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virtualhobbit
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Gugent on Windows not working, _debug_deployment not honoured

Good morning,

I have a strange issue with Gugent on Windows. I have installed the Guest User Agent and Software Bootstrap agent on Windows (tried both 2012 R2 and 2016), using the prepare_vra_template scripts (after unblocking it first).

When I try to deploy a workload with a software component I receive the following error:

The following component requests failed: vSphere__vCenter__Machine_1. Request failed: Machine SQL1: InstallSoftware : "Error writing properties to C:\opt\vmware-appdirector\agent\appd.properties_7/-01-_ 145_24.30".

This causes the entire deployment to fail.

However, if I set _debug_deployment to true on the blueprint, things get stranger. The VM that has been deployed it powered off and deleted (therefore removing all evidence), yet the deployment is marked as "partially succeeded".

I have no issues deploying Linux workloads with software components. The Windows templates have not been hardened, and are not set to join the domain (so hence no whacky GPOs taking effect).

There's nothing obvious in catalina, and all services are started without issue.

Anyone seen anything like this before?

-Mark

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michael_stefani
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Mark, I ran into a similar problem when upgrading to 7.4.  There's a known bug in that prepare template script in 7.4 that causes logging to fail when you're using the software agent.  Crack open your template and navigate to c:\opt\vmware-appdirector\agent-bootstrap\vcac-appd-gc.bat.  In that batch file there's a line similar to the one below except instead of %random% it's got some long date function.  If I remember correctly that date function has a hidden space or something in it that causes writing of the log to fail.  Change it to %random% instead and my problems went away.

set APPD_PROPERTIES_INPUT=%APPD_AGENT_DIRECTORY%\appd.properties_%random%

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daphnissov
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Hey Mark, I have come across something strange like this before. Although it is somewhat of a pain to test, have them build a new template straight from ISO and re-test. The problem I've seen is, even before GPOs come into the picture, the customer has some strange agent or has used an unknown process/script to provision or otherwise prepare the template. I've seen it where this jacked with the registry and permissions on the filesystem. Testing with a fresh, clean template is a way to rule out this variable.

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daphnissov
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Also, forgot to mention, the issue with _debug_deployment not working is because that custom property only works when the software agent begins the software component run process. Where you're seeing failure is prior to that point (probably writing out the workitems), so it hasn't made it there thus when that part fails it deletes the deployment.

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michael_stefani
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Mark, I ran into a similar problem when upgrading to 7.4.  There's a known bug in that prepare template script in 7.4 that causes logging to fail when you're using the software agent.  Crack open your template and navigate to c:\opt\vmware-appdirector\agent-bootstrap\vcac-appd-gc.bat.  In that batch file there's a line similar to the one below except instead of %random% it's got some long date function.  If I remember correctly that date function has a hidden space or something in it that causes writing of the log to fail.  Change it to %random% instead and my problems went away.

set APPD_PROPERTIES_INPUT=%APPD_AGENT_DIRECTORY%\appd.properties_%random%

virtualhobbit
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Excellent, that was it. Thank you!

-Mark

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johpayne47
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has anyone had this issue in 7.6 ?  running into the same eror

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