NPRINTING ENGINE CORES ARE ASSIGNED TO ALREADY ABORTED TASKS

[luis_pimentel]

Dear Community,

Having the following set up:

- Nprinting June 2019 with two engines. Windows virtual Server 2012 R2 CPU E5-2643v2 3.5 GHz and 128 GB of RAM each one.

One of the server has NPrinting Server and Engine installed and the other has just the additional engine.

- Qlikview April 2019.

Using local connections (not sure if this issue happens with qvp, since these are much more slower), we have seen the following behaviour using this console: https://servername:4993/#/admin/plan

Sometimes, when one or more local connections are running a task, the task get stucked. Normally when is about to finish. After a while, we decide to abort the task son we can try again and continue with another one.

However, as seen in the attached snapshots, the aborted task keep having nprinting cores/resources assigned and in consecuence other tasks can't use that resources. making the enviroment unstable and much morre slower. The only way to release those resources is restarting NPrinting Scheduler Services. But obviously this is not a solution, since this issue is happening basically every day.

Please note that:

- qvw associated to this task meet all requirements and recommendations provided by qlik help (no triggers, no one value selected, minimized objects, etc). Size goes from 10 MB to 200 MB.

- Reports asociated to these task have a high number levels and cycling. Timing of succesfully execution goes from 10 to 60 minuts depending on the specific report.

We believe that high usage of CPU during report execution is impacting Scheduler service, but cant say for sure.

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[Ruggero_Piccoli]

Hi,

To see if QlikView Desktop is running with a Personal Edition license you can:

- right click on the Qv.exe file by keeping SHIFT and CTRL pressed

- select "Run as a different user"

- insert the credentials of the user who runs the Qlik NPrinting Engine Windows service

- check that QlikView Desktop has a license activated

- repeat the same process for the user that runs the second Windows Engine service

Best Regards,

Ruggero

[luis_pimentel]

Hi Ruggero,

Thank you for taking the time to follow on this.

Regarding errors in the logs, we are exactly on this scenario: https://support.qlik.com/articles/000082091 but it might not be related at all with our issue.

We do have, quite often, errors like this (with many different qvw, not just one):

Connection navigator=qlikview;documentpath=\\svmad201055\E$\Qlikview\Produccion\03.Frontal\BYLNPrintingVentasTiempoReal.qvw recorded an error in startup

and this:

Failed to open a resolver for connection navigator=qlikview;documentpath=\\svmad201055\E$\Qlikview\Produccion\03.Frontal\BYLNPrintingVentasTiempoReal.qvw. ERROR: System.AggregateException: Se han producido uno o varios errores. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException: Error en la llamada a procedimiento remoto. (Excepción de HRESULT: 0x800706BE)↓↓ en Qlik.QlikView.Interfaces.TextObject.SetProperties(ITextObjectProperties _Properties)↓↓ en Engine.Navigator.QlikView.QV.Extensions.Extensions.TextObjectProperties.InnerApply() en C:\Jws\release-19.19.x-NOvyT9XXE\server\NPrinting\src\Engine.Navigator.QlikView\QVx\Extensions\Extensions.TextObject.cs:línea 30↓↓ en Engine.Navigator.QlikView.QV.QlikViewGraphicalObject`1.<>c.<.ctor>b__1_4(TGraphicalObjectProperties prop) en C:\Jws\release-19.19.x-NOvyT9XXE\server\NPrinting\src\Engine.Navigator.QlikView\QVx\QlikViewGraphicalObject.cs:línea 539↓↓ en Qlik.CachingProperty.Property`3.SetValue(Func`3 getValue) en C:\Jws\release-19.19.x-NOvyT9XXE\server\NPrinting\src\Qlik\Qlik.Reporting.Common\Qlik\CachingProperty.cs:línea 804↓↓ en Engine.Navigator.QlikView.QV.QlikViewGraphicalObject`1.<>c__DisplayClass11_0.<set_Show>b__0(IToggleStatus status) en C:\Jws\release-19.19.x-...

However, having this errors occur sometimes even when the task finish succesfully.

- qvw local files are placed into another server, and accesed as shown above. No network issues. 

@Ruggero_Piccoli @Frank_S 

A full set of log is attached on case 01713773  but we are not getting much help there. Honestly this community seems more useful.

https://support.qlik.com/QS_CaseDetails?caseId=5003z0000202B5LAAU

Thanks again.

[luis_pimentel]

Hi  @Frank_S 

These are interesting insights. 

Yesterday we reviewed our QV Test Server and disabled both options (both were enabled):

-  Allow license lease

-  Allow dynamic CAL assignment

Both Nprinting services account keep having an assigned CAL into this test server (besides de CAL assigned into the production server). This is correct, right?

Should we remove the assigned CALs on the Test Server? It looks nprinting qvp connections still work fine with these CALs not assigned. And might be related.

However, the issue is happening right now again. 

A task just got stuck with 1 pending request at https://10.10.205.23:4993/#/admin/plan and several resources assigned. Attached sreenshot.

We also made sure (again) that our client was licensing the qv.exe properly in both engines (we don't have access rights). Not 100% sure until now.

Thank you.

Luis

[luis_pimentel]

Hi @Ruggero_Piccoli 

we just made sure (again) that our client was licensing the qv.exe properly in both engines (we don't have access rights). Not 100% sure until now.

Thanks!

Luis.

[luis_pimentel]

 Hi again @Ruggero_Piccoli 

We have also found  the following error:

Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate":

at C:\ProgramData\QlikTech\QlikView\Events_xxxx.log (attached)

This error is displayed continuosly. But we have found no info or documentation about it.

I assume is related with the .qvw itself, right? How can we investigate further this error?

Thank you again.

Luis

[Frank_S]

Hi @luis_pimentel 

As mentioned in one of my previous notes, I suggest that you re-check the QVW for unsupported items. If you replied with confirmation that you re-checked it my apologies. However if you did not as you suggested you would, then I suggest you re-check the QWV. It is possible that someone may have added an unsupported item or you may have missed one that is included in the documentation that I sent you. Here it is again for your convenience.

https://support.qlik.com/articles/000026081

Also, QV TEST licenses should not normally work where NPrinting is concerned. The QV desktop installed on the NP server MUST have a valid QV desktop license or a valid manually assigned CAL from the Production QV server. In this case you should take whichever action you deem best in your circumstance to ensure that separate, valid desktop license/named CALs are manually assigned to each separate NP service account in your customers environment.

https://support.qlik.com/articles/000033911

In the meantime, if you have Windows 2012 installed, you can use interactive detection service to see how the NP service account is behaving in the background for your 'stuck' task.

https://support.qlik.com/articles/000036330

IF you are running windows 2016 or higher, simply log on to the NP server as the NP service account used to run the np services on that computer and then attempt to open the QVW that is used in the connection which is getting stuck. If the NP service account has problems opening the QVW this way, you will have possibly identified that there is a problem with the QVW itself (including the possibility of an unsupported item, macro etc.

If none of the above or our previous comments helps you to resolve the issue you may be encountering some other problem. Which in that I case I would suggest to you to open a new support case with the Qlik Support desk so that the issue can be investigated more thoroughly.

Kind regards...

[luis_pimentel]

Thank you @Frank_S 

Regarding Interactive Service Detection, we were no able to see what was happening when the task was stuck. Good to know about this option anyway.

About having Qlikview Desktop, we also made sure is properly licensed and QV Test Server is not interfering.

Regarding the Usupported  items, I did review them in detail. We met all requirements except:

- "Charts that require selections due to conditional expressions/dimensions in order to render data into the chart"

Many of our charts have conditional expressions. and conditional show in the chart itself.

This could be a reason to random stuck tasks?

- "Formula that evaluate the value of an array may not be used with NPrinting and NPrinting filters. The use of these formula with result in " - " empty set"

Due to the complexity of the report is impossible to be 100% that formulas inside levels are always evaluated <> null. Question: This applyies only to NPrinting Filters (we satisfy this for sure) or also to formulas inside the report template/levels?

Finally, we found the following error in the attached log. But there is no info about it in the community or online help.

The error seems to match with those stucked tasks.

20190911T000004.000+0200 20190911T000006.000+0200 1 300 Error Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": 91fdc7b-c285-4ff5-9847-77c1a0bad93
20190911T000004.000+0200 20190911T000006.000+0200 1 300 Error Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": 91fdc7b-c285-4ff5-9847-77c1a0bad93
20190911T000004.000+0200 20190911T000006.000+0200 1 300 Error Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": 91fdc7b-c285-4ff5-9847-77c1a0bad93
20190911T000009.000+0200 20190911T000010.000+0200 1 300 Error ListBox::GetListBoxCellsEx error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": cfa2275-a8c5-420f-abb5-cd2531c338f
20190911T001509.000+0200 20190911T001511.000+0200 1 300 Error Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": 363f17f-b40c-44ce-840d-56dbb6185f3
20190911T001509.000+0200 20190911T001511.000+0200 1 300 Error Doc::GetLayout error:14 message:"Prohibit validate": 363f17f-b40c-44ce-840d-56dbb6185f3

Do you have any input about how to investigate further this error message?

Thank you.

Luis.

[Frank_S]

Hi @luis_pimentel 

As per my previous detailed message...

"If none of the above or our previous comments helps you to resolve the issue you may be encountering some other problem. Which in that I case I would suggest to you to open a new support case with the Qlik Support desk so that the issue can be investigated more thoroughly."

At this point we will need to review in greater detail via a support case since there could be multiple layers of issues affecting your deployment potentially...or possibly even a defect not yet encountered.

Also if you could return here and share the root cause here (when it is finally discovered) when explored with in conjuntion with our support team via support case, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share the root cause/findings here for others in the community to benefit as well.

Kind regards...

[Ruggero_Piccoli]

Hi, 

about your error I found only the following community message https://community.qlik.com/t5/QlikView-App-Development/Understanding-Log-of-QlikView/m-p/1620732 that links the help site page https://help.qlik.com/en-US/qlikview/April2019/Subsystems/Server/Content/QV_Server/QlikView-Server/Q....

It seems a not documented error message of QlikView. Did you updated your installation of QlikView? If not can you test a newer version? I want to exclude that it is something related to a specific QlikView version.

Then please try to run some test reports with a different QlikView connection (I mean with data from a different QWV, better if it is simpler that the one is giving you the errors) and check if you still have the same error messages. I want to evaluate if it is something related to the specific QVW.

Best REgards,

Ruggero

[luis_pimentel]

Hi @Ruggero_Piccoli 

Thanks for your answer.

I did found that message on the community, but it doesn't help much.

Our current QV version is the latest one avalible (April 2019 SR1). And the issue occurs with many of our qvw, not just one.

After reviewing the case with Qlik Support, the issue is currently being investigated by R&D. 

I will let the community know when they found an explanation.

Thank you!