Ghost Solution Suite

Hello.

I have to install a hp xw4300 workstation with windows xp sp2 and all programs we need to work. Then i have installed a ghost client 8.3 on this machine and create a image file to use with gss 1.1.

 

From ghost console i install remote client on target machines and then i launch image file to clone all machines on my network i get "to virtual partition failed".No more information i get. Previous to this error, the machine boots, load nic drivers and restart again loading windows xp. I only have one partition on my hard disk. My network board is a Broadcom NetXtreme gigabit ethernet.

 

Any idea ?

Thanks.

Hi Jose,

 

Most of the times when the client fails to boot to virtual partition is because of an incorrect network template assigned to the client. The client will go to DOS and come back to Windows without doing anything. Can you please check and let me know what network template is selected in the 'Client' tab of client properties (either suggested or manually selected)? Also, can you check on the C:\ drive of the client if there is a file called 'virtpart.dat'?

 

Adina

Virtpart.dat file is in c:\. 

Used template "use manually selected template" is Broadcom NetXtreme Family v6.34.

 

Ok, then there is another cause to your problem. We've seen something similar happening on a w6300 under certain conditions. Can you please confirm if your machine has a SCSI controller?

 

Thanks,

Adina

No. It has a sata controller and sata raid controller. We only have one hard disk

Hi Jose,

 

Would you be able to send me your email address via forums messenger? I will need more details regarding this issue.

 

Thanks,

Adina

I have maked a new testing. I download from broadcom last ndis drivers for broadcom with chipset 5752. This are chipset used by hp xw4300 workstation. I build a bootable cd with ghost client and this drivers from boot wizard console and ghost boot fine and i can restore or build  a image of my machines using ghost cast server. But if i install remote client and then i create a task to clone after first boot using dos template with the same drivers clone fails and i get "to virtual partition failed".

 

I don't know what happen.

Any new idea ?

 

Thanks.

 

Adina i sended to you a private message but you don't answer to me.

 

Hi Jose,

 

I sent you an email on 10th of December, using the email address you gave me. I've just checked, the email is still in my 'sent' folder. I was actually wondering why you didn't reply, but I thought the fix just worked for you. I can re-send it if you want, but first I would like to confirm your email address.

 

Adina

Hello Adina.

Fix doesn't work. I get the same errors to virtual partition.

 

Hi Jose,

 

Then it is probably what I suspected in the first place: the network driver. F8 would be probably the best thing to try in this situation. When the client boots into DOS and you see "Starting PCDOS" on the screen, press F8 for step by step command execution. In this way, you can see if there are any errors during the network card initialization. Please try this and let me know the result.

 

Adina

 

 

It's very dificult to see the message error. It's very quickly, but finally i have can get it:

 

Network initialization failed: the dos mode client ..... duplicate ip address detected on network.

 

I dont' know what happen. Network ip address are right. In this moment all my network it is working fine.

Network settings before cloning in target machine are:

ip: 10.0.3.1

mask: 255.255.255.0

gateway: 10.0.0.1

dns: 194.179.1.101

 

And i want this settings continue after cloning. In task cloning i use previous configuration also i have tested with a template using others ip address.

 

Sorry for my poor english

Hi Jose,

 

That's actually good news, now we know where the problem is. Can I please have some more details regarding this issue?

First, I would like to know what is in the default configuration of the client. For this, open the client properties in console and press 'Edit' in 'General' tab. Go to 'TCP/IP Settings' in the treeview and check what is selected there: static IP or DHCP?

Second, check if the client (physical machine) have static IP or dynamic IP. Does it match what is in the default configuration of the client on the console machine? 

And third, what is the scenario of the task you are trying to run when you say "I have tested with a template using other ip address"? That tells me that you are using a static IP in this template configuration. Is it so?

 

Adina

1º.- The configuration in properties console client configuration are ok. These are static ip:

10.0.3.199 and mas is right. We don't work with dhcp server all ip addresses are static.

 

2º.- Machine address is static with this settings:

ip: 10.0.3.199

mask: 255.255.255.0

gateway. 10.0.0.1

dns1: 194.179.1.101

dns2:213.0.184.68

 

3º.- My first test was using in task , in the configuration tab, the default configuration (use previous machine configuration). The second test was using in task, in the configuration tab a template using another range of ip addresses(192.168.1.133 totally different all the rest ips of my network ) to check if this was the problem, but the problem persist. I use this cloning with another machines (fujistu-siemens and dell) and i don't get any problem.

Hi Jose,

 

Can you please use F8 again when the client boots to virtual partition and press N for ngctdos? If you skip ngctdos, you will remain in VP and see what IP address your client has. After you skip ngctdos, run the following command:

 

type wattcp.cfg

 

It will display the IP address of the client. Can you please post the content of that file?

 

Adina

Ok.

Now i'm testing with machine with this settings:

ip: 10.0.3.17

mask:255.255.255.0

gateway: 10.0.0.1

dns1:194.179.1.101

dns2:213.0.184.68

 

Ghost client properties seems to be ok.

After skip ngctdos, i see wattcp.cfg file and it has following information:

 

ip=10.0.3.17

netmask=:255.255.255.0

gateway=10.0.0.1

 

 

 

Type ghreboot to attempt to return to windows

 

 

Ok, this looks the way it should be - same IP address in Windows and DOS. Can we try something else? Do the same thing as before - press F8 and skip ngctdos, check the wattcp.cfg file to see if the IP is the same as in Windows, but instead of running ghreboot, run ngctdos and see if it's complaining again about duplicate IP. If this happens, ping that IP (the one that is displayed in wattcp) from a Windows machine and see if there is any response, because the one that is in DOS cannot reply. If there is a reply from a machine, check the IP address of that machine.

Let me know the result.

 

Thanks,

Adina

From dos mode, i see ip address in wattcp.cfg is the same in windows mode. Before to type ngctdos.exe from another windows machine i use ping 10.0.3.17 to target machine and it doesn't respond. I think this is right.

 

From windows mode i use ping 10.0.3.17 and it respond.

 

I don't understand what happen ?

If no other machine responds while the client is in DOS it's an indication that there is no other machine with the same IP address and that is good to know.

After you type ngctdos do you still get the "duplicate IP address" message?

Yes. I get identical result after type ngctdos.

I have tested with another switch and I only have connected two machines: target machine and notebook with gss 1.1 but one more time the result is the same.

 

Could be any setting about network on bios machine ? Bios is default settings from hp.

 

Thanks.

This is odd... Can you try F8 again and see if there is any other message displayed when you press 'Y' (at any different step), other than the dual IP address?

 

Adina

There is no new message when booting. All seems to be right.

 

 

Sorry for the delay, Jose, we are very busy with the new version of GSS right now. We still can't figure out the cause of the behaviour you describe, so the best thing would be to have some data so we can look into it. Can you run a network analyzer on your console machine? Wireshark will be the best option and it is free downloadable from:

 

 

Start Wireshark, then run a task that will boot the client to virtual partition (a command execute in Ghost partition like gdisk.exe will do). Start capturing when the client goes to DOS, otherwise the capture file can be huge. Save the capture and upload it to our secure server. I will send you the credentials.

 

Adina

Do you know anything more about it ? Now we have buyed gss 2.0.2 and installed new client but the result is the same

Hi Jose,

 

We had a look at the capture you sent, but we couldn't find any communication from 10.0.3.1. What is the IP address of the server? You seem to have a complex network and the routers may filter some of the packets sent to and from the server. Can you connect another machine to the same switch as your client, using a hub and run the network analyzer on this machine? If both these machines are connected to the same hub, instead of switch ports, all the network traffic that goes to and from the client will be visible to this new machine. You don't need to install Ghost client on this new machine.

Also, since you installed 2.0.2, can you upload the file 'virtpart.bat' along with the capture file? I will send you again the credentials for our server.

 

Thanks,

Adina

Did you check last capture file i send you ?

 

Thanks.

Hi Jose,

 

Yes, we had a look at the capture, but the communication client server seems all right. If you can, try to upload virtpart.dat and two other files: ngserver.log (which resides on the console in Ghost folder) and ngctw32.log (in the Ghost folder, on the client machine).

 

Thanks,

Adina