CogKnowHow

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.1
Microsoft Windows 2008 server

Issue:
How automatic set the background picture in Cognos controller for all clients on a Citrix server?

Inside Cognos Controller client, you can define a BMP file to be used as background picture.
Recommended is to have a different background picture for your test environment.
To make Controller Client color different from the productions clients.

In Cognos Controller client go to
Maintain – Installation – Local Preferences
Here you can enter the key app_background
And a value that points to a local BMP file.

Problem:
Local Preferences values are stored in the ccr.config file for each user in there windows profile.
You need to populate this file for each user when they logon to the Terminal Server.

Solution:
On citrix server create a folder called d:\script
On citrix server create a BMP file and save it as c:\windows\background.bmp
On citrix server download AUTOIT3:EXE from http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/downloads/
And place it in folder d:\script

Create a text file in folder d:\script named replaceccr.au3 with this content:

$TextFileName = @UserProfileDir & “\AppData\Roaming\Cognos\ccr\ccr.config”

$FindText = “”
$ReplaceText = ‘ ‘

$FileContents = FileRead($TextFileName)
$Check = StringInStr( $FileContents, “” )

if $Check = 0 Then

$FileContents = StringReplace($FileContents,$FindText,$ReplaceText)
FileDelete($TextFileName)
FileWrite($TextFileName,$FileContents)

EndIf

Create a text file in folder d:\script named updateccr.cmd with this content:
d:\script\autoit3.exe d:\script\replaceccr.au3

In folder d:\script these files should now be:
Autoit3.exe = used to process au3 script files
Replaceccr.au3 = will check the users ccr.config file and add the “app_background” if it does not already have a “LocalPref” value.
Updateccr.cmd = file to run to active the script

You may then add the updateccr.cmd file to your C:\Windows\System32\usrlogon.cmd, to make it run when anyone logon to the Windows Server.

More information about Terminal Server logon script
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/195461

http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/guestbloggers/archive/2005/03/01/understanding-the-citrix-metaframe-logon-and-logoff-process.aspx

More information about Autoit3:
http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/functions.htm
http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/macros.htm

Product:
Cognos Controller 10.1

Symptom:
Error before login to Cognos Controller you get an error message. You get the message after you have selected the controller database to use.

Error message:
Log On IBM Cognos Controller

AAA-AUT-0011
Invalid namespace was selected

Cause:
Cognos Controller 10 is setup to talk to a Cognos BI 8 installation.

The Dispatcher URI in Controller Configuration Report Server is not only used when you run the standard reports – it is also used when validate the login when using Server Authentication. The Report Server Dispatcher value is inherited to Server Authentication.

The values for Report Server will be reset to default values when you install the Cognos Controller Update Components Fix Pack on a existing Cognos Controller installation.
https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27020782

Solution:
On the Cognos Controller application server
Start IBM Cognos Controller Configuration
Select Report Server in the list
Change the Dispatcher URI to be a valid URL

To something like this
http://SRV001:9300/p2pd/servlet/dispatch

Click Save
Exit Controller Configuration
Start Cognos Controller client and test again.

More Information:
If the Cognos BI service is not available you will get an error of this kind instead:
IBM Cognos Business Intelligence
Error executing request. Please verify that the target URI is valid and that IBM Cognos is online.

Below error message in Swedish:

”IBM Cognos-gatewayen kan inte ansluta till IBM Cognos BI-servern. Servern kan vara otillgänglig eller så kan gatewayen vara felaktigt konfigurerad.”
”Försök igen eller kontakta administratören.”

Product:
Cognos Controller 8.5

Problem:
How to install the Cognos Controller client automatic?

Cause:
Sometimes the IT department want to automate the installation of the Cognos Controller Client on the client computer or Citrix server.

Solution:
You can from a script start the CCRLOCALCLIENT.MSI file and add parameters that will respond to the questions you get when you install.

Copy first the CCRLOCALCLIENT.MSI file to the Client Computer.
You can download it from
http://servername/cognos8/controllerbin/ccrlocalclient.msi

Enter below on ONE row in a DOS prompt on the client computer:
msiexec.exe /qb /i ccrlocalclient.msi WSSURL=http://servername/cognos8/controllerserver HELPURL=http://servername/cognos8/controllerhelp

Replace servername above with the name of your Cognos Controller server.