The MMC 3.0 console
itself is very stable, and issues are generally due to configuring the
required permissions or issues with WMI.
Enable Verbose Logging
The
first step in troubleshooting issues related to the console is to look
at the log file. ConfigMgr by default provides many log files regarding
the health of the site and its components.
This
differs for the console log file. Because the log file generates a
considerable amount of information requiring system resources, logging
is not enabled by default.
To enable verbose logging, perform the following steps:
1. | Close all active Configuration Manager 2007 consoles.
|
2. | Browse to the < ConfigMgrInstallPath>\AdminUI\bin folder. |
3. | In the bin folder, locate the adminui.console.dll.config file and open this file using Windows Notepad.
|
4. | Within the file, navigate to the line
<source name="SmsAdminUISnapIn" switchValue="Error" >
Change this line to read
<source name="SmsAdminUISnapIn" switchValue="Verbose" > |
5. | Close the file and save your changes.
Note that in Windows Server 2008, unless you are a member of the Domain
Admins group, you have only read and execute permissions on this file.
To modify the file, at least write permission is required.
|
6. | Start the Configuration Manager 2007 console.
|
7. | Navigate to the <ConfigMgrInstallPath>\AdminUI\AdminUILog folder and verify a log file named SMSAdminUI.log was created.
|
By default, only administrators and SMS admins have permissions to read the SMSAdminUI.log log file.
The
logging starts immediately when you start the console. When the console
starts, any navigation through the console is logged as well.
Therefore, it is recommended you disable verbose logging when it is no
longer required for troubleshooting.
To disable verbose logging, undo the line change described in step 4.
Common Issues
Table 1 describes the most common issues related to the Configuration Manager console.
Table 14. Common Issues and Resolutions
| Error | Description |
|---|
| Cannot connect to the site database. | When
starting the Configuration Manager console, you may get an error
stating that a connection with the site database could not be
established. Verify that the SQL Server hosting the database as well as
the SMS provider are both available and healthy. You may also receive
this error if your user account does not have the required Remote
Activation permissions on the site server and the SMS provider. |
| User does not see all console objects. | When
a user is missing some components in the console, there may be no
object rights assigned for that user or he or she is using a custom
console. Users only see those components to which they have rights. In
addition to object rights, users running the console must be a member
of the SMS Admins group or a custom group running with equivalent
rights.
|
| Error: This function is not supported on this site system. | Configuration
Manager 2007 uses files and Registry keys like any other application. A
user without permission to the files or Registry keys Configuration
Manager is using can receive this error. When a user receives this
error, verify that user is a member of the SMS Admins group or a custom
group with equivalent rights. |
| After an upgrade, administrators don’t have assigned rights to new Configuration Manager 2007 objects. | When
an in-place upgrade from SMS 2003 to Configuration Manager 2007 is
performed, not all administrators are assigned rights to all objects.
In a new installation, the user running the installation has all the
assigned rights to all objects; this is the same when running an
upgrade. The user running the upgrade has all assigned rights. Other
administrators have assigned rights to the objects as they existed in
the SMS 2003 site. The administrator running the upgrade must manually
assign the appropriate rights to the administrators. |
| The ConfigMgr console hangs when a connection is lost. | If
the Configuration Manager console loses its connection with the site
database and SMS provider, it stops responding. No error is displayed. When the console hangs, try to close it with the Windows Task Manager by terminating the mmc.exe console process.
To open the console with the default view, start the console with the /sms:NoRestore option. |
Preventing the Console from Hanging when Running Large Queries
By
default, the Configuration Manager console stops responding when
creating queries that return more than 2,000 results. This is the same
as when creating collections with a query-based membership rule that
returns more than the maximum of 2,000 results.
If
you require such large queries, perform the following procedure to
adjust the maximum threshold through the Registry. Follow these steps:
1. | Go to Start -> Run and type regedit. Click OK.
|
2. | In the Registry, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\ConfigMgr\AdminUI\QueryProcessors. |
3. | Right-click QueryProcessors, select New, and choose the option DWORD Value.
|
4. | Name the new DWORD value ValueLimit.
|
5. | Configure ValueLimit with a value that is large enough to return the results of the query. As an example, use a value of 3000 to set the maximum allowed query results to 3,000.
|
Configuration Manager Console Command-Line Options
When the console is installed, the setup program creates a file named adminconsole.msc in the <ConfigMgrInstallPath>\AdminUI\bin folder. This is the console MMC snap-in; launching the console will start this file.
The console has several parameters (command-line options) that you can use to modify how the console starts. Table 2 describes the available options and their functions.
Table 2. Configuration Manager Console Parameters
| Parameter | Function |
|---|
| sms:debugview | This
parameter adds more detail regarding the record in the database of a
selected object. This information is displayed in the Actions pane. |
| sms:ResetSettings | To
start the console with default settings and views, you can use this
parameter to reset settings such as views, column width, and column
order. |
| sms:providerlocale=<LocalID> | This parameter is mostly used in combination with the <culture> parameter to change the code page used by the SMS provider. |
| sms:culture=<culture> | Use
this parameter to force a specific regional option. This parameter
overrides the configured Regional settings in the Control Panel.
|
| sms:NoRestore | To
start the console more quickly (or when the console stops responding),
you can use this parameter to open the console at the default top
System Center Configuration Manager node. |
| sms:ignoreExtensions | When facing issues with console extensions, you can use this parameter to start the console without any extensions. |
| sms:NamespaceView=1 | For SDK programmers, this parameter can be used to display a class name view. |
To start the console with a parameter, use the following syntax:
<ConfigMgrInstallPath>\AdminUI\Bin\adminconsole.msc /parameter
