Managing Vault server deployments can be a challenging task, especially when corporate environments are managed by several third-parties, each having a very specific role in ensuring that your Vault deployment is reliable and meet your SLAs. This session will share best practices and techniques that will help you achieve your Vault deployment and management goals.

1. (ATS4-APP09) Tips and Tricks for Managing
Accelrys ELN Server Performance
Mike Wilson
Advisory Product Manager
mike.wilson@accelrys.com

2. The information on the roadmap and future software development efforts are
intended to outline general product direction and should not be relied on in making
a purchasing decision.

3. Agenda
• Accelrys Vault Server 6.7 Overview
• Vault Server Management Best Practices
• Leverage Windows Server 2008 features to manage the
Vault Server
• Resources and Q&A

4. Accelrys Vault Server 6.7 Enhancements
• Client deployment
• Show document data in Notebook Explorer
• Vault monitoring documentation
• Indexing status tracking
• Security performance enhancements

5. Client Installation Comparison
Accelrys ELN 6.6 Accelrys ELN 6.7
• Black Ice print driver • Black Ice print driver
• Accelrys Draw 4.0 SP1
Install
Install
• Notebook Application • Accelrys Draw 4.0 SP1
• Notebook Explorer • Notebook Launcher
• Experiment Editor
• Property Set Editor
• Form Editor
• Sections • Sections
Download
Download
• Notebook Application
• Notebook Explorer
• Experiment Editor
• Property Set Editor
• Form Editor
• Accelrys Draw
• Notebook Adapters

6. Document Data Available in Notebook Explorer
Display scientifically
relevant information

7. Accelrys Electronic Lab Notebook Architecture
Accelrys ELN Client Pluggable Registration
Services
Experiment Notebook
Reporting Search Sections Material OpenEye
Accelrys Draw Editor Browser
Registration
Notebook Platform
Renditor Material Discovery
Framework Platform Lookup
Gate W-S
Vault AEP
Authentication Notebook
Administration
Authorization
Windows Communication Foundation Collection
Workflow
Designer Query
Services
Service
Configuration Workflow Repository Index Query
Management IDS/ADS
Oracle Data Warehouse
Content Management Accelrys Direct

8. Overview: Important Vault Windows Services
• Symyx Vault Message Processing Service (VMPS)
• Symyx Vault Server 1.0 (SymyxVS10, SVS)
• Security Token Service (STS)
• RAS
• Query Service
• Symyx Workflow Service (WFS)
• World Wide Web Publishing Service (IIS)
• Vault Public Web Service
• Vault Private Web Service

9. Overview: Important Vault Processes

10. Vault Web Services and Application Pools

11. Workflow Service Troubleshooting Tips
• Symyx Vault Workflow • Common reasons that
Service depends on the the Symyx Workflow
World Wide Web Service stops or will not
Publishing Service start
• Requires the Symyx Vault – Dependent services not
running
Message Processing
– Configuration issue
Service to enroll new
– Port conflicts
documents in workflow
– No database connection

12. Vault Message Processing Service Troubleshooting Tips
• Symyx Vault Message • Common reasons that
Processing Service the Symyx Vault
depends on the following
services Message Processing
Service stops or will not
– Symyx Vault Server 1.0 start
(RAS, STS, Query service)
– World Wide Web
Publishing Service – Other dependent
– Workflow service to enroll services are not running
new documents in – Configuration issue
workflow
– No database connection

13. Vault Server 1.0 Service Troubleshooting Tips
• Symyx Vault Server 1.0 Service is NOT dependent
on another service
• Check status pages for RAS/STS to verify that
services are running
RAS
STS

14. Vault Public/Private Web Service Troubleshooting Tips
• Vault Public/Private Web Service are dependent on World
Wide Web Publishing Service (IIS)
• Check status pages for public/private web service to make
sure that these services are running
Public
Private

15. Detecting Common Vault Server Issues
• Multiple log files created with the same timestamp
• Memory consumption of a process staying at 800 MB to 1.2 GB or higher for any
length of time
• Win32k memory error messages recorded in the log files
• Authentication issues after month of successful logins
• Message Queues message count grows consistently throughout the day
• Status pages for the different services show up with an error
• Windows Application Event log is full of Vault Message Processing Service
restart messages

16. Best Practices for Vault System Management
• Restart middle tier servers every 30 days or after each operating system update (per Microsoft)
– Automate by using Windows scheduled tasks or your network management platform
• Archive Vault and Tomcat logs every 30 days
– Automate by using Windows scheduled tasks or your network management platform
• Restart all Vault services weekly
– Automate by using Windows scheduled tasks or your network management platform
• Check disk fragmentation once a month
– If fragmentation levels are consistently higher than 30% when defragmented monthly reduce the time to weekly
• Review Windows application and system event logs every 60 days for errors and correct as needed
• Integrate with existing network management environment for advanced service monitoring

17. Microsoft Message Queues (MSMQ)
• Vault Message Processor manages asynchronous processing of Vault Objects via
Microsoft Message Queues

18. Message Handlers
Message Handler Description
FullTextIndexer Adds any text provided by VO to the full text index
VaultObjectIndexMessageHandler Indexes any Property Set Definition (PSD) data (including
structures and reactions)
PropertyIndexMessageHandler Indexes VO core properties to support Standard Search. These
indexes are also used by Vault for internal querying (resolve
assemblies, for example).
WorkflowActivator Enrolls items in workflows based on the active workflow
associations
WorkflowTransitionMessageHandler Indexes workflow stage value after transitions
PropertyExtractionMessageHandler Extracts data from properties designated for display in
Notebook Explorer (new in 6.7)

19. MessageHandlerStatus Table: Status Tracking
State Meaning
Queued Vault Object (VO) is currently queued for processing by the message handler
Processed VO was processed by the message handler
Failed VO could not be processed by the message handler
Requeued VO has been submitted to the handler by the RequeueVaultObjects utility
Ignore VO is not subject to status tracking
Unknown VO has not been processed by the index status tracking feature

20. RequeueVaultObjects.exe Arguments
Examples:
• Re-queue failed VOs in the Site repository
RequeueVaultObjects -repository Site
• Re-queue queued VOs for full text indexing in the R&D repository
RequeueVaultObjects -repository "R&D" –status Queued
–queues FullTextIndexer
• Re-queue untracked VOs Process Chemistry repository
RequeueVaultObjects -repository "Process Chemistry"
–status Unknown
Argument Description Required Default
-Repository The repository that will be acted upon Yes N/A
-MessageLimit Maximum # of messages that will be created No 100000
-Status The message handling state to be queued No Failed
-Queues List of queues to populate No All

21. Automation Support with Windows Task Scheduler
Status tracking and RequeueVaultObjects utility enables automation of message
handling management activities with the help of Windows scheduled tasks
• Large re-queuing Jobs can be split across several load-balanced servers
– Strategy 1: Schedule re-queuing jobs against a large set of messages during long periods
of time with low system activity (nights and weekends)
– Strategy 2 (Recommended): Constantly “trickle” relatively small numbers of messages at
regular intervals around the clock
• Example: 1 million Vault objects to reprocess with two load-balanced Vault
Servers
– Scheduled job on Server 1: Re-queue 5000 objects on each full hour
– Scheduled job on Server 2: Re-queue 5000 objects 5 minutes after each full hour

22. Monitoring Thresholds
• “Vault Monitoring Guidelines”
– Recommended thresholds and
alert states
– Includes example jobs that can
be installed on your Vault servers
– Standalone monitoring
– Network management
integration
• Part of 6.7 Administration Guide
• Contact Accelrys Support to
obtain a copy for v6.6

23. Leverage Windows Server 2008 Event Viewer
• Utilize the new feature to create a new scheduled tasks directly from within Event Viewer
based off of specific events recorded in the logs
• Respond to events in
three ways:
– Start a Program
– Send an E-mail
– Display a Message

24. Leverage Windows 2008 Data Collector Sets
Data Collector Set:
– New feature added in Windows Server 2008
– Organizes multiple data collection points into a single component
– Outputs HTML reports which can be sent to support for troubleshooting
– Can be configured to generate alerts when thresholds are reached
– Use out-of-the box System Diagnostics/Performance report or create your
own customized reports
– Scheduled task can be set up to Run Data Collector Sets at regular intervals
– Caution: Collecting performance and system information can affect overall
system performance!

25. Leverage Windows 2008 Data Collector Sets

26. Managing Vault from Single Directory (Symbolic Links)
• Manage your Vault configuration
files from a single directory
– Create folder junction links to Vault
and Tomcat logs
– Create file hard links to all
configuration files
• Directory can be shared out and
accessed from a single
management machine
– e.g. manage several load-balanced
Vault Server from one computer

27. Summary
• We reviewed Vault service monitoring points and examined monitoring
solutions that can run standalone or be integrated into an enterprise
management system
• Special thanks to the monitoring guidelines author: Chuck Collins, Advisory
Software Test Engineer
• Resources
– Notebook IT/Admin forum on the Accelrys Community
• Email support@accelrys.com to join
• How to contact Accelrys Support
– Email support@accelrys.com
– Accelrys community (https://community.accelrys.com)