WMI Error when applying a static IP address using VMware service

[offensivecrayons]

When using the Vmware metadata service we keep getting failures when it tries to apply the static IP.
were using gzip + base64 encoding and it seems like it can read the metadata file it just has issues applying it. we've tried everything we can think of. ive included attachments of the config if it helps. we are using Vsphere 7 (could be an issue?) with the latest 12 version of tools in our test environment.
were using the stable 1.1.6 release and windows server 2022

troubleshooting tried:
disabling firewall on template
automatic and delayed start on cloudbase-init service
Cloudbase-init reinstall
Vmware tools reinstall

if anyone can shed light on this it would be appreciated

metadata.yml
unattend.xml

error logs:
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.utils.classloader [-] Loading class 'cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.sethostname.SetHostNamePlugin' load_class C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\utils\classloader.py:35
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.utils.classloader [-] Loading class 'cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.networkconfig.NetworkConfigPlugin' load_class C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\utils\classloader.py:35
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.utils.classloader [-] Loading class 'cloudbaseinit.plugins.windows.extendvolumes.ExtendVolumesPlugin' load_class C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\utils\classloader.py:35
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 INFO cloudbaseinit.init [-] Executing plugins for stage 'MAIN':
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.init [-] Plugin 'SetHostNamePlugin' execution already done, skipping _exec_plugin C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\init.py:61
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 INFO cloudbaseinit.init [-] Executing plugin 'NetworkConfigPlugin'
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.metadata.services.vmwareguestinfoservice [-] network data {'version': 2, 'ethernets': {'Ethernet0': {'match': {'macaddress': '00:50:56:9d:7e:6e'}, 'set-name': 'ethernet0', 'addresses': ['192.168.1.55/24'], 'gateway4': '192.168.1.1', 'nameservers': {'addresses': ['10.130.10.11', '10.131.10.11']}}}} _process_network_config C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\metadata\services\vmwareguestinfoservice.py:240
2026-03-16 08:24:19.158 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.utils.classloader [-] Loading class 'cloudbaseinit.osutils.windows.WindowsUtils' load_class C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\utils\classloader.py:35
2026-03-16 08:24:19.221 1488 INFO cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.networkconfig [-] Renaming network adapter "Ethernet0" to "ethernet0"
2026-03-16 08:24:19.642 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.networkconfig [-] Enable network adapter "ethernet0": True _process_link_common C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\plugins\common\networkconfig.py:185
2026-03-16 08:24:19.861 1488 INFO cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.networkconfig [-] Setting static IP configuration on network adapter "ethernet0". IP: 192.168.1.55, prefix length: 24, gateway: 192.168.1.1, dns: [REDACTED]
2026-03-16 08:24:19.924 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.osutils.windows [-] Removing existing IP address "169.254.176.38" from adapter "ethernet0" _set_static_network_config C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\osutils\windows.py:987
2026-03-16 08:24:19.939 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.osutils.windows [-] Removing existing route "255.255.255.255/32" from adapter "ethernet0" _set_static_network_config C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\osutils\windows.py:996
2026-03-16 08:24:19.939 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.osutils.windows [-] Removing existing route "224.0.0.0/4" from adapter "ethernet0" _set_static_network_config C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\osutils\windows.py:996
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init [-] plugin 'NetworkConfigPlugin' failed with error '<x_wmi: The RPC server is unavailable.

(1722, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', (0, None, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', None, None, 1722), None)>': wmi.x_wmi: <x_wmi: The RPC server is unavailable.

2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init [-] <x_wmi: The RPC server is unavailable.

(1722, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', (0, None, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', None, None, 1722), None)>: wmi.x_wmi: <x_wmi: The RPC server is unavailable.

(1722, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', (0, None, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', None, None, 1722), None)>
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init Traceback (most recent call last):
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init_.py", line 112, in func_wrapper
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init return func(*args, **kwargs)
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init_.py", line 699, in invoke_method
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init r = op.get_next_instance()
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init PyMI.error: {'error_code': 1722, 'mi_result': 1, 'message': 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n'}
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init Traceback (most recent call last):
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\init.py", line 66, in _exec_plugin
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init (status, reboot_required) = plugin.execute(service,
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\plugins\common\networkconfig.py", line 307, in execute
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init return self._process_network_details_v2(network_details)
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\plugins\common\networkconfig.py", line 299, in _process_network_details_v2
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init reboot_required = NetworkConfigPlugin._process_networks(
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\plugins\common\networkconfig.py", line 285, in process_networks
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init reboot = osutils.set_static_network_config(
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\osutils\windows.py", line 1014, in set_static_network_config
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init self.set_static_network_config(
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\osutils\windows.py", line 1002, in set_static_network_config
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init conn.MSFT_NetIPAddress.create(
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init.py", line 62, in wrapper
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init return f(*args, **kwargs)
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init.py", line 112, in func_wrapper
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init return func(*args, **kwargs)
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init.py", line 149, in call
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init return self.conn.invoke_method(
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init File "C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\wmi_init.py", line 125, in func_wrapper
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init raise x_wmi(err_msg, com_ex)
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init wmi.x_wmi: <x_wmi: The RPC server is unavailable.

2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init (1722, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', (0, None, 'The RPC server is unavailable.\r\n', None, None, 1722), None)>
2026-03-16 08:24:19.955 1488 ERROR cloudbaseinit.init
2026-03-16 08:24:19.971 1488 INFO cloudbaseinit.init [-] Executing plugin 'ExtendVolumesPlugin'
2026-03-16 08:24:19.971 1488 DEBUG cloudbaseinit.utils.classloader [-] Loading class 'cloudbaseinit.osutils.windows.WindowsUtils' load_class C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\Python\Lib\site-packages\cloudbaseinit\utils\classloader.py:35

[ader1990]

Hello, thanks for the detailed explanation. Similar issues from the past were related to the WMI implementor not being ready, are you running cloudbase-init after the sysprep has ended the specialize step? And to be sure, if you retry to run cloudbase-init after some time, does it fail in the same way?

[ader1990]

From the logs and the configuration presented, although I cannot be 100% sure - please confirm, it seems that the static network config is executed during the specialize step. Can you please give the details on what Windows version (ISO name, sysconfig output) are you using? Might be the case that the wmi adapter for setting the network configuration is either not ready, or not actually running during the specialize step.

A workaround would be to move the network plugin execution to the service's cloudbase-init.conf, if possible for the moment.

Thanks.

[offensivecrayons]

Hi, Thanks for the quick response.
Our workflow for this is

1. Test template is cloned from golden template Windows 2022, cloudbase-init installed and CB-I config files put into place on test template and then sysprepped using the below command:
   C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /mode:vm "/unattend:C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\conf\Unattend.xml"
2. test template is cloned to a VM, metadata is set on the Vsphere VM options and the VM is booted
3. VM reboots around 5 times then we get the "Windows could not start the installation process" error
4. we press shift + F10, open regedit and edit "HKLM/SYSTEM/Setup/Status/ChildCompletion/setup.exe" reg to 3 and reboot
5. investigate the logs

our template / VM version is Windows Server 2022 standard: 10.0.20348 Build 20348. Sorry I don't understand how to get the sysconfig your after.

let me try with moving the network setup to cloudbase-init.conf and ill get back to you.