Troubleshooting the ARERR 9201 error
When a session is timed out or is invalidated on the Mid Tier, end users receive the following error:
There can be several causes for this error, not always related to an actual or valid timeout. Possible reasons for an invalidated session include:
- Valid session timeout (90 minutes – default)
- License release timeout
- User logout
- Load balancer (session persistence problem)
- Mid Tier restart
Related topic
Each Mid Tier has a unique instance ID (MTID). The Mid Tier log file tracks the MTID, session ID, and cookie ID. The MTID in the log file helps to troubleshoot the 9201 error faster.
The following table describes the error messages displayed for an invalidated session:
Error message | Reason | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
Session invalid: Due to timeout, | Session timeout after X minutes of inactivity. Here, X is the value that you define for session timeout. Default value is 90 minutes. | The session invalid log message shows the Session ID of the user. The log message shows that the Session ID is invalidated because of the session listener, which indicates that the current user's session might have timed out. Note: After the user session is established, it takes approximately 90 minutes (default) for the Session Listener logs to be populated. |
Session invalid: Due to timeout, | License release timeout. The browser closes after the time you set for the arsystem.licenserelease_timeout property elapses. | The session invalid log message shows the Session ID of the user. The log message shows that the Session ID is invalidated because of the LicenseReleaseTask, which indicates that the current user has closed the browser without logging out. The session is invalidated because of the license release feature. |
Session invalid: Due to timeout, | User logout | The session invalid log message shows the Session ID of the user. The log message shows that the Session ID is invalidated because of the LogoutServlet. This error occurs if you open multiple browser tabs by using the browser functionality and then logout from one of the browsers. |
Session invalid: | Load balancer (session persistence problem) | The user's cookie for the original MTID does not match with the MTID of the Mid Tier the user is currently directed to. It indicates a possible session persistence problem. The load balancer does not direct the user to the same Mid Tier during the current session. Enable session persistence (sticky bit) on the load balancer, or use clustering |
Session invalid: | Mid Tier restart | Indicates Mid Tier restart. On each start of the Mid Tier, AR System server creates a new MTID. The user's cookie for MTID does not match with the current MTID, but it matches the previous MTID. |
These error messages help you to analyze the root cause of 9201 error and to take appropriate action. If you require assistance in reviewing and analyzing Mid Tier logs, contact BMC Support.
Collecting Mid Tier logs
You can collect the Mid Tier logs from the files using the naming convention of armidtier*.log. The files are located in the <Install Directory>\BMC Software\ARSystem\midtier\logs directory.
You can also enable additional logging by using the following options on the Log Settings tab of Mid Tier Configuration Tool:
- Select Session Management, Performance, and Servlet options.
- From the Log Level list, select Fine and from the Log Format list, select Detailed text (includes class name and method).
