DeviceTypes.xml customizations overwritten during Data Aggregator non-root upgrade

Products

• Network Observability
• CA Performance Management

Issue/Introduction

When upgrading DX NetOps Performance Management Data Aggregator using a non-root installation owner, existing customizations in the DeviceTypes.xml file are overwritten and reverted to the factory default (baseline) version.

Symptoms

• After a successful upgrade (e.g., from 24.3.9 to 25.4.6), previously configured device type overrides or context type additions are missing.
• The file /opt/IMDataAggregator/data/custom/devicetypes/DeviceTypes.xml shows a timestamp corresponding to the upgrade time.
• Devices that relied on these overrides may now show incorrect Device Types or Context Types in the DX NetOps Portal.

Environment

Observed on:

• Product: DX NetOps Performance Management
• Component: Data Aggregator (DA)
• Versions: 25.4.4 through 25.4.6
• OS: RHEL 8.x / 9.x
• Installation Type: Non-root user installation

Cause

A product defect (DE191700) in the upgrade installer logic fails to preserve the contents of the data/custom/devicetypes directory during the upgrade process when executed by a non-root user. This results in the installer deploying the default XML configuration over the user's customized file.

Resolution

This issue is currently under investigation by Engineering under defect DE191700. A formal fix is targeted for a future release of DX NetOps Performance Management.

Additional Information

Workaround

To restore your customizations and prevent data loss during future upgrades, follow these steps:

Restore Customizations

1. Locate your most recent Data Aggregator backup.
2. Restore the file DeviceTypes.xml to the following directory: /opt/IMDataAggregator/data/custom/devicetypes/
3. Verify that the file ownership belongs to your non-root installation user: chown [user]:[group] /opt/IMDataAggregator/data/custom/devicetypes/DeviceTypes.xml
4. The Data Aggregator will automatically detect the file change; no service restart is typically required for the DA to begin using the restored overrides for new discoveries or re-evaluations.

Proactive Prevention

Before performing any future upgrades in a non-root environment, always take a manual backup of the custom directory: 

cp -rp /opt/IMDataAggregator/data/custom /opt/IMDataAggregator/data/custom_backup_$(date +%F)