Failed to create assembly name object for Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration Error = 0x80131701

I recently upgraded to ConfigMgr 2012 R2 SP1 for a client and started seeing the above error appearing in both the WCM.log file and the WSUSCTRL.log files. I could find nothing on the internet about this so eventually I bit the bullet and phoned Microsoft support. Synopsis below:

ISSUE

Failed to create assembly name object for Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration Error = 0x80131701 in WSUSCtrl.log

In our Environment:

WSUS server is on a separate VM to the CM2012 Site Server and WSUS database (SQL 2012) is on a separate VM from both CM2012 DB and from the WSUS server.

On WSUS Server we periodically see the following message in the D:\SMS\Logs\WSUSCtrl.log:

Failed to create assembly name object for Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration. Error = 0x80131701.

This message appears approximately every 30 minutes in the D:\SMS\Logs\WSUSCtrl.log and it also appears every hour in “D:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\Logs\WCM.log“.

As per Logs
 WCM.Log
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Checking for supported version of WSUS (min WSUS 3.0 SP2 + KB2720211 + KB2734608) SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Checking runtime v2.0.50727... SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Failed to create assembly name object for Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration. Error = 0x80131701. SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Checking runtime v4.0.30319... SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Found supported assembly Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration version 3.1.6001.1, file version 3.1.7600.256 SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Found supported assembly Microsoft.UpdateServices.BaseApi version 3.1.6001.1, file version 3.1.7600.256 SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
 7/23/2015 3:01:35 PM Supported WSUS version found SMS_WSUS_CONFIGURATION_MANAGER 4408 (0x1138)
WSUSCTRL.Log
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM WSUS registry key change notification triggered. SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Checking for supported version of WSUS (min WSUS 3.0 SP2 + KB2720211 + KB2734608) SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Checking runtime v2.0.50727... SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Failed to create assembly name object for Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration. Error = 0x80131701. SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Checking runtime v4.0.30319... SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Found supported assembly Microsoft.UpdateServices.Administration version 3.1.6001.1, file version 3.1.7600.256 SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)
 7/23/2015 3:01:36 PM Found supported assembly Microsoft.UpdateServices.BaseApi version 3.1.6001.1, file version 3.1.7600.256 SMS_WSUS_CONTROL_MANAGER 420 (0x01A4)

It used to work in CM12 R2 Issue started post upgrading to CM12 R2 SP1.

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RESOLUTION

The bad news is that unfortunately, there isn’t one. The good news is that this error doesn’t (or shouldn’t) actually affect anything and you can safely leave it logging every 30 mins to an hour (depending on the log you look at).

The official line on this is that it is a known bug in the code and will not be fixed until the next release of ConfigManger (2016), so no hotfix planned. I’m afraid we’ll just have to live with it.