SolarWinds Platform Core Business Layer fails to start due to invalid time zone ID

4/20/2026 5:48 PM

4/20/2026 5:57 PM

The Core Business Layer fails to start, causing the Orion Module Engine and related SolarWinds Platform services to be unstable or stopped. Logs show a TimeZoneNotFoundException for a specific time zone ID such as:

• '(UTC-03:00) Araguaína'

• '(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco'

Log snippet from Core.BusinessLayer.log:

ERROR SolarWinds.Orion.Common.SWEventLogging - (null)  Unhandled Exception caught in Core Service Engine startup. The time zone ID '(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco' was not found on the local computer.

FATAL SolarWinds.Orion.Core.BusinessLayer.CoreBusinessLayerPlugin - (null)  Unhandled Exception caught in plugin startup.
System.TimeZoneNotFoundException: The time zone ID '(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco' was not found on the local computer.
   at System.TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById(String id)
   at SolarWinds.Orion.Core.Models.Schedules.TimePeriodSchedule.get_CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo()

 

 

Network Performance Monitor

SolarWinds stores a time zone for each maintenance and alert schedule. In this environment, at least one schedule is using a time zone value that Windows no longer recognizes, such as "(UTC-03:00) Araguaína" or "(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco".

When the Core Business Layer service starts, it reads these schedules and asks Windows for the matching time zone. Because Windows cannot find that exact time zone ID, it throws a TimeZoneNotFoundException. That unhandled error causes the Core Business Layer plugin to fail on startup, which in turn prevents the Orion Module Engine and related features from running.

1. Confirm the error in logs

   1.1 On the main application server, review:

C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds\Logs\Orion\Core.BusinessLayer.log

  1.2 Look for all instances of:

TimeZoneNotFoundException
The time zone ID '...' was not found on the local computer

  1.3 Capture the exact time zone string(s) shown in the error.

2. Verify the OS does not know that time zone ID.

On the SolarWinds application server (Open PowerShell ISE in elevated mode):

# Replace the string with the exact value from the log
$tzId = '(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco'

# Try to resolve it
[System.TimeZoneInfo]::FindSystemTimeZoneById($tzId)

If you see System.TimeZoneNotFoundException, Windows does not recognize that ID.

To discover suitable candidates:

# List time zones with the same UTC offset or similar display name
[System.TimeZoneInfo]::GetSystemTimeZones() |
    Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like '*UTC-05:00*' -or $_.DisplayName -like '*Bogotá*' -or $_.DisplayName -like '*Lima*' }

Repeat for any other problematic IDs (e.g. containing “Araguaína”).

3. Identify all offending rows in the database

1. Connect to the SolarWinds Platform server.
2. Open Database Manager from the SolarWinds Platform folder of the start menu.
3. Select Add Orion Server and expand the SQL server in bold.
4. Right-click the SolarWindsOrion database and select New Query.
5. Paste the SQL query below into the window on the right and select Execute query:

-- Scripts are not supported under any SolarWinds support program or service.
-- Scripts are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. SolarWinds further
-- disclaims all warranties including, without limitation, any implied warranties
-- of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The risk arising
-- out of the use or performance of the scripts and documentation stays with you.
-- In no event shall SolarWinds or anyone else involved in the creation,
-- production, or delivery of the scripts be liable for any damages whatsoever
-- (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
-- interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising
-- out of the use of or inability to use the scripts or documentation.

SELECT FrequencyID,
       DisplayName,
       CronExpression,
       CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo
FROM dbo.Frequencies
WHERE CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo IS NOT NULL
  AND CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo IN (
      N'(UTC-03:00) Araguaína',
      N'(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco'
  );

4. Once you determine the correct Windows time zone ID for each invalid value.

5. Update dbo.Frequencies.CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo to a valid ID, or set it to NULL to fall back to the server’s local time zone.

Important: Always confirm with the customer which physical region/time behavior they expect before changing it.

Always back up the SolarWinds database before making direct changes.

-- Scripts are not supported under any SolarWinds support program or service.
-- Scripts are provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. SolarWinds further
-- disclaims all warranties including, without limitation, any implied warranties
-- of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. The risk arising
-- out of the use or performance of the scripts and documentation stays with you.
-- In no event shall SolarWinds or anyone else involved in the creation,
-- production, or delivery of the scripts be liable for any damages whatsoever
-- (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business
-- interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising
-- out of the use of or inability to use the scripts or documentation.

-- Example mapping (adjust to your environment / customer requirement)
-- Map Araguaína to Tocantins Standard Time

UPDATE dbo.Frequencies
SET CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo = N'Tocantins Standard Time'
WHERE CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo = N'(UTC-03:00) Araguaína';

-- Map Bogotá/Lima/Quito/Río Branco to SA Pacific Standard Time

UPDATE dbo.Frequencies
SET CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo = N'SA Pacific Standard Time'
WHERE CronExpressionTimeZoneInfo = N'(UTC-05:00) Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Río Branco';

6. Restart SolarWinds services so Core Business Layer can start successfully.

7. Confirm there are no new TimeZoneNotFoundException entries for the previously problematic IDs in Core.BusinessLayer.log and Orion Module Engine remains running.