SCCM PKI Fun with Certificates

This was fun problem to sort out.  I was asked to jump in and fix a SCCM server already built to work with PKI.  Attempts to get clients registered with the server would end up with bizarre error messages like this:

RegTask: Client is not registered. Sending registration request
RegTask: Reply for registration was empty. Error: 0x8000ffff

I worked on the problem for about 8 hours at work, then went home and setup PKI in my home SCCM lab in about 30 minutes.  I decided I needed to enlist Microsoft PSS on this issue.

After working with Microsoft for about 2.5 hours: they tracked the problem to the certificate on the management point bound to IIS being “too new”.  Essentially, SCCM has legacy code in it that only understands certificates based on the CSP templates (Windows XP/Server 2003) and not KSP/CNG templates (Windows Server 2008 and later).

This is explained in more detail here:

https://www.sevecek.com/EnglishPages/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=66

The funny part is I was actually using a CA template I had found on the production distribution points that were already up and working, but I guess using the wrong certificate template on DPs doesn’t matter, but using the wrong one on the MP does matter for client registration at least!

I had no access to the CA server, so I couldn’t snoop around on the properties of said certificate templates and they were named “2012 or later IIS”.  Of course the management server is running Windows Server 2012 R2, so why wouldn’t I pick that template?

In the end, you have to use the command line to see the cryptographic provider of the certificates (this doesn’t show up in the GUI):

certutil -repairstore my *

It seems that other people are annoyed by this and according to Microsoft the ability to use CNG or more “modern” certificate templates is coming in a newer build of SCCM:

https://configurationmanager.uservoice.com/forums/300492-ideas/suggestions/17451757-support-v3-and-newer-certificate-templates-for-htt

  • Soli Deo Gloria

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