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System Center Tip-of-the-Day for May 19th, 2010
I while back I troubleshooting a bizarre error messages when working on a OS deployment proof-of-concept utilizing a PXE Service Point and a Task Sequence. Everything was seemingly going as planned, and then in the process of capturing the reference image, the task sequence threw and error that looked something like this…0x80070032, which translates to ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED….not exactly descriptive.
The issue here is not the error, but the question “how the hell do I troubleshoot this?” Since I didn't have an Windows UI with ready access to the ConfigMgr client logs, how could I evaluate what was happening.
As it turns out, all actions in a task sequence log to the smsts.log file. This file is moved around during different stages of an OS deployment so that it does not interfere with the imaging process. When the task sequence completes, the log file is “finalized”, its placed in one of a few places based on suitability (free disk space). Now, how to the log open.
Enabling Debug Shell Support
The answer on how to get to the logs was to enable debug shell support the on the boot image (in the OS Deployment section of the ConfigMgr console). This is turned off by default for security reasons (since it would allow an end user to open a command shell during the re-imaging process) but can be enabled on the “Windows PE” property page. Just right click the boot image, go to the Windows PE tab, and click the box labeled “Enable command support (testing only)
Detail Steps
The debug shell is a property of the boot image. To enable it you will need to:
1. Open the properties page for your boot image and check the “Enable command support (testing only)” option on the Windows PE tab.
2. Update the boot image package on the distribution points
3. PXE Boot your client
4. Press F8 to open a command shell
5. Once you see the “initializing” dialog close, you should:
- Verify you have network access
- Verify you can access the hard-drive
- Open the smsts.log file using notepad (this will either be in x:\windows\temp\smstslog or in the _SMSTSLog directory on the largest partition).
Read More
There was an awesome thread on this very issue (and I do mean awesome) that explained the behind the scenes activity with absolute clarity. If you’re interested, you can read the full discussion at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/configmgrosd/thread/3874af85-2c12-46c5-a14f-e0b1dea75324/
Previous Installments
May 18, 2010 - SCTOTD: SCCM 2007 Troubleshooting Tip – Know your DATA FLOW
May 17, 2010 - SCTOTD: 10 Patch Management Principles to Live By
May 15, 2010 - SCTOTD: Tips for Deep Analysis of Community Management Packs
May 14, 2010 - SCTOTD: Leaving an Audit Trail of Update Management Activity in ConfigMgr 2007
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