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How to Ensure a Successful Upgrade
INSTALLING COGNOS 10.2.1: TIPS AND TRICKS FROM THE TRENCHES
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Copyright 2014 Senturus, Inc. All Rights Reserved 2
• Welcome
• Core Architecture of the BI Server
• The Ever-Growing Maze of Bitness (32 versus 64)
• Common Installation Problem Areas
• Using the Cognos Knowledge Base
• About Senturus
• $100 off Senturus Training Winners
• Q & A
Today’s Agenda
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Presentation Slide Deck on www.senturus.com
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Greg Herrera
President & Co-
Founder
Senturus
Introduction: Today’s Presenters
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Steven Reed-Pittman
Practice Director - Systems
Integration & Optimization
Senturus
Core Architecture of the BI Server (and Some Common Misconceptions)
OVERVIEW
COGNOS 10.2.1 BI SERVER CORE COMPONENTS
Cognos Connection web portal Tier 1: Web
Tier 2:
Application
Tier 3: Data
Note: Report Servers are part of the “Application Tier
Components” in the Cognos installation program
COMPONENT SELECTION OPTIONS
Note: The Cognos Content Database isn’t
generally used in enterprise installations – it is
only recommended for use in demo
environments.
CONTENT “*” CONFUSION: WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
Content Manager:
The Cognos service that manages the storage and retrieval of report specifications, published packages, configuration data and Cognos security settings from the content store database.
Content Store:
The set of database tables that are used by the Content Manager to store Cognos application data.
Cognos Content Database:
Self-contained Apache Derby database server – can be used to host the content store database in demo environments when an enterprise DBMS is unavailable.
WHAT IS A DISPATCHER? • The “Dispatcher” is a Java application which runs a configurable set of
Cognos services, not just reports:
• A dispatcher can also route requests to other dispatchers for load balancing.
LOAD BALANCING BASICS
• Cognos load balancing is performed by the Dispatchers, not the Gateway.
• The gateway always sends its requests to a single dispatcher URI -- we
could call this the gateway’s “current” target dispatcher:
• The gateway’s “current” target dispatcher performs load balancing as
needed with the other dispatchers in the environment.
• The gateway will switch to a different dispatcher only if the “current”
target dispatcher stops responding.
The Ever-Growing Maze of Cognos Bitness
64-BIT IDENTITY CRISIS
32-BIT AND 64-BIT COMPONENTS
Java code
(32-bit or 64-bit)
C++ code (32-bit)
• Java code is architecture agnostic (can run on a 32-bit or 64-bit JVM)
• Some components are still strictly 32-bit native C++ code (e.g., BIBus
processes for Compatible Query Mode)
32-BIT COMPONENTS IN 64-BIT COGNOS
There are still some 32-bit-only components embedded in 64-bit Cognos 10.2.1:
• Report execution processes for Compatible Query Mode (BIBusTKServerMain.exe) are still 32-bit
• 32-bit database client libraries are required for native-client integration with third-party databases.
SELECTABLE-BIT COMPONENTS IN 64-BIT COGNOS
In 64-Bit Cognos 10.2.1, some components are delivered as BOTH 32-bit and 64-bit:
• Web gateway components have been available as both 32-bit and 64 bit since Cognos 10.2.0
• Both versions of the gateway components are installed whenever you install the 64-bit BI Server
• In 10.2.0, the 32-bit gateway components were used by default
• In 10.2.1, the 64-bit gateway components are now used by default
• Use the “copyGateMod.bat” script to switch between them
MORE SELECTABLE-BIT COMPONENTS IN 64-BIT COGNOS
In 64-Bit Cognos 10.2.1, the Report Server execution mode can be set to 32-bit or 64-bit:
• 32-bit execution mode allows the report server to handle CQM or DQM requests (DQM query requests are forwarded to the 64-bit Query Service for execution)
• 64-bit execution mode allows the report server to handle DQM and Dynamic Cubes requests ONLY (note: routing rules are needed if running a combination of modes in one environment)
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? 32-BIT VERSUS 64-BIT
• 32-bit components are limited to a smaller amount of memory per-process (4 GB max addressable)
• Out-of-memory errors can occur on complex reports when a BIBus process hits this limit. Even if additional memory is available on the server, the BIBus process cannot use it.
• 64-bit components aren’t subject to the 4 GB memory limit, so they can perform higher complexity, memory-intensive processing
• Dynamic Query Mode and Dynamic Cubes leverage 64-bit scalability to provide in-memory caching for high performance
Common Installation Problem Areas
THINGS GO WRONG
WHY THINGS GO WRONG: COGNOS IS NOT AN ISLAND
Famous last words: ”How hard can this be… don’t you
just, point, click and go?”
External dependencies add unique and variable complexity
in every environment, including:
- network security
- virtual infrastructure
- database access (SQL, Oracle, DB2, ODBC, JDBC)
- authentication mechanisms (AD, LDAP, Series 7)
- web server configurations (IIS, Apache, SSL)
- anti-virus and endpoint security solutions
WHERE THINGS GO WRONG: FOUR COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
1) Operating System (Windows)
2) Database (SQL Server, Oracle)
3) Web server (IIS)
4) Fix Packs
Operating System
COMMON PROBLEM AREA #1
COMMON WINDOWS OS ISSUES
• Service account not added to Local Administrators group
COMMON WINDOWS OS ISSUES
• Cognos hasn’t been configured to run using the service account credentials
Check the
service’s
properties
COMMON WINDOWS OS ISSUES
• Data Execution Prevention (DEP) has not been configured to allow Cognos to run
For simplicity, DEP is
enabled here for essential
Windows programs and
services only.
Alternatively, individual DEP
exceptions can also be
explicitly configured for Cognos.
COMMON WINDOWS OS ISSUES
• Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration is turned on
Set IE ESC to “Off” in
order to access Cognos
Connection directly from
the server
Note: This change is NOT required for
browsers on client PCs to be able to connect
to the server
Database
COMMON PROBLEM AREA #2
COMMON DATABASE-RELATED ISSUES
• Incompatible collation sequence – The Cognos content store requires a case-insensitive collation sequence.
Some common collation sequences for Cognos installations are:
• SQL Server: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
• Oracle: AL32UTF8
• Oracle: Incorrect JDBC driver file for Content Manager – The correct JDBC driver must be copied from the Oracle client installation
location to .../webapps/p2pd/WEB-INF/lib
• ojdbc6.jar is recommended for use with Cognos 10.2.1
• Dynamic Query Mode: Spaces in the path to the JDBC drivers – Beware! DQM cannot handle spaces in the path to the JDBC drivers (e.g.,
the default Cognos installation path “C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\...” )
– Use something like “C:\ibm\cognos\...” as your installation path instead.
– See the IBM Cognos 10 Dynamic Query Cookbook for additional details on required JDBC driver files and configurations for DQM.
COMMON SQL SERVER AND ORACLE DB ISSUES
• Incorrect bitness of database client software
– For Compatible Query Mode (CQM) access to third-party data sources, 64-bit Cognos 10.2.1 still requires 32-bit client libraries.
• For Oracle, you must explicitly install the 32-bit Oracle client libraries when running Cognos on 64-bit Windows.
• For SQL Server, the 64-bit SQL Native Client includes both 32-bit and 64-bit libraries.
Web Server
COMMON PROBLEM AREA #3
COMMON IIS CONFIGURATION ISSUES
• Role Services have not been installed for ISAPI and Windows Authentication
Both of these should
be checked
COMMON IIS CONFIGURATION ISSUES
• Application Pool Identity not set to “NetworkService”
Change identity to
“NetworkService”
COMMON IIS CONFIGURATION ISSUES
• Application Pool not configured properly for the bitness of the gateway extensions
Set “Enable 32-Bit
Applications” to True
when using the 32-bit
gateway extensions
Set “Enable 32-Bit
Applications” to False
when using the 64-bit
gateway extensions
Fix Packs
COMMON PROBLEM AREA #4
FIX-PACK MADNESS: WHICH FIXES TO INSTALL?
• 10.2.1 Fix Pack 1
• Unlike standard fix packs, FP1 also added new functionality
• Support for the RAVE visualization engine was added in FP1
• XML schema change for report specifications – requires a separate step to upgrade existing 10.2.1 content after applying FP1.
• 10.2.1 Fix Pack 1 Dynamic Query Feature Bundle
• Also known as 10.2.1.1 Interim Fix 3
• This is a separate install that goes on top of 10.2.1 FP1 to add enhanced capabilities for DQM and Dynamic Cubes
• The Dynamic Query Feature Bundle MUST be installed before FP2 if its features are needed. It CANNOT be installed after FP2 has been installed.
• 10.2.1 Fix Pack 2
• Unlike standard Cognos fix packs, FP2 is not-quite-cumulative (it doesn’t include the Dynamic Query Feature Bundle changes)
RECOMMENDED INSTALL SEQUENCE FOR 10.2.1 BI FIX PACKS
• To get to the latest, most stable and most feature-complete version of Cognos 10.2.1, use the following install sequence:
1. 10.2.1 base install
2. 10.2.1 Fix Pack 1
3. 10.2.1 FP1 Dynamic Query Feature Bundle (aka 10.2.1.1 Interim Fix 3)
4. 10.2.1 FP2
ADDITIONAL GOTCHAS:10.2.1 MOBILE FIX PACKS
• Mobile adds a further layer of complexity to the Fix Pack process:
– Cognos Mobile 10.2.1 has its own, separate Fix Packs
– The latest SERVER-SIDE Mobile Fix Pack is Mobile 10.2.1 Fix Pack 2, which requires BI 10.2.1 FP1 or later to be installed FIRST.
– Mobile 10.2.1 Fix Pack 3 is also available now, but Mobile 10.2.1 FP3 is only an app upgrade (iOS/Android), not a server-side upgrade.
Plan Carefully and Patch Carefully!
- Keeping 32-bit Tools Separate - Disabling the Query Service to Save Memory
SOME FINAL NOTES
KEEPING 32-BIT TOOLS SEPARATE
• As always, the “pure” 32-bit client tools still can’t be installed in the same directory as the 64-bit BI Server components.
• Because Framework Manager, Transformer and Cube Designer are
32-bit components, they must be installed in a separate directory from any Cognos BI 64-bit server components.
• The Dynamic Query Analyzer is available as both a 32-bit and a 64-bit install.
THE COGNOS 10 QUERY SERVICE
The Query Service uses a dedicated JVM instance for
Dynamic Query Mode execution, which allocates 1 GB of
memory by default at startup.
If Dynamic
Query Mode is
not being used,
you can disable
the Query
Service to save
memory.
The knowledge base is (mostly) your friend
GETTING UNSTUCK: USE THE COGNOS KNOWLEDGE BASE
USING THE IBM COGNOS KNOWLEDGE BASE
- Simple searches are more likely to produce relevant articles
- Detailed searches are less likely to return anything at all…
http://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Information_Management/Cognos_Business_Intelligence
Select “Search only
Cognos Business
Intelligence” –
otherwise, you’ll get
results for all IBM
products
Who we are
SENTURUS OVERVIEW
Our Team:
Business depth combined with technical expertise. Former CFOs, CIOs, Controllers, Directors
Senturus: Business Analytics Consultants
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Business Intelligence Enterprise Planning Predictive Analytics
700+ Clients, 1400 Projects, 13 Years
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More Information on www.senturus.com
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*Custom, tailored training also available*
Cognos Training Options
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• Free Estimate
– With detailed steps
• Flexible model
– Mentoring: train your resources to do the upgrade
– Full service upgrade to your production environment
For more information, contact:
Jim Frazier, Vice-President of Client Solutions, Senturus
650 949 2921
Upgrade Assistance
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• $100 off any Senturus Cognos training class
• 10 winners selected at random
Winners of $100 off Training
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Q&A
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