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Log detailed error codes from Windows Update Client event logs on installation failure. #184

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Merged
copybara-service merged 1 commit into from
Apr 15, 2026
Merged

Log detailed error codes from Windows Update Client event logs on installation failure. #184

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18 changes: 10 additions & 8 deletions cabbie.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -310,6 +310,7 @@ func setRebootMetric() {
}

func enforce() error {
ctx := context.Background()
updates, err := enforcement.Get()
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("error retrieving required updates: %v", err)
Expand All @@ -320,7 +321,7 @@ func enforce() error {
var failures error
if len(updates.Required) > 0 {
i := installCmd{kbs: strings.Join(updates.Required, ",")}
if err := i.installUpdates(); err != nil {
if err := i.installUpdates(ctx); err != nil {
failures = fmt.Errorf("error enforcing required updates: %v", err)
deck.ErrorA(failures).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -350,6 +351,7 @@ func initDriverExclusion() error {
}

func runMainLoop() error {
ctx := context.Background()
if err := notification.CleanNotifications(cablib.SvcName); err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error clearing old notifications:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrNotifications)).Go()
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -400,7 +402,7 @@ func runMainLoop() error {
select {
case <-t.Default.C:
i := installCmd{Interactive: false}
err := i.installUpdates()
err := i.installUpdates(ctx)
if err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error installing system updates:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -445,7 +447,7 @@ func runMainLoop() error {
if trimmedOpen.Before(now) && trimmedClose.After(now) && ((today >= maintOpenDay) && (today <= maintCloseDay)) {
deck.InfofA("Active Hours + Maintenance window open: Starting installation process.").With(eventID(cablib.EvtInstall)).Go()
i := installCmd{Interactive: false}
err := i.installUpdates()
err := i.installUpdates(ctx)
if err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error installing system updates:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
}
Expand All @@ -461,7 +463,7 @@ func runMainLoop() error {
if s[0].State == "open" {
deck.InfofA("Maintenance window open: Starting installation process.").With(eventID(cablib.EvtInstall)).Go()
i := installCmd{Interactive: false}
err := i.installUpdates()
err := i.installUpdates(ctx)
if err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error installing system updates:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -503,23 +505,23 @@ func runMainLoop() error {

if config.Deadline != 0 {
i := installCmd{Interactive: false, deadlineOnly: true}
if err := i.installUpdates(); err != nil {
if err := i.installUpdates(ctx); err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error installing system updates:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
}
}
case <-t.Virus.C:
i := installCmd{Interactive: false, virusDef: true}
err := i.installUpdates()
err := i.installUpdates(ctx)
if e := virusUpdateSuccess.Set(err == nil); e != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error posting virusUpdateSuccess metric:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrMetricReport)).Go()
deck.ErrorfA("Error posting virusUpdateSuccess metric:\n%v", e).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrMetricReport)).Go()
}
if err != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error installing virus definitions:\n%v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
break
}
case <-t.Driver.C:
i := installCmd{Interactive: false, drivers: true}
err := i.installUpdates()
err := i.installUpdates(ctx)
if e := driverUpdateSuccess.Set(err == nil); e != nil {
deck.ErrorfA("Error posting driverUpdateSuccess metric:\n%v", e).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrMetricReport)).Go()
}
Expand Down
39 changes: 36 additions & 3 deletions install.go
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -14,10 +14,12 @@
package main

import (
"bytes"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
"errors"
"fmt"
"os"
"os/exec"
"path/filepath"
"strings"
"time"
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -86,12 +88,12 @@ func vetFlags(i installCmd) error {
return nil
}

func (i installCmd) Execute(_ context.Context, flags *flag.FlagSet, _ ...any) subcommands.ExitStatus {
func (i installCmd) Execute(ctx context.Context, flags *flag.FlagSet, _ ...any) subcommands.ExitStatus {
if err := vetFlags(i); err != nil {
return subcommands.ExitUsageError
}

if err := i.installUpdates(); err != nil {
if err := i.installUpdates(ctx); err != nil {
fmt.Printf("Failed to install updates: %v", err)
deck.ErrorfA("Failed to install updates: %v", err).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
return subcommands.ExitFailure
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -165,6 +167,34 @@ func downloadCollection(s *session.UpdateSession, c *updatecollection.Collection
return d.ResultCode()
}

// fetchDetailedUpdateError queries the Windows Event Log for recent update installation
// failures matching the given title and returns any specific error code found in
// the event message and true, or empty string and false if not found or on error.
func fetchDetailedUpdateError(ctx context.Context, title string) (string, bool) {
// Query for event ID 20 from Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient in the System log
// within the last 5 minutes. Filter messages that contain the update title.
// Sort by newest first, take the first result, and extract the first
// hexadecimal code found in the message, if any.
psTitle := "'" + strings.ReplaceAll(title, "'", "''") + "'"
psCmd := fmt.Sprintf(`Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='System';ProviderName='Microsoft-Windows-WindowsUpdateClient';Id=20;StartTime=(Get-Date).AddMinutes(-5)} -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |Where-Object {$_.Message -match [regex]::Escape(%s)} |Sort-Object TimeCreated -Descending |Select-Object -First 1 |ForEach-Object { if($_.Message -match '(0x[0-9a-fA-F]+)'){ $matches[1] } }`, psTitle)
ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
defer cancel()
cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, `C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe`, "-NoProfile", "-Command", psCmd)
var out bytes.Buffer
var stderr bytes.Buffer
cmd.Stdout = &out
cmd.Stderr = &stderr
if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
deck.WarningfA("Failed to execute PowerShell to get detailed update error for %q: %v, stderr: %q", title, err, stderr.String()).Go()
return "", false
}
code := strings.TrimSpace(out.String())
if code == "" {
return "", false
}
return code, true
}

func installCollection(s *session.UpdateSession, c *updatecollection.Collection, ipu bool) (*installRsp, error) {
inst, err := install.NewInstaller(s, c)
if err != nil {
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -204,7 +234,7 @@ func installCollection(s *session.UpdateSession, c *updatecollection.Collection,
}, err
}

func (i *installCmd) installUpdates() error {
func (i *installCmd) installUpdates(ctx context.Context) error {
// If monthly patches are disabled, and no specific update type was requested, do nothing.
if config.InstallMonthlyPatches == 0 && !i.all && !i.drivers && !i.virusDef && i.kbs == "" {
deck.InfoA("InstallMonthlyPatches is disabled, skipping default update installation.").With(eventID(cablib.EvtMisc)).Go()
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -410,6 +440,9 @@ outerLoop:
deck.InfofA("Successfully installed update:\n%s\nHResult Code: %s", u.Title, rsp.hResult).With(eventID(cablib.EvtInstall)).Go()
} else {
deck.ErrorfA("Failed to install update:\n%s\nReturnCode: %d\nHResult Code: %s", u.Title, rsp.resultCode, rsp.hResult).With(eventID(cablib.EvtErrInstallFailure)).Go()
if code, ok := fetchDetailedUpdateError(ctx, u.Title); ok {
deck.WarningfA("Detailed error for update %q from Windows Update Client log: %s", u.Title, code).Go()
}
c.Close()
continue
}
Expand Down
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