Automatic Workflow Trigger after service pack 1

Basic Problem

Few days back some guys got sharepoint boxes upgraded with Service Pack 1. The process went smoothly and we didnt face any major problems during the upgrade. We then did some basic tests over the portal after the upgrade. The tests came positive and we were all happy untill ...

Problem

Yes the problem came right when the user requested us to do something with a deadline and we were all confident to create it for them. The user requested us to create a document library and attach a small workflow with it which gets triggered everytime anyone adds a new item. We made the workflow and the library and sat happily to watch the workflow trigger but we were in for a big surprise. The surprise as you might have guessed was the workflow did not trigger.

Problem Reason ?

After a lot of scratching of heads we found out that microsoft have applied some security fixes which doesnt allow the system account to ability to trigger the workflow. And also for the application pool identity, if you have not followed the microsoft minimum security principle while doing the sharepoint installation and behaved completely ignorant and used the sharepoint system account everywhere then you are in trouble here.

• The Windows SharePoint Services Web application runs under a user's domain account.

• The user logs in by using this domain account.

• The site displays the user name as System Account. The idea here is very simple. Once the service pack 1 is installed it needs a seperate app pool identity except the system account. Then you need to trigger the workflows from other account except the system account To do that i will copy from the microsoft technet site the step by step solution

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, set the application pool account to use a different user account. You may want to create a new user account specifically for this purpose.
To set the application pool account to use a different user account, follow these steps:

1. On the server that is running one of the products that is listed in the "Applies to" section, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office Server, and then click SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration.

2. Click the Operations tab.

3. Under Security Configuration, click Service Accounts.

4. Click Web application pool, and then click Windows SharePoint Services Web Application in
the Web service box.

5. In the Application pool box, click the application pool that you want to change.

6. Under Select an account for this component, click Configurable, and then type the user name and the password for the different user account.
For more information please read the following:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947284