An installation enters ESAM anonymous mode when ESAM cannot find or load the registration or identity data for an installation. Common causes include incomplete upgrades, missing ESAM files, incorrect permissions, or corrupted directories. To correct this, verify the ESAM installation directory, re-register the installation, fix file permissions, and restore any missing security artifacts. After correcting the issue, ESAM loads in managed mode automatically.

If your installation enters anonymous mode unexpectedly, use the following guidance to identify the cause and correct the issue.

  • The installation was never registered with ESAM (most common)—Upgrades from older versions may not create a valid ESAM installation record. When ESAM cannot find a registration, it defaults to anonymous mode so that upgrades and basic artifact creation can still succeed.
  • The ESAM installation record was corrupted or deleted—If required files were manually removed, overwritten, or blocked by endpoint‑security software, ESAM cannot load registration metadata and falls back to anonymous mode.
  • Permissions prevent ESAM from loading identity data—If the OS blocks ESAM from reading identity files or installation metadata, ESAM cannot determine who the administrator is and enters anonymous mode.
  • A partial or incomplete upgrade to 13.0—During upgrade, ESAM may start in anonymous mode until the installation is fully registered. If the upgrade is interrupted, or if multiple instances share the same ESAM directory, OpenEdge may not complete registration.
If you think your issues are related to installation, see Installation issues.

If you think your issues is related to registering your installation, see Synchronize ESAM-managed OpenEdge installations.

If you think you have a valid reason to remain in anonymous mode, see Valid uses of anonymous mode.