SYSPREP no longer runs on template after upgrading to VC2.5 Update2

[NJKwork]

We just upgraded to Virtual Center 2.5 Update 2 and now Sysprep no longer runs on our templates. This worked fine on Update 1:

1) Deploy template

2) Select customization script

3) Pick customization script

4) Provide a host name of the VM

5) Template deploys but SYSPREP never runs - you get a clone of the template with the same NETBIOS name as the original VM used to create the template and it does not join the domain or run any other parts of the customization script

All the sysprep files are there - I verified this. Plus, in the past, the customization option would be disabled if the sysprep files were not there. This is not the case - it lets you conintue with a customization so I know it is seeing the sysprep files correctly.

Any suggestions?

SB

[RParker]

Change Template to VM.

Use reconfigure to remove ALL the previous System Restore Checkpoints.

Change VM back to template

Then try the deploy again.

[NJKwork]

Hi,

Thanks for the information. However, I do not understand what "Use reconfigure to remove ALL the previous System Restore Checkpoints" means. Could you please clarify.

SB

[mokotoe21]

Posted in this thread as well: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/157988?tstart=0

Out of curiosity, were either of you trying to deploy to ESX 3.0.x boxes by any chance?

I see this as well and am trying to narrow down the conditions.

Using VC 2.5 U2, I'm able to deploy customized VM's to an ESX 3.5 U1 host but failing when deploying to a ESX 3.0.2 box.

I see a similar message in c:\windows\temp\vmware-cust-nativeapp.log:

INFO ** Native application log started. **

INFO Data length is 1

ERROR The unobfuscation process is not in scheduled state.This is a fatal error. Exit -1.INFO Exiting with code -1.

INFO Deallocating all acquired space.

INFO Destroying heap.

INFO Closing log.

INFO ** End of log **

Do you see the following message in the "C:\Windows\temp\vmware-imc\guestcust.log" as well:

Customization in progress set to 1 at 2008-Aug-07 16:29:41

Rpci: Sending request='deployPkg.update.state 4 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log'

Rpci: Sent request='deployPkg.update.state 4 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log', reply='Unknown command', len=15, status=0

Unable to set customization status in vmx.

Thanks,

Michael

[NJKwork]

Sorry for the duplicate post. I did search for existing posts, but must have overlooked that one

Yes! I am deploying to a 3.02 machine. We have not had a chance to upgrade all of our ESX hosts yet. I will try deploying to a 3.5 host on Friday if I get time and post the results here.

Thanks

SB

[NJKwork]

Found this on one of the machines we tried today:

Customization in progress set to 1 at 2008-Aug-07 10:26:24

Rpci: Sending request='deployPkg.update.state 4 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log'

Rpci: Sent request='deployPkg.update.state 4 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log', reply='Unknown command', len=15, status=0

Unable to set customization status in vmx.

Successfully opened key SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\

Size of reg_multi_sz 21.

Read multi_sz value from registry autocheck autochk *, size 21.

string value from registry autocheck autochk *.

Returning 1 elements

Got BootExecute from session mgr.

Native App sysprepDecrypter.exe, arguments ''

Copied file sysprepDecrypter.exe to C:\WINDOWS\system32\sysprepDecrypter.exe

Updated boot execute value.

Successfully created/opened key SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\Guest Customization\

New boot execute:

autocheck autochk *

sysprepDecrypter.exe

System Drive: C:

Deleting directory C:\sysprep if it already exists

Moving directory sysprep to C:\sysprep

Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

Rpci: Sending request='deployPkg.update.state 4 100 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log@Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

'

Rpci: Sent request='deployPkg.update.state 4 100 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log@Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

', reply='Unknown command', len=15, status=0

Unable to set customization status in vmx.

Successfully opened key SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\Guest Customization\

Rpci: Sending request='deployPkg.update.state 4 100 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log@The system cannot find the file specified.

'

Rpci: Sent request='deployPkg.update.state 4 100 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log@The system cannot find the file specified.

', reply='Unknown command', len=15, status=0

Unable to set customization status in vmx.

The system cannot find the file specified.

Creating object for MAC: 00:50:56:98:28:85

SELECT * FROM Win32_NetworkAdapter WHERE MACAddress = '00:50:56:98:28:85' and Manufacturer != 'Microsoft'

Found 1 objects. Pointer 910320. return code 0(0x0)

Found 0 objects. Pointer 0. return code 1(0x1)

Returning value
hidden\ROOT\CIMV2:Win32_NetworkAdapter.DeviceID="1" for system property

ASSOCIATORS OF {
hidden\ROOT\CIMV2:Win32_NetworkAdapter.DeviceID="1"} where ResultClass = Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration

Found 1 objects. Pointer 9104b8. return code 0(0x0)

Found 0 objects. Pointer 0. return code 1(0x1)

Setting tcpip netbios options to 0

Getting method object for method name SetTcpipNetbios

Set status called with flag 0, result 0

Returning value
hidden\ROOT\CIMV2:Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration.Index=1 for system property

The system cannot find the file specified.

Customization in progress set to 0 at 2008-Aug-07 12:05:43

Rpci: Sending request='deployPkg.update.state 5 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log'

Rpci: Sent request='deployPkg.update.state 5 0 C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\vmware-imc\guestcust.log', reply='Unknown command', len=15, status=0

[NJKwork]

I tried deploying to a new ESX 3.5 U2 host, and it did not work.

Any other suggestions?

Nelson

[einstein-a-go-g]

same issue here, we use VC 2.5 Update 2 toi managed two ESXi servers at DR site, but production servers are still 3.0.2.

After applying U2, we've noticed that Sysprep no longer runs, although sysprep is in place on the VC 2.5 server, and if we look at the templates deployed to VMs, all the sysprep files and commands are present, VC has just not kickstarted the vmware image customization process.

[einstein-a-go-g]

what are the System Restore Checkpoints?

I found that this option didn't work on my client machines using VI Client, it stated could contact Converter Enterprise Edition, I could only run it on the VC Server, wirth VI client installed.

currently waiting for machine to restart to perform customization.......

[NJKwork]

Thanks for the info. I will relay this to VMware support that others are also having this problem.

SB

[RParker]

Well I found out something else interesting. We deploy Server VM's. There are 2 versions of server, well 3, but Windows 2008 doesn't count, since it's basically new.

Windows 2003 has 2 versions, there was the original and then there is R2. BEFORE U2 of VC, everything worked great. Now it doesn't. I did figure out there is a NEWer version of sysprep on the Windows 2003 R2 CD (date 2007 instead of 2003). Now if I copy the sysprep files for Windows 2003 into the appropriate W2K3 sysprep folder, I can deploy Windows 2003 just fine. However, if I copy the newer 2007 sysprep version, I can't deploy Windows 2003 VM's, they will deploy but no guest customize. I tried using the same newever version of sysprep with Windows 2003 R2, and that works (for guest customization), but there is NO difference between the 2 Windows versions with respect to where you put the sysprep files.

So if you are setup like we are, you have to make a choice on which Windows 2003 you deploy, and decide which version of sysprep to use, and you can only use 1 at a time. That's tedious, but at least I can deploy my R2 versions of Windows 2003, although it doesn't automatically add to domain.

I must reiterate this was ALL working PERFECT pre- U2 of VC, no problems.

[RParker]

To make modifications to a VM, you have to revert to a VM instead of template. When you right click on the VM (assuming you are using the Enteprise Converter Serviice) you have the option to "reconfigure" a VM (when it's powered off).

From that option it will bring up a dialog box. At the bottom you have the option to "remove ALL the previous System Restore Checkpoints".

For some reason I did this on another VM and it seemed to fix the deploy problem, at least temporarily. Restore checkpoints are Windows checkpoints that you can save and revert to a previous checkpoint.

This must interefere with sysprep somehow, because after I did it, the deploy worked, renamed the VM, and added to the domain, all without problems. But when I put the VM back to template, and tried to deploy it still doesn't deploy... U2 messed something up, because before this, we had no trouble.

U2 introduced some cool stuff (like cloning a VM with no power off) but now update manager doesn't work, and deployments are sketchy....

[NJKwork]

Hmmm...I guess I am confused.

We only use Windows 2003 R2 here - that is what our template is built from. In working with VMware tech support, we discovered I was using slightly older SYSPREP files. So even though it had been working all this time, I agreed to try to the latest SP2 SYSPREP files from MS. These were dated 2007 like you mentioed. However, these new files did not work either.

But if I understand what you are saying, the latest SYSPREP files (for R2) work with your R2 template...correct? Are the R2 SYSPREP files the same as the SP2 SYSPREP files? Maybe I should try to track down the R2 version and try that.

Thanks

SB

[einstein-a-go-g]

just uploading my diagnostic bundle to VMware ftp site, at over 100MB rared!

[einstein-a-go-g]

everything was working fine with versions of sysprep we have on our VC

servers for years, they worked deploying XP, Win2k, Win2k3 on VC 2.0 and VC

2.5 Update 1, now it's knackered!

I wasted time this afternoon, downloading the versions of sysprep again,

just in case.....and it got worse crashing VC server service etc

So SR logged with VMware (second this week), maybe I can get a hatrick

before Sunday!

[einstein-a-go-g]

open my second sr this week!!!

[einstein-a-go-g]

VMware Support have identified this as a BUG!

I have been looking in to this issue and what you are experiencing is related to a bug.

At the moment we have no official workaround or solution.

[NJKwork]

Yes - the Engineer I have been working with is confirming this as well.

It looks like it is just related to upgrades - clean installs do not have this problem. Can you confirm that you did an upgrade and not a clean install?

SB

[einstein-a-go-g]

We did a clean install. Because the upgrade didn't work (as always!).

Upgrade just about to complete and then rollsback, screwing the service,

which it's makred for deletion.

So upgrade didn't work. Uninstalled U1, deleted all the VC 2.5 UI1 stuff,

and did a new U2 install, apart from the database (didnt reinit it!).

[NJKwork]

Drat! Now I am completely lost. VMware can't recreate the problem, so we thought it was an upgrade vs clean install thing. But you just busted that theory!

SB