Overview

Attempts to add an External File System (EFS) fails on a FileCatalyst Server installed within a Linux environment with an unable to connect error.  

When you click the Test button from the File Systems tab, a dialog box pops up with the message that file system test failed: Please check that your hostname/endpoint is correct.

If you click Save, a dialog pops up to indicate changes committed to FileCatalyst Server and the External File System appears in the File System list. After a few seconds, it turns red and message appears to indicate that it is not available.

Environment

Filecatalyst Server v3.5 and v3.6.

Java v8.0 build 60.

Linux Environment.

Amazon S3 Storage or Azure Blob Storage.

Resolution

To resolve this issue an update to a more recent version of Java is required. The Java upgrade documentation can be found here:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/install/install_overview.html

Overview

Behaviour:

Trying to open the FileCatalyst Central Administration page results in Central encountering a 500 error in the web browser. This occurs after installation of Java Version 8 Update 91 or higher on Linux or Windows Environments. MAC OSX users are unaffected by this update of Java 8.

Exception:

org.apache.jasper.JasperException: Unable to compile class for JSP: 

An error occurred at line: 1 in the generated java file
The type java.io.ObjectInputStream cannot be resolved. It is indirectly referenced from required .class files

Stacktrace:
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.DefaultErrorHandler.javacError(DefaultErrorHandler.java:97)
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.ErrorDispatcher.javacError(ErrorDispatcher.java:330)
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.JDTCompiler.generateClass(JDTCompiler.java:457)
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.Compiler.compile(Compiler.java:374)
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.Compiler.compile(Compiler.java:352)
        org.apache.jasper.compiler.Compiler.compile(Compiler.java:339)
        org.apache.jasper.JspCompilationContext.compile(JspCompilationContext.java:601)
        org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:344)
        org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:389)
        org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:333)
        javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722)

Environment

Windows and Linux OS.

FileCatalyst Central all versions.

Java Version 8 Update 91 or higher. (JRE or JDK) 

Resolution

1. Turn off the FileCatalyst Central Service.
2. Install an older version of Java, older than version mentioned in the Environment.
3. Point the FileCatalyst Central folder Java Path in the mawrapper.conf to the correct Java path. 
4. Search for wrapper.java.command=
5. Replace this path after the = to point to the older <path to Java Install>\Java\bin\ version. For example:

   # Java Application
   wrapper.java.command=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_73\jre\bin\java

6. Start the FileCatalyst Central service.

Note: 

Most machines will probably be using the JRE.  Confirm your environment and choose the appropriate version.

See http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/archive-139210.html for older versions of Java.

Overview

There are two transfer features in the FileCatalyst HotFolder which have shown some issues when used simultaneously. The Progressive feature allows the HotFolder to transfer the file as it grows. The Incremental feature will limit file transfers to files that are new or have been modified. The Delta of a file is defined as portions of the original file that have been modified or changed. Depending on the Incremental setting selected, either the whole file or File Deltas will be sent to the receiver. More information on the Incremental and Advanced Progressive features are available in the HotFolder documentation.

By default, the Basic Progressive feature is enabled in HotFolder tasks. When Incremental and Progressive options are enabled, the transfer will generate an index of what chunks of the file have been modified. As the size of the original and changed file increases the process of calculating the File Delta takes longer to complete. Factors that can increase the time it takes to process the file include low read speeds from the source drive and low write speeds to the destination drive and insufficient system resources such as CPU and memory allocation.

The problem that we have identified occurs when there are large sized Delta files that need to be transferred and the amount of time that is required to move them and reconstruct the file on the receivers end is not sufficient. In most of these cases, only a portion of the file gets sent and the Delta file is not created fast enough on senders side.

This guide provides a solution for Progressive file transfers without the use of Incremental (Deltas) and Progressive Transfers with the use of Basic Progressive. There are signals sent from the receiver to trigger the next batch of files and by that time this request is processed the read timeout kicks in and terminates the transfer.

Environment

FileCatalyst HotFolder v3.5 to v3.7

Resolution

1. Dynamic Files Options
   
   This solution has to be deployed by using the MultiClient option in the HotFolder Task Settings. The Advanced Progressive feature will wait for 5-seconds and this value can be raised in 5-second intervals by modifying step f outlined below. This value can not be predetermined and will be different from one network to another. Use the following steps to deploy a 5-second delay in the transfer:
   
   
   1. Open FileCatalyst HotFolder.
   2. Click on the Scheduler Tab on the left and side and select your task. Hit the Edit button above it to access the task settings.
   3. From the Transfer Tab at the top make sure Enable Multi-Client and select the number of MultiClient Connections you would like to use.
   4. Hit the Apply button and then navigate to the Dynamic Files tab.
   5. Select the Advanced Progressive radial.
   6. Check the option that will Wait for file growth to cease. Enter 5 (seconds) for the Wait value.
   7. Hit Ok to save your changes.
      
      
2. HotFolder System Property
   
   The System Property forces the transfer to delay to 5-seconds after each incremental transfer of the Growing Delta File, the receiver immediately checks if the file has grown while the transfer was taking place. Without the System Property, the transfer would stop and fail if the Delta File hadn't grown (would fail because the Delta File wasn't actually done yet). With the System Property, instead of terminating the transfer, the receiver will wait for 5-seconds and check again. The 5-second delay will automatically add at least 5 seconds to every progressive transfer, and more if the incremental transfers lead to mid transfer delays. So choosing the delay time can have impacts on performance, but choosing a delay that is too short will cause the delta transfers to fail.
   
   A very important note to mention if you choose to deploy this solution: this feature impacts all progress transfers by delaying their completion by the defined number of seconds. When using this System Property the HotFolder application will accept two types of input, one is an integer which will reflect the Wait Time in Seconds or a boolean value of True which will default the Wait Time to 5-seconds. You can only use one of these two inputs for the System Property. 
   
   Follow these steps to properly deploy the System Property in the FileCatalyst HotFolder:
   
   
   1. Open the HotFolder Control Panel.
   2. Click on Settings on the left side and navigate to the System Properties tab at the top.
   3. Select the Add Property button.
   4. Here are some examples of delay values you can use:
      
      
      1. Default 5-Second Delay:
         
         Property Name: unlimited.fc.progressiveDelayBeforeAppending
         Value: True
         
         
      2. 10-Second Delay:
         
         Property Name: unlimited.fc.progressiveDelayBeforeAppending
         Value: 10
         
         
      3. 15-Second Delay:
         
         Property Name: unlimited.fc.progressiveDelayBeforeAppending
         Value: 15 
         
         
      4. After you have entered your delay value click on OK to close the dialog and hit the Apply button to save these changes to your configuration file.

Overview

When hosting the FileCatalyst Server on Amazon Web Services (AWS) - EC2 instances, S3 buckets can be added to the FileCatalyst Server as an external storage device. Amazon provides libraries that we have used to integrate this storage device into the Server where we can read and write to this endpoint.

In FileCatalyst Server v3.6 beta 27, when the Security Group on the EC2 instance is set to allow all IPs the transfer experiences some packet loss and when our congestion control algorithm tries to recover from the packet loss it causes a reduction in the bandwidth in some cases the transfer comes to a halt. The symptoms of the increase in Packet Loss and decrease in Bandwidth happen simultaneously and are visual indicators of issues transferring files into the EC2 deployment.

Our Engineers are currently working with the latest AWS drivers to resolve this issue and improve the performance to reading and writing to S3 buckets.

Environment

FileCatalyst Server v3.6 and newer.
Amazon Web Services - Elastic Compute Cloud Servers.

Resolution

This issue has been reported to AWS Support and it has been confirmed that it is a limitation that is found in their environment. A workaround has been posted on the AWS Support site. Please visit
https://forums.aws.amazon.com/thread.jspa?messageID=428003#428003 to get details on the workaround and deploy the solution.

If you are experiencing this issue and would like assistance please submit a ticket through our Support Portal. In your ticket please reference Bug 5937.

Overview

Google has made changes in the default settings of Chrome version 42, released April 14th, 2015, that block Java applets from running in that browser.

This is part of Google’s announced strategy (http://blog.chromium.org/2014/11/the-final-countdown-for-npapi.html) of eliminating all NPAPI (or NP-API) applet support by September 2015.

For FileCatalyst users, this means that right now you are going to be unable to run our Java applets, as well as everyone else, in your Chrome browsers. 

Environment

Google Chrome v42 and later for all Operating Systems.

Resolution

As of January 2016, the only web browsers that support Java Applets are:

• Firefox
• Internet Explorer v10 and later

FileCatalyst TransferAgent was released in March 2015 as an alternative solution to Java Applets running in Chrome and Firefox. We strongly recommend our users migrate to this application and if you would like more information on deployment and usage of TransferAgent please contact your FileCatalyst Sales Representative or submit a ticket in our FileCatalyst Support Portal.

As of February 2017, the only web browsers that support Java Applets are:

• Safari
• Internet Explorer v10 and later.

1. Shut down the Tomcat Web Server.
2. Modifying the Java Additional properties:
   1. For Windows using our embedded Tomcat Installation. You can verify this in Services.msc, the service name will be listed as FileCatalyst Web Workflow or FileCatalyst Workflow.
      1. Using explorer navigate to the installation directory of FileCatalyst Workflow. Drill down into the bin directory inside the apache-tomcat folder. A sample path would be C:\FileCatalyst Web Workflow\apache-tomcat\bin
      2. Run the tomcat7fcwebw.exe application.
      3. Under the General tab make sure the Service Status is Stopped. If it is not hit the Stop button.
      4. Navigate to the Java tab.
      5. In the Java Options tab add the following on a new line:
         
         -Dunlimited.fc.server.api.globalFCAdminExpiry=1440
         
         
      6. Hit Apply to save your changes.
         
         
   2. In Windows using the standalone Tomcat Installation. You can verify this in Services.msc, the service name will be listed as Apache Tomcat 7.0 or Apache Tomcat 8.0.
      1. Using explorer navigate to the installation directory of Apache Tomcat. Drill down into the bin directory. A sample path would be C:\Tomcat 8.0\bin
         1. Run the tomcat7w.exe or tomcat8w.exe application.
         2. Under the General tab make sure the Service Status is Stopped. If it is not hit the Stop button.
         3. Navigate to the Java tab.
         4. In the Java Options tab add the following on a new line:
            
            -Dunlimited.fc.server.api.globalFCAdminExpiry=1440
            
            
         5. Hit Apply to save your changes.
            
            
   3. For all Linux based deployments, the Java Additional property needs to be added to the catalina.sh file.
      1. In a Terminal window, navigate to the Tomcat directory. Drill into the bin folder.
      2. Using vi or nano open the catalina.sh file.
      3. Locate the export JAVA_OPTS line and add the following property, if this line does not exist then you will need to add the full line:
         
         Property: 
         -Dunlimited.fc.server.api.globalFCAdminExpiry=1440
         Example:
         export JAVA_OPTS="-server -XX:MaxPermSize=256m -Xmx1200m -Xms1200m -Dfile.encoding=utf-8 -Dunlimited.fc.server.api.globalFCAdminExpiry=1440"
         
         
      4. Save your changes and close the file.
         
         
3. Once the property is added, the Tomcat Web Server can be started.
4. Log into Workflow using the Super Admin Account.
5. Click on About FileCatalyst button on the top menu bar.
6. Scroll down the page to Additional Java Info and in this subsection, you should be able to locate the parameter unlimited.fc.server.api.globalFCAdminExpiry if the modifications in step 2 were successful. You should see the following:
   
   
   
   
   

Overview

In Tomcat 9, the core engine starts up faster than previous Tomcat versions and the web front end is active. This means that the HTTP Connector is open and listening to requests from your web browser.

Our application which is a container in the application is still starting and as a result, the end user is presented with a HTTP 500 error.

Sample Stack Trace:

Error observed in the browser:



Environment
FileCatalyst Workflow v5.0.3
Tomcat v9.0

Resolution
This bug resides deeper in the Tomcat code which can not be fixed by FileCatalyst. We have escalated this up to the development team of Apache.

The resolution to this issue is to wait 1-2 minutes and Workflow will start up and synchronize with Tomcat 9.0.

Overview

In October of 2015, Mozilla had issued an advisory where Firefox Development intends to remove support for most NPAPI plugins by the end of 2016. (NPAPI Plugins in Firefox)

A post on Slashdot confirmed this news earlier this week: 

"Starting March 7, when Mozilla is scheduled to release Firefox 52, all plugins built on the old NPAPI technology will stop working in Firefox, except for Flash, which Mozilla plans to support for a few more versions. This means technologies such as Java, Silverlight, and various audio and video codecs won't work on Firefox."

For a short period of time, enterprise customers of Firefox have the ability to subscribe to Firefox Extended Support Release which will allow them to continue in browser FileCatalyst Applet usage. Please visit the Firefox ESR Webpage for more details.

For FileCatalyst users, this means that right now you are going to be unable to run our Java applets, as well as everyone else, in your Firefox browsers. 

Environment

Mozilla Firefox v52 and later for all Operating Systems.

Resolution

FileCatalyst TransferAgent was released in March 2015 as an alternative solution to Java Applets running in Chrome and Firefox. We strongly recommend our users migrate to this application and if you would like more information on deployment and usage of TransferAgent please contact your FileCatalyst Sales Representative or submit a ticket in our FileCatalyst Support Portal.

As of February 2017, the only web browsers that support Java Applets are:

• Safari
• Internet Explorer v10 and later.

Overview
With Oracle releasing Java 9, clients may encounter issues running older versions FileCatalyst applications. This issue will only impact clients using Windows and Linux Environments.

The resolution section will outline how to configure the various FileCatalyst Direct Applications for use with Oracle Java 9.

The parameter that needs to be added is located in the Java Additional Properties section in the FileCatalyst configuration file.

As of v3.7.1, the default Java Additional Properties Section contains the following:

# Java Additional Parameters
wrapper.java.additional.1=-XX:MaxDirectMemorySize=1G
wrapper.java.additional.2=-XX:+UseConcMarkSweepGC
wrapper.java.additional.3=-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true
wrapper.java.additional.4=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false
wrapper.java.additional.5=-Djava.rmi.server.hostname=localhost
wrapper.java.additional.6=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote
wrapper.java.additional.7=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=11392
wrapper.java.additional.8=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false
wrapper.java.additional.9=-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false

Please note that if you modify the configuration file as instructed in the resolutions below, older versions of Java (JRE or JDK 6/7/8) will be unusable.

Environment
Oracle Java JRE/JDK v9.0 only.
FileCatalyst Direct Suite v3.7.1 and older.

Resolution

1. FileCatalyst Server
   • Shutdown the FileCatalyst Server and the FileCatalyst Server Remote Admin.
     
     
     • Windows
       • Open the fcconf.conf file in a text editor.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the fcconf.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Server service.
         
         
     • Linux
       • Open the wrapper.conf file using vi or nano. This file can be found in the conf directory of your installation folder.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the wrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Server service.
         
         
       • If your FileCatalyst Server is running standalone you will need to add the following parameter to the fc_server.sh file before the -jar:
         
         java -Djava.library.path=. -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false -Xms64M -Xmx1024M -XX:MaxDirectMemorySize=512M -XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind -jar
         
         
2. FileCatalyst HotFolder
   
   • Shutdown the FileCatalyst HotFolder and the FileCatalyst HotFolder Remote Admin.
     
     
     • Windows
       • Open the fchf.conf file in a text editor.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the fchf.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Server service.
         
         
     • Linux
       • Open the wrapper.conf file using vi or nano. This file can be found in the conf directory of your installation folder.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the wrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Server service.
         
         
       • If your FileCatalyst HotFolder is running standalone you will need to add the following parameter to the fc_hotfolder.sh file -jar:
         
         java -Djava.library.path=. -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false -Xms64M -Xmx1024M -XX:MaxDirectMemorySize=512M -XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind -jar
         
         
3. FileCatalyst Central
   
   • Shutdown the FileCatalyst Central service.
     
     
     • Windows
       • Open the mawrapper.conf file in a text editor.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the mawrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Central service.
         
         
     • Linux
       • Open the wrapper.conf file using vi or nano. This file can be found in the conf directory of your installation folder.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the wrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Central service.
         
         
4. FileCatalyst TransferAgent
   
   • Shutdown the FileCatalyst TransferAgent service or standalone application.
     
     
     • Windows
       • Open the tawrapper.conf file in a text editor.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the tawrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst TransferAgent service or standalone application.
         
         
     • Linux
       • Open the wrapper.conf file using vi or nano. This file can be found in the conf directory of your installation folder.
       • Locate the # Java Additional Parameters section.
       • Add the following property and increment the parameter integer. Using the defaults above your entry will look like:
         
         wrapper.java.additional.10=-XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind
         
         
       • Save and close the wrapper.conf file and start the FileCatalyst Central service.
         
         
       • If your FileCatalyst TransferAgent is running standalone you will need to add the following parameter to the fc_transferagent.sh file before the -jar:
         
         java -Djava.library.path=. -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false -Xms64M -Xmx1024M -XX:MaxDirectMemorySize=512M -XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind -jar
         
         
5. FileCatalyst CLI/API/SDK
   
   
   • When constructing your call add the -XX:+IgnoreUnrecognizedVMOptions --add-modules=java.xml.bind parameter before you call the -jar file.