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  • 1.  Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted Mar 19, 2007 03:46 PM
    We're using Symantec Ghost console 1.1 (Ghost 8.3) pushing an image to Dell Optiplex 745s, and seeing some odd behavior.

    When pushing out an image, the post-configuration task *always* fails if it is included with a clone task. If it is run by itself, it succeeds. What I see in the task log looks like this:
    To target operating system ... 3/19/2007 1:59:25 PM Success
    Post-configuration status .......3/19/2007 1:59:25 PM Failed
    The time on the two entries is always identical.

    When a config task is run by itself, I see the same thing, but the Post-configuration task succeeds.

    Additional information:
    -The clone task always completes successfully
    -I have tried both sysprepped and non-sysprepped images
    -With a sysprepped image, the mini-setup completes and I get to either the login prompt, or the machine auto-logs-in (depending on what's set in sysprep)
    -I have tried sysprepped images with both autologon set to on, and set to off
    -I have tried both joining a domain, joining a workgroup, and not applying any membership at all.
    -I have tried setting the machine configuration to various settings, reducing the amount of things that the config task needs to do. I've gone down to *only* trying to name the computer (no workgroup/domain membership, no DNS/WINS/Gateway info, no user name) and it still fails
    -We're in a DHCP environment
    -There's only one NIC in these machines.
    -The machine shows connected in the console after the mini-setup completes.
    -I've tried both the "Universal Packet Driver" and the NDIS2 Driver from Broadcom for the internal NIC.

    OK, granted, it's not a huge deal to kick off a second task to name the machine and join it to the active directory, but I shouldn't have to do this. I've never had to do this before. Does anyone have any idea why this post-config would die when it follows a clone task, but work just fine when run by itself? Could it be a timing issue? If so, is there any way to fix it?

    Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.


  • 2.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted Mar 21, 2007 08:37 PM
    Hi Shane,

    Thanks for the detailed post. As you said, this should work and we haven't heard of this situation before.

    If you right click on the failed entry (Post-configuration status .......3/19/2007 1:59:25 PM Failed), do you see any more details?

    Dells come with a hidden utility partition, do you still have it in the machine? Does in included in the image?

    Krish


  • 3.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted Mar 26, 2007 03:42 PM
    Thank you for getting back to me on this.

    We were hoping to still be able to have access to the Dell utility partition. After some testing, we found that the tasks failed unless the Ghost boot partition was first on the drive. We also discovered that the Dell util partition didn't really care where it was, so we moved the Ghost boot partition to 1:1, the Dell util partition to 1:2, and we're ghosting Windows XP to 1:3. The only thing included in the task is a partition dump of the sysprepped image to 1:3. The Dell utility is *not* included with this task. It is already residing on the client at 1:2 at this point.

    When I right-click on the failed entry, there are no additional details available.

    If you think the Dell util partition is the problem I could try deleting it and imaging XP to 1:2. However, we prefer to keep the diag partition available as it makes troubleshooting w/Dell much easier if something goes wrong. Besides, shouldn't Ghost be able to accommodate this extra partition?

    Please let me know.

    Thank you.


  • 4.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted Mar 27, 2007 03:35 AM
    Hi Shane,
     
    Yes, Ghost should be able to handle extra partitions. Since you always get this result, I was wondering if there is anything to do with that. Some of the BIOSs seem to make the partition they think is the OS partition active unless you press a key to go to hidden partition, but since your system does not care where the utility partition is this should not be the case. But do you get this problem only in Dell 745s machines?
     
    You seem to have done everything right (the network driver should not cause this) and I'm running out of options too. My guess is for some reason Ghost client does not find the configuration data when it boots to Windows.
     
    What version of client is installed in your image? Is it an older client than 8.2?
     
    Would you be able to do a test by including Dell utility partition in the image and do a disk clone instead of a partition clone?  Or, could you try a virtual partition instead of Ghost Boot Partition (you can do this by selecting 'overwirte ghost boot partition' check box in clone ->advance menu.)
     
    Krish
     
     


  • 5.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted May 11, 2007 01:24 PM
    I am having a similar issue but it may have a more easily discovered cause.
     
     I have an XP image that is our "standard image" and we have been using a PE boot CD to image pcs.  I want to be able to use my ghost console to deploy this image. 
     
    The image has serious flaws.  The console client is installed but it is a broken install.  After sysprep mini setup, when the OS gets to login screen, it can not and does not load the console service.  To get the PC to talk to the console, I have to uninstall and reinstall the client. 
     
    I have modified the sysprep to do this for me and I was thinking that if I can get the client installed properly before the PC loads XP for the first time, the client and console would communicate as if the client was installed properly to begin with.  The console reports that the client gets "To target operating system" with success, but then when it is supposed to do the "Post-configuration status", it fails.  There are no event details.
     
    Where is the config data supposed to be so be before it gets applied to the computer and how does it apply those settings?
     
    Thanks


  • 6.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted May 14, 2007 03:19 AM
    Hi Martin,
     
    It looks like the installation of client using sysprep probably removes the configuration files.
     
    What version of Ghost do you use? The configuration process was changed from 2.0, in previous versions data is copied to a file and the client processes it after booting to Windows. In 2.0, it applies them (at least most of them) before booting to Windows.
     
    Do you re-install the same client version?
     
    Krish


  • 7.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted May 14, 2007 04:04 PM
    I am using ver. 8.  The issue is this:  I have standard image where the ghost client is broke.  The only way I can repair it is to uninstall it and reinstall it.  I have managed to get that to happen at the end of mini-setup but it is messing up the configuration portion of my task.  Is there a file that I can copy back onto image to allow the configuration to happen.  I realize that the best thing to do would be to create a new image but I am not in a position to do so.  In the mean time, I will try a full on repair. I am not sure that will work because if the configuration happens during sysprep,  the console service will not start.  Thanks,


  • 8.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted May 15, 2007 03:50 AM
    Hi Martin,
     
    Yes, the proper fix is to re-create the image as soon as possible :smileywink:
     
    I am not sure if this is going to work, but after cloning there is a file 'gvpcfg.bin' in the root. If you copy it before installing the client and then replace after the installation, it may work. I think this file is replaced with an empty file during installation.
     
    However, there are other changes too when using a syspreped image so this may not solve the problem completely - but worth a try.
     
    Krish


  • 9.  RE: Post-configuration task always fails if included with a clone task

    Posted Jun 20, 2007 12:37 PM
    Just so you know this worked to resolve this issue.
     
    Thanks,
    Martin