Connect:Direct Server Begin Session Service fails with error Session limit exceeded or Null Pointer Exception

Symptom

Using Gentran Integration Suite version 4.3 build 4313. This problem was also reported using Gentran Integration Suite 4.3 and build 4321. 

The environment is clustered.   The Connect:Direct Server adapters are part of a group.   

The failure has occurred immediately after both nodes of the cluster were stopped and restarted. Prior to the restart the process executed without errors for 2 months.   The failure occurred on node 2.  The Business Process could be run successfully on node 1.

The Null Pointer Exception error was occurring sporadically.  Perhaps the errors occurred only when the Business Process executed on a node with the mis configured Connect:Direct Server adapter.  

XML report for failed process:-
       >Primitive Begin Session Status_Report: Caught exception of type [com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.CDInteropException], with message [Session limit exceeded]

cdinterop log:-
ERROR 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE
java.lang.NullPointerException
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.createPNodeConnection(CDServer.java:719)
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.beginSession(CDServer.java:570)
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.beginSession(CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.java:251)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
 at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
 at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(UnicastServerRef.java:294)
 at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Transport.java:153)
 at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
 at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Transport.java:149)
 at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(TCPTransport.java:466)
 at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(TCPTransport.java:707)
 at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)

ERROR 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE Session limit exceeded
com.sterlingcommerce.cd.oemglue.SessionLimitExceeded: Session limit exceeded
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDConnectionManager.createPNodeConnection(CDConnectionManager.java:421)
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.createPNodeConnection(CDServer.java:654)
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.beginSession(CDServer.java:570)
 at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.beginSession(CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.java:251)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
 at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
 at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(UnicastServerRef.java:294)
 at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Transport.java:153)
 at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
 at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Transport.java:149)
 at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(TCPTransport.java:466)
 at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(TCPTransport.java:707)
 at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)

Below is the cdinterop.log error observed using build 4321:

[2011-02-22 12:50:56.318] DEBUG 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE ConnectDirectConnection.getSecurityProtocol() - ENTERING
[2011-02-22 12:50:56.318] DEBUG 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE CDServerSecurePlusPolicy.isSSLEnabled(String node) - ENTERING
[2011-02-22 12:50:56.318] DEBUG 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE CDServerSecurePlusPolicy.isTLSEnabled(String node) - ENTERING
[2011-02-22 12:50:56.334] ERROR 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE
java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.createPNodeConnection(CDServer.java:790)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.beginSession(CDServer.java:607)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.beginSession(CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.java:252)
at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor664.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastServerRef.dispatch(UnicastServerRef.java:294)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport$1.run(Transport.java:153)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at sun.rmi.transport.Transport.serviceCall(Transport.java:149)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport.handleMessages(TCPTransport.java:466)
at sun.rmi.transport.tcp.TCPTransport$ConnectionHandler.run(TCPTransport.java:707)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)
at sun.rmi.transport.StreamRemoteCall.exceptionReceivedFromServer(StreamRemoteCall.java:247)
at sun.rmi.transport.StreamRemoteCall.executeCall(StreamRemoteCall.java:223)
at sun.rmi.server.UnicastRef.invoke(UnicastRef.java:126)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl_Stub.beginSession(CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl_Stub.java:158)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerBeginSessionService.primitiveProcessData(CDServerBeginSessionService.java:141)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.CDService$1.run(CDService.java:94)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.mailbox.db.DatabaseOperation.runContained(DatabaseOperation.java:106)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.CDService.processData(CDService.java:92)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.activity.engine.ActivityEngineHelper.invokeService(ActivityEngineHelper.java:1774)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.activity.engine.ActivityEngineHelper.nextMainLogic(ActivityEngineHelper.java:644)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.activity.engine.ActivityEngineHelper.next(ActivityEngineHelper.java:371)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.WorkFlowQueueListener.doWork(WorkFlowQueueListener.java:328)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.WorkFlowQueueListener.run(WorkFlowQueueListener.java:202)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.WorkFlowQueueListener.onMessage(WorkFlowQueueListener.java:163)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.WorkFlowQueueListener.onMessage(WorkFlowQueueListener.java:149)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.wfTransporter.run(wfTransporter.java:357)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.workflow.queue.BasicExecutor$Worker.run(BasicExecutor.java:517)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)
[2011-02-22 12:50:56.334] DEBUG 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE CDServerBeginSessionService.setWFCRetryResponse() - numRetries = -1, retryInterval = -1
[2011-02-22 12:50:56.334] ERROR 000000000000 GLOBAL_SCOPE CDServerPrimitiveBeginSessionService - recording a failed Begin Session attempt with fault code [Connect:Direct Service Error]
java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.createPNodeConnection(CDServer.java:790)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.cdinterop.impl.serverImpl.CDServer.beginSession(CDServer.java:607)
at com.sterlingcommerce.woodstock.services.cdinterop.server.CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.beginSession(CDServerAdapterLittleAImpl.java:252)