CogKnowHow

Product:
Cognos Controller 8.5.1

Symptom:
After change to use Cognos 8 SSO with Microsoft Active Directory, you can not login to Cognos Controller Client.

Background:
When you change Cognos Controller to use Single Sign On with AD, the first user who login will become the Controller ADM user. This user must then add the other users in Cognos Controller (under maintain – rights – users dialog), before they can be able to login.
You should create a special domain account that will be used as the ADM account in Cognos Controller. Login to a windows workstation with that account and then start Cognos controller client from there.

Error Message:
CAM-AAA-0135 The user is already authenticated in all available namespaces.

Cause:
The Cognos Controller database does already have other users added – and the account you are trying to use is not part of the allowed list.

Possible Solution:
The database is restored from other environment – where the SSO have worked before.
Therefore the Controller database table XCAMUSER is filled with not working user accounts.

Start Microsoft SQL Management studio
Take a backup of the Cognos Controller database before you change anything.
Open the controller database
Open table XCAMUSER
Delete all data in that table
Close Micrsoft SQL Management studio

Go to the client workstation and try to login again to Cognos controller client.

Other Solutions:
Ensure that the windows user is part of the Cognos connection group “controller users”
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21371017
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21346666

Product:
Cognos Controller 8.5

Symptom:
Cognos Controller can not run an Excel link report, which worked fine last month.
Use of both F9 or F10 will give errors when this excel sheet is updated.
Optimise2 (ERO) is active on the Excel report (name in cell A1).
Excel reports that is smaller works fine, but this large report gives error.

Error in windows event log on Controller client citrx server:

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Cognos Controller
Event Category: None
Event ID: 0
Date: 2010-06-07
Time: 14:23:23
User: N/A
Computer: CITRIXSERVER
Description:
Standard Error
Number: 5
Source: FrangoDirect.ExcelLinkD.FetchValuesBulk#ControllerProxyClient
Description: System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x800A000E): Out of string space
at Cognos.Controller.Proxy.CCRWS.ExcelLinkB_FetchValuesBulk(String sGuid, String sKeys, String sMcurr, Boolean bLocLang, String sUser, String sRep, Boolean bIsLnk, String sSortOrd, Int32 lOptBitSet)
— End of inner exception stack trace —
at Microsoft.VisualBasic.ErrObject.Raise(Int32 Number, Object Source, Object Description, Object HelpFile, Object HelpContext)
at Cognos.Controller.Common.RaiseErrCli.RaiseError(Int32 lErrNo, String sErrSource, String sErrDesc, String sErrHelpFile, Int32 lErrHelpContext)
at Cognos.Controller.Direct.ExcelLinkD.FetchValuesBulk(String sKeys, String sMcurr, Boolean bLocLang, String sRep, Boolean bIsLnk, String sSortOrd, Int32 lOptBitSet)
at Cognos.Controller.Reports.ExcelLink.RunReportLnkBulk()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Cognos Controller
Event Category: None
Event ID: 0
Date: 2010-06-07
Time: 14:23:23
User: N/A
Computer: CITRIXSERVER
Description:
Error occured at 6/7/2010 2:23:23 PM in Microsoft Office 2003, Error No=5, Source=FrangoDirect.ExcelLinkD.FetchValuesBulk#ControllerProxyClient, Description=System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: Server was unable to process request. —> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x800A000E): Out of string space
at Cognos.Controller.Proxy.CCRWS.ExcelLinkB_FetchValuesBulk(String sGuid, String sKeys, String sMcurr, Boolean bLocLang, String sUser, String sRep, Boolean bIsLnk, String sSortOrd, Int32 lOptBitSet)
— End of inner exception stack trace —, HelpFile= HelpContext=0

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Cause:
Some part of the reserved memory used on the Cognos Controller Application server is filled up and the solution for the moment is to restart the Cognos Controller Application server.

Please note that it can be other causes to this issue – like a not so good created Controller Excel report.

Solution:
Schedule a restart of the Cognos Controller Application servers every week, to prevent this from happening again next reporting time. Select a time and date when there are no one in Cognos Controller and working.

You can use a BAT file with this line to restart a Microsoft Windows 2003 server.

SHUTDOWN -R -F -T 3

-R is for restart
-F is for force to shutdown of all programs
-T is for time to wait before restart

Use Microsoft Windows schedule to set a time and date for the batch/script to run.

Product:
Cognos Controller 8.5

Symptom:
Error when you try to start Microsoft Excel from inside Cognos Controller by click on the excel icon on controller menu, or start a company – data entry session.

Error Message for the user:

Information
The Excel-link is not installed.
OK

Problem:
This can happen both with Excel 2003 and Excel 2007. Only seen on Terminal Servers/Citrix servers there the Cognos Controller client is installed.

If you check inside Excel under the Add-in dialog you see that ControllerXL exist instead for the “IBM Cognos 8 Controller Link”, this may be a sign that you need to reinstall Microsoft Office with all the add ones.

Solution:
(only use this solution after you have tried all the other suggestions you may have found)
(like check excel.exe.config exits, caspol –lg, reinstall of Cognos Controller excel link)

Uninstall the Cognos Controller excel add in from controller panels Add/remove programs.
Uninstall Microsoft Office completely.
Reinstall Microsoft Office (2003) and select all shared options in the Microsoft Office package.
Install the Cognos Controller excel add in from the file controllerclient.msi.

Reboot terminal server and test again.

Product:
Cognos Controller 8.5

Symptom:
When you try to start Cognos Controller from the link in Cognos Connection you get an error inside Internet Explorer:

CGI Error
The specified CGI application misbehaved by not returning a complete set of HTTP headers.

Cause:
The virtual directory’s on the Controller Applications IIS is not correct setup.

Solution:
Go to Internet Information Service on the Controller Application server.
Delete the virtual directory Cognos8

Create a new Cognos8 virtual directory and all the underlying directories needed for Cognos Controller application.

Following virtual directories should be created under the default web site:
/Cognos8 – Read
\Cognos\c8\webcontent
/Cognos8/cgi-bin – Read, Run Scripts & Executables
\Cognos\c8\cgi-bin

/Cognos8/Controllerbin – Read, Run Scripts
\Cognos\c8\WebContent\ccr
/Cognos8/Controllerserver – Read, Run Scripts
\Cognos\c8\ControllerProxyServer
/Cognos8/Controllerhelp – Read
\Cognos\c8\webcontent
/Cognos8/Controller– Read, Run Scripts
\Cognos\c8\WebContent\ccr

(Then redirection virtual directory Controller to /cognos8/controllerbin/ccr.exe)

Restart the Controller Application server and try again.