FAQ

1 The monitor window loads slowly

The window can take a long time to open. These are the usual causes.

If many of the target clients are offline, it will load slowly.
The monitor may not be able to connect to the clients due to security rights or a faulty DNS server.
If the clients are located in another domain, the monitor may not be able to connect to them.

For computers that Configuration Manager has not reported a status for, the monitor first checks that the computer answers a ping on its name. It then reads the client's registry and log. This check is made only when the Use live data setting is on and no more than 25 such computers are in the deployment. The limit is a SoftwareCentral configuration value, and its default is 25. A computer whose name does not resolve through DNS fails the ping, so the monitor cannot read it.

Note Use live data is the setting that lets SoftwareCentral read deployment status messages directly from the clients when Configuration Manager does not have them yet.

2 Success states is changed to failed

The monitor gets data from 3 sources. The sources are prioritized, so that one may overrule the others. The order is as follows:

The SCCM server
Client logs
Registry data

When Configuration Manager reports a computer as succeeded or failed, that result is used. The client registry and log are read only when Configuration Manager has no such result and the live check above applies. The registry value is read first, and the client log result is applied after it, so the log result overrules the registry value.

3 The monitor says the program is installed, but it is not

The monitor only displays the status of the deployment.

If the program is removed at a later point, manually or by the SCCM, the monitor will not reflect this.

Mark as succeeded The green check mark on a row changes the status shown in SoftwareCentral only. It does not change anything in Configuration Manager. See Mark as succeeded in the Deployment Monitor.

4 During reinstallations my Software Groups are not applied in the selected order

You can set the installation order of software groups. But Software Groups containing applications cannot be mixed with Software Groups containing packages.

Applications will be installed in order and Packages will be installed in order. The order of applications and packages Software Groups depends on the Task Sequence. If your “Install Applications” step comes first, applications will be installed first and if your “Install Packages” step comes first, packages will be installed first.

Changing the order On the Reinstall Computer page, drag the software groups in the list to change their order. Only software groups can be moved. A group dropped between packages is placed below the last software group. If there is no software group in the list, the message The installation order of Software Groups can not be mixed with packages and applications. is shown. The Clone Computer page shows the same message.

5 Can I get an overview of where a program is installed

If you want a complete overview of where a program is installed, go to the Software Status interface.

Open Software Status. It shows the deployment status of packages and applications.

6 Best practice

Make the target computers reachable by name. The monitor pings each computer by its name and then reads its registry and log. A name that does not resolve through DNS, or a computer that does not answer, leaves its status unknown.
Read the client log before you mark a computer as succeeded. The change is made in SoftwareCentral only. Configuration Manager is not changed.
Keep applications and packages in separate Software Groups when you need a fixed installation order, because the two kinds cannot be mixed in one ordered list.
Use Software Status for the overall picture and the Deployment Monitor for one deployment. Software Status lists the status of packages and applications across your computers.

7 Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	What to do
“Failed to initialize interface.” with an access error in Notifications, and the monitor is empty	SoftwareCentral cannot read the deployment status from Configuration Manager.	Check the Configuration Manager settings in Deployment Manager Configuration. If the monitor stays empty, contact your administrator.
The monitor is slow to open, and computers in the deployment show Status unknown	Computers without a status from Configuration Manager are checked one by one, by name, when there are 25 or fewer of them. Offline computers take longest.	Wait for the window to finish loading. If an online computer still shows Status unknown, check its name in DNS and that it can be reached from the SoftwareCentral server.
“Trying to turn on the device” or “Failed to turn on the device” on an offline computer	The computer is offline and Configuration Manager has no status for it. The fix sends a Wake-On-Lan packet, which needs a known network address.	See Fix a failed deployment in the Deployment Monitor.