View 5.3.1 Pool Deployment Issue

[Shredder1024]

I am building up a View Test Environment. I've got everything built up, but am at the point of building the Pool.

View clones the Base Image, makes the VMs with the correct names and seems to add the machines to the domain correctly. Machine accounts are made in AD.

Connection server says: View Composer agent initialization state error (18): Failed to join the domain

Problem is, the VMs are conencted to the domain. I can logon as a domain user on the VM's no issue.

I am using Connection Server 5.3.1-build 1634134

Agent is version 5.3.1-build 1634134.

I don't know what logs to post and where to find them to give helpers all the information.

Thanks,

Robert Birch

[mittim12]

Here are a couple of KB articles with that message.

VMware KB: Provisioning the View desktop pool fails with the error: View Composer agent initializati...

VMware KB: Provisioning linked clone desktops fail with the error: View Composer agent initializatio...

[Shredder1024]

Thanks for the pointers. I had looked at those, neither apply to my environment. This is a new installation of 5.3.1 using Windows 7 and 8 VMs for the Pool.

I guess the problem I see is Composer says it can't join the domain, yet the VMs created by the Pool are joined to the domain.

If someone can let me know what log files to post, that would be great.

Thanks,

[dojo999]

Experiencing the exact same issue. Wondering what could be the cause.

[aqwelea]

Hello,

Just one question : Is the parent image member of your domain ?

[Rufat777]

What about licenses of your windows machines? Are you deployed KMS service in your infrastructure?

Note that if no licensing service available from your internal or external network view composer may indicate the error you posted.

[dojo999]

Hello again.

In this specific environment we do not use KMS, but volume license keys.

Until now deploying linked clone VDIs has always very worked well. Out environment uses View 5.3 connection server, vSphere 5.5 update 1, latest VMware tools (9.4 i believe) and View Agent 5.3.1.

The master image is part of the domain which the composed VDIs try to join.

The strange thing is that it does not always happen.

Even more strange is the fact that the system thinks the VDIs failed to join the domain, while in fact all the VDIs _do_ join the domain.

They need a few pushes, resets, or just some idle time to realize that the domain join was succesful.

The DC to which they authenticate is in the same subnet, on the same HA cluster and hosts.

Any advise is welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Rufat777]

Disjoin master image from domain. Master image can not be domain member. Also remove active directory computer objects and try recompose pool again or create a new pool.

[dojo999]

Your information is incorrect, because the View 5 documentation clearly states:

A parent virtual machine that you use for View Composer must either belong to the same Active Directory domain as the domain that the linked-clone desktops will join or be a member of the local WORKGROUP.

More information or advise is always welcome, thanks in advance.

[Rufat777]

I'm using View for five years. I know what is the technical documentation mean.

Remove your parent vm from domain and try to recompose your pool. Also delete AD computer objects from AD database.

P.S. And do not forget to run ipconfig /release command on your parent vm before taking the snapshot.

[dojo999]

I do not see, in a technical sense, how this would help prevent displaying the _false_ error in the View Administrator (because the domain join is still successful on the individual VDIs, only VCS disagrees + shows Error).

The problem is the composing process, that times out on the VCS. But the compose and domain join is technically successful, I have verified it on the DC.

After an undefined period of time, the VCS sees this, and gives Available/Provisioned for the VDIs.

The completion message seems to time out somehow, without any noticeable extra activity to see at cluster and hosts.

Is your method a best practice? Do you have a source that verifies/recommends your method?

Thank you for the support, i appreciate it.

[Shredder1024]

This definitely could be the issue. I am not using MKS licenses as I am doing this a test (proof of concept). I was just using a simple version of Windows 7 Pro as a test OS.

Is there no way to have this work with regular licenses? My end-client has not purchased the Windows Licenses yet as we need to know if this will work for them first.

Thanks,

[Shredder1024]

I am pretty sure I tried this and had the same issue. Machines joined the domain OK, but the View Agent gave me the same error about unable to join the domain.

I will try this again, just to be sure.

Thanks

[Shredder1024]

Looks like that is the issue. I created a pool and assigned a user to a specific VM and everything worked. Guess it was the licensing part.

Thanks for the help