Symptoms

Distribution server synchronizations are failing to take place.

AND

When setting up or editing a distribution server, you click 'Test Connection', and receive the error message:

Path is not accessible at this time: The communication object, System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel, cannot be used for communication because it is in the Faulted state.

Within the ST.ServiceHost.managed.log there may be the following:

2014-12-11T23:22:24.2616476Z 0026 E CredentialsService.cs:230|System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The validation information class requested was invalid

   at ST.Core.Win32.WindowsIdentityExtensions.LogOnUser(String userName, String domain, SecureString password, LogOnType logOnType)

   at ST.Core.Win32.WindowsIdentityImpersonator..ctor(String userName, SecureString password)

   at ST.Services.Deployment.Credentials.CredentialsService.CheckPathAccess(String path, ServiceCredential credential)

Cause

The problem is related to how you're attempting to specify a Microsoft account that is set up as an administrator.

See the example below. You can see that Windows shows the user account with the user's name as well as the email account it is associated with.

If your Protect console is installed on a system where a Microsoft account is also the local Administrator, when you go to add a new credential to Protect the default offering for an account will be the local administrator - .\User. In this case, .\Adam.

However, when Protect attempts to use a Microsoft account in this format for connecting to a share, it fails with the above error.

Resolution

Specify the Microsoft account with the user entered as the email address associated to the account. The connection will succeed if you specify the account in this way.

Additional Information

Help: Configuring Distribution Servers

Affected Product(s)

Shavlik Protect 9.1