Testing Deployment & Troubleshooting Common Errors
Once you have finished setting up your new Smart Software item, we suggest testing deployment on test devices or virtual machines to verify their accuracy before pushing them out to your devices in production. We recommend testing Smart Software items on individual devices by deploying via GoLive.
For information on methods of deployment, see our Smart Software Overview article.
Deployment Status Overview
When a Smart Software item runs successfully, a green 'success' label will be displayed. Success indicates the item's Installation Command returned an exit code of 0.
If the color of the status is red (failed), that means the Smart Software payload gave an exit status of 1 somewhere within the deployment. Details as to why it is showing as failed can be seen by clicking the software name in the deployment status and selecting the arrow next to the device name.
Note: The cause of the error is typically found at the bottom-most lines of the output.
A yellow (pending) status means that it is waiting for a new status from the policy deployment.
If your Smart Software item is stuck on pending or not changing the Last Updated field, please read the below as they may apply to your situation.
The condition script (Condition for Install) is exiting with the same status
Let's say there is a condition script set to check if an app already exists, and if it does exist, do not proceed with the installation.
On May 2nd, the condition script recognizes the app exists, and as such, does not initiate the installation script.
Two weeks later, the condition script recognizes the app is still installed, so it still does not proceed with the installation. This means that the "Last Updated" fact will be May 2nd given the status has not changed.
The Smart Software deployment has not been re-attempted
If your Smart Software payload does not have a condition script, the installation will only be tried once. This is to avoid constant reinstalls of the items you are deploying in the Smart Software payload.
To force a re-attempt of all Smart Software items without a condition script, you can go ahead and deploy the policy. This can be done by navigating to Policies > (policy) > Deploy Now.
The device's Addigy agent is not communicating
Some software items, such as Public Software and Smart Software, run through our agent. If the Addigy agent on a device is not actively communicating with Addigy, your Smart Software will not deploy.
To verify if an agent is stuck as well as steps on how to remediate this, please reference this guide:
FAQ: Troubleshooting Agent Connection Issues (macOS)
General syntax errors
Example error: syntax error near unexpected token `(''
These types of errors typically occur when the Installation Command/Script (or Custom Condition Script) in use is not a valid bash script. Double-check your Smart Software item's Installation Command for matching parentheses, quotation marks, properly declared Variables, correct file and directory paths, etc. if you receive this type of error. Oftentimes customers encounter this error because the path to the Smart Software item in the /Library/Addigy folder is incorrect. The correct path ("Download folder") to this folder can be found under the Installation Command in any Smart Software item.
An error occurred while running scripts from the installation file.
Example error:
The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance. An error occurred while running scripts from the package “Smart Software.pkg”
There are many reasons why this error may occur, but as it states, you may need to contact the software's manufacturer for troubleshooting assistance. This error indicates that installation failed while running scripts from the Installation File provided, meaning it is not being caused by the Installation Command in use, but rather the Installation File(s) itself. While Addigy is unable to provide further context when this error occurs, we generally see it for one or more of the following reasons:
- The Installation File(s) in use are corrupted in some way.
- Device architecture is not compatible with the installer in some way (for example, attempting to install an Intel-specific software on a Silicon device). Consult developer documentation to confirm your device meets the system requirements for the software.
- The software is already installed, or the software was previously installed and not uninstalled completely (remnants still exist on the device preventing reinstallation).
- The software is already installed and is using a different license key or other client specific value.
- License key/deployment token is incorrect or missing and necessary for installation
Improperly configured condition script (Condition for Install)
Sometimes, items do not fail while the Installation Script is running but rather during the Condition for Install's execution. Ensure your Prebuilt Condition or Custom Conditional Command is configured correctly if it appears your Smart Software item is failing before the Installation Command is run - it's easy to inadvertently use the wrong exit code or operator when setting up Conditions for Install.
There are many other reasons why Smart Software deployment may fail. If you are having trouble setting up or deploying a particular application, or are receiving an uninterpretable error upon deployment, please reach out to our Support Team for further assistance. Please be advised that our Support Team members are unable to build Smart Software items/Custom Install Scripts for third-party applications on behalf of clients, but will be happy to assist with troubleshooting and can answer specific questions as needed.