Resolving Internal Server Error Accessing Attached Files in Clustered Environments - Identity Portal

Products

• CA Identity Suite
• CA Identity Portal
• CA Identity Manager

Issue/Introduction

In clustered Identity Portal 14.5 environments, approvers may encounter an "Internal Server Error" when attempting to open files attached to forms. This issue typically occurs because the file is physically stored on only one node of the cluster, making it inaccessible to other nodes.

Environment

Identity Portal 14.5 in cluster

Cause

Identity Portal stores file attachments in a local directory by default. In a cluster, if a form is submitted to one server, the attachment is saved to that server's local file system. If the request is subsequently routed to a different node, that node cannot locate the file, resulting in a java.io.FileNotFoundException and the subsequent Internal Server Error.

Resolution

1. Provision a centralized network storage location (e.g., NAS or SAN) that is accessible by all nodes in the Identity Portal cluster.
2. Log in to the Identity Portal administration console.
3. Navigate to the file upload configuration settings.
4. Update the File Upload Root Location to point to the centralized network path (e.g., \\SharedDrive\IdentityPortal\Uploads).
5. Ensure that the service account running the Identity Portal application on all nodes has read and write permissions to this network location.
6. Verify the configuration by uploading a new file through a form and attempting to open it from different nodes in the cluster.

Note: If a shared network drive cannot be implemented, a cron-scheduled rsync task between nodes may be used as a temporary workaround, though this is not recommended due to potential synchronization delays.

 

Additional Information

For further information, see documentation Mounting Network Drives should be used for File Upload root location if Identity Portal cluster is in use.

This ensures both machines have access to same files uploaded by users.

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