Unable to re-protect cluster: "Agent with id '######## -0000-0000-0000-000000000000' is missing" (4036960)

Unable to re-protect cluster: "Agent with id '######## -0000-0000-0000-000000000000' is missing"

You receive an error (and stack trace) in the Core UI similar to the following when trying to add the cluster to protection on the Core. Agent with id '3eb8e70e-0000-0000-0000-000000000000' is missing.

Exception chain:

The given key was not present in the dictionary. Agent with id '3eb8e70e-0000-0000-0000-000000000000' is missing. Initialization of new instance of type 'Replay.Core.Implementation.Agent.Jobs.DeleteAgentJob' has failed. Call to service method managementservice:Replay.Core.Contracts.Clusters.IClustersManagement AddClustterAgent failed: Initialization of new instance of type 'Replay.Core.Implementation.Agents.Jobs.DeleteAgentJob' has failed.

In some cases, particularly following some server maintenance, AppAssure or Rapid Recovery upgrade/reinstall, or troubleshooting of AppAssure or Rapid Recovery, it is possible that the Agent ID for one or more cluster node has changed. In this case, adding machines to protection using the Protect Cluster method results in the above error because the Core sees the nodes’ recovery points already in the repository under a different agent ID than what is current assigned to the Agents.

Before performing the below procedures to resolve this situation, confirm the following.

1. Previous recovery points for the cluster and/or cluster nodes still exist as Recovery Points Only

2. Investigation of the Core’s AppRecovery.log file reveals the below error logged at the same time as the failure.

ERROR 2014-09-25T15:35:45 [172] - Events.Clusters.ProtectClusterNodeFailedEvent () Protection of the cluster node 'NodeName' from the cluster 'ClusterName' has failed WARN 2014-09-25T15:35:45 [4] - Replay.Core.Implementation.Clusters.ClusterAgentsService () Unable protect cluster node 'NodeName' System.ArgumentException: The specified display name is already in use by another agent at Replay.Core.Implementation.Agents.AgentsValidationHelper.ValidateAgentDisplayName(Guid agentId, String displayName)

3. The agent ID displayed in the URL after clicking on the node’s name in the Core UI is different than what is seen in the Agent’s registry.

URL Example: In the below URL, the Agent ID is “d0ad60b9-283e-4b77-85f0-eca1a6f03770” https://CoreName:8006/apprecovery/admin/RecoveryPointsOnlyMachine/d0ad60b9-283e-4b77-85f0-eca1a6f03770/RecoveryPoints

Registry Path: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AppRecovery\Agent\AgentId\Id”

4. If the Agent ID for any node (check all nodes) in the URL described above does not match the Agent ID found in the node’s registry at the path shown above, you should be able to resolve the issue by performing the following steps.

WARNING: The following steps involve modifying the registry. Though the changes recommended below will not affect anything other than the AppAssure or Rapid Recovery application, it is recommended that only users familiar with the Registry modify any part of it.

a. Note the Agent ID from the URL referenced in item 3 above.
b. Backup the Agent’s Registry branch on the node using the export option in REGEDIT.
c. In the agent registry, navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AppRecovery\Agent\AgentId” and change the value of the “Id” subkey to match the Agent ID from step 1.
d. Restart the Agent Service.
e. Backup the AppRecovery Registry branch on the Core using the export option in REGEDIT.
f. In the Core’s registry, delete any registry branch under “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AppRecovery\Core\Agents” that matches the cluster ID in the original Core UI error, such as “3eb8e70e-0000-0000-0000-000000000000.”
g. Retry adding the cluster to protection.

Windows Registry Disclaimer:

Quest does not provide support for problems that arise from improper modification of the registry. The Windows registry contains information critical to your computer and applications. Make sure you back up the registry before modifying it. For more information on the Windows Registry Editor and how to back up and restore it, refer to Microsoft Article ID 256986 “Description of the Microsoft Windows registry” at Microsoft Support.