preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

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cerend
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preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by cerend »

Hello all,

We have two databases in one tm1 instance. One of them is always kept stopped/not running because it contains the old model. Every month after IBM does it's monthly maintenance of the environments, both of the databases are started automatically. So we have to make the database containing the old model stop manually every month.

My question is, is there any way to prevent a database from starting automatically?
Best Regards,

Ceren
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by declanr »

Assuming that you are running on IMB's cloud offering?
If so, I would imagine just raising a ticket to IBM asking them to change the service from automatic to manual start-up mode would suffice.
IBM are normally very responsive with such tickets but this is not a request I have ever made of them before, so in addition to asking them to do that, I would suggest also briefly explaining the purpose like you have done here and one way or another they will be able to point you in the right direction.
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Alan Kirk »

cerend wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:31 am We have two databases in one tm1 instance. One of them is always kept stopped/not running because it contains the old model. Every month after IBM does it's monthly maintenance of the environments, both of the databases are started automatically. So we have to make the database containing the old model stop manually every month.

My question is, is there any way to prevent a database from starting automatically?
I'm assuming that this is a Cloud environment since you talk about IBM doing the maintenance.

In a local Windows environment you would simply set the older service to Manual start rather then Automatic start via either PowerShell or the Computer Management panel.

However I doubt that IBM runs its Cloud offerings on Windows because of the trouble they would have getting their piece of crap named PAW to start and run reliably in that environment. That's on the one and only version of Windows that PAW is supported on. Which is not the latest (2 year old) version, because these things can't be rushed, you know.

I believe that Linux services (which this probably is) can also be set to restart either automatically or manually on a server reboot. Exactly how depends on the flavour of Linux involved. I don't know whether you have any control over that in IBM's Cloud environment, but if you don't then it would be time to raise a support request with IBM.

(Edit: I was typing rather slowly this evening and see that Declan beat me to this.)
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Paul Segal »

It's a good question, and I have the same problem - I just haven't got round to raising the ticket. Can you let me know what they say? :D
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by cerend »

Hello,

Thank you both for your help, and yes I am working on cloud environment / PAW. :) I just wondered if there was a parameter somewhere that I could change to prevent the automatic restart. I have opened a ticket to IBM support about this. Let's see what they have to say.

Paul Segal wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:54 am It's a good question, and I have the same problem - I just haven't got round to raising the ticket. Can you let me know what they say? :D
Hi Paul, I will update the post once I get a solution from IBM. Will also PM you the solution separately.
Best Regards,

Ceren
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Adam »

Alan Kirk wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:47 am However I doubt that IBM runs its Cloud offerings on Windows...
They do run it on Windows server.

-------

Like you, we are also IBM Cloud customers and have the same request, Ceren.

I reached out to IBM support about a year ago and was told to submit a new enhancement idea, so I did:
https://ibm-data-and-ai.ideas.aha.io/id ... tus_change

There was no movement for about a year, and by coincidence last week, IBM finally moved it to "Future consideration". All I can say is "vote" on the enhancement idea.

A feasible workaround is using a startup chore, triggering a Powershell script stopping the Windows service**, if FileExists a certain file in the data folder, e.g. AutoOff.txt

** Not sure if stopping the TM1 service using Powershell is consdiered "safe".
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Steve Rowe »

Not to cause an issue with your enhancement reqeust but in theory the following may work.

Use the cfg parameter StartupChores= to launch a chore when the server starts.

In the chore call a TI that shuts the DB down using ServerShutDown(SaveData);

Not really the same as having it not spin up in the first place but.....

Totally untested...
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Alan Kirk »

Adam wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:38 pm
Alan Kirk wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:47 am However I doubt that IBM runs its Cloud offerings on Windows...
They do run it on Windows server.
Interesting; that surprises me on a number of levels.
Adam wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 4:38 pm A feasible workaround is using a startup chore, triggering a Powershell script stopping the Windows service**, if FileExists a certain file in the data folder, e.g. AutoOff.txt

** Not sure if stopping the TM1 service using Powershell is consdiered "safe".
I can't see why it wouldn't be. Stop-Service is no different to doing it through the Windows Management console, and the overwhelming majority of the time I start and stop my own servers via PowerShell without any issues. (Other than the first time for a new service, when I do it through Cognos Configuration to let it do all of the cryptography bumpf. But for existing servers, PS does just fine.)
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by ykud »

Alan Kirk wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:49 pm Interesting; that surprises me on a number of levels.
They wouldn't be able to migrate on-prem customers otherwise, too much hassle with converting all the scripts to bash :)

PAW in cloud is on linux, TM1 is on Windows without a linux option.
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Alan Kirk »

ykud wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:35 pm
Alan Kirk wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:49 pm Interesting; that surprises me on a number of levels.
They wouldn't be able to migrate on-prem customers otherwise, too much hassle with converting all the scripts to bash :)
That's a fair point. When I said "on a number of levels" I'm thinking of a few things that I don't want to raise in a public forum, but one of the said levels is that IBM is acutely aware of... accentuating, shall we say... the profitability of its cloud offerings. I wouldn't regard the cost of Windows as excessive (especially on an enterprise contract), but it's still more costly than a open source O/S, even if a paid support package is added (if it's even needed). I suspect that their preference would be to shift as much as possible over to Linux, but you're correct, not at the cost of failing to suck some on prem users into the cloud vortex.
ykud wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:35 pm PAW in cloud is on linux,
Yeah, it'd pretty much have to be. (If we had an icon with a sneering face, an upturned lip on one side, eyes rolled to the ceiling and snorting, it would go here.)
ykud wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 10:35 pm TM1 is on Windows without a linux option.
Interesting. I suspect that will change in time, but I suppose that's another cost factor. Having the servers on Windows only saves the cost of having some Linux support specialists, beyond those needed to run PAW. When or if they reach a critical mass of cloud clients... we can but speculate which way they'll go, especially when containerised servers come in.
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by ykud »

Alan Kirk wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:12 pm Interesting. I suspect that will change in time, but I suppose that's another cost factor. Having the servers on Windows only saves the cost of having some Linux support specialists, beyond those needed to run PAW. When or if they reach a critical mass of cloud clients... we can but speculate which way they'll go, especially when containerised servers come in.
Gotta be RedHat OpenShift all the way for the future, at least that's the sentiment I get from listening in on the AMAs. I doubt there'll be a RHEL version of TM1 hosting for cloud in the same way as Windows, there's too much effort to put around (securing / patching / support) with not a lot of customers that would migrate to cloud if RHEL was supported.
I'd think they'll wait for v12 containerised TM1 server and migrate cloud customers to containers during the 'upgrade'.
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Paul Segal »

In the chore call a TI that shuts the DB down using ServerShutDown(SaveData);
Nice idea Steve, and I tested it, but "ServerShutdown shuts down a server running as an application. ServerShutdown cannot be used to shut down a server running as a Windows service."
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Steve Rowe »

Ok

I guess ExecuteCommand ('cmd /c Net Stop ServiceName') would work in the TI as well then? (I've probably not got that DOS 100% right...)
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by cerend »

Hi all,

I got an answer from IBM support. They disabled the automatic restart for me and I asked whether I could have done it myself without consulting IBM support. They said no, because you're not a Windows admin. I did not question any further and closed the ticket. :)
Best Regards,

Ceren
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Re: preventing automatic restart of databases after monthly maintenance

Post by Paul Segal »

Thanks Ceren. I did play around with stopping the service per Steve's suggestion, but the service isn't on the box we have access to or, as IBM points out, we don't have enough rights, so I think that's a no-go as well.
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