QlikViewServer - how to track it over Christmas

[datanibbler]

Hi,

we have a very current problem here:

Probably because of our version of QlikViewServer - we don't know for sure - it repeatedly stops altogether - no more reloads are executed until we restart it all. A ticket with QlikTech is open because of this, but I guess we'll just have to upgrade to the newest version.

The issue is, that won't be done until we have a cconsultant on site which in turn won't happen before the end of January.

Now the Christmas holidays are approaching and the two of us - we only have two QlikView_developers - are out for a while.

Moreover, when the QlikView_Server stops altogether, the emails sent by the QMC about reload_failures are not triggered, so unless someone actually looks at the QMC, nobody will notice.

I think we'll have to insert someone else into the group of "QlikView_administrators" so that he will be able to look at the QMC.

Does anyone know another way we could do that?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

DataNibbler

[flipside]

On one of my servers I recently changed the refresh frequency of my management tool from 5 mins to 10 mins and this caused the scheduled daily services reboot to miss (because I was looking for a specific 5 min period in the script). After a few days I noticed a slowdown in response on the server and spotted my mistake, so yes it certainly helps in my opinion.

The batch file is just a text file named .bat or .cmd. You might be able to create one using a one-off qlikview job and the store command like this example ...

BatchFile:
Load * inline [
REM
net stop qlikviewserver
net start qlikviewserver
];

STORE BatchFile into Batchfile.cmd (txt);

A bit of a hack so you didn't hear it from me, right !

flipside

[marcus_sommer]

Hi DataNibbler,

I also use the approach with restarting the qv-server services on a regular basis and couldn't notice any disadvantages. Every six hours starts a task which read the qv performance log and isn't there any active user the services will be restarted.

- Marcus

[datanibbler]

Hi Marcus,

that looks like a really good option.

We'll see if we can realize that.

We could schedule the service_restart for some time between 10pm and 5am when no one is onsite, so there can't be anyone active at the time.

[marcus_sommer]

In addition I also have a task which checks if the services run but unfortunately most often the services runs for windows and are down for qv. Are there further possibilities to check if the services run properly?

- Marcus

[datanibbler]

Hi flipside,

is it enough to name the service to be stopped/ started?

I can surely store something on the QlikView_Server - we always do that in all the apps that generate qvd_files.

But I guess it's still an issue about privileges - I would probably been able to create that batch file and store it there - I can even just write it without using QlikView - but I guess we'll still have to coordinate this with IT as the batch would have to be executed by a user who has the privileges to stop and start services on the server, no?

Well, my supervisor can do that, but I cannot.

[flipside]

One of the advantages of using a QMC task would be that you would be invoking the batch file using the account associated with Qlikview services and so these will, I assume, have permission to stop and start services.  I suppose there could be other settings that prevent the account running batch files, this might be something your IT have restricted.

Yes you can just use the name of the service.

[prieper]

Being triggered out of QMC is not such a good idea to supervise the QV-services. If QMC freezes, restart will not be triggered.

Therefore prefer the more robust version via ordinary batch & scheduler.

Peter

[flipside]

Hi Peter,

I agree, this does sound like it could be a problem, and it was something I considered at the outset - however after 3 years on multiple servers it isn't yet something I've experienced. I'm quite lucky in that we only guarantee our servers during working hours, so our morning checks would pick up issues like this. I expect others won't have this luxury and scheduled batch file tasks with its automated error handling would possibly be a wiser option.

flipside

[datanibbler]

Hi all,

we face an additional problem now (it's twofold)

- We have a rather large reload_cascade (one task being triggered by successful completion of the one before)

=> When the QlikView_server crashes during the day, there is a chance that the next cascade (to start every even nr. of hrs, all 2 hrs)

=> Is there a way we can implement in the batch_file we'll have for the restarting of the services a command to trigger the cascade (in addition to the normal scheduled trigger)

Oh - last, but not least - WE DO NOT HAVE QV_PUBLISHER 😉

The other problem is just as hairy:

- Quite a few times over the last weeks, that reload_cascade has stopped at one app that is to fetch a lot of data from a copy of our database in another plant - the code is exactly the same as in our copy since the database they use is an exact copy of ours (the app for our database, which always works, is called LOAD_AOS and theirs is called LOAD_AOS_08.)

=> Same question: Is there any way we can have some automatism to start the cascade once again (it usually works when we start it again, which is as sure a sign as one can expect that something is wrong with their database) in case it fails?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

DataNibbler

[datanibbler]

Hi Peter,

I just wrote a ticket for our IT and I read in your post for the names of the four services to restart in such cases - I miss the DistributionService there - doesn't that have a service of its own?

Could you just list up for me the names of the services, please?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,

DataNibbler