SMS site. Issues reported on by error messages include issues such as authentication failures, and the failure of a component completing a function, and so forth.

A status message will be in either of the following status message type categories:

Milestone message type; include messages that pertain to the initiation of a task or the completion of a task.
Detail message type; pertain to the various steps within a process and is evident only in the status message process movement.
Audit message type; pertain to objects being added, modified, or deleted.

The status message reporting system of SMS can be used to monitor the status of the SMS site system, SMS components, and SMS packages and advertisements. The status message system of SMS can be accessed through the SMS Administrator console, by navigating to the System Status node.

The System Status node of the SMS Administrator console contains the following objects:

Advertisement Status; contains information on the advertisement distributions to the client access points (CAPs).
Package Status; provides status information on the creation of packages and programs, and the distribution of these packages and programs.
Site Status; contains information on the SMS components running on the SMS site server and the remainder of the site systems.
Status Message Queries; provides the mechanism to access the SMS Query Builder to configure custom status message queries.

Site status messages are categorized into either of these categories:

Component status: The Component Status node displays all SMS components and services together with the current statuses of each SMS component and service. The Component Status window displays the following information:
- Component status
- Site system that component is running in.
- Component name
- Current state
- Number of error status messages generated
- Number of warning status messages generated
- Number of informational status messages generated
- When/how the particular component wakes.
- When a scheduled component is due to run
- When the particular component woke up last
- When a message was last recorded.
Site system status: The Site System Status node displays all site systems for the SMS site and the current statuses of each site system role. The Site System Status window displays the following information:
- Site system status
- Site system name
- Role which is assigned to the site
- Storage object location
- Total storage space
- Free storage space
- Percentage free space shown as a percentage of the total storage space
- Down since, shows whether the system was down.

How to view a status message for a SMS component in the Component Status window

Open the SMS Administrator console
Expand the System Status node.
Expand the Site Status node.
Select Component Status.
The Component Status window opens.
Right-click the summary entry that you want to work with, select Show Messages from the shortcut menu and then select between the following options:
- All option; shows all status messages for the summary entry that you have selected.
- Error option; shows only the error status messages for the summary entry that you have selected.
- Warning option; shows warning status messages for the summary entry that you have selected.
- Info option; shows informational status messages for the summary entry that you have selected.
The Status Message Viewer window is displayed.
If you want to display a description of the message, simply move to the Description field and then hold the mouse pointer over the fields. A pop-up message widow appears, displaying additional information on the message.
You can also view more information on a specific message by double-clicking the specific message entry.
The Status Message Details dialog box opens, displaying further information on the message which you have selected.
Click OK to close the Status Message Details dialog box.

How to view a status message for a SMS site system in the Site System Status window

Open the SMS Administrator console
Expand the System Status node.
Expand the Site Status node.
Select Site System Status.
The Site System Status window opens.
Right-click the site system summary entry that you want to work with and select Show Messages from the shortcut menu and then select between the following options:

- All option; shows all status messages for the site system summary entry that you have selected.
- Error option; shows only the error status messages for the site system summary entry that you have selected.
- Warning option; shows warning status messages for the site system summary entry that you have selected.
- Info option; shows informational status messages for the site system summary entry that you have selected.

The Set Viewing Period dialog box is displayed after you have selected either one of the above options.
In the Specify Date And Time boxes, specify the date and time after which messages should be generated to be displayed.
In the Select Date And Time boxes, specify the time period for which status messages should be generated.
Click OK.
The Status Message Viewer window is displayed.
If you want to display a description of the message, simply move to the Description field and then hold the mouse pointer over the fields. A pop-up message widow appears, displaying additional information on the message.
You can also view more information on a specific message by double-clicking a status message entry.
The Status Message Details dialog box opens, displaying further information on the message which you have selected.
Click OK to close the Status Message Details dialog box.

Configuring Status Message Viewer Options

The Status Message Viewer for the site system status displays each SMS component running on the specific site system or that affect it in some or other manner. The Status Message Viewer for SMS component status displays all SMS components.

The information displayed in the Status Message Viewer window is listed here:

Severity, indicates the message category as:
- Error
- Informational
Type; indicates the message type as:
- Milestone
- Detail
- Audit
Site Code; indicates the site code of the specific site that this particular status message was generated for.
Date/Time; displays the time and date stamp which specifies when the status message was generated.
System; indicates the server name of the site system that this particular status message was generated for.
Component; indicates the name of the SMS component or service which resulted in the message being generated.
Message ID; indicates the code associated with the task which was performed by the SMS component or service that created this status message.
Description; contains a comprehensive description of the message.

A few activities which can be performed within the Status Message Viewer are listed here:

Click a column header to modify the sort order of the column. The sort options are:
- Sort the column from lowest to highest.
- Sort the column from highest to lowest.
- Return to the default column order.
Move columns to other positions. This is done by selecting the column header and then dragging and dropping the column header to the desired position.
Modify the size of the column by clicking on the border between each column heading and then dragging it to the appropriate size.
Right-click a specific message entry and then select between the following options displayed on the shortcut menu:
- Copy the message entry.
- Delete the message entry.
- Display the Status Message Details window
- Set a filter for the Status Message Viewer
- Refresh all the messages
You can use the menus on its menu bar to access additional features and options.

How to configure Status Viewer Options settings

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Navigate to the Status Message Viewer window.
Click the View menu and then select Options.
The Status Viewer Options dialog box opens.
On the General tab, enable the Auto-refresh checkbox if you want to enable the Status Message Viewer to automatically refresh.
Specify the refresh interval in the associated box.
Select the Limit messages returned from query checkbox if you want to limit how many messages are generated and displayed.
Specify the appropriate number in the associated box.
In the Display time in selected timezone drop-down list box, specify the time zone which should be displayed when a status message is generated on a SMS site or site system in another geographic location.
Leave the Resolve description strings and Resolve property strings checkboxes selected.
Click the Columns tab.
Using the Available columns box and Displayed columns box, specify which columns should be displayed.
Click the Export tab.
In the Exported Details area of the Export tab, set whether data on a status message should be displayed or whether only specific data associated with the displayed columns should be displayed: The available options are:

- Only displayed columns option
- All possible columns option

In the Information Delimiter area of the Export tab, set whether columns should be exported as either tab delimited or comma delimited. The available options are:

- Tab delimited option
- Comma delimited option

In the Exported Selection area of the Export tab, set whether all messages should be exported, or whether only messages tat have been selected in the viewer should be exported. The available options are:

- Selected messages option
- All messages option

To have the same options for all export copy, print, and save operations; then you should uncheck the Force Selection Of Export Options For Each Export checkbox.
Click the Fonts tab to configure the Type face, Style and Size of the font used for displaying status messages in the Status Message Viewer.
Click OK.

How to configure Filter Options settings

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Navigate to the Status Message Viewer window.
Click the View menu and then select Filter.
The Filter Status Messages dialog box opens.
You can filter messages based on the following criteria:

- Severity
- Type
- Site Code
- Component
- System
- Message ID
- Description

To configure advanced filter options, click the Advanced button.
The Advanced Options dialog box opens.
Specify the filtering criteria based on message properties, thread ID and process ID, and a time range.
Click OK to close the Advanced Options dialog box.
Click OK to close the Filter Status Messages dialog box.

Status Summarizers Overview

You can use status summarizers to control how messages are displayed in the SMS Administrator console. Through status summarizers, you can merge data generated by status messages into a summarized view of the status of the SMS component, server, package or advertisement. Briefly put, the status summarizers collect status messages and then summarize the status message data. The following status summarizers summarize the data of status messages:

Component Status Summarizer; summarizes collected component status messages. The information is then located beneath the Site Status node.
Site System Status Summarizer; summarizes site systems status messages. The information is then located beneath the Site Status node.
Advertisement Status Summarizer; summarizes advertisements status messages. The information is then located beneath the Advertisement Status node.
Distribution Manager; summarizes the status of packages. The information is then located beneath the Package Status node.

How to configure the Component Status Summarizer

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Navigate to the Status Summarizers node.
Right-click Component Status Summarizer and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.
The Component Status Summarizer Properties dialog box opens.
On the General tab, the following checkboxes are enabled by default:

- Informational status messages
- Warning status messages
- Error status messages

In the available list, double-click the SMS component thats thresholds you want to change to display the Status Threshold Properties window.
The Status Threshold Properties dialog box opens. Each message type has different default status message thresholds.
Specify the appropriate message thresholds and then click OK to close the Status Threshold Properties dialog box.
Click OK to close the Component Status Summarizer Properties dialog box

How to configure the Site System Status Summarizer

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Navigate to the Status Summarizers node.
Right-click Site System Status Summarizer and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.
The Site System Status Summarizer Properties dialog box opens.
On the General tab, the following checkboxes are enabled by default:

- Enable Status Summarization
- Replicate To Parent Site

To specify the replication priority, click the Schedule button.
The Schedule dialog box opens.
Set the schedule that defines when system status summarization occurs and how often site system status summarization occurs.
Click OK to return to the Site System Status Summarizer Properties dialog box.
Click the Thresholds tab.
This is where you define the free space thresholds for a site system and for the SMS database and software metering database.
To change the default site systems setting, specify the new setting in the Warning textbox and Critical textbox.
To change the default SMS database and the software metering database setting, double-click the database entry.
The Free Space Threshold Properties opens.
Set the appropriate free space thresholds for the database and then click OK.
On the Thresholds tab, to add a SMS site server to monitor its status, click the New button in the Specific Thresholds areas of the tab.
The Free Space Threshold Properties dialog box opens.
In the Storage Object drop-down list, specify the site system for monitoring.
Specify the free space thresholds in the Warning textbox and in the Critical textbox.
Click OK to close the Free Space Threshold Properties dialog.
Click OK to close the Site System Status Summarizer Properties dialog box.

How to configure the Advertisement Status Summarizer

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Navigate to the Status Summarizers node.
Right-click Advertisement Status Summarizer and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.
The Advertisement Status Summarizer Properties dialog box opens.
On the General tab, the following checkboxes are enabled by default:

- Enable Status Summarization
- Replicate To Parent Site

In the Replication Priority box, set the replication priority.
Click OK.

Filtering Status Messages Overview

When it comes to filtering status messages and displaying only the status information which you need, you can also use either of these techniques:

Configure status reporting component properties.
Configure status filter rules.

The SMS Administrator console is used to configure status reporting component properties.

Status filter rules can be defined to specify how status messages are reported. By default, there are 15 fifteen status filter rules created which control how status messages are reported and displayed within the Status Message Viewer.

After an SMS component creates a status message, the Status Manager matches the message against the status filter rules to determine the manner in which to deal with the message. The Status Manager then performs one or numerous actions:

Records the status message in the Event Log.
Records the status message in the SMS database.
Runs a program
Passes the status message to a status summarizer
Replicates the status message to a parent site

How to configure status reporting component properties

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the Site Settings node.
Expand the Component Configuration node.
Right-click Status Reporting, and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.
The Status Reporting Properties dialog box opens.
Status reporting is enabled for the site server component and the client component by default, for these types of messages:
- All milestones.
- All milestones and all details
- Error and warning milestones
- Error milestones
The Report Details On Failure checkbox is also enabled by default. Leaving this option enabled, ensures that when a failure takes place, that the associated component reports information on the extent of the particular failure, possible causes of the failure, and possible solutions to resolving the issue.
If you want to enable logging, click the Logging checkbox.
Click OK.

How to access the default status filter rules

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the Site Settings node.
Expand the Status Filter Rules node.
The default status filter rules are displayed in the details pane.

How to create a new status filter rule

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the Site Settings node.
Right-click the Status Filter Rules node, selects New, and then select Status Filter Rule from the shortcut menu.
The Status Filter Rule Properties dialog box opens.
On the General tab, in the Name box, provide a name for the new status filter rule.
Select between the available status filter rule options:

- Source checkbox; and then indicate the source of the status message as:

- - SMS site server
  - SMS client
  - SMS Provider

- Site code checkbox; and then provide the site code associated with the source of the status message.
- System checkbox; the name of the SMS server or the SMS client that generates the status message.
- Component checkbox; the name of the SMS component that generates the status message.
- Message Type checkbox; the message status type:

- - Milestone
  - Detail
  - Audit

- Severity checkbox; the message status severity level:

- - Error
  - Warning
  - Informational

- Message ID checkbox; the status message ID being reported.
- Property checkbox; a specific property name, such as:

- - Advertisement ID
  - Package ID
  - Collection ID
  - User Name

- Property value checkbox; the attribute for the property specified above.

Click the Actions tab.
Define what action should be performed by the Status Manager when the message criteria specified on the General tab is matched.
Click OK.

How to create status message queries

You can use a SMS query to search for information in the SMS site database. In fact, all data stored in the site database can be queried. This includes data relating to computer resources, sites, software distribution, and users and groups.

Status message queries can be utilized if you need to create view of all the status messages of a specific message type generated over all your site systems; or from a number of specific SMS components.

SMS includes a number of default status message queries as well. To view these default status message queries;

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the System Status node.
Select the Status Message Queries node.
The default status message queries are displayed in the Status Message Queries window, in the details pane.

To initiate a default status message query;

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the System Status node.
Select the Status Message Queries node.
The default status message queries are displayed in the Status Message Queries window, in the details pane.
In the Status Message Queries window, choose the query by right-clicking the specific query and then selecting Show Messages from the shortcut menu.
Provide any values which are prompted for.

You can also create status message queries;

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the System Status node.
Right-click the Status Message Queries node, and select New and then select Status Message Query from the shortcut menu.
The Status Message Query Properties dialog box opens.
On the General tab, in the Name box, provide a name for the status message query that you are creating.
In the Comment box, provide a meaningful description for the status message query.
Click the Edit Query Statement button.
The Query Statement Properties dialog box opens.
Because a status message query displays status messages in the results window, the options on the General tab are unavailable for configuring, by default.
Click the Criteria tab.
This is where you create the query statement. Click the New button.
The Criterion Properties dialog box opens.
In the Criterion type drop-down list box, specify the criterion type.
Click the Select button to define the attribute and the attribute class.
Click OK.
After the query is created, it is displayed in the Status Message Queries window.

Using the SMS Service Manager

You can also use the SMS Service Manager to monitor and control the status of SMS components:

Started
Stopped
Paused
Resumed

The SMS Service Manager provides a view of the following information:

SMS components and services running on the SMS site server.
SMS components and services running on each SMS site system.

To start the SMS Service Manager;

Open the SMS Administrator console.
Expand the Tools node.
Select the SMS Service Manager node.
Click the Action menu, select All Tasks and then select Start SMS Service Manager.
In the SMS Service Manager, the SMS site components for the site are listed using two methods:
- The Components node contains all components for the site.
- The Servers node contains the components listed according to site system.
For the components that are displayed in the details pane of the SMS Service Manager, you can sort them in ascending order or in descending order.

Using the SMS Trace Utility

The SMS 2.0 installation CD-ROM includes an updated version of the SMS Trace utility which can be used to display and view SMS log file content. With the SMS Trace utility, you can open and view multiple log files at the same time. You can also search and select text. The log file view displayed in the SMS Trace utility is also dynamically updated as the log file is changed. This means that all new log file entries are displayed without you having to reopen the file.

The SMS Trace utility is not automatically installed when you install the SMS site server. You have to manually install the utility.

You can install the SMS Trace utility on the following components:

SMS site server
SMS site system
SMS Administrator console computer.

How to install the SMS Trace utility

Access the SMS 2.0 CD.
Navigate to the SupportReskitBinplatformSMSTrace directory.
Run Traceinst.exe from this directory.
The SMS Trace Installation Wizard is initiated.
On the Welcome to the SMS Trace Installation Wizard screen, click Next.
The following screen displays some descriptive information on the SMS Trace utility. Click Next again.
The Select Destination Directory screen is displayed.
Specify the destination directory and then click Next.
Click Next and then click Finish to install the SMS Trace Utility.
The installation adds the SMS Trace utility to the Systems Management Server program group. The SMS Trace utility is initiated from here.

How to view log files using SMS Trace

Navigate to the Systems Management Server program group and then start the SMS Trace utility.
The SMS Tracer window opens.
Click the File menu and then click Open.
The Open dialog box opens.
Choose the log file thats content you want to view, and then click OK.
The SMS Tracer window displays the contents of the log file.

How to search for text in a log file using SMS Trace

Start the SMS Trace utility.
The SMS Tracer window opens.
Click the File menu and then click Open.
Choose the log file thats content you want to search, and then click OK.
Click the Search menu and then click Find.
The Find dialog box opens.
Specify the text that you want to search for.
To run a case sensitive search, enable the Case Sensitive checkbox. Click Next.
Any entry which contains the text you are searching for is highlighted.
If you want to view the next entry, click the Search again menu, click Find and then click the Next button.
If you want to view a previous entry, click the Search menu, click Find and then click the Previous button.

How to filter the SMS Trace view

Start the SMS Trace utility.
The SMS Tracer window opens.
Click the File menu and then click Open.
Choose the log file that you want to filter and then click OK.
Click the View menu and then click Filter.
The Filter dialog box opens.
In the first textbox, specify the column that you want to apply the filter to.
In the next textbox, specify the operator.
In the third textbox, specify enter the string value to filter for.
Click OK.
The screen will next be refreshed and then display only the entries matching the filter.