Avast! Endpoint Protection losing Avast! Administraton Console Server name/IP

Avast Business Avast Endpoint Protection
1

Hi,

I’ve had a call today from a customer using the Avast! EndPoint Protection saying their computer is telling them their trial license code has expired and that they need to insert a new one. That customer’s site is using the Small Office Administration console to manage approx 10 Windows 7 workstations + 1 SBS Server (on which SOA is installed).

When I checked AvastNet.log (attached) I saw lots of…

Can not obtain IP address for the SBC server! Waiting for 5 minutes and retrying!

but this is not a DNS issue because when I check in Avast → Settings → Troubleshooting the Server name/IP is blank. It could not have always been blank as I manually entered it about 6 months ago when it last “disappeared”.

http://www.stephen-scotter.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015_02_04_10_39_24_C_Windows_system32_cmd.exe_ping_10.0.0.4_t.png

Re-entering the server name and restarting Avast NetClient service resolves the issue.

This not the first time I have seen this happen to this workstation, in fact I’ve seen it happen to other customers of mine (I’m a Avast Reseller) using their own SOA instances. Each time reentering their networks SOA server name in Avast → Settings → Troubleshooting resolves the issue

My question is, why does this keep happening?

2

Hi,

After getting no replys from here I contacted our Avast distributor who spotted a few things.

  1. Avast SOA had a scheduled job to install Avast to all workstations on a weeky basis. He seemed to think this was the most likely cause, although I don’t understand why the workstation only loses its SOA Server name every 3-4 months and not every week.
  2. Trend Micro Client Server Security was also installed which he removed using the “Worry-Free Business Security (WFBS) Agent using the Uninstall Tool” http://www.trendmicro.com/ftp/products/wfbs/SA_Uninstall_1384.exe

Note, these workstations are Dell’s which I think come pre-installed with “Trend Micro Client Server Security”, its no something we installed.

Only time will tell if these actions have resolved the issue.

Regards

Steve