3rd party app breaks VMware View cloning!

[ForemanNZ]

Carying on from a previous post, I got Windows 7 working as a linked clone - click below for history:

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/431605

Now I have a problem where I install 1 particular application that we need to run, and VMware View can no longer finish the customizing step of the cloning, ending in the exact same way as not having the agent installed.  I've following the following guide to reinstall the tools and agent, but still no luck:

http://myvirtualcloud.net/?p=952

I've also downloaded and installed the latest agent for View 5.0, but no change.

In the way that it breaks, the computer is not renamed, and the logs are not created, probably because the View Administrator is expecting the computer to be using its new name, so I have no logs to view to find out the cause.

Any ideas?

[mpryor]

You'll need to provide more information on what this application is in order for someone to help you - is it something that could be interfering with us accessing the customization data from disk? Or a security tool that is stopping us from starting at all - have you confirmed that our services are actually starting up?

[ForemanNZ]

Ok, some more detail:

The application in question is a shipping container tracking software

I logged into the computer - still has the same name as the parent image, and would freeze logging in.  I told another clone to shut down, and that froze shutting down.

I forced all the computers to turn off, turned them on, logged in, and they now have their own computer names and the composer has taken over and started reconfiguring the computers.

Problem now is, why is it locking up between cloning and renaming the guest ...

[mpryor]

If you only see this with the thirdparty software installed, and the image is otherwise identical, then there is some kind of conflict. Are you able to answer my questions above? Other areas to check: does the software install components that would affect windows session management or logon?

[ForemanNZ]

The application is called Shipnet.  It has no security in it apart from a basic SQL access list.

It may update .net files, but appart from that, nothing out of the ordinary during install.

I could not check the services as the computers froze after login.

[mpryor]

On the face of it, it shouldn't interfere then but since that's the only change there is something odd about it. In your position I'd try to narrow down the specific differences between the master snapshots in terms of system files and registry data, and work from there. Does doing a full clone with customization work from the same template?

[ForemanNZ]

I built another Windows 7 guest and installed our shipping app without making any other changes to the guest, and the damn thing works fine, so it must be a combination of events

I didn't do too much to the origonal image (drivers, windows update, optimisation script), so I'll install the apps in a different order and see if another app causes it ...