Remote Altiris Agent Diagnostics 2.0 (RAADv2)
How do I remotely troubleshoot an agent without logging into the machine?
"Remote Altiris Agent Diagnostics" (RAAD) version 2 expands on the diagnostic checks and remediation actions performed by RAAD version 1 (KB 45023) to allow those checks and actions against a list of machines and not just the one machine. The Health Checks in RAAD version 2 are designed to take a look at the state of the Altiris solution plug-ins such as Patch, Task, SWD and Recovery to determine if they are working properly. Version 2 also allows the ability to run a Custom Inventory XML against the set of machines and return the results immediately so you can customize your own health check. You can examine more in-depth details of the Agents using the Diagnostics tab which is essentially RAAD version 1. The biggest advantage with version 2 is that you can run remediation actions such as Configuration Request and Start Patching Cycle against as many machines as you'd like and all at once.
The process is to get a list of machines, run a health check against them, then by evaluating the results or drilling down into the diagnostics choose a remediation action to run against the machines you choose.
Features:
- Diagnostics and Health Checks
- x86 and x64 compatible for remote clients
- Ability to pass credentials used to connect to remote clients
- Multi-Threaded
- Agent, sub-agent, and customizable Health Checks
- Ability to run an action against multiple remote clients at once
- Customizable User Interface and captured
* Please see KB 45023 for application functionality
Download:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO21449
Requirements:
- Run the executable locally, not from a share
- Host and remote machine must be Windows OS
- Do not use 'Run As' - you can pass credentials in this version
- .NET 1.1 framework installed on host and remote machine
- Altiris Agent must be installed on host
- Firewall on the remote machine will also prevent Altiris actions.
You will need to add AeXNSAgent.exe to the Firewall exclusion by running the following command on the remote machine:
netsh firewall add allowedprogram "%programfiles%\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXNSAgent.exe" ENABLE
Or you can simply run this command from the 'Remote Execute Option' button from the application
Usage:
To distribute desired application settings such as Remote Execute options edit the RAAD.exe.config and place it in the same folder as RAAD.exe. If user has altered application settings have them go to Settings - Change Application Settings and choose Restore All Setting to Default which will import your altered RAAD.exe.config.
Screenshots:
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Bryan,
I'm having a bit of trouble with adding additional Remote Execute command lines. My goal was to run a particular VBScript against some of our Package Servers which have a corrupted Agent. I tried several variations (including first trying to copy the file directly to the machine then execute it with another command). I tried setting the command line to: wscript.exe \\server\share\file.vbs. This didn't work. I tried setting a command to use copy.exe c:\temp\myfile.vbs \\%remoteclient%\C$\Windows\Temp, also no luck. I tried using Robocopy.exe c:\temp \\%remoteclient%\c$\windows\temp myfile.vbs, no luck We don't have any firewalls enabled internally which would interfere with accessing the C$ share, and the credentials I entered have Admin rights to the boxes in question. Any ideas or a different syntax I should be using?
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
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One other thing. I submitted this via the KB feedback, but a feature that would be nice to have on the Action menu would be "Delete Client Policy" to stop the Agent, delete the policy, then start the Agent again. This would have helped me in this case with the corrupted policies on the boxes in question (though, I also had to dump the C:\Windows\Temp\AeXAM\*.tmp files also due to a bad Metering policy).
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
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For all content, please give a thumbs up if you agree with or support the post.
You may want to try to leave feedback via the KB article. You may find the response quicker.
I have adde a File Copy feature to version 2.1.18. See KB 49683 to help resolve your Agent issue.
Yes, please leave Feedback on the KB so I can get alerted better:
https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=49683&p=1
Very useful tool. Is there a quick way in the tool to indentify if a managed node has multiple agent configurations applied?
I must be missing something. I can only get to my local machine. It just keeps saying access denied, even another machine I am logged on to.
I am having the same problem. I changed the password recently on my administrator account. Now the RAAD tool gives me an access denied for all computers except the local computer that I am running the tool from. My admin account is not having issues with anything other than this tool. It connects fine through a UNC path to the same computers that are giving an access denied through RAAD. Not a deal breaker, but this is a tool that I find to be very useful. So, I would like to figure out how to fix the issue. Are there log files anywhere that this tool writes to? I deleted the Symantec folder that is created when you run RAAD (C:\documents and settings\username\local settings\application data\symantec). This did not fix the issue either.
Have you tried to change the Client Authentication in the Settings menu?
Or maybe the DB auth settings?
I have tried many different settings to these. A couple of my co-workers just left the default settings and it worked fine for them. This was working for me prior to changing my password. Is there some place that an old password might get stuck that RAAD looks at? Thanks
Since RAAD is a standalone app, only place I can think of that caches Windows passwords is the "User Accounts" applet in Control Panel. On WinXP, open User Accounts, select the Advanced tab then click the Manage Passwords button. On Win7, open User Accounts, click User Accounts, Manage User Accounts, select the Advanced tab then click the Manage Passwords button. Usually when we have password issues, we tell users to make sure there are no saved Windows passwords in the resulting dialogue box.
Cached credentials can help you avoid having to log into certain resources although when passwords change, we think it's more trouble than it's worth so we prefer always opting out of saving any passwords should Windows prompt and give you that option.
Clint
How to access the machines using RAAD? is this is a web console? do we need to have the RAAD installed on the DS?
You have to download from the link posted: https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=49683&p=1
Then run it and follow the directions as posted above, or read the associated KB article. You have to use it to access the Altiris Agent (as you mentioned DS), so it won't interact with the Aclient or Dgent (for the 32bit DS install).
Jim Harings
HP Enterprise Services
1st Rule of Connect Club: Mark the post that helped you the most as a 'solution'. 2nd Rule of Connect Club:You must talk about Connect club.
Having trouble using RAAD to connect to machines unless I turn the client firewall off altogether. The details on the KB page don't appear to be enough. Don't see how adding the exception for the exe would help as my understanding is that's for connections initiated by the agent?
Tried leaving feedback back iva the KB page but that appears to be broken at the moment...
Regards
Martin
which we've generally been happy with. We are experiencing an issue though. 99% of the computers I now connect to using the RAAD utility have a blank SWD and Patch tab. The rest of the tabs are populated, but these two.
Has anyone else seen this happen?
I see this happening with RAAD v1 and v2
What I found regarding the issue of missing SWD info is that it apears that RAAD is trying to populate the SWD info from "Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\SoftwareManagement\Software Delivery" (Altiris 7 default location), while our upgraded clients are pointing to "Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Software Delivery" (Altiris 6 default location). I verified this by copying a few packages to "Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\SoftwareManagement\Software Delivery" on a client, and they populated the SWD tab in RAAD v2.
I have the same problem. I am assuming a new tool or a patch would be needed.
Please visit this article to download the latest version which resolves this Missing SWD Data issue:
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO21449
Each time I try and update the Tasks tab it crashes RAAD. Altiris Agent is NS7 and have tried from multiple Windows XP and Windows 7. It does this on all machines that I try and connect to. Using RAAD 2.1.23
Error is: RAAD attempted to perform and operation not allowed by the security policy. To grant this application the required permission use the Microsoft .NET framework Configuration Tool.
After the error the application just exits.
This tool is fantastic, however the Clear History button on the Tasks tab doesn't seem to work.
Great tool, in our environment with 7.1 Agents the Raad v2.1.24.0 is generating errors at the Tasks tab as well. The application requirements are met.
Any suggestions? or the solution found yet?
Event log: Cannot create ActiveX component. at Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.CreateObject(String ProgId, String ServerName) at RAAD.ž.†(String Client)
Where i can find HELP about Custom Inventory XML creation?
I want to collect info about all sub-agents installed with agent.
Hi Alramin,
Please create a new Forum Discussion (click Create Content above, then "Forum Discussion" and place it in the Endpoint Management community, in the Altiris Client Management Suite product area).
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
For Forum threads, please click "Mark as Solution" if answered.
For all content, please give a thumbs up if you agree with or support the post.
Great tool, in our environment with 7.1 Agents the Raad v2.1.24.0 is generating errors at the Tasks tab as well. The application requirements are met.
Any suggestions? or the solution found yet?
Event log: Cannot create ActiveX component. at Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.CreateObject(String ProgId, String ServerName) at RAAD.ž.†(String Client)
Did you ever find a resolution for this issue? General research on "Cannot create ActiveX component" indicates a possibly unregistered object but not sure what dll, ocx, etc., to register; assuming this is the problem.
Clint
Is it working with Altiris 6 agents ?
Prat
....or at least when you in the console is says this
I have tested on Altiris 6, it works well
Prat
I keep receiving the same error on the Task tab on 7.1 Agents.
Attached User Guide to this article
C:\Windows\system32>netsh firewall add allowedprogram "C:\Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\AeXNSAgent.exe" ENABLE
IMPORTANT: Command executed successfully.
However, "netsh firewall" is deprecated;
use "netsh advfirewall firewall" instead.
For more information on using "netsh advfirewall firewall" commands
instead of "netsh firewall", see KB article 947709
at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=121488 .
Ok.
~Pascal @ Kotte.net~ Do you speak French? Et utilisez Altiris: venez nous rejoindre sur le GUASF
If I run the application with my admin account it works fine. Yet if I run it with my user account and then try to enter the admin creds in client authentication it fails to connect to a computer. What's up with that? Was using Domain\User for the login.
When viewing a machine running the 7.1 Agent that is set to do a configuration request every x minutes instead of hours the Details tab fails to show this. It will just show blank for the Request Interval. For testing and for onboarding new PCs it is common for the request interval to be set to something like 15 minutes instead of 6 or 7 hours like normal. This seemed to work just fine with the older agents just not for 7.1 agents.
Love the tool, use it almost everyday. Keep the updates coming please.
Feature request. Read "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Servers\[server]\Web" to get the full target NS web server. We set up our 7.1 install to a completely different port, so nsweb=http://[server]:2345/altiris
This would mainly be nice for CC or pcAnywhere tool buttons. Over all, love the tool.
What does this error indicate? I know the system in question has the Altiris Agent installed and running correctly as evidenced by successful software delivery jobs taking place on the target system.
Soooo...is there ever going to be a RAADv3? Love the tool, but with some computers I get a connection error stating, "Altiris Agent not Installed: Unable to Connect" or "Altiris Agent not Installed: Access Denied" using v2.
Windows 7 or XP. The computer is on. Firewall disabled. To my knowledge nothing is being blocked.
Yet, when I use RAADv1 to connect to the same computers, I can connect with no errors! So what is making v2 flaky with those connection errors?
Ray,
1st version used Remote Registry to connect and the second uses WMI to access the registry of the remote machine. THe reason you probably have access issues is that the WMI ports are not open across your routers or on the remote machinee.
I'm getting this error too on random workstations - it doesn't seem to be our routers as I can connect to a machine on same VLAN right next to it fine through RAADv2.
Any tips on checking WMI ports on the workstation? Windows Firewall is disabled for our workstations.
---
Don't forget to mark posts as helpful if they are, and mark answers as solutions.
A troubleshooting guide would be nice. Do we need to check or restart the WMI service on the remote systems if we encounter this error?
Good Morning Gents,
I am reading through all the comments and seeing some of the issues i am currently experiencing with the RAAD tool. Awesome tool i must agree!
I dont however see any direct answers. Could someone please advise on the below screenshots?
As you can see in the below screenshot, the agent is reporting perfectly
In RAAD however, it shows as "Unable to Connect"
Any idea will be welcome. Thanks for the time guys.
Eugene
Eugene,
I have seen this issue when the Enable Distributed COM on this computer box was unchecked:
Same thing helped me with Real-Time System Management - WMI didn't work before this
Thanks for the reply. I will most definately invetigate this.
I have also found in another instance that DNS causes the same status.
Take Care
Eugene
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