Sitecore 9.1 Distributed Install Fails on Database Deploy

Question

I am executing a Sitecore 9.1 Distributed Installation but it is failing when xConnectCollection attempts to web deploy databases. I created a SQL Server account with sysadm rights and the SQL Server 2017 is in mixed mode.

Per previous guidance, I use a dedicated server (distributor) to deploy and each target has WinRM over HTTPS with the certificate of the distributor installed on each target.

Do I need to install the machine certs of each machine on each other and create listeners for each?

In an SC 9.0 build, the servers had no issues using Web Deploy to install the databases.

[--------------------------------------------------------- InstallWDP : WebDeploy ----------------------------------------------------------]
[WebDeploy]:[Path] C:\Program Files\iis\Microsoft Web Deploy V3\msdeploy.exe
Info: Adding MsDeploy.Site (MsDeploy.Site).
Info: Adding database (user id=mysqlaccount;data source=mySQL2017.Sitecore.local;initial catalog=sc910xp1_MarketingAutomation)
Info: Creating deployment plan: Pending.
Info: Verifying deployment plan: Pending.
Info: Deploying package to database: Pending.
Info: Creating deployment plan: Running.
Info: Initializing deployment (Start)
Info: Initializing deployment (Failed)
Info: Creating deployment plan: Faulted.
Info: Verifying deployment plan: Faulted.
Info: Deploying package to database: Faulted.
Install-SitecoreConfiguration : Error Code: ERROR_EXECUTING_METHOD
At C:\resourcefiles\XP1-Distributed-RS.ps1:219 char:1
+ Install-SitecoreConfiguration @DistributedDeploymentParams -Verbose * ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,Install-SitecoreConfiguration

[TIME] 00:03:32
Error Code: ERROR_EXECUTING_METHOD
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SitecoreInstallFramework\2.0.0\Public\Tasks\Invoke-InstallSitecoreConfigurationTask.ps1:15 
char:9
+         Invoke-Command -Session $Session -ArgumentList $Configuration ...
+         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (Error Code: ERROR_EXECUTING_METHOD:String) [], RemoteException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError

Answer 1

I know this is a bit late, but I ran into this today and found a resolution.

I found the error details in the event viewer under Applications and Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\WebDeploy\Errors.

I had looked before under Applications and Services Logs\Microsoft Web Deploy which was empty.

In my case, the issue was the database server name. It needs to be a name that is accessible from the Web server (IIS), not the distributor server. I had set up a host file entry on the distributor but not the webserver.