Flushing the Health Service and State and Cache

What really happens when the when you run this task?

So we start the task by clicking on the ‘Flush Health Service State and Cache’

Then you are ask to confirm the settings and run the task.

Note in the Task description

Task Description
Status:  Failed  This task will reset all state in the Health Service.
This includes the state of rules, monitors, outgoing data, and cached
management packs. Since this task will reset the service, status of
this task will not be delivered since outgoing task status is part
of what is reset by this task.

This, even though a little unclear is saying that the task is by design going to show up as a failure.

Let’s have a look at was is really happening. When you run the task it may take a long time to finish.

So when the task is running the targeted machine will with e-mail notifications shows up as below.

Then shows as health in ‘Computers’ in the Monitoring Pane

But the task can still run. In fact for a very long time it just keeps going.

I find Event 29103 and the fact the agent has contacted the MS and downloading the config.

As well as 29102.

But the Task is still running! Is this right?

If we do the task manually then we stop the Health Service (Net stop HealthService )

Go to the the Heath Service Store

C:\Program Files\System Center Operations Manager 2007\Health Service State\Health Service Store

Delete all in it ( will not be able to delete the files when the Health Service is running

Then start the HealthService again and the Cache is cleared.

So why does are Task show up as a failure?

What happen the task is run against the current Health Service Store but in fact is deleted so the task cannot complete.

As the new Health Service Store as no knowledge of the task being run, hence it fails.

Conclusion

When you next run the ‘Flush Health Service State and Cache’ check the Ops Mgr Event Log on the target for Event 102

to show that a new Instance has been started to confirm the task really did complete.

Simon Skinner