Nalshell crash on managed devices

  • 7008379
  • 15-Apr-2011
  • 05-Jul-2012

Environment

Novell ZENworks 11 Configuration Management
Novell ZENworks 10 Configuration Management with Support Pack 3 - 10.3
Novell ZENworks 11 Configuration Management Support Pack 1 - ZCM 11 SP1
Novell ZENworks 11 Configuration Management Support Pack 2 - ZCM 11 SP2

Situation

Nalshell.dll crashes on managed devices. Frequently seen on Terminal Server (Citrix or Windows Terminal Services) but can occur on any managed device.
 
ERROR (in Event log):
 
Faulting application explorer.exe, version 6.0.3790.3959, stamp 45d6a1b7, faulting module nalshell.dll, version 10.3.3.2890, stamp 4d65c053, debug? 0, fault address 0x00026d88
 
 

Resolution

There can be various causes of crashes with nalshell.dll - fixes for known issues are detailed below:
 
For ZCM 11.2 This is fixed in version 11.2.1 - see KB 7010042 "ZENworks Configuration Management 11.2.1 - update information and list of fixes" which can be found at https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7010042

For ZCM 11: This is fixed in version 11.1 - see KB 7008746 "ZENworks Configuration Management 11.1 - update information and list of fixes" which can be found at https://www.novell.com/support

For ZCM 10.3: This is fixed in version 10.3.4 - see KB 7004550 "ZENworks Configuration Management 10.3.4 - update information and list of fixes" which can be found at https://www.novell.com/support

Workaround: if it is not possible to upgrade to 10.3.4 at this time, in the interim, Novell has made a Patch available for testing, in the form of a Field Test File (FTF): it can be obtained at https://download.novell.com/Download?buildid=Cm02yMOLTq8~ as "ZCM 10.3.3 Nalshell crash patch - see TID 7008379". This Patch should only be applied if the symptoms above are being experienced, and are causing problems.

This Patch has had limited testing, and should not be used in a production system without first being checked in a test environment. Some Patches have specific requirements for deployment, it is very important to follow any instructions in the readme at the download site. Please report any problems encountered when using this Patch, by using the feedback link on this TID.