IT26973: DB2 INVENTORY, BACKUP AND RESTORE OPERATIONS CAN FAIL WHEN ROOT USER HAS [YOU HAVE NEW MAIL] NOTIFICATION ON TERMINAL

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• The IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Db2 Application inventory, backup
  or restore operation of a Db2 database might fail when the root
  user has [YOU HAVE NEW MAIL] notification on terminal during
  login on the Db2 application server. Those operations can also
  fail if other output is generated during login of the root user.
  
  An example of an error can be found in the following
  command.log:
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread
  get_db2_user_from_instance_name: Entering
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] INFO pid:21168206 MainThread
  get_db2_user_from_instance_name: instname:db2t2p
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread __backup_db:
  Retrieving UID and GID from instance db2t2p
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread __backup_db:
  Changing UID/GID and permissions on
  /mnt/spp/vsnap/vpool1/fs2/T2P
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread __init__:
  ['sudo', '-n', '-i', 'id', '-un']
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] INFO pid:21168206 MainThread run: Running
  command '['sudo', '-n', '-i', 'id', '-un']...'
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread run: Command
  line 'sudo -n -i id -un' has ended with exit code 0.
  stdout:
  [YOU HAVE NEW MAIL]
  root
  
  stderr:
  
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread __backup_db:
  Changing UID/GID and permissions on
  /mnt/spp/vsnap/vpool1/fs2/T2P/db2backuprepo
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread __init__:
  ['sudo', '-n', '-i', 'id', '-un']
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] INFO pid:21168206 MainThread run: Running
  command '['sudo', '-n', '-i', 'id', '-un']...'
  [2018-10-08 15:24:07] DEBUG pid:21168206 MainThread run: Command
  line 'sudo -n -i id -un' has ended with exit code 0.
  stdout:
  [YOU HAVE NEW MAIL]
  root
  
  In this error case the UID/GID and the permissions on the vSnap
  repository directory will not be changed and with that a
  subsequent backup operation could fail to copy files to the
  vSnap repository and the backup will fail.
  
  
  Products & versions affected:
  IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Version 10.1.2 using Db2 Application
  Agent
  
  Platforms affected:
  AIX, Linux
  

Local fix

• Make sure that logging in as root user on the Db2 application
  server does not generate any output on the screen.
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:                                              *
  * Users of the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus v10.1.2 to protect    *
  * db2 databases.                                               *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:                                         *
  * See error description.                                       *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  * Apply fixing level when available. This problem is currently *
  * projected to be fixed IBM Spectrum Protect Plus level        *
  * 10.1.2.271 and 10.1.3. Note that this is subject to change   *
  * at the discretion of IBM.                                    *
  ****************************************************************
  

Problem conclusion

• The issue has been corrected so that unexpected outputs will be
  detected and ignored.
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• 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

  SP PLUS

• Fixed component ID

  5737SPLUS

Applicable component levels