AutoSys WA System Agent Silent Installation Fails with RC 1001 in Headless Environments

Products

• Autosys Workload Automation
• Workload Automation Agent

Issue/Introduction

When performing a silent installation of the AutoSys Workload Automation System Agent on Windows Server in a fully headless environment (e.g., Azure CI/CD pipelines, WinRM, PsExec, or background Scheduled Tasks), the installation fails with Return Code 1001.

Symptoms

• The setup.exe exits immediately with RC=1001 AutoSys WA System Agent 24.0 – Silent installation fails with RC=1001 on headless Windows Server (Azure).
• No ia_install.log or JVM extraction folders (I* folders) are generated in the %TEMP% directory.
• The failure occurs in the native InstallAnywhere launcher before the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) starts.
• The installation works correctly when executed within an interactive RDP/Console session but consistently fails in Session 0 (non-interactive service session) AutoSys WA System Agent 24.0 – Silent installation fails with RC=1001 on headless Windows Server (Azure).

Environment

Product:
AutoSys Workload Automation Version: 24.X
System Agent Version: 24.X (InstallAnywhere-based installer) 

Operating System: Windows Server (Azure VM / Session 0)

Cause

The 1001 exit code indicates that the installation includes an invalid command-line option.
In a headless or Session 0 environment, the native InstallAnywhere launcher often defaults the working directory to C:\Windows\System32.

If the silent installation command uses relative paths (e.g., -f windows.properties), the launcher fails to resolve the path to the properties file.
Because Session 0 prohibits UI rendering, the launcher cannot display an error dialog and terminates immediately, treating the missing file as an invalid parameter AutoSys WA System Agent 24.0 – Silent installation fails with RC=1001 on headless Windows Server (Azure).

Resolution

The System Agent installer does support fully headless Windows installations. To resolve the path resolution failure in CI/CD or automated environments, follow these steps:

1. Use Absolute Paths

Modify the execution command to provide the absolute path to the response file.

Execution Command Example: Review this command before running it.

cmd

cd /d "C:\Path\To\Installer\Media"setup.exe -i silent -f "C:\Path\To\Installer\Media\windows.properties"

Note: Ensure the path is wrapped in double quotes AutoSys WA System Agent 24.0 – Silent installation fails with RC=1001 on headless Windows Server (Azure).

2. Configure windows.properties

Ensure the properties file explicitly defines the UI mode and uses escaped backslashes for Windows paths:

properties

INSTALLER_UI=silentUSER_INSTALL_DIR=C:\\Program Files\\CA\\WA Agent

Additional Information

• Revenera InstallAnywhere Exit Codes: Confirms 1001 means "The installation includes an invalid command-line option."
• Broadcom TechDocs: Silent installations require the -i silent -f <path_to_file> syntax to guarantee resolution across various deployment contexts AutoSys WA System Agent 24.0 – Silent installation fails with RC=1001 on headless Windows Server (Azure).