Symptoms

The installation or upgrade of NetWorker Management Console (NMC) version 19.13.0.2 and later may fail. Installation log files may display various error messages. For example, the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\NetWorker_[number]_NMC.log file may contain entries similar to the following: CAQuietExec: Error 0xc0000139: Command line returned an error. CAQuietExec: Error 0xc0000139: CAQuietExec Failed CustomAction GemsGstAuthCfg returned actual error code 1603 (note this may not be 100% accurate if translation happened inside sandbox) Also, the MSI installer log may report: MSI (s) (C4:7C) Product: NetWorker Management Console – Installation failed. MSI (s) (C4:7C) Windows Installer installed the product. Product Name: NetWorker Management Console Product Version: 19.13.0.3 Product Language: 1033 Manufacturer: DELL EMC Installation success or error status: 1603

Cause

The problem occurs because NetWorker attempts to load the libraries libcrypto-3-x64.dll and libssl-3-x64.dll from C:\Windows\System32 instead of the expected location, C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin. This behavior results in a conflict during the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) installation. The files libcrypto-3-x64.dll and libssl-3-x64.dll are OpenSSL runtime libraries used by many applications, including NetWorker, to provide secure communication and encryption functionality. It is likely that another application installed these libraries in C:\Windows\System32, which resulted in a conflict during the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) installation. As a workaround, renaming libcrypto-3-x64.dll and libssl-3-x64.dll in C:\Windows\System32 allowed the NMC installation to complete successfully. Renaming these files prevents NetWorker from incorrectly loading them from the System32 directory and instead uses the correct versions from the NetWorker installation path.

Resolution

Engineering is actively working on a permanent fix (NWREE-29177), which is expected to be in a future release. Workaround solution: Step 1: Locate DLL FilesSearch for all instances of the affected DLL files by running the following command in Command Prompt: dir C:\libcrypto-3-x64.dll C:\libssl-3-x64.dll /s /b Note: If NetWorker is installed on a drive other than C:, run the same command for that drive as well. Step 2: Temporarily Rename DLL FilesRename all identified instances of the following files: libcrypto-3-x64.dlllibssl-3-x64.dll For example: libcrypto-3-x64.dll.renamelibssl-3-x64.dll.rename Important: Do not rename files located in NetWorker installation directories, such as:C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\GST\postgres...C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin These files must remain unchanged. Step 3: Retry InstallationRun the installation again. Step 4: Restore Original FilenamesAfter the installation attempt (regardless of success or failure), rename all modified DLL files back to their original names. Step 5: Collect Logs (If Issue Persists)If the issue continues, gather all installation logs from the most recent attempt and provide them for further troubleshooting and analysis.

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