listAvailablePackages returns No packages were found

[majguo]

Today when I'm testing the latest tWAS cluster testing offer using Ed's entitled IBMid, it always failed. I further triaged the issue and found that the command used to list available packages doesn't run as expected, which caused the entitlement check failed:

userName=<your.IBMid>
password=<your.IBMid.pwd>
${IM_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}/eclipse/tools/imutilsc saveCredential -secureStorageFile storage_file -userName "$userName" -userPassword "$password" -passportAdvantage
${IM_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}/eclipse/tools/imcl listAvailablePackages -cPA -secureStorageFile storage_file

Command output for listing available packages:

No packages were found.

I run the above command both in a vm deployed on Azure and my local laptop, with entitled and un-entitled IBMids, but get the same result.
Actually when I re-thought the issue, the similar phenomenon happened few times before, but then disappeared. However, the issue seems persist this time, not sure if the back-end service for listing available packages is down or there is something else wrong.

This issue needs to be triaged and resolved ASAP as it blocks successful tWAS cluster deployments.

[majguo]

Hello @git4rk Could you pls help take a look at this issue? Thanks.

[majguo]

Note: this issue not only breaks entitlement check, but also breaks tWAS installation, as no available packages returned.

[git4rk]

@majguo imcl listAvailablePackages worked for me now. Maybe it was a temporary (but long) outage. I will continue to follow up with Install team.

[git4rk]

• IM team confirmed that there were no planned outages last week.
• If another outage occurs
  • you can post in the IM forum: https://w3.ibm.com/w3publisher/capilano-installation-manager-etc/forum#/categories/service-repository-access-and-capilano-web-application-(cwa)
  • slack @Stuart Frische

[majguo]

Closing the ticket per @git4rk 's response.

[edburns]

I recently ran into this again.

We must make it so that such a cause of failure does not show up as "un-entitled".

[majguo]

@edburns @git4rk Re-open this issue to add the check against the result of listAvailablePackages:

• display the appropriate error message to the end user if No packages were found is returned, which indicates the back-end service for listing available packages is down so entitlement check and cluster deployment are blocked

[majguo]

@gcharters @git4rk Currently, if listAvailablePackages returns No packages were found., the followings happen:

• the user's IBMid will be identified as un-entitled ==> inaccurate, need to be improved
• the software pre-installed in the base image is uninstalled ==> safe and good enough

I ask your help to provide the appropriate error message for the 1st item, so that user can clearly understand the deployment failure is due to the unavailability of listAvailablePackages used for checking entitlement.

[gcharters]

@majguo is there another action after listAvailablePackages that acts as the entitlement check? If so, then maybe something like this as an error message:
No WebSphere Application Server installation packages were found. This is likely due to a temporary issue with the installation repository. Please try again and raise and IBM support issue if the problem persists.

[majguo]

@gcharters Yes. Below is part of output of listAvailablePackages for your reference:

...
com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90_9.0.5006.20201109_1605
com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90_9.0.5007.20210301_1241
...
com.ibm.websphere.WCT.v90_9.0.5006.20201109_1605
com.ibm.websphere.WCT.v90_9.0.5007.20210301_1241
...
com.ibm.websphere.PLG.v90_9.0.5006.20201109_1605
com.ibm.websphere.PLG.v90_9.0.5007.20210301_1241
...
com.ibm.websphere.IHS.v90_9.0.5006.20201109_1605
com.ibm.websphere.IHS.v90_9.0.5007.20210301_1241
...
com.ibm.java.jdk.v8_8.0.6030.20210512_0631
com.ibm.java.jdk.v8_8.0.6031.20210513_1113
...

Based on @git4rk 's response before, ND.v90_9.0.5007 is the first entitled version which is only accessible by the entitled IBM ID. In other words, no ND.v90_9.0.5007 is returned in the output of ND.v90_9.0.5007 for an un-entitled IBM ID. So the next action after listAvailablePackages is to check whether the output includes literal string ND.v90_9.0.5007. The same entitlement check mechanism is used for both WAS ND and IHS.

Besides, few comments for your suggested message:

• Typo: "Please try again and raise and IBM support issue if the problem persists." ==> should be "Please try again and raise an IBM support issue if the problem persists."?
• Does the suggested message only apply to WAS ND or it can apply to both WAS ND and IHS? We have the ability to differentiate between WAD ND and IHS.

[git4rk]

@majguo @gcharters Here is the suggested text from the IDD team (Pam):
No WebSphere Application Server installation packages were found. This is likely due to a temporary issue with the installation repository. Try again and open an IBM Support issue if the problem persists.

[git4rk]

From 2021-07-06 meeting minutes:

• listAvailablePackages returns No packages were found: related issue Make it possible to have <= 20 nodes in the cluster #39 (see above)
  • Option 1: problem with service. Returns "No packages were found"
  • Option 2: not entitled. Returns a set of packages, but not the one we're looking for.
  • Option 3: entitled. Returns a set of packages including the one we were looking for.
• Action: Graham Investigate the issues with listAvailablePackages issue on IBM side. Why it's happening quite frequently and lasting for up to a day.

[git4rk]

Posted to IM Forum: https://w3.ibm.com/w3publisher/capilano-installation-manager-etc/forum#/discussion/110/imcl-listavailablepackages-cpa-fails-with-no-packages-were-found

[edburns]

This issue can be closed. If the problem resurfaces, we will open another one. @git4rk .