How Are Automatically and Manually Triggered Deployments Different?

[Sanchez]

Hi.

I have an application which has a "required" deployment. If I leave it to install by itself, it always fails. But if I log-on to one of the target computers, open Software Center, go into the deployment and click "Install", it always works.

So what I'm wondering is: when SCCM automatically triggers the deployment, how is that different to triggering it from Software Center? Why would one work, but not the other?

I suspect the problem is to do with the executable itslelf, but understanding the mechanics of how the two scenarios differ, could help me test and troubleshoot the issue.

I hope someone can shed some light!

Thanks.

[anyweb]

the difference (based on what you said) is that one of those two installations may have been in user context, as in the user clicked and ran the installer, so is your software dependent on a user being logged on ?

[Sanchez]

Thanks for your reply.

There's nothing documented, to say that the application requires a user to be logged-on, but I thought SCCM always used the system account, anyway. In both scenarios, the installer's temporary files and logs appear in C:\Windows\Temp, as opposed to the user's %Temp% folder, which is the bahaviour of the system account. Either way, I always test my deployments using PSExec to run the installer in the system context, and that always works, with this application.

Also, the installation fails whether a user is logged-on or not, I'm afraid. So I don't know where that leaves us.

 

Thanks.

[anyweb]

ok well if you can zip up all logs starting with app*.log in your c:\windows\ccm\logs folder and attach them here i can take a look

[Sanchez]

Thank you.

Personally, I can't see anything of note in those logs. The only relevant clue is in Windows application logs, which record the installer's executable crashing:

Exception code 0xc0000005 is a memory violation, and the exit code in AppEnforce (3221225477) seems to mean the same thing. I'll speak to the developers, but it's just strange how this only happens when triggered automatically.

All these logs are from a VM with Windows 10 1909, and no software installed. The only antivirus is Windows Defender, which I disabled by local Group Policy.

AppLogs.zip

[radish]

On 9/18/2020 at 8:50 PM, anyweb said:

the difference (based on what you said) is that one of those two installations may have been in user context, as in the user clicked and ran the installer, so is your software dependent on a user being logged on ?

Agree with this view, system computer account installation and user installation of some software will cause installation errors

[Sanchez]

Thanks, radish.

I am pretty sure that both methods (automatically-triggered and via Software Center) use the system account, but if anybody knows different, I'd like to hear it.

Understanding the exact difference between the two will help troubleshoot and explain it to the developer.

 

Thanks.