How To Perform Basic Web Troubleshooting for IPM Web

Web troubleshooting can be difficult and searching through Oracle Metalink to get information can be even worse.   I found this record in the Oracle Archives and thought it may help out other Acorde/Stellent/Oracle IPM/UCM users.  The following is a general guide for troubleshooting issues with the IPM Web service.  Hopefully reviewing the installation checklist and going through this troubleshooting guide will resolve most configuration issues with the web service.

Solution

Installation Phase

This phase encompasses all steps outlined in the install doc. If problems occur during or immediately following the installation, please review these steps:

1. How was the installation done? At the console or through terminal services?
   Terminal services has been known to cause serious issues in our installation of the web. It appears that when the install is done in this way, some files are not registered properly. Typically, you will see errors pointing to COM (login errors, plugin errors, etc.).
2. Were all the installation steps followed?
   Check permissions, and verify that objects under the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folder all have the correct permissions. Reset all child objects under IBPMWeb and IBPMData. Make sure the correct web extensions are enabled.
3. Has the current problem been happening since the system was installed?
   If yes, then you may need to review the install documentation.
4. Check the HKLM/Software/Optika/TRANSPORT/MANAGER_ADDRS
   Make sure it points to the actual Request Broker machine (either the hostname or IP address). Also make sure the webserver can ping that address or hostname.
5. Is there a client or other services installed on the webserver?
   If so, please understand that this is not a recommended configuration. In the event it is unavoidable, make sure that the services, (client and web) are all installed into the same location. For IPM web, the DLLs should be installed into C:Program FilesStellentIBPM.

Startup Phase

This phase encompasses the process after installation or after an IISRESET.

1. Do the clients get the login screen?
   If not, then we’re failing prior to getting all the ASPDLLs loaded. Typically this points to either a permissions issue or a corruption in the IBPMWebOTInfrastructureAcordeObjectHeaders folder. Delete all the files in that folder and do an IISRESET from a command prompt.
2. Can the user successfully login?
   If not, this means that we are not getting a COM connection open to validate the user. Typically we will see a 29515 error appear stating we were not able to reach a service. In this case look at the permissions on the HKLMSoftwareOptika registry key. Another item to look at is to make sure that if for some reason we have a client on the webserver that it is installed into the same folder as the IBPMWeb. Installing elsewhere will cause the web problems when it goes to register DLLs.
3. Is the error in the workcenter or elsewhere?
   If after login we see an error on the workcenter, this points to an issue with the AcordeObjectHeaders folder. Rebuild that directory.
   If the error happens in another window or frame then we’ll need to investigate those individually.
4. Is the client machine following a shortcut that points to a file below IBPMWeb?
   In the past we have seen issues where a client will follow a shortcut that they created when at the login screen of the IPM Web. Doing so causes certain startup processes to be bypassed and can cause problems later because they may be using outdated connection information or other bad data that can cause varied problems.

Post Startup Phase

This phase encompasses any issues that occur after a successful installation and login. These errors typically come from problems with COM or from the connection to the backend servers. If these errors occur after an upgrade to the OS then check to make sure that any firewall or antivirus changes have been deactivated temporarily until we can determine if one of them is the cause.

Plug-in related Problems

For issues related to the plugin, look at the following:

1. Does the Messenger virtual directory contain an ISAPIMsgr.dll?
   If not, then the Messenger virtual directory is pointed to the wrong location. Delete and re-create the Messenger virtual directory and point it at C:Program FilesStellentIBPM
2. Does IUSR/IWAM have full control to the IBPMData folder?
   If not, correct the security settings and then reset all child objects on that directory.
3. Are the users accessing the web with the hostname or IP address?
   If they are using the hostname, you may want to adjust the Web Settings so that it uses hostname over IP (Login with a Web Administrator, click Administration -> Choose Web Settings -> Change the first section to use hostname and specify hostname.domain.com in the text box->Save the settings.)
4. Is there a proxy between the clients and the webserver?
   If so, use the explanation for #3 and change the setting to hostname.
5. Are we seeing a *.opt file get created in the IBPMDataIBPMSessionData<sessionid> folder?
   If so, is the file larger than 4k? If so, open the file in a test editor and see what the message is. If it is larger than 4k we can assume that the images are getting to the webserver from export. This would indicate an issue with the plugin loading the image from IBPMData.
6. Check the IIS log and see if ISAPIMsgr.dll is listed as being accessed.
   The log can be found at C:Windows(orWINNT)System32LogFilesW3SVC(number of website) and will be named after the date in which it was created. This file is helpful in troubleshooting different problems when you need to see if certain items are being requested from the web server.

How to do a complete uninstall of the IPM Web:

1. Use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the web
2. Delete the Program FilesStellent folder
3. Open Regedit and delete HKLMSoftwareOptika and HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareOptika
4. Remove the entries in the IIS Administrator for IBPMWeb, IBPMData and Messenger virtual Directories.

When all else fails…

• When all else fails, get another machine and install the web on it temporarily. Does it exhibit the same issues?
• Was the web installed via Terminal Services? If so, re-install from the console.
• Was the IPMWeb uninstalled and re-installed, or just updated over the older version?
• Was the web installed over a network share? If so, try installing from the CDROM.

If you are still unable to resolve the issue, get the following information:

1. What OS version and service pack does the webserver have installed?
2. Does the webserver also have other applications installed (besides IBPMWeb) and are they running under the same website?
3. What version of IBPMWeb are they installing/using and does that version match the backend IPM servers?
4. Is the customer using custom web applications? Were these recently implemented or altered?
5. Does the customer have Antivirus scanning the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folders? If so, have them exclude these directories for the real time scan.
6. What version of IE is installed on the clients?
7. What version of the J2RE is installed on the clients?
8. How many users are accessing the IBPMWeb at any given time?
9. How much RAM is installed, and how fast are the CPUs along with how machine CPUs are present.
10. Enable IBPMWeb logging.
    • Login into the web with a user which has been granted the Web Administrator Policy; Click Administration; Choose Web Defaults; Check m_AcordeWebLogging; Save, and do an IISRESET.
    • A log will be produced at the root of C drive called AcordeWeb.log.
    • After the error is reproduced and a log is created, turn web logging back off because logging is not thread safe.
    • Supply this log to ImageSource tech support and it will be analyzed for it any info it can provide.

Leigh Woody
Program Manager
ImageSource, Inc.