IT34573: The FTETopicSubscriptionCollector section of fteRAS takes a longtime to complete.

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• The fteRAS command is used to collect MustGather data which can
  be used to help resolve issues with IBM MQ Managed File
  Transfer. On some systems, when the command is run, it outputs
  the following lines to the console very quickly:
  
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEDirectoryListingCollector.
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEListAgentsCollector.
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEDisplayVersionCollector.
    IBM MQ Components:
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEListMonitorsCollector.
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEListScheduledTransfersCollector.
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTETopicSubscriptionCollector.
  
  There is then a long delay before the command writes the
  following messages to the console and completes:
  
    BFGCL0603I: Running FTEConfigLogsCollector.
    BFGCL0606I: fteRAS command is compressing the output.
    BFGCL0604I: fteRAS command completed successfully.  Output is
  stored in <output_directory>\fteRAS.zip.
  

Local fix

• n/a
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  USERS AFFECTED:
  This issue affects users of IBM MQ Managed File Transfer, who
  are asked to run the fteRAS command to collect diagnostic and
  system configuration data by IBM Support.
  
  
  Platforms affected:
  MultiPlatform
  
  ****************************************************************
  PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:
  The fteRAS command is used to collect various bits of
  information about an MQ Managed File Transfer topology that will
  be useful to IBM Support in order to diagnose issues. This
  information includes:
  
  - Any configuration files on the local system.
  - The log files for any agents and/or loggers on the local
  system.
  - The names and current status (as stored on the coordination
  queue manager) of all of the agents within the topology.
  
  Now, when the issue reported in this APAR occurred, the
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector section of fteRAS took a long time
  to complete. This section performed the following steps:
  
  1. Connect to the coordination queue manager for the topology.
  2. Create a non-durable subscription to the SYSTEM.FTE topic on
  the coordination queue manager, using the wildcard topic string
  #.
  3. Perform the steps shown below in a loop, until the MQGET API
  call returns MQRC_NO_MESSAGE_AVAILABLE (2033):
      3.1. Issue an MQGET API call to get the next message held on
  this topic string.
      3.2. Store the message in a list.
  4. Close the subscription.
  5. Write the contents of the list to a file called
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector.out.
  6. Disconnect from the coordination queue manager.
  
  The use of the wildcard topic string meant that the
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector would get all of the messages for
  the topic strings on the SYSTEM.FTE topic shown below:
  
  - /Agents/agent_name
  This topic contained a retained publication that stored the
  definition of an agent in a topology, and its latest status.
  
  - /monitors/agent_name
  This topic contained retained publications that stored the
  definitions of the resource monitors associated with the agent
  agent_name.
  
  - /Scheduler/agent_name
  This topic contained a retained publication that described all
  of the active schedules that are associated with the agent
  agent_name.
  
  - /Templates/template_ID
  This topic contained retained publications that describe all of
  the templates defined in a topology.
  
  - /Transfers/agent_name
  - /Transfers/transfer_ID
  This topic contained publications that describe that status of
  transfers where the agent agent_name is the source agent.
  
  - /Log/agent_name/Monitors
  - /Log/agent_name/schedule_ID
  - /Log/agent_name/transfer_ID
  These topics contained publications for Managed File Transfer
  loggers, and contained information about transfers, monitors,
  and schedules associated with an agent.
  
  [For more information about these topic strings, see the
  SYSTEM.FTE topic topic in the MQ sections of IBM Knowledge
  Center. The URI for the topic in the MQ 9.2.x section of IBM
  Knowledge Center is
  https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSFKSJ_9.2.0/com.ibm
  .mq.ref.con.doc/system_fte.htm]
  
  Now, if:
  
  - The fteRAS command was being run on a system that had a slow
  network connection to the coordination queue manager.
  - And there was a lot activity taking place within the Managed
  File Transfer topology at the time when the command was run.
  
  then a large number of messages would be published to the
  SYSTEM.FTE topic during the time that the
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector section of the fteRAS tool held a
  "live" (or active) subscription to the SYSTEM.FTE topic, using
  the wildcard topic string #. This meant that the coordination
  queue manager's Publish/Subscribe Engine made copies of each of
  these messages available to the FTETopicSubscriptionCollector's
  subscription at a faster rate than the
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector was able to process them.
  
  As a result, the FTETopicSubscriptionCollector continued to
  receive messages that were published on the SYSTEM.FTE topic
  until the workload within the Managed File Transfer topology
  reduced, and the rate at which messages were published dropped
  below the rate at which the FTETopicSubscriptionCollector was
  consuming them. When this happened, the
  FTETopicSubscriptionCollector was eventually able to process the
  backlog of messages and finish.
  

Problem conclusion

• The FTETopicSubscriptionCollector should only collect "static"
  data held on the SYSTEM.FTE topic containing:
  
  - The definitions and current status for agents within a
  topology.
  - And the definitions of resource monitors and scheduled
  transfers for agents.
  - And the definitions of any transfer templates within the
  topology.
  
  and not "live" data relating to inflight transfers, or data that
  is intended for a logger. The purpose of fteRAS is collect
  definitions of, and configuration information for, various
  objects within a topology - if "live" data is required, it will
  be collected using a different mechanism (such as by requesting
  the logger output, for example).
  
  Because of this, the FTETopicSubscriptionCollector has been
  changed to collect the most recent copies of the retained
  publications stored on the SYSTEM.FTE topic using the topic
  strings:
  
  - /Agents/agent_name
  - /monitors/agent_name
  - /Scheduler/agent_name
  - /Templates/template_ID
  
  This ensures that the FTETopicSubscriptionCollector section of
  fteRAS completes in a much shorter time, which in turn means
  that the fteRAS tool itself completes in a more timely manner.
  
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  The fix is targeted for delivery in the following PTFs:
  
  Version    Maintenance Level
  v9.1 LTS   9.1.0.8
  v9.2 LTS   9.2.0.2
  v9.x CD    9.2.2
  
  The latest available MQ maintenance can be obtained from
  'WebSphere MQ Recommended Fixes'
  http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=171&uid=swg27006037
  
  If the maintenance level is not yet available information on
  its planned availability can be found in 'WebSphere MQ
  Planned Maintenance Release Dates'
  http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=171&uid=swg27006309
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  

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

  IBM MQ MFT V9.1

• Fixed component ID

  5724H7272

Applicable component levels