PH47454: ERROR 503 RETURNED FROM ODR AFTER AN APPLICATION UPDATE WITH THE WAR NAME CHANGED WHILE THE EAR FILE NAME STAYS THE SAME

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Customer has an application deployed into a collective
  with multiple members.  Customer updates the application and
  then deploys the application on to one member at a time.  The
  Ear file used is named identically in old and new application.
  One of the war files, though has a name changed in the updated
  Ear file.  Beyond the war file name change, most other
  attributes of the web app in the changed war are identical.
  This scenario leads to some confusion in Dynamic Routing.
  Eventually what happens is that after all members are updated,
  the old war file metadata is still present.  This leads to bad
  information being provided to odrlib which eventually leads to
  503s.
  

Local fix

• When deploying the updated application, use a new ear file
  name.
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:  All users of IBM WebSphere Application      *
  *                  Server                                      *
  *                  Liberty- Virtual Enterprise/IM Component    *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: This issue applies to a Websphere       *
  *                      Liberty collective environment using    *
  *                      the dynamic routing feature along with  *
  *                      the web server Plug-in.  In this        *
  *                      environment, it is possible that during *
  *                      a server application serial version     *
  *                      update a problem will arise causing the *
  *                      Plug-in to return 503 return codes for  *
  *                      the application.  The circumstances for *
  *                      this issue are that the Ear file name   *
  *                      is identical in the old version and the *
  *                      new version of the application. The     *
  *                      failing war file in the ear, though,    *
  *                      will have been renamed between old and  *
  *                      new versions of the ear.  This scenario *
  *                      leads to confusion in Dynamic Routing   *
  *                      that eventually results in the web      *
  *                      server Plug-in returning 503s.          *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  When a customer is in a Liberty collective environment using the
  dynamicRouting-1.0 feature for routing requests through IHS
  starts seeing 503 response codes after a serial version rollout,
  this issue may be the root cause.
  

Problem conclusion

• A fix has been created for the dynamic routing feature to
  correct the failure to track the change in war file name that
  leads to the failure in the web server Plug-in.
  
  The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in fix
  pack 22.0.0.10.  Please refer to the Recommended Updates page
  for delivery information:
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980
  

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

  WAS LIBERTY COR

• Fixed component ID

  5725L2900

Applicable component levels