PH09425: VOB SERVER TIMEOUTS MAY OCCUR ON WINDOWS DUE TO WINDOWS SOCKET CALL IRREGULARITIES CAUSING MISDIRECTED RPC'S

Rational ClearCase Fix Pack 8 (9.0.1.8) for 9.0.1
Rational ClearCase Fix Pack 9 (9.0.1.9) for 9.0.1
Rational ClearCase Fix Pack 10 (9.0.1.10) for 9.0.1
Rational ClearCase Fix Pack 11 (9.0.1.11) for 9.0.1

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Windows Server 2003 and later changed default socket security
  options so that a process listening for a given port (say 59119)
  on "Any local address" does not block a bind to the same port
  using a SPECIFIC local address.
  
  This behavior is described at
  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33618949/binding-to-same-por
  t-using-inaddr-any-and-a-specific-ip-simultaneously
  
  The sequence of events is:
  1) ALBD allocates a set of ports for a child server process, for
  example UDP port 59199 on "Any address"
  2) Server process starts, and successfully handles ClearCase
  RPC's.
  3) A future process on the same host starts.
      a) The process attempts to contact the albd or some other
  server process on the same server.
      b) The RPC code explicitly assigns {local host
  address}:59199 as the address:port to make the RPC calls
          from. This is a more-specific address according to the
  above link.
      c) As long as the socket in 3b is bound, and not closed, the
  original server process will NOT receive RPC's
          sent to the address+port combination the "future"
  process is using. This will cause calls to the targeted
          server process to fail.
  
  This appears most commonly for vob_server processes. The error
  message is "timed out trying to start vob server for..." and is
  seen when the server process mentioned has been online for some
  time before the error message in question.
  

Local fix

• The issue is specific to Windows VOB hosts, so migration to
  Unix/Linux VOB hosts will resolve this
  issue.
  
  A diagfix that requires upgrading to 9.0.1.5 is available for
  this issue. Contact IBM Client Support for information regarding
  the diagfix and additional steps required to use it.
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:                                              *
  * Users of ClearCase VOB servers on Windows.                   *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:                                         *
  * ClearCase vob_server RPCs may timeout due to windows socket  *
  * irregularities causing misdirected RPCs.                     *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  

Problem conclusion

• A fix is available in ClearCase version 9.0.1.8
  

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

  CLEARCASE WIN

• Fixed component ID

  5724G2900

Applicable component levels

• R901 PSY

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