So here is the exception that I get after modifying my activemq.xml by removing the bean definition that was redundant:
Loading message broker from: xbean:activemq.xml INFO | Refreshing org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory$1@c5495e: startup date [Fri Aug 24 15:42:55 CEST 2012]; root of context hierarchy INFO | Loading properties file from URL [file:C:/folders/Projects/amqcluster1/apache-activemq-5.6.0-Master/bin/../conf/credentials-enc.properties] ERROR: java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to execute start task. Reason: java.lang.NullPointerException java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to execute start task. Reason: java.lang.NullPointerException at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:98) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.runTask(ShellCommand.java:148) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.main(ShellCommand.java:90) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597) at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.runTaskClass(Main.java:257) at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.main(Main.java:111) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.config.SimplePBEConfig.getPasswordCharArray(SimplePBEConfig.java:434) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEByteEncryptor.resolveConfigurationPassword(StandardPBEByteEncryptor.java:740) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEByteEncryptor.initialize(StandardPBEByteEncryptor.java:590) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEStringEncryptor.initialize(StandardPBEStringEncryptor.java:570) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEStringEncryptor.decrypt(StandardPBEStringEncryptor.java:697) at org.jasypt.properties.PropertyValueEncryptionUtils.decrypt(PropertyValueEncryptionUtils.java:72) at org.jasypt.spring.properties.EncryptablePropertyPlaceholderConfigurer.convertPropertyValue(EncryptablePropertyPlaceholderConfigurer.java:108) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.convertProperty(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:112) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.convertProperties(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:95) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.postProcessBeanFactory(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:72) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:663) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:638) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:407) at org.apache.xbean.spring.context.ResourceXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ResourceXmlApplicationContext.java:64) at org.apache.xbean.spring.context.ResourceXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ResourceXmlApplicationContext.java:52) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory$1.<init>(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:108) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.createApplicationContext(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:108) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.createBroker(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:72) at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:71) at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:54) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.startBroker(StartCommand.java:115) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:74) ... 10 more ERROR: java.lang.Exception: java.lang.NullPointerException java.lang.Exception: java.lang.NullPointerException at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:99) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.runTask(ShellCommand.java:148) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.main(ShellCommand.java:90) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597) at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.runTaskClass(Main.java:257) at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.main(Main.java:111) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.config.SimplePBEConfig.getPasswordCharArray(SimplePBEConfig.java:434) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEByteEncryptor.resolveConfigurationPassword(StandardPBEByteEncryptor.java:740) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEByteEncryptor.initialize(StandardPBEByteEncryptor.java:590) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEStringEncryptor.initialize(StandardPBEStringEncryptor.java:570) at org.jasypt.encryption.pbe.StandardPBEStringEncryptor.decrypt(StandardPBEStringEncryptor.java:697) at org.jasypt.properties.PropertyValueEncryptionUtils.decrypt(PropertyValueEncryptionUtils.java:72) at org.jasypt.spring.properties.EncryptablePropertyPlaceholderConfigurer.convertPropertyValue(EncryptablePropertyPlaceholderConfigurer.java:108) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.convertProperty(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:112) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.convertProperties(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:95) at org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertyResourceConfigurer.postProcessBeanFactory(PropertyResourceConfigurer.java:72) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:663) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:638) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:407) at org.apache.xbean.spring.context.ResourceXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ResourceXmlApplicationContext.java:64) at org.apache.xbean.spring.context.ResourceXmlApplicationContext.<init>(ResourceXmlApplicationContext.java:52) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory$1.<init>(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:108) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.createApplicationContext(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:108) at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.createBroker(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:72) at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:71) at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:54) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.startBroker(StartCommand.java:115) at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:74) ... 10 more -- View this message in context: 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