The authentication.config is empty after the installation

After you install the IBM RPA Client, you might get an error when trying to log into IBM RPA Studio or when trying to deploy a bot on the same machine.

Applies to IBM RPA SaaS client-side.

Symptoms

  • You are unable to log into the client services.
  • You see the following error in the AgentService log:
ERROR,WdgServiceHost,,,,WDG.Automation.Service,"Error starting service","System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer 'WDG.IbmServerConfiguration' threw an exception. ---> System.Xml.XmlException: Root element is missing.

Resolving the problem

This issue has one known cause: The authentication.config file is empty. To resolve this problem you must delete the authentication.config file, and restart the IBM Robotic Process Automation Agent Services.

  1. On the client computer, navigate to the path "C:\Program Files\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM Robotic Process Automation".
  2. Locate the authentication.config file and delete it.
  3. Restart the IBM Robotic Process Automation Agent Services:
    1. Open the Windows Task Manager.
    2. On the Services tab, search for IBM Robotic Process Automation Agent.
    3. Right-click it and select Restart.