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Firefox ESR 78.7.0 error - "Failed to read the configuration file"

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  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by drepollet

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We currently have a setup where we're installing Firefox ESR 68.10.0 using a .CFG and .JS file for custom configurations. Everything has been working great, but now we have a need to update to the latest version of Firefox ESR due to recently-announced security vulnerabilities. I am testing the upgrade to 78.7.0 using the same .CFG and .JS files, and I get the error "Failed to read the configuration file. Please contact your system administrator." at startup. I tried doing a complete uninstall of the old version and install of the new one, keeping the same config files, but the same error comes up. The support documentation for ESR 78.7.0 makes no indication that these configuration files are to be used, instead mentioning that Group Policies should be used for configuration in a Windows environment. But we have various user groups that require specialized configurations, and using the configuration files has worked best for us. Is there any way to keep using the configuration files? If so, what changes would I need to make to the formatting of the files to get them working? Any help is greatly appreciated!

We currently have a setup where we're installing Firefox ESR 68.10.0 using a .CFG and .JS file for custom configurations. Everything has been working great, but now we have a need to update to the latest version of Firefox ESR due to recently-announced security vulnerabilities. I am testing the upgrade to 78.7.0 using the same .CFG and .JS files, and I get the error "Failed to read the configuration file. Please contact your system administrator." at startup. I tried doing a complete uninstall of the old version and install of the new one, keeping the same config files, but the same error comes up. The support documentation for ESR 78.7.0 makes no indication that these configuration files are to be used, instead mentioning that Group Policies should be used for configuration in a Windows environment. But we have various user groups that require specialized configurations, and using the configuration files has worked best for us. Is there any way to keep using the configuration files? If so, what changes would I need to make to the formatting of the files to get them working? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Chosen solution

You need to convert your use of Services.perms.add to Services.perms.addFromPrinicipal. The syntax is close, just changes the way the URL is created

     Services.perms.addFromPrincipal(
       Services.scriptSecurityManager.createContentPrincipalFromOrigin("https://URL"),
       "popup",
       1);
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All Replies (5)

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This is about using an autoconfig.cfg file to deploy Firefox and there is a problem with this file, either missing or has invalid JavaScript. You can check the Browser Console on startup for related messages.

Note that GPO prevails and autoconfig and policies might not work.

I will move the question to Firefox for enterprise.

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My guess is some API changed and it's not working in 78. Should be easy to fix.

Can you check the JS console after startup and look for errors that reference your config file?

Ctrl+Shift+J

Or if you're willing to send me your autoconfig file, I can take a look

mkaply at mozilla.com

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Mike Kaply said

My guess is some API changed and it's not working in 78. Should be easy to fix. Can you check the JS console after startup and look for errors that reference your config file? Ctrl+Shift+J Or if you're willing to send me your autoconfig file, I can take a look mkaply at mozilla.com

Thanks for your help. I was able to find an error related to a function in our custom CFG file. I've included a screenshot of the error as well as the function in the CFG file. The "var" declaration and "Services.perms.add" function are used several times for other URLs in the file.

Let me know if there is anything else I can provide to aid with troubleshooting this. Thanks!

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Chosen Solution

You need to convert your use of Services.perms.add to Services.perms.addFromPrinicipal. The syntax is close, just changes the way the URL is created

     Services.perms.addFromPrincipal(
       Services.scriptSecurityManager.createContentPrincipalFromOrigin("https://URL"),
       "popup",
       1);
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Mike Kaply said

You need to convert your use of Services.perms.add to Services.perms.addFromPrinicipal. The syntax is close, just changes the way the URL is created Services.perms.addFromPrincipal( Services.scriptSecurityManager.createContentPrincipalFromOrigin("https://URL"), "popup", 1);

Thank you Mike, this worked great!