Receive "Parameter 'step' may not be null" error in JBoss EAP 7 domain mode

Issue

• domain controller loses connection with host controller
• host-controller.log contains error similar to:

ERROR [org.jboss.as.controller.management-operation] (Host Controller Service Threads - 141) WFLYCTL0013: Operation ("apply-remote-domain-model") failed - address: ([]): java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Parameter 'step' may not be null
    at org.wildfly.common@1.5.1.Final-redhat-00001//org.wildfly.common.Assert.checkNotNullParamChecked(Assert.java:71)
    at org.wildfly.common@1.5.1.Final-redhat-00001//org.wildfly.common.Assert.checkNotNullParam(Assert.java:49)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.addStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:315)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.addStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:300)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.addStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:267)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.domain.controller.operations.SyncServerStateOperationHandler$1.execute(SyncServerStateOperationHandler.java:121)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.executeStep(AbstractOperationContext.java:999)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.processStages(AbstractOperationContext.java:743)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractOperationContext.executeOperation(AbstractOperationContext.java:467)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.OperationContextImpl.executeOperation(OperationContextImpl.java:1411)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.ModelControllerImpl.internalExecute(ModelControllerImpl.java:423)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.AbstractControllerService.internalExecute(AbstractControllerService.java:492)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.DomainModelControllerService.access$1100(DomainModelControllerService.java:202)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.DomainModelControllerService$InternalExecutor$1.lambda$apply$0(DomainModelControllerService.java:1409)
    at org.jboss.as.controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.controller.access.InVmAccess.runInVm(InVmAccess.java:63)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.DomainModelControllerService$InternalExecutor$1.apply(DomainModelControllerService.java:1409)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.DomainModelControllerService$InternalExecutor$1.apply(DomainModelControllerService.java:1406)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.SecurityActions$Execution$1.execute(SecurityActions.java:77)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.SecurityActions.privilegedExecution(SecurityActions.java:47)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.DomainModelControllerService$InternalExecutor.execute(DomainModelControllerService.java:1412)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.RemoteDomainConnectionService.applyRemoteDomainModel(RemoteDomainConnectionService.java:603)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.RemoteDomainConnectionService.access$1200(RemoteDomainConnectionService.java:138)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.RemoteDomainConnectionService$3.applyDomainModel(RemoteDomainConnectionService.java:546)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.RemoteDomainConnection.applyDomainModel(RemoteDomainConnection.java:325)
    at org.jboss.as.host-controller@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.host.controller.RemoteDomainConnection$RegisterSubsystemsRequest$1.execute(RemoteDomainConnection.java:468)
    at org.jboss.as.protocol@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.protocol.mgmt.ManagementRequestContextImpl$1.doExecute(ManagementRequestContextImpl.java:70)
    at org.jboss.as.protocol@6.0.15.Final-redhat-00001//org.jboss.as.protocol.mgmt.ManagementRequestContextImpl$AsyncTaskRunner.run(ManagementRequestContextImpl.java:160)
    at org.jboss.threads@2.3.2.Final-redhat-1//org.jboss.threads.ContextClassLoaderSavingRunnable.run(ContextClassLoaderSavingRunnable.java:35)
    at org.jboss.threads@2.3.2.Final-redhat-1//org.jboss.threads.EnhancedQueueExecutor.safeRun(EnhancedQueueExecutor.java:1985)
    at org.jboss.threads@2.3.2.Final-redhat-1//org.jboss.threads.EnhancedQueueExecutor$ThreadBody.doRunTask(EnhancedQueueExecutor.java:1487)
    at org.jboss.threads@2.3.2.Final-redhat-1//org.jboss.threads.EnhancedQueueExecutor$ThreadBody.run(EnhancedQueueExecutor.java:1378)
    at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:834)
    at org.jboss.threads@2.3.2.Final-redhat-1//org.jboss.threads.JBossThread.run(JBossThread.java:485)