Windows 7 machines not Syncing - Unable to convert a host name to an ip address

[lus7y]

Hi

We have encountered an issue when we install the safeboot client onto Windows 7 machines, whereby in the status of the client the error "Unable to convert a host name to an IP address" appears. Even after restarting the machine and also waiting for a period of time (24hrs) the client still sits there with this error. Only after going back into the client and hitting synchronize the client then syncs with the database.

With XP machines using the same client the machine synchronize's correctly after the intial install/restart.

Could anyone advise me why this behaviour might be happening on Windows 7 machines and not XP ones?

Cheers

[lus7y]

Just in reply, for now I have set a task sequence to install mcafee client>reboot>copy 3 console files down to the client machine>instigate a sync via command line and then reboot>delete files.

[SafeBoot]

Normally this is a problem with your local dns server or name resolution, so check the name you used for the server (from the client log) I expect the machine is unable to resolve it for some network related reason.

[TechSecurityNat]

We've seen this on XP machines as well.  It's always been a non-EEPC related issue with DNS.  I would suggest adding a sync delay on the boot settings tab, to make sure it's not a matter of trying to sync before Windows finishes loading and connecting various things.  You say that if you click the sync button, it works fine, so clearly it's resolving itself and is more of a timing issue.  I haven't seen it enough to take action.  You could try creating a script to run on logon that runs a ping loop to the server name, logging time and results.  Then you could verify that the time logged in EEPC for a failure probably matches a failed ping result, aka DNS isn't working yet.

[lus7y]

Hi

Thanks for the replies, its just a bit worrying as using the same laptop/netowrk port, the XP image works fine (syncs without intervention), but the Windows 7 image will not sync unless clicked manually.

I will do a little more investigation this week on it.

[TechSecurityNat]

We don't have Win7 in our environment yet, everything is slow to adopt here.  One thing I have noticed in private work is that is seems Vista and Win7 boot faster, but I am skeptical that they seem to drop you at a desktop faster, but background items are still loading for a while.  I haven't timed this, or ran bootvis or anything.  Just an idea that the boot processes are quite different between those OS versions.

[SafeBoot]

indeed this is likely to be the crux of it - The OS is starting the sync prior to the network  being fully established, so add a boot sync delay as suggested a few posts ago and that should stabalize things. Set it to 10min or something reasonable.

[lus7y]

Looking within the console, the properties of the group the machine resides in has "Delay sync at boot 10 Minutes" and Random = 30 Minutes and automatically re-sync after 120 minutes.

I can leave the machine logged on for 24 hrs and the client will not have syncd, unless manually started by going inot the client.

[TechSecurityNat]

Those settings sound reasonable.  I have not experienced any "reported" issues of these syncs never happening.  My only suggestion would be to check the machine's settings, as it may not be set to the group config.

Otherwise, I'd say there is something wrong with the client install and you should apply a remove and reboot from the console manager and then attempt to reinstall the software.  However, this doesn't make very much sense considering we are discussing a new load.