IT34318: STORAGE INSIGHTS CREATES CORRUPT .PDF FORMATTED REPORTS, WHEN THE REPORTS CONTAIN NO DATA

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• In an observed case, a Storage Insights user created a report
  designed to show all Storage System alerts received by Storage
  Insights, and to send a .pdf formatted copy of said report by
  email to a defined list of users. Upon trying to open/view
  these .pdf files, users received the following error: Adobe
  Acrobat Reader could not open "Alert Report_1600012740771.PDF'
  because it is either not a supported file type or because the
  file has been damaged (for example, it was sent as an email
  attachment and wasn't correctly decoded)?
  
  It was determined
  that the files are created in a corrupt/un-readable manner when
  they contain no alerts, whereas they are valid, readable files
  when they do contain alerts. This is a usability concern
  because no report should be corrupt and unreadable regardless
  of whether or not it contains alerts or other data. It should
  be a valid and readable report with the expected header/footer
  and simply contain no alerts.
  __________________________________
  __________________
  
  The defect is against component:
  5608TPCSI
  Server/Manager build/release (TPC): 5.4.0
  Problem as
  described by customer: Storage Insights Alert PDF report
  corrupted
  Initial customer impact (low/med/high): low
  

Local fix

• Fix to come in a future update; reports that contain data are
  readable, it is only the reports that contain nothing that are
  corrupt.
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:                                              *
  * IBM Storage Insights users receiving pdf reports from        *
  * Storage Insights                                             *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:                                         *
  * In an observed case, on previous version of Storage          *
  * Insights,                                                    *
  * a user created a report designed to show all Storage         *
  * System alerts received by Storage Insights, and to send a    *
  * .pdf formatted copy of said report by email to a defined     *
  * list                                                         *
  * of users.                                                    *
  * Upon trying to open/view these .pdf files, users received    *
  * the                                                          *
  * following error: Adobe Acrobat Reader could not open         *
  * "Alert Report_1600012740771.PDF' because it is either not    *
  * a supported file type or because the file has been damaged   *
  * (for example, it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't  *
  * correctly decoded)                                           *
  *                                                              *
  * It was determined that the files are created in a            *
  * corrupt / un-readable manner when they contain no alerts,    *
  * whereas they are valid, readable files when they do contain  *
  * alerts. This is a usability concern because no report should *
  *                                                              *
  * be corrupt and unreadable regardless of whether or not it    *
  * contains alerts or other data. It should be a valid and      *
  * readable report with the expected header/footer and simply   *
  * contain no alerts.                                           *
  *                                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  

Problem conclusion

• The fix for this APAR is contained in the following release:
  
  IBM Storage Insights 1Q21   [ 54X-IBM-SI ]
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  STORAGE INSIGHT

• Fixed component ID

  5608TPCSI

Applicable component levels