CogKnowHow

Product:
Cognos Analytics 11.1.x
Microsoft Windows 2019 server
Microsoft SQL server

Problem:
I have a new Cognos environment, and want to easy copy the content store from the old environment to the new. The new Cognos environment have the same or newer version of Cognos Analytics.

Solution:

To get security values over  – you must have exact the same Active Directory connection setup on both the old and new environment. Double check in Cognos Configuration that namespace is the same.

On the old server – check in Cognos Configuration where the zip file is stored.

This is normally in folder C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\deployment on your CA11 server.
Browse to ..ibmcognos from your web browser. Login as adminstrator in cognos connection.

Click Manage – Administration console

Click Configuration tab
Click Content Administration and click on the export icon

Enter a name and click on Next button

Mark “Select the entire Content Store” and check “Include user account information” to get most information over. Click Next

Click Next

Enter a password you can remember and click OK

Click Next

Select “save and run once” and Click Finish

Click Run

Mark “View the details of this export after closing this dialog” and click OK.

Click on blue “refresh” every 10 min to see if it is finished.

Wait until status says Finish. Above is not a finish status, there is no Completion time.
This can take 30 minutes, depending of the amount of data in your Content Store.

When succeeded, click Close.

When done go to Windows file explorer and copy the zip file over from the old Cognos BI server to your new Cognos Analytics server.  Place the file in the deployment folder you are going to use.

If the deployment folder inside Cognos Configuration is pointing to a file share: \\servername\sharefolder then the Cognos Analytics service must be run under a windows service account and not local system. Local system can only access folders on the same server.

Import content store by loading the deployment file via cognos connection.

Login to new IBMCOGNOS and go to Administration page, click on configuration – Content Administration. Click on the import icon.

Select you full content store file and click Next

Enter your password. Click OK

Click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Select “save and run once” and click Finish.

Do not run upgrade of report specifications. Do that at a later time, as it can take a very long time.

Click Run.

Mark “View the details of this export after closing this dialog” and click OK

Click Refresh every 15 min to see if it is done. When you have a completion time it is finish.

You can see errors in the report, note them down and search in google for more information.

If you have changed also the database server host for your AUDIT database, then you need to go into Cognos Administration – Configuration – Data source connections. There you need to update the link to the new database server there for your audit data source.

Click on Audit, then on “more” to right of the test icon.
Click “Set properties”
Click “Connection” tab

Click pencil icon, to get to the data source update dialog.

Change the server name and any other values you need to change. Update also the JDBC tab.
Click OK when done.
Test your data source connection.

Any special configuration you have done on the Cognos Dispatcher is not part of the deployment, they you have to manually add again. Go to Cognos Administration – Configuration. Click on Dispatchers and service and click on properties icon.

Click on settings

Check on all pages for values that is not default=Yes, as they have been changed and may need to be inserted in the new environment. Only enter values that you know you need in the new environment.

Click on the Advance settings blue Edit link, to see if there are any special settings in the environment.
Configuring advanced settings for specific services (ibm.com)

Repeat above steps in the new CA11 environment to get the fine tuning you want.
Logging should in most cases be set to BASIC.

Content Manager service advanced settings (ibm.com)

You can also import content store, by backup/restore the full cm database, but then you need to consider other parts like old dispatchers that will follow the move.

More information:

http://mail.heritagebrands.com.au/ibmcognos/documentation/en/ug_cra_10_2/c_deploying_the_entire_content_store.html

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/what-difference-between-exporting-content-store-cognos-connection-and-doing-database-backup-content-store

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/how-copy-entire-content-store-another-cognos-analytics-server-same-version

https://www.bspsoftware.com/products/metamanager/Download

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.1.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.ug_cra.doc/c_deploying_the_entire_content_store.html

Product:
Cognos Analytics 11.1.7
Planning Analytics 2.0.9
Microsoft Windows 2019 Server
Problem:
How setup Windows Kerberos login for Cognos products?
Here describes what Kerberos is:
https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/dialogue.html
https://medium.com/@charithra/kerberos-and-how-to-play-with-hadess-pet-c6a29ceed462

Solution:
Setup Cognos Analytics with a IIS gateway and make it work for Single Sign On (SSO) to login.

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/configure-tm1-cam-authentication-using-cognos-analytics-110-sso

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.1.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.inst_cr_winux.doc/t_stp_sso_active_drctry_remote_user.html

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/enabling-single-sign-cognos-secured-against-active-directory

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.1.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.inst_cr_winux.doc/t_inst_activedirectoryserver_process.html

You need to create a windows domain account, that is local administrator on the Cognos server where the Cognos Content Manager function is, and run the IBM Cognos service with this account.

The account must be added with domain\name format, without use of @.
The same service account must run the IIS server application pool used by CA11.

Go to Internet Information Service Manager, and expand Application pools. Mark ICAPool and click on Advanced Settings. Click on Identity and select Custom Account. Click Set and enter the domain\name account and password. Click OK.
Restart IIS.
The service account must have “Trust this user for delegation to any service (Kerberos only)” set in Active Directory. Ask the IT department to set this on the Windows Domain Controller.

Constrained delegation is not recommended.
Ensure that the cognos service account have NTFS read/write/execute rights on the cognos folders.
Right click on folder C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics and select properties.
Check the security tab that the local Administrator group have full rights.

Go to Computer Management in Control panel – Administrative Tools. Expand Local User and Groups – Groups. Check what groups and accounts are in the Administration group on the server.

Ensure that the cognos service account is part of a domain group that is included in the local administrator group. Does not need to be domain admins group, but must be the same group.

On the Windows Domain Controller you must run the SETSPN command to create the Service Principal Name.
https://petri.com/how-to-use-setspn-to-set-active-directory-service-principal-names-2

Enter the webserver and the cognos bi server to the service account. In our case it is the same server.
You need to add all the ways the system connect to the server e.g. HOSTNAME and FQDN.
In our example we use setspn -s HTTP/win2019.lab.pacman LAB\cognosservice

setspn -s HTTP/websrv_aliasname  domain\cognosserviceaccount
setspn -s HTTP/appsrv_FQDN  domain\cognosserviceaccount
setspn -s HTTP/appsrv_HOSTNAME  domain\cognosserviceaccount

Use the servername in cognos configuration for the setspn command above.

Use setspn -L domain\cognosserviceaccount to see the current values in use.

Some common switches used with SetSPN:

-a    Add an entry to an account (explicitly)
-s    Add an entry to an account (only after checking for duplicates first)
-d    Delete an entry from an account
-x    Search the domain for duplicate SPNs
-q    Query the domain for a specific SPN

In IIS manager on the Cognos Gateway server; ensure that Anonymous Authentication is on IBMCOGNOS folder.

Go to \bi folder, and click on Authentication. Select Windows Authentication and click enable.
Disable Anonymous Authentication on the \bi folder.

Click on Providers for the \bi folder, and remove NTLM so you only have Negotiate.

Repeat on \sso folder, so it also only have Negotiate as Windows enabled Providers.

For \sso folder click on Configuration Editor.

Select in the drop down menu for section – system.webServer – security – authentication – windowsAuthentication.

To get this dialog up for the sso folder.

Set true to “useAppPoolCredentials” and “useKernelmode”.
Go to the \bi folder and set the same values.

Click on Configuration Editor icon – select system.webServer – security – authentication – windowsAuthentication. Set true to “useAppPoolCredentials” and “useKernelmode”.

If you use Oracle or DB2 as content store database, you are all set. But if you use Microsoft SQL server you need to add setspn for the service account that run the SQL services.

Ask the SQL DBA to ensure the service account for SQL server is using domain\account notation as above. Kerberos will not work with Local System as the service account for Microsoft SQL database.
You need to check in cognos configuration how Cognos Analytics connects to the content store database. Open Cognos Configuration on your Cognos Content Manager server.

Note down IP or HOSTNAME that is in use to connect to the SQL server. This will be used in the setspn command.  Enter in our case setspn -s MSSQLSvc/192.168.1.15:1433 LAB\cognosservice

setspn -s MSSQLSvc/sqlsrv_FQDN  domain\SQLServiceAccount
setspn -s MSSQLSvc/sqlsrv_FQDN:instancename  domain\SQLServiceAccount
setspn -s MSSQLSvc/sqlsrv_FQDN:1433  domain\SQLServiceAccount

You need to enter all variants of the SQL server name to the setspn command.

Restart the windows server for Cognos Analytics to ensure the domain changes have taken affect.

To check that Kerberos is in use, activate AAA tracing for a short period in Cognos Analytics.

Login to CA11 as administrator and click on Manage – Configuration.

Click on Diagnostic Logging.

Click on AAA and Apply.
Logout from CA11 and close the browser.
Start the web browser again and go to http://win2019.lab.pacman/ibmcognos/
after the sso have let you in, go to the Cognos Analytics Content Manager server.
Open the C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\logs\cognosserver.log file in notepad++

Go to the end of the file and from search menu select find and enter AUTH_TYPE.
Scroll to the right, and if kerberos is used it should say:
<value xsi:type=”xsd:string”>Negotiate</value>

Close the log file.
Go back into CA11 portal.
Go to manage – configuration – diagnostic logging.

Select Default Logging and click Apply. This is important as the logging can make the cognos system slower.

Planning Analytics (TM1) will use kerberos now too, as long they are setup to use CAM security.
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/configure-tm1-cam-authentication-using-cognos-analytics-110-sso

More information:

Overview of Service Principal Name and Kerberos authentication in SQL Server

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.1.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.inst_cr_winux.doc/t_inst_sso_active_drctry_constrained_del.html

Product:
Cognos Analytics 11.1.3
Microsoft Windows 2016 server
Problem:
Login dialog when user try to access CA11 website http://caservername.domain.com/ibmcognos

Solution:
Check that the server name is in local intranet sites or trusted sites in internet options.

At most company’s this is controlled by group policy in the network, ask the IT department to add the CA server name and DNS alias to the local intranet site.

The new Edge that use chromium, will only allow SSO for servers in Local Intranet zone. But Internet Explorer on the same computer will allow SSO for servers both in Local Intranet Zone and Trusted Zone.

In Windows only, if the AuthServerWhitelist setting is not specified, the permitted list consists of those servers allowed by the Windows Zones Security Manager (queried for URLACTION_CREDENTIALS_USE). By default, this includes servers in the Local Machine or Local Intranet security zones. For example, when the host in the URL includes a “.” character, by default it is outside the Local Intranet security zone). This behavior matches Internet Explorer and other Windows components.

https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/http-authentication

You have to search the internet to find where you can set the Edge Zone security in the local windows.

https://specopssoft.com/blog/configuring-chrome-and-firefox-for-windows-integrated-authentication/

There is also granular settings in Custom level there you should uncheck “automatic logon only in intranet zone”.

Then you can have the cognos analytics site in Trusted tab instead.

Steps for Adding Trusted Sites in old Browser

Google Chrome > Adding Trusted Sites

1. Click the Chrome Menu icon on the far right of the Address bar.
2. Click on Settings, scroll to the bottom and click the Show Advanced Settings link.
3. Click on Change proxy settings (under Network)
4. Click the Security tab > Trusted Sites icon, then click Sites.
5. Enter the URL of your Trusted Site, then click Add.
6. Click Close > OK.

Mozilla Firefox > Adding Trusted Sites

1. Click the menu icon in the upper right-hand corner of the browser.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Privacy and Security.
4. Scroll down to the “Permissions” section, and click on Exceptions to the right of “Warn you when websites try to install add-ons.”
5. Type the trusted sites into the “Address of website” field.
6. Click Allow.
7. Click Save Changes.

 Safari > Adding Trusted Sites

1. At the top of the screen, click Bookmarks.
2. Click “Add Bookmark…”
3. Click “Top Sites” from the dropdown menu.
4. Click Add.

 Internet Explorer 9, 10 and 11 > Adding Trusted Sites

1. Click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.
2. In the Select a Web content zone to specify its current security settings box, click Trusted Sites, and then click Sites.
3. If you want to add sites that do not require an encrypted channel, click to clear the Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone check box.
4. In the  Add this Web site to the zone box, type the URL of a site that you trust, and then click Add.
5. Repeat these steps for each site that you want to add to the zone.
6. Click OK two times to accept the changes and return to Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Edge > Adding Trusted Sites

1. Search in the Start Menu for the Control Panel.
2. Click or double-click the Internet Options icon.
3. In the Internet Properties window, click the Security tab.
4. Select the Trusted sites entry and click the Sites button.
5. Enter the address for the trusted website in the Add this website to the zone text field.
6. Click the Add button, then click OK to save the website addition.

More information:

https://support.edmentum.com/4_General_and_Technical_Solutions/How_to_clear_browser_cookies%2C_history%2C_temporary_files_and_clear_proxy_cache/Page_Title/Disabling_the_Pop-Up_Blockers_by_Browser/Adding_Trusted_Sites_by_Browser

Security Zones in Edge

https://docs.centrify.com/Content/CoreServices/Authenticate/SilentAuthEdge.htm

https://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3

Product:
Cognos Analytics 11.0.13
Microsoft Windows 2016 server

Problem:
After change of custom certificate on IIS and in CA11 dispatcher level, in file CAMkeystore. The https://caservername.domain.com:9300/p2pd/servlet/dispatch still show wrong certificate.
When you examine the camkeystore.jks file with ikeyman.exe you find that the root certificate is used instead of the server certificate.

Possible solution:
When using custom certificate for SSL (TLS) communication on port 9300, you need to only add this certificate to the CAMkeystore file.
First you set HTTPS in cognos configuration, then when you press save inside Cognos Configuration for CA11, the keystores files are created.
For example IBM Cognos Configuration > Security > Cryptography > Cognos > Certificate lifetime in days. This value will set the cognos server certificate (encryption) in the keystore to last this long. The internal CA certificate is created to last a year longer.
After the cognos keystore files are created, you can add the custom certificates to the file with ikeyman.exe.

You must add the certificate in correct order:
Root – first
Intermediate – second
Server Cert – last

Make a backup of the C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\configuration\certs folder before you start.

Go to C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\jre\bin
Launch ikeyman.exe as administrator ( by right click and select run as administrator)
Open the following file C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\configuration\certs\CAMkeystore
Type: PKCS12
File name:CAMKeystore
Location:  C:\Program Files\ibm\cognos\analytics\configuration\certs
Password: NoPassWordSet (default)

Select Signer Certificates from the drop down list.
Click on Add.
Import your root.cer first.
Then import your intermediate.cer second.
Then go back to Personal Certificates from the drop down list.
Mark encryption, and click on Rename. Change the name to old-encryption.
Click on Import button. Select Import key.

Select you certificate file with your server certificate, that contain the DNS alias for your server.
Enter your password when you import the file.
Set the name of the server cert to encryption.
Exit/Close the ikeyman program. Any changes are saved directly to the CAMkeystore file.

Now go into Cognos Configuration and click save. Then start the Cognos service from inside Cognos Configuration. Now the file CAMkeystore.jks is created/update with the custom certificates.
Test to browse to the https://caservername.domain.com:9300/bi/v1/disp

You may need to also add the custom certificate to other places, depending on you system setup.

(Internal CA)
It is Cognos specific certificate authority.  You can check the content with ikeyman tool.

View ‘ca’ certificate under Personal Certificates.  Double click to see the values of the certificate.
When ‘encryption’ certificate is expired, you cannot log in to Cognos Analytics.

If you use PA, you need to add the Planning Analytics certificate to the CA11 key store.
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/configure-datasource-ibm-planning-analytics-20x-ibm-cognos-analytics-1106

More information:

https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/561949

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSEP7J_11.0.0/com.ibm.swg.ba.cognos.inst_cr_winux.doc/t_cryptoprvdrdflt.html