Ghost Solution Suite

Hi there, We are struggling with Peer to Peer Multicast and are hoping for some suggestions. We are attempting to deploy our standard Windows 10, sysprepped image. This deploys quite happily when going via unicast. We are trying to deploy to our test lab, which has 4 machines in it. Our live lab environment will see us deploying to 80-100 machines via multicast (we currently do this for our Win7 Image via GSS 2.5). The Distribute Disk Image task is setup with the following parameters: - Data Transfer Mode - Ticked - Peer to Peer Multicast using Ghost selected - Max clients to participate in Multicast session - 3 Clients. - Min clients required for Multicast to being - 3 Clients. - Connection timeout: 4 Minutes. Question 1: We haven't been able to figure out what to set the min and max clients to, e.g. For our lab of, say 4 machines should Min clients and Max clients be: -- Min 4, Max 4 -- Min 3, Max 4 -- Min 3, Max 3 We he have found if we set to 4 in our test lab, it eventually times out and starts a unicast job to the 4 machines. Setting the Min to 3 and the Max to 3 or 4 seems to work and the multicast job starts. We are assuming here that for the Min clients, you take the total number of machines you want to image via Multicast and subtract one (essentially allowing for one to be the master?) Some guidance here would be great! Now that we can get the Multicast tasks kicked off, and a master is picked and the clients align themselves with the master, our next issue relates to the actual imaging which fails on all clients apart from the master. On each client, ghost closes and leaves the automation environment. The GHOSTERR.TXT file on the GSS 3.1 server reports the following (I'll just include the first few lines): ---------------------------------------------- Date : Mon Aug 15 13:38:25 2016 Error Number: 28000 Message: Corrupt ID header encountered Version: 12.0.0.8023(Jan 19 2016, Build=8023 OS Version: Professional (Build 9200) Command line arguments: -CLONE,MODE=RESTORE,SRC=N:\Images\Windows 10 UEFI\SYSPREPPED\Working34\Working34.gho,DST=1 -sure -batch -mp -session=54d9d492-c810-486c-8f07-07820ee9d8fa -ip:224.2.0.19:403 -clients=3 -threshold:3 -connecttimeout=4 Active Switches : AutoName ---------------------------------------------- Corrupt ID header seems to indicate an issue with the image. But we know the image is fine (and will deploy out on the master PC and via any unicast jobs), why are all the clients failing? and does anyone where we best start looking? Is it something in Ghost? Is it something on the network? I can't find anything related to Ghost Error 28000 other than some old GSS 1.1 Sybase database issue which I doubt would be applying to our scenario. We are at a bit of a loss and would appreciate any guidance. If it matters, we are using GSS 3.1 MP2. Regards, SIMST.

There's a little more documentation here on the multicast options:

"Symantec Ghost Solution Suite Server Configuration Utility Help"

https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.DOC9211.html?

And a video:

"Deploying an image to multiple computers by Multicasting using the Ghostcast server"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKU0VseHrEk

Have you maybe got the firewall turned on in WinPE?

Hi andykn101,

I can confirm the firewall in WinPE is off.

I've followed the video related to p2p multicast - as per: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSgrl55kaLA&feature=youtu.be

I turned on multicast logging from the clients (-JL:A=M:\Log.txt) and get the following (excerpt):

    358968 KC::Trying to connect to a master
    359000 KC::Connected to the master, waiting to start...
           Master: E0DB55D2925D
    403687 DC::Becoming a disconnecting client
    403703 DC::Trying to disconnect from a master
    404671 DC::Trying to disconnect from a master

 

Turning multicast logging on from the master, I get the following (excerpt):

    45359 CM::Telling potential clients to become real clients
           CM::Saw enough clients to do a multicast
           KM::Connecting to clients...
     45468 KM::All clients have connected!
           Client connected: D4BED97A2729
           Client connected: E0DB55D27DB7
           Client connected: E0DB55D28052
    277343 DM::No clients left to disconnect...

 

On all the clients, the GHOSTERR file reports:

Error Number: 28000
Message: Corrupt ID header encountered
Version: 12.0.0.8023(Jan 19 2016, Build=8023

 

I'll try the video you posted and see if I can get that to work. It may provide some useful pointers. Will update again when I have done that.

 

SIMST.

Hi again,

Following up on this, I am trying multicasting via Ghostcast server (as opposed to peer to peer) and multicasting is working successfully... (as per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKU0VseHrEk)

At this stage, the clients are on the same subnet as the server, my concern is that I'm going to run into trouble trying to multicast across subnets which is why I'm really wanting to get peer to peer muticasting working.

 

SIMST.

 

Following up on this again,

I have also tried updating from MP2 and MP3, but get the same issue. Will keep digging...

 

As an aside, after upgrading to MP3, we receive errors on any deploy task, as below:

    Error Number: 10010
    Message: Cannot open image file N:\. []

(would be the same for M, N, whatever drive was selected for the image to be on in the task).

Solution to this particular issue was to change the upper case drive letter to a lower case drive letter and issue resolved. Weird one...!

SIMST.

Another follow up.

I think I may be getting somewhere diagnosing what is going on.

I have gone back over some older images, and these deploy.

I recall with our production image, the image was taken and then a few files removed and a few added through Ghost Explorer (without recompiling it). I am beginning to suspect this is causing the issue.

I am going backwards to an earlier image which hasn't had any files added/removed.

Will keep you all posted with results.

Regards,

SIMST.

Another follow up.

I can confirm that when images have been "edited" in ghost explorer, files added/removed and you try to peer to peer multicast these, it will fail with the error as mentioned above (Corrupt ID header encountered). Multicasting via GhostCast Server, or unicast are not impacted.

If you recompile the image in ghost explorer it will then deploy quite happily via peer to peer multicast.

I do not know if this is classed a bug? Perhaps someone from Symantec can weigh in?

I would still like to know what to set the min/max clients to when setting up a job, for a test lab of 4 in a task, for best results we have found setting min and max to 3 allows for 3 clients and 1 master.

I have logged a support case and will update the thread when I find out more info.

Regards,
SIMST.