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  • 1.  Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Wed November 15, 2023 11:49 AM

    We have an application on our IBM i which utilizes a web browser as it's front end.  It's presenting data, but I'm not sure what files, or data areas, or user spaces it's pulling from.  Any ideas on how we can find out?



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    Ryan Speight
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  • 2.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Wed November 15, 2023 01:09 PM

    Turn on object auditing?

    or see these?  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5?topic=collection-authority-views



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    Robert Berendt IBMChampion
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  • 3.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Wed November 15, 2023 10:12 PM

    Dear Ryan

    Would you be able to supply some more information on what your application does.  Does you application use SQL to get the data you mentioned about?  If so, you can run it and then look into DB2 Plan Cache --> Show Statement (from IBM i ACS GUI) and identify your job and look at the SQL statement itself which will give you the answer.   If your application uses native IO (RPG/COBOL/CL), you may need to play around with WRKACTJOB command to work with the job you invoked and look at opened objects.



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    Chance favors only the prepared mind.
    -- Louis Pasteur
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    Satid S.
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  • 4.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Thu November 16, 2023 04:05 AM

    Hello Ryan,

    I think the most efficient way is to use Authority Collection. Just start the collection with the user who runs your application. You even can specify the granularity of what you want to collect, in both QSYS.LIB and IFS. Don't forget to stop it once you have collected enough. Easy to find documentation on this subject. 

    Guy Marmorat.  



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    Guy Marmorat
    Security Expert for IBM i - Resiliane
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  • 5.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Thu November 16, 2023 04:29 AM
    Edited by Rudi Van Helvoirt Thu November 16, 2023 04:31 AM

    Hello Ryan,

    If you are able to limit the activity on system for the user running the application, the easiest way to gather this information is to use Authority collection. 

    When using Navigator for i => User and Groups => Users, you are able to filter for the user runing the application. A right click soon the user will open a panel with the option Authority Collection. When using the Start option and when finished using the application you can use the End option. The Display option allows you to look at the Summary, Detail, Authorisation Failures, Programs and Commands, Database Files and IFS Directories. 
    when using Detail you can manage the columns to be displayed and add the Job name, Job user and Job number allowing you to filter out only the web browser application. 

    When done and gathering all the info, you can also delete that data from the same spot.

    Hope this helps. 

    Greetings



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    Rudi Van Helvoirt
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  • 6.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Thu November 16, 2023 01:42 PM

    Robert, Satid, Guy, and Rudi,

    Thank you all for your input.  I will look into the authority collector.  The user space that I thought the web service was interacting with was correct.  I made a change to the user space but didn't see my issue resolved.  Namely because I didn't restart the web service.  The webservice, because it was already running, only referenced the user space on start up.

    I will have to look into the tools with the new navigator even more as there seems to be quite a lot of features.  However, interestingly enough, when I click on Users under Users and Groups, nothing happens.  I may have to open a ticket with support on that.



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    Ryan Speight
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  • 7.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Thu November 16, 2023 02:20 PM
    <snip>
    However, interestingly enough, when I click on Users under Users and Groups, nothing happens.  I may have to open a ticket with support on that.
    </snip>
     
    It's very imporant to keep up on the http and DB2 group for performance issues like this.  Also, IBM enhanced some security checking when getting the data for this list which has a side effect of slowing performance down.  In an effort to compensate the latest version allows you to set a filter prior to retrieving the list.  Retrieving a subset of a large list of users should return faster.
    https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-i-75-tr3-enhancements
    https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6483299
    https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7025229


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    Robert Berendt IBMChampion
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  • 8.  RE: Locating Objects Used by webservice

    Posted Thu November 16, 2023 09:33 PM

    Dear Ryan

    Apart from Navigator GUI, you can also use CL command STRAUTCOL and ENDAUTCOL. 

    Please be informed that user-based authority collection is available in IBM i 7.3 and later and it will cause some performance degradation to the job(s) being collected. Make sure to stop it when done.  For more information on this, please refer to the files I attach herewith. 



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    Chance favors only the prepared mind.
    -- Louis Pasteur
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    Satid S.
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    Attachment(s)