The task sequence has been suspended.
LiteTouch has encountered and Environment Error (Boot into WinPE!)

Look familiar? I'm surprised of the few search results on such an error. The problem occurs because MDT will often not clean up MININT and _SMSTaskSequence on C drive. Don't believe me? Hit F8 after loading your windows 7 PE disk to bring up a command prompt and navigate to C. If that turns out to NOT be the case you should adjust the BIOS  order to have harddrive loaded first. If it persists, another solution is to run diskpart and clean the drive from the console.

A solution to prevent this, rather than a workaround? Modify your task sequence to include a couple commands to clear those directories. Right click your task sequence, go to properties then the Task Sequence Tab. Click add and create two 'Run Command Line' tasks. Place them in an appropriate area.

Have one with:
If Exist C:\_SMSTaskSequence\nul rd C:\_SMSTaskSequence /s /q

The other with:
If Exist C:\MININT\nul rd C:\MININT /s /q

'\nul' is not required however it wont hurt. If you end up using these in a batch file though, then you will want those. When batch files check for the existence or not of a directory, using 'if exist' or 'if not exist', if the directory is being checked for on a Windows system then the batch file needs to use '\NUL'

PCIDatabase.com is a great website that allows you to ID certain missing components. However I wanted something a bit quicker. So I implemented their list into a tool that shows what device manager essentially shows and matches the device up with the list instantly. It also provides quick links for common vendors. Here's a quick screen:

This was coded with speed/rushing in mind so don't expect this to be bullet proof. Also if this ever gets a bit popular I'll likely end up adding features and getting it bulletproof.

Mike Morawski's Driver Detect (Download 1.0Mb)

start /wait "c:\My Files\Setup.exe" /silent /norestart

will result in a friendly Invalid Switch – "/silent". Yet taking the space out of the "My Files" folder and adjusting the command to match that, will suddenly have this work. I get annoyed and just have to find the solution no matter the cost when I can't figure out why things just don't work >:( The problem here is that the quotes throw off the input the start command is expecting. Take a look:

START ["title"] [/D path] [/I] [/MIN] [/MAX] [/SEPARATE | /SHARED] [/LOW | /NORMAL | /HIGH | /REALTIME | /ABOVENORMAL | /BELOWNORMAL] [/AFFINITY ] [/WAIT] [/B] [command/program] [parameters]

The quoted path to the Setup.exe becomes the title, hence why another command window pops up with that name. Solution? Quite simple now that you know that:

start /wait "ANYTHING!" "c:\My Files\Setup.exe" /silent /norestart

Nothing great here, just a problem I keep on stumbling on, forgetting the fix, and rummaging through everything I can find to figure out what it was. Hopefully I'll remember this post next time…

Download and Extract WPKG and WPKGExpress Packages

First, start off by downloading WPKG and wpkgexpress. I used WPKG v1.1.2 and wpkgexpress v1.0-r12. Extract both files. I did so in my users home download directory (this is just an example, feel free to place whereever!).

tar -jxvf WPKG-1.1.2.tar.bz2
mkdir express
mv wpkgexpress_v1.0-r12.tar.gz ./express
tar -zxvf wpkgexpress_v1.0-r12.tar.gz

When complete, share the WPKG directory. Below are screenshots of how to do so using Nautilus. Right click WPKG-1.1.2 to get to the sharing options, click Share this folder and hit Create Share. If it denies you sharing, you will need to enter get to the Samba Configuration (Yast -> Samba Server -> Shares Tab) and check "Allow Users to Share Their Directories".

Support Software Installation

Onto the software installation for supporting wpkgexpress. Open up the software manager and start shopping for the following:

apache2

apache2-mod_php5 (not installed by default as a dependency for apache2!)

mysql

mysql-gui-tools

php5-mysql

If you are using another operating system or version, ensure you have PCRE installed (a quick search in your manager should suffice).

Before continuing, ensure your apache is working. If not, troubleshoot (out of scope here but google always helps!). To do so, enter System Services (Yast), enter expert mode, and click apache2. It can then be started with the drop down in the lower left ("Start/Stop/Refresh"). You can also apply it to start at specific runlevels (I used 3 and 5). Hit OK. Try browsing to http://localhost and see if you get something other than the basic "Server not found" error. Apache might complain that there is no file to serve to you, but that means it is at least functioning as it should.

WPKGExpress Web Setup

Time to get the wpkgexpress files served by apache. Unfortunately this isn't as easy as dropping the files into htdocs. Lets start with that though. Enter the directory with your extracted wpkgexpress files and do the following (adjust to your needs, folders may not be the same for you)

mv * /srv/www/htdocs/
mv .htaccess /srv/www/htdocs/

Next, looking at the common issues posted on the wpkgexpress website. If you now goto http://localhost/installer and you see "404 Not Found" chances are you're going to need to follow this document, as will I. The below instructs how to resolve this issue.

Open up and modify /etc/apache2/default-server.conf as root and edit your file to look like mine below. Simply put, AllowOverride needs to be set to All and Options needs to be set to SymLinksIfOwnerMatch (or All)

Now, run a2enmod -l as root to list the current modules. If rewrite is not in that list, use a2enmod rewrite.

Restart apache2, mysql with System Services (Runlevel) in yast.

SQL Backend Setup

Load up MySQL Administrator and by Login with root (no password by default)

Change the default password seen here and apply, for security. Create a new user, I named mine wpkg. Apply a password, then right click the user (bottom left) and add a host (localhost).

Now set up a blank database for wpkgexpress and apply privledges to wpkg

WPKG Express Web Front End Setup

Check out your local website again and if all is well (so far) you should have a setup/installer window requesting information.

Edit (13/07/10, thanks Justin for feedback): If you get error “Could not open database config file for writing” you will have to adjust file permissions. I took the easy way out and did the following (If anyone knows of the exact file this is complaining about please let me know in comments):

chmod -R 777 /srv/www/htdocs

If all goes well you will be treated with this screen

Integrating WPKG with WpkgExpress

Not done yet though! Not if you want to have these values be pulled from wpkg. Load up config.xml in the WPKG directory for editing. We are going to follow this from the wpkgexpress website. If you used some of the more advanced web settings when going through the two step website setup this will not fully apply to you (use the link provided)

Uncomment wpkg_base and enter in your url (I used my servers IP address), then change the web_* values to the following values in the second picture below.

All done, enjoy!

Troubleshooting

Fatal error: Call to undefined function mysql_connect()

This happens if you did not install php5-mysql! This is usually not installed by default or as a dependency to php. To test if you have this installed, make a page in your htdocs with the following code in it and view it in a browser:

 <?php phpinfo() ?>

"WNetAddConnection2->A specified logon session does not exists. It may already have been terminated."

The client set up is up to you as it is out of the scope for this guide. However I will touch up on an 'gotcha'. If you get problems with wpkg not working/installing updates always check the event log for the error. If you run accross "WNetAddConnection2->A specified logon session does not exists. It may already have been terminated." it is because of your wpkg client settings. Make sure the user entered in has WORKSTATION\, WORKGROUP\, or DOMAIN\ before the username!

Good luck

You can dig through Novell's AutoAdminLogin Guide or you can run this:

This tool has been tested on client 4.90 and 4.91, it should work on most newer versions as well. If not let me know and I can always throw in an update.

To add a shared login:

Enter in a username and password for the windows login to use. This does NOT have to exist, it will warn if an account does not exist, but it will give you the option to automatically create a new account. This new account is added as an administrator. The program will also disallow workstation only logins, unless you specify not to take that away in the checkbox provided. Lastly, its often wise to stop the user from changing both their Novell password and local workstation password (invalidating the autologin) so its nice to have the user account set so that the user cannot change the local password. Click the 'Set up local account' button to proceed, and look over the log it outputs for any major errors.

*This program disables log-out from the start menu and other areas via group polices. Windows will not re-autologin once logged out. Hence a restart or shutdown is needed.

To disable an existing shared login:

Simply click the button, it will remove the group policies and registry keys but leave the user intact. In this area it will show you the main registry keys controlling the autologin. Once again, review the log for any anomalies.

This program was built on Dot Net 2.0
If there is a problem running this program, ensure you have Microsoft .NET 2.0 installed. If there are security errors, try running from the local drive or a usb stick if you are attempting to run on a network share.

DOWNLOAD HERE:
Novell Auto-Login Tool (Windows XP)

Running the ObjectStore MSI directly will result in an error stating that it must be started from the setup.exe. This makes things a bit difficult. I initially tried using ORCA to dig inside the MSI however I could not find a way to bypass that specific check. After searching around for other MSI's with similar behavior, I read that installscripts such as this one cannot be bypassed. Fortunately after many tests I found that running the below command got me at a starting point:

CDROM:\Support Files\Progress\ObjectStore\setup.exe -r

The above runs through and installs the program on the computer, using the input you provided. Unlike the regular setup this is used with -r switch, r meaning record. Post-install check the Windows directory for a setup.iss file. This is the configuration file for all future setups. It will look like this on the inside:

[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-DlgOrder]
Dlg0={9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdLicense-0
Count=5
Dlg1={9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SprintfBox-0
Dlg2={9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdAskDestPath-0
Dlg3={9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdFinish-0
Dlg4={9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-RebootDialog-0
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SprintfBox-0]
Result=1
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdSetupCompleteError-12060]
Result=1
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdLicense-0]
Result=1
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdAskDestPath-0]
szDir=C:\ODI
Result=1
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdFinish-0]
Result=1
bOpt1=0
bOpt2=0
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-RebootDialog-0]
Result=0
Choice=0

With this answer file, you can now run the below command on computers and have a silent install. Be sure to note the lack of space directly after the -f1 argument.

CDROM:\Support Files\Progress\ObjectStore\setup.exe -f1"{location of ISS file}" /S /v /qn

Lastly, I dug around and found some other properties which look like they can be appended to the ISS file to provide additional setup. I have not gone far enough to know exactly what they do but I will document any future findings if I need anything more than the regular setup.

[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdWelcomeMaint-0]
Result=301
[{9F72D512-EDC5-40A0-B2E6-782536DEC91B}-SdAskOptions-0]
Component-type=string
Component-count=1
Component-0=Yes - start the ObjectStore Server automatically.
Result=1

I hope I'm the only one stuck with this software!

Guide Requirements:

-Basic wiring/soldering skills
-Laptop with Windows XP (or similar)
-Willingness to buy parts from eBay (Rs232 TTL converter)
-Spare USB cable to cut up (USB-A, the flat rectangular kind)

Step 1 – Acquire Parts

You will need a USB-A cable, just one end. If you can, find an older piece of computer equipment you dont need (i.e. a mouse) and cut the end off, leave as much length as you can. The other piece of the puzzle is a 5-volt RS232 to TTL Converter. These are rather common and can be found locally if you have a good electronics shop, otherwise eBay works great. There are hundreds of these listed, often below $10.00 USD (shipping included).

The standard serial port communicates with voltages levels -/+10v, however communication with the Emanage requires a range of 0-5v as it is a Logic Level device. You will need one of these that will accept an operating voltage of 5 volts.

Step 2 – Construct

Strip your usb cable, there will be a foil and/or braided meshjust below the plastic. Using your hands pull this back and unravel it to reveal the four wires on the inside. They are most commonly coloured as red/black/white/green though can be any colour combination. You can simply cut off the mesh/foil shielding for this. Strip the end of every wire (very little needs to be showing, perhaps 2 or 3 mm.

It's time fire up the solder gun. Look at your converter and find where the +5, Ground, tx and rx outputs are.  They should be labelled or your part should have instructions. Here is where the USB connector wires should go to, use the chart and the image pinout of the usb to link it all together. 

Be sure to use a multimeter to check that you really have vcc, or gnd, etc before soldering into the board. Here is a picture of my end result:

Step 3 – Software

Emanage can be downloaded from this emanage group on yahoo. Sign up, and download e-manage149.EXE as well as v1.11.rar. Use winrar (provided on same group) to extract v1.11.rar then find and run the setup.exe. Following that run e-manage149.EXE, it will ask for an extraction directory and defaults to a temporary directory. This must be changed, change this to an area such as c:\temp. I've never found this update to install correctly, often failing with non-english errors. When that happens, exit out of it, and navigate to the directory where the files were extracted to. Copy all files except eUp.ini and eUp.exe. Move these files over top of where you installed the management tool 1.11 (defaults to C:\Program Files\TRUST\GReddy e-manage support tool).

Step 4 – TUNE

Plug the cable into your computer before loading the program. Turn on the car (ACC) and then start emanage. Once connected its all up to you. The program may ask for a main unit update, in which case allow it to do so. If it prompts for a file, select the one that shows up in the dialog box or look for one within the emanage program directory.

TROUBLESHOOTING / QUESTIONS

I hope you don't have to read this, fortunately I ran accross many problems and maybe I have a fix for you.

The tool reports itself as online, but when I try to do anything it says "MAIN UNIT UPDATE" and "Corresponding… Please Wait"
I had this happen when the rx and tx wires were backwards. I've heard others having this problem, I think they just had the wires backwards. Also ensure your emanage is at its latest.

It keeps asking for a password, why?
Greddy's preconfigured maps are protected so they can't be tampered with. Simply overwrite the map to get past this. I believe a main unit update may do the same as well (communications menu)

Can I use a USB – Serial adapter for this?
Yes, I have used one with no troubles. Most newer laptops do not have the serial port.

Still not working…
Still? Time to check the wiring. You'll want to go as far back as checking the serial port from your computer. There is a method called a loopback test. Essentially this involves using windows hyperterminal and jumping the correct pins, and making sure the data the computer sends out routes back to itself. If you see an 'echo' of what was typed, you know its working up until that point. It takes some detail, but there are PLENTY of resources on it. Start here.

After the serial loopback test is confirmed working (if not your laptop is busted). Its time to do a Converter side loopback test. This involves the same idea. Put the converter into your serial port and jump tx and rx wires, this wont work until the board is fed with voltage (5v). An easy way to supply voltage is to get two wires with stripped ends, rig three AA batteries together in series and use electrical tape to get a wire at each end on the contact. Then put the positive wire to V5 on the board and the negative side to the GD (ground). Run loopback test and ensure your converter works. To do all this it is likely easier to cut off the USB side and strip the ends of the wires to get easier contacts then reconnect everything once tested working.

If the serial port and converter both test working, then the problem is likely with the port settings in emanage. Make sure your using the right COM port (or just try each one). You can also navigate to control panel -> system -> device manager -> Ports and play with the settings there. I believe the most common settings are 9600 bits per second, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow control for best results.

Good luck! If this has helped you let me know!