Agent install error cannot communicate with server - 3042 Device Already Exists

Last Modified

Wed Apr 25 18:16 GMT 2018

Description

  • When trying to install a local agent on a device that was built off an image from another machine and you receive a error that the device cannot communicate with server.
  • The C:\Windows\Temp\NableTrace.log shows the following error:
    • 2018-02-28 10:25:06,713 - Version: 11.0.11050 - ApplianceSelfRegistration SOAP Error: System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHeaderException: 3042 Device already exists.
      • NOTE: You would also see a similar error in the Windows Application Event Log

Environment

  • N-able N-central

Solution

  • To resolve this issue, please do the following:
  1. Locate the C:\Program Files (x86)\N-able Technologies\Windows Agent\bin\NcentralAssetTool.exe tool
  2. Copy this into the C:\Temp folder on the affected device
  3. Open Command Prompt as administrator
  4. Change the drive to "C:\Temp", which can be done by running the following:
    • cd C:\Temp
  5. Run the NcentralAssetTool.exe tool
    • NcentralAssetTool.exe
  6. This should produce something similar to:
    • C:\Temp>NcentralAssetTool.exe Is32Bit is [False]-----------------------------------------[Current Asset Tag Values]WMI Value      = [0ffdbd15-0bd2-45c5-a1bf-921efc9dce76-20161220-130946]Registry Value = [0ffdbd15-0bd2-45c5-a1bf-921efc9dce76-20161220-130946]File Value     = []-------------------------------------------------------------------
  7. Now re-run the tool using the -d switch, which should produce the following output:
    •  C:\Temp>NcentralAssetTool.exe -dIs32Bit is [False] -----------------------------------------[Current Asset Tag Values] WMI Value = [0ffdbd15-0bd2-45c5-a1bf-921efc9dce76-20161220-130946] Registry Value = [0ffdbd15-0bd2-45c5-a1bf-921efc9dce76-20161220-130946] File Value = [] ------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------[Delete Operation Start] Delete Operation Detected Delete WMI is [True] Delete Operation Detected Delete Registry is [True] Delete Operation Detected Delete File is [True] ---------------Asset Tag Values After Deletion---------------------- WMI Value = [] Registry Value = [] File Value = [] ----------------------------------------[Delete Operation End]?
  8. Now attempt to install the Agent again