This month’s software update deployment for a, (successfully updated and distributed), deployment package of Server 2008 updates, (old and new), failed to produce any update notifications. After four days of forum browsing and analyzing log files I was no nearer to a solution. I finally started trial an error deployments using parts of the updates list. With each test deployment I would monitor the updatesdeployment.log while running the Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle. When a deployment failed there would be no new Machine Policy and no changes to the updatesdeployment.log even though report #288, Management 4 - Deployments that target a computer, listed the new deployment.
Also the server ciamgr.log seemed to show the deployment was working.
Failing CI assignment from ciamgr.log:
************Processing CI Assignment {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}************
Successfully replicated SMS Object {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}, ReplVarFileName:e:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\inboxes\ciamgr.box\h5kf01wm.TMP
Successfully replicated to all sites. Object - ID= {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC} - Name= test 2008 half the old - 11/26/2013 3:42:29 PM
Successfully updated Policy for CI Assignment {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}
Successfully updated Policy Targeting for CI Assignment {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}
Successfully updated CRCs for CI Assignment {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}
STATMSG: ID=5801 SEV=I LEV=M SOURCE="SMS Server" COMP="SMS_CI_ASSIGNMENT_MANAGER" SYS=Server55 SITE=XXX1 PID=33768 TID=62040 GMTDATE=Wed Nov 27 12:45:24.554 2013 ISTR0="test 2008 half the old - 11/26/2013 3:42:29 PM" ISTR1="" ISTR2="" ISTR3="" ISTR4="" ISTR5="" ISTR6="" ISTR7="" ISTR8="" ISTR9="" NUMATTRS=1 AID0=414 AVAL0="{DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}"
************Successfully processed CI Assignment {DDB14CE6-C20C-4868-82AB-244E136440DC}************
I eventually divided my trial and error deployments down to a single update. Removing that update fixed my problem.
This fix took a lot of time because I never found an error message. Does anyone know which log files might show the machine policy failure?