PowerShell DSC File Resource causing WBEM error

Question

I'm trying to use a File resource to copy a lot of files, around 20,000 of them spanning 3000 directories. While DSC does work in deploying the files, I run into a problem when I try to test for them. Everything works fine if I have just a few files in the resource, but if I ever load in my full set in that break things. I can get Test-DSCConfiguration on the target node and get a True result (after increasing the memory on my test server from 4 gigs to 16 gigs), but Get-DSCConfiguration throws this error:

Get-DscConfiguration : The WBEM Server limits have been exceeded (e.g. memory, connections, ...). At line:1 char:1 + Get-DscConfiguration + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : ResourceBusy: (MSFT_DSCLocalConfigurationManager:root/Microsoft/...gurationManager) [Get -DscConfiguration], CimException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MI RESULT 27,Get-DscConfiguration

The configuration is simple:

File ServerBox { Ensure = "Present" Type = "Directory" Recurse = $true MatchSource = $true Force = $true Checksum = "modifiedDate" SourcePath = "\\DevOps\ServerBox" DestinationPath = "D:\ServerBox" }

At first I thought the problem was memory, as I couldn't even get Test-DSCConfiguration to run, but that one threw memory errors, so once I added more to the system I could at least get a True result from the Test. But Get-DSCConfiguration still doesn't function.

Anyone have any insight into the WBEM errors?

This error should also have an event in the application (based on memory) Event log with more details on the WBEM limit being violated. If you Send that, we can go from there. Also, can you send the $psversiontable WBEM is the infrastructure DSC LCM runs in and apparently this operation goes above the resource quotas allowed. — TravisEz13

briantist briantist · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-02T19:41:00

Admittedly this is a guess, but I think that Get-DSCConfiguration probably just wasn't tested enough and is hitting some kind of internal limit.

The thing is, Get-DSCResource is not actually used as part DSC (meaning the LCM doesn't call it, PowerShell doesn't use it in generating configs, Start-DSCConfiguration doesn't use it, etc.).

It only ever gets called if you manually invoke it, so in a lot of ways it's just a stub right now.

When I write custom resources I actually try to make Get- useful; usually by making Set- and/or Test- call Get- internally, but it can be a challenge to do so.

For that reason, it's feasible that a given resource will not have been well-tested with Get-DSCConfiguration.

Sorry I don't have any insight into the error itself. The File resource is not a script resource; I think it's actually native compiled code so it's likely only Microsoft can answer this.

PowerShell DSC File Resource causing WBEM error

2 Answers