Error from View Composer Agent: Failed to join the domain

[iltit]

Hi,

first my enviroment:

- vSphere 4.1

- three esx 4.1 hosts

- shared storage

- one View 5.0 management server

- Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directry

- Windows DNS & DHCP

- Windows 7 virtual desktops

The problem I have is, that creating the base-image, creating the snapshot and provisioning the virtual Windows 7 desktops is working but if it comes to the step, that the vm should join our active directory, all provisioning desktops are switching to the error state with the following message:

02.12.11 15:46 Uhr MEZ: View Composer agent initialization state error (18): Failed to join the domain (waited 620 seconds)

If I try to join the vms manually, its no problem. They are also sent to the correct OU...

The VM can reach both, the View Connection Server and the domain controllers/dns/dhcp.

Any suggestions?

[abbie11]

Hi please ensure that the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service is set to Automatic and  starts running when the deployed pool boots. The desktops will not join  the domain if this service fails to start when the desktops boot.

Yours, Abbie

[kgsivan]

Please refer the checklist at Common errors with SVI Pools and View Composer

Also check whether from VC/Composer server, the domain controller is reachable through fqdn

Thanks

[iltit]

Hi,

the NetBIOS-Helper-Service is set to "automatic" already. But we dont have any Netbios-Servers left in our domain, could that be a problem? We disabled all Netbios-Features on all of our AD-servers.

The DNS-resolution is working correctly. I can join the domain manually after the pool was created and the desktops are provisioned so I dont think it is a dns-problem.

Do the VMs need a conenction to the vCenter-Server? Because currently they dont have...

[iltit]

Hi,

recently, I've added the desktop-vms into an unrestricted vlan with full connectivity to all servers in our network.

It did not help. Still the same problem: Automatic joins are not performed but manually started domain joins are working.

I've looked up the event viewer and found some strange messages like:

"Can't open logfile" from VMware View Composer Guest Agent

What I've also found was a message from NetBT. It says, that an other computer, did not allowed to use the computername "VDESK-BASE :0"

The other computer, from with this messages comes from, is another virtual desktop just provisioned...

Its strange, that the :0" is added to the computername. The Name VDESK-BASE is the hostname of the base snapshot and I've set the name scheme to vdesk-base{n}. After the error occured, all virtual desktops are named correctly (vdesk-base1, vdesk-base2, vdesk-base3... and so on)

Is it possible, that the View Server does not name the vms correctly and they all having the same dns name at some time and this could the problem?

[kgsivan]

So you mean to say that the problem is solved after using a proper naming pattern ?

[iltit]

No sorry. It was meant in an other way...

I have the naming pattern vdesk-base{n} and the VMs  are named correctly in the vCenter server (I can see this in the vSphere  client).

But if I take a look into the Windows Event Log, there is a message that says, that the computer is not allowed to use the name "vdesk-base :0" because an other machine has already this name. This message appears in all provisioned VMs.

For me it seems, that the Composer gives them all the name "vdesk-base :0" (dont know how the blank is possible in the name?!) and this conflicts each vms... 😕

Well, in the meantime I've opened a support request additionally.

[gunnarb]

Did you upgrade you vComposer when you upgraded to View 5?  If not this is a known issue.

Windows 7 VMs will fail to join the domain if Composer is running 2.5, it has to be 2.7.

I know there is a KB on this, i'm trying to find it...

Gunnar

[cprawitz]

I was having the same issue. I upgraded the view composer and it fixed the issue.

[cprawitz]

Sorry forgot to post the KB:

KB# 2006879

Direct Link: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=200687...

[jkpk]

Check whether FQDN is specified correctly in Customization Specification. NetBIOS will not work for Windows 7 Dekstops.

And make sure your View Composer user got sufficient priviledges to create a computer object in the AD.

Pravin