Deployment Solution

I created a WinPE disc and the PC booted from the disc after about 2.5 minutes, which of course it looks like Windows 8.  I know it's using WinPE 4.0 to boot and it loads the network drivers and everything seems fine like it did with WinPE 2.0, etc.  When I go back to the Symantec Management Console and look under the new computer section...the PC name doesn't show up.  I verified the IP address and the hostname, but it still doesn't show up.  Is there a reason why this isn't showing up anymore? Is there a service that isn't enabled?

I also noticed since the upgrade that the four services are no longer there.  Is that something with the upgrade as well?

1. _Symantec_netBoot_Interface
2. _Symantec_netBoot_Server
3. _Symantec_netBoot_NSiSignal
4. _Symantec_netBoot_Mtftp

You upgraded to ITMS / DS 7.5 I assume?  If so, that is correct - those services are gone.  There are some KB's we wrote in the DS 7.5 Recommended Reading List that help explain the differences in the product.  I've not time this second to point you to them, but if you search for Recommended Reading List you'll find my old baby...  <snif>  I can't write those KB's anymore!

Anyway, there are two new services starting with Symantec IF you configure an NBS server (not done by default anymore, but if it's an upgraded site that had those 4 services running it will be an NBS server by default).

As for the new PC's not showing up - they are.  We ... scratch that - I don't work there ... Symantec scrapped the MiniNT names for one that means something - serial number.  You can either look up the computer by Ser# OR you can add a custom search criteria and look for it by MAC or IP, but I'm almost positive it's showing up IF:

• you verify you have network connectivity
• you verify the INI file is pointing to the correct server OR you verify the corect server via log files.

Where are the log files?

x:\program files\symantec\deployment\logs.  EVERYTHING is stored there now.  :D  Check PectAgent.log and/or smp.log to see what NS you're connecting to.

Let us know if that helps!

Thanks for the update Thomas and you're correct about it no longer being minint and it IS using the service tag.  I found there were missing .dll's from the bootwiz folder, so after copying the files from a test environment...I was able to create a boot disc and the PC showed up in the Symantec Management Console.  The only issue I have right now is deploying and capturing an image.  I have a post about capturing an image, but I don't have one on deploying the image.  

This is the error I get.

ErrorMessage: Exception has occured in File SMPPackage.cpp at Line No 94. Type of exception is GeneralError. Error is Package Server is not found for package with Guid 7bedf36f-f02e-42c8-86bd-68563dd7296c. It may be that package is just created and not ready yet or package have not synced on nearest packages server. Please try after sometime.. Error Description is utilCSMPPackageInitialiaze. Value of Windows error code = 183 and message is Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

183 error is ignorable.  Literally.  The REST of the message though is useful.

Soooo, sounds like you have an NS, a Package server, and the image is NOT present on the package server.  You should check replication of the image to the PS - it may be failing, and you may be able to manually replicate it into the appropriate folder and let package re-synch (restart the agent on the PS to force it).  Once it shows READY on the PS, then you can pull the image.

The trick is that IF you have the image on the NS and IF you have a PS anywhere in the world, it will NEVER pull the image from the NS - by design (I argued the value of that design, but so far no traction unless something changed in the last week). So the image MUST be on the PS if there IS a PS anywhere. l That's just the way it is.  As long as you ONLY have an NS and no site servers, then it'll pull from the NS but under no other circumstances.

Find out and let us know.  :D

See that's the thing though.  I only have ONE server.  There aren't any other servers out there.  There shouldn't be any other package servers out there.  The only thing I did notice, and I REALLY hope that's not the case, is that the PC's now have the four services that used to be on 7.1...the 4 x _Symantec_XXX services.  I told the guy that that's a no-no and that it needs to be removed from the PC's.  I just hope that the NS isn't thinking all these PC's are the package servers. :/  If that isn't causing the issues, then why can't the NS find the images on its own server that it had before?

The PC's have those pxe services???  Someone is messing around with policies!!!  That's generally a bad thing.  They need to be reconfigured back to default.  And you should go to Settings | Notification Server | Site Server Settings and SEE if there are any other site servers that have been configured.  I'm telling you, it LOOKS like you have other package servers out there whether you think so or not.  In one environment (internal) where we shared a server, I one day found a bunch of packages on my system, because someone had "tested" making a workstation a package server and the lucky candidate was ME!  I pulled that plug quick, but you need to see if you have any plugs that need pulling.  The fact that someone has modified your policies to point to ALL workstations instead of only those with Task and Package says they may have done that in other places as well.

GL!!!  You're gonna need to review a lot of stuff most likely.

Yeah, apparently they do.  I left for about 4-6 months to let the other guy take over and I think he messed things up. :/ Or one of his student workers messed things up.  I am trying to fix all the mistakes.  I will definitely check out the settings tonight and see if I can correct them.  

How do I KNOW for sure that it's a Package Server?  Will I find that at this location or another location?
Settings | Notification Server | Site Server Settings

So apparently there aren't any Package Services running? I looked under the x64 for the service but I didn't see a plug-in.  I looked under the x86 and there is one.  Do I install that on the server?

oh wow.  <sigh>  "Copy of task server components" and I'll bet it's a custom target.  I don't know what to say.  Do you have a lab?  If so, check ALL of these against the default settings in the lab.

This is a 7.5 console so there should be NO computers with the 4 services mentioned.  Those would have come from a 7.1 console.  The _Symantec services no longer exist in 7.5 and if they're on ANY stystem, either that system is reporting to a 7.1 server OR is messed up.  Translation on the "messed up" part - yank the agent, pull the services, clean up the registry and install the 7.5 agent clean.  Ugh.

IMO - you need to call support and have the look things over, or a consultant.  Again, you could reference a "known good" default system in a lab, but things sound a bit weird here.  Maybe I'm wrong though but I can't see it so I don't know.

And possibly, it's only one PC that is messed up and we'd be stressing over nothing.  :D

PS>  You can easily tell if Package is installed on a client by looking for a Package tab in the client agent itself, right next to Tasks.

Since the tech installed the client plug-in on all the base image, I can only assume it's on ALL the computers.  I will make sure he removes it for the next base image he pushes out to the labs once we get the product working.

<sigh>

Sorry to hear all of this.  One of these days, people will stop second-guessing how the product is configured out of the box without first UNDERSTANDING FULLY what they are doing.  Every time I ran into this in support I wanted to just cry.  The policies are designed with the filters they have for a reason, even if they're broken, and if you don't know what that reason is, messing around with them generally simply makes things worse.

Good luck!