ERROR_SMO_NEEDED_FOR_SQL_PROVIDER while installing Sitecore 9.1 manually with no internet

Question

Have a question about Sitecore 9.1 installation.

I have to create the installation manually without an outgoing internet connection. This means that I have to install also all prerequisites for databases mssql msi etc. After installing all listed things in the installation the webdeploy throws errors below.

My question is which dependencies I need to download and install (and from where) to run the script successfully:

"ERROR_SMO_NEEDED_FOR_SQL_PROVIDER"
like '[WebDeploy]:[Path] C:\Program Files\iis\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe
Info: Adding sitemanifest (sitemanifest).
msdeploy.exe : Error Code: ERROR_SMO_NEEDED_FOR_SQL_PROVIDER
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SitecoreInstallFramework\2.0.0\Public\Tasks\Invoke-CommandTask.ps1:31 char:13
+             & $Path $Arguments | Out-Default
+             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (Error Code: ERR...OR_SQL_PROVIDER:String) [], RemoteException
   + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError
More Information: The SQL provider cannot run because of a missing dependency. Please make sure that Microsoft SQL Server Management Objects
(Version 10 or higher) is installed.  Learn more at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=221672#ERROR_SMO_NEEDED
_FOR_SQL_PROVIDER.
Error count: 1.
Install-SitecoreConfiguration : Command C:\Program Files\iis\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe returned a non-zero exit code - (-1)
At D:\script-packages\Install91\Installation\XM1-CM.ps1:90 char:2
+  Install-SitecoreConfiguration @cmParams *>&1 | Tee-Object XM1-CM.log
+  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
   + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,Install-SitecoreConfiguration
[TIME] 00:01:00
Invoke-CommandTask : Command C:\Program Files\iis\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe returned a non-zero exit code - (-1)
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SitecoreInstallFramework\2.0.0\Public\Tasks\Invoke-WebDeployTask.ps1:36 char:2
+     Invoke-CommandTask -Path $Path -Arguments $msdeployArgs -TaskName ...
+     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
   + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,Invoke-CommandTask'

Answer 1

This is an old issue, but a new cause just happened due to Web Platform Installer being retired.

So current Prerequisites.json is no longer reliable, meaning manual installation of WebDeploy, IISRewrite, and SQL Powershell Module is required. Basically, treating certain dependencies as if there is no internet connection.

For this exact error, the solution should be running PowerShell command Install-Module -Name SqlServer on the CM, CD, xConnect servers.

Answer 2

It seems SQL Shared Management Objects (SMO) was not found or the installed version is too old.. The suggested resolution by Microsoft is to download SMO using Web Platform Installer. But since you don't have access to the Internet on the server, you'll have to download the offline version.

You can find SMO included in the SQL Server 2016 Feature Pack: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52676

Answer 3

Just in case it may help someone - I just went past this issue, after spending the good part of the afternoon on it, by realizing that I had to install the package on the Sitecore server, and not on the database server.

I found everything I needed (and much more) in the SQL Server Feature Pack 2016 download page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=52676