BDD 2007 - Troubleshooting Database issues

I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked to help some troubleshoot their database issues, so I decided it was time to write a blog about it. This blog details the common issues faced when using the BDD configuration database. The first part details the common causes of database issues and the second recommends troubleshooting methods.

Common issues

The following section details common issues and recommended configurations for each.

Database Rules - Ensure that the appropriate database rules have been created. Database rules are specified using the deployment point rules tab. Configuration database rules can be created manually or using the Configure DB Wizard in the Deployment Workbench.

A typical database section should look similar to the following:

[CSettings]

SQLServer=SERVERNAME

Database=BDDAdminDB

Netlib=DBNMPNTW

SQLShare=logs

Table=ComputerSettings

Parameters=MacAddress

ParameterCondition=OR

The critical components of the database section are:

  • SQLServer - must specify the SQL server that hosts the BDD configuration database.
  • SQLShare – must be a valid share on the SQL server and the user account (UserID as specified in the rules) must have access rights to that share. If SMS OSD Feature Pack is used for deployment then the SMS Advanced Client installation account will require access rights rather than the user account.
  • Netlib – there are many issues with using TCP/IP sockets based connections so ONLY USE NAMED PIPES (DBNMPNTW).

Database connectivity issues – There are a number of issues that can stop the client connecting to the SQL server, these are detailed below:

  • Ensure that Named Pipes is enabled for remote connectivity on the SQL server, this is not enabled by default.
  • Has the surface area been configured to enable Named Pipes? When using SQL 2005 it is important to ensure that the “Surface area” is configured in such a way that remote connectivity to Named Pipes is allowed.
  • If you have issues accessing the database from the workbench then ensure that you are using Named Pipes. The Deployment Workbench always uses Named Pipes to connect to the database.

Security - has the deployment account got the appropriate database rights? The account used will need read rights to the BDD admin database. The account can vary depending on the deployment type:

  • ZTI – The SMS advanced client installation account.
  • LTI – The user account specified in the rules (bootstrap.ini).

SQL instances – If you are connecting to a database instance then this instance must be specified. This value is specified using the Instance fieldin the deployment workbench.

Troubleshooting methods

During the troubleshooting process it is critical that you can easily test the database rules. The following instructions detail how to manually test the database connectivity. The rules specified in the deployment point can be tested without running through the entire BDD build process. Rules are processed using a script called ZTIGather.wsf, this script can be run separately from the other BDD scripts allowing easy testing. The steps below detail the process required to perform manual rule testing. To properly reflect the deployment environment it is important to perform these tests from a client device:

  1. Create a folder on the client device and copy the following files from the deployment point to this folder:

  • ZTIGather.wsf
  • ZTIGather.xml
  • ZTIUtility.vbs
  • CustomSettings.ini

  2. Delete C:\MININT directory if it already exists. This folder can also be located at X:\MININT if the C drive is not available.

NOTE: BDD stores configuration and progress information in the MININT folder, if this folder is not removed between tests then the results will be invalid.

  3. From the command prompt navigate to the newly created folder and execute the rule processing script using the following command:

"cscript.exe ZTIGather.wsf /debug:true"

      The script will then be processed and the results outputted to the command prompt and a log file ( .\MININT\SMSOSD\OSDLOGS\ZTIGather.log)

NOTE: The script can be run within Windows PE or the host operating system.

  4. Review the results of the script.

The following screen shots show five examples of the output that you will see from this process. The first three screen shots show general database lookups while the other two show common errors you are likely to see.

This screen shoot shows a successful connection to the database. The computer record is then queried based on the MAC Address and the OSINSTALL, COMPUTERNAME and MACHINEOBJECTOU values are returned.

ScreenShot1  

The next two screen shots show a database lookup based on the make and model of the client device. In the first screen shot shows a database lookup based on a Virtual PC client where the model is a "Virtual Machine" and the make is "Microsoft Corporation".   This record does not exist in the database and the log reflects this -  "Record count from SQL = 0".  I then created a record in the database using this information and assigned an application to the model type via the deployment workbench. The script is then rerun and and the lookup successfully returns the application. (Second screen shot).

SnapShot2

SnapShot3

NOTE: Applications are identified as GUID's in the BDD logs. To determine which application is represented by the GUID you should reference the applications.xml file.

The following screen shot show the results of a database look up where the user account does not have rights to the database. The important thing to note is the error message -  "login failed for user 'WOODGROVE\BDDBuild'". Remember that the user account must have at least read rights to the BDD configuration database.

SnapShot4

The following screen shot show the results of a database look up where named pipes has been disabled. The important thing to note is the error message, "SQL Server does not exist or access denied". This problem can be caused by a number of issues, please refer to the database connectivity issues point above.

SnapShot5

Hopefully this will help get you started with troubleshooting your BDD configuration database issues.

For further information on rule processing please refer to this blog.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, confers no rights, and is not supported by the authors or Microsoft Corporation. Use of included script samples are subject to the terms specified in the Terms of Use .