Troubleshooting .snowpack file creation and transfer failures in the Snow Inventory Agent for Windows

Problem 1: The agent cannot create a .snowpack file

Step 1: Run a manual scan

To validate if the agent can create a .snowpack file, run a manual scan on the affected device:

1. Log in to the computer in question.
2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Navigate to the Snow Inventory Agent installation directory:
   C:\Program Files\Snow Software\Inventory\Agent
4. To confirm you are in the correct location, run:
   dir

5. Start a manual scan using the following command:
   snowagent.exe run

6. Open Task Manager and verify that snowagent.exe appears under running processes.

7. After the scan completes, go to:
   C:\Program Files\Snow Software\Inventory\Agent\data
   Confirm a .snowpack file has been created.

Step 2: Check possible causes

Possible cause 1: Anti-virus Interference

The system’s anti-virus may be scanning the Snow Inventory Agent process, preventing it from completing. To correct this:

1. Exclude or safelist the Snow Software folder from anti-virus scanning:
   C:\Program Files\Snow Software
2. Rerun the scan and confirm the .snowpack file is created.

Possible cause 2: Incorrect service account permissions

The Snow Inventory Agent service might be configured to run under an account that lacks permission to execute scans or write to the Data folder. By default, the agent has Log On As set to Local System account.

If it’s using another account, change it back to Local System, then rerun the scan.

Problem 2: The agent cannot send .snowpack files to the Snow Inventory Server

If .snowpack files accumulate in the following folder, it indicates the agent cannot communicate with the server:
C:\Program Files\Snow Software\Inventory\Agent\data

Step 1: Verify network connectivity

• Can you access the Snow Inventory Server URL or Service Gateway in a web browser?
• Can you ping the Snow Inventory Server successfully?
• Can you telnet to the server on the appropriate port?
• Is a proxy used for outbound communication?
• Are all required firewall ports open?
• Are SSL certificates or FQDN/port 443 used for authentication?

Step 2: Enable verbose logging

1. Open the configuration file:
   C:\Program Files\Snow Software\Inventory\Agent\snowagent.config
2. Locate the following section and set the log level to verbose:
   

   <Logging>
       <MaxSize>1024</MaxSize>
       <!-- error, warning, info, trace, verbose -->
       <Level>verbose</Level>
   </Logging>