PK73417: Make the task that cleans out configuration repository temp space less likely to delete files in use

Fixes are available

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

Files in configuration repository temp space were being deleted
while still in use (for example, during filetransfer upload or
download). This APAR offers a more comprehensive and
customizable solution to the problem addressed by PK71794.

Local fix

Problem summary

****************************************************************
* USERS AFFECTED:  All users of WebSphere Application Server   *
*                  6.0.2, 6.1, and 7.0                         *
****************************************************************
* PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: The parameters for the task that        *
*                      cleans up the configuration             *
*                      repository temporary file area are      *
*                      not configurable by the user. In rare   *
*                      situations, temporary files could be    *
*                      deleted while still in use, causing     *
*                      failure of Application Server function. *
****************************************************************
* RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
****************************************************************
This APAR is a follow-on to APAR PK71794. APAR PK71794 fixed
the erroneous function of a task that cleans up files in the
configuration repository temporary directory (the task was
deleting temporary files that were just a few minutes old,
which in certain circumstances led to files being deleted that
were still in the process of being transferred between servers
by the filetransfer service).

However, even with PK71794 applied, the parameters to the
cleanup task are not configurable by the user, and it is still
theoretically possible in some unusual circumstances that
temporary files could be deleted (for example, when
filetransfer takes a very long time, due to either a slow
network or large size of a file being transferred).
Examples of configuration repository temporary directories are

<WAS_HOME>/profiles/Dmgr01/config/temp
<WAS_HOME>/profiles/AppSrv01/config/temp

Symptoms of this problem may include trace output indicating
that an operation has failed because a file is missing or
corrupted. See APAR PK71794 for more detail.

To determine if you are experiencing a problem that can be
fixed by this APAR, set the following trace specification on
the servers in your system:

com.ibm.ws.management.repository.*=all

With this trace specification in place, you may see messages
like the following in the server trace logs:

[x/xxx/xx xx:xx:xx:xxx CDT] 00000032 FileRepositor 3 Clean up
tmpfile
/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/dmgr/config/temp/upload/ad
dNode/node01/node0222d634ac7f2.car

Please note that the presence of such a message does NOT
necessarily indicate an error, since the cleanup task normally
deletes only those files that are no longer needed. However,
if there are other error messages later on in the logs that
indicate the same file is missing or damaged (see examples in
APAR PK71794), you may be experiencing a problem that can be
fixed by this APAR.

Problem conclusion

This APAR provides the following enhancement to the
configuration repository temporary directory cleanup task:

1) The default value for the sweep interval is set to 12
hours, rather than 30 minutes. This determines how often the
cleanup task runs. Note that it always runs immediately on
server startup.

2) The default value for "keep time" (how old a file must be
before it will be deleted by the task) is set to 24 hours,
rather than 60 minutes.

3) Both of the above values are now configurable by the user.
Also, the user can disable this cleanup function entirely by
setting the sweep interval to 0.

a) The sweep interval can be configured by setting a Java
system property as follows:

com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileSweepIntervalMinutes=x

where x is an integer greater than or equal to 0. The sweep
task always runs immediately on server startup, and every x
minutes thereafter as long as the server is running (unless
x is 0, in which case the cleanup task will never run).

b) The keep time can be configured by setting a Java system
property as follows:

com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileKeepTimeMinutes=y

where y is an integer greater than or equal to 60. Each time
the sweep task runs, all files in the configuration repository
temporary directory tree that are older than y minutes will be
deleted.

PLEASE NOTE: the minimum value for this variable is 60
minutes, but to be safe it should be set to a much higher
value. As described above, in situations where very large
files are being transferred or synchronized, or where a
network is slow, filetransfer operations could take a long
time, and it would be possible for a file to be deleted while
it was still being transferred. Therefore, it is recommended
that the keep time value be set to several hours at a minimum.

If either of the above system properties are set to an invalid
value, the default value for that parameter is used instead.

4) A new informational message has been added that will list
files that are being deleted in SystemOut.log. For example:

ADMR0025I: The following files have been deleted from the
configuration repository temporary file area because they are
older than 1440 minutes:
/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/dmgr/config/temp/upload/ad
dNode/node01/node022.car
/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/dmgr/config/temp/upload/ad
dNode/node01/node349.car

The message lists all files that are successfully deleted, as
well as the value of the keep time parameter.

Users do not have to set the custom properties above ? it is
anticipated that for most users, the default values will be
sufficient to perform any cleanup needed without deleting
files that are in use. However, there may be situations where
larger or smaller values than the defaults are desired for
either or both of these parameters.

For those who wish to set these values manually, it is helpful
to understand the configuration repository temporary directory
cleanup task. This task was originally added because in
certain situations, failures of some Application Server
functions were causing files to be left in the configuration
repository temporary directory. Under normal circumstances,
all functions that use this temporary area clean up their own
files, but an operation that terminates abruptly due to an
error may leave files behind. After repeated failures, the
temporary file space can grow to the point where it uses up
all available disk space. The cleanup task was added as way to
prevent the configuration repository temporary file area from
growing without bound when other operations were failing and
leaving files behind.

If you wish to keep the parameters of the cleanup task the
same as they were before this APAR PK73417 was applied, set
the configurable system properties to the following values:

com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileSweepIntervalMinutes=30
com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileKeepTimeMinutes=60

But please note that it is recommended that the keep time
parameter be set to a much larger value than 60 in order to
minimize the chance of deleting temporary files that are
still in use.

HOW TO SET JAVA CUSTOM PROPERTIES:

To set custom properties for the Java Virtual Machine for your
server, do the following:

1. Select a server:

Dmgr: On the left pane, select "System Administration" and
then "Deployment Manager"

Node agent: On the left pane, select "System Administration"
and then "Node agents". Select the desired node agent from the
list in the right window.

Application server: On the left pane, select "Servers" and
then "Application servers". Select the desired server from the
list in the right window.

2. On the configuration tab, under the heading "Server
Infrastructure", expand "Java and Process Management" and then
select "Process Definition"

3. Under the heading "Additional Properties", select "Java
Virtual Machine".

4. On the Java Virtual Machine page, under the heading
"Additional Properties", select "Custom Properties"

5. Select "New", enter property name (one of the following):

com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileSweepIntervalMinutes
com.ibm.ws.management.repository.tempFileKeepTimeMinutes

Enter property value (a valid integer), select OK

6. IMPORTANT: after clicking OK, select the link to save
directly to the master configuration.

7. Restart the server where the custom property was just set.


The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in
fixpacks 6.0.2.35, 6.1.0.23, and 7.0.0.3. Please refer to
the Recommended Updates page for delivery information:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number
PK73417
Reported component name
WEBS APP SERV N
Reported component ID
5724H8800
Reported release
61I
Status
CLOSED PER
PE
NoPE
HIPER
NoHIPER
Special Attention
NoSpecatt
Submitted date
2008-10-07
Closed date
2008-12-15
Last modified date
2008-12-15

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:
APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Fixed component name
WEBS APP SERV N
Fixed component ID
5724H8800

Applicable component levels

R60A PSY
UP
R60H PSY
UP
R60I PSY
UP
R60P PSY
UP
R60S PSY
UP
R60W PSY
UP
R60Z PSY
UP
R61A PSY
UP
R61H PSY
UP
R61I PSY
UP
R61P PSY
UP
R61S PSY
UP
R61W PSY
UP
R61Z PSY
UP
R700 PSY
UP

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSEQTP","label":"WebSphere Application Server"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"6.1","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
29 December 2021

Tips

PK73417: Make the task that cleans out configuration repository temp space less likely to delete files in use

Fixes are available

Subscribe

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

Local fix

Problem summary

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number

Reported component name

Reported component ID

Reported release

Status

PE

HIPER

Special Attention

Submitted date

Closed date

Last modified date

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Fixed component name

Fixed component ID

Applicable component levels

R60A PSY

R60H PSY

R60I PSY

R60P PSY

R60S PSY

R60W PSY

R60Z PSY

R61A PSY

R61H PSY

R61I PSY

R61P PSY

R61S PSY

R61W PSY

R61Z PSY

R700 PSY

Document Information

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