Problems with DCOM Dependant Site Roles after SP3 Upgrades

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Following an upgrade to SMS 2003 problems similar to the issues described in KB 913119 may be experienced. This could impact most of the Server Roles and may be related to the following issue.

 

 

SMS 2003 relies heavily on DCOM to accomplish its designated tasks. One component of the SMS 2003 installation process ensures that Windows 2003 Server DCOM security settings are set at their defaults. The default DCOM security settings allow SMS 2003 to work well on a Windows 2003 Server without a Windows Server 2003 Service Pack installed. However, applying subsequent Windows Server 2003 Server Packs can break SMS 2003 functionality.

Windows Server 2003 SP1 introduced substantial changes in DCOM security configurations. The default DCOM security configuration with Windows Server 2003 SP1 and subsequent service pack versions are too restrictive to permit full SMS 2003 functionality. Therefore, installing a Windows Server 2003 Service pack on an SMS 2003 site server that did not previously have a Windows 2003 Service Pack installed introduces DCOM security restrictions that break SMS 2003 functionality. The DCOM security configuration must be manually configured after the Service Pack installation to ensure continued SMS functionality.

The same DCOM security configuration task must be carried out any time an SMS 2003 service pack is installed or a site reset is performed. When an SMS 2003 service pack is installed, or a site reset is performed, the DCOM security configuration is rolled back to the default Windows Server 2003 settings appropriate to the version of Windows Server 2003 that is installed. If the version of Windows 2003 includes a service pack, then the DCOM security configuration will be too restrictive to permit full SMS 2003 functionality and must be manually configured after the SMS service pack installation or site reset to ensure continued SMS functionality.

To resolve this situation please reference the Resolution Section of the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB 913119

 

An update to this KB article is planned to widen its scope and discoverability in relation to this problem.