Problems Editing Configuration Data in the Configuration Manager Console

Problems Editing Configuration Data...

Updated: April 1, 2009

Applies To: System Center Configuration Manager 2007

This section provides troubleshooting information to help you resolve issues when you are editing and managing configuration items and configuration baselines in the Configuration Manager 2007 console. For help with individual options within configuration items and configuration baselines, click Help (or press the Windows help key) in the relevant dialog box.

Read-Only Configuration Data (Locked)

You can edit the properties of configuration baselines and configuration items only if they were created at the same Configuration Manager site. The icons will have a lock symbol, and you can view their properties but not edit them in the following circumstances:

They have been imported from Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Configuration Packs.
They have been imported from an external source, such as the Configuration Manager 2007 communities.
They have been imported from another Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy.
They have been authored externally and then imported.
They have been inherited by a parent site in the same Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy.

Solution

Although this behavior is by design, you can modify imported data in the following ways:

If you want to add new configuration items to a read-only configuration baseline, you can create a new configuration baseline and include the read-only configuration baseline as a dependent configuration baseline. For more information, see How to Add an Existing Configuration Baseline to a Configuration Baseline in Desired Configuration Management.
If you want to add new objects and settings or additional validation to read-only configuration items, create a child configuration item. For more information, see How to Create a Child Configuration Item in Desired Configuration Management.
If you want to remove the configuration of a read-only configuration baseline or a configuration item, you must create a duplicate instead. For more information, see How to Create a Duplicate Configuration Baseline in Desired Configuration Management and How to Create a Duplicate Configuration Item in Desired Configuration Management.

For a recommended path to using imported configuration data with modifications to suit your business requirements, see Desired Configuration Management Administrator Workflows.

Cannot Duplicate Configuration Items

Some configuration items might not have the Duplicate option enabled when they are selected. This happens when the configuration item has been imported into Configuration Manager 2007 and the Configuration Manager console is not able to interpret all of the configuration item content. Because the content cannot be interpreted, it cannot be duplicated.

Solution

Although this behavior is by design, if the Configuration Manager console can interpret some of the content in a configuration item, you can create a child configuration item and then add objects and settings to the child configuration item. For more information about creating child configuration items, see How to Create a Child Configuration Item in Desired Configuration Management.

Cannot Create Child Configuration Item

Some configuration items might not have a Create Child Configuration Item option enabled when they are selected. This happens when the configuration data has been imported into Configuration Manager 2007 and the Configuration Manager console is not able to interpret any of the configuration data content.

In this scenario, the configuration item has the following special icon, which is an uninterpreted configuration item.

Uninterpreted Configuration Icon Uninterpreted Configuration Item Icon

Solution

This behavior is by design, and the special icon warns you that its contents cannot be viewed, duplicated, or used to create a child configuration item. However, you can still add this configuration item to configuration baseline rules, and it will be correctly evaluated by Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Cannot Delete a Configuration Item Being Referenced by a Configuration Baseline

If a configuration item is referenced by a configuration baseline and the logged-on user does not have modify permissions on this configuration baseline, the Delete option will be unavailable. In addition, if the user lacks modify permissions on any referencing configuration baselines, such as a grandparent, the configuration item cannot be deleted.

Solution

Add modify permissions to any referencing configuration baselines.

Configuration Items Do Not Display Details

Some configuration items might not display all their properties in the Configuration Manager console. This happens when the configuration item has been imported into Configuration Manager 2007 and the Configuration Manager console is able to interpret some but not all of the configuration item content.

Solution

This behavior is by design. In this scenario, the Configuration Manager will display the configuration item content that it can display as read-only. You cannot create a duplicate configuration item from this configuration item, but you can create a child configuration item from it and add it to configuration baseline rules, and all the configuration item content will be correctly evaluated by Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Cannot Add Object Permissions to Child Configuration Items

A child configuration item lets you add objects, settings, and more restrictive validation to the original configuration item. However, you cannot add permissions to objects, such as files, folders, and registry keys.

For more information about child configuration items, see About Configuration Items in Desired Configuration Management.

Solution

This behavior is a known limitation of child configuration items. In this scenario, add the permissions to the parent configuration item from the child site.

Duplicated Configuration Items and Configuration Baselines Revert to Original Name

When you create a duplicate configuration item or configuration baseline, it might revert to the original name rather than the new name in the Configuration Manager console in the following circumstances:

When the configuration item or configuration baseline is first created, the duplicate name displays correctly in the results pane but the properties pane and the properties of the configuration item or configuration baseline display the original name.
When the duplicate configuration item or configuration baseline is then edited for one of its properties except the display name and then saved, the duplicate name displays the original name in the results pane and in the properties when subsequently opened.

Solution

After creating a duplicate configuration item or configuration baseline, edit it and change the duplicate display name to the required value. The duplicate configuration item or configuration baseline name will then save correctly in all places.

Cannot View Properties of a Configuration Item from a Child Site

If you are unable to view the properties of a configuration item from a child site when the configuration item has been replicated from a parent site, this could be because the configuration item was deleted and then re-imported at the parent site before the deletion of the original configuration item had replicated to the child site.

Solution

Use one of the following solutions:

When deleting a configuration item from a parent site, wait until the deletion has replicated to the child site before re-importing the configuration item.
If you are already experiencing this problem, delete the configuration item from the parent site, wait for replication to take place, and then import the configuration item again.

Configuration Item Script Setting Is Not Displayed Correctly If Script Uses Japanese Characters

If a configuration item script setting uses a Japanese character set, this might not display correctly in the Configuration Manager console. Additionally, the configuration item evaluation might return a compliance state of Error.

Solution

Scripts containing Japanese characters might be encoded using the MBCS format, which the Configuration Manager console cannot support. A workaround is to open the script file in Windows Notepad and save it in UTF-8 format before opening the file in the Configuration Manager console.

Results Pane Displays Blank Names and Descriptions in a Multi-Language Hierarchy

The display name and description chosen for configuration baselines, configuration items, and configuration categories might not display in the results pane on a child site when the child site is in a different language than the parent site. Instead, these names appear blank. However, they are displayed in the original language in the results pane (the lower section of the results pane) and in the properties when you view the properties of the configuration data.

For example, if you create a configuration item on an English version of Configuration Manager 2007, when the configuration item is inherited by a child site that is running a German version of Configuration Manager 2007, the configuration item's display name and description will appear blank in the results pane but display in English in the properties pane, as well as in the properties if you double-click the configuration item.

Solution

This is a known limitation of running desired configuration management in a multi-language hierarchy. In this scenario, refer to the display names in the properties pane or the properties.

Concepts

About Authoring Configuration Data for Desired Configuration Management
About Configuration Baselines in Desired Configuration Management
About Configuration Items in Desired Configuration Management
Desired Configuration Management Administrator Workflows

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