AEM 6.5 Forms: Secondary JBoss node fails to connect to remote domain controller after upgrade
This article explains how to resolve an issue in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5 Forms where a secondary JBoss node fails to connect to the remote domain controller during an upgrade. The node does not join the JBoss domain, which prevents deployment and configuration from completing successfully. To resolve the issue, Verify the domain controller configuration, authentication settings, and network connectivity between the nodes.
Description description
Environment
- Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5 Forms (on-premises)
- JBoss domain cluster with primary and secondary nodes
Issue/Symptoms
- Configuration Manager reports that AEM Forms must be deployed and running.
- The secondary JBoss node host-controller log contains authentication failures when connecting to the remote domain controller, for example, Authentication failed when connecting to remote domain controller at :9999.
- Restarting the secondary JBoss node does not resolve the issue.
- The secondary node cannot join the JBoss domain.
Root Cause
The secondary JBoss node cannot join the domain because authentication fails or the remote domain controller configuration is incorrect. Common causes include mismatched credentials, an incorrect domain controller address, or network restrictions introduced after the upgrade.
Resolution resolution
Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:
- Pause any further upgrades or configuration changes. Back up the current JBoss configuration and logs before making changes.
- Confirm that the primary JBoss host controller is running and listening on the management port, typically port 9999.
- On the secondary JBoss node, verify that the remote domain controller address is correct, points to the primary node, uses management port 9999, and references the intended primary node.
- Validate the authentication configuration on both nodes. Ensure that the domain controller authentication settings are consistent, the management user or host-controller credentials are valid, and any authentication secret or server-identity configuration required by the upgraded JBoss version is present and matches on both nodes.
- Check network access from the secondary node to the primary node. Ensure that network controls or firewall settings allow TCP traffic on port 9999. Note that a successful TCP test alone is not sufficient, as the authentication configuration must also be correct.
- Restart the nodes in the correct order. Start the primary host controller first and wait until it is fully started and listening on port 9999. Then start the secondary host controller.
- Verify that the secondary host controller remains running and does not report authentication-failure messages in the host-controller log.
- Confirm that the secondary node is visible and registered in the JBoss domain.
- Ensure that the required AEM Forms services are running before proceeding with Configuration Manager.
- Verify the resolution by confirming that the secondary node successfully joins the JBoss domain and that Configuration Manager proceeds without deployment errors.