Error: System.Net.WebException: The remote server returned an error: (401) Unauthorized - when attempting to open /Altiris/NS/Services/NSConfigurationWebService.asmx

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

During an SMP Server upgrade, the configuration process fails.

Entries similar to the following are seen in the NS logs:

 

• Description: Initializing WebService (NSConfigurationWebServiceProxy) at Url: http://<servername>.<yourdomain>.com/Altiris/NS/Services/NSConfigurationWebService.asmx
• Description: Verifying webservice is available at Url: http://<servername>.pdp.<yourdomain>.init.com/Altiris/NS/Services/NSConfigurationWebService.asmx
• Description: Exception encountered while verifying webservice: System.Net.WebException: The remote server returned an error: (401) Unauthorized.

   at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.GetResponse()

   at Symantec.Installation.WebServiceFactory.ServiceAvailable(Type t, String webServiceRootUrl)

Environment

Symantec Management Platform 7.x

Cause

 There were two “A” record entries in DNS which resolve the server to two different host names:

<servername>.<yourdomain>.com

<servername>.pdp.<yourdomain>.init.com

 

The first second entry was the actual FQDN of the server. The first one was an alias. Therefore the installation process was first given “<servername>.<yourdomain>.com” as the FQDN to which to attempt to call the NSConfigurationWebService.asmx page. This caused the server to construct an authentication token as if it was attempting to access another server and not its self.

 

A test was performed to see if this condition existed by opening IE (while logged on as the SMP service account) and attempted to access the page using the two different FQDN records

 

http://<servername>.<yourdomain>.com/Altiris/NS/Services/NSConfigurationWebService.asmx {The result was being challenged to authenticate. Even if given the proper credentials it did not give access to the page}

 

http://<servername>.pdp.<yourdomain>.init.com/Altiris/NS/Services/NSConfigurationWebService.asmx   {Access to the configuration portal was immediately granted}

Resolution

Changed the value of the following two registry strings to “<servername>.pdp<yourdomain>.init.com” and attempted the reconfiguration of the platform in SIM

 

HKLM\Software\Altiris\AIM\Configuration\NSConfiguration

 

NSWebSiteCustomHost

NsWebSiteHost

 

 

Also changing the record for the correct FQDN to use from an “A” record to a “C” record (in DNS) would probably also correct the problem.