Error code lists

When working with Microsoft technologies, we sometimes see the same error message used in different products. This makes a lot of sense because some products will use code from others and some will interact with others. Often overlooked is taking an error message from Configuration Manager and finding an unrelated example from another product. Let me give an example of HTTP. Many of the Configuration Manager roles are based on HTTP communication, and HTTP has a standard set of error messages. Add in some certificates and HTTPS communications and it is not unusual for people to start to get lost in the logs. What is often found is that if we take the error out of its Configuration Manager context for a moment and look at what that error means specifically in Internet Information Services (IIS), then this can help us understand what is happening, which can be applied back to our specific problem. This also works when searching on the Internet for error codes as it is something we all do as there is a breadth of information out there. We may well find that if we search for an error code on the Web, we can see the same error elsewhere; don't be put off and read it through as we might find it gives us that eureka moment.

With this in mind, we are not going to list every error code as this would be exhaustive; however, it is worthwhile bookmarking these standard lists that are recommended as being useful. Many of these error codes are also embedded into CMTrace and can be looked up through Tools | Errors Lookup.

• Windows Installer Errors Reference: This will help us understand the return codes from any Windows application or package deployments which is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368371.aspx.
• HTTP Status Codes: These are the standard status codes used by IIS and can prove particularly useful when troubleshooting the availability of IIS-based roles. More information is available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943891.
• Custom Error Codes for Configuration Manager 2007: Don't worry, this is not a typo; these are reference error codes for an old product version. This is because there is no formal published list for 2012 or current branch versions; however, you will find that the custom codes have changed very little, so this is still a great list to have. More information is available at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb632794.aspx.