Updating Windows Systems with Java 8 Update 60 Corrupts the SolarWinds Failover Engine Service

This article provides information about installing the Java™ 8 Update 60 on Microsoft® Windows Server® systems running the SolarWinds® Orion Platform or Additional Polling Engine. 

Issue

After you install the 32-bit version of Java 8 Update 60 on your SolarWinds Orion Platform server or Additional Polling Engine protected by the SolarWinds Failover Engine service, the update may corrupt the service.

When the service is in a corrupted state, the SolarWinds Failover Engine service generates the following error message on the desktop:

When you open the SolarWinds License Manager, the SolarWinds Failover Engine license key appears in the window. To correct the issue, you must uninstall and then reinstall the SolarWinds Failover Engine service on the corrupted server.

Cause

The Java 8 Update 60 installer may delete all HKLM\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft registry keys during the upgrade process.

Resolution

Postpone installing Java 8 Update 60 on your SolarWinds Orion Platform or Additional Polling Engine servers until SolarWinds releases a patch to address this issue. This KB article will be updated with a resolution to this issue when available. Please continue to check back for updates.

If you must upgrade your Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to the latest version to maintain your security compliance requirements, perform the steps listed below.

Note: The following steps are not required to upgrade the Windows x64 version of JRE (jre-8u60-windows-x64), but are required to uninstall the Windows x64 version (64-bit) and install the Windows x86 (32-bit) version for Windows x64 systems.

1. Download the Windows x86 (32-bit) version of Java (jre-8u60-windows-i586) from the Oracle® website located at www.oracle.com.
2. Locate an incremented backup of your corrupted system.
3. For x86 (32-bit) systems, the backup must include the period of time before you installed Java 8 Update 60.
4. For x64 (64-bit) systems, the backup must include the period of time before you uninstalled Java 8 Update 60.
5. Using the Registry Editor (Regedit), export the following registry key from your backup to a separate file:
6. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Prefs
7. Click Start > All programs > SolarWinds Orion > Advanced Features > Orion Service Manager.
8. Stop the SolarWinds Failover Engine service on the corrupted server.
9. Uninstall Java 8 Update 60 for Windows x64 (64-bit), if required.
10. Install Java 8 Update 60 for Windows x86 (32-bit) using the file you downloaded from the Oracle website.
11. Import your backup registry key to the registry on the corrupted server.
12. Open the Orion Service Manager.
13. Restart the SolarWinds Failover Engine service on all servers in the cluster.
14. Close the Orion Service Manager. 
15. SolarWinds License Manager is now running 32-bit Java 8 Update 60 with an authorized license key.