Leopard Server SUS "SUCatalogLoaderException" failures

Question

[Posted to Apple Feedback site...anybody else experiencing this?]
Hello--
For about a month now, I've been getting a SUS swupd_sync error on numerous Mac OS X 10.5 Servers that I maintain when trying to download the software update catalogs from Apple servers. Since around Oct 12th, on previously working SUS setups, I've been seeing the following in my logs:
Sat Nov 10 23:58:14 michaelscott.c5consulting.net swupd_syncd[68758] <Info>: Started
Sat Nov 10 23:58:32 michaelscott.c5consulting.net swupd_syncd[68758] <Error>: swupd_syncd failed with SUCatalogLoaderException: We've been foiled by the SUCatalogLoader: no local display name. Drat.
Consequently, any new updates are not being added to the SUS lists on these servers. Other 10.6 - 10.8 servers are not showing signs of trouble. Any idea if a change to the Apple mirrors or their catalog files is causing this? I figured it might clear on its own, but after a month has passed, I don't see any sign of that. I need these systems to be able to use SUS, please!
Thanks,
Fred

Answer 1

Fred,
This is for you if you still have problems.  I saw your name everywhere and constantly as I got rerouted to the same 5 posts about SUS running on old powerpc servers when I was trying to fix mine.  I am now serving all updates 10.5-10.8 with G5 server.
I never post anything ever online but I wanted to make sure you got the fix (and anybody else) as they were trying to make everything that SHOULD work on strong powerpc servers work, which is nearly everything since its web protocols and such.
The solution is very simple IF you had the working stuff going before using the methods found in:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2169042
which is the thread you list as using in one of your other threads discussing details before it stopped working (with ML release I have figured out).
I simply checked my catalog names using a ML install.  They were right.  But in doing that I had done some web searches for ML software update server catalogs, names, or whatever.  Somebody in one of those threads (I am not going to find that one) said ML now uses HTTPS instead of HTTP.
I changed 'http' to 'https' in mirror config file with everything else identical to prior methods from Jan and it worked immediately downloading the updates and making the symlinks as instructed in those methods showed all updates.  Im running 7 gigs of RAM and show absolutely 0 performance impact on anything, malloc errors, or anything else I saw you had going at various times so not sure about that.  Did want you to know it works flawlessly with just that simple change.  Probably some other people will be happy to read this also.
Incidentally, later post on page 3 gives a great way to configure WGM to handle computers logging in and get the right update catalog.  Im using that as well and it seemed to identify properly so far.  Thanks to that poster for that.
I have found this other thread where somebody got more advanced than me and did some rewritecond using variables that the system figures out first which I think must do what I did very simply, only more complicated.  Its listed as 10.6 though and seems silly when you look at what I did:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4026496?start=0&tstart=0
Others note success but its very complicated compared to what I am doing, ESP if you already set it up this way before and have been following this at all waiting for a fix.
Hope this benefits somebody as it may be the last thing I ever post like this.
Bye
PS - I'm adding this error message to this fix because this is what you start to get when it breaks down if you setting up from scratch instead of having had it set up and then ML came out, SUS protocol changed to https, but you had catalogs already, that now just won't update.  That should be a different error I never saw because I was setting up from new.  Good Luck and I hope this saves some time, and gives some good use back to some powerpc servers.
<Error>: swupd_syncd failed with SUCatalogLoaderException: We've been foiled by the SUCatalogLoader: no local display name. Drat.
Message was edited by: ipcray