Hyper-V: Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService Object Was Not Found Error

Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService Object Was Not Found - Windows Server 2008 x64 with Hyper-V in a Core configuration, provides some interesting challenges. One which I have come across, when working with Hyper-V was the Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService Object Was Not Found error message.

Introduction

Whilst trying to configure a two node Highly available Hyper-V cluster, I came across the Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService. But it all started before the cluster was created. I tried to connect to the Hyper-V Core machine using the Hyper-V Manager MMC from a Windows Server 2008 Full edition, however I was unsuccessful. I could see the status at the bottom of the MMC displaying that it was connecting to the server, but the enumeration of devices never completed and an error was displayed within the MMC:

The "Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService" object was not found

I scratched around for possible reasons behind this error; all servers were communicating, all were part of the domain, firewall exceptions had been made for remote administration, as was remote desktop and I applied the KB950050 patch - there really wasn’t anything else to try.

Solution

All this could have potentially derailed my Hyper-V Core experience.

Seeing that this was a test environment, and given that Namibia (or rather this particular client) has poor links to the internet I didn’t bother to run windows update on the Core servers. I decided to try it, even though it was probably going to take two days to process. The following steps turn on automatic updating and start the update detection process:

Enable Windows Automatic Update on Windows Server 2008 Core

cscript c:\windows\system32\scregedit.wsf /AU 4

Restart the Windows Update Service

Net stop wuauserv

Net start wuauserv

Start the Update Detection Process Manually

Wuauclt.exe /detectnow

Every now and then, inspect the c:\windows\WindowsUpdate.log to ensure that there aren’t any errors. Because Windows Server 2008 x64 has no real GUI, this is the only way to check on the Windows Update progress. Luckily, notepad is available so you can inspect the file locally.

Inspecting c:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log I could tell that new updates were ready to be downloaded. Now the task is to wait for them to come down. I estimated that it should take 1-2 days. I left it running.

Conclusion

I came back the following day only to find that updates had been applied and servers restarted themselves as expected. I decided to try the Hyper-V Manager MMC from another server… It worked, no sign of the Msvm_VirtualSystemManagementService error - the connection was established and things could now move forward. A reminder to always patch the systems and run Windows Update before you start any work.