Apple Configurator 2 - An underlying service (ACUInternetServiceContext) unexpectedly quit. [ConfigurationUtilityKit.error - 0x68 (104)]

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indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Apple Configurator 2 - An underlying service (ACUInternetServiceContext) unexpectedly quit. [ConfigurationUtilityKit.error - 0x68 (104)]

We moved over to El Capitan and updated to Apple Configurator 2, every time we try and deploy apps to our iPads we get the following error:

An unexpected error has occurred with "DEVICENAME"

An underlying service (ACUInternetServiceContext) unexpectedly quit. [ConfigurationUtilityKit.error - 0x68 (104)]

I've found a few other threads on the internet but they've not been of any help at all, does anyone know what the error is about, or what's causing it?

We're using an educational VPP account, we're signed into that inside Apple Configurator 2, some threads have mentioned being signed into that in iTunes also, but you can't sign into an educational VPP account inside iTunes, if I try it just jumps me to the VPP portal in Safari.

I've "purchased" the free apps we're trying to deploy in the VPP portal using the "Managed Licenses" method.

I've repaired disk permissions, rebooted a dozen times, tried ethernet/ WiFi (we're on a fast academic network in the UK, there's no issue with the connection), turned off Sophos AV, but when we apply a Blueprint which deploys apps to the devices during the "Downloading" phase it gets so far and just shows this error.

Posted on Oct 14, 2015 9:01 AM

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Answer 1

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 16, 2015 5:10 AM in response to indie1982

I'm still getting this error and I've tried everything I could possibly think of!

I unsupervised all of the iPads, made a new user account on the Mac we're using to manage the iPads, this also didn't work.

I completely wiped the Mac and installed a fresh copy of El Capitan, this still didn't work.

The only way I can get close to installing the apps on the iPad is to install them one at a time using a Blueprint, I still get the error (it seems to be at the very end of it downloading the app), but when I apply the Blueprint again it installs the app.

If I have to do this for 50+ apps, it's going to be a looooooooong day.

I also tried the Apple Configurator 2.1 beta (Build 3B28), exactly the same error.

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Answer 2

Oct 16, 2015 9:15 AM in response to indie1982

I've been doing a few (painfully long) installs around the UK this week and have had this problem too…like you I have found that installing one by one is the only way to get though the job without.

I thought it may be a proxy issue but testing proved it wasn't.

If an app failed to load I have been un-assigning/removing it before trying to add it again…as if you double click on an iPad and view it's apps list the apps are assigned there. If you keep on trying to add the apps you will eventually run out of app 'codes'.

I have been reporting this in the 'Provide Apple Configurator 2 Feedback…' in the Apple Configurator 2 menu.

I can only guess that it is a Apple Server error or Apple Configurator 2 error that will hopefully be fixed soon…but if everyone reports it - it may get fixed quicker.

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Answer 3

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 16, 2015 4:05 PM in response to Mark Haycock

Going to give Enterprise Support a call on Monday. From the searches I've done other people are getting the error but there's no real fix yet, I'll keep checking the betas.

By the way, have I missed something really obvious or do backups now also work in a different way?

Previously we Supervised and staged 1 iPad how we wanted it, then made a backup. We then Supervised and installed apps to the rest and restored this backup to the others so they were all set up with the right app layout.

Now when I do this, it unsupervises the iPads that have had the backup restored to them, the app layout is correct but they need to be provisioned to be Supervised again, when you provision a device it wipes it so you go back to the beginning!

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Answer 4

Oct 17, 2015 2:30 AM in response to indie1982

Restoring to backups does not work on supervised devices…I had to check the help [http://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/2.0/#/cadbf9b61c] and it states 'All contents on the device will be erased. If the device is supervised, it will be unsupervised after the restore.' And yes this is very disappointing - they've stripped out all the really useful features like using cached app downloads and using the IPSW file stored in 'iPad Software Updates' when restoring or supervising.

I think at one point I had a newly supervised iPad that had been restored to a backup…but I have not been able to reproduce the steps. So I think it was a one off occurrence.

Let me know if you have any luck with Enterprise Support.

BTW: Where are you in the world?. I'm in the UK…I was wondering if it is a regional issue or are some people are not seeing this issue at all and having a positive experience with Apple Configurator 2.

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Answer 5

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 19, 2015 7:25 AM in response to Mark Haycock

Not had a chance to call them yet, but I've managed to restore a backup of a supervised device to the same device and it stayed supervised.

Tried restoring the backup to another device, first whilst it was supervised and then whilst it wasn't supervised, as expected, the backup was successfully restored both times but the device was unsupervised when it booted both times.

I'm just completely lost for how we can manage the devices now, they're not personal devices, but loan devices. A lecturer might want them for a few hours to do some work with students, when they come back we wipe and restore a backup to them, they're ready for the next lot.

But now it seems we can't do that? Or I have to individually set up each of our devices up how we want them, with the right home screen layout, and make individual backups of each one and restore the right backup to the right device?

In the UK, on Janet, no proxies, still getting the original error too! 😟

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Answer 6

Oct 29, 2015 8:23 PM in response to indie1982

I've upgrated to El Capitan and Configurator 2 on my Mac Air. I have 40 student iPads to manage and since doing the upgrade, I have been unable to load any apps on or upgrade those that need it because the Blueprints can't be added to the iPads through our VPP account. I migrated the settings over from Configurator 1, which were working fine. I've had to remove the network profiles individually from the ipads because the Blueprints wouldn't load on properly and all of my network settings were messed up, resulting in the credentials box popping up every two minutes.

I would apply the blueprint with the desired apps and profiles to load onto my iPads (trying 10 iPads at a time and then just one at a time) and wait for 2 hours before eventually getting the message 'An unexpected error has occurred with this iPad. An underlying service (ACUInternetServiceContext) unexpectedly quit. {ConfigurationUtilityKit.error-0x68 (104)]'

I have literally spent hours on hold trying to get through to Apple, only to be eventually hung up on instead of answered. My education network integrators have no idea how to fix the problem either. I have a job number opened ( # 964200386) but it is still unresolved, going on almost two weeks now. I have spent much of that time trying to figure out the problem myself, to no avail.

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Answer 7

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 30, 2015 9:09 AM in response to unHappy Chappy

I managed to get through to an engineer on the phone and we did a lot of trouble shooting, he took logs and passed them on to the Apple Configurator team.

Fortunately for me, the ACUInternetServiceContext error has almost completely disappeared over the last week. I still get it occasionally, but I've managed to deploy 50+ apps to all of our iPads. We didn't make any changes to our setup, it just started to work, I don't know if Apple made changes at their end or if it was just a transient error.

I've also been given a work around to the issue regarding not being able to stage one device, set up the home screen layout, back it up and restore it to the other iPads so I'm going to give that a go on Wednesday next week once we have no bookings for the devices and I can have a play with them, if it works I'll share everything I've found.

In the meantime, the engineer I spoke to has suggested that the more people leave feedback for the software, the more focussed the developers will be in fixing the issues. It really does make a difference if you can leave some feedback: http://www.apple.com/feedback/configurator.html

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Answer 8

Oct 30, 2015 9:41 AM in response to indie1982

I had a nightmare time late last week at two schools I was doing installs at with the ACUInternetServiceContext error - but like you found it had been fixed/reduced sometime between Friday and Tuesday.

I would be very interested in any info you have on the restore issue…as I have an opportunity to do some testing over the weekend and early next week.

I've not done any installs since Apple Configurator 2.1 came out earlier this week…hope it's not brought more pain.

Yes like I mentioned above I have been using the 'Provide Apple Configurator 2 Feedback…' in the Apple Configurator 2 menu to log issues & I urge everyone to do the same.

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Answer 9

benja85

Level 1

0 points

Nov 10, 2015 6:57 AM in response to Mark Haycock

I'm still experiencing this issue at my institution. Are there any workarounds available?

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Answer 10

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Nov 10, 2015 7:11 AM in response to benja85

The only way I've been able to even slightly mitigate the error message is to add apps to devices 1 app at a time, I still get either the above error message or the following 9 out of 10 times, but I keep on trying and eventually the apps transfer, just slowly.

An unexpected error has occurred with these X iPads.

The operation couldn't be completed. Operation not permitted [NSPOSIXErrorDomain - 0x1 (1)]

I've found that if the app transfer fails with the NSPOSIX error message the iPads think they have the app installed and I have a higher rate of success after that if I select the devices in AC 2.1 and Remove > Apps... > Offending App before trying again.

This could all just be coincidental, but I'm getting there!

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Answer 11

indie1982 Author

Level 1

32 points

Nov 10, 2015 7:36 AM in response to Mark Haycock

The workaround that Apple gave me to restore a backup to a device in Apple Configurator 2 and to be able to supervise it is as follows:

Supervise and stage one device with the apps that you want and arrange the home screen to your liking, at this point I didn't bother with any profiles.
Backup the staged device.
Create a Blueprint that restores the backup you just created.
Create a Blueprint that manually supervises the devices (We don't use an MDM).
Apply the first Blueprint that restores the backup to your erased and unsupervised devices.
After the devices have been restored and whilst they're still on the Welcome screen, apply the second Blueprint which will supervise the devices.

Once the devices restart, complete the Welcome steps and add your apps using either a Blueprint or individually (this was more successful for me) using "Add > Apps...". The apps will drop into the right places on the home screen as you add them to the devices, but you'll most likely still see the error messages that we've all been getting when adding apps to the devices and you'll have to try this multiple times.

It's a slow process 😟

It's also worth mentioning that frequent reboots of the machine that Apple Configurator is running on seem to reduce the error messages.

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