The [email protected] is failing: Exception found: System.Management.Automation.RuntimeException

Products

• CA Automic Workload Automation - Automation Engine

Issue/Introduction

The job [email protected]  is failing with th error message below in the report log.

Exception found: System.Management.Automation.RuntimeException
Exception text: You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.

Environment

Release : 12.3.x, 21.x

Cause

The job [email protected] executes another job object called FILE.BACKUP.WINDOWS which is located in Client 0. This FILE.BACKUP.WINDOWS execute the powershell script below.

$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$objectRef = $host.GetType().GetField("externalHostRef", $bindingFlags).GetValue($host)

$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetProperty"
$consoleHost = $objectRef.GetType().GetProperty("Value", $bindingFlags).GetValue($objectRef, @())

[void] $consoleHost.GetType().GetProperty("IsStandardOutputRedirected", $bindingFlags).GetValue($consoleHost, @())
$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$field = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardOutputWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)
$field2 = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardErrorWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field2.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)

 

The script above only applies when the Powershell verson is less than or equal version 2. It does not work on higher version of Powershell such as v5 onwards.

 

 

Resolution

 

-From the Client 0,  modifiythe powershell script below in FILE.BACKUP.WINDOWS by putting the if condition.

From:
$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$objectRef = $host.GetType().GetField("externalHostRef", $bindingFlags).GetValue($host)

$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetProperty"
$consoleHost = $objectRef.GetType().GetProperty("Value", $bindingFlags).GetValue($objectRef, @())

[void] $consoleHost.GetType().GetProperty("IsStandardOutputRedirected", $bindingFlags).GetValue($consoleHost, @())
$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$field = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardOutputWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)
$field2 = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardErrorWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field2.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)

 

To:

if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major -le 2)
{
echo "We are in PCK.ITPA_SHARED.PUB.INCLUDE.POWERSHELL_UTILITY"
$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$objectRef = $host.GetType().GetField("externalHostRef", $bindingFlags).GetValue($host)

$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetProperty"
$consoleHost = $objectRef.GetType().GetProperty("Value", $bindingFlags).GetValue($objectRef, @())

[void] $consoleHost.GetType().GetProperty("IsStandardOutputRedirected", $bindingFlags).GetValue($consoleHost, @())
$bindingFlags = [Reflection.BindingFlags] "Instance,NonPublic,GetField"
$field = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardOutputWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)
$field2 = $consoleHost.GetType().GetField("standardErrorWriter", $bindingFlags)
$field2.SetValue($consoleHost, [Console]::Out)
}