topic Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart in SAS Visual Analytics

Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

MarkESmith — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 20:24:09 GMT

Currently running a non-distributed implementation of SAS VisualAnalytics 7.3. According to the SAS VA 7.3 Administration Guide that I've read (starting on page 7), it says the following about automatically starting a SAS LASR Analytic Server:

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A SAS LASR Analytic Server can start on demand if one or more of the server’s LASR libraries enable autostart. Requests to an autostart-enabled LASR library start the associated SAS LASR Analytic Server if all of the following conditions are met:

The server is not already running.Operating Servers
The requesting user has the necessary privileges.
The request is for a load or import action. Requests to open a data source, read data, or run a data query do not trigger autostart

In the standard configuration, autostart is enabled for the Visual Analytics Public LASR library. To enable autostart for another library, use either of the following methods

SAS Management Console

1: In SAS Management Console, right-click on a LASR library, and select Properties.

2: On the Extended Attributes tab, set VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart to Yes.

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We have about 22 queries that set up on the scheduler (running as an Admin user) to load files on our Public LASR Analytic Server once every week. From the way the guide puts it, it sounds like if I go in and enable the "VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart" to 'Yes' (through the SAS Management Console), then when those queries try to execute, if the Public LASR Analytic Server is down, it should automatically force the server to start. Is this a correct understanding or am I missing something?

If this does not automatically trigger a restart, what is the simplest way to implement something that would regularly (once a week) trigger a restart if the SAS LASR Analytic Server is off? It would be fine, as far as I can see, if I create a dummy file for this purpose if necessary.

Any thoughts or input, as always, are much appreciated!

Thanks!

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

alexal — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 12:26:52 GMT

@MarkESmith ,

if I go in and enable the "VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart" to 'Yes' (through the SAS Management Console), then when those queries try to execute, if the Public LASR Analytic Server is down, it should automatically force the server to start. Is this a correct understanding or am I missing something?

Yes, but you also have to enable autoload for that LASR server. The autoload process will trigger the startup of the LASR server if VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart is enabled in the metadata properties.

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

MarkESmith — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:45:08 GMT

I have run the schedule.sh script before and have Autoload enabled for one of our LASR servers (LASR Analytic Server) for the purpose of viewing Administrator Reports (Auditing).

We have two LASR Servers:

1. LASR Analytic Server

2. Public LASR Analytic Server

The latter is the one that I'd need Autoload enabled for, but in the documentation, I don't see where a differentiation is made (i.e. where or how to specify a specific LASR server)

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

SASKiwi — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 23:47:48 GMT

If you prefer to start the Public LASR server directly and immediately like after a server reboot then you can run a SAS program to do it. This SAS program needs to be run as a batch job as the SERVERWAIT statement will cause the batch job to pause, and the job must then continue running for the LASR server to stay up. If you kill the batch job the LASR server stops too.

NB you need to change the references SASVAServer and SASWebVAServer to your actual SAS VA server names. Folder locations and port numbers may be different for you too.

* STARTSERVER option starts the VAPUBLIC Public LASR server.;
libname LASRLIB sasiola startserver = (path = "\\SASVAServer\SAS\Config\Lev1\AppData\SASVisualAnalytics\VisualAnalyticsAdministrator\sigfiles")
  host="SASWebVAServer.com" port = 10031 tag = 'VAPUBLIC'
  signer = "https://SASWebVAServer.com:443/SASLASRAuthorization"
  ;

* SERVERWAIT causes the LASR server to continue running as long as the program run as a batch process remains up.;
proc vasmp;
  serverwait port = 10031;
quit;

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

alexal — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:12:49 GMT

@MarkESmith ,

Stop the LASR server, run the autoload process and show me the log file from it.

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

MarkESmith — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:59:43 GMT

Is there a method (scrip to execute, perhaps?) to manually run the autoload process?

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

alexal — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 18:03:56 GMT

@MarkESmith ,

Yes, just invoke runsas.sh script.

Re: Question about automatic SAS LASR Server restart

MarkESmith — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:36:07 GMT

Gotcha. I would get you that log, but unfortunately it's not convenient to shut down the LASR server save on weekends.

From the reading I've done, it looks like I can set up a separate auto-load implementation for my Public VA LASR Server through the SAS Deployment Manager. When that new folder structure is implemented, it's just a matter of dropping a CSV into the drop-zone (through a cron job perhaps) at the desired time to force a restart of the LASR server (as long as the extended attribute AutoLoadAutoStart is enabled).

See, I'm not necessarily looking to truly use auto-load for this LASR server, I simply looking for a way to completely restart all the necessary SAS servers/services once a week, and this appears to be a workable solution for that.

If my understanding of this is misguided, please correct me.