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Controller client hangs after choosing database due to DNS (NetBIOS/FQDN) name resolution failure

Troubleshooting


Problem

User launches Controller client. User chooses database. Controller client hangs. User never receives the expected 'logon' screen.

Symptom

User launces the Controller client, and receives the choice of databases (as expected). After selecting the database, the screen remains looking like this:

The logon screen (see below) never appears:


Cause

There are several potential causes for these/similar symptoms.

  • For example, see separate IBM Technote #1346783 (and 1587151 if necessary).

This Technote relates to the scenario where the cause is that the client device cannot resolve the name (typically the NetBIOS name) of the Report Server that has been configured (on the Controller application server).

Environment

This problem will not affect all environments. One possible scenario is where:

  • Controller application server's Report Server settings are configured to use NetBIOS naming convention ("servername"):
  • However, the end user's client device is running a Controller client that has been installed/configured so that is WSSUrl will use the FQDN naming convention (e.g. "myserver.company.com") or the IP address (e.g. "192.168.10.10").
    • This will allow the first part of the Controller client to launch (which uses the WSSUrl name to connect) but the final part (which uses the Report Server value) will fail/hang.

Resolving The Problem

Reconfigure client device so that it can resolve the naming convention (typically NetBIOS) used inside 'Report Server' section (inside 'Controller Configuration').

Steps:

There are many different methods to achieve this. The two simplest are:

(1) Modify the client device's DNS suffix search order so that it includes the server's FQDN DNS suffix

(2) Modify the client device's 'hosts' file so that it can resolve the IP address via that.

  • For example, run the command: notepad c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
  • Then create an entry for the NetBIOS name of the server, together with the IP address.

[{"Product":{"code":"SS9S6B","label":"IBM Cognos Controller"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":"Controller","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"10.1.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
15 June 2018

UID

swg21647163