PRB: SQLServerAgent Service Does Not Start After Unclustering

ID: Q199230

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft SQL Server, Enterprise Edition, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

The SQLServerAgent service will not start after a Clustered SQL Server has been unclustered. Attempting to start the service reports the following error message:

Unable to start SQLServerAgent. Specified SQL Server is not available or does not exist.

CAUSE

The environment variable _VIRTUAL_SERVER_NAME_ is still set. After unclustering, the network libraries will still try to attach to the clustered server.

WORKAROUND

Reboot both nodes of the cluster after removing the virtual SQL Server.

MORE INFORMATION

When a clustered SQL Server is created, an environment variable "_VIRTUAL_SERVER_NAME_" is set. This allows client requests from applications such as the Enterprise Manager to be recognized as a local request. After unclustering, the network libraries still try to attach to the name contained in this environment variable. The variable is still set due to the fact that Service Control Manager (SCM) does not lose the _VIRTUAL_SERVER_NAME_ setting when restarting services after the cluster has been removed. This is because the SCM picks up environment variables at startup. If Windows NT has not been restarted after unclustering, this causes SQLServerAgent to attempt to connect to the clustered virtual server name contained in the environment variable.

Additional query words: svs sqlserveragent cluster


Keywords          : kbSQLServ700 
Version           : winnt:7.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: March 26, 1999