Qlik Replicate: Test of HTTPS configuration failed - Fix the problem or set testHttps to false and restart the server

[Steve_Nguyen]

From Qlik Replicate 2023.5 onwards, testing the HTTPS connection may fail with:

HTTPS Test of HTTPS configuration failed - the server cannot accept secure connections. Fix the problem or set testHttps to false and restart the server

Environment

Qlik Replicate 2023.5 and above

Resolution

1. Stop the Qlik Replicate server service and the Qlik Replicate UI server service
2. Start a Windows command line (as administrator)
3. In the command line, navigate to  ~\replicate\bin
4. Extract the globalrepo file by running the following command:
   
   RepUiCtl.exe repository export -r  "c:\program files\attunity\replicate\data\GlobalRepo.sqlite" -f c:\temp\FILENAME.json
   
   The target folder and file name can be changed from c:\temp to a location of your choice. 
   
   
5. Open the extracted JSON in a text editor
6. Change test_https to false:
   
   "test_https": false,
   
   
7. Save the file
8. Import the JSON file by running the following command:
   
   Repuictl.exe repository import -r "c:\program files\attunity\replicate\data\GlobalRepo.sqlite" -f "c:\temp\a.json"
   
   
9. Start Qlik Replicate server service, and then start the Qlik Replicate UI server service.

Cause 

Qlik Replicate 2023.5 and above no longer have a serviceconfiguration.xml to edit.

[DrorHarari-Qlik]

The Replicate UI Server (repuictl.exe, not the Replication Server, repctl.exe) only serves clients via HTTPS. When this server starts, it tries to make an HTTPS connection to itself to make sure HTTPS is properly configured (including, for example, that the HTTPS certificate is valid).

If that test fails, the error message mentioned above is produced.  With newer versions of Qlik products, security requirement are adjusted to follow security best practices. This may include change in supported versions of TLS (e.g. supporting only TLS 1.2 and higher), supported encryption ciphers and hashes, among others. 

That error might have something to do with the installed certificate. When using self-signed certificate that the server created, the server will delete it and create a new one. However, if the certificate was produced by the customer (via some CA), then the server cannot touch it and it is left to the user or the system administrator to install a trusted certificate.

The Replicate UI server does have an internal configuration that makes it possible to disable this test of HTTPS connectivity. Normally this is not needed as the solution is to fix the certificate. However, if it turns out that HTTPS is served OK and the test fails for unclear reason, then that internal configuration setting can be useful and at the moment, changing it indeed requires the export-edit-import steps documented above.

Bottom line is that a test failure should be resolved by fixing the connection problem -- if this can be reproduced and is not a real problem, support will report it to the developers and a solution will be provided, on top of the temporary mitigation of the internal parameter.

[kamal0475]

Hello Steve Nguyen, the above resolution you mentioned is for Qlik replicate, is there a separate resolution for QEM. We are getting below error after we installed 2022.11.0.874.

18 2024-03-13 16:02:54 [Host ] [WARN ] Test of HTTPS configuration failed on exception WebException: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send.
18 2024-03-13 16:02:54 [Host ] [ERROR] Test of HTTPS configuration failed - the server cannot accept secure connections. Fix the problem or set testHttps to false and restart the server
12 2024-03-13 16:08:29 [Manager ] [INFO ] Stopped threads for all servers.
12 2024-03-13 16:08:29 [Host ] [INFO ] Stopped web host
1 2024-03-13 16:08:29 [Command ] [INFO ] EnterpriseManager Control Program completed successfully.
[END: 2024-03-13 16:08:29]

[drorharari]

Hi Kamal.

Enterprise Manager has a similar command:

$ cd c:\Program Files\Attunity\Enterprise Manager\bin
$ aemctl repository edit -n host_configuration -r ..\data\cfgrepo.sqlite

This will open the host configuration object in an editor where you can turn off the test of HTTPS. Still it is better to verify that the HTTPS certificate is properly set - the test that Enterprise Manager runs is equivalent to opening a web browser on the Enterprise Manager machine and trying to connect to Enterprise Manager.

[kamal0475]

Hello Drorharari, We tried the above but did not help. We have a case ticket open with the support. We have firewall ports open. We added the web browser certificates but still the same issue. This is a brand new server and we are installing 2022.11.0.874 QEM version.

We got the below from the log

[START: 2024-03-14 18:10:54 Attunity EnterpriseManager Version: 2022.11.0.874]
1 2024-03-14 18:10:54 [Command ] [INFO ] Executing ServiceRunCommand command.
5 2024-03-14 18:10:54 [Host ] [INFO ] Setting up web host
5 2024-03-14 18:10:55 [Host ] [INFO ] The server will listen on the following location: http://server.corp.chartercom.com/attunityenterprisemanager
5 2024-03-14 18:10:55 [Host ] [INFO ] The server will listen on the following location: https://server.corp.chartercom.com/attunityenterprisemanager
5 2024-03-14 18:10:55 [Manager ] [INFO ] Loading servers from repository
5 2024-03-14 18:10:55 [Manager ] [INFO ] Set data folder: C:\Program Files\Attunity\Enterprise Manager\data\Java
6 2024-03-14 18:10:55 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: 1 file(s) copied.
13 2024-03-14 18:10:57 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: Status: 0 - Secure mode set.
12 2024-03-14 18:10:58 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: 1 file(s) copied.
12 2024-03-14 18:10:58 [MessageCenter ] [INFO ] Deleting audit records from Message Center based on Date purge policy starting with <02/29/2024 18:10:58>.
5 2024-03-14 18:10:58 [Host ] [INFO ] Starting web host
12 2024-03-14 18:10:58 [MessageCenter ] [INFO ] Deleted 0 audit records from Message Center based on purge policy
5 2024-03-14 18:10:58 [Host ] [INFO ] Web host started
6 2024-03-14 18:11:02 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: starting REST server.
12 2024-03-14 18:11:03 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: Listening on port: 3102
12 2024-03-14 18:11:03 [Manager ] [INFO ] Java Server: Hit Q<Enter> to stop:
14 2024-03-14 18:13:42 [Manager ] [INFO ] Stopped threads for all servers.
14 2024-03-14 18:13:42 [Host ] [INFO ] Stopped web host
1 2024-03-14 18:13:42 [Command ] [INFO ] EnterpriseManager Control Program completed successfully.
[END: 2024-03-14 18:13:42]

[drorharari]

@kamal0475 the previous comment was only about how to disable the HTTPS test. From the log you supplied, it does not look like you have an issue with the HTTPS test.

It looks like about 3 minutes after QEM was started, it terminated. In the log above there is no indication of a problem. Did you see anything of interest in the Windows' event logs?

There could be all kinds of environmental issues, including ones that only affect QEM when running as a Windows Service. If QEM is down, you can try running it interactively from an admin command box with this 

$ cd c:\Program Files\Attunity\Enterprise Manager\bin
$ aemctl service host

With this, the program will start and if it does not stop (like in the service case) and you could connect to it using the browser, then it might hint at a problem in the service environment.