Troubleshooting the unified product installer
The following sections provide information and frequently asked questions for troubleshooting an installation or upgrade through the unified product installer.
- Environments supported by the unified installer
- Does the unified product installer support silent mode?
- Does the unified product installer upgrade multiple RSCD agents installed on a machine?
- Is PsExec required by the installer?
- Can I run the unified product installer from a domain user with Administrator privileges?
- How can I change the installation path for a separate file server ?
- Can we use the unified product installer to install a file server that runs a different operating system than the default Application Server node?
- Can I use the unified product installer to upgrade Application Servers with advanced security configuration?
- How do I specify database details for a database with Oracle RAC configuration?
- Upgrade fails under heavy activity on Oracle
- Upgrade fails during the task of persisting configuration data to an Oracle database
- Installer attempts to upgrade rather than perform a fresh installation
- RSCD Agent is not installed on one of the Windows Application Servers
- Application Server on SuSE 11 not started at the end of installation or upgrade
- What do I do if an upgrade fails?
- Where can I find the log files written by the unified product installer?
Environments supported by the unified installer
The unified installer supports the installation or upgrade of BMC Server Automation components in the following environments:
- Fresh installation of BMC Server Automation 8.6 or upgrade from version 8.3 or 8.5 to version 8.6, or from version 8.5.xx and 8.6.xx to version 8.7..
- Setup of a homogeneous Multiple Application Server (MAS) environment, that is, an environment with multiple Application Servers all running on Linux 64-bit machines or all running on Windows 64-bit machines.
- File server on any supported Windows or Linux computer.
- Fresh installation of an Oracle database when the Application Servers are on Linux, or an SQL Server database when the Application Servers are on Windows.|
- Upgrade of any existing database associated with the Application Servers.
For further requirements, see the following topics:
- Requirements-for-installing-on-Microsoft-Windows
- Requirements-for-installing-on-UNIX-and-Linux
- Preparing-for-a-Windows-upgrade
- Preparing-for-a-Linux-or-UNIX-upgrade
Does the unified product installer support silent mode?
No. The unified installer currently supports only an interactive, wizard-based installation.
Does the unified product installer upgrade multiple RSCD agents installed on a machine?
In BMC Server Automation 8.6 SP1 and later versions. The local RSCD agents (installed using the -local option) are automatically upgraded by the unified product installer. Note that the local RSCD agents must be running when the unified product installer is executed, so that it can detect and upgrade the local RSCD agents.
Is PsExec required by the installer?
During an installation or upgrade, the unified product installer automatically installs an RSCD Agent on every Application Server machine that does not already have an agent installed. Depending on the operating system at each machine, the installer uses one of the following methods to establish a connection with the machine:
- For Windows machines, the installer runs PsExec with administrator credentials.
- For Linux machines, the installer uses SSH with super-user credentials.
During the installation or upgrade, the installer detects the Application Server machines that require the installation of an RSCD Agent, and, just before performing this installation, the installer prompts you for the name of the PsExec server and administrator credentials (for a Windows machine) or for super-user credentials (for a Linux machine).
A PsExec server is any Windows host computer on which the PsExec utility is configured. To configure the PsExec utility, download the Microsoft Sysinternals Suite and copy the PsExec.exe binary from this suite into the %SystemRoot% (typically C:\Windows\System32) directory on your computer.
If you are not interested in having PsExec installed in your environment or if you are not interested in providing details of the required credentials, you can install an RSCD Agent manually on each of the detected machines.
Can I run the unified product installer from a domain user with Administrator privileges?
In BMC Server Automation 8.7 and later versions: You can run the unified product installer from a domain user in BMC Server Automation 8.7 and later versions.
How can I change the installation path for a separate file server ?
Currently, the unified product installer does not support user-control over the installation path for a separate file server. However, you can specify the file server repository path during a fresh installation.
Can we use the unified product installer to install a file server that runs a different operating system than the default Application Server node?
BMC does not support the installation of a Windows file server with a Linux default Application Server node. However, note that you can install a Linux file server with a Windows default Application Server.
To install a Linux file server with a Windows default Application server in BMC Server Automation 8.7 and later versions, use either of the following methods:
- Unified product installer installs the agent on the file server:
- On the default Application Server node, create a local Administrator or Administrator-equivalent local user. For example, itadmin.
- On the Linux file server, create a root-equivalent local user with the same user name, as the user on the default Application Server node. In this example, the user name should be itadmin.
- In the unified product installer wizard, while updating the Custom Configurations, make sure to enter this common user name in the Agent mapping local super user field.
- Manually install the agent on the file server:
- Manually install the RSCD agent on your Linux file server using steps in Installing-only-the-RSCD-agent-Linux-and-UNIX.
- Install the default Application Server using the unified product installer.
- On the File Server tab of the Customize Configuration screen of the unified product installer wizard, select the RSCD agent is already installed option and continue with the installation.
Can I use the unified product installer to upgrade Application Servers with advanced security configuration?
To use the unified product installer on machines with advanced security configuration (where the agentinfo command cannot be run from any NSH client), you will need to temporarily adjust the security level on the machines where you want to upgrade the Application Servers. You can restore the advanced security configuration after the upgrade.
During an upgrade, the unified installer performs various checks, and displays the following error message: RSCD agent has been configured in a way that will prevent the current installation from remotely communicating with the server.
The following table summarizes the possible root causes for this error message, along with the troubleshooting guidelines for each possible cause:
Cause | Troubleshooting guidelines |
---|---|
The user is not part of root/Administrators group. | Assign the mapped user that appears in the output of the agentinfo command to the root user (on UNIX) or Administrators group (on Windows). |
The user does not have sufficient permissions for read/write operations. | The Agent has been installed and configured, but the mapping does not allow the remote user to perform read/write operations on directories where the upgrade is working. Update the User Privilege Mapping in the users.local file. Depending on how you set up access permissions, you might need to also perform this action in the users or exports file, as discussed in Configuration-files-overview. To update the mapping in the users.local file, add a line as in the following examples:
"<name of user invoking the UPI> rw,map=root"
"<name of user invoking the UPI> rw,map=Administrator" |
The RSCD Agent is not licensed. | Contact BMC Support for more information. Note that a license is not required in BMC Server Automation versions later than 8.2. |
The RSCD Agent has been configured to request client-side certificates for authentication or authorization. | If the RSCD Agent was configured in this manner, it checks all incoming requests for a valid client certificate. Therefore, if a Network Shell needs to communicate with this RSCD Agent, a certificate has to be provisioned for the current user and a password has to be provided to log on. The Network Shell does not provide a command line option to provide password and always prompts for it. This causes the installer to hang. To work around this issue, configure the secure file on all agents or repeaters where you want to stop using certificates by using Network Shell to run the following secadmin command:secadmin -m rscd -p 5 -T encryption_only -e tls |
Network Shell has been configured to run in proxy mode and always communicates with the Network Shell Proxy Server | If Network Shell was configured in this manner, it will not communicate with remote RSCD Agents when the proxy server is down. During the upgrade process, the Network Shell proxy is shut down, and communication with the RSCD Agents is disconnected. To work around this issue, temporarily remove the appserver_protocol=ssoproxy entry from the default line in the secure file. After the upgrade completes, add this entry back into the secure file using the following command:secadmin -m default -p 5 -appserver_protocol ssoproxy |
How do I specify database details for a database with Oracle RAC configuration?
Specify the connection string for a custom JDBC URL in the installer wizard, in the Advanced field. For more information, see Setting-up-the-Default-Application-Server-node and Configuring-an-Oracle-RAC-database-server.
Upgrade fails under heavy activity on Oracle
Upgrade fails with an error message such as the following:
LOG EVENT {Description=[XML migration failed for host [blapp2.local].],Detail=[java.sql.SQLException: Listener refused the connection with the following error:
ORA-12519, TNS:no appropriate service handler found
The cause of the problem is heavy activity on the Oracle database. To resolve this problem, you must increase the processes parameter on your Oracle database server (for example, to 300):
- If your Oracle database server does not use an SPFILE, check the processes parameter in the init<sid>.ora file and increase the value.
- If your Oracle database server uses an SPFILE, run a command (SQLPLUS) similar to the following:
ALTER SYSTEM SET processes=300 scope=SPFILE;
For more information, refer to the online IBM Support Portal.
Upgrade fails during the task of persisting configuration data to an Oracle database
In certain upgrade scenarios, the upgrade fails during the task of persisting configuration data to an Oracle database, and an error message such as the following is issued:
Workaround:
To resolve this issue, perform the following steps.
- In the directories that you extracted from the product package downloaded from the EPD website, navigate to \BBSA<version>-<platform>\files\configurations\db_scripts\oracle\upgrade\8.3.00_to_8.5.00\OM\SQL_scripts\task_scriptsbmcAdm1n\ and open the dbd_populate_objects_with_version.sql file.
- Comment out or delete the last INSERT_INTO statement.
This statement begins with the following lines:
INSERT INTO dbd_dbmeasure(dbobj_type_id, dbobj_name_id, dbmsr_name_id, msr_pop_sp_id, dbmsr_time_measured, dbmsr_time_replaced, dbmsr_charval)
And it ends with the following lines:
AND ddmp.dbmsr_name_id = v_msr_name_id
); - Save the dbd_populate_objects_with_version.sql file, and then run the upgrade process again.
Installer attempts to upgrade rather than perform a fresh installation
When you run the unified product installer on a Windows host computer that previously hosted BMC Server Automation components until the product was uninstalled, the unified product installer might attempt to perform an upgrade rather than a fresh installation. This problem arises due to the fact that the installer detects various product artifacts (such as registry keys and services) from the old product installation. To remove these artifacts, perform the following steps.
RSCD Agent is not installed on one of the Windows Application Servers
If an RSCD Agent is not installed on one of the Windows Application Servers, the unified product installer prompts you for PSExec Server and Application Server credentials, so that the unified product installer can attempt to install an RSCD Agent.
If this attempt to install an RSCD Agent fails, you might receive one of the following validation errors:
Error | Troubleshooting information |
---|---|
Unable to copy Agent installer binary to separate file server computer | An existing PsExec process is hanging on the computer. Abort the PsExec process (Psexec.exe*32) through the Windows Task Manager and then try running the upgrade process again. |
Remote Connection could not be established using provided credentials for server... | Verify that the following connection requirements are met:
If a trusted relationship cannot be established between the PSExec Server and the Application Server where the unified product installer is attempting to install the RSCD Agent, then you must manually install the RSCD Agent on the Application Server before coming back to the unified product installer and performing this discovery step again. |
Application Server on SuSE 11 not started at the end of installation or upgrade
The unified product installer fails to start the Application Server at the end of an installation or upgrade on SuSE Enterprise Linux 11.
On a SuSE 11 platform, you must start the Application Server manually at the end of the installation or upgrade, using the following command:
/etc/init.d/blappserv start
What do I do if an upgrade fails?
If problems arise during the upgrade, the on-screen error messages contain instructions and guidance to help you troubleshoot the problems, and further information is available in the log files. After performing the recommended troubleshooting steps, you can return to the installer and safely resume the upgrade from the point where you left off. You might do this in one of the following ways:
- If the installation wizard is still open, click the Previous button. This takes you to a new Summary window, which now lists only those components and servers that have not yet been successfully upgraded. Click Accept to re-attempt the upgrade of those components.
- If you were forced to close the installation wizard (typically the case for longer troubleshooting procedures), you can re-launch the installer. After several initial windows, an updated Summary window lists only those components and servers that have not yet been successfully upgraded. Click Accept to re-attempt the upgrade of those components.
Where can I find the log files written by the unified product installer?
The main log file written during an installation or upgrade operation is bsainstallupgrade.log. This log file is stored in %TEMP% (on Windows) or in /tmp (on Linux).
Additional logs are written during upgrade and installation operations. The names for these log files are the same as those created during upgrades and installations with component installers. These files are stored in <installation directory>/br.
Process or component | Log file |
---|---|
XML migration (upgrade only) | deployment_upgrade.log |
DB migration (upgrade only) | blmigration.log |
Post-migration (upgrade only) | postmigration.log |
Application Server | OM-install.log (Windows) or BladeLogic_Install (Linux) |
RSCD Agent | MSI*.LOG (Windows) or BladeLogic_Install (Linux) |
BMC Server Automation Console | serverAutomationConsole_install_log.txt |
Compliance Content | content_install_log.txt |
Open the Services Console (services.msc) and check for the existence of any of the following services. If any of these services exist, stop them and then delete them using the sc delete command.
Service name
Service name in sc command
BladeLogic Application Server
BladeApp Server
For example:sc delete “BladeApp Server”
BladeLogic Process Spawner
BladeSpawner Server
BladeLogic Server Automation Console Upgrade Service
BladeLogic Server Automation Console Upgrade Service
BMC BladeLogic Server Automation RSCD Agent
RSCDsvc
BMC Server Automation Console Upgrade Service
BMC Server Automation Console Upgrade Service