Autoload on Public LASR Server

[Crysis85]

Hello,

I'm working on SAS Visual Analytics 7.1 on Linux. 

My problem at the moment is that I cannot figure out how to automatically start the Public LASR Server to use with the Autoload function.

I have a table class that i want to auto-import. I put it in the directory 

/sas/config/Lev1/AppData/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/AutoLoad/

then I run scheduler.sh as the LASR administrator user.

crontab -l reports the current

*/15 * * * * /sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null

The problem is that the Public LASR server doesn't start at scheduled interval.

If I start it manually (with the same lasradm account) then the tables present in the drop folders are correctly autoloaded but it was my understanding that the server should start too.

What did I miss? thanks

[JuanS_OCS]

Hi,

are you able to schedule enyother kind of process (non_SAS related)?

I have the feeling that cron is not running or it is not enabled on your account.

Did you checked with your Linux administrator? In case there is an error with cron, they can see the logs of the cron service.

Best regards,

Juan

[Crysis85]

I have administration access to the machine.

From the crom logs (cat /var/log/cron | grep sas) I get

May 23 13:00:01 dmbi-va CROND[3983]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 13:15:02 dmbi-va CROND[8107]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 13:30:01 dmbi-va CROND[11146]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 13:45:01 dmbi-va CROND[13781]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 14:00:01 dmbi-va CROND[15763]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 14:15:01 dmbi-va CROND[17296]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 14:30:01 dmbi-va CROND[18550]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 14:45:01 dmbi-va CROND[19938]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 15:00:01 dmbi-va CROND[21228]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 15:15:01 dmbi-va CROND[22782]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 15:30:01 dmbi-va CROND[24284]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 15:45:01 dmbi-va CROND[25890]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 16:00:01 dmbi-va CROND[27730]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 16:15:01 dmbi-va CROND[29187]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 16:30:01 dmbi-va CROND[30535]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 16:45:01 dmbi-va CROND[32140]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 17:00:01 dmbi-va CROND[32628]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )
May 23 17:15:02 dmbi-va CROND[961]: (lasradm) CMD (/sas/config/Lev1/Applications/SASVisualAnalytics/VisualAnalyticsAdministrator/runsas.sh > /dev/null )

Seems like crom is working (unless I'm misunderstanding the messages), plus, as I said, once I manually start the server the tables are autoloaded correctly. The problem is the server should start too.

[JuanS_OCS]

That is good then.

Could you check the logs of autoload for the executions it did not work?

[Crysis85]

Basically the log is saying that the autoimport doesn't work because the server is down. Duh. I'm trying to autostart it too that's the point

NOTE: Connecting to LASR server dmbi-va:10031
NOTE: If the server is not running, an ERROR could appear here.
ERROR: A connection to the LASR Analytic Server on 'dmbi-va', port 10031, could not be made. Make sure that the host and port are
       correctly specified, that you are attempting to connect to a LASR Analytic Server of the correct vintage, and that the
       server is still running.
ERROR: Libref LASRTEST is not assigned.
ERROR: Error in the LIBNAME statement.
NOTE: LASR server dmbi-va:10031 is not running.
NOTE: Starting single machine signed LASR Server dmbi-va:10031
NOTE: There are no active tasks/transactions.
NOTE: Variable "command" was given a default length of 32767 as the result of a function call.  If you do not like this, please use
      a LENGTH statement to declare "command".

NOTE: The infile "/proc/25898/cmdline" is:
      Filename=/proc/25898/cmdline,
      Owner Name=lasradm,Group Name=sas,
      Access Permission=-r--r--r--,
      Last Modified=23 maggio 2016 15:45:07,
      File Size (bytes)=0

NOTE: 1 record was read from the infile "/proc/25898/cmdline".
      The minimum record length was 407.
      The maximum record length was 407.
NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
      real time           0.00 seconds
      user cpu time       0.00 seconds
      system cpu time     0.00 seconds
      memory              435.62k
      OS Memory           8088.00k
      Timestamp           23/05/2016 03:45:07 p.
      Step Count                        60  Switch Count  0
      Page Faults                       0
      Page Reclaims                     21
      Page Swaps                        0
      Voluntary Context Switches        0
      Involuntary Context Switches      0
      Block Input Operations            0
      Block Output Operations           0



NOTE: DATA statement used (Total process time):
      real time           0.00 seconds
      user cpu time       0.00 seconds
      system cpu time     0.00 seconds
      memory              468.12k
      OS Memory           8088.00k
      Timestamp           23/05/2016 03:45:07 p.
      Step Count                        61  Switch Count  0
      Page Faults                       0
      Page Reclaims                     17
      Page Swaps                        0
      Voluntary Context Switches        0
      Involuntary Context Switches      0
      Block Input Operations            0
      Block Output Operations           0
5                                                          The SAS System                                 15:45 Monday, May 23, 2016


WARNING: The quoted string currently being processed has become more than 262 characters long.  You might have unbalanced quotation
         marks.
ERROR: A connection to the LASR Analytic Server on 'dmbi-va', port 10031, could not be made. Make sure that the host and port are
       correctly specified, that you are attempting to connect to a LASR Analytic Server of the correct vintage, and that the
       server is still running.
ERROR: Libref LASRTEST is not assigned.
ERROR: Error in the LIBNAME statement.
ERROR: Could not start LASR server.  Processing cancelled.
ERROR: Errors printed on pages 4,5.

From the guide I get that

"Benefits of autoload include the following:
-You do not have to start the server. If a SAS LASR Analytic Server stops, the next run of autoload starts the server and loads data from the drop zone."

Doesn't seem to be the case.

[JuanS_OCS]

I might be wrong but, did you tried to reboot and restart the complete VA server? maybe that helps to kill a ghost process.

[Crysis85]

Rebooted the server this morning and still the server doesnt start when it's scheduled to load the tables in the Autoload folder. As a workaround I set up a flow in the scheduler manager to start both LASR servers

Thanks for your answers.

[JuanS_OCS]

It is a good workaround. Do you have already a track open with SAS Technical Support? The behaviour is not normal for an autoload folder, and it might require a fix.

In the meantime: I realized the libref is called LASRTEST, therefore it seems to be a custom Autoload folder, not the default one.

If you go to SAS Management Console, and your autoload library folder (if it is the default one, it would be Visual Analytics Public LASR, but yours will have a different name), the you go to its Properties, and to the Extended Attributes....

How does it look like the VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart attribute's value? Is it a Yes? a No? (read the description)

If it is a Yes, I suggest you to contact SAS Technical Support.

If it is a No, change it to Yes, and trigger again your autoload. It should work fine.

I hope it helps!!

[Crysis85]

Can't figure out what LASRTEST is.

On the Management Console I have (under libraries) "Visual Analytics Public LASR" LIBNAME statement  is 

LIBNAME LASRLIB SASIOLA  TAG=VAPUBLIC  PORT=10031 HOST="dmbi-va"  SIGNER="http://dmbi-va:7980/SASLASRAuthorization"

VA.AutoLoad.AutoStart attribute is set to Yes. (I checked also if the location of the autoload folder set here is the same as the one I'm using, it is).

I guess technical support is the only way.

[JuanS_OCS]

I think it is the better way.

In the meantime, a quick description of AutoLoad:

If you could read and follow the instructions on the Admin Guide for SAS VA, a VA Autoload library is composed by:

- A directory structure on your filesystem, which includes the folders Unload, Append and Logs.

- A directory structure which includes the autoload scripts for the autoload folders and logs.

- A library on the metadata, to register the tables and has some option on the extended attributes (as discussed).

I mention this because, another option, is that the VA autoload library has a TAG=VAPUBLIC, but in the scripts it might be refered as LASRTEST. Then the scripts cannot find the autoload library, because the TAG reference is different.

Worthy a shot?

[TriciaAanderud · Accepted solution]

This is from my own experience.

For SAS VA 7.1 - the Autoload Process would not consistently start the LASR server from the script for no particular reason.

This feature works better in VA 7.3. I manually start the LASR servers for SAS VA 7.1.

Here's an overview of the SAS Autoload process and requirements for setting it up.

The LASRADM user who has full admin rights to the LASR Server and the autoload scheduled job is associated with this account.