Deleted Guest User - Cannot Log in, Now what?

[knowledgeblue]

We deleted the guest user and now Alfresco will not let us log -in, How can we recreate the Guest User or get in another way?

description The server encountered an internal error () that prevented it from fulfilling this request.

exception

org.alfresco.error.AlfrescoRuntimeException: Failed to authenticate as Guest user.
   org.alfresco.web.app.servlet.AuthenticationHelper.authenticate(AuthenticationHelper.java:185)
   org.alfresco.web.app.servlet.AuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AuthenticationFilter.java:67)

[kevinr]

caused by:
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: java.lang.Object.getHibernateLazyInitializer()Lorg/hibernate/proxy/LazyInitializer;

This issue is a known problem with the Hibernate library - start your JVM using the -server option as a workaround. It's nothing to do with the Guest user, just a conicidence that this action gives you that exception. Going direct to the login page is the correct solution to allow admin login or similar.

After stopping and restarting the server, the admin password works again. Given that I know nothing about Alfresco and am arriving *after* all the damage has been done, what, exactly, should I do to ensure that the Guest user is there properly and configured correctly?

One solution is to create a new Alfresco installation with a fresh database and then Export the Guest space, save out the ACP file and then Import it into the Company Home space of the damaged installation. The same procedure can be used to quickly and easily recreate any of the special Alfresco folders such as Data Dictionary.

I think at some point we will give the Admin user the ability to re-create the special folders from the Admin Console - but this workaround of Export->Import will work for now.

I have raised an issue for the fact that deleting the Guest user space causes the exception on user login - instead it should automatically redirect the user to the login page:
http://issues.alfresco.com/browse/AWC-1082

Thanks,

Kevin

[john]

I have a usability question.  Once again, I'm a brand new user, who had never seen Alfresco before this Monday when I was asked to fix the broken installation, so I apologise if this question seems very basic, but I don't see this issue in the documentation:

I want to find out what account deleted the Guest Home folders, and when.

When I examine the properties, they show as being created by Admin on Monday the 22nd at 3:50PM - which is when I *undeleted* them.  They also show as version 1.0, and having never been modified.

Is there a way to show who deleted that folder, and when?

[kevinr]

This information will have been recorded if you are using auditing - but it is not switched on by default for new installations. If you are using auditing then you can retrieve this information:
http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Audit

The "deleted by user" column in the Manage Deleted Item screen will tell you who deleted the item - but this information is lost once you restore the item unless you are using auditing.

FYI

I have raised an issue for the fact that deleting the Guest user space causes the exception on user login - instead it should automatically redirect the user to the login page:
http://issues.alfresco.com/browse/AWC-1082

This issue has now been fixed for the next release and is in HEAD SVN.

Thanks,

Kevin