SCCM 2007 – Unable to re-run advertisement on clients

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One of the most common chores a Configuration Manager administrator will face is deploying software. Within that realm, one of the most common chores is having to 're-run' an Advertisement on one or more clients to complete an installation.

By David Stein - Tue, July 9, 2013 - 0 comments

David is an author and consultant, working for Endurance IT Services in Virginia Beach, Virginia, specializing in Microsoft enterprise systems and Business Process Automation.

Symptoms

1. Attempts to re-run an Advertisement result in an error status of “This program cannot be run because the program files cannot be found. For more information, please contact your administrator or helpdesk operator.”
2. Attempts to re-run an Advertisement result in an error status of “Program will not rerun”

Potential causes

1. Advertisement scheduling “Program rerun behavior” option is set to “Never rerun advertised program“
2. Advertisement scheduling “Program rerun behavior” option is not configured to allow a re-run when the status matches that of a specific client installation attempt.
3. The Advertisement references a Program that has a pre-run Dependency enabled (“Run another program first”)
4. The Package content has been removed or modified on the associated DP server such that referenced files are missing or inaccessible from the Client.
5. The advertised Program failed with an exit code of one (1), which indicates “Fatal Error Non-Retry”.

Suggestions

1. Configure the “Program rerun behavior” to “Always rerun advertised program”, but ONLY if you do not allow users to select their own installations. This is best used with centrally-controlled software distribution.
2. Resolve exit code 1 issues if possible.
3. Remove Program pre-run Dependencies (“Run another program first”) and either replace with a script-wrapper or use a Task Sequence.
4. Verify the content on each DP server is correct and up to date with respect to the Advertised Program settings.

Helpful links

• How to Re-run an Advertisement
• List of Log Files in Configuration Manager 2007
• Troubleshooting Software Distribution Issues
• Troubleshooting Software Distribution Using Custom Error Codes
• Jason Sandys Blog: Config Manager and Failed Program Retry