Install hangs at 75% when installing Zimbra Collaboration Suite Appliance

[CyberLogic]

I've tried multiple times now to install the Zimbra Collaboration Suite Appliance. I configure through the https website and each time it gets to the "Starting mailstore services" with no visible error message or install failures and then just hangs at that stage. This is during the initial install process after my first Login to the website. The progress meter is at 75% and just never progresses further. When the virtual machine is rebooted the server comes back up but the website never again works. After logging into the website the window just hangs and never progresses to the Zimbra Status window. Any idea's at what may be causing this?

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by CyberLogic

Any idea's at what may be causing this?

You've given no details of which VM platform you're installing the appliance nor how much RAM is allocated to it or the host server.

[CyberLogic]

This is on VMWare vSphere Hypervisor ESXi 4.1. A brand new install with no other VM's on the host. 4GB has been allocated to the Zimbra Virtual Machine. Also it's the trial version of the Zimbra Appliance I'm trying to get working.

Also hopefully this helps as it's every step I've done thus far.

Step’s I’ve followed thus far for installing the latest version of Zimbra Appliance on the latest version of VMWare ESXi.
In the vSphere Client.
Deploy OVF Template
Point to the OVF File directory that Zimba is in
Accept License Agreement
Select Trial Configuration
Choose Thick provisioned format
Click Finish

It then installs the Virtual Machine from the OVF info.

Next I right click/edit settings on the Virtual Machine properties and change the used memory from 2GB to 4GB and click OK.

Now I power on the virtual machine for the first time and open the console window in the vSphere client.

In the console I accept the end user license agreement and then it starts it’s automatic install process. The install process does not show any visible errors. It then ask me to set the password for the configuration user. I set the password and confirm it.

It then drops me into the Zimbra blue screen that allows me to Login to the command prompt, Configure the Network and set the Timezone. I leave it on the IP it gets from my DHCP server for the purpose of this test. It says in the blue window that I may manage this VM by browsing to https://10.10.10.19:5480.

I browse that address in my web browser and login as vmware user with the password that was setup previously. It then comes up with a window asking for Zimbra Hostname, Admin Email address, admin password, verify password. I enter the Zimbra Hostname as “Server1” for the purpose of this test. The Admin Email address I set to Admin@nxtlvl.biz (One of the domains I own). And set and confirm the password and click next. It then goes through some sort of auto install process. This is the point it freezes at 75% when it’s on the step “Creating Mailbox store”. I have cut and paste the entirty of this install process here.

Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuration started
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service antivirus enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service antispam enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service mailbox enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service mta enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service convertd enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service stats enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:28 2011: Configuring service ldap enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:29 2011: Configuring service spell enabled
Tue Jan 25 13:33:29 2011: Adding Server1 to /etc/hosts
Tue Jan 25 13:33:29 2011: Set zimbra hostname to Server1
Tue Jan 25 13:33:36 2011: Resetting root ldap password
Tue Jan 25 13:33:46 2011: Resetting system amavis password
Tue Jan 25 13:33:49 2011: Resetting system replication password
Tue Jan 25 13:33:52 2011: Resetting system nginx password
Tue Jan 25 13:33:55 2011: Resetting system postfix password
Tue Jan 25 13:33:58 2011: Rename domain to nxtlvl.biz
Tue Jan 25 13:34:10 2011: Rename admin account to Admin@nxtlvl.biz
Tue Jan 25 13:34:26 2011: Update server entries
Tue Jan 25 13:34:26 2011: Rename server to Server1
Tue Jan 25 13:34:27 2011: Enable Zimbra services on system startup
Tue Jan 25 13:34:27 2011: Verifying Permissions
Tue Jan 25 20:26:27 2011: Creating new server certificate
Tue Jan 25 20:27:17 2011: Expanding LV
Tue Jan 25 20:27:21 2011: Starting LDAP services
Tue Jan 25 20:27:27 2011: Generating preauth key for nxtlvl.biz
Tue Jan 25 20:27:33 2011: Setting Zimbra services
Tue Jan 25 20:27:33 2011: Setting Zimbra services -zimbraServiceEnabled memcached -zimbraServiceEnabled imapproxy -zimbraServiceEnabled logger -zimbraServiceEnabled snmp
Tue Jan 25 20:27:33 2011: Starting mailstore services

[marcmac]

Thanks for the details in your post. I suspect that the most likely problem is that your hostname, server1, isn't really fully qualified, and it's likely causing some problems with the mailstore startup.

One thing you could do is log into the box (user vmware, password whatever config password you set) and send us the logs in /opt/zcs-installer/logs - this should show us the installation logs in more detail.

Also, when you say "trial version of the appliance" can you tell me what version it is (or the ovf filename) and the URL you got it from?

Also, you're doing an OVF deployment to an ESX server, which won't preserve the OVF variable data - which is why you're entering everything twice. If you deploy to a vCenter management server, you won't have to go through the second EULA, configuration, etc. (This isn't causing your problem, but it's more work for you.)

[CyberLogic]

Sorry for the length of time it took for a response. I took your advice of the hostname not being fully qualified and entered a fully qualified domain name with the hostname of mail.cmaz.net. That appears to have worked. It got past the "Starting Mailstore services" part but it did stay on that step for a little over an hour. It then finished the setup and I clicked OK. Sadly I appear to still have an issue. I logged into the Zimbra Appliance through the webbrowser and when I click on "Zimbra Administration" it states "Zimbra services are not available.
Please verify that all services are running on the status tab". When i check the Zimbra Status Page it shows all services with a green dot and running. I've tried rebooting the appliance and clicking on "Stop All Services" and "Start All Services" and none of it has helped. I have attached the log from the setup as well as the diagnostic log I ran. Any advice on what is causing this and how to fix it would be much appreciated.

BTW the Zimbra version is 6.0.7.341

Thanks!

[CyberLogic]

Any idea's on this guys? Really need to get this server up and working.

[CyberLogic]

Well we ended up having to hire a Zimbra consultant to assist with the installation. So that future people do not spend as much time stuck on this issue as we did I wanted to explain what was done to get the server up and running.

First we needed to modify the hosts file under /etc and add the name "mail" after the mail.servername.com entry. Additionally, in the hostname file under /etc we needed to add mail as another name for the server. Lastly, we needed to setup a local DNS server On-Site with a zone that would resolve mail.servername.com to the local ip address as opposed to the public IP address. After doing this the server is now working correctly.

[Tripple]

Because the appliance and the network edition have the same backup options and there's a free license for 10 users, I tried to give the appliance a go.

First of all, I don't like Debian. Second, changing the hosts file when the appliance hangs at 75% didn't work. Wrong keyboard layout etc....

So I gave up, deleted the appliance and keep using the open source edition which is more then I need.

One last word to the sales department. I don't understand why there's a free 10 users license when I use the Debian appliance, but not with the network edition. Shouldn't be that much trouble to take care of this.

Greetings from a happy Zimbra user :-)

[brian]

Tripple: The Appliance is Ubuntu8 based not Debian. It consumes the Ubuntu8 ZCS network edition release.

[Tripple]

Don't know why I thought it was Debian.
Anyway, I trashed it.

But IMHO, there should be a free 10 users network edition license.