AD Connector Stuck in ‘Register Domain’ Loop Due to Invalid Shared Folder Path (Local Drive Instead of Network Share)

While configuring or registering an Active Directory (AD) Connector, the agent becomes stuck in a continuous “Register Domain” loop. Despite multiple retries and service restarts, the registration never completes.

Investigation revealed that the Shared Folder Path configured in the Druva AD Connector setup was incorrectly set to a local path (C:\ drive) instead of a valid UNC network share path (for example, \\servername\share).
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The AD Connector requires access to a network-accessible shared folder for synchronization, caching, and credential verification during registration.
If the shared folder path points to a local directory (C:\ or equivalent), the connector process cannot properly communicate and validate with other service components, leading to an infinite “Register Domain” loop.
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Key Points:

● Local paths are unsupported for Shared Folder configuration.

● Connector expects a UNC path with appropriate read/write permissions for the service account used.

In ADCService.log or Event Viewer, messages similar to the following are observed repeatedly:

[INFO] Registering domain with Druva Cloud...

[ERROR] Failed: Unable to locate shared folder path

[DETAIL] Shared path validation failed: Path=C:\Druva\ADConnector\Share (expected network share)

Retrying registration after 30 seconds...
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Event Viewer may show warnings under Application Logs for ADConnector service indicating invalid shared path or permission errors.

Open Services.msc and stop Druva AD Connector.

2. Verify and Correct Shared Folder Path Settings:
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○ Ensure the shared folder path is a valid UNC path (e.g., \\server\DruvaShare).

○ This share should be accessible from the AD Connector host system.

3. Set Correct Permissions on the Share:
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○ The AD Connector Service Account must have:

■ Read/Write permissions on the shared folder.

■ Appropriate NTFS permissions.

4. Update Configuration in AD Connector:
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○ Launch the AD Connector configuration tool.

○ Modify the shared folder path from local C:\... to the UNC network share path.

○ Save changes.
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5. Restart the AD Connector Service:
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○ Start the service again and verify status in Druva Cloud console → Manage AD Connectors.

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6. Expected Behavior:

○ The “Register Domain” loop should stop.

○ Status should show as Connected after successful registration.

​Additional Best Practices

● Always validate the shared folder path during configuration.

● Avoid pointing to local drives, as they break multi-system and failover capabilities.

● Share location should ideally be on a high-availability file server or DFS share.