Geneos - SQL-Toolkit - How to solve Sybase connection issues

Sybase Client installation

Users should check that the Sybase Client is installed properly on the Netprobe machine. Please review the separate article: How to solve database client installation issues in SQL-Toolkit plugin

cs_ctx_alloc -> CS_FAIL

Scenario 1: Check if your Netprobe process has enough file descriptors.

Netprobe log entries that show it has insufficient file descriptors:

<Wed Jun 7 18:11:22> ERROR: VERITAS-CLUSTER-SERVER Failed: Problem executing hastatus command to check status of veritas [hastatus -summ]
<Wed Jun 7 18:11:22> ERROR: PROCESSES Could not get the number of logical processors (24)
<Wed Jun 7 18:12:22> ERROR: Failed to execute Processes Gateway - plugin PROCESSES timed out
<Wed Jun 7 18:12:22> INFO: CONMGR Details: checkListenPortActivity(); ; 24; -890; accept() failed;
<Wed Jun 7 18:12:22> ERROR: PROCESSES Could not get the number of logical processors (24)

Scenario 2: Ensure the Sybase client locales folder and the current session's $LANG variable have no issues.

Example error log entry:

<Mon Apr 8 18:29:27> WARN: Event:DatabaseLogging 1554719367.064086 DatabaseLogging /geneos/gateway[@name="MNL_PUGO_GATEWAY_9370"] Connection Failed There was a problem connecting => db error msg: cs_ctx_alloc -> CS_FAIL, db error code: -1 (type: LIBRARY) [-1] cs_ctx_alloc -> CS_FAIL LIBRARY

Things to do:

1. The SYBASE environment variable must point to the directory where the locales folder is located.

2. The locales folder must be present.

3. The current value of the Netprobe session's $LANG variable does not match any value in locales/locales.dat. Below shows how to check this:

• Check the session's LANG

[sandbox@lawin sybase]$ echo $LANG
en_US.UTF-8

• Get the values in the locales.dat file

[sandbox@lawin sybase]$ grep "en_US.UTF-8" locales/locales.dat
locale = en_US.UTF-8, us_english, utf8
locale = en_US.UTF-8, us_english, utf8
locale = en_US.UTF-8, us_english, utf8

4. To modify the value of the Netprobe's $LANG environment variable, add the following command in the Netprobe start script:

export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

cs_ctx_alloc -> CS_MEM_ERROR(-1)

While the message appears to be memory allocation related, several users reported that this could be caused by Sybase client installation issues.

Users should be particularly mindful if the machine is installed with more than one version of Sybase client. Please check that the SYBASE, SYBASE_LIB, SYBASE_LIB3P64 and LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variables are pointing to the same Sybase client installation correctly.

Fail - ct_connect(): directory service layer: internal directory control layer error: Requested server name not found.

The error means that the entry in the sampler's interfaceName setting does not match the value in the interfaces file found in the $SYBASE home directory.

Solution:

Check the sampler and the said file, as well as the $SYBASE environment variable of your Netprobe's startup script.

Fail - ct_connect(): protocol specific layer: internal Client Library error: There is a tds login error. The installed encryption handler returned a status that was not CS_SUCCEED

Starting GA3.8.0, the protocol used by the Gateway and Netprobe to connect to a Sybase database has been modified to support a Sybase database that requires password encryption. The libraries that enable the said protocol are located in Sybase's lib3p64 folder. The libraries are a prerequisite regardless if the database is requiring password encryption or not.

Solution:

• Please check the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable in the Netprobe startup script. It should include the absolute path of Sybase's lib3p64 folder.

Fail - ct_connect(): user api layer: external error: The connection failed because of invalid or missing external configuration data.

This happens when an ocs.cfg file is present and the Sybase (or SAP ASE) client's application name is not found in the said file.

Solution:

• Netprobes prior GA4.X, the error can be addressed by removing the ocs.cfg file.
• On a GA4.X Netprobe, this can be addressed by adding an application name in the plug-in's applicationName setting and then adding the same value in the ocs.cfg file:

Fail - ct_con_props(): user api layer: external error: An illegal value of 9213 given for parameter property.(16843013)

This error may happen with an outdated Sybase client version. Please review the Compatibility Matrix if the Netprobe and Sybase versions are supported.

Further Reading

Please kindly check the following guides:

• Geneos SQL-Toolkit plugin documentation