Project Server 2010 PWA Provisioning Error - System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access is denied.

Question

Hi,
When migrating from a Prod Environment to a Test Environment using the Project Server 2010 5 Database backup and restore process (actually 6 DB's with the Project Sites DB), upon encountering a failure during provisioning the PWA Instance, we get the errors listed
at the base of this posting in our Event Logs.
To clarify what we have done already, we have:
1. Backed up the 6 databases from the Source Environment.
2. Removed the existing PWA_Content and PWS_Content (Project Sites) databases from the Target Environment Farm.
3. Restored the 6 databases in the Target Environment.
4. Given the SP Farm Service Account 'db_owner' rights to each of the 6 restored databases.
5. Added the PWA_Content and PWS_Content databases  (exact same names) to the Target Environment.
6. Locked down (offline/stopped), all of the SharePoint Content databases in the Farm except for the PWA_Content database.
7. Run the PWA Provisioning process from the 'Project Server' SharePoint Service in Central Admin.
It is during the PWA provisioning that we encounter these errors.
As the Target Environment is for Test/Dev purposes, the SP Farm Service Account is setup to support all of the SharePoint Farm Services, is in the Local Admin Group of each of the Servers (App, WFE and DB), and is actually in the sysadmin
role on the DB Server.
Any suggestions on what is causing this denied access situation would be most appreciated.
Cheers,
Wayne
Event Log Entries:
============================================
Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-SharePoint Products-Project Server
Date:          1/22/2014 2:47:34 PM
Event ID:      6971
Task Category: Provisioning
Level:         Error
Keywords:     
User:          ACCOUNTS\svc_psfarm
Computer:      SERVER.accounts.domain.com
Description:
Failed to provision site PWA with error: Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Administration.ProvisionException: Membership synchronization failed. ---> System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.AddRoleDef(String bstrUrl, String bstrName, String bstrDescription, Boolean bHidden, Int32 lRoleOrder, UInt64 iPermMask, Byte iType, Int32 lRoleDefID)
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPRoleDefinitionCollection.AddCore(SPRoleDefinition role)
etc....
Failed to create the Report Center web (Exception: PSI Entry Point:
Project User: DOMAIN\svc_psfarm Correlation Id: c0a30b18-46e4-4447-b469-f8fd3bb1490a
PWA Site URL: http://pstest2010/PWA
SSP Name: Project Server
PSError: NoError (0))
Failed to grant 'DOMAIN\svc_psfarm' access to web application 'SPWebApplication Name=Portal'.
Error: System.Security.SecurityException: Access denied.  Only machine administrators are allowed to create administration service job definitions of type: Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPUpdateWorkerProcessGroup, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=14.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c.
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPAdministrationServiceJobDefinition..ctor(String name, SPService service, SPServer server, SPJobLockType lockType)
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPUpdateWorkerProcessGroup..ctor(SPTimerService timerService, String[] loginsToAdd, String[] loginsToRemove)
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebApplication.GrantAccessToProcessIdentity(String username, SPPolicyRoleType policyRole)
   at Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Administration.PsiServiceApplication.GrantAccessToWebApp(List`1 webApps, String userName) The Zone of the assembly that failed was: MyComputer

Answer 1

Is the Test and Production in the same domain. If they are not, then the SIDs associated with the SQL accounts may look the same but they are not.  At times, I have had to recreated accounts when in different domains.
I would also use PowerShell cmdlets and see if it finds any issues, such as Test-SPContentDatase.. Validate the SharePoint content databases, because if not setup properly the Provisioning will fail.
Also check these properties.
$web=get-spweb http://prodproj01/pwa
$Web.AllProperties[“PWAURL”] ### see what the value is.. you may have to blank it out, specially if it is pointing to a different URL
Here is how to fix.
$Web.AllProperties[“PWAURL”]=””
$web.Update()
Michael Wharton, MVP, MBA, PMP, MCT, MCTS, MCSD, MCSE+I, MCDBA
Website http://www.WhartonComputer.com
Blog http://MyProjectExpert.com contains my field notes and SQL queries