SQL 2008 setup (Add node) process fails with "Value cannot be null. Parameter name: group"

SQL Server 2008 SP1 (Add Node) process fails when we attempt to add the passive node, we get the following error :

From the Summary.txt :

Detailed results:

Feature: Database Engine Services

Status: Failed: see logs for details

MSI status: Passed

Configuration status: Failed: see details below

Configuration error code: 0x11428655

Configuration error description: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: group

Configuration log: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20100910_140955\Detail.txt

Feature: SQL Server Replication

Status: Failed: see logs for details

MSI status: Passed

Configuration status: Failed: see details below

Configuration error code: 0x11428655

Configuration error description: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: group

Configuration log: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20100910_140955\Detail.txt

Feature: Full-Text Search

Status: Failed: see logs for details

MSI status: Passed

Configuration status: Failed: see details below

Configuration error code: 0x11428655

Configuration error description: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: group

Configuration log: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20100910_140955\Detail.txt

· Remove the passive node from the SQL cluster (Remove Node as per https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191545.aspx )

· Reboot the node

· Disable filestream by running the following command -

             EXEC sp_configure filestream_access_level, 0

      go

      Reconfigure

      go

· Install SQL Server on remote node.

· Enable filestream by running the following command -

               EXEC sp_configure filestream_access_level, 2

go

Reconfigure

go

· Even after we did this add node failed with the same error :

2010-09-20 18:20:24 SQLEngine: --FilestreamConfiguration: GetFilestreamRegKeyName: IsPreRefresh = False, IsClustered = True, Filestream key is SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.ENGR\Filestream

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to create base registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, machine

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to open registry subkey SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.ENGR\Filestream

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to get registry value EnableLevel

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to get registry value InstanceGuid

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to get registry value ShareName

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Sco: Attempting to get registry value RsFxVersion

2010-09-20 18:20:24 SQLEngine: --FilestreamConfiguration: Filestream registry values: EnableLevel: 3 InstanceGuid: {72389ac8-d8d9-4a77-92aa-a9961ea121c5} ShareName: ENGR_FileStreams, RsFxVersion: 0103

2010-09-20 18:20:24 SQLEngine: --FilestreamConfiguration: Filestream registry values: EnableLevel: 3 ShareName: ENGR_FileStreams

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: FindFileShareFromInstance: instanceName: ENGR shareName: ENGR_FileStreams

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: FindFileShareFromInstance: Share resource found: SQL Server FILESTREAM share (ENGR)

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: FindFileShareFromInstance: Share resource ShareName ENGR did not match passed in ShareName: ENGR_FileStreams

2010-09-20 18:20:24 SQLEngine: --FilestreamConfiguration: FILESTREAM: Clustered setup, adding File Share resource for instance: ENGR Share Name: ENGR_FileStreams

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Configuration action failed for feature SQL_Engine_Core_Inst during timing ConfigNonRC and scenario ConfigNonRC.

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Value cannot be null.

Parameter name: group

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Configuration action failed for feature SQL_Engine_Core_Inst during timing ConfigNonRC and scenario ConfigNonRC.

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.

2010-09-20 18:20:24 Slp: Parameter name: group

· This was surprising as had disabled the FILESTREAM option

· We checked the sp_configure output which had Run value =0 (Which means the file stream had indeed been disabled )

· We repeated the “Remove Node” process and removed even the shared components

 

· We went ahead and recycled the services (take the service offline and bring it back online). If there are multiple nodes it would be best to failover and failback between them.

· We restarted setup and this time it went through successfully

Regards,

Amrutha

Microsoft SQL support