VDS_Win03S-r1 Application

[dkblinux98]

I provisioned the VDS_Win03S_r1 application and started it up. Upon startup, it states that it is in a maintenance state.

I have a few questions at this stage....

1) When I click on the login graphical I can see the server boot and go to the ctrl-alt-del screen. I can't seem to send the keystroke combination, however

2) The new server seems to be in a boot loop. What does "maintenance state" mean and how should I proceed from here to have a useable windows server?

[bkonia]

I'm seeing the same thing. When I start the application, it says that the Windows appliance has entered maintenance state. After a long delay, it says that the appliance has started. This is only happening with the Windows appliance. Is it supposed to do that?

[PeterNic]

Maintenance state is an optional intermediate state during appliance startup. It is intended to be used by appliances that discover they need to do something really lengthy and unusual during startup -- for example, recovering a database after an abnormal shutdown. Under normal conditions, appliances start without passing through the maintenance state.

State transition chart:
stopped -> standby -> starting (-> maintenance) -> started | failed -> stopping -> standby -> stopped.

Such maintenance process may take long time -- and one that won't fit in the normal "start timeout" (without extending the start timeout unreasonably); it also shows there is something abnormal with the appliance which the appliance is taking steps to repair. In maintenance state, the appliance has means to communicate progress (which is usually not worth doing for normal start/stop).

I am not sure what this state is used for during Windows VDS appliance startup. I'll ask the APK-for-Windows developer about the case(s) when the Windows appliance enters maintenance state and post here.

Here's what I do know:

Windows does funny things on the first boot after hardware configuration changes. In AppLogic, "hardware configuration changes" are the addition/change/removal of volumes and interfaces -- every time when you do that, the next boot may be somewhat unusual (in some cases, it may even require you to log in through the graphical console for the change to be accepted).

Are you seeing this only on the first boot after change of appliance boundary or provisioning -- or all the time. Have you tried to log in the graphical console (to see if a device manager window needs to be OK'd) and/or succeeded in doing so?



Regards,
-- Peter

[stephen]

On any boot which requires a computer name change, a Windows appliances enters "maintenance state". What it is actually doing is changing the computer name and rebooting, affecting the change.

The computer name for a VDS is derived from the "hostname" property; so, if the current computer name does not match this property, on start the appliance enters maintenance state, changes the name, and reboots.

For Windows server appliances, the computer name is derived from the component name in the application. Similarly, on boot, if the Windows server computer name does not match the component name, the appliance enters maintenance state, changes the name, and reboots.

[PeterNic]

Thanks, Stephen.

Folks, when in doubt or observing a strange/unclear behavior, please also look at the system log ("log list" or "log list n=20"). In the case of the hostname change during start of Windows appliances, there should be a message logged on behalf of the appliance (with the app name and appliance name) stating "rebooting for computername change" -- let me know if that was NOT in the log.

Brad/dkb - please let me know if this is resolved.

Best regards,
-- Peter