Some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on EAR are listed here. We discuss the various problems you could encounter while generating a master key password or while upgrading the application in the current setup. 

Upgrade halted with the following message. How to proceed?

What are symmetric keys?

What is a database master key?

How to open the database master key.

How to check whether symmetric keys are present for a particular database.

How to check whether certificates are present for a particular database. 

How to create the master key password.

How to create an additional master key password. 

How to take backup of the master key password.

How to restore the master key password?

Why does the master key password fail during upgrade? 

What is the default algorithm used to encrypt the values in postgres? 

What is the datatype of encrypted column in various databases ?

How to back up and restore the MSSQL database. 

System error codes

What is ECTag? Can I change it?

How to troubleshoot login, mail fetching, or Integration issues due to failover in AOAG setup?

 

           You cannot upgrade by using the existing database; please go through the following steps to upgrade:

1. Back up your application.

2. Create a new database using /changeDBServer.bat or /changeDBServer.sh.

3. Start and stop the application once.

4. Restore your application into the new database. 

5. Now, upgrade your application to ServiceDesk Plus 9313 or later.

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A symmetric key or a secret key is an input to the encryption algorithm that helps produce a different output for different keys provided at any given time.

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It is a symmetric key that protects the private keys of certificates and asymmetric keys in the database. The key is encrypted with either the Triple DES or AES_256 algorithm and a user-provided password. Only if the database master key is created, you can create additional symmetric keys and certificates for data encryption. 

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Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

In the workspace, run the following query: 

OPEN MASTER KEY DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD='<MasterKey_password>'; 

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Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

In the workspace, run the following query:

select * from sys.symmetric_keys;

The symmetric keys, if present, will be tabulated in the results.

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Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

In the workspace, run the following query:

select * from sys.certificates 

The result will tabulate the certificates, if there are any.

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The user with dbcreator permissions can follow these steps to create the master key password:

Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

In the workspace, run the following query:

CREATE MASTER KEY ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD='<new_Masterkey_password>';
The master key password must comply with the password policy of the MSSQL-installed machine. 

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The user with dbcreator permissions can follow these steps to change the master password:

Open MSSQL Server Management Studio.

Right-click the database and choose New Query.

Run the following query:

 

ALTER MASTER KEY ADD ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD='<new-master_key>';

 

Note that after you create an additional master key password, the old master key password will still be functional. 

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Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

 In the workspace, run the following query:

BACKUP MASTER KEY TO FILE = 'path_to_file' ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '<Masterkey_password>';

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Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query

In the workspace, run the following query:

RESTORE MASTER KEY FROM FILE = 'path_to_file' DECRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '<masterkey_password_of_backup_database>' ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '<masterkey_password_of_restoring_database>';

The master key password will be restored to the database.

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This can happen of the password doesn't comply with the password policy of the MSSQL-installed machine. 

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AES_256

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Postgre: bytea

MSSQL: varbinary

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Option 1: Via tools provided by ServiceDeskPlus

Step 1: Stop the ServiceDesk Plus service.
Step 2: Take a backup of the existing data and configuration under the MSSQL database. For example, assume your existing database is MSSQL 2005. To take a backup,
from the command prompt, go to [ServiceDesk Plus-Home]bin directory and execute the command backUpData.bat to start the data backup.
cmd> [ServiceDesk Plus Home]bin
cmd> backUpData.bat
This backup will be stored under the Backup folder in the ServiceDesk Plus Home directory.
Step 3: Invoke ChangeDBServer.bat under [Service Desk-Home]bin folder.
Step 4: Provide the details of the new SQL server. For example, assume your new SQL server is 2008 64-bit. Enter the Host Name, Username, and Password. Click Test to check the connectivity with the SQL server. The message should say “Connection Established”. Click Save.


NOTE: Master Key must be changed if the Master Key of the backed up database has been changed.


Step 5: Start and stop the ServiceDesk Plus service once.
NOTE: A database called ServiceDesk would be created in the New SQL server.
Step 6: Now invoke restoreData.bat under [Service Desk-Home]bin folder. The data should be restored under your MSSQL server instance using the backup file that had been taken previously.
Step 7: Start ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus service once the restore process is complete.

 

Option2: Via manual backup and restore from SQL Server Management Studio.

Step 1: Stop ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus service.

Step 2: In MSSQL Server Management, right-click the database to be backed up and go to Tasks>>Backup, The database will be backed up in the given location as 'database_name.bak'.

Step 3: Backup master key password of the old database, using the steps provided here https://help.servicedeskplus.com/ear-faqs.html$8

Step 4: Restore the master key of the old database to the new database using the steps provided here,

https://help.servicedeskplus.com/ear-faqs.html$9
Step 5: To restore the database, right-click it and choose Restore>>DataBase.

In the Restore Database dialog box, choose the device option and the backup file path(database_name.bak), and click Ok.

Note: If the following error occurs, 
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlError: The backup set holds a backup of a database other than the existing 'new_database_name' database. (Microsoft.SqlServer.SmoExtended)
Choose 'Overwrite the existing database(WITH REPLACE)' option from the Options tab.

 

Step 6: Your MSSQL database will be restored.


Note: Should update the Master Key password of "Database Master Key" in ''customer-config.xml" if the Database Master Key password is changed intentionally.

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It is the symmetric PGP (Pretty Good Privacy ) key used in postgres to encrypt the data in password columns. The value of the ECTag is encrypted and stored in the product-config.xml file. 

Follow these steps to change it:

Please take a backup before invoking changeKey.bat. 

From <product_home>/ME/ServiceDesk/bin, invoke changeKey.bat followed by the new ECTag value.

changeKey.bat <ECTag value>

The entire database will be decrypted using the old key and encrypted again with the given ECTag value.

 

How to troubleshoot login, mail fetching, or Integration issues due to failover in AOAG setup?
Check whether Automatic seeding is chosen for Initial Data Synchronisation during AOAG setup. If yes, execute the following query in all the nodes to resolve this issue:

EXEC sp_control_dbmasterkey_password @db_name = N'<database_name>' , @password = N'<Master_Key_Password>',@action = N'add' ;

 

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