AAI Upgrade Error: Property ${password} has not been set (org.bouncycastle.util.encoders.DecoderException)

Products

• Automation Analytics & Intelligence

Issue/Introduction

When upgrading to Automation Analytics & Intelligence (AAI) version 24.4.2, the application fails to start. The jaws.log or server.log contains the following error sequence:

ERROR [JawsConfigReader] Could not decrypt the passwordorg.bouncycastle.util.encoders.DecoderException: unable to decode base64 data: invalid characters encountered in base64 data...ERROR [JawsDbConnectionConfigParms] Property ${password} has not been set

Environment

• Product: Automation Analytics & Intelligence (AAI)
• Versions: 24.4.x, 24.4.2

Cause

This issue occurs when the AAI decryption utility fails to process the database password stored in the configuration files. Common triggers include:

1. Encryption Mismatch: The .jawskey file used to encrypt the password in the previous version is missing or differs from the one in the new environment.
2. Malformed Property: The password property in jaws-database.xml contains a value that is not a valid Base64 encoded string expected by the bouncycastle library.
3. Empty Password: A database connection ID is present but lacks a corresponding password entry, causing the decryption tool to fail on a null or empty property.

Resolution

Step 1: Disable Password Encryption

1. Stop the AAI service if it is running.
2. Navigate to the AAI configuration directory: [AAI_Home]/jboss/standalone/configuration/
3. Open jaws-database.xml in a text editor.
4. Locate the <encrypted> tag and change its value to false:
   xml

   <encrypted>false</encrypted>

   Locate the <password> tag and enter the database password in plain text.
5. Save and close the file.

Step 2: Restart and Verify

1. Start the AAI service.
2. Verify the application starts successfully and you can log in to the UI.

Step 3: Re-enable Encryption (Best Practice)

1. Open the AAI Configuration Tool (thick client).
2. Navigate to the Database tab.
3. Re-enter the database password in the password field.
4. Ensure the Encrypt checkbox is selected.
5. Click Apply and OK to save. The tool will generate a new encrypted string in jaws-database.xml compatible with the current .jawskey.