Version 1.0.7.0 release notes (April 2018)

What's new in IAS Version 1.0.7.0

Tiered storage

Supports the M4002 family of Integrated Analytics System (IAS) including support for multi-rack configurations and optional tiered high-capacity disk storage.

Upgrading

The upgrade command, apupgrade, continues to run even if you are disconnected from the session or the start process fails.

Backup and restore

• A new IBM Spectrum Protect (TSM) LAN-Free method is now available for backup and restore operations, in addition to the LAN-BASED method. To use the TSM LAN-Free option, you must configure the API Client, the Password configuration and Configure Storage Agent by using the manage_tsm tool from the bluadmin user account. Now that the TSM client can be configured to communicate with your TSM servers, the client can be used to manage database backup files and logs. By default, the Db2 Warehouse Container is set up for Reduced Logging, which does not support point-in-time rollforward. So when you use backup and restore capabilities that are found in IAS, backups to TSM are configured to match the IAS default settings. Current default settings save the archive logs to the local disk for all backups, whether to file system, TSM, or NAS. The Db2 Warehouse Container in IAS can be configured with Full Logging that does support point-in-time rollforward, and TSM managing database logs.
• The system checks dsmsta.service before you run any backup or restore operations. If you are running a LAN-Free backup or restore, the service stays up if it is already configured and running (or starts back up if the service was down). If you are not running a LAN-Free backup or restore, the service is stopped before the backup or restore operation begins. If you are backing up to or restoring from IBM Spectrum Protect, the system first checks to see whether the product is already configured.
• The db_restore command now displays the restore history with the db_restore -history parameter. The most recent 10 restores are displayed and the rest are written to the /scratch/bluadmin_BNR/restore_history.txt file.
• The db_backup -history command now shows only the backup history instead of showing both backup and restore history under same command.
• You can do platform-level backup with the host_backup command, which recovers the operation of the system after a physical or logical disaster. The option copies all of the system configuration and log files to the /opt/ibm/appliance/storage/platform/host_backup_timestamp directory and creates a host_backup_timestamp.tar.gz file.
• db_backup now creates backup directories as db2inst1 user instead of bluadmin user.

Platform Management

Platform Manger is now monitoring CPU frequency, and takes recovery actions when it is not optimal.

Reliability and serviceability

The apdiag utility now limits default log collection to the last seven days. For special cases where longer history is required, you can change the time interval by using the --atime option.

Security

• You can now use the listuseraccess option of the ap_external_ldap.pl utility to list the platform users that have access to the system from an external LDAP server. The system must have external LDAP enabled before you can run the command.
• ap_external_ldap.pl disable script has the -y option for non-interactive mode.

Resolved issues

• The system no longer fails to start when external storage that is attached to GPFS is not mounted.
• Changes to the default pam authentication settings lead to external LDAP user authentication failures. These issues are now resolved.
• The database no longer becomes disabled for a significant amount of time after the network is reconfigured by using the apsetup command.
• Nodes no longer become disabled due to failed attempts to restart the docker service after the service was power-cycled.
• Alert 412 (node time is not synchronized) is now automatically closed after the node time is synchronized.
• When an external IP is assigned to the 10Gbps connection to an appliance, the gateway setting is no longer lost after a server is power-cycled.
• A Fibre Channel switch no longer causes a kernel race/deadlock among the PCI devices.
• A race condition between multiple network services in some deployment situations no longer results in a loss of connectivity.
• You no longer need to manually run db_startsrc -all after a restore operation. If a restore attempt fails, db_restore now runs automatically to enable HA and DSM connections.
• Before you run an upgrade, the /etc/ntp.conf file no longer needs to be manually backed up and DSX no longer needs to be started and stopped. The upgrade process takes care of these steps automatically.
• In earlier releases, an error occurred when you attempted to enable external LDAP authentication (by using ap_external_ldap) if the platform was already enabled with external LDAP authentication. A message is now displayed that instructs you to disable the previous LDAP authentication.
• You no longer need to manually copy the external LDAP certificate from the head node to peer nodes when you are enabling external LDAP authentication. You also no longer need to manually delete the external LDAP certificate from the head node to peer nodes when you are disabling external LDAP authentication.
• An auto compaction feature is provided to allow etcd to manage keyspace. With this feature enabled, etcd detects and prunes the database automatically to keep it within its keyspace limit.
• The enabling external LDAP authentication on platform using ap_external_ldap utility was not copying the external LDAP certificate to /etc/openldap/cacerts/ on peer nodes. It was supplied using option CA_CERTIFICATE and requires manual copy of the LDAP certificate from head node to peer nodes. This issue has been addressed to avoid manual copy of the certificate.
• The disabling external LDAP authentication on platform using ap_external_ldap utility was not deleting the external LDAP certificate from /etc/openldap/cacerts/ an all nodes. This requires manual LDAP certificate deletion from nodes. This issue has been addressed to avoid manual deletion of the certificate.

Known issues

• NFS mounts currently do not reliably persist on an IAS node. If you try to configure an NFS mount on a node, and then are forced to restart and then re-enable that node to the database cluster, the process of reenabling unmounts NFS. No workaround is available.
• If a node's component hardware fails, the location LED does not illuminate to identify the failed component.
• Currently, restore operations by using the web console are supported only for macOS.

  Workaround

  If the Restore to last backup instance and Browse all backup instances options are not available, the workaround is to run the db_restore and db_backup -history commands by using the command line.

• Currently, daily or weekly scheduled backup operations by using the web console are also supported only for macOS.