Skip to page contentSkip to chat
ServiceNow support
    • Community
      Ask questions, give advice, and connect with fellow ServiceNow professionals.
      Developer
      Build, test, and deploy applications
      Documentation
      Find detailed information about ServiceNow products, apps, features, and releases.
      Impact
      Accelerate ROI and amplify your expertise.
      Learning
      Build skills with instructor-led and online training.
      Partner
      Grow your business with promotions, news, and marketing tools
      ServiceNow
      Learn about ServiceNow products & solutions.
      Store
      Download certified apps and integrations that complement ServiceNow.
      Support
      Manage your instances, access self-help, and get technical support.
MID server fails to validate after copying the directory from old to new host - Support and Troubleshooting
  • >
  • Knowledge Base
  • >
  • Support and Troubleshooting (Knowledge Base)
  • >
  • MID server fails to validate after copying the directory from old to new host
KB0639100

MID server fails to validate after copying the directory from old to new host


6497 Views Last updated : Jul 22, 2025 public Copy Permalink
KB Summary by Now Assist

Issue

When a working MID server directory is copied from another host instead of doing a fresh install, it fails to validate.

Scenario

MID Server Directory was copied from a working host to a new host to create a new MID server. The config.xml file was edited with the new MID server name. The MID Server record was created in the instance and shows that the MID server is up, but it cannot be validated.

The following log entry appears in the Agent.log.0 file.
 
----
09/22/17 13:49:34 (983) StartupSequencer Agent record not found, creating new record. Instance: XXXXX213;
09/22/17 13:49:35 (045) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Unable to load keystore: Unexpected IOException loading KeyStore, caused by: Keystore was tampered with, or password was incorrect
09/22/17 13:49:35 (045) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Keystore and config.xml files out of sync. 1) Delete keystore/agent_keystore.jks or restore config.xml to its previous state, 2) ensure MID server has write permissions to config.xml and to keystore directory, 3) restart MID server.
09/22/17 13:49:35 (045) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Encountered error: [Unable to load keystore] while starting up the service. Retry...
09/22/17 13:49:35 (154) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Unable to get agent record while setting validation status, retry in 5 seconds
09/22/17 13:49:40 (217) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Unable to get agent record while setting validation status, retry in 5 seconds
09/22/17 13:49:45 (280) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Unable to get agent record while setting validation status, retry in 5 seconds
09/22/17 13:49:50 (280) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Unable to change mid server validation status to validation_failed
09/22/17 13:50:50 (639) StartupSequencer Agent record not found, creating new record. Instance: XXXXX213;
09/22/17 13:50:50 (639) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Unable to load keystore: Unexpected IOException loading KeyStore, caused by: Keystore was tampered with, or password was incorrect
09/22/17 13:50:50 (639) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Keystore and config.xml files out of sync. 1) Delete keystore/agent_keystore.jks or restore config.xml to its previous state, 2) ensure MID server has write permissions to config.xml and to keystore directory, 3) restart MID server.
09/22/17 13:50:50 (639) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Encountered error: [Unable to load keystore] while starting up the service. Retry...
09/22/17 13:50:50 (718) StartupSequencer WARNING *** WARNING *** Unable to get agent record while setting validation status, retry in 5 seconds
09/22/17 13:51:05 (858) StartupSequencer SEVERE *** ERROR *** Unable to change mid server validation status to validation_failed
----

Resolution

  1. Stop the MID server service.
    <install-directory>\agent\stop.bat.
  2. Check to make sure the MID server is not longer running on the instance.
  3. Rename the keystore directory.
    <Install directory>\agent\rename keystore keystore.old
  4. Run install.bat from the agent directory and ensure that the instance name, MID username/password are correct.
    The MID server should now come up in the instance and validation should work.

The world works with ServiceNow.

Sign in for more! There's more content available only to authenticated users Sign in for more!
Did this KB article help you?
Did this KB article help you?

How would you rate your Now Support digital experience?

*

Very unsatisfied

Unsatisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

Very satisfied

Very unsatisfied

Unsatisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

Very satisfied

What can we improve? Please select all that apply.

What are we doing well? Please select all that apply.

Tell us more

*

Do you expect a response from this feedback?

  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy statement
  • GDPR
  • Cookie policy
  • © 2025 ServiceNow. All rights reserved.