strafeonline

Late last year we installed a Windows 2008 Standard x32bit server for a client. This system was running great, until (or so it seemed), a botched Windows Update patch caused the whole Windows Update system to fail with error 0×80070005. The system, and Windows Updates, were running fine for about two months before it was promoted to a domain controller.

The Windows Update 0×80070005 error is common on Vista machines and somewhat easily fixed (just Google for the error; plenty of results). Rarely have I seen it mentioned in forums and blog posts relating to a Windows Server 2008 system. We’ve manually installed critical updates on the affected system every few months to keep it current - which is a pain. Service Pack 2 failed to install as well, leading us around in circles with System Update Readiness Tool requests and so on.

We’ve just installed a new Dell PowerEdge R610 - Windows Server 2008 Standard x64 SP1 - to act as a primary domain controller, which was performing Windows Updates just fine until we added the Active Directory Domain Services role and ran DCPROMO. After we rebooted, Windows Updates stopped working and presented with the dreaded 0×80070005 error.

The last update to be applied was KB955430, which:

Updates to the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 installation software are included in this update. The installation software is the component that handles the installation and the removal of software updates, language packs, optional Windows features, and service packs. This update is necessary to successfully install and to remove Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 on all versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. This update is not necessary to successfully install the service pack if you install the full file version of the service pack. The full file version of the service pack includes this update.

I have a hunch that a combination of Win 2008 SP1, ADDS, the KB955430 patch, and the system being a domain controller (so; after installing ADDS, running DCPROMO and rebooting) cause the Windows Update mechanism to fail.

As this new R610 is not yet in production, I demoted it using DCPROMO, rebooted, but kept the ADDS role installed. The server now queries Windows Update and our internal WSUS server correctly, AND lets us install SP2

The 0×80070005 error is resolved! Updates are located correctly via Winows Updates and WSUS and install correctly. SP2 also installs correctly; whereas before it would not.

Unfortunately, as soon as you re-promote the system to a domain controller, Windows Updates fail again with the same 0×80070005 error.

Frustrating!!

Mid January we upgraded our SBS2003 box to SBS2008. As there is no in-place upgrade (due to differing architectures), the choices are:

• install SBS2008 on a new server
• convert the SBS2003 to a virtual machine, wipe the existing server, install SBS2008 on existing server.

We went down the road of the second option, and overall the install process was satisfactory. We did run into some snags, as during the first attempt of installing SBS2008 the process crashed. The following attempt the server seemed to get ’stuck’, waiting for response from the SBS2003 VM.

The problem in the second attempt was that the 2008 install had transferred the domain operations master, infrastructure master, schema master, and other roles away from 2003 in the first install attempt. When the second install tried to do this, it could not complete this step and was stuck. The 2008 installer did not give any reason for the problem, so we had to manually figure it out.

The roles were seized back to the 2003 server using NTDSUTIL, and the next install attempt was much more successful!

I am very impressed with the SBS2008 system. We manage our client’s SBS boxes, rather than letting them do it, so even from an experienced point of view, SBS2008 is really quite good. I don’t like how WSUS is automatically enabled; I think this should be one of the ‘Getting Started Tasks’. I do like how easy it is to relocate an Exchange store, WSUS data, shared folders, etc, to another drive via the SBS Console.

Once running, configured, and stable, VMWare Server v2 was installed, and a Ubuntu linux virtual machine installed as the first VM on the system. With the Ubuntu VM we run an in house lab for PHP web development. I’m undecided about Ubuntu, after spending five years with FreeBSD. Our first project on this lab VM is a redevelopment of our client management system, something which has been on hold for about a year. More on the project to come in later posts.

One of our clients currently runs an SBS 2003 system on some hardware that has hard its fair share of trouble (one week of downtime earlier this year, and two days of downtime in August), resulting in a decision from management to move the e-mails to a new box, and rebuild the SBS into a vanilla Win2K3 Server system.

For the new Exchange box, we ended up with a Dell PowerEdge 2950 III with two RAID 1 arrays, dual quad-core, 4GB RAM, etc. It arrived about a week earlier than scheduled, and so far has been a breeze to work with. (more…)