LO47086: "UPDATING THE DESIGN OF AN ENABLED AGENT" 8X FEATURE CAUSES AGEN T TO REPROCESS PREVIOUSLY PROCESSED DOCUMENTS

APAR status

• Closed as fixed if next.

Error description

• During an investigation of SPR # RDJS7TWQRP  a distinct issue
  was observed
  outside the scope of the original SPR which primarily concerned
  the out of
  office agent in 8x.
  In 8x there was a conscious behavior change to allow enabled
  agents to remain
  enabled when updating the design through template changes.  The
  help article
  that documents this change is located in the Administrator help
  database:
  "Updating the design of an enabled agent"
  <FromTheArticle>
  In pre-8.0 releases of IBM  Lotus  Domino  , when a design
  update for enabled
  agents occurred, the agents were disabled and stopped running.
  This occurred
  because there was no mechanism to update the agent's design and
  retain the
  original signature of the agent. In Domino 8, design update can
  update many
  enabled agents without disabling the agents.
  In Domino 8, design update preserves the identify of the agent
  owner in the "On
  Behalf" field and re-signs the agent with the server ID.  The
  agent's enabled
  status is preserved only if the original agent owner has the
  rights to run
  agents and if the agent is scheduled to run on the server on
  which the design
  update is performed. The server has explicit rights to run
  agents only on
  itself. If the agent's enabled status cannot be preserved, the
  design update is
  performed and a warning message is generated and sent to the
  server console as
  well as to the Domino Domain Manager.
  </FromTheArticle>
  When you have an agent that operates on unprocessed documents
  and it's design
  is updated through the design task or convert task this causes
  the agent to
  reprocess all previously processed documents.  While the agent
  agent remains in
  an enabled state documents are marked processed through
  LotusScript and the
  NotesSession class (Call notesSession.UpdateProcessedDoc(
  notesDocument )).
  It is expected behavior that when an agent is disabled and then
  re-enabled
  previously processed documents will be reprocessed.
  According to the help documentation updating the design should
  not disable an
  agent.  In 8x if you have an agent the processes unprocessed
  document and
  update its design it will result in reprocessing all previously
  processed
  documents.
  Attached is a zip file that includes a simple reproducible
  scenario.
  Steps:
  Unzip the testagentrun.zip file.
  Move the contents of the testagentrun folder (testagentrun.nsf,
  
  testagentruntemplate.ntf)onto a 8.5.0 Domino Server Data
  folder
  Sign the template and database with a proper id that can run
  agents on the
  Domino server
  In the testagentrun.nsf create one or more testnameform
  documents from the file
  menu:
  "Create->testnameform"
  Enter an email address for the document
  In the testagentrun.nsf using Domino Designer verify the
  testagent agent is
  enabled
  Verify the agent ran by running server console command:
  tell amgr run "testagentrun.nsf" 'testagent'
  On a second run mail should not be sent.
  In the template testagentruntemplate.ntf edit the design of the
  agent.  A
  simple edit is to resign the agent
  Run the design task on the testagentrun.nsf:
  load design <servername> -f testagentrun.nsf
  The agent should reschedule and run within 5 mins.  Otherwise
  run ahead of
  schedule:
  tell amgr run "testagentrun.nsf" 'testagent'
  Result the agent processes previously processed documents.
  
  This would point to the fact that the agents are disabled at
  some point
  presumably prior to the design change.  If this is correct then
  the help
  documentation should explicitly state this fact.  It should also
  explain that
  agents that operate on previously processed documents are
  subsequent to
  reprocessing.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

• This APAR is associated with SPR# RDJS7UZTAW.
  Part of batch processing of low weight issues. If weight
   increases, this issue will be considered for a future release
  

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Modules/Macros

• NA
  

Fix information

Applicable component levels

• R802 PSN

     UP