Troubleshooting the Normalization Engine plug-in

The Normalization Engine plug-in provides logging information for different modes of normalization. This plug-in has API logging, Continuous logging, and Batch mode logging. Based on the need of the situation, appropriate logging can be set to Debug level by using the Normalization Engine plug-in interface. All the log files are stored in the <InstallerFolder>/AtriumCore/Logs folder.

Related topic

BEST FAQ on BMC CMDB Suite - Normalization (Support logon ID required)

The log file details are given below:

Neapi.log — API logging
neContinuous.log — Continuous mode logging
neBatch.log* — Batch mode logging
nePluginServer.log — General plug-in related errors

The following is a sample log file of the Normalization Engine plug-in server:

<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:3661      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:07.874 */ loading config file: C:\BMCData\ARSystem\conf\ar.cfg
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:4227      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:07.955 */ Trying to connect to ARServer vw-pun-rem-qawx as Remedy Application Service
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:4230      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.628 */ Connected to ARServer vw-pun-rem-qawx as Remedy Application Service
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:3857      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.631 */ AR Server version is : 9.1.08 201907051247
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:374       > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.734 */ Loading the Configuration File ::file:/C:/BMCData/AtriumCore/cmdb/plugins/ne/pluginsvr_config.xml
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:1466      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.734 */ Plug-in Server Name is
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:503       > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.744 */ Loading configuration from file
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: main                     > <INFO > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:1466      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:31:08.745 */ Plug-in Server Name is
<PLUGINSVR> <TrID: soMA_VqxSHy_FBS2Hen7Nw:0000001> <TNAME: pool-1-thread-1          > <WARN > <ARPluginServerConfiguration                       > <                  ARPluginServerConfiguration.java:4346      > /* Mon Jul 08 2019 03:33:17.495 */ The configuration for the component PluginServer_vw-pun-rem-qawx_9555_IDGAA5V0H396SAPU187WPT4ASWLZVU has changed!

To troubleshoot the Normalization Engine plug-in

Use this information if the Normalization Engine plug-in is not working correctly.

In the <ROOT>\Software\AtriumCore\<hostName>\Logs\AtriumPlugin.log file, search for the message, Successfully loaded Java Plugin BMC.FILTERAPI.NORM.ENGINE.
If the entry is missing, some jar files might not have been installed.
Run the BMC Helix CMDB installer again.

To troubleshoot the dataset configuration

Verify the setting for Inline error handling:
- If set to Reject, CMDB is not updated if there is a normalization error. Enable logging to see the error messages.
- If set to Accept, CMDBis updated even if there is a normalization error.
If the Normalization mode is set to Continuous, verify that the event and time is configured.

To troubleshoot the Normalization Engine initialization errors

When you start the AR System server after installing BMC Helix CMDB, you might encounter the following error in the AtriumPlugin.log:

<BMC.FILTERAPI.NORM.ENGINE>Initialization of NE is not done. Will try again after 2 minutes WARN ( ?:? ) - <BMC.FILTERAPI.NORM.ENGINE>Maximum number of attempts reached while trying to initialize - stopped initializing

This error might occur due to the one or more of the following reasons:

The User ID and Password that you specified for the AR System server are incorrect.
The Normalization Engine is waiting for the AR System server to complete the start up process. Therefore, it could not connect to the AR System server.
The Product Catalog version that you installed is not the latest.

Perform the following steps to resolve this error:

Examine the neAPI.log file for additional error details.
If the error occurred due to incorrect user name and password, try to connect to the AR System server with User ID that does not have a password (for example, the Demo user).
If the error occurred due to connection issues, verify that the AR System server is running by using the Ping MS DOS command from the computer on which the Normalization Engine is installed.
If you are not able to connect to the server, your network might be down. This error can also occur if the Normalization Engine is accessing another AR System server.
From the SHARE:Application_Properties form, verify that the Product Catalog version that you have installed is the latest.

For more information about Product Catalog version compatibility, see Remedy Compatibility Tables.

To troubleshoot other common errors

The following table lists the errors you might face with the Normalization Engine plug-in and the resolution for those errors.

Issue or Error	Resolution
Plug-in server not responding	When you see the Plug-in server not responding error message, the Normalization Engine plug-in is either not started or taking too long to respond. Check the nePluginServer.log file for the message Initialization complete - Normalization Engine is ready to process requests. If you do not see this error message, the plug-in has not started. At this time, scan the log file for any obvious error messages like Authentication failed or Port in use. Based on further scanning, appropriate steps can be taken. Note: The Plug-in server not responding error occurs only if log level is set to Full. If the plug-in starts successfully, use the plug-in interface to change the API level to Debug and perform the test again. Check the neApi.log. If you do not find entries in the log file, it means that the plug-in is not receiving the calls. In either scenario, involve the development team for further resolution.
Batch job does not normalize all CIs.	When you run a batch job it normalizes only CIs with the status Failed CIs, Not Normalized, and Modified since last normalization. If you want to normalize all the CIs, select Normalize all instances in the SystemConfig tab and restart the job.
Server group environment NE does not connect.	Normalization plug-in uses Server-Connect-Name from AR System Administration:AR System Configuration Generic UI form in the server group environment. Make sure that it can be pinged from the machine where the Normalization Engine plug-in is running.