Adding a Windows agent fails with an "Authentication failed" error for Puppet Enterprise

When you try to add a Windows agent to your Puppet Enterprise (PE) installation, it fails with an Authentication failed error.

Error messages and logs

Your node "agent.example.com" was not added.

Unable to establish a connection to " agent.example.com" because "Authentication failed for http:// agent.example.com:5985/wsman".

When you get Authentication failed error messages referring to port 5985 and the wsman endpoint, it indicates misconfiguration of WinRM on the host, incorrect credentials being used for the WinRM connection, or both.

Version and installation information

PE version: All supported
OS: Windows

Solution

Here are some resources to help you troubleshoot WinRM misconfiguration:

• Configure WinRM for HTTPS (Microsoft)

• Understand and troubleshoot WinRM connections and authentication (blog post)

If you’re not able to solve the issue, get in touch with your OS vendor for help. If they are unable to help you, open a Support ticket.