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Windows Time Service and hyper-v Integration services problem

Unanswered Windows Time Service and hyper-v Integration services problem

  • Friday, July 16, 2010 7:19 AM
     
     
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    Hello Forum

    I have a weird problem with my Hyper-V R2 Integration Services that i am trying to install on a Server 2003 R2 SP2 Standard.

    The problem is that my Windows Time service fails to start. I have drilled down to the following registry key that seems to be the problem.

    Located at: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\w32time\TimeProviders\VMICTimeProvider

    The thing is that the key is not fully created when I install Integration Services. The key is only partially created. It is missing important parameters like:

    DllName REG_SZ

    Enabled REG_DWORD

    InputProvider REG_DWORD.

    With out those parameters, the services fails to start. If I by hand edit thiese values in and correct it to point at the right dll file. C:\WINDOWS\system32\VMICTimeProvider.dll Then my service works just fine. By everytime the server is rebooted, the registry key is all reset and the above reg keys are missing again!

    Another weird thing! My permissions on the subfolders of the key Are stripped of permission inheritance.: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\w32time\TimeProviders\VMICTimeProvider

    Not sure if this is normal? But everytime I reboot, both keys and permissions are reset and my service does not work!

    I have tryed to reinstall Integration Services a million times without result.

     

     

     

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  • Monday, August 02, 2010 12:52 PM
     
     
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    Am I the only one facing this problem?

    Forgot to mention that this virtual machine is a restored physical computer from a systemstate backup.

    Don't know if that would cause this problem?

    Anyone know what program is changing the permissions and parameters? Is it the time service it self or is it the Integration service provider?

     
  • Friday, September 24, 2010 6:03 PM
     
     
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    No, you're not.  I'm in the same boat.  A VM domain controller that was restored is experiencing the exact same issues.  I've written a batch file that unregisters, registers, and syncs the w32time service, but it doesn't persist across reboots.

    I had a long fight getting the machine back onto the network after the restore.  A lot of FRS errors and the like...

    I reinstalled the integration services, and noticed that the hyper-v host had added back in time sync under integration services.  I disabled it months ago, but now it was back.  Once I disabled that, along with the integration services repair, I've had 3 boots in a row with a functioning w32time service after each boot.  All w32tm commands run immediately, without any RPC server not found messages.

    Check and see if that time sync service is checked--uncheck it and reinstall the integration services.

     
  • Friday, September 24, 2010 9:13 PM
     
     
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    No, you're not.  I'm in the same boat.  A VM domain controller that was restored is experiencing the exact same issues.  I've written a batch file that unregisters, registers, and syncs the w32time service, but it doesn't persist across reboots.

    I had a long fight getting the machine back onto the network after the restore.  A lot of FRS errors and the like...

    I reinstalled the integration services, and noticed that the hyper-v host had added back in time sync under integration services.  I disabled it months ago, but now it was back.  Once I disabled that, along with the integration services repair, I've had 3 boots in a row with a functioning w32time service after each boot.  All w32tm commands run immediately, without any RPC server not found messages.

    Check and see if that time sync service is checked--uncheck it and reinstall the integration services.

    Thanks for sharing.

    I will check this asap. Would be nice if anyone know why this is an issue.  Did a sysinternals processmonitor capture on my VM at bootup. It looks like the integration services are messing up the registry setting. But I don't know why it would leave the registry crippled and half-configured.

     
  • Friday, October 08, 2010 4:37 AM
     
     
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    Hello,

    Have you validated that you have unchecked the setting for the host OS to synchronize time with the guest?  Its configured in the virtual machine settings. 

    This should be helpful, though depending on the type of server you'll use manual or a domain server:

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731191(WS.10).aspx

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816042

    http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Configuring-Windows-Time-Service.html

    Nathan Lasnoski

    http://blog.concurrency.com/author/nlasnoski/
    • Proposed As Answer by Marcus Bronson Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:25 PM
    • Unproposed As Answer by Marcus Bronson Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:25 PM
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  • Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:28 PM
     
     
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    History:

    Opened multiple cases now.   3 in total.  network downs but that don't matter... ha.   so we and customer remain patient we told them ahead of time.  1 original, one subcase and now another new case.... i think we are at the right team.

    Need to be sure to ask for hyper virtualization team.

    So this is reproducable when loading a vm with the time sync checked.  after unchecking it the described behavior vanishes.

    Proposal for root cause:   we exported from another w2k8r2 system and the w32tm key vansihed.  Unknown to us at the time we then imported into the member server but the time service fails.

    Ideas:  may be integration service versions, may be export and imprt procedure.

    First case we found that the w32tm registry key was missing after this procuedure.  We asked to fix and reproduce but there was no assistance.   so 2 more cases  - with access denied errors even after setting the security ilke a working server. etc. hours of work and interpretation...  we are still HACKIGN to figure this out.

    So opened another case.  With the hyper-v team.   phew... on and on.. even when reproduced and low and behold all the notes vanished form the ms case on call back.

    so i think i will start over with 3 more cases perhpas, one with server and tools,and one with virtulization and one with bill gates.

    Wormy ,

     

    Marcus

     
  • Thursday, January 26, 2012 6:06 PM
     
     
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    Hello Marcus

     

    I have now seen this issue multiple times. Every time i run into this isssue is when restoring a NTbackup systemstate backup to a Server 2003 SP2 Virtual machine.

    When it happens, the only way to get the time service running is doing a w32tm /unregister and then w32tm /register. But everytime the VM is booted, the commands need to be run again.

    It is still a mystery why this happens. Havent had the time to open a case on this meself.

     

     

     

     
  • Thursday, February 09, 2012 9:25 PM
     
     
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    Hi All,

    This is not a normal behavior, and the reasons are unknown. We need to setup a repro and would be beneficial if one can share the below log files inside the VM with repro, so that we can debug further to understand why the registry keys failed to be created.

    %windir%\inf\setupapi.dev.log

    %windir%\vmgcoinstall.log

    %windir%\vmguestsetup.log


    • Proposed As Answer by Marcus Bronson Monday, February 20, 2012 6:13 PM
    • Unproposed As Answer by Marcus Bronson Monday, February 20, 2012 6:13 PM
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  • Monday, February 20, 2012 6:39 PM
     
     
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    Sorry Mobay - this is a server 2k8 R2 so your suggestions were not applicable, but thanks much for participating.

    Sorry Azar - cannot provide this mostly since the original host is gone and no longer available.  Perhpas you can describe what you would be looking at in thoes files for future reference.

    CURRENT STATUS:  we are still working with a open case at MS support for the last several weeks.

    ENVIROMENT:

    No SCVMM was used during the guest migrations.  All the guest vm moves to new hosts, were manual exports and imports that occued without any errors.

    High security environment employed with audit logging -logs confirmed not to be human error or carbon unit malfunction. 

    PROBLEM:

    Hyper-v Win 2k8 R2 guest system looses the correct time, constantly slippign behind.  Within hours the server coudl be off as much as several hours.  We found that somehow after migrating the Guest w2k8R2 OS usign the time sync option, the w32time key is missing from the registry. 

    ROOT CAUSE THEORIES:

    The case wasn't open for root cause analysis but nonetheless, there are always discusssions why this happens.

    They have agreed that this is a problem with the integration services and Hyper-V.  There were discussions we had about how this happens.   The scenario when this exactly happens we are suspecting, it when loading the os and using the older integration services in combination with the hyper-v time sync check box that is Enabled in the settings of the guest vm.  In other words, this may happen when loading a guest os on a hyper-v host with integration sevices out of date and the time sync checked. 

    Another theory is that since the guest os was moved from host to host (unknown how many different or what the integration versions were on the interm hosts)  it may have bee that during that move to the new host, the guest had the time sync checked and at some point later it was unchecked on a different host (potentially on a different integration services versions on the new host the guest was migrated to).

    DEBUGGING PROCEDURES:

    Reinstalled integration services and rebooted without any success.

    Our current fix is to go to another working domain member server of the same os (w2k8r2) and export the w32 time key from the registry of a workign domain member.  We then imported the key into the broken member server that was missing that key and loosing the correct time.  We rebooted the server.  At this point the time services was back in the services mmc.  but when starting the service it gives a "Access Denied".

    We confirmed all the security etc. and still would not work.

    So we startd to repo the solution by manually deleting the w32time key from a workgin system and reconstruct the error and fix.   Keep you posted on that solution.

    Marcus