Description of Cumulative Update 4 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Clients for Linux and UNIX

Changes in Cumulative Update 4

Changes to supported client operating systems are as follows:

• Adds support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 (x64)

 

Issues that are fixed in Cumulative Update 4

Linux and UNIX clients

• Using the ccmexec command to start the ccmexec process starts multiple ccmexec processes.
  
  When the ccmexec process is stopped and started manually by using one of the following commands, more than one ccmexec process is started:
  • `/opt/microsoft/configmgr/bin/ccmexec -d`
  • `/opt/microsoft/configmgr/bin/start`
  • `/etc/init.d/ccmexecd start`
  
  
  These duplicate processes can cause errors when a specific ccmexec process or a ccmexec process return code is being monitored. After you apply this update, only one ccmexec process will be started when you manually start or restart a ccmexec process.
   
• "Last Boot-up Time" property is inconsistent or missing across Linux and UNIX servers.
  
  When you view the Last Boot-up Time property for a Linux or UNIX client, the property is missing or inconsistent across Linux and UNIX servers. The Last Boot-up Time property represents the last time that the Linux or UNIX server was started. This property is retrieved during hardware inventory and is available from the Operating System item (click Resource Explorer, and then click Hardware). This property was unavailable on IBM AIX and was inconsistent across Solaris, HP-UX, and Linux servers. After you apply this update, the Local Boot-up Time property is enabled on supported IBM AIX versions and is reported in the local time zone across all Linux and UNIX platforms.
  
  Known issue
  The Last Boot-up Time property does currently not account for daylight saving time.
   
• Physical processor count is incorrect.
  
  When you view the number of physical processors for a Linux or UNIX client, the processor count is reported incorrectly. The physical processor count for a Linux or UNIX server represents the physical number of cores and number of logical processors that a server currently has. These attributes are retrieved during hardware inventory and are available from the Computer System item (click Resource Explorer, and then click Hardware). After you apply this update, the Linux and UNIX clients accurately report the number of physical processors that can be seen in Resource Explorer.
   
• The Linux and UNIX client requests distribution points even when software distribution does not contain content.
  
  When a software distribution is targeted at a Linux or UNIX client, the client will always request distribution points from the management point, even when the policy does not contain source files. This request causes additional delay before the client executes the program that is contained in a software distribution. After you apply this update, the Linux and UNIX client determines whether distribution points are required before it makes a request to the management point.
   
• In rare cases, IPv6 can result in a segmentation fault during hardware inventory.
  
  Example error message:
   
  ccmexec.bin[43086]: segfault at 0 ip 0000000000ad3283 sp 00007fff6d7a7380 error 4 in ccmexec.bin[400000+955000]
  
  Hardware inventory for UNIX and Linux clients includes information about the network adapter and network configuration. In rare cases, when the clients are running hardware inventory, IPv6 with a null IP address returned can cause an exit of the ccmexec process and a failure of hardware inventory. After you apply this update, the UNIX and Linux client accounts for null IPv6 addresses and no longer exits the process.
   
• In some cases, a new hardware ID is generated when the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX are restarted.
  
  In some cases, when the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX are restarted, a new hardware ID is generated. This regeneration of the hardware ID causes the management point to interpret the previous Linux or UNIX client as a new client. This causes a loss in hardware history if hardware settings are changed. After you apply this update, restarting the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX no longer regenerates the hardware ID.
  
  Note Earlier versions of the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX used a computed version of the Linux and UNIX HostID. The Linux and UNIX HostID is not unique across all systems, and it is replaced with a GUID. When you upgrade the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX, the client uses the current hardware ID but can force a unique GUID as a new hardware ID with the option fuid or forceuniquehostid added to the installation script during upgrade.
   
• In some cases, the Linux and UNIX client consumes lots of processor time when it is parsing large policies.
  
  When the Linux and UNIX client is parsing large policies (that is, policies that contain lots of instances), it consumes lots of processor time and memory. This increased processor and memory load occurs because the Linux and UNIX client makes lots of string conversions during the processing of the policy. After you apply this update, the Linux and UNIX client conversions are optimized to reduce the overall load on the system.
   
• Servers that contain disks that are larger than 2 terabytes (TB) cannot collect hardware inventory.
  
  Example error message:
   
  [scx.core.common.pal.system.disk.staticdiskpartitioninstance:231:389:47559801701280] Got this error string from fdisk command: [0x00a]WARNING: The size of this disk is 2.7 TB (2684375531520 bytes).[0x00a]DOS partition table format can not be used on drives for volumes[0x00a]larger than 2.2 TB (2199023255040 bytes). Use parted(1) and GUID [0x00a]partition table format (GPT).[0x00a][0x00a][0x00a]WARNING: The size of this disk is 2.7 TB (2684375531520 bytes).[0x00a]DOS partition table format can not be used on drives for volumes[0x00a]larger than 2.2 TB (2199023255040 bytes). Use parted(1) and GUID [0x00a]partition table format (GPT).
  
  Linux and UNIX servers that contain hard disks that are larger than 2 TB print the Log WARNING and exit during hardware inventory. This error causes constant exits with the Configuration Manager clients for Linux and UNIX in an environment that has a hard disk that is larger than 2 TB. After you apply this update, the Linux and UNIX client does not print the warning and now enumerates all disks that are larger than 2 TB in hardware inventory.
   
• When content cannot be downloaded from a distribution point, the Linux and UNIX client enters a state of WAITING_RETRY and will not download content.
  
  Example error message:
   
  Info       [scx.client.agents.softwaredist.CExecutionRequestManager:1985:8979:140159753922528] Request sate is WAITING_RETRY.  $$<LinuxUNIXClient><02-24-2015 09:24:39.000-480><thread=140159753922528 (0x7fff10045bf8)>
  
  When the Linux and UNIX client cannot download content, the Linux and UNIX client enters a state of WAITING_RETRY and does not try to download content until the Linux and UNIX client is restarted.
  
  The Linux and UNIX client can fail downloading content from either a 404 error (content does not exist on the distribution point) or a 401 error (incorrect authentication to access content). After you apply this update, the Linux and UNIX client continues to retry the policy at an interval of four hours until completion or until 18 retries are made, whichever comes first.

How to obtain Cumulative Update 4 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Clients for Linux and UNIX

Download information

Cumulative Update 4 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Clients for Linux and UNIX is available from the Microsoft Download Center:
 
Information about how to upgrade UNIX and Linux clients can be found here.

Restart information

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this update.

Note We recommend that you close the Configuration Manager Administrator Console before you install this update.
 

Update replacement information

This update replaces all previously released updates.
 

How to determine the installation of this cumulative update

This cumulative update changes the following Configuration Manager version number.

Administrator console

The version that is displayed in the About System Center Configuration Manager dialog box is 5.00.7958.1112.

Client

The client version number can displayed by running the following command:
 
The version number should be 5.00.7958.1112.