Failing to install ITMS. ConfigureNS - task_Completed(): Configuration Task Pre-Configuring ... Failed: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

The customer is trying to install ITMS. SIM (Symantec Installation Manager) is successful in getting the required MSIs installed but during the initial configuration process, it fails with the following message:

Configuration failed.
A critical error occurred:
Unable to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.

Configuration failed while attempting: Pre-Configuration.

SIM shows messages like:

Entry 1:
Failure 1 during product configure:(exception: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.). Trying again in 20
seconds....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 30/10/2018 11:13:51 a. m., Tick Count: 1986281 (00:33:06.2810000), Size: 388 B
Process: SymantecInstallationManager (1852), Thread ID: 23, Module: SymantecInstallationManager.exe
Priority: 4, Source: Symantec.Installation.ConfigureNS.task_Completed

Entry 2:
Symantec.Installation.ConfigureNS.StartCurrentTask: starting configuration task Pre-Configuring ....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 30/10/2018 11:14:51 a. m., Tick Count: 1986281 (00:33:06.2810000), Size: 388 B
Process: SymantecInstallationManager (1852), Thread ID: 13, Module: SymantecInstallationManager.exe
Priority: 4, Source: Symantec.Installation.ConfigureNS.StartCurrentTask

Entry 3:
ConfigureNS - task_Completed(): Configuration Task Pre-Configuring ... Failed: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.
The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.
[System.Net.WebException @ System.Web.Services]
at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientAsyncResult.WaitForResponse()
at System.Web.Services.Protocols.WebClientProtocol.EndSend(IAsyncResult
asyncResult, Object& internalAsyncState, Stream& responseStream)
at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.EndInvoke(IAsyncResult asyncResult)
at Symantec.Installation.NSConfiguration.Tasks.AsyncTask.EndAsync(IAsyncResult result)

Unable to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.
[System.IO.IOException @ System]
at System.Net.TlsStream.EndWrite(IAsyncResult asyncResult)
at System.Net.ConnectStream.WriteHeadersCallback(IAsyncResult ar)

 

NOTE:
As well you may see an early message like this when SIM was loading initially:

An error has occurred when sending URL request to telemetry server.
The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.
   [System.Net.WebException @ System]
   at System.Net.WebClient.UploadFile(Uri address, String method, String fileName)
   at System.Net.WebClient.UploadFile(String address, String fileName)
   at Symantec.Installation.StatUploaderHelper.ReportFileToTelemetryServer(String telemetryServerUrl, String fileName, Int32& incurredTrafficBytes)

The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 30/10/2018 11:12:31 a. m., Tick Count: 1976281 (00:33:06.2810000), Size: 388 B
Process: SymantecInstallationManager (4196), Thread ID: 10, Module: SymantecInstallationManager.exe
Priority: 1, Source: Symantec.Installation.StatUploaderHelper.ReportFileToTelemetryServer

 

Environment

ITMS 8.0, 8.1, 8.5

Cause

In this particular scenario, the customer is allowing only TLS 1.2. This is a Microsoft misconfiguration. Searching for "The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send" you should find many references only in regards how .NET and TLS 1.2 needs to be properly called.
There are certain places in the registry that needs to be modified to force TLS 1.2 to be the only one in use by .NET.

Resolution

1. Add (or modify if these already exists) the following registry keys with the specified values (save to .reg file and execute, if desired):
   1. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
   "SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
   "SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
   "SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
   "SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727]
   "SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
   "SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
   "SystemDefaultTlsVersions"=dword:00000001
   "SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001

2. Restart SIM.
3. Try to install again.