NULL Mainframe Bridge Endpoints :Error with the Protocol Handler, CICS Infrastructure cannot be accessed.

Products

• CA Application Test
• CA Continuous Application Insight (PathFinder)
• Service Virtualization

Issue/Introduction

When trying to do a VS recording in the Workstation on the server and the CICS Link protocol a popup error appears indicating an error with the protocol handler.

Looking at the System messages see a message saying NULL Mainframe Bridge Endpoints.

Environment

All supported DevTest releases.

Cause

The server is a VM and configured with below Mainframe Bridge information in local.properties. 

. lisa.mainframe.bridge.enabled=true 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.port=61617 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.mode=client 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.server.host=XX.XX.X.XX (LPAR agent IPv4 address) 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.server.port=XXXX ((LPAR agent listening port) 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.connid=AA

When Workstation is started on the same server it is going to use the above properties and causing the issue.

Resolution

* Configuring the server VM with the below properties only:
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.enabled=true 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.mode=client 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.server.host=XX.XX.X.XX (LPAR agent IPv4 address) 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.server.port=XXXX ((LPAR agent listening port) 

 and commenting the below properties as these were needed for "Server mode" and multiple mainframe Bridges.
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.port=61617 
. lisa.mainframe.bridge.connid=AA configured with 

 

* Make sure " lisa.pathfinder.on=true" in the local.properties.  

* Clearing the lisatmp_10.x.x/amq folder.
* Creating a new workstation.local.properties with the default _local.properties and added the below in Workstation.vmoptions. This way Workstation will not use the local.properties which was configured with Mainframe Bridge properties and use the default local.properties. 
-DLISA_LOCAL_PROPERTIES=Path to workstation.local.properties. 

* Then restarting DevTest Server components and Workstation and issue resolved

Additional Information

Workstation log shows the below errors when "NULL Mainframe Bridge Endpoints" is thrown.

018-06-12 17:39:48,982Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] ERROR System.err - [DevTest AGENT:C][ERROR][10276][26][AWT-EventQueue-0][12-Jun-2018 1:39:48 PM] JMS producer for the mainframe endpoint is null.
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] ERROR System.err - [DevTest AGENT:C][ERROR][10276][26][AWT-EventQueue-0][12-Jun-2018 1:39:48 PM] JMS session for the mainframe endpoint is null.
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] ERROR System.err - [DevTest AGENT:C][ERROR][10276][26][AWT-EventQueue-0][12-Jun-2018 1:39:48 PM] The Mainframe Client Message Handler can't connect to the LISA Broker.
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] ERROR com.itko.lisa.vse.stateful.protocol.cics.CICSMessageHandler - The Mainframe Client Message Handler can't connect to the LISA Broker.
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] WARN com.itko.lisa.test.LisaException - LisaException detail Null Mainframe Bridge Endpoints exception is n/a
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] ERROR com.itko.lisa.vse.stateful.protocol.cics.CICSProtocolHandler - The protocol handler encountered an error creating the message handler.
2018-06-12 17:39:48,997Z (13:39) [AWT-EventQueue-0] WARN com.itko.lisa.test.LisaException - LisaException detail The protocol handler encountered an error creating the message handler.