9.6.1 API startup shows ERROR ... Empty or null pattern.

Products

• CA Automic Applications Manager (AM)

Issue/Introduction

When starting a full system on 9.6.1 or starting just the API, an error message shows on the output.  There does not seem to be any impact to this.  The error is this:

11:02:44,363 |-ERROR in ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout("") - Empty or null pattern.

Environment

Applications Manager 9.6.1

Resolution

This is a know issue that will be fixed in the next release after 9.6.1 (this could be 9.6.2 or 9.7 depending on what the next release is).  The error message is not causing any impact.

Additionally, to stop the error from occurring you can:

1. Edit the application.properties file
2. Locate the line "logging.pattern.console="
3. Change the value to empty string double quotes like below
   logging.pattern.console=""
4. Save, close, and the next time you restart Applications Manager you should no longer see the below error message

[appman@appmanserver ~]$ startso all
  starting awcomm.
    startup complete for awcomm
   13:35:21,112 |-ERROR in ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout("") - Empty or null pattern.
  starting rmiserver..

    startup complete for rmiserver
   Thu Jul 31 13:35:54 PDT 2025 RmiServer starting
   Debug enabled at 7/31/25, 1:35 PM
   main: .AwEnvOptions: using default: password_encryption = AES
   main: .AwEnvOptions: password_encryption = AES
   main: .AwEnvOptions: using default: encryption_bits = 256
   main: .AwEnvOptions: encryption_bits = 256

Instead, you will see the following:

[appman@appmanserver ~]$ startso all
  starting awcomm
    startup complete for awcomm
   """"""""""""""
  starting rmiserver.

    startup complete for rmiserver
   Thu Jul 31 13:39:32 PDT 2025 RmiServer starting
   Debug enabled at 7/31/25, 1:39 PM
   main: .AwEnvOptions: using default: password_encryption = AES
   main: .AwEnvOptions: password_encryption = AES
   main: .AwEnvOptions: using default: encryption_bits = 256
   main: .AwEnvOptions: encryption_bits = 256