diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ChronicleMapBuilder.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ChronicleMapBuilder.java
index 83195af85..7e84c5436 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ChronicleMapBuilder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ChronicleMapBuilder.java
@@ -1529,6 +1529,7 @@ public final class ChronicleMapBuilder<K, V> implements
                     VanillaChronicleMap<K, ?, ?, V, ?, ?, ?> map =
                             (VanillaChronicleMap<K, ?, ?, V, ?, ?, ?>) m;
                     map.initTransientsFromBuilder(this);
+                    initTransientsFromReplication(map, singleHashReplication, channel);
                     map.initBeforeMapping(fis.getChannel());
                     long expectedFileLength = map.expectedFileSize();
                     if (expectedFileLength != fileLength) {
@@ -1576,6 +1577,23 @@ public final class ChronicleMapBuilder<K, V> implements
         return establishReplication(map, singleHashReplication, channel);
     }
 
+    private static void initTransientsFromReplication(
+            VanillaChronicleMap<?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?> map,
+            SingleChronicleHashReplication singleHashReplication, ReplicationChannel channel) {
+        if (map instanceof ReplicatedChronicleMap) {
+            AbstractReplication replication;
+            if (singleHashReplication != null) {
+                replication = singleHashReplication;
+            } else if (channel != null) {
+                replication = channel.hub();
+            } else {
+                replication = null;
+            }
+            if (replication != null)
+                ((ReplicatedChronicleMap) map).initTransientsFromReplication(replication);
+        }
+    }
+
     private static <K, V> boolean trySerializeHeaderViaXStream(
             VanillaChronicleMap<K, ?, ?, V, ?, ?, ?> map, ObjectOutputStream oos)
             throws IOException {
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
index 7efe0f8b3..22d01ee1e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/ReplicatedChronicleMap.java
@@ -101,18 +101,21 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
     private static final long LAST_UPDATED_HEADER_SIZE = 128L * 8L;
     private static final int SIZE_OF_BOOTSTRAP_TIME_STAMP = 8;
 
-    public final TimeProvider timeProvider;
-    private final byte localIdentifier;
+    public transient TimeProvider timeProvider;
+    /**
+     * Default value is 0, that corresponds to "unset" identifier value (valid ids are positive)
+     */
+    private transient byte localIdentifier;
     transient Set<Closeable> closeables;
     private transient Bytes identifierUpdatedBytes;
 
     private transient ATSDirectBitSet modIterSet;
     private transient AtomicReferenceArray<ModificationIterator> modificationIterators;
     private transient long startOfModificationIterators;
-    private boolean bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries;
+    private transient boolean bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries;
 
-    public long cleanupTimeout;
-    public TimeUnit cleanupTimeoutUnit;
+    public transient long cleanupTimeout;
+    public transient TimeUnit cleanupTimeoutUnit;
     
     public transient MapRemoteOperations<K, V, R> remoteOperations;
     transient CompiledReplicatedMapQueryContext<K, KI, MKI, V, VI, MVI, R> remoteOpContext;
@@ -127,17 +130,7 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
                                   AbstractReplication replication)
             throws IOException {
         super(builder);
-        this.timeProvider = builder.timeProvider();
-
-        this.localIdentifier = replication.identifier();
-        this.bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries = replication.bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries();
-
-        cleanupTimeout = builder.cleanupTimeout;
-        cleanupTimeoutUnit = builder.cleanupTimeoutUnit;
-
-        if (localIdentifier == -1) {
-            throw new IllegalStateException("localIdentifier should not be -1");
-        }
+        initTransientsFromReplication(replication);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -180,6 +173,16 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
     void initTransientsFromBuilder(ChronicleMapBuilder<K, V> builder) {
         super.initTransientsFromBuilder(builder);
         this.remoteOperations = (MapRemoteOperations<K, V, R>) builder.remoteOperations;
+        this.timeProvider = builder.timeProvider();
+        cleanupTimeout = builder.cleanupTimeout;
+        cleanupTimeoutUnit = builder.cleanupTimeoutUnit;
+    }
+
+    void initTransientsFromReplication(AbstractReplication replication) {
+        this.localIdentifier = replication.identifier();
+        this.bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries = replication.bootstrapOnlyLocalEntries();
+        if (localIdentifier == -1)
+            throw new IllegalStateException("localIdentifier should not be -1");
     }
 
     private void readObject(ObjectInputStream in) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {
@@ -273,7 +276,23 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
 
     @Override
     public byte identifier() {
-        return localIdentifier;
+        byte id = localIdentifier;
+        if (id == 0) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Replication identifier is not set for this\n" +
+                    "replicated Chronicle Map. This should only be possible if persisted\n" +
+                    "replicated Chronicle Map access from another process/JVM run/after\n" +
+                    "a transfer from another machine, and replication identifier is not\n" +
+                    "specified when access is configured, e. g. ChronicleMap.of(...)" +
+                    ".createPersistedTo(existingFile).\n" +
+                    "In this case, replicated Chronicle Map \"doesn't know\" it's identifier,\n" +
+                    "and is able to perform simple _read_ operations like map.get(), which\n" +
+                    "doesn't access the identifier. To perform updates, insertions, replication\n" +
+                    "tasks, you should configure the current node identifier,\n" +
+                    "by `replication(identifier)` method call in ChronicleMapBuilder\n" +
+                    "configuration chain.");
+        }
+        assert id > 0;
+        return id;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -345,7 +364,7 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
 
     @Override
     public boolean identifierCheck(@NotNull ReplicableEntry entry, int chronicleId) {
-        return entry.originIdentifier() == localIdentifier;
+        return entry.originIdentifier() == identifier();
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -358,7 +377,7 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
             entry.skip(keySize + 8); // we skip 8 for the timestamp
 
             final byte identifier = entry.readByte();
-            if (identifier != localIdentifier) {
+            if (identifier != identifier()) {
                 // although unlikely, this may occur if the entry has been updated
                 return 0;
             }
@@ -397,7 +416,7 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
         final long timeStamp = entry.readLong();
 
         final byte identifier = entry.readByte();
-        if (identifier != localIdentifier) {
+        if (identifier != identifier()) {
             // although unlikely, this may occur if the entry has been updated
             return;
         }
@@ -430,11 +449,11 @@ public class ReplicatedChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? sup
         if (debugEnabled) {
             if (isDeleted) {
                 LOG.debug("WRITING ENTRY TO DEST -  into local-id={}, remove(key={})",
-                        localIdentifier, entry.toString().trim());
+                        identifier(), entry.toString().trim());
             } else {
                 message = String.format(
                         "WRITING ENTRY TO DEST  -  into local-id=%d, put(key=%s,",
-                        localIdentifier, entry.toString().trim());
+                        identifier(), entry.toString().trim());
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest.java b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest.java
index 1c40423a0..ba62468e4 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest.java
@@ -48,6 +48,19 @@ public class DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest {
                 .entries(100)
 //                .replication((byte) 1)
                 .createPersistedTo(file1)) {
+            assertEquals((Integer) 1, map1.get(1));
+            try {
+                map1.put(2, 2);
+                throw new AssertionError("replicated map update when id is not configured " +
+                        "should throw IllegalStateException");
+            } catch (IllegalStateException expected) {
+            }
+        }
+
+        try (ChronicleMap<Integer, Integer> map1 = ChronicleMap.of(Integer.class, Integer.class)
+                .entries(100)
+                .replication((byte) 1)
+                .createPersistedTo(file1)) {
             map1.put(2, 2);
         }
 
@@ -65,7 +78,7 @@ public class DeserializeReplicatedMapWithoutConfiguringReplicatorsTest {
 
         try (ChronicleMap<Integer, Integer> map2 = ChronicleMap.of(Integer.class, Integer.class)
                 .entries(100)
-//                .replication((byte) 2)
+                .replication((byte) 2)
                 .createPersistedTo(file2)) {
             map2.put(2, 0);
             map2.remove(2);