SQL Server Server Hang when changing password with SQL Server Configuration Manager 2019

Abrams, Dan 86

Hi All,

Today we experienced a problem with SQL Server 2019 Configuration Manager while we were changing a password.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 (RTM-CU18) (KB5017593) - 15.0.4261.1 (X64) Sep 12 2022 15:07:06 Copyright (C) 2019 Microsoft Corporation Enterprise Edition: Core-based Licensing (64-bit) on Windows Server 2016 Standard 10.0 <X64> (Build 14393: ) (Hypervisor)
Server Configuration: 2 - Host Failover Cluster on a VM with 256GB memory.

We use a DOMAIN/USERNAME account and password for our Service Account for SQL Server and SQL Server Agent. Using SQL Server Config Mgr on the ACTIVE node, when we changed the password for SQL Server and clicked Apply, the whole server hung, and Config Mgr never returned. I was unable to click out of the window, or do anything on the server. Existing database connections continued, but new connections were unable to connect.

When we tried to failover to the passive node, Failover Cluster Manager would not perform the failover and remained in a Pending state.

So, we changed the passwords on the Passive node via services.msc and performed a forced shutdown of the VM on the Active node to push SQL Server over to the passive node. SQL Server properly restarted on the Passive node (now Active). SQL Server and SQL Agent both properly restarted on the newly Active node.

We then went back to the original node (now Passive), and restarted the VM. When the server restarted, we changed the passwords via services.msc.

There were no typos in our password.

We followed these directions exactly, except we clicked "Apply" instead of "Ok":

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-windows/scm-services-change-the-password-of-the-accounts-used?view=sql-server-ver16

Why did this happen?
Are there any known issues with SQL Server Config Mgr on 2019 Enterprise?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

--Dan

Seeya Xi-MSFT 16,436 Reputation points

2023-03-21T02:22:02.6466667+00:00

Hi @Abrams, Dan,

It's a good idea to check the event logs for any relevant error messages or clues as to what might have gone wrong. like this:

What you need to pay attention to is the Error level error.

Best regards,

Seeya
Abrams, Dan 86 Reputation points

2023-03-21T12:55:22.49+00:00

Thank you Seeya.

We reviewed the Event Log and it appears quiet.

--Dan
Abrams, Dan 86 Reputation points

2023-03-21T12:55:57.2833333+00:00

Hi Seeya,

Thank you for getting back to me. Yes, I reviewed the Event log. It is quiet with no error messages.

--Dan
Seeya Xi-MSFT 16,436 Reputation points

2023-03-22T06:36:06.3366667+00:00

Hi @Abrams, Dan,

When we tried to failover to the passive node, Failover Cluster Manager would not perform the failover and remained in a Pending state.

Have you checked the cluster events?

Best regards,

Seeya
Abrams, Dan 86 Reputation points

2023-03-22T14:59:55.5966667+00:00

Hi Seeya,

Thanks for getting back to me. Failover Cluster Manager reports "No events were found." The Cluster Events header banner reads "(0 events)".

One thought that came to mind: Are there any restrictions on "special" characters in the password? We used a randomly generated password that contained both equal signs and left and right parenthesis. For example: =123(A=z)xy,zA?,B(

A previous MSDN post had problems with embedded double-quotes. I wonder if our password was the culprit?

Config Mgr did not complain about the password. It just HUNG when I clicked Apply.

--Dan
Seeya Xi-MSFT 16,436 Reputation points

2023-03-23T07:48:50.6833333+00:00

Hi Dan,

If you use the Windows authentication method, the password policy is under the control of Windows.

Best regards,

Seeya
Seeya Xi-MSFT 16,436 Reputation points

2023-03-24T07:48:55.8733333+00:00

Hi @Abrams, Dan,

In addition, I add some details.

SQL Account Password Policy:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/security/password-policy?view=sql-server-ver16

Windows Account Password Policy:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/security-policy-settings/password-must-meet-complexity-requirements

Best regards,

Seeya

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