Symantec Management Agent error (AClient not installed)

[James Auman]

During the Symantec Management Agent (SMA) installation (pushed out from server), i run into some messages about the AClient that dont look right to me (I could be wrong).

<event date='01/23/2020 10:20:47.1710000 -05:00' severity='4' hostName='jima' source='Installer' module='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' process='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' pid='13576' thread='20108' tickCount='58660593' >
  <![CDATA[+ Running action: StopAClient]]>
</event>

<event date='01/23/2020 10:20:47.2230000 -05:00' severity='4' hostName='jima' source='AeXUtility' module='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' process='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' pid='13576' thread='20108' tickCount='58660640' >
  <![CDATA[StopService('aclient'): Service is not installed]]>
</event>

<event date='01/23/2020 10:20:54.9150000 -05:00' severity='4' hostName='jima' source='Installer' module='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' process='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' pid='13576' thread='20108' tickCount='58668328' >
  <![CDATA[+ Running action: StartAClient]]>
</event>

<event date='01/23/2020 10:20:54.9150000 -05:00' severity='4' hostName='jima' source='AeXUtility' module='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' process='AeXNSAgentInst.exe' pid='13576' thread='20108' tickCount='58668328' >
  <![CDATA[StartService('aclient'): Service is not installed]]>
</event>

Questions

1. What is the 'AClient'?

2. Why is the SMA install trying to stop it and later start it?

3. If the AClient is supposed to be stopped and started, why is it not installed?  Why isnt the SMA install installing the AClient BEFORE it attempts to stop/start the AClient?

4. What can i do to resolve? 

 

Thank You!

[Alex Bizjajev]

Hi,

Aclient is a service which is used by old versions of Deployment Solution (I beleve it was in times when DS was a standalone application). It was replaced by newer version of DS plugin which is called DAgent.

During the install SMA stopps several services which might use shared libraries, as SMA need to update these libraries.

I suppose at some point AClient was uninstalled, but uninstall fails to delete all the registry entries completelly.

You may check registry key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services] -- probably it contains sub-key AClient with "ImagePath" value which points to the AClient install folder. Does that folder exists and does it contains files within?

Thank you,

Alex.

 

 

[Igor Perevozchikov]

Hi James Auman!

During Symantec Management Agent installation, installer tries to find "AClient" to stop it and nothing else, since this AClient is part of another product like Deployment Solution (GSS).

AClient & DAgent relates to Deployment Solution product (Ghost Solution Suite product)

https://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/dagent-and-aclient-both-installed

Example of Agent installer on Deployment server:

 

Example of client computer with DAgent installed (Dagent managed by GSS product not by NS) & Symantec Management Agent installed.

Customer can see information that DAgent is installed on client PC where Symantec management Agent is also installed and sent basic inventory to Notification Server:

No impact of such actions so no worries. This action perform only during Symantec Management Agent installation/update and it doesn't do this in case of Symantec Management Agent service restart.

Thanks,

IP.

 

 

 

[andykn101]

The old AClient used to have a link in its GUI for the "Notification Server Agent" (the old name for the SMA) when it was installed, I expect that's why the install tries to stop and start it, to put the link in.