Start-DscConfiguration stuck!

DSC
1

Hello,

I have a problem, on one of my servers cannot complete “Start-DscConfiguration”. It always stucks in the same moment (line VERBOSE: Exporting alias ‘nwsn’). I do not see anything interesting in logs (application and dsc). Does anybody knows what is wrong? (I reinstalled WMF 5.1 several times but it does not help).

VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Get-DSCConfiguration.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Get-DSCLocalConfigurationManager.cdxml’
.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Restore-DSCConfiguration.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Get-DscConfigurationStatus.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Stop-DscConfiguration.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Remove-DscConfigurationDocument.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Disable-DscDebug.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\Enable-DscDebug.cdxml’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\DSCClassResources\WindowsPackageCab\Win
dowsPackageCab.psd1’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\DSCClassResources\WindowsPackageCab\Win
dowsPackageCab.psm1’.
VERBOSE: Loading module from path
‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\PSDesiredStateConfiguration\DSCResources\CompositeResourceHelper.ps
m1’.
VERBOSE: Exporting function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Exporting function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceCommonParameters’.
VERBOSE: Importing function ‘BuildResourceString’.
VERBOSE: Time taken for configuration job to complete is 0.082 seconds
VERBOSE: Exporting function ‘New-PSWorkflowSession’.
VERBOSE: Exporting alias ‘nwsn’.

2

Does this occur with a “full” configuration MOF, or have you also experienced this with a “minimal” configuration that just attempts to… I dunno, set an environment variable? I wasn’t expecting to see Workflow crop up, is why I ask.

3

I have been running this command: Start-DscConfiguration -Path path to the mof file -ComputerName $env:COMPUTERNAME -Force.

If I take a look at the powershell jobs, I can see one for the action and one child job that are in the “Running” status all the time.

Main Job
State : Running
HasMoreData : True
StatusMessage : Running
Location : server name
StartParameters : {}
Command : Start-DscConfiguration -Path path -ComputerName $env:COMPUTERNAME -Force
JobStateInfo : Running
Finished : System.Threading.ManualResetEvent
InstanceId : 3b081077-f2b5-440d-9905-4239056f83cd
Id : 1
Name : Job1
ChildJobs : {Job2}
PSBeginTime : 9/13/2017 10:24:02 AM
PSEndTime :
PSJobTypeName : ConfigurationJob
Output : {}
Error : {}
Progress : {}
Verbose : {}
Debug : {}
Warning : {}
Information : {}

Child Job
State : Running
StandardParameters : {ConfigurationData, Force}
HasMoreData : True
Location : server name
StatusMessage : Running
JobId :
Bookmark :
Streamed : False
RestartInProgress : False
InDisconnectedMode : False
EnableWhatIf : False
TestDscConfigurationCmdlet : False
ApplyUseExisting : False
UpdateConfigCall : False
Session :
ErrorRecordInStream : False
StartParameters : {}
Command : Start-DscConfiguration -Path path -ComputerName $env:COMPUTERNAME -Force
JobStateInfo : Running
Finished : System.Threading.ManualResetEvent
InstanceId : bd308ad8-dea3-4f93-bbd2-4487a19dec08
Id : 2
Name : Job2
ChildJobs : {}
PSBeginTime : 9/13/2017 10:24:02 AM
PSEndTime :
PSJobTypeName : ConfigurationJob
Output : {}
Error : {}
Progress : {}
Verbose : {Perform operation ‘Invoke CimMethod’ with following parameters, ‘‘methodName’ = SendConfigurationApply,‘className’ =
MSFT_DSCLocalConfigurationManager,‘namespaceName’ = root/Microsoft/Windows/DesiredStateConfiguration’.}
Debug : {}
Warning : {}
Information : {}

I’d like to find any error or warning why the jobs stuck but cannot…
4

Details would be int he DSC Operational and Debug logs (the latter being hidden by default in Event Viewer). Anything there?

5

unfortunately there is no events that might help. the only error I see is because current configuration was stopped by “-Force” parameter… :frowning:

I can also add that the command and whole script is ok because it has successfully run on many other servers. I was doing it many times on the server that has the problem, during one of tries it just stopped working correctly and I don’t know why.

6

hello I have an update. Today I found error message (event ID 4131) in the event viewer -> DSC operational logs. The error message is:

Job DscTimerConsistencyOperationResult :
DSC Engine Error :
Error Message: NULL
Error Code : 1

It does not tell me anything, also in the internet there is no solution for such error.

Is there any option to fully reinstall DSC engine? reinstall of WMF 5.1 does not help.

7

I found the problem.

I checked the most current json file in ‘C:\Windows\System32\Configuration\ConfigurationStatus’ - this is location where DSC logs are also being stored. In the log file I found such line:

[DSCEngine] Warning LCM is in Debug ‘ResourceScriptBreakAll’ mode. Resource script processing will be stopped to wait for PowerShell script debugger to attach."},

The ‘ResourceScriptBreakAll mode’ has been set when I enabled debugging by ‘Enable-DscDebug -BreakAll’ cmdlet.
After I disabled debugging by the ‘Disable-DscDebug’ cmdlet, my script completed as expected.

I hope this will help somebody.