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HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Troubleshooting Assistant

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  HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Troubleshooting Assistant > Chapter 3 Troubleshooting   

WinPE and task sequence issues

The following sections provide troubleshooting information for installation issues with the HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment Toolkit for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 kit:

  • Task sequence template does not work after generating (Task sequence template does not work after generation, WinPE and task sequence issues (“WinPE and task sequence issues”))

  • WinPE never starts the task sequence

  • System booted PXE and waiting for PXE server to respond

  • Target system failed to run the new or updated configuration file

  • Command Prompt is not available from the HP WinPE boot images

  • Drivers have been added to the boot image, but are not loading

  • Servers do not boot using PXE

  • Default boot order does not enable PXE to boot when a valid drive exists

  • When using a Reboot action after initializing an array controller, the task sequence fails

  • Task Sequence fails with Failed to Download Policy

  • Task sequence does not run again even after clearing the PXE advertisement

  • Task sequence fails after an upgrade

  • Log files are not returned from the client

  • Log files are returned, but not the output files

  • Task step execution does not change after configuration XML file changed

  • Task Sequence fails at Apply Operating System with Failed to make volume X:\ bootable

  • System environment variables are not carried over to next action in the task sequence

  • Windows Server 2008 setup installer fails when deployed on ProLiant server with SAS drives

Task sequence template does not work after generation

The generated HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment task sequence is a template and requires customized settings to function properly. The HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment kit also comes with a number of sample configuration files for each setting. Therefore, you must select and update the configuration files appropriately before advertising to the client server.

WinPE never starts the task sequence

Check the SMSTS.LOG file at X:\windows\temp\smstslog\smsts.log. If a package does not download you might not have the appropriate network drivers installed. If they are not installed, then the machine cannot communicate with Configuration Manager. Verify your driver catalog to ensure you have the correct network drivers available and installed into the boot image, and update the boot image to your distribution points. You might need additional network or storage drivers in the boot image to enable the WinPE boot to function correctly. You must add those through the Drivers option in the Operating System Deployment node.

Verify that all packages referenced in the task sequence are available from the distribution point. WinPE validates all packages to make sure they are available before processing the task sequence.

System booted PXE and waiting for PXE server to respond

Verify that both HP WinPE boot images are updated to the PXE distribution point. You can also verify the PXE service point status from the Configuration Manager console>System Status>Site Status>Site>Component Status>SMS_PXE_SERVICE_POINT for status message.

Target system failed to run the new or updated configuration file

You must manually update the distribution point for the HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment Integration package when you modify, add, or remove the configuration file for the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit.

Command Prompt is not available from the HP WinPE boot images

WinPE Command Prompt is for debugging purposes only. You must manually select Enable command support in the HP WinPE boot images properties to enable this feature. You must also update the distribution point after WinPE property is updated.

Drivers have been added to the boot image, but are not loading

The original boot.wim file (WinPE boot image) created during SCCM installation is copied and modified with HP-specific drivers and other files. Your task sequences that use the HP deployment tools must use this boot image, or the tools might not work properly. Verify that the image you loaded the drivers into is the same one being used by the task sequence. This error occurs when administrators maintain multiple boot images.

Servers do not boot using PXE

PXE is an extension of DHCP, which uses a broadcast type of communication. Broadcast communication uses standard timeout values that are not readily changeable. As a result, a computer waits for a default time frame to receive a DHCP or PXE response before timing out and causing a failure condition. Each time a server is rebooted, it must renegotiate the connection to the switch. Some network switches arrive configured with default settings that might incur connectivity delays. The settings on the switch might cause a DHCP or PXE timeout, because they fail to negotiate a connection in time.

NOTE: The HP ProLiant Server OS Deployment Toolkit for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 uses PXE services provided by Windows Deployment Server. Insight Control server deployment, which is part of the Insight Control suite, provides its own PXE services. Insight Control server deployment and ProLiant OS Deployment must not both be installed at the same time, as networking issues might arise.

The following features might be affected by negotiation timeouts:

  • Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

    STP is a protocol that prevents loops and provides redundancy within a network. A networking device using this algorithm might experience some latency as it collects information about other network devices. During this period of information collection, servers might boot to PXE and time out while waiting for a response from Windows Deployment Services. To prevent these issues, disable the STP or enable PortFast on end-node ports for the target server. For further information, see the manufacturer's user guide.

  • EtherChannel or Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP)

    EtherChannel enables multiple links between devices to act as one fast link that shares the load between the links. Running the EtherChannel Protocol in automatic mode might cause a connectivity delay of up to 15 seconds. To eliminate this delay, switch to a manual mode, or turn off this feature.

  • Speed and duplex negotiation

    If auto-negotiation on the switch is set to off and the server is not configured to that speed and duplex setting, then the switch does not negotiate with that server.

Default boot order does not enable PXE to boot when a valid drive exists

When an active partition is created on a hard drive, it automatically becomes a bootable device if a valid operating system has been installed. If your PXE NIC installs after the hard drive in the boot order, then hard drive tries to boot before PXE and boot to Windows, or cause an Invalid System Partition error if Windows is not installed. To resolve this issue, verify that PXE is placed before the hard drive in the boot order. The boot order can be set by using the Set Boot Order actions in the deployment kit. This boot order can also be reviewed and set at the system ROM-based Setup Utility by pressing F9 at boot up. If PXE is first in the boot order, the computer does not actually boot to PXE unless Configuration Manager has a task sequence for it to run.

When using a Reboot action after initializing an array controller, the task sequence fails

Configuration Manager 2007 does not support a task sequence to reboot back to PXE. It can reboot back to WinPE or to an installed OS, both of which require a disk partition and the appropriate installed software. Without a disk partition, Configuration Manager fails when attempting to reboot during a task sequence, because it expects to copy WinPE to the disk. The management point tracks when a machine has booted to PXE to run a task sequence, and once a machine has booted to PXE for a task sequence, it cannot use PXE as a boot method again for that task sequence unless the advertisement is reset.

If you need to perform a reboot to PXE within a task sequence, chose one of the following options:

  • Use Reboot to PXE / USB, a custom action, which is available in the community through CodePlex. This custom action, written using C# and VBScript, connects to the Configuration Manager 2007 SDK and contains custom code to drive actions in the administrator console as well as the machine being deployed. Reboot To PXE / USB performs the steps to reboot to PXE.

  • Use more than one task sequence, let the computer "fall off the end" of the first task sequence, and then manually reset the PXE advertisement for the computer.

Task Sequence fails with Failed to Download Policy

This error code (0x80093102 or 0x80004005) refers to a certificate validation issue. The SMSTS.LOG file displays an entry with any of the following text:

  • CryptDecryptMessage ( &DecryptParams, pbEncrypted, nEncryptedSize, 0, &nPlainSize, 0 ), HRESULT=80093102

  • no cert available for policy decoding

The following are possible causes:

  • Misconfiguration of your domain or site server, such as DNS not pointing to the site server or the site server not specifying a valid FQDN (which is referred to by the DNS listing). If your site server does not specify a FQDN and only specifies the NETBIOS name, and your DNS server refers to the FQDN, an incorrect lookup might cause this error.

  • The certificate being used for PXE and boot media. Under the certificates under the Site Settings node, verify if any certificates are blocked or missing. Open the certificates, and ensure that they are actually installed into the certificate store. If not, install them.

    If the task sequence still fails, remove the package from the distribution point through Manage Distribution Points, and then add it back. This causes the package hash to be regenerated.

Task sequence does not run again even after clearing the PXE advertisement

You must ensure that the advertisement is set to Always rerun so that when you reset the PXE advertisement, the advertisement is applied to the computer regardless of whether it previously ran the task sequence.

Task sequence fails after an upgrade

When upgrading from a previous version of this product, existing task sequences using these custom actions are not automatically updated. In order to function correctly, each task sequence action that uses one of these custom actions must be opened and edited (such as adding a period to the description and then removing it). This enables the Apply button, which refreshes the properties of the custom action and saves any new data or formatting required to function with the new version.

Log files are not returned from the client

The following issues might cause failure of the task sequence to return files or logs back from the client:

  • Failure of the client-side script prior to the file copy. This issue is usually evident in the log file. Repeat the task, and then press F8 during the task to display a command prompt. The Enable command support checkbox must be checked on the boot image properties > Windows PE page and the SMSTS.LOG file open. In WinPE through PXE, the log file is located at X:\Windows\Temp\Smstslog\smsts.log.

  • The command being executed had an error but exited with code 0. This can occur when a severe error is encountered in the script while the script is set to ignore errors and use programmatic error handling and the error handling did not catch the error. Report this issue to HP.

  • The task sequence cannot access the share or mapped drive to where the files must be copied.

Log files are returned, but not the output files

The following issues might cause failure of the task sequence to return files or logs back from the client:

  • No return file parameters are specified in the configuration XML.

  • Return file parameters specified in the configuration XML are incorrect.

  • An error occurred with the operation of the utility that generates the output file.

  • There is an error in the filename for the return file because of a null variable.

Task step execution does not change after configuration XML file changed

If you change the configuration XML, existing tasks are not changed unless they are edited. To fix the existing task steps:

  1. Open the task sequence editor, go through each custom action step in the sequence, and then modify it. (For example, add a period in the description.)

  2. Click Apply.

The task sequence steps are now saved with the updated information from the new XML file.

Task Sequence fails at Apply Operating System with Failed to make volume X:\ bootable

This issue is indicated by log content similar to the following message:

  • MakeVolumeBootable( pszVolume ), HRESULT=80004005 (e:\nts_sms_fre\sms\client\osdeployment\applyos\installcommon.cpp,759)

  • Failed to make volume E:\ bootable. Please ensure that you have set an active partition on the boot disk before installing the operating system.

  • Unspecified error (Error: 80004005; Source: Windows)

  • ConfigureBootVolume(targetVolume), HRESULT=80004005 (e:\nts_sms_fre\sms\client\osdeployment\applyos\applyos.cpp,326)

  • Process completed with exit code 2147500037

This issue can be caused by the following:

  • If you are using a Format & Partition action in your task sequence to partition the hard drives, select the Make this the boot partition checkbox. If you do not select this checkbox and the computer has a single hard drive, then the task sequence engine automatically makes one of the partitions the boot partition. If there are multiple drives, it cannot automatically determine which boot partition must be bootable.

  • If both of the hard drives have never been partitioned, then there is a known bug in Windows PE that it cannot properly determine which drive it is booted from. This error might occur on a server with a RAID controller where you have just formed two or more RAID sets. The new RAID sets are completely raw because they have never existed before. The only workaround to this issue with multiple raw drives is to manually boot into Windows PE and run the diskpart command to partition at least one of the drives. Rerun the task sequence. The known problem with Windows PE is fixed in Windows Vista SP1 (Windows PE that it derived from Windows Vista SP1).This issue applies only for customers who upgraded from SCCM RTM to SP1.

Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 includes the SP1 version of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). You must download and install Configuration Manager SP1. The product installer detects the version of WinPE that is currently in use by the default boot images. If the default boot images are not Windows Vista SP1, the product cannot install.

System environment variables are not carried over to next action in the task sequence

When a task sequence runs, commands are executed in a command shell. When that task ends, so does that command shell environment, causing the loss of any system variables defined within that task. Verify that variables that pass between tasks are set as Task Sequence variables, Collection variables, or Machine variables.

Windows Server 2008 setup installer fails when deployed on ProLiant server with SAS drives

An issue specific to OSD kit 1.0.6.0 in the Broadcom NetXtreme II GigE VBD driver (bxvbd), included in the HP NC-Series Broadcom 1Gb Multifunction Driver for Windows Server 2008 component in the HP Windows Server 2008 Driver package, is causing the setup installer to fail. Disabling the Apply Driver Package and Apply Device Drivers tasks can temporarily resolve the issue. The Windows Server 2008 driver packages in the ProLiant OSD 1.10 kit removes the drivers with issues from PSP 8.30. The default task sequence templates have been updated with 2 new tasks for G6 servers to resolve the issue.
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