Getting java.lang.NullPointerException errors in APM 10.0.1 Wily CTG agent log.

Products

• CA Application Performance Management Agent (APM / Wily / Introscope)
• INTROSCOPE

Issue/Introduction

 APM java agent (10.0.1 with CTG PowerPack enabled) repeatedly shows the following Exception in agent log file:

 java.lang.NullPointerException                                                                                                     
  at com.ibm.ctg.server.ServerECIRequestTracer.extract_Server_Name_From_Rcvd_ClientRequest(ServerECIRequestTracer.java:205)         
  at com.ibm.ctg.server.ServerECIRequestTracer.ITracer_startTrace(ServerECIRequestTracer.java:322)                                  
  at com.wily.introscope.agent.trace.InvocationData.IMethodTracer_startTrace(InvocationData.java:1342)                              
  at com.wily.introscope.agent.trace.TracerAdministrator.loadTracer(TracerAdministrator.java:304)                                   
  at com.wily.introscope.agent.enterprise.EnterpriseAgent.IAgent_loadTracer(EnterpriseAgent.java:962)                               
  at com.wily.introscope.agent.AgentShim.ProbeBuilderEntryPoint_loadTracer(AgentShim.java:1184)                                     
  at com.ibm.ctg.server.ServerECIRequest.executeECI(Unknown Source)                                                                 
  at com.ibm.ctg.server.ServerECIRequest.execute(Unknown Source)                                                                    
  at com.ibm.ctg.server.Worker.run(Unknown Source)                                                                                  
  at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:785)               

Environment

OS: z/OS 02.02.00 CTG Server JRE 1.8.0 IBM J9 2.8 z/OS s390x-64 Compressed Reference Agent Release 10.1.0.15 The APM Agent is using PPCTGServer-full.pbd.

Cause

 CTG Client is sending an ECI request to the CTG server with a not populated "Server" field. Due to refactoring introduced in 2/2012 with the APM agent using the CTG PP, the CTG PP code is sensitive to this. Thus, APM agent is getting the Exception.

Resolution

 1. Stop APM agent.

 2. Make a backup copy of agent profile.

 3. Edit the agent profile as follows:

 4. Replace PPCTGServer-full.pbd with PPCTGServer-typical.pbd in the following property in the Agent profile. 
    introscope.autoprobe.directivesFile

 5. Start APM agent.