Cache Server FCC Problem

[daphnis_jan02]

Hi,

Our client has setup cache server and local volume at our site.

The cache server are configured to the client domain and connected via the firewall.

Our local machines are configured by pointing the parent FSC to the mentioned cache server address. We have no issue to access and update the data which located inside the master volume (client server). The NX integration has been working well.

When the data has been updated here, my understanding is those physical data will be transfered into the local volume (which always specified under the named reference) until “synchronization” step executed. I can locate those files which stored inside the cache server machine local volume folder. This proven that these file were saved through the system correctly. The problems started here, our client site where they are configured to the master volume and they are not being able to pull out those data which stored in our local volume. The FCC proxy function related errors keep prompting up.

We've investigated this issue in few aspects including the firewall setting, network configuration, network speed (min 200kb/s which seems not too bad to me as we are thousands mile apart), user permission and FSC configuration XML. The results are intermittent, there were two days working well on both side, some parts were even released in system by client and they couldn’t open them after administrator wiped out their local central cache folder as they would be generated automatically upon user demand.

I am new to this system and I’m sure we have not discovered all the possible problem areas; I would appreciate your helps if anyone able to share or advise the possible tackle solution.

Thank you in advance.

[RandyEllsworth]

The user writing the files to the volume is the user running the FSC service that manages that volume and not the Teamcenter user. By default, the user running the FSC service is a local account which will lead to permission issues when the files need to be moved or accessed outside this server. To resolve this issue, use a domain account for the FSC service for the local volume AND the FSC service for the main volume. Change ownership of the volumes and files to this same domain user and your access issues should be fixed for the situation you describe.

Some other advice...
A local volume is nice when files are not (or rarely) shared outside that location. Better is to use Store and Forward (a type of local volume) where the files are written locally then moved to the main volume. This moving of files can be done using Dispatcher or using the move_volume_files utility. Dispatcher can be cumbersome and admin heavy so most create a script for move_volume_files and set it as a Scheduled Task that runs nightly (or every 30 minutes if you want). The S&F becomes a temporary volume that should be empty after running the utility. The FSC will still cache the file when transferring it to the main volume if the FMS Master is configured correctly and FMS always knows where the file is during the whole process.

[SRaj]

Daphnis,
if i understand your problem statement, you have a Cache server (which acts as a local volume as well) in your lcoation set by your clients. Users at your location have no issues in saving and accessing files from this local volume using the FSC configured. But from the client location, users are unable to download the files present in this volume. Correct me if i got your problem statement right. If so, below are few things to check

1. Was this setup ever working before? If so, was any change being done?
2. If it was never working before, then you may need to look at your fms configuration file to see how this fsc is included in them. There are multiple ways to configure and i have seen a wrong configuration could be one of the reasons.
3. Is this issue with only from the user machines from the client side or also from the server on their side? If so
his volume to see if the issue is

Also please share the FCC proxy errors and fcc logs and fsc error snippt (as the fsc logs will be huge) you are getting so that we can understand better what the error is.

[daphnis_jan02]

Hi Randy,

Thanks for your advices and happy New Year!

I’m not sure if I understood your statement correctly. If it’s something related to the domain account, I have to say that the cache server is already using client domain account, we (with client IT support) did install the Teamcenter application on the server itself and run the test.  The test result is the same to those local machines which using local account that connected to this server.

I’m curious about your statement regard the local volume would be nice when files are not share outside location. This has basically defeated our original intention of having cache server setup here, both site users would have a chance to work on the same parts depend the requirements. This was the reason I was shocked when client told us regard the cache server implementation at the initial stage and it didn’t require any multi-site licenses. I probably didn’t use the correct wording but I have seen other PDM system which it would require multi-site configuration setup and licenses when involve the design data shared across other sites.

Using the dispatcher/move volume was the last option we about to do next, in another word, those data won’t be appearing in the system until the process completed and reload the DMU.

Thank you.

[daphnis_jan02]

Dear SRaj,

Thanks for looking into it and happy New Year!

Your description about the problem is precisely what’s going on here. To answer your questions:

• The current setup worked before and nothing been changed unless client side has made changes but so far been told none.
• The setup worked before so the FMS would have been configured correctly.
• Quite a number of users from client side couldn’t access the data which only updated by us.

I’m not sure which logs you were referring to? These are common error msg prompted up:

• When downloading the files (PDF Doc) using named reference: Error downloading file: Unexpected EOF.
• When opening the NX files using NX integration: “Waiting for FCC to reconnect” keep showing on the status bar and eventually “An error occurred while calling an FCC Proxy Function”

Thank You

[SRaj]

Please share fcc*.log file that gets created in the user profile directory. For the FSC logs...which will be in your main volume server, just perform the download and paste the snippet of error lines that gets printed in the gas logs ( this log file will be huge..so just paste the snippet of error that gets recorded)

If this was working well before..has any firewall changes happened at your place or at the clients firewall end.

[daphnis_jan02]

See below for the snapshot on the log file. 

The firewall TCP services are established and learning. So network is fine. It seems blocked by the appplication itself.