PH04528: SCHEDULER FAILED AFTER MIGRATION COM.IBM.WS.EJBCONTAINER.UTIL. SCHEDULEEXPRESSIONPARSERESECOND: VALUE NOT VALID IN STRING: NULL

9.0.0.11: WebSphere Application Server traditional V9.0 Fix Pack 11
9.0.5.0: WebSphere Application Server traditional Version 9.0.5 Refresh Pack
9.0.5.1: WebSphere Application Server traditional Version 9.0.5 Fix Pack 1
9.0.5.2: WebSphere Application Server traditional Version 9.0.5 Fix Pack 2
9.0.5.3: WebSphere Application Server traditional Version 9.0.5 Fix Pack 3

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Scheduler failed to run the task after migrating Websphere
  Application Server from 8.0 to 9.0.
  
  Here is the sample exception.
  
  [10/20/18 18:30:47:356 EDT] 00000113 AlarmListener E SCHD0063E:
  A task with ID 14052 (IBMApp_11543744) failed to run
  on Scheduler WebSphere_EJB_Timer_Service
  (WebSphere_EJB_Timer_Service) because of an exception:
  com.ibm.websphere.scheduler.UserCalendarException: SCHD0013E:
  The following error occurred while accessing the UserCalendar
  with JNDI Name IBM_INTERNAL and specifier IBM_DEFAULT :
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ScheduleExpressionParserException:
  second: value not valid in string: null..
  
  
  Further investigation revealed the an incompatibility that was
  introduced in the EJB specification APIs between EJB 3.1 and EJB
   3.2. Specifically, the instance variables were renamed in the
  javax.ejb.ScheduleExpression class. This caused a null to be
  returned.
  

Local fix

• delete or drop the scheduler database.
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:  All users of IBM WebSphere Application      *
  *                  Server - persistent EJB timers              *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Persistent calendar based EJB timers    *
  *                      fail after migration                    *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  When migrating persistently stored calendar based EJB timers
  from v8.0 or v8.5.5 to v9.0, the EJB timers will fail to run at
  the next scheduled timeout with the following exception:
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ScheduleExpressionParserException:
  second: value not valid in string: null
  at
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ScheduleExpressionParser.error(Sche
  duleExpressionParser.java:369)
  at
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ScheduleExpressionParser.parseAttri
  bute(ScheduleExpressionParser.java:397)
  at
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ScheduleExpressionParser.parse(Sche
  duleExpressionParser.java:273)
  at
  com.ibm.ws.ejbcontainer.util.ParsedScheduleExpression.readObject
  (ParsedScheduleExpression.java:1135)
  

Problem conclusion

• The EJB API class javax.ejb.ScheduleExpression was changed in
  an incompatible way between EJB 3.1 and EJB 3.2 such that a
  prior version of the object serialized and stored persistently
  cannot be deserialized using the new version of the class.
  
  PH04528 changes the EJB Container to support either format of
  the serialized class javax.ejb.ScheudleExpression. EJB timers
  persisted from prior versions of WebSphere will now
  deserialize and work properly in v9.0.
  
  The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in
  fix pack 9.0.0.11 for WebSphere Application Server and 18.0.0.4
  for WebSphere Application Server Liberty.  Please refer to
  the Recommended Updates page for delivery information:
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980
  

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

  WEBS APP SERV N

• Fixed component ID

  5724H8800

Applicable component levels

• R900 PSY

     UP