Software Portal Wrong Computer

[Mike Fidersek]

Hi,

i have some issue with the Software Protal.
Some User encounter a issue that the Software Portal want Install the Software on the Wrong Computer.
On a Computer the user was never Logged in. I dont know where i can look or troublshoot it.

On the disired Computer is the user the "Primary User"
On the Wrong Computer is an other user a "Primary user"

Regards
Mike

[Martin Sapsed]

Hi Mike,
This rings a vague bell with me - I've seen something like it before. I think I tried to look into it with a support case but couldn't provide the requisite logs as I didn't have easy physical access to the computers.
The only thing I do remember is it might be worth looking at the last reported IP address of the 2 machines. I seem to think that in my case, the machine that had the portal task assigned had been off a while but when it was last on, it had the DHCP'ed IP address that the machine which made the request was now using - does that sentence make sense? Almost like some internal reverse lookup in Altiris went wrong?
Regards
Martin

[Mike Fidersek]

Hi Martin,

thats a good hint. Its the IP Adress. Both Computers have the same IP Adress in the Console.

One Compuer is activ and have the IP. The other Computer is round about 20 days offline and had the IP before.

But how Altiris decide witch Computer ist the right one/ wrong one?

Maybe i need open an support case too.

Thank you very much Martin.

Regards
Mike

[Martin Sapsed]

Hi Mike,
Glad I could help. Hope you have more success with a support case than I did as this is clearly a bug!
Regards
Martin

[Arthur Prosso]

Hello Mike!

Confirming that it is the IP lookup issue. Please use your support channel for escalation. Then we will  start working on the fix.
It is the stored procedure [spSWP_GetUserMachineGuid]  which performs the machine Guid lookup based on IP and hostname.

You may try to modify it at your own risk. Presumably the lookup should use both IP AND hostname for match, but at the moment I cannot tell for sure to guarantee coverage of 100% of corner cases.

Regards
Artur


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Software Engineer 5
Broadcom Inc.
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[Mike Fidersek]

Hi Artur,

thx i create an Support Case.

Regards
Mike

[Martin Sapsed]

Interesting that we've managed to identify the problem here in the forum but when I raised a support case last time I saw it, I didn't get anywhere, despite pointing out to the "engineer" about the IP Address bit. If I remember rightly he wanted logs from the machine that was switched off!

While we're on the topic of Software Portal issues, the portal link that you're supposed to use takes notice of an obsolete registry key to find the default browser. We noticed this when we moved from 32bit to 64bit versions of Firefox. When you change the "default browser" in Windows 10, it doesn't update the key used by the portal. However, if you delete that key it will then use another which is maintained.
Regards
Martin

[JOE.PS1]

It sounds like you've figured out the cause.  However, I've run into a different cause for the same problem which could help others. 

We had an issue a few years back where lots of users using software portal to request software but it was all being delivered to the same computer instead of the one they requested it from.  The cause was one of our IT staff documented the process for users on how to request something from Software Portal.  instead of telling them to select portal from the system tray, he provided a direct link in the instructions.  The problem is, when you launch portal it adds the GUID and name of the machine you're running it from to the URL.  So when he shared the URL, it allowed other users to request software for his machine instead of theirs.  That was a fun one to figure out.  

You can see this by launching portal and examining the URL.  It looks something like this: 

/altiris/softwareportal/portal/?MachineGuid=abc39360-3fad-4888-bac2-2fcdd1921be3&MachineName=COMPUTERNAME&Platform=Win64

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Joe
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[Mike Fidersek]

Hi,

i use that link.
http://sdeglaltiris.infra.krueger.local/altiris/softwareportal/portal/

[Mike Fidersek]

i will give the Users the instruction to use the Software Portal Icon in the Start menu

[Mike Fidersek]

That is the sokution to use the Desktop Icon.

[Arthur Prosso]

Hi Mike!

Just a note that it is rather a "designed" method than a solution.
Another option to correctly launch the Software portal from client machine is to use right click -> Software Portal from the Symantec Agent system tray icon

Regards
Artur

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Software Engineer 5
Broadcom Inc.
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[Mike Fidersek]

THX for that hint. i didnt reconize that. i will put that way in our user documentaion too