Connection to deployment share could not be made - Connection OK. Possible cause: invalid credentials

Question

Hey guys,

I'm setting up a deployment environment with MDT that is virtualized with VMware ESXI 6.7.0. I am using the vmxnet3-Networkadapter for the virtual machines.
For any reasons I am not using an DHCP, so I have to copy the LiteTouch-Bootimage from my MDT to the VM i want to boot everytime I regenerate my Bootimages.
I am not using a domain and work with local accounts for accessing the deployment share.

I got an already existing deployment share and so changed the deployroot in the bootstrap.ini and customsettings.ini. I also have to work with static ip-adresses and dont have a domainless dns-server, so my UNC-Path and the deployroot are stored as ip-adresses.

My problem:
Every time i try to boot from the image, I am able to enter static ip and keyboard layout AND can insert my credentials but then the error:
"Connection to deployment share could not be made - Connection OK. Possible cause: invalid credentials"

So I checked my credentials several times:
I gave the deployment share security and sharing permissions to read and write; I am able to mount the deployment share with this credentials as a network share from another VM in the network.
Also I am able to ping the MDT-Server from the VM i want to boot, I can ping the gateway, i can mount the deployment share as a network share too.

There can't be a network problem. Additionally I checked the network driver for vmxnet3 and it is installed on the mdt-server AND as an out-of-box-driver in the winpe-image.

Maybe there is a problem with the Name of the deployment share? (Because the DS already existed i had to edit the settings.xml so the UNC-Path changed!) Is there a problem with the "$"-sign?

Bootstrap.ini: DeployRoot=\10.100.9.126\DeploymentShare$
CustomSettings.ini: DeployRoot=\10.100.9.126\DeploymentShare$
UNC-Path: \10.100.9.126\DeploymentShare$
Local Path: C:\DeploymentShare
Wizard Error: A connection to the deployment share (\10.100.9.126\DeploymentShare$) could not be made.

Maybe the infrastructure that i am using is to high quality for the MDT/ADK/WINPE? Or are the ip-adresses the problem?

The thing is, that i should have connection to the deployment share, because if i enter wrong credentials, I get the error: "Access denied", so it had to be checked! But if I am entering the right one, I get: "Invalid credentials: the network name cannot be found"
--> WTF?

I am totally lost. Previous thanks for helping :)

Answer 1

Have you just tried the server name rather than the IP?

My Bootstrip.INI has Deployroot=name of server\Deploy
Also
UserDomain=name of my domain
UserID=AD account to join pc's to domain
UserPassword=password for account just mentioned

I don't have anything in my Rules referencing the server. In the Properties of my DS, General tab, is shows the UNC path as
\MDTSERVER\Deploy