FOGService can't contact FOGServer

[brizio]

Dear Support team,
we are facing a weird issue today.
We have been using FOG (version 1.2.0 on CENTOS 6.6) for several months so far; few days ago we installed it into a new LAB made up by 60 Pc.
When we installed the FOGService on the source PC the service can’t access the FOG host (server ip is 192.168.1.254).
The weird thing is that if we access the server from a browser (http://192.168.1.254/fog) we can successfully see all the fog webapp pages.

The FOG Log is:

11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::GUIWatcher Starting GUI Watcher...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostnameChanger Starting hostname change process...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostnameChanger Yielding to other subservices for 9 seconds.
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.HostRegister
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister Starting host registration process...
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.MODDebug
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::MODDebug Start Called
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::MODDebug Sleeping for 100 Seconds
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.PrinterManager
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.SnapinClient
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::PrinterManager Starting interprocess communication process...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::SnapinClient Starting snapin client process...
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.TaskReboot
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::PrinterManager  interprocess comm startup: OK
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::TaskReboot Taskreboot in lazy mode.
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.UserCleanup
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::TaskReboot Starting Task Reboot...
 11/06/2015 16.35  * Starting FOG.UserTracker
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserCleanup Sleeping for 15 seconds.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker Starting user tracking process...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::SnapinClient Sleeping for 462 seconds.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::DisplayManager Attempting to connect to fog server...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister Attempting to connect to fog server...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::PrinterManager Attempting to connect to fog server...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker Attempting to connect to fog server...
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister Failed to connect to fog server!
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister Impossibile effettuare la connessione al server remoto.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister    in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadDataInternal(Uri address, WebRequest& request)
   in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadString(Uri address)
   in FOG.HostRegister.registerHost()
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostRegister Sleeping for 1 minute.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::DisplayManager Failed to connect to fog server!
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::DisplayManager Impossibile effettuare la connessione al server remoto.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::DisplayManager    in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadDataInternal(Uri address, WebRequest& request)
   in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadString(Uri address)
   in FOG.DisplayManager.doWork()
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::DisplayManager Sleeping for 1 minute.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker Failed to connect to fog server!
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker Impossibile effettuare la connessione al server remoto.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::PrinterManager Sleeping for 1 minute.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker    in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadDataInternal(Uri address, WebRequest& request)
   in System.Net.WebClient.DownloadString(Uri address)
   in FOG.UserTracker.track()
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::UserTracker Sleeping for 1 minute.
 11/06/2015 16.35 FOG::HostnameChanger Attempting to connect to fog server...

(sorry but some words are in italian; Impossibile effettuare la connessione al server remoto means “Impossible to contact the remote server”).

We try to reinstall the service with a different users, we ran the installer as Administrator, we removed windows firewall, disable the antivirus, uninstall all the software but without any luck.

Another weird thing is that if we deploy an image used into another LAB, the FOGService starts normally and it can access the server.

Can someone help us?

[Tim.Trageser]

I am going to go out on a limb and make a suggestion. If you can use the same image in a different LAB and the FOGService is able to connect then you should compare the Network path between each Lab to the FOG Server. It sounds like something is different.

[ch3i]

@brizio Hi, your lab is on the same VLAN than the server ? (I’ve seen that you can access over http) I tell you that to ensure you have not ACL between your FOG server and your lab.

[brizio]

Few details to add:

• all the 60 Pc labs are on the same network portion: they are plugged to 3 HP Procurve Switch they access the Campus WAN via a small router (192.168.1.1);
• the Fog Server is phisically in the lab, connected to the first HP switch;
• if i install another win7 image on any of these 60 Pc then the FogService installed there can access the FogServer

[Wayne Workman]

Sometimes it takes a few reboots for the client to connect. It has to get a certificate from the FOG server in order to trust the server… so it takes a few reboots.

If that doesn’t work, uninstall the FOG Client Service and just reinstall and give SPECIAL care in ensuring you type in the FOG IP correctly (don’t use the name).

You’ll also want all the services on the client (during install) turned on.

Another thing to check is the client firewall… and maybe even anti virus.

You’ll know the client is successfully connected / authenticated when you see “Hello FOG Client” in the log (using the legacy client).

[brizio]

I’ve tried everything.
I removed the antivirus, disabled the firewall, uninstalled and reinstalled the Service (the IP address was correct). I uninstalled all the additional software too (skype, vlc, chrome, etc…).
I also tried to sniff traffic using Whireshark: I noticed that the client never starts the TCP connection to the server…

[Joe Schmitt]

Mind uploading the ini file in the etc folder of the client installation?

[Wayne Workman]

Which installer are you using? the MSI or the EXE ?

I’ve always used the MSI.

[brizio]

Usually I use the “classic” setup.exe.
But this time I tried both.

[Trevelyan]

What happens if you go to “Services” and then restart the FOG service there?

Also - are you using SSDs :)?

[brizio]

Thanks Trevelyan; we actually restarted the Service several time but without luck: the behaviour was the same (unable to contact the fogserver).
We don’t use SSD drive neither on server or client.

I’m wondering if it could be something related to the .NET libraries or to some other kind of restriction on the Microsoft side…

[Trevelyan]

Are you using an ip or a hostname? Maybe the FOG client isn’t using the right IP?

[Tom Elliott]

Does the fog server have a Firewall running that’s blocking web access? I know, you can’t get to the GUI if the firewall is blocking port 80, but I wonder if the system(s) you’re using to access the GUI are located on the same subnet, and that subnet is allowed through the firewall.

[Wayne Workman]

We should go into basic troubleshooting-mode for this one…

Does any computer’s fog client contact the server?

Can you move a problematic computer to the same switch that FOG is connected to and try that?

Can you try a different patch cable?

[brizio]

Dear Wayne,
thank you for your support.
If I deploy another image on the same client PC it can succesfully connect to the FOG server (so i don’t think is a problem on the switch or on the cable).
I’ve tried from several PC, some of them are on the same switch that FOG is connected to and some of them are connected to another switch; but the issue remains.

[Wayne Workman]

@brizio said:

Dear Wayne,
thank you for your support.
If I deploy another image on the same client PC it can succesfully connect to the FOG server (so i don’t think is a problem on the switch or on the cable).
I’ve tried from several PC, some of them are on the same switch that FOG is connected to and some of them are connected to another switch; but the issue remains.

If other FOG Clients can successfully contact the FOG server, then it must be something with that particular image on that particular model.

[brizio]

Yes, Wayne; I guess so…
We spent a couple of days recreating a new image from scratch and it’s working: we’ll use that.

Thanks everybody for the support.