Could not load file or assembly while configuring Build vNext Agent

Audience

Everyone

If you are using Windows Server 2012 R2 to test out the new vNext build agent then you may run into an error where it could not load file or assembly while configuring Build vNext Agent.

Download Team Foundation Server 2015 today

Microsoft has released a CTP of TFS 2015 that includes the vNext build system. You can download TFS 2015 and try it out today. Remember that this is not a go-live version and you should not install it in production.

I have been playing around with the new Build vNext Agent that Microsoft has been developing and I found that I was not able to register the Agent on Windows Server 2012 R2 when I had Visual Studio 2015 Preview installed. Before I installed Visual Studio I had no issues, but once on I got a “Could not load file or assembly” when trying to run the registration.

clip_image001

It looks like there is a version mismatch on the DLL.

Unhandled Exception: System.IO.FileLoadException: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Client, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. Strong name validation failed. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8013141A) ---> System.Security.SecurityException: Strong name validation failed. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8013141A)

--- End of inner exception stack trace ---

at VsoAgent.Program.Main(String[] args)

WARNING: UnConfigure agent finish with Error, you can check logs under _diag folder, determine whether you can ignore the error.

I am fairly sure that this is a time limited error and once VS 2015 comes out of Preview, or the DLL versions settle down this will not be an issue, however to fix it for now we need to turn of Strong Naming for .NET at the command prompt.

clip_image002

You need to run “sn -Vr *,*” on the server to disable strong signing. This should only be the case as part of the current preview program. I would expect this issue to go away with the next release, at least on Server 2012 R2.

This is only required when you are running Visual Studio 2015 Preview on the Build vNext Agent.

Create a conversation around this article

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin

Read more

Martin Hinshelwood
For a long time now I have been searching for that perfect domain that epitomised the vision, the why, of what I am trying to achieve with my customers and the industry at large. Now I have found it in http://nkdagility.com
Martin Hinshelwood
At the MVP Summit I was appalled by the number of people who asked questions about new features for supporting hierarchical tasks! I shared a disgusted look with Peter Provost and we had a quick (and I mean really quick) conversation that resulted in this post. it really comes down …
Martin Hinshelwood
In my journey of delivering an immersive Product Development Mentor Program over the last eight weeks, a compelling narrative unfolded that beautifully illustrates the essence and true strength of Scrum. This story, rooted in the practical application of Scrum through Minecraft, unveils the depth of adaptability and resilience that Scrum …
Martin Hinshelwood
The Boards in Azure DevOps are a powerful tool that your teams can leverage to enable transparent visualization of the current state of value delivery.  However, the inclusion of Blocked columns can stealthily erode the very foundations of efficiency these boards are meant to uphold. By obfuscating the state of …