Frequently asked questions

This topic provides information about the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the BMC PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers.

Installing/uninstalling

  • Should I preload any PATROL files before loading PATROL KM for Cluster Server?
    Yes. PATROL KM for Cluster Server is dependent on having NT_BASE.kml loaded. For information on preloading files, see Loading-and-preloading-KMs and Preloading-KMs-on-the-PATROL-Agent.
  • Can a Cluster Server Agent be on a cluster node?
    Yes. You can configure the Cluster KM with the cluster-level agent outside or inside the cluster. For more information, see Overview.
  • Why is PATROL McsMonitor (McsService.exe) not listed in the Control Panel Services Applet?
    The Cluster Administrator has not been installed on your cluster-level agent, the clusapi.dll is missing, or you have not entered a valid KM account.

Configuring

Why does the MCS_Clusters application only contain two parameters, and why do I not get a popup that lets me select the clusters I want to monitor?

The MCS_Clusters discovery process executes the cluster/list command to create the cluster list.
However, this command may not return a list of cluster(s) if the cluster.exe command is missing, or it is not in the PATH.
To verify the problem:

  1. Turn on the application class debug for MCS_Cluster.
  2. Run this command from the command line: cluster/list

How can I check my configuration?

From the MCS_Clusters application class, double-click the McsCheckConfigurationparameter. Your configuration information, such as cluster connection account and port number, is displayed in a text window.

Monitoring/debugging

  • How does the cluster API transfer data over the network from API calls, such as GetClusterGroupState, or from an object enumeration? Is it raw data (text) or is the data encrypted?
    The communication between clusapi and the cluster service is via RPC. The RPC is authenticated, but the data is not encrypted. It is binary data, not plain text. There is currently no way to get the data encrypted other than creating a VPN connection and using that connection for client server communication.
  • Why does discovery not find any MCS_Cluster instances?
    Turn on the application class debug for MCS_Cluster. If the debug output shows GetLastError is 5, the user has no connect permission to the cluster. You must grant the permission "Full Control" to the cluster for this user and restart the PATROL Agent. If the debug output shows Failed in Function GetClusterInformation <87>, GetLastError=183, the version of the clusapi.dll is not valid. Make sure the current system’s Service Pack was reapplied after installing the Cluster Administrator.
    If the debug output shows <Failed in opening cluster <ClusterName> GetLastError=1722>>, the RPC server is unavailable. Make sure that the cluster service has been restarted on the cluster nodes and that the cluster network name resource is online. See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q228480 for more information regarding Error 1722 in the context of Microsoft Cluster Server.
  • How do I create a trace session for mcsservice.exe and mcsgateway.exe?
    To start the PATROL MCS Monitor in trace mode:

    1. From the Control Panel, open the Services screen.
    2. Select PATROL MCS Monitor and click Stop.
    3. In the Startup Parameters field, enter -debug and click Start.
      The mcsservice.exe and mcsgateway.exe are now in trace mode and will write trace files to PATROL_TEMP\mcs if the environment variable is set. If the PATROL_TEMP environment variable is not set, the trace files will be written to PATROL_HOME\tmp\mcs. The file names are mcsservice.dbg and mcsgateway.dbg.
      A trace session must run until the problem occurs. To stop the trace session:stop the PATROL MCS Monitor.
  • Why is the McsGwConAvailable parameter continuously in ALARM, yet McsGateway is operational?
    If McsGateway is operational, you can discontinue the alarm state of the McsGwConAvailable parameter by stopping and restarting McsService (PATROL MCS Monitor). The McsGwConAvailable parameter enters a continuous alarm state if you shut down and restart/reinitialize the PATROL Agent while McsService (PATROL MCS Monitor) is running.
    To prevent this continuous alarm condition, whenever you shut down and restart/reinitialize the PATROL Agent, stop and restart McsService (PATROL MCS Monitor).
  • Why do parameters show a value of -1?
    The ClusterStatusparameter does generate a value of –1. However, if other parameters generate a –1 value, check the PATROL Event Manager for an error message. The user account defined when loading/configuring the KM may not have connect permission to the PATROL Agent on the cluster node. Make sure your user account has the right "log on locally" granted on the cluster node.

Error messages

  • Why was this error message displayed: "Device not found" or "Device inaccessible"?
    If there is a failover between cluster nodes, the nodes cannot access shared media via the drive letter. You will receive an error message stating Device not found or Device inaccessible. However, you can still access programs via the program name (i.e., MS Exchange). This error is caused by a known Microsoft problem, tracking number SRX001026603785.
    If this situation occurs during installation, the KM is unable to install PATROL Uptime as a cluster resource, and the following parameters do not function: ClusterUptimeColl, Cluster Uptime, and Cluster Availability.
    In order to continue using the PATROL Uptime cluster resource (i.e., you must be able to connect to it in Explorer), you will need to make the resource available to the cluster. To make the resource available to the cluster:

    1. Reboot all the nodes in the cluster.
    2. From a command prompt, change to the patrol_home\bin directory.
    3. Type McsUpTinstall -Install and press Enter.
      This procedure creates a cluster resource named PATROL Uptime which is used for collection of uptime data.
  • Why was this error message displayed in the PATROL Console System Output window?
    MCS_Cluster, Line# 41: PSL: Error 41 executing XPC[#####]
    Turn on trace for the MCS_Cluster application class. You should see the following error message in the trace window:
    <Failed in opening cluster <ClusterName> GetLastError=<1722>.>
    This error message is related to the operating system and indicates that the RPC server is unavailable.
    For more information about this problem, and the solution, see Microsoft Knowledge Base, article ID Q228480.

 

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